That the City Council:
A. Approve and authorize the City Manager to execute an agreement with Fehr & Peers of Irvine, California, for Safe Routes to School Action Plan Development Project FHWA SS4A Grant Award No. 693JJ32340200, City Project No. 1-TC-24 in the amount of $378,331.00; and,

B. Authorize staff to issue a purchase order to Fehr & Peers in the amount of $400,000, which includes a five percent (5%) contingency, and reject all other bids.

In July 2024, staff issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for Safe Routes To School Action Plan Development Project FHWA SS4A Grant Award No. 693JJ32340200 City Project No. 1-TC-24. The Safe Routes to Schools (SRTS) Program is a federal transportation funding program administered by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), a division of the U.S. Department of Transportation. It is a nationwide initiative to make it safer and easier for students to walk or bike to school.

The scope of services listed in the RFP include, but are not limited to, engineering design, transportation planning, community meetings, and grant writing.

On August 22, 2024, staff received four proposals from the following firms:

An Evaluation Committee consisting of staff from the Public Works and Community Development Departments evaluated the proposals and ranked them based on the following criteria:

The Evaluation Committee scored the proposals as follows:

The Evaluation Committee determined Fehr & Peers to be the most qualified firm, based upon their demonstrated knowledge, experience, and understanding of the City's objectives and expectations. The Committee found that Fehr & Peers' previous experience with Safe Routes To School programs, in addition to proposing a well-experienced project team would best facilitate the development of a Safe Route To School Action Plan for the City; therefore, staff recommends that the City Council approve and authorize the City Manager to execute an agreement with Fehr & Peers for $378,331 for Safe Routes To School Action Plan Development Project FHWA SS4A Grant Award No. 693JJ32340200 City Project No. 1-TC-24.

Funding for the Safe Routes to School Action Plan Development Project FHWA SS4A Grant Award No. 693JJ32340200 City Project No. 1-TC-24 is included in the approved Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Budget. The Project will be funded by the Federal Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Program Grant in the amount of $320,000. The City is required to provide a local match of 20% for the project, which is $80,000 and will be allocated from available, budgeted Gas Tax funds. There are sufficient budgeted funds for the proposed $400,000 purchase order; therefore, no additional funds are requested at this time.