Active SLED Opportunity · CALIFORNIA · SACRAMENTO AREA COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS
AI Summary
SACOG seeks proposals for consultant services to design and administer a large-scale household travel survey across six California counties. The survey will support regional travel behavior analysis, model updates, and planning for the 2031 MTP/SCS. The project prioritizes smartphone data collection and comprehensive sampling to ensure high-quality, representative data.
Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) is seeking proposals from qualified firms to design and administer a large scale, regional, household travel survey for the SACOG study area, which consists of El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, Sutter, Yolo, and Yuba counties in the state of California. Survey results will be used to analyze regional travel behavior; evaluate the outcomes of SACOG’s 2025 Blueprint Plan; and update, improve, and maintain SACOG's travel demand forecast model which supports planning and policy development for the 2031 MTP/SCS.
The primary goal of the project is to deliver a dataset of the highest possible quality for activity-based modeling purposes. The survey will prioritize smartphone-based data collection to support high-quality activity-based modeling data. The Consultant shall implement strategies to maximize smartphone app participation while maintaining web-based accessibility options. The Consultant shall recommend and implement strategies to encourage smartphone app usage to ensure sufficient data quality and completeness. The Consultant will be expected to implement a comprehensive sampling and data monitoring plan to ensure adequate representation of key demographic and geographic groups, including teleworkers, walkers, cyclists, transit riders, and users of new mobility options.
Although certain elements of this Scope of Work may be performed by subcontractors, the Consultant shall remain solely responsible for the timely and successful completion of all aspects of the Scope of Work.
SACOG serves as a Joint Powers Authority (JPA) of city and county governments in El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, Sutter, Yolo, and Yuba counties. As the only public agency with members from all 28 jurisdictions in the greater Sacramento region, SACOG plays a unique role as the place where local governments can come together to take on critical issues facing the region and to tackle problems that are too big for any one jurisdiction to solve on its own. SACOG is tasked by state and federal law with long-range planning for the region but also plays an important role in working with local partners to advance more immediate solutions to some of the region’s shared challenges of transportation, housing, air quality, climate change and the protection of the region’s agricultural and natural resources. Starting with the development of the 2025 Blueprint, SACOG has committed to three strategic goals of equity, economy, and environment. For more information, please visit our website: https://www.sacog.org.
Updated Household Travel Survey (HTS) data is needed to ensure SACOG can provide accurate, current modeling support that reflects real post-pandemic travel behavior. The new dataset will also give regional partners reliable insights into how travel patterns and household decisions have shifted since 2020. The Household Travel Survey is the region’s core source of observed travel behavior. It provides behavioral inputs the activity-based model requires, including complete household travel diaries, connected trip chains, and household context. This is what makes the regional travel model more accurate, and it directly supports SACSIM and DAYSIM model development and calibration. It also supports the 2031 Blueprint and major plan cycles that depend on defensible travel behavior data. The model is used by SACOG, by jurisdictions to update general plans and specific plans, and it is relied upon by developers and consultants to advance transportation projects and investment decisions. A current, defensible behavioral dataset strengthens the credibility of those downstream decisions.
Beyond modeling, updated HTS data enables sensitivity analysis and policy testing for pricing, telework, transit performance, accessibility, and safety. These are exactly the types of questions SACOG and its partners need to be able to answer with confidence and credibility. SACOG does not currently have household-level travel information that reflects post-pandemic conditions. This creates a gap in representing how travel behavior has shifted since 2018, including telework patterns, trip chaining, mode choices, and changes in household decision-making. Without new observed data, SACOG must continue relying on assumptions about post-pandemic behavior rather than drawing from observed patterns that reflect current conditions.
Launching a two-stage HTS in 2026 positions SACOG to adopt this best-practice approach and strengthens SACOG’s benefits to members, including advancing local priorities aligned with the Blueprint, by providing the most accurate and current information to support SACOG board and local decision making. Updated data also supports SACOG’s readiness for the 2031 Blueprint and future statewide requirements for representing post-2020 travel behavior. The first stage will contact the nearly 4,000 households that participated in the 2018 survey with the goal to resample no fewer than 500 of those households. This type of longitudinal panel is uncommon nationally and offers powerful analytic value because it allows SACOG to directly observe how households’ travel behavior, vehicle ownership, location choices, family composition, and work arrangements changed since 2018.
Next, the HTS will collect new cross-sectional data from at least 3,000 households across the region using a methodology designed to ensure region-wide representativeness so smaller jurisdictions are not overshadowed by larger ones, targeting recruitment efforts in Census Block Groups where response rates are low, and applying statistical weights so the dataset matches the region’s real population. The plan includes a monitoring dashboard during the fielding phase to assess progress and plan for any needed targeted efforts. The plan also includes flexibility to add county level oversamples or topical modules if partner agencies wish to contribute funding.
Together, the two survey stages will create a strong foundation for recalibrating SACOG’s regional activity-based model and provide a defensible dataset for transportation, climate, land use, equity, and economic development planning. This effort is complementary to SACOG’s big data platform. Big data can provide large sample sizes and frequent updates, but it does not provide the same household context that the HTS provides, including household structure, validated trip purpose information, and vehicle miles traveled (VMT) created with electric vehicles and internal combustion vehicles. In addition, mode identification for walking, biking, and transit can be limited and difficult or impossible to validate. An updated HTS allows SACOG to interpret and validate big data sources by anchoring them in observed household-level information.
Clear understanding of the background and requirements of the project.
The overall and technical approach to be followed and the tasks to be performed, including detailed steps, resources required, introduction of innovative or advanced strategies, and proposed project schedule.
The relative allocation of resources, in terms of quality and quantity, to key tasks including the time and skills of personnel assigned to the tasks and consultant’s approach to managing resources and project deliverables.
Overall education, experience, and qualifications of proposed personnel, including qualifications of the project manager and assurance of involvement in the project. This includes technical ability relevant to the scope of work in this RFP.
Cost analysis related to calculation of task costs and overall justification of costs.
Familiarity with State and Federal procedures and compliance, as demonstrated by the proposal and experience.
Required upload for this section:
Transmittal Letter
Name position title, business address, phone number, email, and electronic signature of an individual with authority to negotiate on behalf of and to contractually bind the Consultant, and who may be contacted during the period of proposal evaluation.
Conflict of Interest Statement
Proposers must disclose to SACOG any actual, apparent, or potential conflicts of interest that may exist relative to the services to be provided under Agreement for consultant services to be awarded pursuant to this RFP.
If the consultant or firm has no conflict of interest, a statement to that effect must be included in this section.
Required upload for this section:
By submitting a proposal, proposers confirm that they have reviewed the standard terms and conditions as provided in the attached Sample Agreement, and accepts the terms and conditions with or without qualifications.
Any exceptions to SACOG's standard terms and conditions must be included with the proposal at time of submission for consideration. For any exception requested, rationale for the request, and a redlined/annotated Sample Agreement must be uploaded in this section.
Required upload for this section:
Proposers should clearly demonstrate an adequate understanding of the project and provide a clear explanation of their proposed Technical Approach, Project Schedule and Project Management System as detailed below.
A. Project Understanding
Demonstrate an adequate understanding of the role and relationships of SACOG.
B. Technical Approach
1. A summary of the proposed project approach to tasks
2. An explanation of the consultant’s intended role as related to the role of SACOG.
3. Must include a thorough but concise explanation of the consultant’s proposed course of action. References should be made to RFP requirements and the consultant’s plans for meeting those requirements.
4. If the consultant proposes major changes to the project approach, those changes should be specified clearly.
5. The consultant should specify its technical approach, especially data elements to be sampled, staff to be interviewed, and documents to be reviewed, etc., if applicable.
C. Project Schedule
A task-based description of the proposed project schedule (including milestones, draft and final deliverables) and the deliverables to be produced.
D. Project Management
An explanation of the project management system and practices to be used to assure that the project is completed within the scheduled time frame and that the quality of the required work and products will meet SACOG’s requirements.
NOTE** Project Management activities and costs must be built into all task costs and is not allowable as a standalone task.
Required upload for this section:
A. Statement of Experience and Qualifications (Required)
B. Level of Effort and Staff Resources Matrix (Required)
C. References (Required)
Two (2) to Three (3) relevant references will be verified and must include:
D. Work Samples (Optional)
Up to two (2) samples of the consultant’s work on closely related projects may be included but are not required.
Required uploads for this section:
The required Cost Proposal consists of a task-based budget to support proposed Task cost allocations and a certification of indirect costs and financial management system.
Proposed Standard Task-Based Budget
Proposers must download and complete the standard SACOG Task-Based Budget form.
The cost proposal must describe both the total and the detailed price for which the consultant will commit to complete the total scope of work and all deliverables. The cost proposal detail shall describe estimated costs (only the total amount is a binding offer) for each professional’s time, for the completion of each proposed task, for travel and per-diem (if applicable), and for materials and supplies. Cost proposals must be submitted on the SACOG Standard Task-Based Budget form.
The cost proposal must include all costs by Task, including subcontractors costs for each Task. The resulting contract will be Task-Based.
Failure to provide adequate cost data that justifies the Task costs proposed will result the proposal SACOG deeming the proposal unresponsive.
Consultant Indirect Costs and Certification of Financial Management System
Proposers and any proposed Subcontractor must download and complete the Consultant Indirect Costs and Certification of Financial Management System form, and upload to this section.
An approval letter from the consultant's cognizant agency, or a Safe Harbors form may be substituted for the standard form provided.
If there is no indirect rate enter N/A on the form, sign, and submit.
Required uploads for this section:
Download and complete the attached Consultant and Subcontractor Information form.
Required upload for this section:
For any proposed subcontractor, the proposer must include a letter from the subcontractor committing to perform at least the work shown for the subcontractor in the submitted Level of Effort/Staff Resources matrix. Letters should be on subcontractor letterhead and signed by an authorized signatory of the subcontractor.
Commitment letters must include any actual, apparent, or potential conflicts of interest that may exist for the Subcontractor relative to the services to be provided under Agreement for consultant services to be awarded pursuant to this RFP. If the consultant or firm has no conflict of interest, a statement to that effect shall be included in the letter.
If the consultant or firm has no conflict of interest, a statement to that effect shall be included in the letter of commitment.
Required upload for this section:
If required pursuant to the equal employment opportunity requirements of the U.S. Department of Labor Regulations (41 CFR Part 60, et seq.)., the proposal should include a description of the Consultant’s Affirmative Action (AA) program,
Regulations cited above require that certain contractors to develop and maintain affirmative action programs, including service contractors (non-construction) with 50 or more employees and a federally assisted contract of $50,000 or more.
Required upload for this section:
Download and complete the attached Debarment Certification form. This form must be completed by the Consultant and by any proposed subcontractor.
Required upload for this section:
Download and complete the attached Levine Act and Government Code 1090 forms. These forms must be completed by the Consultant and by any proposed subcontractor.
Required upload for this section:
Download and complete the attached Certification of Restrictions on Lobbying form if your proposal is more than $100,000. This form must be completed by the Consultant and any proposed subcontractors.
Required upload for this section:
Enter the proposed total cost for the entire contract term.
This amount should match the proposed budget total cost and align with the Level of Effort and Staff Resources Matrix.
Required upload for this section:
By checking this, Proposer acknowledges any and all addenda issued for this RFP.
Please enter the firm offer period you want for this solicitation (defaulted to 60 days here), so i.e. "sixty (60)"
Please enter the date which you want to be included in the solicitation as the contract execution date (i.e. "January 25, 2020")
SLED stands for State, Local, and Education. These are solicitations issued by state governments, counties, cities, school districts, utilities, and higher education institutions — as opposed to federal agencies.
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