Scotts Valley Aquifer Evaluation

LAKE COUNTY ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Scotts Valley Aquifer Evaluation

COUNTY OF LAKE

RFP No. 261823

Issued April 8, 2026

Submission Deadline:

May 6, 2026, at 4:00 P.M.

By: Todd Abbott

Water Resources Program Coordinator

1. INTRODUCTION. The County of Lake is inviting sealed proposals for a project to evaluate the Aquifer Conditions in Scotts Valley. This project will evaluate the aquifer conditions and storage potential in Scotts Valley, an important agricultural region, and home to 7,000 residents in Lake County. Scotts valley aquifer is also the source of municipal water for the 5,000 residents of Lakeport, so identifying the groundwater resources, and evaluating potential storage increases within the aquifer, are important priorities for the county. Securing groundwater resources will allow surface water to stay in Clear lake, providing additional ecosystem services and improving the overall health of the system. Additionally, Scotts Aquifer is thought to connect with the Big Valley groundwater basin, an adjacent aquifer that has been designated as a medium priority basin by the Department of Water Resources, and which requires management under the State Groundwater Management Act, or SGMA. This interaction between aquifers will be an important component to understanding groundwater levels, patterns, and management opportunities in both Scotts Aquifer, and Big Valley Basin.

To further characterize the groundwater flow between the shallow aquifer system and Clear Lake, three shallow (less than 50 feet deep) monitoring wells will be installed. Depth to groundwater levels and water quality samples will be collected and analyzed. The groundwater level data will be utilized to enhance the calibration of the groundwater flow model. The current concept is to utilize the existing Big Valley Integrated Hydrologic Model (BVIHM) to assess conditions and future pumping scenarios in Scotts Valley. Local information will be used to refine the Scotts Valley portion of the BVIHM, A future scenario using no climate change assumptions and additional municipal pumping will be conducted.

Proposals should be submitted in accordance with the requirements of this solicitation, which are contained herein.

2. SCOPE OF SERVICE.

The selected contractor will perform a series of tasks to support the Scotts Valley Aquifer Evaluation, aimed at enhancing the understanding of hydrogeologic conditions within the basin. The scope of services encompasses seven primary tasks, each integral to the successful execution of the study:

Task 1: Background Information Review:

1. Review Scotts Valley specific information. The BVIHM was calibrated and assessed for Big Valley. Additional data from Scotts Valley will minimize uncertainty of storage estimates. Information requested for this task to any local agencies or stakeholders include:

o Locally obtained groundwater elevation data

o Aquifer test, step-drawdown test, or any other pumping information within Scotts Valley

o Location and volumes of future extractions

Task 2: Incorporation of Scotts Valley specific data:

1. Incorporate additional information from Task 1 into the BVIHM. Updates to the model will allow for better estimates of aquifer characteristics.

Task 3: Evaluate Aquifer Inflows, Outflows, and Storage :

1. Water budgets for specific to Scotts Valley will be developed. Recharge in natural vegetation, stream flows into the valley, and groundwater interactions with Clear Lake will be included within the water budget. The total aquifer storage will be calculated and compared against published values from DWR bulletin 118.

Task 4: Pumping Scenario Evaluation:

1. With input from local agencies, a scenario will be developed that explores the impact of additional pumping for municipal demand (i.e., increase pumping in the city of Lakeport).

Task 5: Develop Technical Memorandum and Presentation:

1. A technical memorandum (TM) will be prepared to summarize key points relating to:

o Outlining updates to the BVIHM

o Detailing the water budget terms and interactions based on the BVIHM

o Estimating the amount of water available in storage in Scotts Valley

o Assess the impacts of additional municipal pumping

o Cumulative impacts of water uses to surrounding areas due to project operations

o Prepare for and present at two public meetings.

Task 6: Monitor Well Installation:

1. Construct up to 3 monitoring wells. The monitoring wells will be located in close proximity to Clear Lake. All work performed by the chosen contractor and performed in accordance with project specifications. Contractor will conduct onsite drilling and sampling inspection and general project oversight, and will provide documentation and sampling services during the test hole drilling process, including preparation of a drilling log, collection of lithologic samples at a minimum of 10-foot intervals at each of the monitoring sites. All work will be performed by a California Professional Geologist or by experienced personnel under the direct supervision of a California Professional Geologist. The chosen contractor will develop final monitoring well designs based on data gathered during test hole evaluation. The principal design elements will include screen, casing, and seal depths. The piezometers will be constructed of 2-inch diameter, Schedule 40 PVC blank casing. The screen sections will be of the same material and will have machine cut 0.040-inch slots. A No. 8 gradation gravel will be placed in the annulus between the casings and the borehole wall. A sand/cement grout sanitary seal will be placed from a minimum depth of 20 feet to ground surface, pending any modifications needed due to the actual conditions encountered. The contractor will verify that the monitoring wells are constructed as designed and according to accepted industry standards and regulatory requirements. Measures will be taken to ensure monitoring well security and public safety. The contractor will witness well development and verify completeness. The contractor will also comply with all discharge, permit, and site cleanup and restoration requirements.

Task 7: Monitor Well Letter Summary Report:

1. Contractor will prepare a well construction summary letter report for each monitoring well which will include an as built well profile, lithologic descriptions of the formations encountered, a California Well Drillers Completion Report.

This scope of services is designed to ensure a thorough and methodical approach to the AEM study, provide essential insights into the hydrogeologic framework of the basins, and support sustainable groundwater management efforts.

3. PROPOSAL CONTENT.

3.1 Proposal Compliance: In order to enable direct comparison of competing responses, you must submit your Proposal in conformity to the requirements stated herein. Failure to adhere to all requirements may result in your Proposal being disqualified as non-responsive.

3.2 Proposal. Please assemble your Proposal in the following order.

A. Cover Letter. A standard business letter must be included which represents your agreement to supply the requested goods and/or services detailed in the RFP.

B. Company Profile. Provide a brief history of your company, a general description of your services and qualifications, and an executive summary of your response. Content should be no more than two pages.

C. Work Plan. Provide your specific proposal to address the Scope of Work outlined in Section 2 above. At the very least, this should describe in detail how the service shall be provided and include a description of major tasks, subtasks, and a proposed time-line for completion.

E. Cost Proposal. Submit a detailed cost proposal for a single, typical, annual year of service. The proposal should include unit prices for each task outlined in the Scope of Services, including mobilization, equipment, labor, materials, and any other associated costs. If the contractor anticipates that more than one survey pass or reanalysis will be required to achieve the study's goals, this must be clearly stated in the proposal. Exclusions or undetermined costs must not be included, as they will render the proposal non-responsive.

The fee for the contractor’s services should be provided in a separate sealed envelope with the contractor’s name on the outside. Only one copy of the fee proposal is required.

All prices submitted are non-binding at this stage of the procurement process and are subject to negotiation.

4. PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL. Proposals submitted must meet the following criteria to be acceptable for consideration regarding this project:

4.1 In order to be considered, responses may be submitted either on paper or electronically through the County Purchasing Agent. Hard copy responses submitted must include one (1) original and five (5) unbound copies of the proposal. Electronic submissions must be in either Microsoft word or PDF format, and sent to LakeCountyPurchasingAgent@lakecountyca.gov. Proposals whether submitted electronically or via hard copy must be received no later than Wednesday, May 6, 2026, by 4:00 p.m., and addressed to:

RFP No. 261823 for Request for Proposals for the Aquifer Conditions in Scotts Valley project.

CONFIDENTIAL

Water Resources Department

Attn: Todd Abbott

255 N. Forbes Street

Lakeport, CA 95453

Normal business hours are Monday through Friday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. Staff can be reached at (707) 263-2344.

Proposals may be mailed through the United States Postal Service or any other courier service and they may be delivered in person to the above office. Faxed or emailed proposals will NOT be accepted.

4.2 In order to receive addenda and information regarding this RFP, proposer must register online at: Bid Postings • Lake County, CA • CivicEngage (lakecountyca.gov). Proposers are cautioned to read the scope of services and proposal contents herein and be sure to respond to all items listed in these sections.

4.3 Proposals received incomplete or late, for any reason, shall not be accepted.

4.4 All Questions regarding this Request for Proposals may be submitted in writing at any time prior to Wednesday, April 29, 2026, 4:00 p.m. to Purchasing Agent Stephen Carter at: LakeCountyPurchasingAgent@lakecountyca.gov. Only written questions will be accepted. Questions will be answered by Friday, May 1, 2026, 4:00 p.m. and uploaded as an addendum to the website listed in the above paragraph.

Proposers may contact only the individual identified above and are specifically directed not to contact other County personnel for meetings, conferences, or other technical discussions related to this RFP. No questions will be answered by other County staff.

4.5 All proposals submitted in response to this RFP will become the property of the County and will not be returned. The County reserves the right to make use of any information or ideas contained in the proposals. The proposal itself shall not constitute a contract, but will, if accepted, be incorporated into the contract between the County and the selected proposer.

Please note: The successful Proposer shall be expected to fully meet all representations made in its proposal, including demonstration of project understanding, work plan, project schedule, project team, and cost proposal.

5. PROPOSAL EVALUATION AND AWARD. The County is using the competitive proposal process, wherein the experience and responsiveness of each submitted proposal is evaluated as it relates to the Scope of Services. Administrative staff will evaluate the proposals as described below.

5.1 Proposals shall be opened and checked to ensure that each complies with the requirements of the RFP. The absence of required information may render the proposal non-responsive and may be cause for rejection.

5.2 All proposals will be evaluated to determine whether they meet all the requirements of the RFP.

5.3 A Consultant Selection Board may be convened to review, discuss and rank the proposals, using the following criteria:

A. Criteria

1. Ability to meet the requirements of the Scope of Services

2. Candidate’s specialized experience and technical competence as applicable to the services required. Resumes must be furnished for the key team members.

3. Candidate’s past record of performance, including control of costs, quality of work, completion in a timely manner.

4. Candidate’s capacity and ability to perform the work in a timely fashion. The proposed work plan should be included.

5. Candidate’s familiarity with the types of problems applicable to the project.

5.4 Prior to final selection, a short list of qualified and responsive Consultants may be requested to participate in an interview. The purpose of the interview will be to provide an opportunity for each Consultant to present their qualifications and proposals in person and/or to answer any questions that County staff may have regarding the Consultant’s submittals. If interviews are to be held, the time and place of the interview will be arranged after the short list is completed. Typically, a minimum of three (3) proposals will be selected for the Short List; however, the County may, at its option, choose to interview more or less than three (3) qualified Consultants or select consultants based solely on evaluating written proposals.

5.5 If an agreement cannot be reached with the top ranked Consultant(s), the County will then contact the next highest ranked firm and attempt to negotiate a contract scope of work and fee. This process will be continued until a contract scope of work and fee is successfully negotiated, or until the County determines to cease negotiations with any firm.

5.6 County reserves the right to select multiple contractors.

5.7 The County of Lake is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and the successful Consultant(s) will be required to comply with the provisions of Federal Executive Order 11246 and applicable state and federal laws. Consultants should be familiar with the Employers’ Practical Guide to Reasonable Accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act as published by the Job Accommodation Network, a service of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy.

6. PROTEST PROCEDURE. The County of Lake will follow the Appeal Procedure in their Consultant Selection Policy as follows:

6.1 Appeal Procedure:

Any party with a direct financial interest who is aggrieved by any alleged material irregularity in connection with the intended RFP award, may file a protest with the Purchasing Agent or Assistant Purchasing Agent, where such protest is based on alleged violations of Federal, State, or local law or ordinance, or alleged material irregularity in either the County's RFP invitation or in the proposal to which an award is intended. Generally, non-material irregularities in a RFP response are those that substantially conform to the RFP requirements and do not affect the RFP price, time or conditions in such a way as to affect the amount of the RFP or provide a competitive advantage or benefit not allowed to other bidders. Material irregularities in a RFP invitation provide a competitive advantage or benefit to one (1) bidder that is not enjoyed by other bidders. The Purchasing Agent or Assistant Purchasing Agent may determine whether an alleged irregularity exists and whether it is material or non-material and shall have the authority to waive non-material irregularities. An RFP protest must:

(a)Be written,

(b)State the specific alleged violation of law or alleged material irregularity,

(c)Request a determination of the appeal,

(d)Provide a telephone number and email address at which the appellant can be contacted,

(e)Be filed no later than seven (7) days after the date of the Notice of Intent to Award Letter and/or formal Bid Opening (holidays excepted). Any protest filed after this time will not be considered.

6.2 The party filing the appeal ("appellant") must concurrently transmit a copy of all appeal documents and any attachments to all other parties with a direct financial interest which may be adversely affected by the determination of the appeal.

6.3 Within seventy-two (72) hours of receipt of appeal, the Purchasing Agent or Assistant Purchasing Agent shall provide written notification to the appellant of the determination. A determination under this procedure shall be final except that the Purchasing Agent's decision may be appealed to the County Administrative Officer in writing within forty-eight (48) hours from the Purchasing Agent's or Assistant Purchasing Agent's notification to appellant.

7. GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS. By your submission of a proposal, you agree to be bound by the following conditions:

7.1 To the fullest extent allowed by law, RFP’s will not be public record until discussion and negotiations with Respondent have been completed, as such premature disclosure would jeopardize the County’s and the Respondents negotiating interests. If any proposal contains trade secrets or other information that is confidential or proprietary by law, Respondent shall label all such pages with a stamped annotation such as: “CONFIDENTIAL-PROPRIETARY TRADE SECRETS, DO NOT DISCLOSE”, and further, provide written notification to the County of its request to keep said information confidential. A Respondent’s request for confidentiality must be made in writing and enclosed in the envelope containing the proposal. The proprietary or confidential data must be readily separable from the proposal in order to facilitate eventual public inspection of the non-confidential portion of the proposal.

7.2 The County reserves the right to cancel this RFP at any time, even after opening of proposals.

7.3 County is not liable for any costs incurred by Proposer in the preparation, presentation or in any other aspect of the Proposal.

7.4 Disposition of Proposal(s) and Contract Award:

A. All proposals shall become the property of Lake County.

B. Failure to furnish all information requested in this RFP or to follow the proposal format may disqualify a proposal.

C. County reserves the right to accept or reject all or any part of any proposal, waive immaterial defects, informalities, irregularities, negotiate with all qualified Respondents, and award the contract to the firm or individuals, who, in the sole judgment of the County, best serves the interests of the County. The County may terminate negotiations if, in its opinion, they are unsuccessful and begin negotiations with other respondents.

D. A response to this RFP is an offer to contract with the County based upon the terms, conditions, scope of work and/or specifications contained herein. County shall have no contractual or other obligation to a Respondent under any successfully negotiated contract until the contract has been approved and signed by both parties. The contents of the proposal submitted by the successful Respondent and this RFP will become part of any contract awarded.

E. Issuance of this RFP in no way constitutes a commitment by the County to procure or contract for the articles of goods or services solicited.

F. Proposers may be required before the award of any contract to show, to the complete satisfaction of the County, the necessary facilities, ability, and financial resources to provide the services specified in a satisfactory manner.

7.5 Respondent shall indemnify and defend County and its officers, employees, and agents against and hold them harmless from any and all claims, losses, damages, and liability for damages, including attorney's fees and other costs of defense incurred by County, whether for damage to or loss of property, or injury to or death of person, including properties of County and injury to or death of County officials, employees or agents, arising out of, or connected with the use of any copyrighted or uncopyrighted composition, secret process, patented or unpatented invention, articles or appliances furnished or used under this Request and any subsequent Contract, unless such damages, loss, injury or death is caused solely by the negligence of County.

7.6 Default by Respondent: In case of default by the successful Respondent, Lake County may procure the articles or services from other sources and may deduct from any monies due, or that may thereafter become due to the Respondent, the difference between the price named in the Purchase Order, Contract, or Agreement with said Respondent and the County’s subsequent cost to obtains substitute articles or services. Prices paid by the County must be considered the prevailing market price at the time such purchase is made.

7.7 Lake County reserves the right to amend, alter, or change the rules and conditions contained in this RFP prior to the deadline for submission and to request additional data after the deadline. If it becomes necessary to do so, an addenda or supplements to the RFP will be issued and shall become a part of the RFP. The County is not responsible for any other explanation or interpretation. It is the responsibility of the Respondent to ensure that he/she has received all addendums and/or supplements prior to submitting a proposal.

7.8 It is the County's intent that this Request for Proposal (RFP) permits competition. It shall be the Respondent's responsibility to advise the County in writing if any language, requirement, specification, etc., or any combination thereof, inadvertently restricts or limits the requirements stated in this RFP to a single source. Such notification must be received by the County not later than ten (10) days prior to the date set for acceptance of proposals.

7.9 Errors and Omissions: If prior to the date fixed for submission of proposals, a respondent discovers any ambiguity, conflict, discrepancy, omission or other error in the RFP or any of its exhibits, it shall immediately notify the designated County contact of such error in writing and request modification or clarification. Modifications and clarifications will be made by written addenda and distributed to all parties who have been furnished or who have requested the RFP.

7.10 Security and Confidentiality: To preserve the integrity of the security and confidentiality measures integrated into County operations, any Respondent required to come in contact with confidential County information in order to respond to this RFP and/or to perform the services solicited, may be required to sign and submit a Confidentiality Statement. Successful Respondent’s personnel and/or subcontractors, who may require periodic access to secured areas within the County, may be required to wear security identification badges. Badges will be issued to individuals only after satisfactory completion of a background check. Any such confidentiality and/or security measures will be part of the contract.

7.11 Insurance: Successful Respondent agrees to comply with the County’s standard insurance provisions.

7.12 Governing Laws: The laws of the State of California will govern any purchase order entered into between the County and the selected Respondent.

7.13 Each Respondent shall inform himself of, and the successful Respondent awarded a contract shall comply with State and local laws, statutes, regulations, ordinances and generally accepted industry standards relative to the execution of the material supplied or work performed. This requirement includes, but is not limited to, applicable regulations concerning employment of labor, protection of public and employee safety and health, environmental protection, the protection of natural resources, fire protection, burning and non-burning requirements, permits, fees, and similar subjects.

7.14 This RFP supersedes all proposals, oral and written, and all negotiations, conversations or discussions heretofore and between the parties related to the subject matter.