RFQ No. 25AQP002 Development of Emissions Quantification Methodologies for Criteria Pollutant and Toxic Emissions Reporting (CTR) Sectors

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is issuing Request for Proposal No. 25AQP002 to solicit competitive proposals from qualified contractors to develop emissions quantification methodologies for three Criteria Pollutants and Toxic Emissions Reporting (CTR) sectors: metal plating (process tanks), print shops, and melting, smelting, recovery, reclamation, or recycling of metals. The scope of work requires contractors to analyze each sector to identify devices and processes, determine throughputs or activity rates, collect and assess available emission factors for criteria pollutants and toxic air contaminants, analyze the feasibility and necessity of new source testing, and create emissions calculators in Microsoft Excel along with comprehensive technical support documents and calculator usage instructions. Minimum qualifications include at least five years of experience calculating criteria pollutant and toxic air contaminant emissions from California sources, five years of technical writing experience, two years of assessments or research studies for government agencies or public universities, and two years of interfacing with regulatory agencies overseeing emissions inventories, with a commitment to subcontract at least 10% of the work with a California Certified Small Business. Proposals must be submitted via email in PDF format (not exceeding 50 MB) by February 27, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. PST, with an estimated contract start date of May 1, 2026, and a contract term of nineteen months with an optional six-month renewal. The evaluation process consists of an administrative evaluation phase followed by a technical evaluation phase, with scoring based on clarity and organization (5 points), technical approach and work plan (35 points), experience (20 points), work plan and work schedule (10 points), and cost (30 points), requiring a minimum score of 70 points for award eligibility.

The RFP includes several socio-economic preference programs: a 5% preference for certified Small Businesses (SB) or Microbusinesses (MB) subcontracting 25% or more of the net proposal price, a Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE) incentive ranging from 1% to 5% based on confirmed participation levels, and Target Area Contract Preference Act (TACPA) preferences for qualified proposers. Contractors must maintain commercial general liability insurance of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 annual aggregate, workers' compensation insurance, and professional liability insurance of $1,000,000. The total budget for the entire contract is $300,000.00, with proposals exceeding this amount deemed non-responsive and ineligible for award; if the optional six-month extension is granted, an additional $100,000.00 will be provided. No incumbent vendors or existing contractors are identified in the procurement materials, and there are no specified technology integration requirements beyond the creation of Microsoft Excel-based emissions calculators and supporting documentation.