Approve and authorize the Interim County Administrator or designee to execute an agreement with ICF Jones & Stokes, Inc. in an amount not to exceed $250,000 for the development of the Yolo County Agricultural Priority Plan.  (No general fund impact) (Rinde/Tschudin)

Approve and authorize the Interim County Administrator or designee to execute an agreement with ICF Jones & Stokes, Inc. in an amount not to exceed $250,000 for the development of the Yolo County Agricultural Priority Plan.

Flourishing Agriculture

On August 18, 2020, the Yolo County Board of Supervisors approved submission of a grant application to the California Strategic Growth Council’s Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation Program, which is administered by the California Department of Conservation, to develop an agricultural conservation priority plan in support of the 2020-2025 Yolo County Strategic Plan goal of Flourishing Agriculture.

The intent of the Yolo County Agricultural Conservation Priority Plan will be to provide a guide for the County and its partners in implementation of measures that will result in an increase in the number of agricultural acres permanently protected by conservation easement or similar instrument. The anticipated deliverable is a study on current projected agricultural land use conversion; the effect of farmland conversion on greenhouse gas emissions; and a mapping exercise to identify parcels most at risk for conversion, using vectors such as changes in demographics, land value, and distance from major cities, as well as to analyze parcels best suited for potential permanent preservation.

In January 2021, the Department of Conservation notified staff that the proposal was awarded $250,000 and since then County staff have executed a grant agreement and completed a competitive bid process for consultant services to assist with the development of the Yolo County Agricultural Priority Plan. Approval of this contract will allow work to commence on the planning proposal in support of the 2020-2025 Yolo County Strategic Plan. Staff is requesting that the Board approve a 2-year agreement with ICF Jones & Stokes in an amount not to exceed $250,000 for the development of the Yolo County Agricultural Priority Plan (Attachment A).

The following County Departments participated in the review of Request for Qualifications:
Yolo County Administrator's Office
Yolo County Department of Community Services
Yolo County Department of General Services

A Request for Qualifications for consultant groups to assist with the development of the Yolo County Agricultural Conservation Priority Plan was issued on August 16, 2021, and posted until November 8, 2021. Three proposals were received and evaluated. After evaluation of the three proposals, it was determined that ICF Jones & Stokes should be awarded the contract. Additional information regarding the competitive bid process is included below, including the evaluation criteria and scoring breakdown of the three proposals received. No protests concerning the contract award were received.

Evaluation Criteria Included in RFQ

• Qualifications and Experience
• Responsibility/Demonstrated Competence
• Customer References
• Quality and Completeness of Submitted Proposal
• Understanding of Services Required by the County
• Other factors

Bids Received
 

Consultant Group	Criteria Evaluation Point Ranking
ICF Jones & Stokes	171.75 out of 180
The Balmoral Group	132.01 out of 180
Rivershed SPC	121.58 out of 180