Grants Administration Consultant Support

The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) is requesting proposals for grants administration consultant support services on an as-needed basis, with proposals due March 5, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. and mandatory interviews scheduled for March 25, 2026.

The scope encompasses post-award grant administration, compliance reporting, budget development, variance analysis, and financial system support across approximately $1 billion in state and federal grant funds from Senate Bill 1, State Transportation Improvement Program, Federal Transit Administration, Federal Highway Administration, and related sources. The consultant will provide part-time support to OCTA's Revenue and Grants Department, working primarily onsite with remote-work flexibility. Required qualifications include comprehensive knowledge of federal and state grant post-award administration and the full grant lifecycle; proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, Excel, Access, Power BI, Power Apps, and Qlik Sense; and demonstrated experience improving workflows within public-sector grant environments. The consultant is explicitly prohibited from authorizing actions, directing votes, appointing personnel, obligating OCTA contractually, or providing recommendations affecting decisions without significant intervening substantive review by OCTA personnel and management — a constraint reflected in OCTA General Counsel's Form 700 conflict-of-interest determination that the role does not require conflict-of-interest filing.

The contract term is two years (April 1, 2026 through March 31, 2028) with a total budget of $250,000. OCTA will structure the award as a time-and-expense agreement with fully burdened hourly labor rates and anticipated direct costs; the independent cost estimate assumes 1,488.5 hours at $168 per hour. Evaluation criteria are weighted: Qualifications of the Firm (25%), Staffing and Project Organization (30%), Work Plan (20%), and Cost (25%). Proposals must not exceed 50 pages excluding appendices, resumes, and forms. The consultant must maintain Commercial General Liability insurance ($1,000,000 per occurrence/$2,000,000 aggregate), Automobile Liability ($1,000,000 combined single limit), Workers' Compensation, and Employers' Liability ($1,000,000 per accident), with proof required within ten days of contract execution. Written questions are due February 11, 2026 at 2:00 p.m.; OCTA will respond February 17, 2026. Contract execution is targeted for April 15, 2026. The contract will be funded through Local Measure M and Federal CMAQ sources. OCTA reserves the right to award to one or multiple offerors or to withdraw the RFP without notice.