REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
CONSULTING SERVICES FOR
ZERO EMISSION VEHICLE (ZEV) FLEET AND INFRASTRUCTURE
TRANSITION PLAN
RFP# PWES-CONSULTING SERVICES ZEV FLEET AND INFRASTURCTURE
TRANSITION PLAN
Please read this complete document and all informa Ɵon listed regarding this Request for Proposal (RFP) on the BidsOnline webpage prior to submi ƫng your proposal.
Proposals will be received unƟl: 2:00 p.m., Thursday, November 9, 2023
The City of Richmond has determined the following speci ficaƟons for proposal submi Ʃal purposes. The specificaƟons referenced are not intended to be restricƟve but descripƟve of the type and quality of goods/services the City of Richmond desires to purchase/contract. Proposals for similar goods or services of like quality will be considered if the proposal is fully noted. The City of Richmond reserves the right to determine products of equal value. Vendors will not be allowed to make unauthorized subsƟtuƟons aŌer award is made.
DESCRIPTION OF REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
The City of Richmond’s Department of Public Wo rks, through its Fleet Services Division, is soliciƟng proposals from qualified consultants for consulƟng services to develop a Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Fleet and Infrastructure TransiƟon Plan. Please see purpose, background, scope of work, and all other requirements included in the Request for Proposal (RFP) starƟng on page five (5).
Any addiƟonal services or change orders will be individually pre-approved in wriƟng solely by Dee Karnes, Fleet Services Superintendent.
The awarded vendor must comply with all City, State and Federal laws, including minimum wage requirements and ensure that employees and app licants for employment are not discriminated against because of their race, color, religion, sex or naƟonal origin. This RFP is not a contract.
PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL
Base your responses upon the specificaƟons and other perƟnent informaƟon in this document.
Electronic Proposals shall be submiƩed via the City’s secure online bidding system. All required secƟons of the proposal must be submiƩed via the website. Contractor is solely responsible for “on Ɵme” submission of their electronic proposal. The Bid Management System will not accept late proposals and no excepƟons shall be made. Contractors will receive an e-bid confirmaƟon number with a Ɵme stamp from the Bid Management System indicaƟng that their bid was submiƩed successfully. The city will only receive those proposals that were transmiƩed successfully.
Proposal Deadline:
Responsive Proposals will be accepted unƟl 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 9, 2023.
TERMS OF PROPOSALS
The City of Richmond reserves the right to reject any proposal, all proposals, or any part of a proposal. The City of Richmond reserves the ri ght to reject the proposal of any vendor who previously failed to perform adequately for th e City of Richmond or any other government agency. The City of Richmond expressly reserves the right to reject the proposal of any vendor who is in default on the payment of taxes, licenses, or other monies due to the City of Richmond.
The submission of a signed proposal will be interpreted to mean vendor has agreed to all the terms and condiƟons set for in the pages of this proposal.
Proposals will be valid for ninety (90) days.
AWARD OF SOLICITATION FOR CONSULTING SERVICES
Qualified proposals will be evaluated according to past references and the quali ficaƟons of vendors.
When comparing proposal submissions, Municipal Code 2.50.070 will be followed when a City of Richmond local business is present. This will be applied during the comparison process only.
QUESTIONS CONCERNING REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
All quesƟons must be submiƩed via the electronic BidsOnline system on the Q&A tab by 5:00pm P S T , o n N o v e m b e r 1 , 2023. If the City finds it necessary to issue an addendum, prospec Ɵve Offerors will receive e-mail noƟficaƟon of addendum. Otherwise, answers to quesƟons received will be provided on the Q&A tab and no ƟficaƟon will be sent by November 3, 2023. It is the proposer’s responsibility to periodically check the BidsOnline website www.ci.richmond.ca.us/bids for any possible Addenda to the RFP that may have been posted.
Any party submiƫng a proposal shall not contact or lobby any City Council member, City official, employee (except those specified for contact) or agent regarding the RFP . Any party aƩempƟng to influence or circumvent the RFP , bid submiƩal, and review process may have their proposal rejected for violaƟng this provision of the RFP .
Interested parƟes may download copies of the above men Ɵoned proposal by visiƟng the City's web site, www.ci.richmond.ca.us/bids. To down load RFP , new vendors will be required to register. Once the vendor downloads any documents rela Ɵve to a solicita Ɵon, that vendor's name will appear on the Prospec Ɵve Bidders list for that project and will receive any addenda or noƟficaƟons relaƟng to the RFP .
PURPOSE
The City of Richmond (City) is solici Ɵng proposals from interested consultants to develop comprehensive system wide assessment of green fuels such as electric vehicle or hydrogen vehicle needs for the city and to recommend a strategy for a mul Ɵ-Ɵered vehicle purchase and replacement process, inclusive of the infr astructure upgrades that city owned facili Ɵes would require. This assessment should also address an integrated strategy for complying with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) recent regulaƟons for medium and heavy-duty vehicles, as well as our emergency response vehicles and light-duty fleet. In addiƟon, the assessment should address solar and baƩery storage opƟons to support the fleet and emergency services should the grid go offline.
BACKGROUND
The City of Richmond is located 16 miles northeast of San Francisco, directly across San Francisco Bay. Richmond is on a peninsula separa Ɵng San Francisco Bay (on the south) and San Pablo Bay (to the north), and the city has 32 total miles of shoreline. The city's total area is 56.0 square miles, of which 33.7 are land areas and 22.3 are water areas. Richmond's central loca Ɵon.
Richmond is situated near major metropolitan ciƟes and major new growth areas. San Francisco is within 35 minutes from Richmond by freeway; Oakland is 20 minutes; San Jose is approximately one hour's drive to the south; and Sacramento, the state capitol, is approximately 90 minutes to the east. Central Marin County is 15 minutes from Richmond directly across the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. The popula Ɵon is approximately 110,000 in the City of Richmond. Richmond is located on the western shore of Contra Costa County and is the largest city in the "West County" region consisƟng of five ciƟes: Richmond, El Cerrito, San Pablo, Hercules, and Pinole.
The city, with approximately 800 full Ɵme equivalent employees, provides a wide range of services including police, fire, public works, transportaƟon, parks, recreaƟon and library which are some of the divisions within community services, community development, economic development, port operaƟons, and general government.
The City of Richmond has approximately 400 vehicles across several departments, including a combinaƟon of sedans, pick-up trucks, medium and heavy-duty vehicles, off-road equipment, and emergency response vehicles. Of these vehicles, five are electric and 79 are hybrid vehicles.
A detailed summary of the City of Richmond’s Fleet by Department, including Year, Make, Model, and Vehicle Class (Light, Medium or Heavy Duty) will be provided to the selected consultant upon negoƟaƟon and approval of a contract for consulƟng services.
SCOPE OF WORK
1. Available AlternaƟve green fuels including Hydrogen and Electric Vehicle Review The consultant will review currently available a nd soon to be available hydrogen and electric vehicles to replace the vehicle types used by the City of Richmond. This task will highlight vehicle classes for which hydrogen and electric alternaƟves are available, the cost of said alternaƟves, as well as those for which hydrogen and electric alternaƟves are not available.
More specifically, this review shall include:
Upfront and lifecycle vehicle cost differenƟal among the commercially available fuel opƟons, including $/kWh cost;
Cost/benefit analysis of the conversion to hydrogen or electric vehicles for different vehicle classes and types;
IdenƟficaƟon of the vehicle types that are least viable for conversion to hydrogen or electric due to insufficient alternaƟves, operaƟonal challenges, unreliable technology, safety, excessive costs, or other idenƟfied reasons.
List current hydrogen, solar, and electric vehicle charging service equipment opƟons, or emerging renewable energy resources, and related costs to acquire and manage the equipment to fuel the vehicles.
2. Capacity Review
Calculate each Department’s (or Facility’s) capacity to support addi Ɵonal electrical load from charging operaƟons, iden Ɵfy poten Ɵal grid impacts, and note any backup generator needs or other energy storage methods needed for emergency response or to minimize the impact of addiƟonal load to the grid during peak system us age. The City of Rich mond does not currently have any hydrogen storage capability at any city owned facili Ɵes. Coordinate with Fleet or Engineering staff as needed.
3. Needs Assessment and Gap Analysis
The consultant will iden Ɵfy the projected number and loca Ɵon profile of hydrogen storage and electric vehicle charging staƟons needed citywide to provide fueling for public fleets. Consultant will also idenƟfy the gap between the exisƟng infrastructure and forecasted future needs as well as the costs to bridge said gap. Cost es Ɵmates should include, but not be limited to purchasing and installing hydrogen fueling sta Ɵons and charging sta Ɵons, purchasing and installing any distributed generaƟon such as solar/storage for suppor Ɵng increased electrical load, upgrading electrical infrastructure to ensure sufficient capacity, and addressing backup generator needs. The consultant should also es Ɵmate the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduc Ɵons by vehicle category for the alternaƟve fuel vehicles. Fleet electrificaƟon is expected to occur over the next decade and therefore the Plan will need to include details on the number of electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) or hydrogen storage needed at each facility over that Ɵmeframe to ensure a reliable charging/fueling network.
It is the City’s intent that once this plan is complete, it will allow for a more e fficient implementaƟon of the electric and hydrogen vehicle infrastructure needed to support full fleet electrificaƟon and hydrogen fueling.
4. Projected Costs and Other Barriers to Fleet Conversion The consultant will develop esƟmates for the projected cost of conversion to hydrogen or electric fleets for vehicles with a gross vehicle weight raƟng (GVWR) of 8,500 lbs or greater by 2024 (50%), and by 2027 (100%), in accordance with the California Air Resource Board’s Advanced Clean Fleet (ACF) RegulaƟon. For all other vehicles, the consultant will develop es Ɵmates for the projected total cost of ownership to hydrogen or electric vehicles by 2025, 2030 and 2035. EsƟmates must include vehicle acquisi Ɵon costs, procurement lead Ɵmes, charging and refueling infrastructure costs, contractor and design/build costs, and other associated costs.
To budget the ongoing operaƟon costs, the es Ɵmated energy usage (MWh) and demand (MW) by vehicle category should be provided as well. For this task, the consultant will also describe other barriers to transi Ɵon to a hydrogen or electric vehicle fleet, including but not limited to commercial availability, procurement lead Ɵme, opera Ɵonal challenges, emergency response, Fleet staff experƟse/training requirements. Consultant shall include the yearly and total cost of ownership for the vehicle and fueling and charging infrastructure.
5. Financing Mechanisms and Strategies
The consultant will iden Ɵfy and analyze financing mechanisms and strategies that could accelerate the transiƟon of publicly owned vehicles to hydrogen or electric vehicles.
6. Phased Master Plan
Develop up to two alterna Ɵve phasing and implementa Ɵon strategies for City sta ff to review.
Prepare a recommended implementa Ɵon plan and charging strategy, u Ɵlizing input given from City sta ff. Compile exis Ɵng condi Ɵons, needs assessment, gap analysis, cost es Ɵmates and financing strategy, contractor and design/build costs into dra Ō Master Plan Document for City staff and present final Plan to City Council at (2) City Council MeeƟng for informaƟon/discussion and (1) Council MeeƟng for final adopƟon.
PROPOSAL
Companies submiƫng their proposal should arrange and present their proposal contents using the following sequence or format to help facilitate proposal evalua Ɵon. Proposals shall be comprehensive but brief and concise and shall not contain marke Ɵng materials unless in direct response to the RFP requirements.
Electronic Proposals shall be submi Ʃed via the City’s secure online bidding system. All required secƟons of the proposal must be submi Ʃed via the website. Contractor is solely responsible for “on Ɵme” submission of their electronic proposal. The Bid Management System will not accept late proposals and no excep Ɵons shall be made. Contractors will receive an e-bid con firmaƟon number with a Ɵme stamp from the Bid Management System indica Ɵng that their bid was submiƩed successfully. The City will only rece ive those proposals that were transmi Ʃed successfully.
The proposal must be received no later than 2:00 p.m., local Ɵme, on November 9, 2023.
The City of Richmond reserves the right to waive inconsequenƟal irregulariƟes.
Cover LeƩer
A one-page summary describing the company’ s background and experience along with an understanding of the services to be provided, including the name of the person who will be authorized to represent the company, their Ɵtle, telephone number and e-mail address. The cover leƩer shall include the proposed not-to -exceed amount and expected comple Ɵon date for the proposed scope of work based on the schedule provided herein. An o fficial of the firm who has authority to enter into a contract with the City should sign the cover leƩer.
QualificaƟons and Experience
Describe company longevity, structure, financial stability, industry presence. List past experience in performing similar analyses/reports for public agencies, speci fically in California. Consultants who are unable to demonstrate similar experience working with a public agency within the last three (3) years will be rejected by the City without further consideraƟon. Provide references from public en ƟƟes for which consultant has completed similar assessments. Describe sta ffing experƟse and capacity to complete scope of work. List any subcontractors, along with their qualificaƟons, client references and any required licensing, cer ƟficaƟons, etc. that would be needed to hire the necessary contractors that would be designing and building the master plan aŌer approval by city council.
Work Plan
This secƟon should give an overview of the approach and document the work plan by breaking down tasks into speci fic elements clearly associated with the scope of work and include the method or means to be used in compleƟng the idenƟfied task(s). Include an esƟmate of the hours or workdays to be expended in relaƟon to each specific porƟon of the scope of work that will be performed.
Staffing
Describe proposed Project team organizaƟon, including idenƟficaƟon and responsibiliƟes of key personnel. Indicate role and responsibility of prime consultants and all sub-consultants. If applicable, indicate how local firms are being u Ɵlized to ensure a strong understanding of state and local laws, ordinances, regula Ɵons, policies, requirements, and permi ƫng. Indicate the extent of the commitment of key personnel for the dura Ɵon of the Project and furnish resumes of key personnel. Provide an indicaƟon of the staffing level for the Project. The City of Richmond’s evaluaƟon of the proposal will consider the proposer’s enƟre team; therefore, no changes in the team composiƟon will be allowed without prior wri Ʃen approval of the City of Richmond. Sub- consultant leƩers of commitment are required and must be submi Ʃed with the proposal.
Describe the experience of the proposer’s Project team in detail, including the team’s Project Manager, and other key staff members, on projects of similar size, capacity, and dollar value. For each similar project, include the client’s name and correct telephone number. It is the City of Richmond’s policy to interview proposers’ references as well as references idenƟfied by the City of Richmond.
Scope Exclusions
In reviewing the RFP , consultant may include other scope of work items which, in the opinion of the company, may have been inadvertently omiƩed by City of Richmond but deemed necessary for considera Ɵon in order to complete the scope of work iden Ɵfied herein. Including the implementaƟon of the master plan.
Project Schedule
Schedule of Events Date
Request for Proposals (RFP) No Ɵce October 13, 2023
QuesƟons Due November 1, 2023, by 2:00 pm PST
Proposals Due November 9, 2023, by 2:00 pm PST
Proposal Review Complete by November 30, 2023
Vendor SelecƟon/NoƟficaƟon Week of December 4, 2023
Contract Award by City Council December 19, 2023 or first City Council MeeƟng in 2024 Please note that the above schedule is subject to change once proposals are received by City.
Fee Proposal / Not to Exceed Amount
The company shall provide in a separate and sealed envelope, and in a table format, the itemized cost for the proposed scope of work and a total not-to-exceed cost for this project, including all travel, incidentals, mark-ups, etc.
Proposal Development Costs
The cost of preparing and submi ƫng a proposal is the sole responsibility of the proponent and shall not be chargeable in any manner to the City.
SelecƟon Process
The city will evaluate all proposals received. Pr oposals will be evaluated on, but not limited to, the following criteria and weighted percentages:
Technical competence and comparable experience of project team members (20%). Experience of the firm on similar projects (15%).
Approach to scope of work and understanding of the scope of work (15%). Adequacy and availability of staffing and in-house or sub-contractor resources (15%). SaƟsfactory record of performance on similar projects (15%). Ability to meet the idenƟfied schedule (10%).
Conformance with the proposal guidelines and format outlined in this RFP (5%). Cost of Services to be provided (5%).
The City at its sole discre Ɵon, may elect to interview proponents or make a selec Ɵon based on submiƩed proposals.
General Guidelines
This RFP does not commit the City of Richmond to award a contract, to defray any costs incurred in the preparaƟon of a proposal pursuant to this RFP , or to procure or contract for work. The City of Richmond may reject a proposal without providing the reason(s) underlying the declinaƟon. A failure to award a contract to the proposer with the lowest cost proposal shall not cons Ɵtute a valid cause of ac Ɵon against the City of Richmond. The City shall not be responsible for work done, even in good faith, prior to final approval of the proposed contract. The City may invesƟgate the quali ficaƟons of any respondent under considera Ɵon, require con firmaƟon of informa Ɵon furnished by the respondent, and require addi Ɵonal evidence or quali ficaƟons to perform the Services described in this RFP .
The City reserves the right to:
1. Reject any or all proposals.
2. Issue subsequent Requests for Proposal.
3. Postpone opening for its own convenience.
4. Remedy technical errors in the Request for Proposal process.
5. NegoƟate with any, all, or none of the Respondents.
6. Solicit best and final offers from all or some of the Respondents.
7. Select one or more Respondents.
8. Accept other than the lowest proposed fees.
9. Waive informaliƟes and irregulariƟes in proposals.
Public Records
All proposals submiƩed in response to this RFP become the property of the City of Richmond and public records and, as such, may be subject to public review. Documents protected by law from public disclosure will not be disclosed by the City of Richmond if clearly marked with the word "confidenƟal" on each applicable page. Trade secrets may be marked as con fidenƟal only to the extent they meet the requirements of California Government Code sec Ɵon 6254.7. Only informaƟon claimed to be a trade secret at the Ɵme of submi Ʃal to the City of Richmond and marked as "confidenƟal" will be treated as a trade secret.
Insurance Requirements
The City of Richmond requires consultants doing business with it to obtain insurance, as shown in RFP AƩachment A. The required insurance cer Ɵficates must comply with all requirements of the standards as shown and must be provided within fiŌeen (15) days of issuance of the No Ɵce of Intent to Award and prior to the commencement of any work on the Project.
Business Licenses
The successful Contractor and all subcontractors used in the work will be required to hold or to obtain a City of Richmond business license for which the fee will not be waived.
Compliance with City Ordinances
The contractor and all subcontractors shall comply with the City of Richmond NondiscriminaƟon Clauses in City Contracts Ordinance (Richmond Municipal Code (RMC) Chapter 2.28), Business Opportunity Ordinance (RMC Chapter 2.50), Local Employment Program Ordinance (RMC Chapter 2.56), Living Wage Ordinance (RMC Chapter 2.60) and Ordinance Banning the Requirement to Provide InformaƟon of Prior Criminal ConvicƟons on all Employment ApplicaƟons (“Ban the Box”) (RMC Chapter 2.65), which are incorporated into the Contract Documents by this reference.
Sanctuary City ContracƟng Ordinance (SCCO)
The Richmond Sanctuary City ContracƟng Ordinance No. 12-18 (AƩachment D) prohibits the City from granƟng and or retaining contracts with any person or en Ɵty that provides Data Broker or Extreme Veƫng services to the U.S. ImmigraƟon and Customs Enforcement Division of the United States Department of Homeland Security (“ICE”). Proposers must submit the aƩached Sanctuary City Compliance Statement with their Proposal. (AƩachment C) Limited Liability Company Disclosure Statement (LLCS)
ResoluƟon No. 86-21 (AƩachment E), approved by City Council on July 6, 2021, requires disclosure of the iden ƟƟes of bene ficial & responsible owners of Limited Liability Corpora Ɵons (LLC).
Proposers must submit the a Ʃached Disclosure Statement of Limited Liability Companies Form with their Proposal (AƩachment F).
Collusion
By submiƫng a proposal, each respondent represents and warrants that its proposal is genuine and not false or collusive or made in the interest of, or on behalf of any person not named therein; that the respondent has not directly or indirectly induced or solicited any other person to submit a false proposal, or any other person to refrain from submi ƫng a proposal; and that the respondent has not, in any manner, sought collusion to secure any improper advantage over any other person submiƫng a proposal.
Ownership of Documents
All reports, studies, informaƟon, data, staƟsƟcs, forms, designs, plans, procedures, systems and any other materials produced for the Project shall be the sole and exclusive property of the City.
No such materials or proper Ɵes produced in whole or in part for the Project shall be subject to private use, copyrights or patent rights by Respondent in the United States or in any other country without the express wri Ʃen consent of the City. The City shall have unrestricted authority to publish, disclose (except as may be limited by the provisions of the Public Records Act), distribute, and otherwise use, copyright or patent, in whol e or in part, any such reports, studies, data, staƟsƟcs, forms or other materials or properƟes produced for this project.
Interview/presentaƟons -
Upon request of the City of Richmond, vendors may be requested to give an oral presenta Ɵon/ on vendor’s proposal.
Vendors are not guaranteed an opportunity to present. Vendors may be eliminated from consideraƟon based solely on inability to meet minimal requirements and/or review of wri Ʃen proposals.
Pre-Award NegoƟaƟons
AŌer the proposals are opened, but prior to award, the City may elect to conduct nego ƟaƟons with the highest ranked respondent for purposes of:
Resolving minor differences and informaƟon
Clarifying necessary details and responsibiliƟes
Emphasizing important issues and points
Receiving assurances from respondents
Cost/budget clarificaƟons
If the City cannot successfully nego Ɵate a contract with the highest ranked respondent, the City may begin negoƟaƟons with the second highest ranked respondent.
SelecƟon may be made without further discussion, nego ƟaƟons, or O fferor’s presentaƟons; therefore, Offeror shall o ffer the most favorable terms in response to this RFP . O fferor must demonstrate an understanding of the scope of service to be provided and the ability to accomplish the tasks set forth. O fferor shall include informa Ɵon that will enable the City to determine the O fferor’s overall qualificaƟons. The City reserves the right to request addi Ɵonal informaƟon or clarificaƟon on any ma Ʃer included in the proposal response, to enable the City to arrive at the final award decision.
Award
When the Review Panel has completed its work, City sta ff will then recommend a consultant to the City Manager and City Council for approval. The services provided by the successful bidder shall be governed by a Standard Services Agreement (AƩachment B).
AƩachments
A. Insurance Requirements
B. Standard Contract
C. Sanctuary City Compliance Statement
D. Sanctuary City ContracƟng Ordinance No. 12-18
E. Limited Liability CorporaƟon (LLC) ResoluƟon No. 86-21 F. Limited Liability CorporaƟon Form