Geotechnical & Materials Testing Services – A-E Task Order Contract

The County of Orange (County), consisting of 22 agencies and departments (and its respective divisions), and the Orange County Flood Control District (District) deliver a broad range of services to the residents of Orange County. Services provided include public protection, public health, infrastructure maintenance, and community and social services. As the District relies on County staff to carry out its duties, the District will also be included as a party to any contract(s) resulting from this solicitation. It is the primary responsibility of the County’s public works department (OC Public Works) to enrich the community through efficient delivery and maintenance of public works infrastructure, planning, capital improvement and development services.

OC Public Works intends to pre-qualify firms to provide services for Architect-Engineer (A-E) and A-E related County-wide and District-wide services for their various maintenance and capital projects. To satisfy this need, this Request for Qualifications (RFQ) process will enable the County to establish Qualified Vendor Lists (QVL) for A-E disciplines to provide those services. The QVL for is typically renewed at least once every three years to give additional firms the opportunity to give additional firms an opportunity to participate.

The County reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to make multiple awards to respondents for services requested in this solicitation.

Background

The A-E will be contacted by County or District Project Management staff on an “as-needed” basis as projects arise to provide A-E for professional services. Requirements will be discussed by both Parties and A-E shall prepare a written Scope Statement that will include the specific work to be performed, including the costs and time required to complete the project/task. County or District Project Management staff will then review the A-E’s Scope Statement, proceed with negotiation of task costs and when satisfied, issue a Contract Task Order (CTO) against this Contract.

The A-E shall serve as lead of a design team that may include other construction design professionals working together to ensure that the original design is carried through to the finished product, with no alterations in materials or design that would lead to safety issues or compromise the quality of the public works facilities. Other team members who may be retained by the lead to support a project as a consultant may include but are not limited to landscape architects, lighting designers, data consultants, security consultants, controls engineers, commissioning consultants, traffic engineers, surveyors, estimators, special inspection, civil engineers, structural engineers, geotechnical engineers, etc.

Project Details

• Reference ID: 080-3026003-RE
• Department: County of Orange
• Department Head: Kevin Onuma (Director)

Important Dates

• Questions Due: 2026-04-14T21:00:00.000Z

Addenda

• Addendum #1 (released 2026-03-31T22:54:18.090Z) —

  Please use the See What Changed link to view all the changes made by this addendum.

• Addendum #2 (released 2026-03-31T23:03:40.911Z) —

  Please use the See What Changed link to view all the changes made by this addendum.

• Addendum #3 (released 2026-04-01T22:59:57.040Z) —

  Added and revised 3.7 and 3.8 

   

  Please use the See What Changed link to view all the changes made by this addendum.

• Addendum #4 (released 2026-04-04T17:45:43.454Z) —

  Please use the See What Changed link to view all the changes made by this addendum.

• Addendum #5 (released 2026-04-06T18:43:42.264Z) —

  Please use the See What Changed link to view all the changes made by this addendum.

• Addendum #6 (released 2026-04-07T21:46:13.706Z) —

  Please use the See What Changed link to view all the changes made by this addendum.

• Addendum #7 (released 2026-04-07T21:48:12.567Z) —

  Please use the See What Changed link to view all the changes made by this addendum.

• Addendum #8 (released 2026-04-17T19:10:36.795Z) —

  Please use the See What Changed link to view all the changes made by this addendum.   updated Email Address Robert.Esparza@pw.oc.gov 

Evaluation Criteria

• Qualification and Related Experience/Technical Expertise (400 pts)
• Key Personnel/Proposed Staffing (175 pts)
• Availability to Perform Services (250 pts)
• SOQ Organization/Completeness of Response (150 pts)
• Degree of Compliance with the County Model Contract (25 pts)

Submission Requirements

• Compliance Statements (PART 1) —

  Some *required questions might not be applicable to your company. Do not leave any required fields blank. Please indicate "N/A" when necessary. A required field that is left blank will prohibit your response from being submitted.

  *indicates that it is required.

• Cover Letter/Executive Summary (required) —

  All SOQs must be accompanied by a cover letter of introduction and executive summary of the SOQ. The cover letter must be signed by person(s) with authority to bind the Respondent. If the Respondent is a corporation, two (2) signatures are required: one (1) signature by the Chairman of the Board, the President or any Vice President; and one (1) signature by the Secretary, any Assistant Secretary, the Chief Financial Officer or any Assistant Treasurer. The signature of one person alone is sufficient to bind a corporation, as long as he or she holds corporate offices in each of the two categories described above. For County purposes, proof of such dual office holding will be satisfied by having the individual sign the instrument twice, each time indicating his or her office that qualifies under the above described provision. In the alternative, a single corporate signature is acceptable when accompanied by a corporate resolution demonstrating the legal authority of the signatory to bind the corporation. An unsigned or improperly signed SOQ submission is grounds for rejection of the SOQ and disqualification from further participation in this RFQ process. All SOQs shall include in this first section, the Cover Page of this RFQ and any subsequent addenda issued to this RFQ with appropriate signatures as required.

• Validity of SOQ (required) —

  The County requires that all SOQs be valid for at least three hundred sixty-five (365) calendar days. Submissions not valid for at least three hundred sixty-five (365) days will be considered non-responsive. The Respondent shall state the length of time for which the submitted SOQ shall remain valid below:

  Please state 365 calendar Days if your SOQ will be valid for that period of time. If your SOQ will be valid for a different period of time please list the appropriate number of calendar days. 

• Certification of Understanding (required) —

  The County assumes no responsibility for any understanding or representation made by any of its officers, employees or agents during or prior to the execution of any Contract resulting from this solicitation unless: 

  1. Such understanding or representations are expressly stated in the Contract; and 

  2. The Contract expressly provides that the County therefore assumes the responsibility. 

  Representations made but not expressly stated and for which liability is not expressly assumed by the County in the Contract shall be deemed only for the information of the Respondent. 

  Respondent certifies that such understanding has been considered in this response.

• Essential Requirements for Qualifications Statement (required) —

  Respondent shall certify that it meets all minimum qualifications and requirements set forth above in this solicitation.

• Certificate of Insurance (required) —

  The Respondent shall certify its willingness and ability to provide the required insurance coverage and certificates as set forth in the Model Contract.

• W-9/W-8 Requirements (required) —

  The Respondent shall certify its willingness and ability to provide the required W-9/W-8 Requirements as indicated herein.

• Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service Form W-9 Requirements —

  Effective June 3, 2006, all Respondents, entering into a Contract with County, who are not already established in Countywide Accounting and Personnel System (CAPS) as an Auditor-Controller vendor, will be required to submit to County a federal Form W-9, or form W-8 for foreign vendors.  County will inform Respondents, at the time of award, if the Form W-9 or W-8 will be required.

  In order to comply with this County requirement, within ten (10) days of notification of selection of award of Contract but prior to official award of Contract, the selected Respondents agrees to furnish to Contract administrator, DPA, or the agency/department deputy purchasing agent the required W-9 or W-8.

  You may upload the appropriate form here or comply within the ten (10) days as described above. 

• Conflict of Interest (required) —

  Respondent must certify and select option 1 or 2 below: 

  1. Respondent certifies current/past financial, business or other relationship(s) with the County exist/existed as follows: 

  1. Disclose any financial, business or other relationship with the County, any other entity that the County Board of Supervisors governs, or any County Board member, officer or employee, which may have an impact, affect or influence on the outcome of the services you propose to provide. Provide a list of current clients, employees, principals or shareholders (including family members) who may have a financial interest in the outcome of services you propose to provide. 

  2. Disclose any financial, business or other relationship within the last three (3) years with any firm or member of any firm who may have a financial interest in the outcome of the work.

  2. Respondent certifies that no relationships exist/existed as outlined in item 1 above. 

• Statement of Compliance (required) —

  A statement of compliance with all parts of this RFQ or a listing of exceptions and suggested changes must be submitted in response to this RFQ. Respondent must certify either Yes OR No:

  • Yes: This response is in strict compliance with said Request for Qualifications, including the terms and conditions set forth in the Contract and its Attachments, and no exceptions thereto are proposed. 
  • No: This response is in strict compliance with said Request for Qualifications, including the terms and conditions set forth in the Contract and its Attachments, except for those proposed exceptions listed in a separate attachment hereto.
• Attachment for each proposed exception must include: (required) —
  1. The RFQ page number and section of the provision Respondent is taking exception to; 
  2. The complete provision Respondent is taking exception to;
  3. The Respondent’s suggested rewording;
  4. Reason(s) for submitting the proposed exception; and
  5. Any impact the proposed exception may have on cost, scheduling, or other areas.
• Non-Collusion Declaration - A (required) —

  Has your firm ever initiated discussions with competing consulting firms about the payment structure of an existing or potential future contract with the County of Orange?

  The County of Orange may require that the Respondent, before awarding any subcontract, secure Non-Collusion Declarations from proposed Subcontractors. The County of Orange does not conduct business with Respondents who engage in the act of Collusion. A “Yes” answer may preclude you from moving forward in the RFQ Process.

• Reason for Collusion: (required)
• Non-Collusion Declaration - B (required) —

  If not, has your firm participated in any discussions with competing firms in an effort to influence the payment structure for existing or potential County contracts? Respondent must select one (1). A “Yes” answer may preclude you from moving forward in the RFQ Process.

• Provide names of competing firms: (required)
• Litigation against County of Orange in the past seven (7) years (required) —

  Respondent must certify either Yes or No:

  1. (Yes) Respondent certifies current/past litigation as follows:

     1. Respondent shall provide detailed information regarding litigation (court and case number), liens, or claims involving Respondent, or any company that holds a controlling interest in Respondent, against County of Orange in the past seven (7) years.

  2. (No) Respondent certifies that Respondent or any proposed subcontractors do not have any past or current litigation described above. 
• Respondent shall provide detailed information regarding litigation (court and case number), liens, or claims involving any proposed subcontractors, or any company that holds a controlling interest in subcontractor firm(s), against County of Orange in the past seven (7) years. (required)
• Name/Ownership Changes (required) —

  Respondent must certify either Yes or No below:

  1. (Yes) Respondent certifies past company name changes and/or ownership changes, for Respondent’s firm and any proposed subcontractor firm, as follows:

     1. Respondent shall provide detailed information regarding any company name changes (including legal business names) in the past seven (7) years.

  2. (No) Respondent certifies that Respondent or any proposed subcontractors have not had any company name change or ownership changes in the past seven (7) years.

• Respondent shall provide detailed information regarding any company ownership changes (including legal business names) in the past seven (7) years.  (required)
• Campaign Contribution Disclosure Information (required) —

  The Levine Act compliance is a minimum submittal requirement of this solicitation. A Respondent’s failure to review the attachment “Campaign Contribution Disclosure Information” and provide a completed and signed copy of the attachment will render its Proposal submittal incomplete and nonresponsive. 

  Please complete and sign attachment “County of Orange Campaign Contribution Disclosure Form” attached hereto.

• Statement of Economic Interest (Form 700) (required) —

  If subject to the Act, Respondent shall conform to all requirements of the Act. Failure to do so shall constitute a material breach and is grounds for immediate termination of the Contract by County. Respondent shall indemnify and hold harmless County for any and all claims for damages resulting from Respondent’s violation of this Section. 

• Contractor Safety (required) —

  Respondents shall comply with County’s Safety and Loss Prevention Policy and Procedure #306 (“Contractor  Safety Responsibilities”) and submit a copy of its Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP) and  Contractor Safety-Activity Checklist to the designated County Procurement staff as part of the solicitation  and/or contract process. Respondents will notify County Project Manager of any revisions to the Safety-Activity Checklist and will provide a new Safety-Activity Checklist upon County request. The IIPP shall  comply with California Code of Regulations, Title 8, Section 1509 or 3203 (whichever applies). Respondents shall submit other safety programs that pertain to the type of job that will be performed on site. County  reserves the right to conduct inspections and audits as necessary for the purpose of evaluating any aspect  of safety performance under this Contract.

• Safety Data Sheets (SDS) (required) —

  Respondents is required to provide a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) compliant with California Code of Regulations, Title 8, Section 5194, for each hazardous substance that is provided, used or created as part of the goods or  services provided by Respondents to County. The SDS for each substance must be sent to either the County  Project Manager, as specified in the “Notices” provision of this Contract, or to the place of shipment or  provision of goods/services.

• I HAVE READ, UNDERSTOOD AND AGREE TO ALL STATEMENTS IN THIS REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS, AND TO THE TERMS, CONDITIONS AND ATTACHMENTS REFERENCED HEREIN. (required)
• Company Profile & References (PART 2) —

  Some *required questions might not be applicable to your company. Do not leave any required fields blank. Please indicate "N/A" when necessary. A required field that is left blank will prohibit your response from being submitted.

  *indicates that it is required.

• Company Legal Name: (required)
• Company Legal Status (corporation, partnership, etc.): (required)
• Active licenses issued by the California State Contractor’s License Board: (required) —

  Enter License Number

• DIR Registration No: (required)
• Corporate Office Address: (required)
• Local Business Address: (required) —

  (If more than one, include all)

• Telephone Number: (required)
• Fax Number: (required)
• Email Address: (required)
• Length of time Respondent has been in business: (required)
• Length of time at current location: (required)
• Is your firm a sole proprietorship doing business under a different name?: (required)
• If yes, please indicate sole proprietor’s name and the name you are doing business under: (required)
• Is Respondent incorporated?: (required)
• If yes, State of Incorporation: (required)
• Contract Signature Authority - Executive Signature (required) —

  If incorporated, please provide the name, contact number, and email of the person who would provide this signature authority.  The Executive Signer Authority comes from the President, Vice-President, or Chairperson of the Board.

  • Contact Full Name:
  • Contact Number:
  • E-mail Address:
• Contract Signature Authority - Financial Signature (required) —

  If incorporated, please provide the name, contact number, and email of the person who would provide this signature authority.  The Financial Signer Authority comes from the Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Chief Financial Officer, or Treasurer.

  • Contact Full Name:
  • Contact Number:
  • E-mail Address:
• Contract Signature Authority (required) —

  If not incorporated, please provide the name, contact number, and email of the person who has the binding and signature authority of this contract.

  • Contact Full Name:
  • Contact Title:
  • Contact Number:
  • E-mail Address:
• Unique Entity Identifier Number (UEI) (required) —

  The County requires a valid UEI number with active registration status.  Your company may obtain one at no cost at https://sam.gov/entity-registration. 

• Federal Taxpayer ID Number: (required)
• D-U-N-S Number (required) —

  Please provide your company's DUNS number. 

  The County requires a valid D-U-N-S number prior to Contract Award. If needed, your company may obtain one at no cost at www.dnb.com.  If you are unable to provide/obtain a D-U-N-S number, please indicate so in lieu of the number. 

• Regular business hours: (required)
• Regular holidays and hours when business is closed: (required)
• Contact person in reference to this RFQ: (required) —

  Please include the following information in this response:

  1. Contact Person Full Name:
  2. Telephone Number:
  3. Fax Number:
  4. Email Address:
  5. Mobile Number:
• Contact person for Accounts Payable: (required) —

  Please include the following information in this response:

  1. Contact Person Full Name:
  2. Telephone Number:
  3. Fax Number:
  4. Email Address:
  5. Mobile Number:
• Name of Project Manager: (required) —

  Please include the following information in this response:

  1. Contact Person Full Name:
  2. Telephone Number:
  3. Fax Number:
  4. Email Address:
  5. Mobile Number:
• In the event of an emergency or declared disaster, the following information is required: (required) —

  Please include the following information in your response:

  1. Name of contact during non-business hours:
  2. Telephone Number:
  3. Fax Number:
  4. Email Address:
  5. Mobile Number:
• Minimum Requirements/Requirements (required) —

  To be eligible to respond to this solicitation, the Respondent must demonstrate sufficient capacity, resources, and experience to provide the professional services in their discipline, as required by the County. SOQ should meet the following minimum requirements and qualifications to proceed to the evaluation and scoring process. Any Respondent that fails to meet all of the minimum qualifications/requirements may be noted as “non-responsive” and their proposal statement will not be evaluated. (If answer any question below is “No” or “N/A, please provide reason.

• Licensing and/or Registration: (required) —

  Professionals shall maintain all necessary licensing or registration required by the State of California to provide services in the State of California and/or qualified in the specific field. (Note: Some A-E disciplines may not require license and/or registration.) If No (or N/A), Select No.

• If your answer above was No or N/A, provide reason: (required)
• Minimum Years of Experience (required) —

  Minimum of ten (10) years of experience for discipline which Respondent is submitting a SOQ. If No, provide reason for submitting proposal a statement with less than required minimum years of experience.

• If No, provide reason for submitting proposal a statement with less than required minimum years of experience. (required)
• Reference Submission Acknowledgement (required) —

  By selecting “Confirm” the Respondent certifies that it has provided the required number of references in accordance with Section 2.27 and has instructed each reference contact to complete and submit the Reference Questionnaire Template directly to OC Public Works Procurement by the RFP Submittal Closing deadline.

  The Respondent further acknowledges that it is solely responsible for ensuring that all reference responses are received by OC Public Works Procurement by the deadline.

  Failure of reference contacts to submit completed reference questionnaires as required may result in the proposal being deemed non-responsive

• Reference —

  Respondent must demonstrate successful prior performance of comparable services in the public sector and provide a minimum of five (5) references. At least three (3) references must be from public sector entities comparable in size and scope to the County of Orange for which similar services have been performed within the past five (5) years.

  References shall not be from County of Orange departments, and no more than one (1) reference may be provided per entity.

  Each reference contact must complete the attached Reference Questionnaire Template and submit it directly to OC Public Works Procurement assigned Buyer Robert Esparza via email Robert.Esparza@pw.oc.gov robert.esparza@ocpw.ocgov.comby the RFQ Submittal Closing deadline.

  Reference responses must be transmitted from an official email account of the entity providing the reference (e.g., company or agency domain email address). Submissions from personal email accounts (e.g., Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) will not be accepted.

  Reference questionnaires must address all required questions in full using the attached template.

  It is the Respondent’s sole responsibility to ensure that all required reference responses are received by OC Public Works Procurement by the deadline.

  Failure to receive the required number of completed reference questionnaires, submitted in accordance with these requirements, by the deadline will result in the proposal being deemed non-responsive. 

• Specific Minimum Requirements (required) —

  Specific Minimum Requirements, if any, as listed in the Introduction and Instructions to Respondents section, "Evaluation Process and Criteria” paragraph. If No, provide reason. 

• If No, provide reason.  (required)
• Insurance Requirements (required) —

  Insurance Requirements, prior to entering into a contract with the County, Respondent must provide insurance requirements as required by the County. Affirm ability to provide appropriate insurance in adequate amounts as listed in the Model Contract, "Insurance” paragraphs. If No, provide reason. 

• If No, provide reason.  (required)
• Non-Collusion Affidavit (required) —

  Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• Campaign Contribution Disclosure Form (required) —

  Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• Minimum Qualifications/Requirements: (required) —

  Minimum Qualifications/Requirements:

  Respondent’s SOQ shall meet the following minimum requirements and qualifications to proceed to the evaluation and scoring process:

  Respondent  must possess the following credentials and certifications listed below:

  1. The Respondent must have the ability to do business in Orange County, California;
  2. The Respondent will have conducted business in California for a minimum of three (3) years;
  3. The Respondent must have conducted similar work as is being requested in this SOQ in Southern California;
  4. The Respondent must possess a valid Professional Engineer (PE) License and a Geotechnical Engineer (GE) License for the services they offer in the state of California.

   

• Respondent's SOQ (PART 3) —

  This section shall not exceed the 25 single-sided pages Page limit. No Exceptions.

  Note: Responses that exceed the page limit noted above will be disqualified from further consideration.

• Qualifications and Related Experience/Technical Expertise (required) —

  This section of the SOQ will establish the ability of Respondent to satisfactorily perform the required work by reasons of experience in performing services of a similar nature, demonstrated competence in the services to be provided, strength and stability of the team, staffing capability, work load, record of meeting schedules on similar projects, and supportive client reference. As part of its response to the following, Respondent should justify how the minimum qualifications/requirements of Scope of Services for particular Discipline have been satisfied. 

  1. Respondent shall provide:
     1. A brief profile of your firm, including the name, a brief history, description of your firm, types of services offered; 
        1. The year founded; 
        2. Form of the organization (corporation, partnership, sole proprietorship)
        3. Number of employees
        4. Size and location of offices
        5. Staff and technical capabilities and the type of services that the Respondent is qualified to perform, including any discipline where the Respondent has special expertise. 
        6. Describe the Respondent’s experience in performing work of a similar nature to that solicited in this RFQ. 
        7. Describe Respondent’s availability to perform requested services on County projects. Include experience with other governmental agencies in California.
  2. Limit each project example to one (1) page. Describe at least three (3) project examples completed in Southern California that demonstrate the Respondent’s qualifications and experience which best illustrate proposed firm’s qualifications for the services noted in the Scope of Work section. If the discipline includes sub-discipline(s), include projects examples that demonstrate qualifications and experience for each sub-discipline. Examples may include, but are not limited to the following: 
     1. Firms/Key Personnel from involved with this example project. 
     2. Scope, size, cost, principal elements and special features of the project. 
     3. Relevance of the example project to Services.
• Key Personnel/ Proposed Staffing (required) —

  Respondent shall use County form provided, otherwise all other pages used for this section will be counted against Respondent’s page limit.

   

  Note: The aggregate money value of the sub-contractors work for any A-E Contract with the County should not constitute more than forty-nine percent (49%) of the total work under the A-E Contract.

• Availability to Perform Services (required) —

  This section of the SOQ should demonstrate availability of experienced personnel/resources of the firm’s ability to perform both current and anticipated Services to the County. 

  This section should include such items as: statement of commitment of ability/availability to perform Services to the County, proposed methods of approaching/completing Services, identification/ acknowledgement of adequate staff, resource allocations, and other solutions by the Respondent to provide/accomplish Services to the County as described in the Scope of Work section.

• SOQ Organization/Completeness of Response (required)
• Degree of Compliance with the County Model contract (required) —

  Respondents submitting exceptions to the County Model Contract of this RFQ, will receive a score of “0” for these criteria. 

• Additional Information (required) —

  Any additional information Respondent would like to add related to contract service.

• Classification and Rates Acknowledgment (Yes/No – Required)* (required) —

  Respondent acknowledges that all proposed classification rates are fully burdened, represent the maximum allowable rates for the duration of the contract, and will be used for negotiation purposes only. Respondent further acknowledges that rates are not subject to evaluation or scoring under this RFQ.

  Validation Rule:

  • Must select “Yes” to proceed
• Classification and Rates Acknowledgment (required) —

  Respondent acknowledges that cost or pricing information, including labor classifications and fully burdened hourly rates, is not to be submitted as part of this Statement of Qualifications (SOQ).

  Respondent further agrees that, upon written request by the County, it shall provide a complete schedule of proposed labor classifications and corresponding fully burdened hourly rates within ten (10) business days.

  Such information will be used solely for purposes of subsequent negotiations with the highest-ranked firm, consistent with qualifications-based selection requirements.

• Upon recommendation of contract award, Respondent will be required to submit the following documents within ten (10) days of County notification, unless otherwise specified in the RFQ: (required) —
  1. Insurance Certificate(s) of Insurance including additional Insured Endorsement(s) (see Model Contract). 
  2. W-9 Current signed form W-9 (Taxpayer Identification Number & Certification) which includes Respondent’s legal business name(s). 
  3. Signed Contract – Selected Respondent will be required to sign a contract upon award. If awarded Respondent is a corporation, signature will be provided in accordance with the corporation’s code as specified in this solicitation.
• Will QVL be included in this project? (required)
• Does this solicitation require any of these? (required)
• Vendor Pricing (required) —

  How do you want to receive pricing from vendors for this project?

• Minimum Years of Experience (required) —

  Change the number of years as necessary, but use the same format as shown below.

• Page Limit for Part 3, Respondents SOQ (required)
• Is this a Construction project over $5 Million (required)
• Staffing Plan? (required) —

  Do you want vendors to submit a staffing plan for this project?

Questions & Answers