Active SLED Opportunity · CALIFORNIA · SANTA BARBARA COUNTY ASSOCIATION OF GOVERNMENTS

    North County Transit Study

    Issued by Santa Barbara County Association Of Governments
    countyRFPSanta Barbara County Association Of GovernmentsSol. 270074
    Open · 14d remaining
    DAYS TO CLOSE
    14
    due Jul 8, 2026
    PUBLISHED
    Jun 3, 2026
    Posting date
    JURISDICTION
    Santa Barbara
    county
    NAICS CODE
    541690
    AI-classified industry

    AI Summary

    SBCAG requests proposals for a North County Transit Study to update transit plans, improve service delivery, and enhance regional transit coordination in northern Santa Barbara County. The study involves multiple local agencies and focuses on transit service evaluation, funding, and consolidation opportunities.

    Opportunity details

    Solicitation No.
    270074
    Type / RFx
    RFP
    Status
    open
    Level
    county
    Published Date
    June 3, 2026
    Due Date
    July 8, 2026
    NAICS Code
    541690AI guide
    Agency
    Santa Barbara County Association Of Governments

    Description

    The Santa Barbara County Association of Governments ("SBCAG") is seeking a qualified offeror to develop and deliver a transit study for northern Santa Barbara County (North County). SBCAG is undertaking the development of the Study, which will update the 2006 and 2016 North Santa Barbara County Transit Plans, in partnership with the Cities of Buellton, Guadalupe, Lompoc, Santa Maria, and Solvang, the County of Santa Barbara, and with input from community members and transit riders throughout the region. Additional partners include the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians and the Santa Maria Organization of Transportation Helpers (SMOOTH).

    SBCAG will administer the contract with the selected offeror. SBCAG will establish a Project Study Team to support coordination with the partners listed above (See Attachment C, Project Study Team Members). Similar to the prior plans, the Study will also be subject to review by SBCAG's Santa Barbara County Transit Advisory Committee (SBCTAC) (see Attachment D: Santa Barbara County Transit Advisory Committee Membership). The SBCAG Board, with input from SBCAG's North County Subregional Planning Committee, a subcommittee of the SBCAG Board members, will provide overall policy direction. Although SBCAG is taking a lead role in preparing the Study, it is important that support for the Study be developed and maintained among local agency stakeholders through the advisory and policy committee structure. 

    Background

    Purpose & Need For STUDY

    The purpose of the North Santa Barbara County Transit Study is to identify ways to improve transit service delivery in North Santa Barbara County. It will provide public agency staff and elected officials with information documenting the relationship between population growth, ridership demand, service needs (operational and capital), and funding. 

    The updated Study will research and review a range of options to improve transit collaboration and coordination in North County, enhance the rider experience, and achieve cost savings. The Study will also identify opportunities and make recommendations to enhance transit service, especially regional (between cities in North County) and interregional (to adjacent areas of South Santa Barbara County and southern San Luis Obispo County). 

    Transit is important as a means of reducing traffic and parking congestion and providing lifeline access to employment, education, health care, government and social services, shopping, and recreational opportunities. Local transit is also important to provide access to other regional, statewide, or national modes of transportation. The 2006 North Santa Barbara County Transit Plan made both short- and long-term service recommendations; some have been implemented, and others have not. 

    2016 Plan

    The 2026 Study will examine transit service within the context of federal, state, and local funding availability. Since 2006 and 2016, local funding has become more certain with the passage of Measure A, Santa Barbara County's Transportation Sales Tax Measure. The 2016 plan recommended consolidating North County transit providers and developing a long-term solution for Clean Air Express interregional service. Since then, Cuyama Transit and Guadalupe Transit have merged with Santa Maria Regional Transit, and SBCAG has taken over management of Clean Air Express service. The 2026 Study will evaluate existing services and determine additional opportunities for consolidation, funding, and operating needs.

    Geography Of The Study Area

    The Study area includes the Cities of Buellton, Guadalupe, Lompoc, Santa Maria, and Solvang, along with the unincorporated communities of Ballard, Casmalia, Cuyama, Garey, Los Alamos, Los Olivos, Mission Hills, New Cuyama, Orcutt, Santa Ynez, Sisquoc, and Vandenberg Village. Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB) is also located in North County. North County residents frequently travel within North County, to southern Santa Barbara County (South County), and to neighboring San Luis Obispo County.    

    See also Attachment A: Map of Santa Barbara County.   

    Existing Transit Services

    Transit services currently operating in North Santa Barbara County include the following:

    • Local services:
      • City of Lompoc Transit (COLT) provides local services in Lompoc, Mission Hills, and Vandenberg (Administered by the City of Lompoc)
      • Santa Maria Regional Transit (SMRT) provides local services in Santa Maria and Guadalupe (Administered by the City of Santa Maria)
      • Santa Ynez Valley Transit (SYVT) provides local services in Solvang, Buellton, and the surrounding unincorporated area (Administered by the City of Solvang)
    • Regional services:
      • Santa Maria Regional Transit Route 20, providing service from Santa Maria to Los Alamos, Solvang, and the Chumash Museum.
        • Currently, the City of Santa Maria administers this service.
      • Santa Maria Regional Transit Route 30, providing service from Santa Maria to Orcutt, Vandenberg Space Force Base, Vandenberg Village, and Lompoc
        • Currently, the City of Santa Maria administers this service.
      • Santa Maria Regional Transit Route 50, Cuyama Shuttle, providing service between Cuyama and Santa Maria
        • Currently, the City of Santa Maria administers this service
      • Santa Maria Regional Transit Route 40, Guadalupe Flyer, providing service between Guadalupe and Santa Maria
        • Currently, the City of Santa Maria administers this service.
      • Wine Country Express, providing service between Lompoc and the Santa Ynez Valley
        • Currently, the City of Lompoc administers this service. Costs are shared with the Cities of Buellton and Solvang and the County of Santa Barbara.
    • Interregional services:
      • Clean Air Express, providing service from Lompoc and Santa Maria to the South County.
        • The Santa Barbara County Association of Governments has administered this service.
      • COLT Santa Barbara Shuttle, providing service from Lompoc to Santa Barbara
        • The City of Lompoc administers this service.
      • Santa Maria Regional Transit Route SLO 210, providing service between the City of Santa Maria and San Luis Obispo
        •  The City of Santa Maria administers this Service.
      • San Luis Obispo Regional Transit Authority Route (SLORTA) 10, providing service between San Luis Obispo County and the City of Santa Maria
        • The San Luis Obispo Regional Transit Authority operates this service.
    • Consolidated Transportation Service Agency:
    • In addition, the Santa Maria Organization of Transportation Helpers (SMOOTH) is the designated Consolidated Transportation Service Agency (CTSA) for the Santa Maria Valley.

    Transit services in South County include the Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District, the VCTC Coastal Express and Clean Air Express.  In addition, Easy Lift is the designated CTSA for South County.

    There are also several specialized and private transportation services operating in Santa Barbara County, such as Amtrak, CalVans, Central Coast Shuttle Services, Chumash Casino Shuttle, Community Partners in Caring, Care Connections, Greyhound, Roadrunner Shuttle, and Santa Barbara Airbus.

    A table with more information about the aforementioned transit services is included in Attachment B: Transit Services in North Santa Barbara County.

    Project Details

    • Reference ID: 2026-RFP-034
    • Department: Programming
    • Department Head: Sarkes Khachek (Director of Programming)

    Important Dates

    • Questions Due: 2026-06-17T23:00:00.000Z
    • Answers Posted By: 2026-06-22T23:00:00.000Z

    Evaluation Criteria

    • Executive Summary (5 pts)

      This section should include the offeror’s overall understanding of the project. This section should also provide a brief summary of what is to be covered in the remaining sections of the proposal. The offeror shall briefly outline its qualifications for performing work, its management and technical approaches for the project, and similar project experience. Within this section, the offeror shall also identify all subcontractors and the services subcontractors will provide.

      The proposal shall be signed by an individual authorized to bind the offer of said proposal. The proposal shall be a firm offer for a minimum of 90 days, and shall contain a statement to that effect.

    • Technical Approach (20 pts)

      The offeror shall outline its technical approach for the implementation of the project, including the public process. The content of the technical approach shall include, but is not limited to:

      1. A description of the methodology to be used in providing deliverables.

      2. A brief discussion of each of the tasks in the scope of services to complete the project. Sub-tasks should be added as necessary to clearly define the Scope of Services.

      3. A list of deliverables associated with the tasks defined in the Scope of Services.

      4. An assessment of supplemental data collection or other items and/or resources that will be required from SBCAG and our partner jurisdictions, as well as any non-governmental entities.

      5. A discussion of unusual aspects that may be encountered during the development of the project.

      A discussion of supplemental tasks that may be deemed necessary to enhance the services provided, reduce cost or speed delivery of the project, if necessary.

    • Management Approach (20 pts)

      The offeror shall include brief résumé summaries of each of the key project personnel. Résumé summaries should focus on relevant experience and qualifications. The offeror shall also identify and describe a management approach, which shall include, but is not limited to:

      • A narrative Management Plan, which describes how the offeror’s team will be organized and managed to ensure that the required work is of high quality and completed within the schedule and budget.

      • Project Delivery Schedule, which describes the work to be performed to complete the assessment. The schedule shall contain sufficient activities and milestones to adequately describe the services required to complete the statement of work. The schedule should be in a bar chart format and should address the elements of the timeline.
    • Experience of Offeror and Personnel (40 pts)

      The offeror shall provide a brief description of relevant similar experience by members of the project team.  Experience shall be within the last three (3) years. The following information should be included in a table.

      1. Provide a brief description of offeror’s involvement in similar project efforts.  Include technical analysis experience on those projects as well as the following information for reference purposes:
        1. Members of offeror team (by name)
        2. Project description and services provided
        3. Total project cost
        4. Total cost of services provided
        5. Project start date and completion dates
        6. Budget and schedule performance
        7. Subcontractors involved
        8. Name, telephone number, and address of the offeror’s contact person
      2. Provide a matrix that shows proposed team members (specific individuals by name) and the projects they will work on.

      3. List all contracts terminated (partially or completely) by clients for convenience or default within the past three years.  Include contract value, description of work, sponsoring agency, contract number, name of contracting entity, and reason for termination. 
    • Cost Estimate (15 pts)

      The offeror shall provide an estimate of the resources required to complete the project scope of services. The cost estimate should be in spreadsheet format and at a minimum include billing rates, total hours by task, name or classification, in addition to a total for the entire project. The cost proposal shall be fully inclusive of all services required to complete the scope of services, and shall include the offeror’s overhead rate, profit percent, and an itemized list for direct costs. Costs must be shown in a matrix format, by task, and show hours and base labor rates per staff member. Also, estimate offeror printing and other production costs for technical memoranda, drafts, and final reports. The proposal should contain a statement that all work will be performed at a not-to-exceed price.

    Submission Requirements

    • Proposal Requirements (required)

      Did you read through and confirm that you meet all of the proposal requirements? 

    • Agreement Example Review (required)

      Did you read the Agreement Example in Attachments

    • Edits to SBCAG Agreement (required)

      After reviewing the SBCAG standard agreement in Attachments, did you include any desired edits to the agreement within your proposal?

    • Proposal (without Cost Proposal) (required)

      Please upload your COMPLETE proposal here. Upload the Cost Proposal in the next step.

    • Separate Cost Proposal (required)

      Confirm that your Cost Proposal is not attached in your Proposal, and is attached separately here.

    • Will this project be funded by Measure A? (required)
    • Expectation of Execution of Contract (required)

      Execution of the contract is expected no later than:

      Example: February 18, 2021.

    Key dates

    1. June 3, 2026Published
    2. July 8, 2026Responses Due

    AI classification tags

    Frequently asked questions

    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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