California Broadband Funding

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), procuring on behalf of itself under authority of the California Department of Technology, is requesting proposals for consulting services to support California broadband funding initiatives under RFP 23ITS0639, with proposals due July 6, 2026 at 5:00 PM Pacific Time. This procurement carries two mandatory participation requirements: a minimum 5% Small Business (SB) participation of net proposal price and a minimum 3% Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE) participation of net proposal price. Any bidder unable to demonstrate these participation levels by the final proposal deadline will have their bid deemed non-responsive and rejected.

The scope covers consulting services to implement Senate Bill 156 (Chapter 112, Statutes of 2021) and the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program, including establishing and updating the California Broadband Cost Model, analyzing specific broadband funding areas, and developing written work products to support future rule revisions. The contract is time-and-materials-based with cost weighted at 50% of evaluation points. Bidders must propose hourly rates for key staff and job classifications using the prescribed Cost Workbook format and must demonstrate prevailing wage compliance.

The contract term is one base year with two optional one-year extensions at the State's sole discretion, for a maximum three-year period. The estimated total cost is $600,800 with a not-to-exceed amount of $6,008,000. Funding derives from the Federal Funding Account established by SB 156, which combines American Rescue Plan Act federal funds and California General Fund monies totaling over $2 billion for broadband infrastructure deployment.

Bidders must obtain an approved Electronic Vendor Application of Qualifications (eVAQ) from the California Department of Technology prior to proposal submission — this is a mandatory prerequisite for bid acceptance. Proposals must be uploaded to the State's SharePoint File Sharing portal. Questions are due June 15, 2026; Intent to Bid deadline is June 26, 2026. The contract carries a 120-day firm offer period following award. The solicitation utilizes competitive negotiation with potential best-and-final-offer submissions.