Building and Planning Cost Recovery Fee Study

Location:	California
Posted:	Nov 21, 2025
Due:	Dec 15, 2025
Agency:	Hillsborough town
Type of Government:	State & Local
Category:	C - Architect and Engineering Services - Construction
Publication URL:	To access bid details, please log in.

Proposals Due: Monday, December 15, 2025 by 12:00pm via email to ndelancie@hillsborough.net

Description: The Town of Hillsborough (Town) requests proposals from qualified consultants to conduct a comprehensive cost recovery fee study of development-related service fees relative to the fully burdened cost-of-service of the Building and Planning Department. Deliverables include an updated fee schedule, report outlining findings and methodologies, presentation for public meetings, and implementation plan. The Town intends to adopt the updated fee schedule as part of the FY 2026-27 budget, targeting completion of the study by March 2026.

*Optional / Additional Discretionary Task: Affordable Housing Impact Fee Analysis

A separately priced task for firms with relevant expertise: Evaluate the feasibility and legal basis for creation of an impact fee (and/or other mechanisms for Housing Choice Fund dollars generation) on new market-rate residential development and substantial remodels.

Contact: Nicole De Lancie, Management Assistant, ndelancie@hillsborough.net

RFP Documents:

Attachment Preview

TOWN OF HILLSBOROUGH

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS:

PROFESSIONAL CONSULTING SERVICES

BUILDING & PLANNING DEPARTMENT FEE STUDY

Issue Date: November 21, 2025

Due:

Monday, December 15, 2025

12:00 p.m. PST

Proposals will not be accepted after this date & time

Submit to:

Nicole De Lancie, Management Assistant

Email: ndelancie@hillsborough.net

Email Subject and Proposal Title: “RFP- Building & Planning Fee Study – Company Name”

TOWN OF HILLSBOROUGH

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS:

PROFESSIONAL CONSULTING SERVICES

BUILDING & PLANNING DEPARTMENT FEE STUDY

I. Background:

The Town of Hillsborough (Town) is a solely residential community in San Mateo County,

California, located approximately 15 miles south of San Francisco. The Town has a population of

roughly 11,000 residents and encompasses 6.25 square miles. Hillsborough provides a full range

of municipal services, including police and fire protection, building permitting and inspection,

land-use planning, and the service and maintenance of streets, public facilities, and water, sewer,

and storm drain infrastructure.

The Town’s Building & Planning Department is responsible for all development-related services

within the community, including plan review, permit issuance, construction inspection, zoning

administration, long-range planning, code enforcement, and implementation of State housing

and development mandates. Because Hillsborough is exclusively residential and characterized by

large lots, custom homes, significant hillside/topographic complexity, and mature vegetation,

projects often require a high level of technical review and customer service engagement.

The Department consists of Building and Planning functions organized under a shared

administrative structure. Core staffing typically includes 11 in-house full-time employees and

contract Building Plan Review for large projects. As-needed consulting services are also utilized

to fill staff vacancies or absences and support work load fluctuations and special projects. The

Department coordinates with Central County Fire Department for Fire and Wildland-Urban

Interface code compliance review.

Department staff intake an average of 1,600 building permits per year, ranging from single scope

permits to major additions, accessory dwelling units (ADUs), tear-downs, and complete custom

home rebuilds. Additionally, staff manage hundreds of zoning and design inquiries annually,

along with discretionary staff level and Architecture and Design Review Board applications,

objective design standards implementation, SB 9 projects, historic evaluations, and CEQA review.

Building & Planning Department staff also administer encroachment and grading permitting for

the Town’s Engineering Division under the Public Works Department.

Operationally, the Town has seen an increase in project scope complexity, State regulations,

wildfire-related building standards, and long-range planning responsibilities. These factors place

pressure on both workload and cost structure, underscoring the need for a modernized fee

schedule that aligns with current service demands and legal requirements.

To ensure adequate cost recovery for providing services, and reflect best practices and

consistency with regional benchmarks, the Town is seeking a qualified Consultant to prepare a

comprehensive Fee Study.

II. Fee Study Overview:

The purpose of the Fee Study is to develop recommendations for a revised fee structure and

cost-recovery options that reflect operational realities and legal requirements; with the goal of

implementing changes or updates (in amount and/or structure) to all service fees related to the

administration, processing, review, and inspection of property development projects and

associated municipal duties.

The Consultant should provide multiple cost-recovery scenarios, review compliance with State

law, identify additional statutorily permissible cost-recovery and revenue opportunities, and

develop an updated fee schedule and implementation plan which accounts for historical and

future cost drivers. The resulting Fee Study will help ensure the Town’s development fees are

fair, transparent, and financially sustainable, while also maintaining a predictable and

reasonable fee environment for Hillsborough’s development community.

Timely completion of this study is essential. The Town is targeting incorporation of Fee Study

recommendations into its FY 2026–27 budget development process, including the Budget Study

Session scheduled for May 2026. As such, the Town requires that all major findings,

recommendations, draft implementation plan, and draft fee schedule be delivered no later than

March 2026, with earlier delivery preferred. The Fee Study will require review by the Town’s

Financial Advisory Committee and a City Council Study Session to be held in April 2026.

Proposers should structure their work plan and staffing approach accordingly to ensure this

timeline can be met.

III. General RFP Information

The Town’s designated team will evaluate the proposals. During the review process, the Town

reserves the right to clarify information and allow for corrections of errors and omissions.

Additionally, the Town reserves the right to reject any and all proposals for any reason deemed

appropriate by the Town. Nothing set forth herein shall be deemed to bind the Town to award

a contract for the requested professional services. The Town retains the sole discretion to

cancel or modify any part or all of this RFP at any time.

All proposals are due 12:00 p.m. PST on December 15, 2025.

Submit proposals by email to ndelancie@hillsborough.net

Email Subject and Proposal Title: “RFP – Building & Planning Fee Study – Company Name”

IV. RFP Questions

Tim Anderson, Director of Building and Planning, will be the Town’s project manager and will

have overall responsibility and accountability for the project. Additional staff who will work

with the consultant during the study include Liz Ruess, Assistant Director of Building and

Planning; Ray Yniguez, Building Official; and Nicole De Lancie, Management Assistant.

Submit questions by email to ndelancie@hillsborough.net by 5:00 p.m. PST on December 8,

2025.

V. RFP and Award Schedule

The planned timeline for the RFP and Agreement Award process is as follows:

November 21, 2025 – RFP Released

December 8, 2025 – Deadline for Questions

December 10, 2025 – Question Responses Posted

December 15, 2025 – Deadline to submit

December 17, 2025 – Interviews

December 19, 2025 – Notify the successful Proposer and draft agreement

January 12, 2026 – City Council approves and awards agreement (if required, based on

the Town purchasing policy)

The Town retains the sole discretion to adjust the above schedule.

VI. Content and Format of Proposal

Proposals should be provided electronically and be concise, well organized and demonstrate

qualifications and applicable experience. For fullest consideration, the PDF must provide the

items below:

A. Cover letter: Briefly summarize the firm’s qualifications and interest in the project.

B. Approach to the Project. Describe your firm’s approach to this project and any special

ideas or suggestions that you think might make the project proceed efficiently. Clearly

identify additional tasks beyond the scope of services if warranted for project success.

C. Schedule. Describe your plan/schedule for completing the work.

D. Qualifications and Experience. Describe the experience of the firm and of the

individuals assigned with related projects of a similar nature. Include a copy of a fee

study performed that most closely fits the scope of work outlined for this project.

E. Cost Proposal. Provide a detailed fee proposal including an estimate of hours and costs

to complete the services as described in the Request for Proposal. The estimate should

include an itemized staff breakdown in spreadsheet/table form, indicating personnel

classification, hours, and costs for each consultant team member.

F. References. Provide at least three references for comparable projects completed in the

last 5 years. Please provide name, telephone number and email address.

VII. Evaluation of Proposals & Selection Process

The contract award is based on qualifications and a combination of factors that are in the best

interest of the Town including: Relevant Experience and Expertise; Approach and Project

Management; Timeline; Quality of Work Plan; Cost and Value; References and Past

Performance; Proposal Organization; and Interview/Presentation (If Requested - The Town

reserves the right to invite firms to an interview): conveys project understanding, solutions, and

comprehensive responses to interview panel questions.

The Town reserves the right to make investigations, as it deems necessary, to determine the

ability of the Proposer to provide the requested services at a satisfactory level of performance

in accordance with the Town’s requirements. The adequacy, depth and clarity of the written

proposal will influence the evaluation. The Town reserves the right to reject any and all

proposals for any reason deemed appropriate by the Town.

After negotiating a proposed agreement that is fair and reasonable, Town staff will make the

final recommendation to the City Manager (or City Council if required) concerning the proposed

agreement. The City Manager and/or City Council has the final authority to approve or reject

the agreement, as prescribed by the Town’s purchasing policy.

The Proposer should comment in the Proposal Cover Letter on any issues that may be of

concern with the Town’s attached template Professional Services Agreement (Exhibit A). The

chosen Consultant must obtain a Town of Hillsborough business license for each year of

engagement at the rate in effect for that year. Evidence of insurance and Town business license

procurement must be received prior to agreement implementation.

VIII. Services Required

A. Scope of Services

The Consultant shall provide all labor, materials, analyses, fee study report, and

presentations necessary to complete a comprehensive Fee Study and implement/adopt

chosen recommendations as outlined.

The Consultant shall perform a comprehensive cost of service fee study ensuring legal

compliance and provide a report of findings and recommendations for fee schedule

modifications, including benchmarking against comparable jurisdictions, assessment of

cost-recovery options, and a revised fee structure and implementation plan.

This is the opportunity summary page. It provides an overview of this opportunity and a preview of the attached documentation.

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Building and Planning Cost Recovery Fee Study

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