RFP for towing services

The City of Oakland's Office of the City Administrator is soliciting proposals on behalf of the Oakland Police Department for 24/7 on-call towing, recovery, and secure storage services under an RFP due August 3, 2026 (corrected from the posted August 12 date) at 5:00 p.m. PT via the iSupplier portal, with a voluntary pre-proposal meeting scheduled for July 10, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. PT via Microsoft Teams. A local and small business enterprise participation requirement has been set at 0%.

The scope encompasses vehicle towing and impoundment operations for illegally parked, abandoned, and police-impounded vehicles with an estimated annual volume of approximately 13,000 tows. The contractor must operate a storage facility with minimum capacity of 3,000 vehicles (including 50 large vehicles and 500 indoor spaces), maintain a 24/7 dispatch center with response time standards of 25–35 minutes for routine tows and 30 minutes for expedited tows, manage vehicle auctions and disposal, provide GPS tracking on all tow trucks, maintain 24-hour video surveillance, employ on-site security guards, and conduct mandatory employee training (24 hours initial, 8 hours annually). Response-time violations carry liquidated damages of $500–$750 per incident.

The fee structure requires a referral fee of $54.00 per towed vehicle, a gross revenue percentage fee starting at 2.0% in year one and increasing 0.5% annually to 4.0% in year five, and an annual reimbursement fee of $172,000 (adjusted annually by CPI) for policing and administrative costs. The contractor bears 100% of contract administration costs estimated at $292,366 annually for one full-time police officer equivalent and $120,526 for a full-time Police Records Specialist. Tow rates are capped at California Highway Patrol or City Council Resolution amounts, adjusted annually on July 1st. Late payment penalties are 10% of the amount due plus 1% monthly interest. The contractor must comply with Oakland's Living Wage Ordinance, Minimum Wage Ordinance, Equal Benefits Ordinance, and non-discrimination policies. An annual audit of approximately 200 hours is required at the contractor's expense. The contract term suggests a multi-year agreement with a five-year cost structure and potential renewal options. Questions are due July 15, 2026 by 5:00 p.m. PT. Addendum 1 to the RFP was posted July 3, 2026.