RFP for towing services

Oakland Police Department is soliciting proposals for comprehensive 24/7 on-call towing, recovery, and secure storage services, with the revised proposal deadline of August 17, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. Pacific time (extended via Addendum 2 from August 12). The contractor must assume full operations on January 1, 2027 with no transition period or extension for permitting delays.

There is no L/SLBE participation requirement for this contract. The contractor must provide storage for a minimum of 3,000 vehicles — including dedicated capacity for 50 large tractor-trailer or passenger bus-sized vehicles and 500 indoor spaces for criminal evidence — and dispose of up to 1,500 vehicles monthly through licensed dismantlers, metal recyclers, or hazardous waste disposal facilities. Response time requirements are 35 minutes during peak hours, 25 minutes off-peak, and 30 minutes for expedited tows, with 24/7 dispatch operations using GPS-equipped trucks. The contractor is solely responsible for securing its own storage facilities, obtaining all land use entitlements, permits, licenses, and regulatory approvals at its own cost; the City provides no property or guaranteed expedited permitting.

The five-year contract carries a financial structure including a referral fee of not less than $54.00 per towed vehicle, a gross revenue percentage fee beginning at 2.0% in Year 1 and increasing 0.5% annually to 4.0% by Year 5, and annual reimbursement to the City of $172,000 (subject to annual Consumer Price Index adjustment) for policing and administrative costs. The contractor must also fund and administer the Tow Vehicle Management System and all required integrations, and bear 100% of contract administration costs including salary and benefits for one full-time police officer (capped at $292,366) and one Police Records Specialist ($120,526), plus annual financial audits. Historical data indicates 13,000 to 15,000 police- and City-initiated tows annually, with potential law-enforcement authorization to hold up to 150 vehicles at any given time.

A pre-proposal meeting is scheduled for July 10, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. via Microsoft Teams. Questions are due July 15, 2026. The City requires comprehensive insurance, compliance with Living Wage and Minimum Wage Ordinances, Equal Benefits provisions, and sanctuary city and border wall contracting policies. Liquidated damages provisions range from $50 to $750 for performance non-compliance.