On June 29, 2021, the Board of Supervisors awarded contracts to seven consulting firms for as-needed, on-call CEQA services that are primarily used by Planning staff. Minute Order No. 21-85, Item No. 42 is included as Attachment B for reference. The awarded contracts each have an expiration date of June 30, 2024. All but one of these contracts are used regularly by Planning Division staff to conduct environmental reviews for discretionary projects, assist other County Divisions and Departments with CEQA documentation, and to assist staff with processing Cannabis Use Permits under the Cannabis Land Use Ordinance (CLUO) and CLUO Environmental Impact Report. Additionally, these contracts are also used by other Divisions in the Department of Community Services, such as CSAs and Natural Resources, to assist with environmental reviews under the California Environmental Quality Act. To ensure a seamless transition from the contracts currently in use, staff is requesting a one-year extension to June 30, 2025, so that project reviews are not interrupted during a new solicitation process for CEQA consulting services. In some cases, additional maximum compensation is also requested (refer to Attachment A).
The Planning Division has managed on-call CEQA Consultant Services contracts since 2016 and is currently working with the Department of General Services, Procurement Division, to initiate a new Request for Qualifications solicitation process for CEQA consulting services for use on an as-needed basis. Staff expects the selection process for new agreements to be in place prior to June 2025.
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