Resd-pmdb 2026-03 vegetation management program (VMP) planning, procedures, and implementation guidelines

The California Department of General Services, Real Estate Services Division, on behalf of the California Department of Transportation Division of Maintenance, Office of Natural Resources Management, is requesting qualifications for professional environmental services to develop vegetation management planning, procedures, and implementation guidelines statewide, with submissions due August 5, 2026.

The scope encompasses twelve major deliverables across all 58 California counties on state highway lands: a ten-year Natural Resource Management Strategic Plan and roadmap; an interactive Key Performance Indicator Dashboard; public-facing website content; a communication strategy with brand guidelines and marketing plan; a District Strategic Vegetation Management Plan template; a statewide Treatment Prescription Reference Guide covering 15 major vegetation groups and 55 subgroups; an effectiveness evaluation and maintenance cycle plan; twelve final District Strategic Vegetation Management Plans; a statewide Strategic Vegetation Management Plan; a Vegetation Management Program Workshop; comprehensive Program Guidelines in two volumes; and seven Visual Impact Assessments for scenic highway corridors. These deliverables will replace outdated sections of the Maintenance Manual, Volume 2, Chapter C-2 and E, and memorialize essential VMP functions, roles, responsibilities, and best practices. The strategic focus integrates traditional highway visibility and safety considerations with wildfire ignition reduction and landscape health as part of Climate Action for Wildfire Adaptation.

All work must be performed under and approved by a design professional or contractor licensed in California. Qualified firms must demonstrate expertise in environmental compliance under CEQA, CalVTP, and NEPA; quantitative wildfire hazard and risk modeling with geospatial decision science capabilities; natural and cultural resource assessment; GIS and geospatial data management; graphics and visual assessment; public participation and community outreach; and WCAG 2.1 AA web accessibility compliance. The contractor and subcontractors must include a Registered Professional Forester and a Pest Control Advisor, register as public works contractors with the California Department of Industrial Relations, and comply with prevailing wage requirements under Labor Code Section 1774. Ten percent retention will be held on all progress payments. The estimated contract duration is five years. Selection proceeds through written qualifications followed by oral interviews for top-ranked firms, with contract negotiations addressing hourly rates for specific employee classifications. Bidders must certify compliance with economic sanctions provisions and disclose any intended use of generative artificial intelligence tools.