PRS Communications Plan for San Francisco Freeway and Roadway Rehabilitation Projects

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) District 4 Public Information Office is issuing a Request for Proposal (RFP) to procure comprehensive Public Relations Services (PRS) and communications planning for four major freeway and roadway rehabilitation projects in San Francisco County and San Francisco City, including work on US-101, I-280, and 19th Avenue (SR-1). The consultant will develop and execute a complete multi-lingual communications plan encompassing advertisement material creation and placement, community outreach targeting non-English-speaking populations, public information awareness materials, digital visualizations and simulations, public forums and community event facilitation, and written and oral translation services in Chinese, Filipino, Spanish, and Vietnamese. Key deliverables include up to 105 advertisement strategy meetings, a minimum of 23 to maximum of 69 public forums and community events, 23 strategic geo-targeted media buys, 25 to 50 digital visualizations, translated materials in four languages, and comprehensive event summary reports. Minimum qualifications required include five years of experience in advertising selection and placement for transportation projects, five years managing public awareness campaigns for California transportation construction projects, five years in project management, three years in public relations and outreach services for transportation projects, three years with certified translation and interpretation services for transportation projects, and three years in facilitation services for public works projects. Technical proposals will be evaluated on a 172-point scale with a minimum passing score of 86 points, while oral presentations will be scored on a 60-point scale with a minimum passing score of 30 points. Important dates include an optional pre-proposal conference on January 21, 2026, at 9:00 AM; written questions due by January 28, 2026; proposal submission deadline of February 12, 2026, at 2:00 PM; estimated oral interviews during the week of March 2, 2026; cost proposal opening on March 5, 2026, at 2:30 PM; and anticipated award date of the week of March 16, 2026, with contract commencement on April 1, 2026, and expiration on March 31, 2030.

The procurement is subject to a 5% small business preference for California-certified small businesses or micro-businesses, and a 5% non-small business preference for non-SB contractors committing to 25% certified small business subcontractor participation. This federally-funded agreement is subject to Title 49 CFR Part 26 Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program requirements, California civil rights laws, and various executive orders regarding Russia sanctions, generative AI use, and environmental justice compliance. Proposers must submit fixed rates for the duration of the contract with no cost increases permitted, and the cost proposal must not exceed $3,000,000.00. A pre-award audit may be conducted to verify accounting system adequacy and cost reasonability. No incumbent vendors or existing technology integration requirements are identified in the available solicitation documents.