RFP 250186

EXHIBIT A

Scope of Work

Northbound State Route 57 Truck Climbing Lane Project Public Communications and Community Outreach Support

BACKGROUND

The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA), in cooperation with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), proposes improvements to Northbound State Route 57 (SR-57) between Lambert Road and the Orange County/Los Angeles County Line to enhance the operational efficiency of truck traffic and support regional goods movement on the State Highway System. The project would add a northbound truck-climbing lane to separate slow-moving trucks from general traffic and improve traffic flow and safety.

The SR-57, also known as the Orange Freeway, is an important north-south connection linking Orange County to Los Angeles County and providing access to major destinations such as universities, shopping areas, and sports and entertainment venues. It also serves several regional transit routes. The freeway is a vital goods-movement corridor designated for large trucks and is part of the National Highway Freight Network. Trucks make up nearly nine percent (9%) of daily traffic in this segment, and the long uphill grade between Lambert Road and the county line contributes to slow-moving vehicles and recurring congestion in the northbound direction. These conditions affect travel reliability for both freight and passenger vehicles and highlight the need for improvements that address truck performance and overall traffic flow.

The project’s Build Alternatives include:

• Extending the existing northbound outside general purpose lane as a truck-climbing lane enforced for trucks only, which currently ends at the SR-57/Lambert Road Interchange, beyond the sustained climbing grade

• Establishing a northbound auxiliary lane between Lambert Road to just north of Tonner Canyon Road

PURPOSE OF CONSULTANT SERVICES

OCTA seeks a qualified Public Outreach Consultant (Consultant) to assist with developing and implementing a Public Communications and Community Outreach Plan to support the environmental phase of the SR-57 Truck Climbing Lane Project. The Consultant will support compliance with Caltrans and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) public involvement requirements, communicate technical and environmental information to diverse audiences, facilitate meaningful public participation, and strengthen awareness and trust through transparent and proactive engagement.

SUMMARY OF REQUIRED SERVICES

The Consultant shall prepare and implement a comprehensive outreach plan within thirty

(30) days of contract execution, coordinate closely with OCTA, Caltrans, and the rest of the Project Development Team, provide ongoing community engagement, plan and implement public meetings, support environmental document circulation, produce high-quality materials, and provide multilingual services as needed.

DELIVERABLES AND TASKS

Detailed tasks include preparing the outreach plan, coordinating with stakeholders, planning and facilitating public meetings, producing collateral, engaging with underserved communities, maintaining a stakeholder database, tracking performance metrics, and preparing a final outreach summary report.

PROJECT STAFFING

The Consultant team shall include a Project Manager, Community Liaison, Graphic Designer, and Account Coordinator.

• Project Manager – Serves as the primary point of contact, manages the consultant team, oversees schedules and deliverables, ensures quality control, and coordinates with OCTA, Caltrans, and partner agencies.

• Community Liaison – Leads day-to-day outreach activities, conducts stakeholder coordination, prepares outreach materials, supports public meetings, and responds to public inquiries.

• Graphic Designer – Produces visual materials including maps, boards, digital assets, and collateral to support public understanding of the project.

• Account Coordinator – Provides logistical and administrative support, manages databases, prepares drafts of communication materials, supports canvassing, and helps track metrics.

Multilingual communication (written and verbal) will be required.

CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION

The Consultant shall manage and document all work performed under this contract in accordance with OCTA requirements. This includes:

Project Management and Coordination

• Participate in regular coordination meetings with OCTA, Caltrans, and the project team, as requested.

• Maintain an updated schedule of tasks reflecting progress, upcoming milestones, and critical deadlines.

• Notify the OCTA Outreach Project Manager (OCTA PM) promptly of any issues that may affect schedule, budget, or task delivery.

Invoicing Requirements The Consultant shall submit monthly invoices that include:

• A cover sheet summarizing total charges for the period.

• Labor charges by individual with detailed descriptions of tasks completed, hours worked, billing rates, and total cost.

• Direct costs, itemized with receipts.

• Subcontractor invoices, if used, with labor charges as outlined above for the

Consultant.

• A month-to-date and contract-to-date summary comparing expenditures to the approved budget.

• Invoices must reflect work completed within the billing period and must align with progress reported in the monthly progress report.

Monthly Progress Reports A written progress report shall accompany each invoice and include:

• Tasks completed during the reporting period.

• Tasks in progress and anticipated activities for the next period.

• Identification of key issues, risks, or decisions needed from OCTA.

• Updated outreach metrics (e.g., public interactions, digital engagement, meeting attendance).

• A status update on deliverables.

Deliverable Review and Approval

• All work products, including written materials, graphics, notices, presentations, and digital content, shall be submitted to OCTA for review and approval prior to use.

• The Consultant shall incorporate OCTA comments in a timely manner and shall not publish, distribute, or post any materials without written approval.

• OCTA reserves the right to require revisions to ensure accuracy, consistency, and adherence to agency standards.

Records Management

• The Consultant shall maintain organized project files, including work products, correspondence, stakeholder contacts, notices, meeting summaries, and metrics.

• At the conclusion of the contract, the Consultant shall provide OCTA with a complete digital archive of all materials produced.

Personnel Management

• Any substitution or replacement of key personnel must be approved by OCTA in writing.

• OCTA reserves the right to request personnel changes if performance is determined to be unsatisfactory.

PERFORMANCE METRICS

Metrics include stakeholders reached, diversity of participants, feedback themes, web and social analytics, overall public sentiment, and others as determined. OCTA may adjust strategies based on results.

TARGET AUDIENCES

The primary corridor community is the City of Brea, and neighboring communities include the cities of Fullerton, Placentia, Yorba Linda, and the City of Diamond Bar in Los Angeles County. Stakeholders include motorists, freight operators, property owners, businesses, schools, community organizations, local governments, emergency responders, and others as determined.

CONTACTS DATABASE

Consultant shall populate and manage a database of contacts that shall include:

• Individuals, businesses, and organizations with contact information

• An electronic form used to collect contact information

• The ability to track and report metrics

The database must be accessible to OCTA through a web-based platform.

MEDIA RELATIONS AND GOVERNMENT RELATIONS

Consultant shall support OCTA Media Relations and Government Relations teams as needed, prepare materials for OCTA Board updates, coordinate with Caltrans teams, and provide rapid response communications as needed.

ENGAGEMENT WITH UNDERREPRESENTED COMMUNITIES

Consultant shall support engagement with underserved and hard-to-reach communities such as Limited English Proficiency households or neighborhoods or other communities that have an interest in or might otherwise be impacted by the project.

SPECIAL EVENTS PLANNING

Consultant may be required to provide event production, management, and/or support for project milestones. Consultant shall be responsible for planning and executing the events, coordinating logistics with the Project contractor and partner agencies. Consultant shall be asked to retain vendors and ascertain sponsorships for catering, audio/visual, staging and seating, event signage, and other event materials.

EVALUATION

Consultant may be asked to regularly evaluate the outreach program to measure the effectiveness of communication tactics. Consultant may be requested to survey the public on general project awareness and level of satisfaction with outreach efforts, as needed.

OTHER TASKS DEEMED NECESSARY

With any public communications and community outreach program, other tasks not covered in this Scope of Work may arise over the course of the project. Consultant may be asked to perform tasks not outlined in the above tactics and shall anticipate and adapt to unforeseen events that may require outreach assistance.

LIMITATION ON GOVERNMENTAL DECISIONS

Nothing contained in this scope of work permits Consultant personnel to authorize or direct any actions, votes, appoint any person, obligate, or commit OCTA to any course of action or enter into any contractual agreement on behalf of OCTA. In addition, Consultant’s personnel shall provide information, an opinion, or a recommendation for the purpose of affecting a decision without significant intervening substantive review by OCTA personnel, counsel, and management.