Freeway Service Patrol Services

The Orange County Transportation Authority is soliciting proposals for freeway service patrol services across Orange County with proposals due October 27, 2026 at 2:00 p.m., a pre-proposal conference on October 5, 2026, and a questions deadline of October 7, 2026.

The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA), in collaboration with the California Highway Patrol and California Department of Transportation, seeks qualified towing operators to staff nine service areas covering I-5, I-405, SR-91, SR-22, and SR-55 over a six-year contract term running October 3, 2027 through October 1, 2033. Eligible contractors must have a minimum of three years' experience operating a towing business in California, maintain a facility within proximity to their assigned service area, and hold current certifications and compliance with drug and alcohol testing and electronic logging device mandates. Contractors suspended or terminated from any Freeway Service Patrol or Rotation Tow program for specified violations are ineligible for five years. New contractors are limited to one service area of no more than five weekday beats and must remain in good standing for one year before receiving additional assignments.

The scope encompasses crew-cab, service-body tow trucks operating designated beats during weekday hours 5:30 to 19:30 with peak periods 6:00 to 10:00 and 15:00 to 19:00, and weekend hours 10:00 to 18:30. Services include tire changes, fuel delivery (one gallon maximum), radiator water delivery, temporary radiator hose repairs, battery jump-starts, and towing to California Highway Patrol-designated drop zones. Contractors must acquire all vehicles, complete operator training including 24 hours on-the-job training with at least 16 hours behind-the-wheel, and achieve full operational status 14 business days before contract start. Compensation is structured as a firm-fixed Vehicle Service Hour (VSH) rate with monthly fuel-price adjustments based on California Diesel #2 Ultra Low Sulfur prices from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

The total contract budget is $54.303124 billion over six years. Evaluation criteria weigh qualifications (20 points), staffing and project organization (30 points), work plan quality and understanding of requirements (20 points), and cost and price reasonableness (30 points). Top-ranked offerors within the competitive range may be invited to submit a Best and Final Offer prior to final board selection. The Board of Directors is anticipated to make a final award decision on February 8, 2027. Site visits and interviews are scheduled for November 11–18, 2026, with interviews November 17–18. Proposals must be submitted electronically through OCTA's OpenGov Procurement portal and must acknowledge receipt of any addenda issued prior to the submission deadline.