REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: GREGORY A. BARFIELD, Director
Department of Transportation
BY: CAROLINA ILIC, Planning Manager
Department of Transportation, Planning Division
HAROLD TODD SOBRADO, Associate Transit Planner
Department of Transportation, Planning Division
SUBJECT
Title
Approve the award of a professional consulting services contract to Transportation Management & Design, Inc. (TMD) of Carlsbad, California, for Title VI analyses for a total not to exceed $185,000 over the course of five years (RFP NO. 12300935)
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends Council approve the award of a three-year on-call consulting services contract, with two optional one-year extensions, to Transportation Management & Design, Inc. (TMD) of Carlsbad, California, for Title VI analyses for a total not to exceed $185,000 over the course of five years.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Department of Transportation/Fresno Area Express (FAX) seeks to award an on-call consulting contract from 2023-2028 to prepare the FAX 2025 Title VI Program Update and conduct up to 15 service, fare, or facility equity analyses, as needed. The contract is being awarded through a competitive bidding procurement process and funded using federal transportation funds. On November 15, 2022, three bids were received. One proposal was deemed non-responsive. Of the two remaining proposals, the TMD proposal provided the best value to FAX.
BACKGROUND
In compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) requires all transit agencies that receive federal funding to monitor the performance of their systems, ensuring services are made available and/or distributed equitably. One component of ensuring compliance is performing equity analyses for all service changes that exceed Council-approved thresholds that may result in disparate impacts or disproportionate burdens, for all fare changes, regardless of whether the fares are increasing or decreasing, and for all new facilities that include a transit center, to determine any potential impacts on minority (race, color, or national origin) and low-income populations. As defined in the FAX 2022 Title VI Program adopted by the City Council on October 13, 2022, a disparate impact exists if a service or fare changes require a minority population to bear adverse effects by 20 percent or more than the adverse effects borne by the general population, and a disproportionate burden exists if a service or fare change requires a low-income population to bear adverse effects by 20 percent or more than the adverse effects borne by the general population.
In addition to equity analysis requirements related to service, fare, and facility changes, FAX is required to update its Title VI Program every three years. The next update of Title VI Program is due to the FTA in 2025.
A Notice Inviting Bids was posted to the City’s Website via Planet Bids on October 5, 2022. The Request for Proposals was also advertised in Mass Transit Magazine starting on October 5, 2022, for three weeks. Three proposals were received on November 15, 2022. TMD was determined the most responsible bidder. FAX staff recommends Council approve the award of a three-year on-call professional services contract, with two optional one-year extensions, to TMD of Carlsbad, CA, for Title VI professional consulting services for a total not to exceed $185,000.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
By the definition provided in the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15378, the award of this contract does not qualify as a “project” as defined by CEQA.
LOCAL PREFERENCE
Local preference was not implemented for this contract award because of the requirements of the Federal funding source.
FISCAL IMPACT
This contract award has no impact to the General Fund, as the project will be funded through FTA 5307 program funding and was included in the FAX FY2022 budget. Required match will be sourced from FAX enterprise funds.
Attachment:
Professional Consulting Services Contract for RFP NO. 12300935