RFP 6226 - Environmental Document Review and Planning Services

Project Description: 1.1 Introduction/Purpose
The County of Ventura (hereinafter referred to as County) invites your organization to submit a written proposal for the procurement of Environmental Document Review and Planning Services. Proposals shall be due no later than 3:00 p.m. on October 24, 2025 for the furnishings of environmental document review and planning services.
County requires on-call Professional Services Agreements (PSAs) for specialized planning studies and technical analysis on privately-initiated projects or Board of Supervisors-initiated planning programs in the Ventura County Planning Division Work Plan. The services included are environmental assessments under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) for land use development projects, peer review of CEQA documents, peer review of resource assessments (biological, historical, coastal, etc.), and planning services (ordinance/policy/program work). The need for these types of services is ongoing, required to help balance the workload of Planning Division staff and to make use of the specialized expertise of professionals. The purpose of this RFP is to procure professional, planning-related support services through a number of on-call professional services agreements. Agreements would be for a five-year (5-year) term.
Offerors shall be skilled and regularly engaged in the general class or type of work called for in the solicitation documents.
1.2 Background
The Resource Management Agency’s Planning Division provides land use services to the public in the areas of residential, commercial, and industrial permitting, engages in long range community planning and zoning enforcement, and coordinates a variety of regional programs in the unincorporated areas of Ventura County.
The chief responsibility of the Planning Division is to regulate the use of land and structures, zoning, subdivision regulations, signage, filming, and resource and environmental protections within unincorporated areas of the county. Using these regulations and others, the Planning Division issues permits for uses and structures and enforces both permit conditions and maintains consistency with the County’s Zoning Ordinances and General Plan.
1.3 Objectives
County intends to enter into contracts with selected Offerors for on-call professional services. County reserves the right to award multiple Offerors in order to meet the needs set by this RFP.
On-call agreements are designed to streamline and improve the efficient delivery of privately-initiated projects and County-initiated planning programs. The PSAs are valuable to both staff and applicant teams as projects evolve during the review process. The areas of expertise proposed for the PSAs are for the following types of work: environmental analysis pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), peer review of CEQA documents, peer review of resource evaluations (biological, historical, coastal, etc.), and various planning services, as further described in Section 3.0.
Privately-initiated projects refer to development or planning proposals submitted by private individuals, businesses, or organizations seeking County review and approval. These can include applications for land use changes, subdivision maps, zoning variances, conditional use permits, or environmental assessments. The County’s role is to evaluate these projects for consistency with local plans, regulations, and community goals. Board of Supervisors-initiated planning programs are special projects or planning efforts directed by the Ventura County Board of Supervisors. These programs may address specific policy priorities, economic development, community issues, or regional planning goals identified by the Board of Supervisors. Examples include land use plan updates, zoning amendments, or initiatives to address housing, environmental conservation, or infrastructure needs.
For any privately-initiated project, the cost of the Contractor’s work will be covered by the project applicant as part of a project and in accordance with the fee schedules adopted by the Board of Supervisors, as may be updated, establishing the amount of any such application deposit and associated fees from the County agencies that conduct development review. In general, project applicants are required to provide prepayment or posting of an acceptable bond for the Contractor’s estimated cost. In the case of any County-initiated project, the Contractor shall complete all work and tasks described in the respective project work order as approved by the Planning Director or designee.
1.4 Action Dates
The following is an outline of the anticipated schedule for the proposal review and contract award.
Issue Request for Proposal (RFP) September 12, 2025
Last day for questions October 17, 2025
Proposals Due October 24, 2025
Evaluation-award November 21, 2025
Start Work July 2026
1.5 Questions Regarding RFP
All questions concerning this Proposal should be submitted online under the “Messages” tab. All other questions may be directed to Rory Aronsky, Senior Procurement Specialist, at (805) 477-7111, email: Rory.Aronsky@venturacounty.gov.
County shall not be obligated to accept the lowest priced proposal. An award, if made, will be in the best interests of the County after all factors have been evaluated.
While County intends to enter a contract for these services, it will not be bound to do so. County reserves the right to reject any or all proposals. County shall be the sole judge of the offers hereunder.
Deadline for questions or clarifications concerning this RFP is October 17, 2025 at 5:00 p.m.