Engagement Support for Native American Culture Beneficial Uses Project

The State Water Resources Control Board is soliciting quotes for engagement support services on the Native American Culture Beneficial Uses Project under Small Business Option solicitation 26-031-110, with quotes due September 23, 2026 at 3:00 PM PST. This procurement is restricted to California-certified small businesses or micro businesses.

The scope encompasses coordination and technical support to Native American Tribes with ancestral connections to the North Coast Region (Del Norte, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Modoc, Siskiyou, Sonoma, and Trinity counties). Deliverables include project management and administration; technical support such as GIS mapping and data collection assistance; distribution of tribal stipend payments ($39,200 total across three compensation categories); facilitation of meetings and workshops; and confidential information management. The contractor's office must be located in California within 100 miles of the North Coast Water Board Region boundary.

Minimum qualifications are three years of experience working with California Native American Tribes in coordination and technical support roles; three years of experience protecting confidential tribal cultural information in public processes; GIS certification or demonstrated technical capacity to create maps with tribal data; and demonstrated success on two to three projects working with tribal governments. The contractor must demonstrate financial capacity to carry out stipend payments while awaiting reimbursement.

The maximum contract value is $100,000 over an anticipated 2.5-year term beginning Fall 2026, contingent on Department of General Services approval. All vendor hourly rates must be inclusive of direct and indirect costs. Travel expenses are capped at $4,000 and reimbursed at CalHR-established rates. Task hours are distributed across four categories with specified maximums (Project Management 52 hours, Technical Support 220 hours, Process Stipend Payments 50 hours, Meeting Support 30 hours plus $750 conference room rental); actual hours may vary but cannot exceed task-specific maximums.

Award will be made to the lowest responsive and responsible certified small business proposer based on a two-step evaluation: technical assessment worth 30 points (minimum 22.5 points required to advance) based on reference scoring, followed by cost evaluation. Questions are due September 9, 2026 at 3:00 PM PST. The Water Boards will email a question/answer summary on September 11, 2026.