County of Santa Barbara RFQ/P – Fire Station 25

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS AND PROPOSALS

FOR

ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY

GENERAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT

FIRE STATION 25

Project # 25123

ORCUTT, CALIFORNIA

Santa Barbara County – General Services Department 260 N San Antonio Rd – Casa Nueva Santa Barbara, CA 93110

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.0 INTRODUCTION

2.0 BACKGROUND

3.0 PROJECT GOAL

4.0 SCOPE OF WORK

5.0 OTHER PROJECT CONSULTANTS

6.0 FEES AND TENTATIVE CONSTRUCTION BUDGET OUTLINE

7.0 ANTICIPATED PROJECT DELIVERY

8.0 REGISTERING WITH PUBLIC PURCHASE

9.0 PROPOSAL QUESTIONS

10.0 INSTRUCTIONS FOR PROPOSERS

11.0 ANTICIPATED CONSULTANT SELECTION SCHEDULE

12.0 EVALUATION PROCESS

13.0 SELECTION PROCEDURE

14.0. ASSURANCE OF DESIGNATED PROJECT TEAM

15.0. GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

16.0. REJECTION OF PROPOSALS

17.0. VALID OFFER

18.0. COUNTY’S RIGHTS

19.0. CONTRACT AWARD

20.0. CONFLICT OF INTEREST

21.0. PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST

22.0. BUSINESS LICENSE REQUIREMENT

ATTACHMENTS

A PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT TEMPLATE

B PARCEL MAP EXHIBIT

C COUNTY FIRE STRATEGIC FACILITIES PLAN

D OASIS CENTER ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT

E UNION VALLEY PARKWAY ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT

1.0 INTRODUCTION

The County of Santa Barbara (“County”) General Services Department is soliciting qualifications and proposals (“Proposals”) from qualified entities (“Proposers”) to provide environmental documentation and analysis services. Qualifications and proposals from an experienced consultant team demonstrating expertise in providing the required environmental documents for a complex project that includes the proposed Fire Station 25 and temporary facility (“Project”). The proposed Project will be located in Orcutt, California in Northern Santa Barbara County.

Santa Barbara County FIRE has procured the property for the proposed Project and intends to immediately construct a Temporary Facility to support operations in the North County concurrent with design of a Permanent Facility, to be known as Fire Station 25. Additionally, the Permanent Facility shall include space for a backup dispatch facility for emergency services.

The environmental services required for this Project shall include:

• Conduct an Initial Study to determine the appropriate technical studies and level of environmental documentation required for construction of both the temporary and permanent facilities.

• Prepare environmental document. The County is anticipating an Environmental Impact Report (EIR)/Environmental Assessment (EA) to allow participation from the public. The environmental document must meet both the CEQA/NEPA requirements.

The County shall provide any readily available documents to assist in the environmental review process and updating the environmental document. This includes existing design plans, existing technical studies and environmental impact report for the nearby OASIS senior center (community center).

The final deliverables (“Documents”) shall include an initial study with the required environmental recommendations based on the scope of work and CEQA/NEPA documents per the recommendation of the study.

The purpose of this Request for Qualifications and Proposals ("RFQ/P”) is to solicit meaningful responses so that the County may select from among a range of Proposals that best meet our needs and requirements. The County urges all interested parties to carefully review the requirements of this RFQ/P. Written Proposals, including qualification submittals containing the requested information will serve as the primary basis to be considered for the interview phase of the selection process. All responses will be reviewed by the Selection Committee. The County reserves the right to select a Proposer based on their Proposal in response to this RFQ/P and/or to conduct interviews at their discretion, however the intent is to make final selection based upon the interview phase of the selection process.

General Services will act as the main point of contact and support for this Project with potential involvement from other County departments, public agencies, community constituents, and other stakeholders with interest in the Project. The County will award a single environmental contract

(“Contract”) for the services contemplated herein, in the form of the Form of Agreement attached hereto as Attachment A (“Form of Agreement”).

2.0 BACKGROUND

The Project site is comprised of one parcel. The acreage for APN: 107-321-013 is 4.6 acres, see Attachment B for parcel map exhibit. The above listed parcel is zoned for residential purposes (DR-3.3). The Project site is proposed to be accessed via the abutting Union Valley Parkway, and Brookside Avenue. Based on input from the Santa Barbara County FIRE, the proposed Temporary Facility should be designed to approximately 2,400 square feet, whereas the Permanent Facility and potential dispatch center should be designed to approximately 12,000 SF and 1200 SF respectively. The Permanent Facility will consist of a 3-bay fire station with an attached dorm area, as well as separated training, office, and supply building, accompanied by decomposed granite parking areas. These developments will require public improvement plans to include;

access driveways with curb, gutter and sidewalk parking and traffic circulation, storm water detention, new utility services and fire protection requirements from the County of Santa Barbara Fire standards. In addition, landscaping plans, documentation and plans to meet the County of Santa Barbara Clean Water standards and drainage analysis to meet the County of Santa Barbara flood control requirements will be required. The environmental documentation should reflect these aspects of the Project.

3.0 PROJECT GOAL

The overall goal of this Project is to construct a new Fire Station. The new Fire Station 25 will provide a facility to supplement the existing network of fire stations supporting the North County area.

4.0 SCOPE OF WORK

The Project focuses on the environmental portion of the Project.

Environmental & NEPA/ CEQA Analysis: Review the existing site conditions and evaluate for potential environmental impacts based on the Project scope. An Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for a project located approximately 1.8 miles away is included for reference and comparison.

The resulting deliverable shall be a Preliminary Impact Report (PIR), identifying all studies required to fulfill compliance with California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The Consultant will then conduct the required technical studies and prepare the appropriate reports. The Consultant will evaluate and prepare the appropriate CEQA/NEPA documents based on the Project scope. Based on the preliminary details of the Project, it is expected that the completed document will be an EIR to meet the legal requirements of the Project’s environmental consequences. The EIR will serve as an informational document for the public and County Santa Barbara decision makers, including the Board of Supervisors. The resulting NEPA document will be used to meet the Project’s Federal requirements.

4.1 Part 1: Preliminary Impact Study

4.1.1 Environmental & NEPA/CEQA Analysis: The selected Consultant would conduct or subcontract with others to conduct peer review of and provide feedback on the technical studies and reports required for the Project based on the new scope of work as set forth in the Contract.

This assessment must be completed by the Consultant and the list of technical studies/reports that will be required will be reviewed by the County of Santa Barbara. The Consultant will also prepare a draft Project description to be reviewed by the Project team and the County of Santa Barbara.

4.1.1.1 Deliverable: Complete field review and identify Technical Studies/Reports required

4.1.1.2 Deliverable: Complete all identified studies and prepare their associated documents

4.2 Part 2: Environmental Documentation

4.2.1 Preparation of CEQA/NEPA Environmental Document: The Consultant shall prepare the appropriate CEQA/NEPA document to evaluate the revised Project description. This document shall be in accordance with the standards set forth by the State and National requirements for CEQA and NEPA. The document shall incorporate public comments and staff comments, as required by law. The Consultant shall prepare all draft documents, outreach materials, required sections, a mitigation monitoring and reporting program if required, Project alternatives if required and Statement of Overriding Considerations if required. This includes all Notices related to the EIR. Any required public hearings or decision maker hearings must be attended by the Consultant.

4.2.1.1 Deliverable: Complete Environmental Impact Report

4.2.1.2 Deliverable: Complete draft CEQA/NEPA application

4.3 Part 3: Construction Support

4.3.1 Perform compliance inspections and documentation: The Consultant shall conduct or subcontract for site reviews during construction activities, as required by the environmental document and permit parameters. Site reviews include, but are not limited to, biological inspections, SWPPP compliance, noise and air pollution, etc.

4.3.1.1 Deliverable: Field Inspections and Reports

4.4 Other Project Requirements & Expectations

4.4.1 For all submittals to the County, the Consultant shall, at no additional cost to the County, correct errors, omissions, whether discovered during or after the completion of the review process.

Electronic format files will be required for all submittal phases.

4.4.2 All deliverables shall be prepared in accordance with the latest County and Federal policies, procedures, manuals and standards. All deliverables will be in Imperial units. At the conclusion of the Project, electronic transmittal of files will be required. Reports shall be submitted in both MS Word and PDF formats. The County shall be the owner of all work produced for this Project and such work shall be provided by the Consultant at the County’s request.

4.4.3 Coordinate with and inform the County Project Manager of schedule, or budget changes.

4.5 Other Scope of Work Expectations:

4.5.1 Consultant shall be expected to include review of the existing conditions of the Project site and adjacent parcels (terrain, site specific characteristics, circulation, surrounding environment and other aspects of the parcels and the surrounding community) to inform the development of the

EIR.

4.5.2 Required expectations through all tasks include, however not limited to:

• Regular progress meetings with core Project team: The Project Team shall meet on a weekly basis in-person or virtually. The purpose of these meetings is to briefly update County staff on the status of the Project. The Consultant shall prepare agendas, including schedule/budget updates, and distribute at minimum 24 hours prior to each meeting.

Meeting minutes for each meeting shall be distributed to the Project Team within 48 hours of meeting completion each week.

• Milestone updates/presentations

• Schedule Management: The Consultant shall meet the Project schedule approved in the

Contract and communicate any possible subsequent changes to the Project timeline to the County Project manager.

• Stakeholder meetings to gather necessary data to aid in the EIR development.

• Community engagement where necessary

• Standards of Document Quality: The selected Consultant shall provide complete and thorough documents developed without grammatical or punctuation errors. A qualified member of the selected Consultant’s team shall perform final quality assurance/quality control review on all documents.

• Draft EIR Documents issuance for review and final EIR Document acceptance by the County.

• Attend, and/or otherwise support County staff with certain tasks associated with presentations to the Board of Supervisors and other decision-maker hearings required.

5.0 OTHER PROJECT CONSULTANTS

The County may contract with separate consultants as necessary for related work. It is expected the selected Consultant from respondents to this RFQ/P ("Proposers") will work with the County to coordinate any related work scope as necessary.

6.0 FEES AND TENTATIVE CONSTRUCTION BUDGET OUTLINE

The selected Consultant will be required to submit billings on a monthly basis, based on the Contract between the Consultant and County.

Travel time required by the Consultant to reach the designated meeting place or County staff office shall be included in all quoted fees and shall not be billed separately. There shall be no reimbursable expenses on this Project unless associated with additional services to the extent approved in advance in writing by County.

Section 10 (Item 9) outlines the cost proposal requirements for this phase of the Project. Each cost proposal submitted in response to this RFQ/P (“Cost Proposal”) shall be submitted and uploaded to the Public Purchase site by the deadline specified herein as a separate document clearly identifying the name of Proposer, the name of the Project, and labeled as “Sealed Cost Proposal.”

Each Cost Proposal shall breakdown the Project into line items consistent with the scope of work presented herein and must include all costs associated with the Project. All costs shall be not-to-exceed amounts.

7.0 ANTICIPATED PROJECT DELIVERY

The following represents the anticipated schedule for the completion of the Environmental Documents. All dates are subject to change.

Notice to Proceed to Consultant October 20, 2026 Preliminary Impact Report October 20, 2026-December 31, 2026 Environmental Documentation for Temporary Facility

January 1, 2027-June 30, 2027

Environmental Documentation for Permanent Facility

January 1, 2027-December 31, 2027

65402 Conformity Review October 31, 2028- December 31, 2028 NEPA Review January 1, 2028-December 31, 2028 CEQA Review January 1, 2028-December 31, 2028

8.0 REGISTERING WITH PUBLIC PURCHASE

Entities wishing to submit a Proposal in response to this RFQ/P must first register as a Supplier on the County of Santa Barbara Public Purchase website at Public Purchase: Vendor Registration.

Successful registration will allow Proposers to receive email updates to the proposal process and the ability to upload their final Proposal package to the site. Proposers are recommended to register as a Supplier as soon as possible – it can take 24 to 48 hours for your account to become active.

To register as a Supplier, follow the steps below:

a. Step 1) Registering as a Supplier with Public Purchase: Your first step should be to register as a supplier through Public Purchase. If you are already registered with Public Purchase, please skip this step and proceed directly to step two below. Once registered you will receive an activation email from notices@publicpurchase.com advising that your account is activated (Note: be sure to add this email address to your contacts to avoid bid notifications being sent to your junk folder rather than your inbox). It can take 24 to 48 hours for your account to become active.

b. Step 2) Registering as a Supplier with the County: Once you have received your activation email from Public Purchase, log into Santa Barbara County Public Purchase homepage and accept the terms and conditions of use. You will need to register with Santa Barbara County and select the National Institute of Government Procurement (NIGP) Commodity Codes that relate to your business in order to receive email notifications of future bid opportunities.

It is important to complete Step 2 of the registration process (register with Santa Barbara County) or you will not receive notifications of upcoming proposal opportunities. It is your responsibility to keep your Supplier information updated in Public Purchase, particularly your contacts and email addresses.

9.0 PROPOSAL QUESTIONS

Questions or requests for clarification of this RFQ/P must be submitted in writing on the Public Purchase website (www.publicpurchase.com).

Submit Question Instructions:

a. Click on the title of the bid,

b. On the right of the bid page, click on [View/Ask Questions] to open a new page that lists all previous questions and answers.

c. Click "Ask a Question" and enter your question here.

Answers may be provided directly and visible for all interested parties to see or provided as an addendum to this RFQ/P, posted on Public Purchase for review and consideration.

Do not contact County departments or County staff directly. Information obtained by such means is invalid and proposals which are submitted in accordance with such information may be declared non-responsive.

In the event that it becomes necessary to revise any part of this RFQ/P, written addenda will be issued and posted on Public Purchase. Any amendment to this RFQ/P is valid only if in writing and posted to Public Purchase. Verbal conversations or agreements with any officer, agent, or employee of the County that purport to modify any terms or obligations of this RFQ/P are invalid.

All addenda for this RFQ/P will be distributed via Public Purchase.

It is each Proposer's responsibility to monitor the documents associated with the RFQ/P via Public Purchase. Failure of Proposer to retrieve addenda shall not relieve such Proposer of the requirements contained therein. Additionally, failure of Proposer to return a signed addendum, when required, may be cause for rejection of such Proposer's Proposal.

Optional site visit will occur on August 18th, 2026, from 3:00-4:00 pm. Any Proposers that would like to attend, please meet at the Project site at the proposed time.

10.0 INSTRUCTIONS FOR PROPOSERS

Each Proposal submitted in response to this RFQ/P shall include the information described in this Section 11. Failure to include all of the elements specified may be cause for rejection. Additional information may be provided, but should be succinct and relevant to the goals of this RFQ/P.

Excessive information will not be considered favorably.

General: The instructions below provide guidance for the preparation and submission of Proposals. Their purpose is to establish the requirements, format, and content of Proposals so that proposals are complete, contain all essential information, and can be evaluated fairly.

Submission and Content of Proposals: All Proposals must be received by the proposal submission deadline as identified in Section 11.0, below, and submitted via Public Purchase.

Proposals shall be formatted so they can be printed in 8 ½” x 11” format; drawings may be formatted for 11” x 17” sizing. All Proposal documentation shall be in 12-point font.

All Proposals will be valid for one hundred eighty (180) days.

All Proposals shall contain the following elements, in the order presented below, along with their associated maximum allowable pages. Proposals shall be divided into tabbed sections and should not exceed (25) twenty-five pages (each side of the page, if utilized is considered 2 pages – front and back).

10.1 Transmittal/Cover Letter: (two pages) with the following information:

Title of this RFQ/P

Name and Mailing Address of Proposer (include physical location if mailing address is a P.O. Box)

Year the Proposer's business entity was established (and registered with the California Secretary of State to do business in California).

Type of business entity (partnership, corporation, etc.)

Organizational structure of Proposer's business entity, its constituent parts and size variation of staff in the past five (5) years

Name of Proposer contact person including title, address, email and telephone. This individual should be available by telephone or email to provide the location of Proposer's office that will be responsible for this Project.

A statement by Proposer clearly identifying and requesting protection of any proprietary information included in such Proposer's Proposal if necessary. All Proposals may be considered public information. Subsequent to notice of intent to enter into a Contract with the selected Proposer, all or part of any and all Proposals may be released to any person who may request it. Therefore, Proposers may request in their Cover Letter if any portion of their Proposal should be treated as proprietary and not released as public information.

Addenda Acknowledgement

10.2 Signatory Requirements: (one page) In order to receive consideration, the Cover Letter must be signed by an officer duly authorized by the Proposer to sign such material and thereby commit such Proposer to the obligations contained in this RFQ/P and its Proposal. Further, the signing and submission of a Proposal shall indicate the intention of the Proposer to adhere to the provisions described in this RFQ/P and a commitment to enter into a binding Contract in the form of the Form of Agreement attached to this RFQ/P as Attachment A. Each Proposal shall be signed by one of the following representatives:

• If the Proposer is a partnership, its Proposal shall be signed in the name of the partnership by all of the general partners required to legally bind the partnership or the Attorney-In-Fact.

If signed by the Attorney-In-Fact, there shall be attached to the proposal a Power-Of- Attorney evidencing such authority to sign the Proposal, dated the same date as the Proposal and duly executed by all partners of such partnership.

• If the Proposer is a corporation, the Proposal shall include the full legal corporate name as registered with the California Secretary of State to do business in California, and the actual signature of the duly authorized officer of the corporation written (not typed) below the corporate name. The name and title of the office held by the person signing for such corporation shall be printed below the signature of the officer.

• If the Proposer is an individual, the Proposal shall be signed in the name of the individual Proposer.

• If the Proposer is doing business under a fictitious business name, its Proposal shall reflect such fictitious business name after the full legal name of the Proposer and “dba” or “doing business as”.

10.3 Qualifications: (five pages) A synopsis of each proposed team member's qualifications and experience with public or government projects of similar type and size as described in this RFQ/P, including length of service with the Proposer and resume. Include an organization chart of the proposed staff to be assigned to this Project. For each sub-consultant to be used in connection with the Contract, provide sub-consultant name, area of expertise, the names of individual staff assigned to this Project and their role on the team.

10.4 Experience of Proposer: (five pages) A narrative of the Proposer’s qualifying background and experience with public or government projects of similar type and size as described in this RFQ/P. Individual project descriptions, including scope, project budget and schedule are encouraged.

10.5 Proposed Work Plan, Time Schedule and Workload: (three pages) Provide a work plan description addressing all scope of work tasks along with a proposed timeline schedule reflecting each task and its deliverables and identifying appropriate progress checkpoints along with draft or interim deliverables. Also provide a narrative of Proposer staffing size, current Proposer workload, and with consideration of the Proposer's current projects, confirming the Proposer's ability to perform the scope of work as described herein.

10.6 References for Past Performance: (two pages) Provide a list of past performance and service. Include three (3) references for whom the Proposer has developed a comparable project.

Include project name, contact person, title, address, telephone number, email address as well as the contact person’s role in the project and which of the Proposer's staff participated and their roles. For each reference listed, submit a brief summary of the scope of the services provided.

10.7 Deliverables: (one page) Describe Proposer's ability to provide deliverables in the required formats:

a. Word documents in Microsoft Word.

b. Spreadsheets in Microsoft Excel.

c. Schedules in Microsoft Project.

d. Databases as necessary for compiling, storing and accessing the Project records in a commonly available format.

e. Bluebeam and BIM

10.8 Resource Matrix: (one page) Provide matrix complete with all services and or deliverables associated with the Project. The matrix must include all personnel resources performing services on the project, correlated to an estimated distribution of their labor anticipated for each task. The matrix shall be utilized to ensure the Proposer’s understanding of the level of service required to fulfill the County’s intent. Do not include costs within the matrix.

10.9 Cost Proposal: (Cost proposal not counted to page count limit.) Provide a total cost proposal (in not-to-exceed amounts) for all services to be delivered under the Contract, including a breakdown of costs itemized for each task as defined in the Scope of Work. This cost proposal shall encompass the complete proposed Project costs for meetings and Project expenses for reproduction, postage, mileage, travel time and all related miscellaneous expenses. Also provide an hourly rate schedule for all assigned team members, including hourly rates for participation in public meetings. Cost proposal shall be utilized for unit price information at this stage, and thereafter to finalize a Contract for those services at a fair and reasonable fee with the best qualified Proposer.

Each cost proposal shall be submitted in a separate file via Public Purchase. It shall be identified with the Proposer's name, the name of this Project, and "Sealed Cost Proposal".

10.10 Required Statements: (one page per statement) Include statements of assurance regarding the following requirements:

• Non-substitution for the designated members of the proposed staff members and Sub-consultants without prior written approval by County in each instance.

• Non-conflict of interest.

• Non-collusion affidavit.

• Statement listing of litigation and/or claims related to or arising out of past projects for which Proposer provided services at any point during the past ten (10) years.

• Ability to fulfill the indemnification and insurance requirements contained in the Form of

Agreement. Please note that actual certificates of insurance are not required as part of your submittal.

• Insurance certificates (as required in the attached Form of Agreement).

• Proof of DIR Registration (if applicable) and County Vendor Registration.

10.11 Retention of Proposal: All Proposals will become the property of the County. Proposals shall not be returned to the Proposer.

11.0 ANTICIPATED CONSULTANT SELECTION SCHEDULE

The following represents the tentative schedule for this RFQ/P and completion of the Environmental Documents. All dates are subject to change.

RFQ/P Published and Distributed by County Friday, August 14, 2026 Optional Site Visit Tuesday, August 25, 2026, 3pm PDT Deadline for Vendors to submit RFQ/P Questions Friday, September 4, 2026, 3pm PDT Answers to RFQ/P Questions published by County Tuesday, September 8, 2026 Proposal Response Deadline and RFQ/P Opening Friday, September 11, 2026, 3pm PDT Proposal Evaluations September 14-25, 2026 (Possible) Interview Sessions September 21-25, 2026 Contract Award by Board of Supervisors Tuesday, November 10, 2026 Notice to Proceed to Consultant Tuesday, November 10, 2026 Initial Study Deliverable Due January 31, 2027 Environmental Document January 31, 2028

Dates listed above are subject to change.

12.0 EVALUATION PROCESS

Proposals will be evaluated by a selection committee and the Proposers submitting the most highly rated Proposals may be invited for interviews. The following evaluation criteria and rating schedule will be used to determine the Proposer that provides the best value.

The County may consider other criteria it deems relevant.

Evaluation Criteria Maximum Possible Points

A.

Completeness of Summary of Qualifications (SOQs) Submission:

SOQ’s should describe comprehensive services and should respond to each of the items set forth in this RFQ/P.

B.

Personnel Experience and Qualification:

Evaluation of the list of personnel specifically assigned to the proposed project, including their qualifications, overall experience, and recent experience on projects of similar nature and complexity to the proposed project.

C.

Depth and Quality of Respondent’s Performance:

Qualifying background and relevant experience of Proposer and sub-consultants on projects of similar nature and complexity as the proposed project; evaluation of client references (whether included in the proposal or not); overall responsiveness to County’s solicitation.

D.

Technical/Management Approach:

Evaluation of Proposer's strategy towards completion of the project (work plan, time schedule, etc.)

E.

Availability:

Evaluation of the workload of Proposer and the staffing to be assigned to the proposed project; time scheduled of the Proposer in relation to that of the proposed project location of the offices or facilities from which the services are to be provided to County.

F. Ability to integrate sustainable approaches. 10

TOTAL POSSIBLE POINTS 100

13.0 SELECTION PROCEDURE

Each Proposer should thoroughly review the Form of Agreement and expect to execute the Contract in the form of the Form of Agreement without modifications or changes.

County staff will open Proposals following the submittal deadline. The only information that will be made available to the public at that time will be the names of the Proposers who provided submissions. The contents of all Proposals, or any other medium which discloses any aspect of the Proposal, shall be held in strictest confidence until the County releases a Notice of Intent to Award.

Proposals will be reviewed for responsiveness. A selection committee will then evaluate Proposals in accordance with the above criteria. The Proposer(s) submitting the highest rated Proposals may be invited for an interview. Interviews will be conducted in the County's sole discretion. County reserves the right to select the most qualified Proposer solely on the content of its Proposal. If County chooses to conduct interviews, the Proposer's proposed project manager shall represent the Proposer at the interview. After completion of the interviews, the Committee will recommend the Proposer with the highest interview evaluation, for approval by the Board of Supervisors.

The County expects to enter into contract negotiations with the top ranked responding Proposer, during which time the County and Respondent will resolve any necessary issues that need to be addressed prior to entering into the Contract. Upon successful completion of such negotiations and discussions, the County and the selected Proposer shall enter into a Contract. If, in the sole judgment of the County, these negotiations are not successful, the County reserves the right to enter into negotiations with other Proposers, proceeding in the order of their initial ranking.

County reserves the right to make an award without further discussion of the submittal with the submitter. Therefore, each Proposal should be submitted initially on the most favorable terms that the Proposer may propose.

County reserves the right to award a Contract to the Proposer who, in the sole judgment of County, presents the most favorable response to this RFQ/P (and possible follow-up interviews) pursuant to the evaluation criteria indicated above.

County reserves the right to reject any or all Proposals, to waive minor irregularities in said responses, or to negotiate minor deviations with the successful Proposer.

In the case of differences between written words and figures in a Proposal, the amount stated in written words shall govern. In the case of a difference in unit price versus the extended figure, the unit price shall govern. County reserves the right to reject any and all Proposals, to waive minor irregularities in said proposals, or to negotiate minor deviations with the successful Proposer.

County shall be the sole judge of the materiality of any such defect or irregularity.

Failure to comply with any of the requirements contained herein may result in disqualification. It is the responsibility of each Proposer to read ALL sections of this RFQ/P prior to submitting a Proposal.

14.0. ASSURANCE OF DESIGNATED PROJECT TEAM

Each Proposer shall assure that only the designated Consultant staff and sub-consultants identified in its Proposal (“Consultant Project Team”), perform the services described in this RFQ/P pursuant to the Contract. Changes to the Consultant Project Team or sub-consultant(s) shall not be made without the prior written approval of County in each instance.

15.0. GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Protests and Appeals: Protests shall be submitted in writing within seven (7) calendar days after such aggrieved person or entity knows, or should have known, of the facts giving rise thereto.

Standard Contract: Upon completion of the evaluation and recommendation for award, the selected Proposer will be required to execute a Contract with the County in the form of the Form of Agreement as the Consultant. Proposers are advised to carefully review the attached Form of Agreement. Each Proposer must specify all proposed exceptions, alterations, changes and amendments to the Form of Agreement in the form of requested redline edits to the Form of Agreement included in such Proposer's Proposal, the nature of which may affect the evaluation of such Proposal and the County's decision regarding entering into a Contract with such Proposer.

Independent Contractor: At all times the Consultant shall represent itself to be an independent contractor and shall not represent itself, or any of Contractor's employees, to be an employee of County. Therefore, the Consultant shall assume all legal and financial responsibility for taxes, FICA, employee fringe benefits, workers compensation, employee insurance, minimum wage requirements, overtime, etc., and agrees to indemnify, save, and hold County its officers, agents, and employees, harmless from and against, any and all loss, cost (including attorney fees), and damage of any kind related to such matters.

Non-Appropriation: County may terminate any resulting Contract at the end of any fiscal year, June 30th, without further liability other than payment of debt incurred during such fiscal year, should funds not be appropriated by its governing body to continue services for which the Contract was intended.

Non-Collusion: Each Proposer submitting a Proposal shall warrant that such Proposal is an offer made without any previous understanding, agreement or connection with any person, firm or entity submitting a separate Proposal for the same project, and is in all respects fair, without outside control, collusion, fraud or otherwise illegal action. This condition shall not apply to Proposals which are submitted by Proposers who have partnered with others to submit a cooperative Proposal that clearly identifies a Proposer to serve as primary Consultant and the Proposer to serve as an associated sub-consultant.

Indemnification and Insurance Requirements: County's standard indemnification and insurance requirements are provided as an exhibit to in the Form of Agreement (see Attachment A) and shall be required in any Contract.

16.0. REJECTION OF PROPOSALS

Only Proposals submitted to County in compliance with this RFQ/P will be considered. Failure to comply with any of the requirements contained herein may result in disqualification. It is the responsibility of each Proposer to read ALL sections of this RFQ/P prior to submitting a Proposal. The County reserves the right to reject any or all Proposals, to waive minor irregularities in Proposal(s), or to negotiate minor deviations with the selected Proposer.

The County may reject a Proposal if it is conditional, incomplete, contains irregularities, or reflects inordinately high cost rates. County may waive immaterial and/or minor deviation and/or irregularities in a Proposal. County shall be the sole judge of the materiality of any such defect, deviation, and/or irregularity. Waiver of an immaterial/minor deviation shall in no way modify this RFQ/P or excuse the Proposer from full compliance with the Contract requirements if such Proposer is awarded the Contract.

17.0. VALID OFFER

Proposals shall remain valid for one hundred eighty (180) days from the due date. The County reserves the right to negotiate with the successful Proposer any additional terms or conditions not contained in their Proposal which are in the best interest of the County or to otherwise revise the scope of this RFQ/P.

This RFQ/P does not constitute a contract or an offer of employment. The cost of preparation of a Proposals shall be the obligation of the Proposer. All Proposals, whether accepted or rejected, shall become the property of the County and will not be returned. Unnecessarily elaborate responses, enclosures and specialized binding are not desired.

18.0. COUNTY’S RIGHTS

The County reserves the right to:

1. Request clarification of any submitted information.

2. Waive any irregularity or immaterial deviation in any Proposal.

3. Not enter into any Contract.

4. Not select any Proposer.

5. Cancel this process at any time.

6. Amend this process at any time.

7. To award more than one Contract if it is in the best interest of the County.

8. Interview Proposer(s) prior to award.

9. To request additional information during an interview.

Waiver of an immaterial deviation shall in no way modify the RFQ/P documents or excuse the Proposer from full compliance with the Contract requirements if the Proposer is awarded the Contract.

19.0. CONTRACT AWARD

The County evaluation committee intends to recommend that the County Board of Supervisors enter into a Contract with the Proposer whose Proposal best meets the needs of the County. The County reserves the right to reject any or all Proposals, and to solicit additional Proposals if deemed in the best interest of the County to do so. The decision of the County Board of Supervisors shall be final in making such determination.

The successful Proposer will receive written notification of the award, along with instructions for finalizing the Contract documents.

Selection of a Proposal will not necessarily result in a Contract with the County of Santa Barbara.

Proposal opening does not constitute awarding of a Contract. Contract award is by action of the County of Santa Barbara Board of Supervisors and is not in force until fully executed by the Board.

20.0. CONFLICT OF INTEREST

Each Proposer must warrant and covenant that no official or employee of the County, or any business entity in which an official of the County has an interest, has been employed or retained to solicit or aid in the procuring of the resulting Contract, nor that any such person will be employed in the performance of such Contract without prior and immediate divulgence of such fact to the County. Each Proposal must contain a statement to the effect that such Proposer is not currently committed to another project that would constitute a conflicting interest with the Project described in this RFQ/P.

21.0. PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST

All responses, proposals and materials submitted shall become property of the County and will not be returned. All responses, including the accepted Proposal and any subsequent Contract, become public records per the requirements of the California Government Code, Sections 6250 - 6270, “California Public Records Act”. Proprietary material must be clearly marked as such. Pricing and service elements of the Proposal are not considered proprietary information. Proposals which indiscriminately identify all or parts of their Proposal as confidential or proprietary without justification may be deemed unresponsive.

The County will treat all information submitted in a response or Proposal as available for public inspection once the County has selected a Consultant. If you believe that you have a legally justifiable basis under the California Public Records Act (Government Section 6250 et. seq.) for protecting the confidentiality of any information contained within your response or Proposal, you must specifically identify all such information, together with the legal basis of your claim, in your Proposal, and present such information separately as part of your response package.

The final determination as to whether the County will assert your claim of confidentiality on your behalf shall be in the sole discretion of the County. If the County makes a determination that your information does not meet the criteria for confidentiality, you will be notified as such. Any information deemed to be non-confidential shall be considered public record.

Upon receipt of a request for disclosure pursuant to the California Public Records Act for information that is set apart and marked as proprietary, County will notify you of the request for disclosure. You shall have sole responsibility for the defense of the proprietary designation of such information. Failure to respond to the notice and enter into an agreement with County providing for the defense of and complete indemnification and reimbursement for all costs incurred by the County in any legal action to compel the disclosure of such information, shall constitute a complete waiver of any rights regarding the information designated proprietary and such information will be disclosed by County pursuant to applicable procedures under the California Public Records Act.

22.0. BUSINESS LICENSE REQUIREMENT

It is unlawful for any person to furnish supplies or services, or transact any kind of business in the unincorporated territory of Santa Barbara County without possessing a County business license unless exempt under County Code Sec. 22-73. Contact the Tax Collector’s Office at 105 East Anapamu St, Santa Barbara, 93101, or phone (805) 568-2920, for further information.

It is not a requirement to possess a County business license at the time of response submittal.

Successful Respondents shall be required to possess a County business license to award contract

Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Policy It is the policy of Federally Funded Projects that minority and women-owned business enterprises (hereby referred to as DBEs) as defined in 49 CFR Part 26 shall have the maximum opportunity to participate in the performance of contracts, including the Contract, financed in whole or in part with federal funds.

DBE Obligation The Consultant and its subcontractor agrees to ensure that DBEs have the maximum opportunity to participate in the performance of contracts and subcontracts financed in whole or in part with federal funds provided under the Contract. In this regard, Consultant and all subcontractors shall take all necessary and reasonable steps in accordance with 49 CFR Part 26 to ensure that DBEs have the maximum opportunity to compete for and perform contracts. Consultant and its subcontractors shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, or sex in the award and performance of federally assisted contracts.

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 The Consultant agrees to comply with all the requirements imposed by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (49 USC 2000(d)) and the regulations of the U.S. Department of Transportation issued there under in 49 CFR Part 21.

Equal Employment Opportunity In connection with the performance of the Contract, the Consultant shall not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, age, creed, sex or national original. Such action shall include, but not be limited to, the following: employment, upgrading, demotion or transfer, recruitment or recruitment advertising, layoff or termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation, and selection for training, including apprenticeship.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Provisions To comply with the nondiscrimination requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), it is the policy of the County to make every effort to ensure that its programs, activities and services are available to all persons, including persons with disabilities. For persons with a disability needing a reasonable modification to participate in the procurement process, or for persons having questions regarding reasonable modifications of the procurement process, you may contact the County representative listed in this RFQ. In order to ensure each Proposal is following federal ADA guidelines, Proposers should review the federal ADA guidelines.

Failure to comply with any of the requirements contained herein may result in disqualification. It is the responsibility of each Proposer to read ALL sections of this RFQ/P prior to submitting a Proposal.