Freeway Bus Rapid Transit/Express Bus Study

The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) is seeking to conduct a study to develop a conceptual plan for a freeway Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and express route network that could potentially serve both intra-county and inter-county destinations. The study will focus on freeway BRT projects on the I-5 and SR 55 corridors and assess the feasibility of implementing express bus service on other Orange County freeways and toll roads. These may include the SR 57, SR 91, SR 405 freeways and the 73, 133, 241, and 261 toll roads.   

Project Details

• Reference ID: 250208
• Department: Planning-Transit Planning
• Department Head: Katie Persons (Department Manager)

Important Dates

• Questions Due: 2026-03-11T21:00:56.520Z
• Pre-Proposal Meeting: 2026-03-10T16:00:07.462Z — Administrative Offices: 550 South Main Street Orange, CA 92868

Addenda

• Addendum #1 (released 2026-03-09T17:06:48.118Z) —

  Addendum No.1 - Pre-Proposal Conference: Initial Slide Deck & Registration Sheet for submittal to OCTA

• Addendum #2 (released 2026-03-11T18:10:01.826Z) —

  Addendum No. 2 - Pre-Proposal Conference Registration Sheets

• Addendum #3 (released 2026-03-17T15:17:57.919Z) —

  Addendum No. 3 - Question and Answer Report

Evaluation Criteria

• Qualifications of the Firm (25 pts) —

  Technical experience in performing work of a closely similar nature; strength and stability of the firm; strength, stability, experience and technical competence of subcontractors; assessment by client references.

• Staffing and Project Organization (25 pts) —

  Qualifications of project staff, particularly key personnel and especially the Project Manager; key personnel’s level of involvement in performing related work cited in "Qualifications of the Firm" section; logic of project organization; adequacy of labor commitment; concurrence in the restrictions on changes in key personnel.

• Work Plan (35 pts) —

  Depth of Offeror's understanding of Authority's requirements and overall quality of work plan; logic, clarity and specificity of work plan; appropriateness of resource allocation among the tasks; reasonableness of proposed schedule; utility of suggested technical or procedural innovations.

• Work Plan (10 pts) —

  Depth of Offeror's understanding of LOSSAN Agency’s requirements and overall quality of work plan; logic, clarity and specificity of work plan; appropriateness of resource allocation among the tasks; reasonableness of proposed schedule; utility of suggested technical or procedural innovations.

• Cost and Price (15 pts) —

  Reasonableness of the total price as well as the individual tasks; competitiveness with other offers received; adequacy of data in support of figures quoted.

Submission Requirements

• Letter of Transmittal (required) —

  The Letter of Transmittal shall at a minimum, contain the following:

  1. 1. 1. Identification of Offeror that will have contractual responsibility with the Authority. Identification shall include legal name of company, corporate address, telephone and fax number, and email address.  Include name, title, address, email address, and telephone number of the contact person identified during period of proposal evaluation.
        2. Identification of all proposed subcontractors including legal name of company, contact person’s name and address, phone number and fax number, and email address; relationship between Offeror and subcontractors, if applicable.
        3. A statement to the effect that the proposal shall remain valid for a period of not less than 120 days from the date of submittal.
        4. Signature of a person authorized to bind Offeror to the terms of the proposal.
        5. Signed statement attesting that all information submitted with the proposal is true and correct.
• Letter of Transmittal (required) —

  The Letter of Transmittal shall at a minimum, contain the following:

  1. 1. 1. Identification of Offeror that will have contractual responsibility with the Authority.  Identification shall include legal name of company, corporate address, telephone and fax number, and email address.  Include name, title, address, email address, and telephone number of the contact person identified during period of proposal evaluation.
        2. Identification of all proposed subcontractors including legal name of company, contact person’s name and address, phone number and fax number, and email address; relationship between Offeror and subcontractors, if applicable.
        3. A statement to the effect that the proposal shall remain valid for a period of not less than 120 days from the date of submittal.
        4. Signature of a person authorized to bind Offeror to the terms of the proposal.
        5. Signed statement attesting that all information submitted with the proposal is true and correct.
• Qualifications, Related Experience and References to Offeror —

  This section of the proposal should establish the ability of Offeror to satisfactorily perform the required work by reasons of: experience in performing work of a similar nature; demonstrated competence in the services to be provided; strength and stability of the firm; staffing capability; work load; record of meeting schedules on similar projects; and supportive client references.

  Offeror to provide:

• Profile of Firm (required) —

  Provide a brief profile of the firm, including the types of services offered; the year founded; form of the organization (corporation, partnership, sole proprietorship); number, size and location of offices; and number of employees.

• Firm's Financial Condition (required) —

  Provide a general description of the firm’s financial condition and identify any conditions (e.g., bankruptcy, pending litigation, planned office closures, impending merger) that may impede Offeror’s ability to complete the project.

• Firm's Experience (required) —

  Describe the firm’s experience in performing work of a similar nature to that solicited in this RFP, and highlight the participation in such work by the key personnel proposed for assignment to this project.

• Subcontractors (required) —

  Identify subcontractors by company name, address, contact person, telephone number, email, and project function. Describe Offeror’s experience working with each subcontractor.

• Lobbying or Advocating Services on Behalf of Offeror (required) —

  Identify all firms hired or retained to provide lobbying or advocating services on behalf of the Offeror by company name, address, contact person, telephone number and email address. This information is required to be provided by the Offeror immediately during the evaluation process, if a lobbyist or advocate is hired or retained.

• References (required) —

  Provide as a minimum three (3) references for the projects cited as related experience, and furnish the name, title, address, telephone number, and email address of the person(s) at the client organization who is most knowledgeable about the work performed. Offeror may also supply references from other work not cited in this section as related experience.

• Do you have a Dun & Bradstreet (DUNS) number? If so, enter it here.
• Do you have an Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number? If so, enter it here.
• Proposed Staffing and Project Organization —

  This section of the proposal should establish the method, which will be used by the Offeror to manage the project as well as identify key personnel assigned.

  Offeror to:

• Identify Key Personnel (required) —

  Identify key personnel proposed to perform the work in the specified tasks and include major areas of subcontract work. Include the person’s name, current location, proposed position for this project, current assignment, level of commitment to that assignment, availability for this assignment and how long each person has been with the firm.

• Identify Key Personnel (required) —

  Identify key personnel proposed to perform the work and include major areas of subcontract work. Include the person’s name, current location, proposed position for this project, current assignment, level of commitment to that assignment, availability for this assignment and how long each person has been with the firm.

• Resumes of Key Personnel (required) —

  Furnish brief resumes (not more than two [2] pages each) for the proposed Project Manager and other key personnel that includes education, experience, and applicable professional credentials.

• Adequacy of Labor Resources (required) —

  Indicate adequacy of labor resources utilizing a table projecting the labor-hour allocation to the project by individual task.

• Adequacy of Labor Resources (required) —

  Indicate adequacy of labor resources utilizing a table projecting the labor-hour allocation to the project.

• Project Organization Chart (required) —

  Provide a project organization chart, which clearly delineates communication/reporting relationships among the project staff.

• Key Personnel Availability (required) —

  Provide a statement that key personnel will be available to the extent proposed for the duration of the project acknowledging that no person designated as "key" to the project shall be removed or replaced without the prior written concurrence of the Authority.

• Work Plan —

  Offeror should provide a narrative, which addresses the Scope of Work, and shows Offeror’s understanding of Authority's needs and requirements.

  Offeror to:

• Work Plan —

  Offeror should provide a narrative, which addresses the Scope of Work, and shows Offeror’s understanding of LOSSAN Agency’s needs and requirements.

• Approach (required) —

  Describe the approach to completing the tasks specified in the Scope of Work. The approach to the work plan shall be of such detail to demonstrate the Offeror’s ability to accomplish the project objectives and overall schedule.

• Approach (required) —

  Describe the approach to completing the Scope of Work. The approach to the work plan shall be of such detail to demonstrate the Offeror’s ability to accomplish the project objectives and overall schedule.

• Sequence of Activities (required) —

  Outline sequentially the activities that would be undertaken in completing the tasks and specify who would perform them.

• Sequence of Activities (required) —

  Outline sequentially the activities that would be undertaken in completing the work and specify who would perform.

• Project Schedule (required) —

  Furnish a project schedule for completing the tasks in terms of elapsed weeks.

• Quality Control Methods (required) —

  Identify methods that Offeror will use to ensure quality control as well as budget and schedule control for the project.

• Special Issues or Problems (required) —

  Identify any special issues or problems that are likely to be encountered in this project and how the Offeror would propose to address them.

• Enhancements or Procedural/Technical Innovations to Scope of Work (required) —

  Offeror is encouraged to propose enhancements or procedural or technical innovations to the Scope of Work that do not materially deviate from the objectives or required content of the project.

  Do you have any such enhancements or innovations to propose?

• Enhancements or Innovations (required) —

  You have indicated that you have enhancements or procedural or technical innovations to the Scope of Work to propose. As previously stated, such enhancements or innovations must not materially deviate from the objectives or required content of the project.

• Exceptions/Deviations —

  State any technical and/or contractual exceptions and/or deviations from the requirements of this RFP, including the Authority’s technical requirements and contractual terms and conditions set forth in the Scope of Work (Attachment A) and Proposed Agreement (Attachment C), using the form entitled “Proposal Exceptions and/or Deviations” included in this RFP. This Proposal Exceptions and/or Deviations form must be included in the original proposal submitted by the Offeror. If no technical or contractual exceptions and/or deviations are submitted as part of the original proposal, Offerors are deemed to have accepted the Authority’s technical requirements and contractual terms and conditions set forth in the Scope of Work (Attachment A) and Proposed Agreement (Attachment C). Offerors will not be allowed to submit the Proposal Exceptions and/or Deviations form or any technical and/or contractual exceptions after the proposal submittal date identified in the RFP. Exceptions and/or deviations submitted after the proposal submittal date will not be reviewed by Authority.

  All exceptions and/or deviations will be reviewed by the Authority and will be assigned a “pass” or “fail” status. Exceptions and deviations that “pass” do not mean that the Authority has accepted the change but that it is a potential negotiable issue. Exceptions and deviations that receive a “fail” status means that the requested change is not something that the Authority would consider a potential negotiable issue. Offerors that receive a “fail” status on their exceptions and/or deviations will be notified by the Authority and will be allowed to retract the exception and/or deviation and continue in the evaluation process. Any exceptions and/or deviation that receive a “fail” status and the Offeror cannot or does not retract the requested change may result in the firm being eliminated from further evaluation.

• Exceptions or Deviations (required) —

  Do you have any exceptions and/or deviations from the requirements of this RFP?

• Exceptions or Deviations - Yes (required) —

  Offerors shall complete the form entitled “Proposal Exceptions and/or Deviations” provided in this RFP and submit it as part of the proposal. For each exception and/or deviation, a new form should be used, identifying the exception and/or deviation and the rationale for requesting the change. Exceptions and/or deviations submitted after the proposal submittal date will not be reviewed nor considered by the Authority.

• Cost and Price Proposal —

  As part of the cost and price proposal, the Offeror shall submit proposed pricing to provide the services described in the Scope of Work for this RFP.

• Price Summary Sheet (required) —

  The Offeror shall complete the "Price Summary Sheet" form included with this RFP (Attachment B), and furnish any narrative required to explain the prices quoted in the schedules. It is anticipated that the Authority will issue a firm-fixed-price contract specifying firm-fixed-prices for individual tasks.

• Price Summary Sheet (required) —

  The Offeror shall complete the "Price Summary Sheet" form included with this RFP (Attachment B), and furnish any narrative required to explain the prices quoted in the schedules. It is anticipated that the Authority will issue a time and expense-price contract specifying fully burdened labor rates and anticipated expenses to complete the Scope of Work.

• Forms
• Campaign Contribution Disclosure Form (required) —

  In conformance with the statutory requirements of the State of California Government Code Section 84308, part of the Political Reform Act and Title 2, California Code of Regulations 18438 through 18438.8, regarding campaign contributions to members of appointed Board of Directors, Offeror is required to complete and sign the Campaign Contribution Disclosure Form provided in this RFP and submit as part of the proposal.

  This form must be completed regardless of whether a campaign contribution has been made or not and regardless of the amount of the contribution.

  The prime contractor, subconsultants, lobbyists and agents are required to report all campaign contributions made from the proposal submittal date up to and until the Board of Directors makes a selection.

  Offeror is required to submit only one copy of the completed form(s) as part of its proposal and it must be included in only the original proposal.

  Offeror is required to report any campaign contributions made by the prime contractor, subconsultants, lobbyists and agents after the proposal submittal date, and up to the anticipated Board of Directors selection on N/A. The offeror shall use the campaign contribution form for any additional reporting. The forms must be submitted at least 15 calendar days prior to the Board Committee date on N/A and sent via e-mail to the Contract Administrator.

• Campaign Contribution Disclosure Form (required) —

  In conformance with the statutory requirements of the State of California Government Code Section 84308, part of the Political Reform Act and Title 2, California Code of Regulations 18438 through 18438.8, regarding campaign contributions to members of appointed Board of Directors, Offeror is required to complete and sign the Campaign Contribution Disclosure Form provided in this RFP and submit as part of the proposal.

  This form must be completed regardless of whether a campaign contribution has been made or not and regardless of the amount of the contribution.

  The prime contractor, subconsultants, lobbyists and agents are required to report all campaign contributions made from the proposal submittal date up to and until the Board of Directors makes a selection.

  Offeror is required to submit only one copy of the completed form(s) as part of its proposal and it must be included in only the original proposal.

  Offeror is required to report any campaign contributions made by the prime contractor, subconsultants, lobbyists and agents after the proposal submittal date, and up to the anticipated Board of Directors selection on N/A. The offeror shall use the campaign contribution form for any additional reporting. The forms must be submitted at least 15 calendar days prior to the Board Committee date on N/A and sent via e-mail to the Contract Administrator.

• Status of Past and Present Contracts Form (required) —

  Offeror shall complete and sign the form entitled “Status of Past and Present Contracts” provided in this RFP and submit as part of its proposal. Offeror shall identify the status of past and present contracts where the firm has either provided services as a prime vendor or a subcontractor during the past five (5) years in which the contract has been the subject of or may be involved in litigation with the contracting authority. This includes, but is not limited to, claims, settlement agreements, arbitrations, administrative proceedings, and investigations arising out of the contract.  Offeror shall have an ongoing obligation to update the Authority with any changes to the identified contracts and any new litigation, claims, settlement agreements, arbitrations, administrative proceedings, or investigations that arise subsequent to the submission of Offeror's proposal.

  A separate form must be completed for each identified contract. Each form must be signed by the Offeror confirming that the information provided is true and accurate. Offeror is required to submit the completed form(s) as part of its proposal.

• Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program and Forms (required) —

  In conformance with Title 49 CFR Part 26, “Participation by Disadvantaged Business Enterprises in Department of Transportation Financial Assistance Programs,” offerors must complete the following form:

  • • Bidders List
• Certification of Restrictions on Lobbying (required) —

  This form requires the Offeror to certify compliance with the lobbying requirements of 31 U.S.C. Section 1352 and the applicable regulations under 49 CFR part 19 and 20. (Required if the bid is equal or greater than $100,000). The offeror is required to submit the Certification of Restrictions on Lobbying Form” and “Disclosure of Lobbing Activities Form”, in order for the offeror’s proposal to be responsive and to be considered for evaluation.

• Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (required) —

  This form requires the Offeror to disclose lobbying activities pursuant to the requirements of 31 U.S.C. Section 1352. If Offeror does not have any reportable activities to disclose, they shall check the box entitled “No Reportable Activities” on the attached Standard Form-LLL “Disclosure of Lobbying Activities” and complete Section 16 of the form in order for the Offeror’s proposal to be responsive and to be considered for evaluation. The certifying official shall sign and date the form, print his/her name, title and telephone number.

• Submittal
• Appendices (required) —

  Information considered by Offeror to be pertinent to this project and which has not been specifically solicited in any of the aforementioned sections may be placed in a separate appendix section. Offerors are cautioned, however, that this does not constitute an invitation to submit large amounts of extraneous materials. Appendices should be relevant and brief.

• Submittal Confirmation (required) —

  Proposer hereby certifies that all information provided within this proposal is accurate to the best of their knowledge. Proposer acknowledges that they have examined and carefully studied all RFP and Contract Documents and any Addenda and that they have provided any necessary proof of their authority to submit a proposal on behalf of the Company/Firm Name stated on the proposal thereby committing the Company/Firm to the information contained within.

• RFP Type (required) —

  Select the type of RFP you wish to create.

• Board Approval (required) —

  Will Board approval be required?

• Brief Description (required) —

  Provide brief description of goods or services that will be provided. Include length of term/initial term and budget amount.

  NOTE: Your answer here will directly fill in the highlighted area below in the Notice of Request for Proposals:

  The Orange County Transportation Authority (Authority) invites proposals from qualified consultants to ______:

• Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Goal —

  What is the DBE participation Goal for this RFP?

  NOTE: Please state using both written and numeric value following the format below:
  
  EXAMPLE:
  nine percent (9%)

• Budget (LOSSAN) (required)
• Brief Description (LOSSAN) (required)
• Committee Approval (required) —

  If approval from a Committee is required for awarding this RFP. What is the name of the Committee?

  Note: Your answer will fill in the blank highlighted area below:

  At the conclusion of the evaluation process, the evaluation committee will recommend to the _____ Committee...

  Note: If no committee approval is needed you may answer "N/A"

• Committee Date (required) —

  If approval from a Board Committee is required for awarding this RFP. What is the Board Committee meeting date at which the contract award is expected to be considered?

  Note: Your answer will fill in the blank highlighted area below:

  The forms must be submitted at least 15 calendar days prior to the Board Committee date on _____ ..."

  Note: If no committee approval is needed you may answer "N/A"

• Board Date (required) —

  If approval from Board is required for awarding this RFP. What is the Board of Directors meeting date at which the contract award is expected to be considered?

  Note: Your answer will fill in the blank highlighted area below:

  Offeror is required to report any campaign contributions made by the prime contractor, subconsultants, lobbyists and agents after the proposal submittal date, and up to the anticipated Board of Directors selection on _____ ."

  Note: If no Board approval is needed you may answer "N/A"

• Prevailing Wage (required) —

  Is any part of this project/contract subject to prevailing wage requirements?

• Specify Contract Type (required) —

  For the contract resulting from this RFP, do you wish to use Firm-Fixed-Price or Time & Expense?

• Contract Duration (required) —

  What would you like to state as the duration of the agreement? This can be in months or years but you must use written and numeric value to state the duration as well as state the type of unit (days, weeks, months, or years) following the following shown below:

  EXAMPLE:
  a two (2)-year

  EXAMPLE:
  an eighteen (18)-month

  NOTE: DO NOT state in the plural (months, days, years, etc.) And be sure to state "a" or "an" as applicable.

• Pricing/Cost Format (required) —

  How do you wish to obtain pricing for proposals? If no pricing is desired for the proposals at all, you may select the applicable option.

• Cost Structure (required) —

  This may seem like a repeated question, but it affects a separate area of this RFP than the previous question does. Please be consistent with your previous answer for Contract Type.

  For cost/pricing information to be uploaded by the Proposer in response to this RFP, do you wish to use Firm-Fixed-Price or Time & Expense?

• Price Sheet Summary Attachment (required) —

  Specify the Attachment ID (letter) that the Price Sheet Summary is attached to this RFP as.

  Note: Just state the letter (A, B, C, etc.)

• Pre-Proposal Conference (required) —

  Will there be a Pre-Proposal Conference for this RFP?

• Pre-Proposal Conference Link (required) —

  What is the link to the virtual pre-proposal conference for this RFP?

• Pre-Proposal Conference Call-In Number (required) —

  What is the call-in number for the virtual pre-proposal conference for this RFP?

• Pre-Proposal Conference ID Number (required) —

  What is the Conference ID for the virtual pre-proposal conference for this RFP?

• Interview Date(s) (required) —

  On what date or range of dates are you anticipating interviews for this RFP to be conducted?

  If no interviews will be conducted you may respond to this question with "N/A" and update the appropriate sections of this RFP.

  NOTE: If you will not be conducting interviews, you will have to update the "Notice of Request to Proposers" and "Evaluation Procedure" sections of this RFP accordingly.

• Scope of Work (required) —

  Will you be attaching a Scope/Statement of Work to this RFP as a separate file from the main document?

  Or do you wish to create the scope of work within the RFP document?

• Scope of Work Attachment (required) —

  Specify the Attachment ID (letter) that the Scope/Statement of Work is attached to this RFP as.

  Note: Just state the letter (A, B, C, etc.)

• Sample Agreement Attachment (required) —

  Specify the Attachment ID (letter) that the Sample Agreement corresponding to the Proposed Agreement for this RFP.

  Note: Just state the letter (A, B, C, etc.)

Questions & Answers