Design-Build Services for a Hydrogen Fueling Station

The City of Pasadena is soliciting design-build-operate-maintain (DBOM) services for a hydrogen fueling station project through a competitive best-value selection process. The project involves designing, constructing, operating, and maintaining a stand-alone hydrogen fueling facility located at 159 South Kinneloa Avenue, Pasadena, California, that will utilize delivered liquid hydrogen (LH2) as the primary storage medium to support the city's planned fleet of fuel cell electric buses. The facility will include an 18,000-gallon gross capacity LH2 storage tank, two LH2 product pumps, two gaseous hydrogen (GH2) dispensers rated for H35 (350 bar) fills, vaporizers, chillers, priority-valve panels, GH2 storage vessels, a fixed LH2 offload pump, site improvements including paving, landscaping compliant with low-impact development standards, masonry fencing with automated gates, a fueling canopy, utility building with restrooms, backup generator with diesel tank, bus-parking canopy, and surveillance cameras. The Design-Builder must hold an active California Contractors State License Board license in Class A (General Engineering Contractor) or Class B (General Building Contractor), with lead architects and engineers holding active California licenses; demonstrate a minimum of five years in business; complete at least three prevailing wage public contracts in California and three similar projects valued at more than $8 million each within seven years; maintain an Experience Modification Rate (EMR) of 1.25 or less; possess bonding capacity exceeding the estimated direct cost; and demonstrate financial strength and a satisfactory safety record. The mandatory pre-proposal meeting is scheduled for April 23, 2026, at 10:00 AM, with questions due by May 22, 2026, at 2:00 PM, and proposals due June 8, 2026, at 2:00 PM. The estimated design phase will commence in July 2026 for six months, construction will begin in February 2027 and last approximately 20 months, with substantial completion required by September 2028 and full commissioning by December 2028. Evaluation criteria include experience and references (20 points), organization and key personnel qualifications (20 points), proposed approach and methodology (30 points), financial strength and stability (5 points), safety record/Experience Modification Rate (5 points), local Pasadena business preference (5 points), small or micro-business certification (5 points), price proposal using a ratio method (10 points), and interview scores (up to 50 points).

The procurement does not impose mandatory set-asides for disadvantaged enterprises but does provide preference scoring for small and micro-business certifications and local Pasadena business status. Proposers are required to complete the Design-Builder Qualification Statement, disclose all subcontractors whose work exceeds 0.5% of the total base bid or $10,000, and identify Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) and Small Business Enterprise (SBE) certifications for listed subcontractors. The project incorporates existing infrastructure and environmental considerations, including a Soil Management Plan addressing volatile organic compounds, semi-volatile organic compounds, and heavy metals identified in previous environmental investigations, along with a Health and Safety Plan complying with OSHA and California Code of Regulations. The geotechnical investigation and conceptual drawings prepared by Stantec Consulting Services and DiazYourman & Associates provide baseline technical requirements for design and construction. The project is funded in part by the California Energy Commission's Clean Transportation Program, EnergIIZe, and the California State Transportation Agency's Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP), which impose federal compliance requirements including adherence to 2 CFR 200. The estimated cost of the design-build scope of work is $16,000,000, and proposals are limited to 75 total pages for technical components, with submission via the City's eProcurement Portal and six bound copies plus one unbound original delivered to the Department of Public Works within three business days of electronic submission.