RFP 250221 Feasibility Study for Solar Photovoltaic Systems

The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) is requesting proposals for a feasibility study on solar photovoltaic system installations at five bus maintenance and operations facilities in Anaheim, Garden Grove, Santa Ana, and Irvine under RFP 250221, with proposals due April 23, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. and interviews scheduled for May 12, 2026. The Board of Directors is expected to make a final award decision on or around July 27, 2026.

OCTA seeks architecture and engineering firms with demonstrated expertise in solar PV feasibility studies, system design, installation, inspection, and commissioning. The consultant team must include a project manager with ten years of relevant experience, licensed lead architect with seven years of PV design experience, licensed electrical engineer with seven years of solar PV system design experience, licensed civil engineer with five years of renewable energy or infrastructure project experience, licensed structural engineer with PV installation experience, a permitting and compliance specialist with five years of solar PV permitting experience, and a quality assurance/quality control manager with seven years of relevant construction or engineering project experience.

The feasibility study must be completed within twelve months, with key milestones including site assessment completion within four months, feasibility study and analysis completion within eight months, draft report submission at ten months, and final report delivery at twelve months. Deliverables include site assessment and solar resource analysis, load and energy demand analysis, system design evaluations, financial and economic analyses with payback period and return on investment calculations, environmental and regulatory compliance reviews, risk assessments, and renderings of proposed systems. The consultant must ensure compliance with California Title 24, applicable building and fire protection codes, OSHA requirements, and local regulations, and coordinate with OCTA, affected municipalities, Southern California Edison, Anaheim Electric, and all applicable jurisdictions.

Proposals must not exceed 50 pages excluding appendices, cover letters, and resumes and will be evaluated on Qualifications of the Firm (20 points), Staffing and Project Organization (40 points), and Work Plan (40 points). No cost proposal is required in the initial submission phase; the highest-ranked offeror will submit detailed cost pricing following technical evaluation and interviews. The contract will be firm-fixed price with individual task pricing. OCTA is encouraged to subcontract with small businesses and will audit the contract through Caltrans funding under California SB 125. The consultant must maintain Commercial General Liability insurance ($1,000,000 per occurrence), Professional Liability ($2,000,000), Automobile Liability ($1,000,000), Workers' Compensation, and Cyber Liability ($1,000,000). A pre-proposal conference is scheduled for March 24, 2026 at 10:00 a.m., available in-person at 600 South Main Street, Orange, or via Microsoft Teams; questions are due March 26, 2026.