CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
DATE: FEBRUARY 25, 2026 CONSENT CALENDAR
SUBJECT: AWARD PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT NO. 26P020 WITH AECOM TECHNICAL SERVICES, INC., FOR COMPREHENSIVE SHADE & HEAT MITIGATION PLAN CONSULTING SERVICES
FROM: Scott C. Stiles, City Manager
BY: Sustainability
SUMMARY:
This action will award a professional services agreement with AECOM Technical Services, Inc., in an amount not to exceed $445,814 for consulting services for the Palm Springs Comprehensive Shade and Heat Mitigation Plan for Multi-Modal Transportation.
The plan is being funded by a grant from Caltrans.
RECOMMENDATION:
1. Approve Professional Services Agreement No. 26P020 with AECOM Technical Services, Inc., for comprehensive shade & heat mitigation plan consulting services for a term commencing on February 26, 2026, and continuing through February 25, 2028, for an amount not to exceed $445,814;
2. Authorize the City Manager or designee to execute all necessary documents.
BUSINESS PRINCIPAL DISCLOSURE:
According to the Public Integrity Disclosure form (Attachment B) submitted in February 2026, AECOM Technical Services, Inc., is registered in the state of California.
BACKGROUND:
On January 18, 2024, the Department of Sustainability submitted a Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant application to Caltrans to obtain funding to perform a comprehensive shade and heat mitigation plan for the City of Palm Springs.
In July 2024, the City was notified of the award, and on July 16, 2024, Staff presented a recommendation of a resolution to accept grant funding to City Council. City Council
City Council Staff Report
February 25, 2026 -- Page 2
Professional Services Agreement NO. 26P020
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8 adopted Resolution No. 25236 on July 25, 2024, accepting grant funding in the amount of $400,000 with an 11.47% local match.
The Palm Springs Comprehensive Shade and Heat Mitigation Plan for Multi-modal Transportation will focus on sustainable and resilient transportation planning to mitigate and adapt to extreme heat events experienced in the Coachella Valley, where daily summer temperatures regularly exceed 100F. The project aims to build a plan which will identify strategies to enhance adaptive multi-modal infrastructure, build resilient communities and reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions. The project's key deliverables include a community and stakeholder engagement plan (with a focus on underserved and vulnerable populations), a heat and shade equity study, a heat impact assessment, as well as design plans for adaptive climate-appropriate shade structures and landscape designs along transportation routes. The strategic components align with local, regional and state planning efforts to address climate change and reduce overall carbon emissions including the State Climate Action Plan and the Riverside County 2019 Climate Action Plan.
STAFF ANALYSIS:
On December 15, 2025, the Procurement and Contracting Department issued Request for Proposals 20-25 (RFP 20-25) for Comprehensive Shade & Heat Mitigation Plan Consulting Services for the Sustainability Department. RFP 20-25 was advertised in the local newspaper, published on the PlanetBids website with notification to 359 registered vendors, and 366 vendors through Bid Broadcast. This outreach resulted in 18 attendees at the Pre-Proposal Conference on December 30, 2025, and the submission of five Proposals.
The following firms submitted Proposals for consideration by the January 20, 2026, deadline.
AECOM Technical Services, Inc. – Los Angeles, CA
Alta Planning + Design, Inc. – Los Angeles, CA
Buro Happold Consulting Engineers, Inc. – Los Angeles, CA Hua Nani Partners – Saugus, CA (Non-Responsive)
Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. – Orange, CA
An evaluation committee consisting of City staff from Sustainability, Planning Services, and Public Works reviewed and scored the proposals received against the criteria published in the Request for Proposals. Criteria included the firm’s experience, references, staff experience, understanding the scope of work and demonstrated understanding, and multidisciplinary team including licensed professionals presented to carry out the requested work.
AECOM Technical Services, Inc. is a full-service consulting firm with extensive California presence and over two decades of experience supporting public sector clients on climate City Council Staff Report
February 25, 2026 -- Page 3
Professional Services Agreement NO. 26P020
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8 resilience, sustainability, and infrastructure planning. AECOM specializes in extreme heat mitigation, climate vulnerability assessments, multimodal and active transportation planning, and equity-centered community engagement. The firm brings deep expertise in nature-based solutions, urban forestry, transportation and transit resilience, GIS and environmental data analysis, greenhouse gas reduction strategies, and implementation planning. Through work across Southern California and nationally, AECOM has delivered actionable climate action, adaptation, and heat mitigation plans that integrate scientific rigor, local knowledge, and inclusive engagement to protect vulnerable communities and critical infrastructure.
AECOM Technical Services, Inc. has completed similar projects with cities and agencies to explore new approaches to heat resilience (Los Angeles CHAP; Sacramento Municipal Utility District; City of Phoenix, AZ; City of El Paso, TX), leadership in climate resilience and adaptation in Southern California (SCAG Regional Resilience Toolkit; SCAG Regional Climate Adaptation Framework; Western Riverside Council of Governments Energy Resilience Plan; Inland Empire Climate Pollution Reduction Grants Regional Climate Action Plan for Riverside and San Bernardino County), and brings expertise in multimodal transportation planning (Los Angeles Metro – Vermont Avenue transit corridor planning; City of Austin Core Transportation Plan; Houston METRO’s Urban Design Guidelines).
Based on the review of the technical proposal and scoring as well as the rating of the firm’s cost proposal, staff recommend approval of a professional services agreement with the highest scoring firm, AECOM Technical Services, Inc., for comprehensive shade and heat mitigation consulting services for a contract amount not to exceed $445,814 for the term commencing on February 26, 2026, and continuing through February 25, 2028.
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT:
The requested City Council action is not a “Project” as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Pursuant to Section 15378(a), a “Project” means the whole of an action, which has a potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment. The requested action is to approve contracts for the above-mentioned services, and is exempt from CEQA pursuant to Section 15378(b), in that a “Project” does not include: (5) Organizational or administrative activities of governments that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment.
ALIGNMENT WITH STRATEGIC PLANNING:
The study aims to align with City Council’s goals for Sustainability & Community, specifically focusing on climate resilience, and strengthening city-wide transportation safety and enhancing public services.
City Council Staff Report
February 25, 2026 -- Page 3
Professional Services Agreement NO. 26P020
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8 City Council Staff Report
February 25, 2026 -- Page 4
Professional Services Agreement NO. 26P020
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8 FISCAL IMPACT:
The total project cost is $445,814 funded by a $400,000 grant from Caltrans and a $45,814 local match from the City’s Sustainability Fund 138.
REVIEWED BY:
Assistant City Manager: Flinn Fagg
Procurement & Contracting Manager: Tabitha Richards
City Manager: Scott Stiles
ATTACHMENTS:
A. Professional Services Agreement 26P020
B. Public Integrity Disclosure Forms