Congestion Relief Alternative for SR99
Closed State & local contract opportunity
- Solicitation number
- 2026-RFP-009
- State
- California
- Responses due
Opportunity facts
- Jurisdiction
- Points of contact
-
- Celina Cabrera ccabrera@cityofpalmdesert.org (760) 776-6449
- Gabriela Zamora zamora@sjcog.org (209) 235-0450
Opportunity details come from procurement.opengov.com. Updated .
About this opportunity
This state and local contracting opportunity comprises four separate solicitations from California municipalities and regional agencies. The primary procurement, issued by the San Joaquin Council of Governments (SJCOG) in partnership with the City of Ripon, San Joaquin County, Stanislaus County, and Caltrans, seeks qualified consulting firms to evaluate and develop implementable congestion relief solutions for State Route 99 and State Route 120, addressing recurring cut-through traffic in Ripon caused by vehicles diverting from congested highways onto local streets. The scope includes existing conditions review with updated traffic data collection, development of near-term (0-2 years), mid-term (2-7 years), and long-term (beyond 7 years) solutions, evaluation of a regional transportation bypass including the proposed Olive Avenue Expressway and Stanislaus River crossing, stakeholder and public engagement, cost estimation, and delivery of a final report with Project Initiation Document equivalent. The consultant must demonstrate expertise in traffic engineering, regional transportation planning, and implementable solution development, with proposals evaluated on approach and understanding (30 points), relevant project experience from the last seven years (25 points), schedule and capacity to perform (20 points), proposal quality and clarity (15 points), and presentation and interview (10 points). A non-mandatory pre-proposal meeting is scheduled for May 7, 2026 at 3:30 PM; written questions must be submitted by April 29, 2026 at 5:00 PM; and proposals are due June 3, 2026 at 2:00 PM via the SJCOG e-Procurement Portal, with contract execution anticipated for August 2026 and an approximately 18-month project duration. The other three solicitations include the City of Palm Desert's World Cup Visitor Capture Campaign seeking creative and media services (proposals due February 28, 2026) and the City of Lake Forest's Emergency Management Training and Exercise Program (proposals due April 1, 2026), both utilizing professional services agreement frameworks with standard City templates and evaluation criteria emphasizing relevant experience, team qualifications, and cost proposals.
The SJCOG Congestion Relief Alternative solicitation does not identify set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises beyond standard Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program compliance requirements under 49 Code of Federal Regulations Part 26; however, all contractors and subcontractors must comply with federal-aid requirements including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, DBE regulations, and federal non-discrimination policies. No incumbent vendors are identified in the solicitation documents. The prior mitigation measures evaluation conducted by Mark Thomas is referenced as Attachment A but is noted as unsuitable for addressing ongoing commuter diversion, indicating that previous studies and analyses form the foundation for this new comprehensive evaluation. The total not-to-exceed budget for the SJCOG study is $500,000, with proposals required to demonstrate a clear and realistic approach to completing the scope within available budget and provide itemized costs by task with detailed cost breakdowns. Selected consultants must maintain comprehensive general liability insurance of $1,000,000 combined single limit per occurrence, professional liability insurance of $1,000,000, and automobile liability insurance with combined single limits of $250,000. The City of Palm Desert and City of Lake Forest solicitations do not specify budget ranges or award values in the available documentation, though the Palm Desert RFP indicates an anticipated media spend of approximately $100,000 separate from professional services fees, and all award values remain subject to City Council approval and negotiation following staff recommendation.
Opportunity text
3 versions
Update #3 · Latest ·
SJCOG, in partnership with the City of Ripon, San Joaquin County, Stanislaus County, and California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), is soliciting proposals from qualified consulting firms to evaluate and develop implementable near-, mid- and long-term solutions to address recurring cut-through traffic congestion in the City of Ripon. This congestion is caused by vehicles exiting the state highway system to bypass congestion on SR 99 and SR 120.
Significant congestion on SR 120 and SR 99, combined with the widespread use of navigation applications such as Waze and Google Maps, routinely diverts regional commuter traffic through the City of Ripon. As traffic is dynamically routed to the fastest available path, local streets are increasingly used as cut-through routes. The local streets were not designed to accommodate sustained regional traffic volumes, resulting in localized congestion and community impacts.
Mark Thomas was previously retained to evaluate near-term mitigation measures, Attachment A; however, as documented in prior studies, those measures were not well suited to addressing ongoing commuter diversion. Also, a persistent challenge with any localized mitigation strategy is that it may provide temporary relief in one location by merely shifting traffic issues to other locations.
This RFP seeks to identify solutions that are practical, effective, and capable of advancing toward implementation.
The study will begin after the completion of the SR 99/120 Connector Project Phase 1A, which is anticipated to be completed in summer 2026.
This study will address congestion relief strategies across multiple time horizons:
-
- Near-term (0-2 years)
- Mid-term (2-7 years)
- Long-term (beyond 7 years)
A key alternative requiring particular emphasis is the evaluation of a regional transportation bypass that would provide an alternative route for through-traffic, particularly long-distance commuters and freight movement. This bypass would allow vehicles to avoid the most congested segment of SR 99 between Austin Road interchange in Manteca and Main Street interchange in Ripon.
The conceptual regional transportation bypass includes the following corridor alignment:
- A new SR 99 interchange, developed in coordination with the City of Manteca, located between the Jack Tone Interchange and the SR99/120 Interchange.
- The City of Ripon's proposed Ripon Olive Avenue Expressway, which would allow southbound travel to a proposed Stanislaus River crossing. The Olive Avenue Expressway is included in the City of Ripon's General Plan and currently located within unincorporated San Joaquin County.
- An extension of the bypass corridor through Stanislaus County to reconnect with SR 99. No planning has been conducted to date for this portion of the corridor.
While the Olive Avenue Expressway is identified as a key long-term component of the City of Ripon's General Plan, the study must examine alternative or complementary strategies, with the Olive Avenue Expressway bypass as an essential lynchpin that can provide meaningful congestion relief within each time horizon previously identified. The study must also include evaluation of a corridor solution for travel over the Stanislaus River and potential impacts to key roadways in Stanislaus County.
While this RFP presents a generalized scope, proposing firms are encouraged to propose innovative, creative, and/or alternative approaches if there is a "better way" to examine the problem and develop solutions.
The selected consultant will enter into a contract with SJCOG. An example contract is provided as Attachment B.
Update #2 ·
The City of Lake Forest is seeking proposals from qualified professional consultants to develop and implement a comprehensive Emergency Management Training and Exercise Program. This program aims to enhance the preparedness and response capabilities of city employees with a focus on incident response, emergency operations center functions and all-hazards preparedness, including wildfires, earthquakes, cybersecurity attacks and other threats. All exercise and training must be conducted in person.
Update #1 ·
The City of Palm Desert ("City") is requesting proposals from qualified firms ("Proposers") for Palm Desert World Cup Visitor Capture Campaign - Creative & Media Services ("Services") to establish a Professional Services Agreement ("Agreement") for a term through August 31, 2026.
The City of Palm Desert anticipates an increase in visitor activity throughout Southern California during the 2026 World Cup period, including travelers staying in or passing through the Coachella Valley. While regional partners will concentrate on destination-level tourism promotion, the City's objective is to capture existing, in-market visitation and convert it into same-day or evening activity within Palm Desert. Achieving this objective during a short, time-sensitive window requires specialized creative and media execution services. The City is seeking expertise in geo-targeted media buying, day-parted placements, and the development of concise, action-oriented creative assets that support real-time decision-making by visitors. These services will support a targeted visitor capture effort focused on immediacy, convenience, and available activities rather than long-term destination branding or broad marketing campaigns.
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