Department of Transportation Grant Writing Services

The Sacramento County Department of Transportation is seeking grant writing services through a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) issued on April 4, 2022, with proposals due by April 29, 2022. The procurement is for on-call consultants or consultant teams to complete applications for federal, state, and regional grant programs, specifically focusing on transportation-related grants such as Caltrans Sustainable Communities Planning Grants, Active Transportation Program, SACOG Funding Programs, and US Department of Transportation Grant Programs. Consultants will be responsible for meeting with county staff, conducting grant research, project scoping, preparing application support materials, and submitting grant applications. The evaluation will be based on six key criteria: understanding of work, experience with similar grants, familiarity with existing grant programs, project strategizing ability, quality of assigned staff, and references, with a total possible evaluation score of 100 points. Required submission materials include a cover letter, statement of qualifications, staff resumes, references, and a schedule of hourly billing rates. The county anticipates awarding multiple contracts, each not exceeding $250,000 and having a term of up to three years with potential two one-year extensions.

The RFQ does not explicitly specify set-aside designations or restrictions for disadvantaged enterprises. The county reserves the right to establish a short list of consultants for further consideration and potential interviews, and importantly, will ensure that grant writing consultants are not automatically disqualified from subsequent project proposals to avoid potential conflicts of interest. While no incumbent vendors are mentioned, the procurement covers two California jurisdictions: Sacramento County and San Francisco City. The total budget for these on-call grant writing services is not explicitly stated, but individual contract values are capped at $250,000. Consultants will be expected to have extensive experience in grant writing, particularly in transportation-related funding programs, and demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of various federal, state, and regional grant mechanisms. The procurement appears designed to build a flexible, responsive pool of grant writing expertise to support the county's transportation planning and project development efforts.