REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
City of Laguna Beach
Comprehensive General Plan Update
September 2026
RFP Issue Date: October 5, 2026, 5:00 PM PDT
RFP Submission Due
Date:
December 4, 2026, 5:00 PM PDT
Project Director Anthony Viera
Deputy Director - Planning
Community Development
Department
Project Manager(s): Alyssa Suárez
Senior Planner
Community Development
Department
Shehriyar Khan
Associate Planner
Community Development
Department
Housing Element and
Outreach Coordinator
Belinda Deines
Principal Planner
Community Development
Department
Attachment 1 10
Notice is hereby given that the City of Laguna Beach is requesting proposals (RFP) from qualified consulting firms and their subconsultants to assist in the preparation of a General Plan Update and required Environmental Impact Report (EIR). All correspondence regarding this RFP shall be directed to the RFP Administrator.
I. OBJECTIVE
The City of Laguna Beach (“City”) is seeking proposals from qualified proposers (hereinafter “Consultant” or “Consultants”) interested in providing consulting services for a Comprehensive General Plan Update and associated Environmental Impact Report (“EIR”). The objective of this Request for Proposal (“RFP”) solicitation is to identify the highest-qualified Consultant whose proposal best complies with the requirements of this RFP and any attachments, including the Scope of Services specified in Attachment A (“Scope of Services” or “Services”), and provides the most comprehensive solution for the City’s needs. This RFP and the attached Scope of Services collectively make up the “Project”. The successful Consultant will be required to enter into a Consultant Services Agreement (“Agreement”) with the City for the duration of the Project. An example of the Agreement is attached to this RFP as Attachment B (“Template Consultant Services Agreement”). Final contract terms, including compensation and length of the agreement are subject to final City and/or City Council approval.
II. BACKGROUND
The City of Laguna Beach is undergoing efforts for a comprehensive update of its General Plan. The General Plan is the City’s primary policy document and serves as the longrange blueprint for physical development, environmental protection, public safety, mobility, housing, infrastructure, and the preservation of community character. All discretionary land use decisions, zoning regulations, and many capital investments must be consistent with the General Plan, making it one of the most consequential policy frameworks adopted by the City.
While the fundamental vision and values embedded in Laguna Beach’s current General Plan remain strong, the document is comprised of nine elements adopted at different times over several decades. As a result, portions of the Plan are no longer fully aligned with current State law, contemporary planning practices, or present-day environmental and hazard conditions. In particular, State mandates related to housing production, climate adaptation, wildfire resilience, and hazard mitigation have evolved significantly in recent years.
A comprehensive General Plan Update is needed to proactively address these changes in a coordinated manner. Rather than responding piecemeal to new State requirements through isolated amendments, the update provides an opportunity to reaffirm Laguna Beach’s core values—environmental stewardship, coastal protection, public safety, and Attachment 1 11
preservation of community character—while ensuring legal compliance and internal consistency across all elements.
The City is largely built out, and the community has consistently expressed strong support for preserving its existing character, natural surroundings, and overall quality of life for future generations. These core values are already well established and have been reaffirmed through numerous planning efforts over time. Accordingly, the General Plan Update does not include a new, ground-up visioning process. Instead, the update would begin by reaffirming the existing Mission Statement and Guiding Principles adopted by the City Council on February 7, 2012. While modernization of these principles is foreseeable as part of this update, they continue to reflect the community’s values and provide a clear and stable foundation for updating General Plan policies to address current conditions, evolving State requirements, and modern best practices.
Recent planning efforts include the completion of the Safety Element adopted on May 6, 2025, Housing Element Update last amended on June 11, 2024, updates to the Land Use Element on May 28, 2024, the Downtown Specific Plan Update, and an Efficiency Ordinance for projects subject to Design Review. The General Plan Update will: (1) Reaffirm the City’s Mission Statement and Guiding Principles; (2) Evaluate and revise existing General Plan elements to improve consistency, establish a uniform document structure, align policies with the Guiding Principles, eliminate obsolete, duplicative, or conflicting policies, and adhere to State law; and (3) Produce documents that are accessible to residents, decision-makers, applicants, and staff. A complete Scope of Services is included in Attachment A.
III. SUBMITTAL INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTIONS
A. TENTATIVE RFP SCHEDULE AND TIMELINES
Description Date
60-Day RFP Published Date: October 5, 2026
RFP Questions Due Date: October 19, 2026, 5:00PM PDT
RFP City Responses Date: November 2, 2026
RFP Submission Due Date: December 4, 2026 5:00PM PDT
Interviews (as applicable): Week of December 14, 2026
Anticipated Contract Award: January 2027
B. QUESTIONS, ANSWERS, AND ADDENDUM TO THE RFP
Prior to the RFP Proposals Due Date, questions may arise regarding any aspect of this RFP. Questions are due no later than 5:00 PM PDT on October 19, 2026 (RFP Questions Attachment 1 12
Due Date), and all questions pertaining to this RFP shall be submitted using the City of Laguna Beach PlanetBids portal, using the “Q&A” tab within this solicitation. Any technical matters related to the use and function of PlanetBids shall be directed to PlanetBids, and Consultants shall not contact any other City staff with questions. The RFP Administrator will draft, in consultation with other City staff, responses to all questions submitted by prospective Consultants. The responses will be posted on PlanetBids on or before the RFP City Responses Due Date. Changes to the RFP itself shall only be made by the City via a formal written addendum published and distributed through the City’s PlanetBids portal and shall become a part of the RFP document.
C. SUBMITTAL DEADLINE AND FORMAT
Proposals are due by 5:00PM PDT on December 4, 2026 (RFP Submission Due Date).
Proposals and any required attachments will only be accepted in Portable Document Format (PDF) via the City’s PlanetBids portal no later than the RFP Proposal Due Date.
Consultant’s cost file shall be submitted separate and independent of the Proposal document. It is the responsibility of the Consultant to ensure its proposal and all attachments are loaded on PlanetBids before the stated deadline and in the required format stated herein. Proposals submitted by any other method such as hard copy or email, or proposals that fail to completely upload, shall result in disqualification.
D. PROPOSAL CONTENT
All proposals shall include the following:
1. Cover Letter and Statement of Interest. A cover letter summarizing key elements of Consultant’s proposal, and a brief statement describing why Consultant has an interest in this RFP and why it would be the City’s best choice.
2. Consultant Business information. Provide Consultant’s business information including primary contact information.
3. Scope of Work Methodology. Consultant shall provide a detailed explanation on its approach and methodology to perform the Scope Services, including a proposed schedule, and demonstrate specific techniques that may be implemented to successfully achieve the provisions of the Project.
4. Qualifications. An outline of your firm’s background, qualifications, and ability to perform the services required. Provide relevant information about the firm’s capabilities, size, range of services, and length of time in existence. This also applies to the sub-consultants (subcontractors) you propose to use (i.e. company size, location of office(s), size of staff, etc.).
a. Brief resume of your firm’s background and expertise in the area of General Plan updates or similar work for public agencies; Attachment 1 13
b. Briefly outline your firm’s methodology that was used to successfully complete similar projects, especially for General Plan updates in coastal jurisdictions; and
c.Include the name, address, and phone number of the agency and individual responsible for the contract management of the project and a list of references who may be contacted.
5. Key Personnel. This section should include a list of all key personnel and anticipated supporting personnel, including those of the sub-consultant, who will be assigned to perform services or be employed on the project. Brief resumes of the project manager, key personnel, and sub-consultants should be included as related to this project, their roles in the project, and a synopsis of their experience relevant to these roles. This section should also include a description of their responsibilities and identify a designated project manager with full authority to administer the contract and bind your firm to a contract with the City. a. List firm experience separate from individual experience; b. Individual experience to be listed for persons with key roles in the project only identifying the person who completed the work; and c. Senior personnel identified in your proposal may not be removed from the project without prior written consent of the City. Subcontractors must also meet all requirements requested of the selected Consultant and be approved by the City.
6. References/Project History. Provide a minimum of five (5) references for similar projects Consultant has completed within the last five (5) years, comparable to the scope of services required. Include a brief description of the services, the agency or firm names, and contact information for each reference. Preference will be placed on references that are local government entities. The City reserves the right to contact any reference provided.
7. Cost Proposal and Budget. Please submit a budget showing estimated costs for each milestone and task of the project, and hourly billing rates for all members of the team. Prices shall represent the cost of finished products and cost estimates shall identify expenditures for graphics, maps, public meetings and hearings, printing, legal notices, postage, mailing, advertising, and other incidental and administrative costs. This budget shall include a 10% contingency billing amount of the overall cost for each milestone to accommodate any unanticipated activities or time necessary to achieve the milestone.
a. Include proposed method of compensation for providing professional consulting services under a cost reimbursement type contract.
The project budget shall be depicted in a table or other format that clearly shows a breakdown by task and product. Reimbursement shall be given upon the City’s receipt and acceptance of deliverables.
Attachment 1 14
b. Amount of time and staff to be expended for each phase of the project;
c.Indicate hourly rates of individuals involved, number of hours for each component, task or product, billing and expense reimbursement rates, and other optional items;
d. Include budget information written so that it may be incorporated as an attachment to the Agreement for Consulting Services; e. All costs shall be stated as “not to exceed” amounts. All costs must be detailed specifically in the cost summary section of the proposal; f. No additional charges (e.g., for sales tax, transportation, out-of-pocket expenses, etc.) will be allowed unless specified in the proposal; and g. A separate budget and table should be provided for preparation of the environmental review.
8. Exceptions. Provide any proposed exceptions, additions, and/or deletions with any requirements or specifications of this RFP and/or Scope of Services. All exceptions shall be clearly identified, and written explanations shall include the scope of the exceptions, the ramifications of the exceptions for the City, and a description of the advantage to be gained or disadvantages to be incurred by the City as a result of these exceptions. The City will not accept any substantive proposed changes to the Agreement, including the stipulated insurance requirements or other contractual terms therein. Proposals should only be submitted if there is a clear understanding that the Consultant can execute the City’s Agreement without any substantial changes.
9. Other Information. Include any other information you consider relevant to the proposal.
Proposals that do not include the above-listed Proposal Content may be considered incomplete and will be evaluated accordingly.
E. CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
All Consultants interested in conducting business with the City must disclose any potential conflicts of interest in the Consultant’s proposal in order to be eligible to be awarded a contract. Failure to disclose potential conflicts of interest shall result in disqualification.
Consultant must address the following in its proposal:
1. Identify all previous and current contracts with the City of Laguna Beach. Include contact name(s), description of services, and dates of services performed.
2. List any current or retired City official or employee, or City official’s or employee’s immediate family member(s) that has/have ownership interest in Consultant’s company or is deriving personal financial gain from this contract.
Attachment 1 15
3. List any City official or employee that is contemporaneously employed or prospectively will be employed by the Consultant or Consultant’s subconsultants at any time during the Project period known to Consultant at the time the proposal is submitted.
IV. EVALUATION, SELECTION, AND AWARD PROCEDURES
A. PROPOSAL EVALUATION CRITERIA
Proposals shall provide point-by-point response to all sections of this RFP in a clear and concise manner. The City intends to evaluate Consultants based upon the data presented in the proposals submitted in response to this specific RFP. The City may use some or all the following criteria in its evaluation and comparison of proposals submitted. The criteria listed below are not necessarily all-inclusive, and the order in which they appear is not intended to indicate their relative importance. The City reserves the right to modify the evaluation criteria as deemed appropriate prior to the commencement of evaluation.
1. Qualifications and Experience: Demonstrated relevant experience and expertise of Consultant and Consultant’s team and/or subconsultants conducting similar projects of comparable complexity and magnitude, particularly for government agencies.
2. Conformance/Responsiveness to the RFP: Demonstrated thorough understanding of the Project and the ability to deploy the Scope of Services on schedule.
3. Project Scope/Methodology: A clear and concise description of Consultant’s approach, methodology and techniques to successfully execute the requested Scope of Services.
a. References: Recent references from local clients with detailed descriptions of similar projects successfully completed by Consultant, with particular emphasis on local government.
b. Cost File: Fair, reasonable, and competitive cost for all Services to complete the Project.
B. SELECTION PROCESS
Proposals received as specified will initially be evaluated by City staff, or staff designee(s).
During the initial evaluation period, the City may generate a “most qualified” list of Attachment 1 16
Consultant(s) determined in accordance with the above Proposal Evaluation Criteria. The “most qualified” Consultant(s) may be invited for interviews for further evaluation. The City reserves the right to determine whether a proposal meets the specifications and requirements of this RFP and reject any proposal that, in the City’s sole and absolute discretion, fails to meet the detail or intent of the requirements. The City reserves the right to reject any or all proposals.
C. INTERVIEWS
The City reserves the right to conduct interviews with any Consultant. Should the City pursue scheduling interviews, they are targeted to be scheduled for the week of December 14, 2026.
D. NOTICE OF AWARD; AGREEMENT
The contract award will be made to the Consultant selected from all proposals with implementation of services to follow the award (“Notice of Intent to Award”). However, this RFP does not indicate any obligation by the City to award a contract to any successful Consultant. The City, in the selection process and in general, reserves the right to make an award to the Consultant that meets the Scope of Services stated in this RFP, or to award multiple contracts for Services if is deemed most advantageous to the City.
Upon Notice of Intent to Award, the successful Consultant will be required to execute and deliver a signed Agreement to the City, including proof of all required insurance as set forth in the Agreement, within thirty (30) calendar days following the Notice of Intent to Award. If the successful Consultant is unwilling or unable to execute the Agreement as required by this RFP, the City has the right to request a subsequent Consultant to enter into the Agreement with the City.
V. TERMS AND CONDITIONS
A. Acceptance of Terms and Conditions. Submission of a proposal indicates acceptance by the Consultant submitting the proposal of the terms, conditions and specifications contained in this RFP and Agreement.
B. Precedence of Terms and Conditions. All terms and conditions of the Agreement are hereby incorporated into the terms and conditions of this RFP. In the event of a conflict of terms and conditions between the RFP document and the Agreement, the terms and conditions expressed in the Agreement shall take precedence.
C. Public Record. Upon submission of a proposal and other materials for consideration by the City, such proposals and materials shall become the property of the City of Laguna Beach. Proposals may be subject to public inspection and disclosure pursuant to state and federal law after the award of a contract for this RFP. Prior to the RFP deadline, Attachment 1 17
proposals may be modified or withdrawn by an authorized representative of Consultant by written notice to the RFP Administrator.
D. Late Proposals. Any proposal which is not received by the City prior to the deadline date and time set forth in this RFP shall not be considered. The City assumes no responsibility or liability for the transmission, delay, or delivery of a proposal.
E. Specificity of Information. No verbal or written information which is obtained other than through this RFP or its addendum shall be binding on the City. No employee of the City is authorized to interpret any portion of this RFP or give information as to the requirements of the RFP in addition to that contained in or amended to this written RFP document.
F. Non-Discrimination. Consultant agrees that in carrying out its responsibilities under this RFP or any Agreement, in particular with regard to the employment of persons and subconsultants working on the Services, it will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, national origin, religion, sex, age, or handicap. In the event any of the Services performed by Consultant hereunder is subcontracted to subconsultant (with approval of the City as required herein), subconsultant shall contain a similar provision.
G. Errors and Omissions. This RFP cannot identify each specific, individual task required to successfully and completely to implement this Project. The City relies on the professionalism and competence of the Consultant to be knowledgeable of the general areas identified in the Scope of Services and to include in their proposals all materials, equipment, required tasks and subtasks, personnel commitments, man-hours, labor, direct and indirect costs, etc. Consultant shall not take advantage of any errors and/or omissions in this RFP document or in the Consultant’s specifications submitted with their proposals. Where such errors or omissions are discovered by the City, full instructions will be given by the City in the form of an addendum.
H. Proposal Validity. Unless otherwise noted by the Consultant, all proposals shall be held valid for a period of one hundred eighty (180) days.
I. Right of Rejection. The City reserves the right to:
• Accept or reject any and all proposals or any part of any proposal, and to waive any informality, minor defects, or technicalities in any proposal. • Award all or any portion of the Scope of Services described in this RFP to one or more Consultants.
• Request clarification of any information contained in a proposal. • Solicit new proposals on the same Scope of Services, or on a modified Scope of Services, which may include portions of the original RFP, as the City may deem necessary.
Attachment 1 18
• Disregard all non-conforming, non-responsive, or conditional proposals. • Reject the response of any Consultant who does not pass the evaluation to the City’s satisfaction.
• Allow for the correction of errors and/or omissions.
• Negotiate the Scope of Services and/or terms of the Agreement with the successful Consultant(s).
The City further reserves the right to negotiate final pricing with the most qualified Consultant(s). All submitted cost proposals will be reviewed and considered for the purpose of assisting the City in determining fair and reasonable compensation with the most qualified Consultant(s). The City will attempt to negotiate an Agreement with the most qualified Consultant(s) at a compensation which the City determines is fair and reasonable. Should the City be unable to negotiate a satisfactory Agreement with the most qualified Consultant(s), negotiations may be terminated, and the City will undertake negotiations with the second qualified Consultant(s) and so on, until a Consultant or Consultants are selected, or the City rejects all proposals.
J. City Not Obligated to Complete Scope; No Obligation to Award. This RFP does not obligate the City to complete the Scope of Services or Project, or award or enter into a contract or Agreement on the basis of any proposal submitted in response to this RFP.
The City reserves the right to cancel the solicitation or parts of the solicitation if it is in its best interest. City reserves the right to award multiple contracts for this RFP if is deemed most advantageous to the City.
K. Non-Compliance. Consultants and/or proposals that do not meet the stated requirements for this RFP may be considered noncompliant and may be disqualified, unless such noncompliance is waived by the City. During the evaluation process, the City reserves the right to request additional information or clarification from those submitting proposals, and to allow corrections of errors and/or omissions.
L. Determination of Responsiveness and Responsibility. The City shall have sole authority in determining the responsiveness and responsibility of any and all Proposals.
For Proposals containing exceptions to specifications and/or requirements, the City shall have sole authority in determining the extent to which exceptions affect the responsiveness and responsibility of any and all Proposals.
M. Work Product. All data, documents and other work product generated or developed during the term of the Agreement will become the property of the City.
N. No Bidder Reimbursement. The City recognizes that significant effort is expended in the preparation of a thorough and responsible proposal. However, a proposal is a voluntary response on the part of the Consultant, and this RFP does not commit the City to pay any Attachment 1 19
costs incurred in its preparation. The City will not be liable for any costs incurred by any Consultants prior to an award of a contract. The City may require the final Consultant(s) to provide on-site presentations and demonstrations of the product(s)/service(s) proposed by the Consultant(s). All costs associated with the demonstrations or follow-up interviews are the sole obligation of the Consultant(s).
O. Gratuity Prohibition. Consultant(s) shall not offer any gratuities, favors, or anything of monetary value to any official, employee, or agent of the City for any purpose as it may be perceived as an attempt to influence consideration of the proposal. Submission of a Proposal indicates Consultant certifies that they have not paid nor agreed to pay any person, other than a bona fide employee of the Consultant, a fee or a brokerage resulting from the award of the contract.
P. Contact with City Personnel or Entities. During the RFP procurement process, proposal evaluation process and proposal selection process, the RFP Administrator is to serve as the primary point of contact for all matters pertaining to this RFP. Consultant shall not contact any City Councilmembers, personnel or entities other than the RFP Administrator for matters regarding this Project until conclusion of the entire procurement process.
Unauthorized contact may result in disqualification of proposals.
Q. Contract Administrator. The Community Development Department will be the administrator of the Agreement.
R. Insurance Requirements. The selected Consultant(s) for this Project shall be required, prior to the execution of an Agreement, to furnish proof of insurance. The specific insurance types and limits depend on the Project and can be found in the Template Consultant Services Agreement attached to this RFP (Attachment B). Consultant(s) shall be considered ineligible for the contract award if they are unable to provide the required insurance.
S. Compliance with All Applicable Laws. Consultant declares that it shall comply with all licenses, statutes, ordinances, regulations, and requirements of all governmental entities, including federal, state, county or municipal, whether now in force or hereinafter enacted, including, but not limited to, appropriate contractor licensing and business licensing, as may be required.
T. Inclusive Cost Proposal. Consultant’s Cost Proposal shall include any and all applicable licenses, insurance coverage, endorsements, bonding and if necessary, any wage compliance deemed necessary to perform the Scope of Services as part of the Project described in this RFP. City will not be responsible for reimbursing Consultant for any charges not included in the cost proposal that are incurred in securing these requirements.
U. Subconsultant(s). The selected Consultant shall be the primary consultant performing the primary functions of the Agreement. If any portion of the Agreement is to be performed Attachment 1 20
by a subconsultant, this must be clearly set forth in the Proposal submittal as to what part(s) is/are to be delegated. City reserves the right to reject any proposal wherein use of subconsultants significantly affects the ability of the Consultant to function as the primary consultant on the awarded Agreement. The Consultant will be at all times responsible for the acts and errors or omissions of its subconsultants or joint participants and persons directly or indirectly employed by them. Acceptance or rejection of a Consultant’s request to use subconsultants is at the sole discretion of City.
VI. Attachment(s):
Attachment A: Scope of Services
Attachment B: Template Consultant Services Agreement
Attachment 1 21