SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT CONSULTING SERVICES

The County of San Benito (County) is seeking qualified senior consultants with demonstrated experience in the solid waste and recycling industry to provide Solid Waste Management Consulting Services for the San Benito County Integrated Waste Management Regional Agency (Regional Agency), housed within the County’s Resource Management Agency (RMA). The selected Consultant(s) will provide technical support and assist Integrated Waste Management (IWM)staff with program development and implementation to ensure excellence in administration of recycling and waste reduction programs and compliance with applicable mandates established by CalRecycle.

IWM serves the member jurisdictions of the City of Hollister, City of San Juan Bautista, and the County of San Benito. The County acts as the Lead Agency pursuant to a Joint Powers Agreement (JPA) among the member agencies.

It is the intent of the County to engage with one or more Consultants to provide professional services as described herein for a term of three (3) years, with up to two one-year extensions, upon approval of the Board of Supervisors, for a maximum of five years, unless terminated by either party. However, the County reserves the right at its sole discretion to terminate this RFP process or negotiations with a selected Consultant and either perform the work with its staff or begin a new RFP process. Nothing herein, or in this process, shall be construed as having obligated the County to pay for any expenses incurred by proposer to this RFP, or to the selected Consultant(s).

All Proposers must:

1. Have no record of unsatisfactory performance. Proposers who are or have been seriously deficient in current or recent contract performance, in the absence of circumstances properly beyond the control of the Proposer, shall be presumed unable to meet this requirement.

2. Have a minimum of eight (8) continuous years of experience in having provided Solid Waste management services to similar size governmental agencies.

3. Must be currently licensed to do business in California, which will be validated by Proposer providing copies of all licenses and/or certifications that Proposer maintains with the proposal.

San Benito County is a political subdivision of the State of California and is governed by a five-member Board of Supervisors. Administrative offices are located at 481 4th Street Hollister, CA 95023. San Benito County is located in the Central Coast Region, 95 miles south of San Francisco. Contiguous counties include Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Monterey, Fresno and Merced. Land area is 1,396 square miles. Terrain varies from flat valley floor to hilly rangeland in the east, to 5,450-foot peaks far south. The City of Hollister where the County seat is located is at an elevation of 229 feet. The north and northwest segments of the County are comprised of urban areas, leaving the southern portion of the County primarily rural. Major transportation routes bisecting the County include Highways 101, 129, 156 and 25. The current population of San Benito County is approximately 67,579 inclusively. The County has two incorporated cities – Hollister, population 44,218, and San Juan Bautista, population 2,250.

Background

The full RFP and any additional information are available for download in Section 4 (Project Documents).

Project Details

• Reference ID: RFP No. IWM-2026-01
• Department: RMA - Integrated Waste Management
• Department Head: Deems Katada (Interim Public Works Administrator)

Addenda

• Addendum #1 (released 2026-05-01T15:09:48.692Z) —

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

Evaluation Criteria

• Demonstrated understanding of the work to be done and Optimal Methods of Performance (15 pts) —
  • Demonstrated familiarity with the project.
  • Description of issues & solutions associated with the project.
  • Demonstrated familiarity with the Goals of the Project and provided documents.
• Experience with Similar kinds of Work and Experience working in San Benito County (15 pts) —
  • Records of performance on similar projects for the Firm.
  • Records of performance on similar projects for consultant(s), project manager(s), and key staff.
  • Records of performance on similar projects for subconsultant(s), if proposed.
  • Records of performance on similar projects in San Benito County, neighboring Counties to San Benito, or Counties similarly to San Benito County.
• Demonstrated Technical Ability to Perform the Required Work (15 pts) —
  • Demonstrated ability to successfully provide services for the project.
  • Demonstrated key personnel assignment to projects consistent with tasks listed in the anticipated Scope of Work.
  • Demonstrated assignment of personnel and sub consultant(s) with requisite education, experience, and professional qualifications.
  • The firm’s organizational structure showing sufficient depth for workload.
• Quality of staff for work to be done including Experience running effective Stakeholder Outreach Programs (10 pts) —
  • • Demonstrated professional experience, organizational, technical skills, and experience running effective stakeholder outreach.
    • Identification of adequate technical resources to perform work.
    • Demonstrated experience and qualifications of the project manager(s) and key personnel and assurance of their participation in the project until its completion.
• Capability of Developing Innovative or Advance Techniques as well as a Legally Sound Documentation (10 pts) —
  • Processes, Tools and Methodologies to be used to complete the Project.
  • Assurance of skilled resources required to complete the project.
• Demonstrated familiarity and ability to apply and adhere to the State and Federal Procedures / Laws (10 pts) —
  • • Demonstrated familiarity with Federal / State / Local Government Assistance procedures and policies related to the Project as well as the laws related to the General Plan amendments and CEQA.
• Financial Responsibility and General Management Ability (10 pts) —
  • Demonstrated adequacy of Financial Management and Accounting Systems as required by the applicable state and Federal Regulations
  • Demonstrated adequacy of supervision and management of timely completion of complex projects
  • References/Past Project History
• Cost (10 pts) —
  • • Scored based on the clarity and competitiveness of the cost proposal. Considerations may be given to both low cost and cost value.
• Local Preference (5 pts) —
  • • Businesses operating locally within San Benito County.

Submission Requirements

• Name of the Business. (required) —

  Please enter the Official Name of your Business, and DBA (if applicable).

• Cover Letter (required) —

  The response / proposal must be submitted with a cover letter describing the proposer’s interest and commitment to the proposed project. The letter must contain:

  • Name, title and contact information (email, phone, and address) of the representative of the proposer that is responsible for communication related to this Solicitation.
  • Name, title, contact information, and signature of person authorized to obligate firm to perform the commitment contained in the proposal.

  Submission of the letter will constitute a representation by proposer that it is willing and able to perform the commitments contained in the response / proposal and has not violated the terms of this Solicitation. The person authorized by the proposer to negotiate a contract with the County must sign the cover letter.

• Proposal Documents (required) —

  Please Upload your Proposal Documents here. 

   

• Additional / Supplemental Information (Optional) —

  Additional / supplemental information beyond what has been requested, such as Client References, Project-Specific Examples (Sample Projects) may be added here if the Proposer feels that such information may be helpful to the County in its decision making process. 

• San Benito County Reservations (required) —

  County of San Benito Hereby Reserves the Following Rights:

  The County of San Benito reserves the right to make an award in whole or in part or any varying combination of the following requirements that will be in the best interest of the County, and not necessarily to the lowest Contractor. The intended award of Contract shall be made to the highest rated Proposer based on the evaluation criteria stated within the RFP.

  Right of Rejection

  The County reserves the right to reject any and all proposals, or to cancel this RFP in part or in its entirety.

  The County reserves the right to waive any variances in proposals provided such action is in the best interest of the County.

  The County reserves the right to amend this RFP at any time.  The County also reserves the right to cancel or reissue the RFP at its sole discretion. 

  Any proposal received which does not meet the stated prerequisites of this RFP  may be considered to be non-responsive, and may be rejected. The County may reject any proposal that does not comply with all of the terms, conditions, and performance requirements as stated within the RFP.

  The County reserves the right to cancel any award and re-solicit proposals for services herein specified due to the increased or added costs, if in its opinion increased prices are greater than those of the general market.

  The County reserves the right to cancel any award and re-solicit in the event services cannot commence with ten (10) days after the specified date for start of work, or in compliance with the start date as set forth in the contract as agreed on between the parties.

  The County reserves the right to reject any and all proposals considered not to be in the best interest of the County.

  The County reserves the right to waive any and all minor irregularities in proposals.

  The County reserves the right to reduce or increase any specification, in whole or in part due to changes in budget allocations. 

  I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that I have read the above reservations as stated by the County of San Benito. 

• Non-Collusion Declaration. (required) —

  Non-Collusion Declaration Pursuant to Public Contract Code Sec. 7106

  The undersigned declares:  I am the authorized representative of the party making the foregoing proposal.

  The proposal is not made in the interest of, or on behalf of, any undisclosed person, partnership, company, association, organization, or corporation. The proposal is genuine and not collusive or sham. The proposer has not directly or indirectly induced or solicited, colluded, conspired, connived or agreed with, any other proposer to put in a false or sham proposal, or or refrain from submitting a proposal. The proposer has not in any manner, directly or indirectly, sought by agreement, communication, or conference with anyone to fix the submittal of the proposer or any other proposer, or to fix any overhead, profit, or cost element of the proposal, or of that of any other proposer.  All statements contained in the proposal are true. The proposer has not, directly or indirectly, submitted his or her proposal or any breakdown thereof, or the contents thereof, or divulged information or data relative thereto, to any corporation, partnership, company association, organization, or any other party or entity to effectuate a collusive or sham proposal, and has not paid, and will not pay, any person or entity for such purpose.

  Any person executing this declaration on behalf of a proposer that is a corporation, partnership, joint venture, limited liability company, limited liability partnership, or any other entity, hereby represents that he or she has full power to execute, and does execute, this declaration on behalf of the bidder.

  I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that the foregoing is true and correct.

• Disclosure of Criminal and Civil Proceedings (required) —

  Describe all ongoing and past civil and criminal proceedings within the last 10 years. Indicate the status of current proceeding and the outcome of closed or completed actions. Also, describe, if any, how the outcome of actions impacted company business operations.

  Note: if no civil and criminal proceedings within the last 10 years, please indicate that there are none.

• Drug-Free Workplace Certification (required) —

  The contractor or grant recipient named on this proposal hereby certifies compliance with Government Code Section 8355 in matters relating to providing a drug-free workplace. The contractor will:

  1. Publish a statement notifying employees that unlawful manufacture, distribution, dispensation, possession, or use of a controlled substance is prohibited and specifying actions to be taken against employees for violations, as required by Government Code Section 8355(a).

  2. Establish a Drug-Free Awareness Program as required by Government Code Section 8355(b), to inform employees about all of the following: 

  1. The dangers of drug abuse in the workplace
  2. The person's or organization's policy of maintaining a drug-free workplace
  3. Any available counseling, rehabilitation and employee assistance programs
  4. Penalties that may be imposed upon employees for drug abuse violations

  3. Provide, as required by Government Code Section 8355(c), that every employee who works on the proposed contract or grant:

  1. Will receive a copy of the company's drug-free policy statement
  2. Will agree to abide by the terms of the company's statement as a condition of employment on the contract or grant

  CERTIFICATION

  I, the official submitting this proposal, hereby swear that I am duly authorized legally to bind the contractor or grant recipient to the above described certification. I am fully aware that this Certification, executed on the date of proposal submittal and in the County below, is made under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California.

• Debarment Certification (required) —

  By submitting a bid/offer/proposal/quote to the County of San Benito, under penalty of perjury, I, the Proposer, hereby certify that the Prospective Contractor and/or its officers, directors, and employees:

  1. Are not currently excluded, debarred, or otherwise ineligible to participate in a federally funded program
  2. Have not been convicted of a criminal offense related to the provision of federally funded items or services nor has been previously excluded, debarred, or otherwise declared ineligible to participate in any federally funded programs, and
  3. Are not, to the best of its knowledge, under investigation or otherwise aware of any circumstances which may result in contractor being excluded from participation in federally funded programs.

  This representation shall be an ongoing representation during the term of any contract awarded to the Prospective Contractor. If awarded a contract, Prospective Contractor hereby commits to immediately notify the County of any change in the status of the representations set forth in this Form.

  Prospective Contractor authorizes the County to independently verify its suspension and debarment status.

  Prospective Contractors are cautioned that making a false certification may subject the certifier to criminal prosecution or administrative sanctions.

  I certify that I am authorized by the company named above to respond to this request.

• Certification of Compliance (required) —

  The proposer does hereby make certification and assurance of the Proposer’s compliance with:

  The laws of the County of San Benito:
  https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/sanbenitocounty/latest/overview

  Title VI of the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964:
  https://www.justice.gov/crt/fcs/TitleVI-Overview

  Title IX of the federal Education Amendments Act of 1972:
  https://www.justice.gov/crt/title-ix-education-amendments-1972

  The Equal Employment Opportunity Act and the regulations issued thereunder by the federal government:
  https://www.justice.gov/jmd/hr-order-doj12001-part-4-equal-employment-opportunity

  The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the regulations issued thereunder by the federal government:
  https://www.ada.gov/pubs/adastatute08.htm

  All contract employees performing services and/or work as a result of this solicitation must have documented legal authority to work in the United States of America,

  The condition that the submitted proposal was independently arrived at, without collusion, under penalty of perjury; and,  

  The condition that no amount shall be paid directly or indirectly to an employee or official of the County of San Benito as wages, compensation, or gifts in exchange for acting as an officer, agent, employee, subcontractor, or consultant to the Proposer in connection with the Procurement under this Solicitation.

  Further, by signing below, I certify under penalty of perjury that the information provided in the submitted proposal is true and correct to the best of my knowledge. I will update the above information as needed. I further, if selected, this company will conform to all Federal, State, and local laws covering the work provided. I understand the submission of this application does not guarantee use as a vendor/contractor for the County. I understand the County reservation of rights in the Solicitation.

• Is this an RFP, RFQ or IFB? (required) —

  Identify what Is this Project created for: RFP, RFQ or IFB?

  Select One for the Title Page.

• Project Name / Title. (required) —

  Enter a Short Description for Cover Page.

• Additional Information. (required) —

  Provide any Additional Information to be included on the Cover Page.

• Project Schedule (Project Completion Date) (required) —

  Please provide the required Project Completion Date, N/A if Not Applicable.

• Damage / Penalty. (required) —

  Enter Damages Per Each Day the Project is Delayed (Liquidated Damages). $500 / day is often used, N/A if Not Applicable.

• License Requirements. (required) —

  Please enter Contractor Licenses / Certifications required, if any, N/A if Not Applicable.

  (Example: C-13, C27 or Appropriate License issued by CA)

• Project Cost Estimate (required) —

  Please Enter Project Cost Estimate in one of the following formats:

  1. $100,000.00

           OR

  2. between $100,000.00 and $250,000.00

     OR

     N/A if Not Applicable.
• Project Architect (required) —

  Please Choose One.

• Bid Bond. (required) —

  Please Choose One.

• Electronic Pricing Table (required) —

  Would you like to have Bidders respond to an electronic Pricing Table through OpenGov?

  A built-in Pricing Table Captures and Displays "Vendor Pricing" side-by-side for Comparison / Evaluation.

• Separate Fee Proposal Upload —

  If you are NOT using the Electronic Pricing Table option, will you want your bidder to separate a Price Proposal from the rest of their Response? You'll want to do this if you open your bids initially WITHOUT showing price, and then come back in after a technical evaluation to unseal pricing later.

• Evaluation Committee —

  Will there be an evaluation committee to review the proposals and score them based on weights and multiple criteria?