Active SLED Opportunity · CALIFORNIA · SANTA CRUZ COUNTY
AI Summary
Santa Cruz County seeks qualified consulting firms for on-call solid waste engineering services including landfill development, environmental compliance monitoring, and geotechnical engineering. Contracts are for one year with possible extensions. Proposals due April 29, 2026.
The County of Santa Cruz invites sealed proposals for solid waste consultant engineering services from fully licensed, insured, bonded, certified contractors to furnish all labor, tools, equipment, and incidentals required to provide the aforementioned engineering services for the County of Santa Cruz, Department of Community Development and Infrastructure, Public Works, Recycling and Solid Waste Services Section. The County may select up to four (4) consultant firms from this RFQ process for on-call contracts.
The response to this solicitation will be in the form of a Statement of Qualifications.
The performance period of the contract is one year with the possibility of three (3) one-year extensions for consultants performing satisfactorily, or through project completion.
The structural integrity of the County of Santa Cruz (County) disposal site facilities and infrastructure is essential to the safe handling of solid waste (refuse and recyclable materials). Capital improvement projects are required to safeguard and expand the County's facilities. These projects often require environmental engineering services on an "on-call" or "as-needed" basis. The County also owns two municipal solid waste landfills that require ongoing environmental compliance monitoring and reporting for ground, surface and storm water, structural integrity and closure maintenance. The County may also require geotechnical engineering services for its other facilities and infrastructure.
Vendors shall create a FREE account with OpenGov Procurement. To get started go to https://procurement.opengov.com/signup and sign up for an account. You’ll receive an email to activate your account. Then subscribe to our bids by navigating to https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/santacruzcounty and clicking the green subscribe button. For more information about how to register, please see our the help file at https://help.procurement.opengov.com/en/articles/2482165-vendor-registration. Any questions concerning the RFQ process, required submittals, evaluation criteria, bid schedule, and selection process should be sent through the online e-Procurement Portal at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/santacruzcounty
It shall be the Consultant’s responsibility to check the OpenGov Procurement website to obtain any addenda that may be issued.
The Santa Cruz County Department of Community Development and Infrastructure (County) is seeking qualified consulting firms (Consultants) to provide solid waste consultant engineering services for solid waste engineering projects. The response to this solicitation will be in the form of a Statement of Qualifications.
The performance period of the contract is one year with the possibility of three (3) one-year extensions for consultants performing satisfactorily.
All qualified Consultants interested in providing these services are invited to submit their Statement of Qualifications (SOQs). The Consultant’s SOQs will be evaluated by County staff.
The Consultant's attention is directed to Section 2: Instructions to Respondents of the attached Request for Qualifications (RFQ) RSW2026-2 Solid Waste Consultant Engineering Services.
Submit three (3) hard copies (an original and two (2) copies) and one (1) electronic copy in PDF format on a USB Flash drive of the Consultant’s SOQs. Each response shall be submitted in a ½” 3-ring binder using uncoated white paper. The maximum number of pages in the 3-ring binder shall not exceed 20 double-sided sheets (excluding resumes and separate fee schedule). The hard copies and USB Flash drive shall be received by mail or submitted to the County prior to 5:00 PM Pacific Time, April 29, 2026.
SOQs shall be submitted in a sealed package clearly marked RSW2026-2 Solid Waste Consultant Engineering Services and addressed as follows:
County of Santa Cruz
Department of Community Development
and Infrastructure
701 Ocean Street, Room 410
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Attn: Recycling and Solid Waste Services Manager
PURPOSE OF WORK
The structural integrity of the County disposal site facilities and infrastructure is essential to the safe handling of solid waste (refuse and recyclable materials). Capital improvement projects are required to safeguard, expand and increase operational efficiency of the County's facilities. These projects often require environmental engineering services on an "on-call" or "as-needed" basis. The County owns two municipal solid waste landfills that require ongoing environmental compliance monitoring, analysis and reporting for ground, surface and storm water, structural integrity and closure maintenance which need engineering consultant services. The County also requires an environmental engineering consultant for a ground water monitoring and reporting program at one of its public works corporate yards and may also require geotechnical services for its other facilities and infrastructure.
LOCATION OF WORK
Projects will be at the County's disposal sites and corporate yard listed below but may include other County infrastructure located within the unincorporated area of Santa Cruz County.
REQUIRED SERVICES
The County seeks to award a contract for engineering support services for ongoing environmental monitoring and reporting programs for the facilities listed above and establish an on-call list of solid waste engineering consultants qualified in each discipline:
1. Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) landfill development, closure and post closure design and maintenance
2. Geotechnical and civil engineering services
3. Solid waste facility design and construction quality assurance and quality control services
Additional details on ongoing and potential County projects are included in Section 3: Summary of Work in the attached RFQ RSW2026-2 Solid Waste Consultant Engineering Services.
Consultants on the on-call list may be awarded individual project contracts. The County would determine consultant deemed best suited for projects requiring their expertise at the County's facilities.
Any questions related to this RFQ shall be sent through the online e-Procurement Portal at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/santacruzcounty DO NOT Email inquiries.
Questions shall be submitted before 5:00 PM on April 21, 2026.
The Consultant’s attention is directed to Section 2: Instructions to Respondents of the attached RFQ for submittal requirements.
The Consultant shall include their fee schedule with the response. The fee schedule shall include billing rates for staff at the various levels which may perform work on the County's projects as well as direct and indirect costs. Billing rates for sub-consultants shall also be included, with markups if applicable.
The Consultant’s attention is directed to Section 2.11: RFQ Response Evaluation Criteria, of the attached RFQ
Did you read through and confirm that you met all of the proposal requirements as described in Project Details?
It shall be the Consultant's responsibility to check the OpenGov Procurement website to obtain any addenda that may be issued.
The Consultant's attention is directed to Section2: Instructions to Respondents in the attached RFQ RSW2026-2.
Submit three (3) hard copies (an original and two (2) copies) and one (1) electronic copy in PDF format on a USB Flash drive of the Consultant’s SOQs. Each response shall be submitted in a ½” 3-ring binder using uncoated white paper. The maximum number of pages in the 3-ring binder shall not exceed twenty (20) double-sided sheets (excluding resumes and separate fee schedule). The hard copies and USB Flash drive shall be received by mail or submitted to the County prior to 2:00 PM, April 29, 2026. SOQs shall be submitted in a sealed package clearly marked RSW2026-2 and addressed as follows:
County of Santa Cruz
Department of Community Development
and Infrastructure
701 Ocean Street, Room 410
Santa Cruz, CA, 95060
Attn: Recycling and Solid Waste Services Manager
Q (Exhibit G: Language Revision ): We have a few comments/revisions to some of the language in Exhibit G - Standard Services Contract. Would the County accept or discuss with us the edits proposed below? Exhibit G: Section 5 INDEMNIFICATION FOR DAMAGES, TAXES AND CONTRIBUTIONS. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, CONTRACTOR shall exonerate (remove exonerate), indemnify, defend (remove defend), and hold harmless COUNTY (which for the purpose of Paragraphs 5 and 6 shall include, without limitation, its officers, officials, agents, employees and volunteers) from and against: Section 5.A: Any and all claims, demands, losses, damages, defense costs, expenses (including attorneys’ fees and costs), fines, penalties, and liabilities of any kind or nature which COUNTY, CONTRACTOR, or any third party may sustain (to the extent caused by CONTRACTOR's negligence.)
A: Include these comments/revisions with your statement of qualifications. They would need to be approved by our County Counsel and Risk Management.
Q (Attachment B: Terms of Payment - Language Revision): (5) Time in which the County has to review Contractor’s documents/invoices before issuing payment or requesting corrected/additional documentation. (Request 45 days)
A: Yes. County can review and approve for payment Contractor's invoice or request correction/additional documentation within 45 days.
Q (Rate Schedule): The Evaluation Criteria includes Consultant labor and equipment pricing as compared with competition, however, the RFQ does not ask for a Rate Schedule – where in the SOQ should we add this? Section 2.11 I.
A: Please include current rate schedule in your SOQ submittal.
Q (Resumes and project sheets - page count): Are resumes excluded from the page count confirmed, and are project sheets included?
A: Project sheets will not be included as page counts, if you need more than 20 double-sided pages.
Q (Subcontractor rates): Should subcontractor rates be included in the submitted rate schedule?
A: Subcontractor rates or subcontractor markup percentage can be included in the submitted rate schedule.
Q (Existing data sets): What existing data sets are available (e.g., groundwater monitoring, landfill gas, SWPPP data, geotechnical reports)?
A: GeoTracker and SMARTS contain the historical water monitoring data for the County's facilities. Landfill gas data and geotechnical reports can be provided by the County.
Q (Compliance issues): Are there any known compliance issues or enforcement actions at Buena Vista or Ben Lomond landfills?
A: There are no enforcement actions currently. There have been some recurring compliance issues.
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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