25-0171 RFP Grower Liaison - Southern California

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is issuing Request for Proposal 25-0171 to procure consulting services for a Grower Liaison position supporting an outreach and education program across Southern California counties including Imperial, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Ventura, San Luis Obispo, and Los Angeles. The primary objectives are to inform citrus growers about Asian Citrus Psyllid (ACP) and Huanglongbing (HLB), coordinate citrus pest suppression and control activities, facilitate communication between growers, pest control advisors, and state officials, develop and maintain grower contact databases, assist in regional response plan development, and provide monthly reporting and activity documentation. The successful contractor must hold a bachelor's degree with ten semester units in plant biology, possess professional experience as a biologist in pest management, demonstrate five years of project management experience, maintain an established record in developing agricultural outreach programs and area-wide pesticide treatment plans, possess knowledge of ACP and HLB, and preferably hold a Pest Control Advisor (PCA) license. The proposal submission deadline is March 2, 2026 at 2:00 PM PT via email, with written questions due by February 17, 2026 and answers posted by February 23, 2026; evaluations will occur March 3-6, 2026. The contract term extends from April 1, 2026 through March 31, 2027, with the CDFA retaining the option to renew for two additional one-year periods based on performance and funding availability. Evaluation criteria will assess the proposer's qualifications, technical approach, cost proposal, and ability to meet program objectives.

This procurement includes a mandatory 3% Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE) participation requirement, with bids failing to meet this threshold rejected as non-responsive; additionally, a 5% small business preference is available to qualified California certified small businesses. Prospective bidders must be registered with the System for Award Management (SAM.gov) and obtain a Unique Entity ID prior to contract award. The contractor must provide their own vehicle and maintain appropriate insurance coverage, including $1,000,000 general liability per occurrence and $1,000,000 combined single limit automobile liability. No incumbent vendor information is identified in the solicitation materials. The total contract amount does not exceed $160,000, with travel costs reimbursed at Federal General Service Administration rates. This is a federally funded contract subject to 2 CFR 200 Uniform Administrative Requirements and all applicable federal compliance standards.