Community Relations Services Bench

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) is seeking proposals to establish a Community Relations Services Bench providing on-call professional services across five disciplines, with proposals due November 16, 2026 at 2:00 PM PST. This solicitation is restricted exclusively to LACMTA-certified Small Business Enterprises (SBEs) — a decision-flipping set-aside that filters all eligible respondents.

The scope encompasses Community Outreach & Engagement, Research/Polling & Data Analytics, Public Affairs & Advocacy Support, Digital Engagement and Technology Platforms, and Training & Facilitation, supporting capital projects, operational initiatives, and agency-wide programs serving Los Angeles County's nearly 10 million residents. Proposers may submit separate proposals for one or more disciplines. When LACMTA issues task orders, contractors will have generally two weeks to submit competitive proposals and pricing, though time-sensitive task orders may require work plans within forty-eight hours. Task orders are issued on firm fixed price or firm fixed unit rate basis. All work products become LACMTA property. Invoicing occurs monthly with progress reports documenting work completed, status, and corrective actions.

The bench contract runs four years with no guaranteed task order awards. LACMTA reserves the right to select multiple firms per discipline based on qualifications, experience, and value. Contractors must perform at least 30 percent of contract work with their own workforce to satisfy commercially useful function requirements. Pricing proposals must include fully burdened hourly rates for all labor categories across all four years. Contracts are funded with state and/or local funds, subject to fiscal year funding availability.

Evaluation allocates 30 percent to Teaming Effort and Key Personnel Experience, 25 percent to Transportation and LA County Community Experience, 30 percent to Understanding of Work Scope and Implementation Approach, and 15 percent to Price Proposal. A pre-proposal conference is scheduled for 10:00 AM PST October 20, 2026 via Microsoft Teams (encouraged but not mandatory). Written questions are due October 23, 2026. Pre-qualification is required for primes and first-tier subcontractors when bid or proposal value exceeds $500,000 for non-construction contracts. SBE participation is monitored and enforced throughout contract performance in accordance with LACMTA's Diversity and Economic Opportunity Department Contract Compliance Manual, with non-compliance penalties including daily penalties of $5,000 until compliance and potential penalties up to 10 percent of total contract value.