Clean Air Program for Elementary Students (CAPES) & Why Healthy...

Location:	California
Posted:	Aug 7, 2026
Due:	Sep 8, 2026
Agency:	South Coast Air Quality Management District
Type of Government:	State & Local
Category:	U - Education and Training Services
Solicitation No:	P2027-02
Publication URL:	To access bid details, please log in.

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SOUTH COAST AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT DISTRICT

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

CLEAN AIR PROGRAM FOR ELEMENTARY STUDENTS

(CAPES) & WHY HEALTHY AIR MATTERS (WHAM)

AIR QUALITY EDUCATION MATERIALS

P2027-02

South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD) requests proposals

for the following purpose according to terms and conditions attached. In the preparation

of this Request for Proposals (RFP) the words "Proposer," "Contractor," "Consultant,"

“Bidder” and “Firm” are used interchangeably.

PURPOSE

South Coast AQMD is seeking proposals from qualified firms and organizations with air

quality education expertise to update the Clean Air Program for Elementary Students

(CAPES) and Why Healthy Air Matters (WHAM) educational programs. The selected

contractor will be expected to work collaboratively with South Coast AQMD staff to review

existing materials, propose revisions, and deliver updated curriculum and multimedia

content that is ready for classroom use and web publication.

The general tasks under the contract pursuant to this RFP include, but are not limited to

the following:

• Update and enhance elementary, middle, and high school materials to improve

clarity, coherence, and align with the 5E instructional model (Engage, Explore,

Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate).

• Refine existing videos to improve clarity, pacing, and instructional value, and

current relevance.

• Conduct a thorough review for alignment with California Content Standards and

Environmental Principles & Concepts (EP&Cs). California Content Standards

include a broad range of topics such as English Language and Development,

Math, the Arts and other.

• Update supplemental educator implementation supports (such as brief guides,

overviews, or suggested pacing) to increase usability and impact of the updated

materials.

• Provide recommendations for how materials can be effectively organized,

presented, and accessed by educators and students. This could include

consolidating number of CAPES and WHAM modules to reduce redundancy and

improve ease of implementation.

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P2027-02

• Review, research, and update and/or improve hands-on science experiments to

be age appropriate, align with revised curriculum, and reinforce key concepts.

Total funding for the educational consulting services shall be provided up to a maximum

amount of $90,000.

INDEX

The following are contained in this RFP:

Section I

Section II

Section III

Section IV

Section V

Section VI

Section VII

Section VIII

Section IX

Section X

Section XI

Background/Information

Contact Person

Schedule of Events

Participation in the Procurement Process

Statement of Work/Schedule of Deliverables

Required Qualifications

Proposal Submittal

Proposal Submission

Proposal Evaluation/Contractor Selection

Funding

Sample Contract

Attachment A

Attachment B

Participation in the Procurement Process

Certifications and Representations

SECTION I: BACKGROUND INFORMATION

In 2019, South Coast AQMD established its education programs, CAPES and WHAM,

to increase awareness of air quality issues and empower youth to drive positive change

as they develop and form their own habits. Since their inception, both programs have

reached approximately 70,000 students across the South Coast region and the

Coachella Valley.

CAPES and WHAM offer age-appropriate, comprehensive curriculum that can be

implemented in person or virtually in classrooms, after school programs, youth

organization meetings, and other educational settings. The curriculum was developed in

alignment with the California Next Generation Science Standards (CA NGSS) including

videos, worksheets, and hands-on science experiments. South Coast AQMD also

provides virtual or in-person guest speakers as well as materials to conduct the

experiments.

CAPES modules include:

• Air Pollution 101

• Air Quality Index

• Clean Air Hero

P2027-02

• Careers in the Environmental Field

• Clean Air Choices

• Clean Air Tools

• Air Pollution Investigation

• Clean Air Campaign

WHAM modules are divided between middle and high school as follows:

Middle School:

• Who is Responsible for Healthy Air? What Things Can’t We Change?

• Too Small to See: Identifying and Measuring Different Types of Pollution

• How Does Air Pollution Affect Our Health?

• How Can We Minimize Air Pollution?

High School:

• How Does Weather and Topography Affect Air Pollution?

• What Are the Risks to Your Community from Air Pollution?

• Measuring Particulate Matter at Your School*

• Public Hearing Mock Trial

The most popular component of both CAPES and WHAM are the guest speakers who

are often asked to present career opportunities related to air quality and real-world

experiences. In addition, Unit 3 of WHAM, Measuring Particulate Matter at Your School,

is the most requested unit with teachers.

While the overall feedback from teachers is that CAPES and WHAM are effective and

engaging, the curriculum is now over seven years old. Some modules have become

outdated, less relevant, or not particularly useful in the classroom. For example, clean

technologies have advanced since the curriculum was developed, especially for

medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. Targeted revisions are needed to improve the overall

quality, technical accuracy, consistency, and effectiveness of the programs. Further,

there has been some feedback that science experiments could be refreshed or replaced

to enhance student engagement and reinforce the air quality lessons.

Updated educational materials are critical to advancing South Coast AQMD’s

educational outreach priorities through providing relevant, engaging air quality

educational materials that meets the needs of educators and remains aligned with

California educational standards. The refreshed curriculum and multimedia resources

P2027-02

will support educators in effectively integrating air quality content into classroom

instruction.

SECTION II: CONTACT PERSON

Questions regarding the content or intent of this RFP or on procedural matters should

be addressed to:

Contact’s Name: Monika Kim, Public Affairs Manager, Legislative, Public

Affairs & Media

Phone: (909) 396-2342

email: mkim@aqmd.gov

South Coast AQMD

21865 Copley Drive

Diamond Bar, CA 91765-4178

SECTION III: SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

DATE

August 7, 2026

September 8, 2026

September 8 – 18, 2026

October 9, 2026

November 6, 2026

December 31, 2026

EVENT

RFP Released

Proposals Due to South Coast AQMD -

No Later Than 1:00 p.m.

Proposal Evaluations

Interviews, if required

Governing Board Approval

Anticipated Contract Execution

SECTION IV: PARTICIPATION IN THE PROCUREMENT PROCESS

It is the policy of South Coast AQMD to ensure that all businesses including minority

business enterprises, women business enterprises, disabled veteran business

enterprises and small businesses have a fair and equitable opportunity to compete for

and participate in South Coast AQMD contracts. Attachment A to this RFP contains

definitions and further information.

SECTION V: STATEMENT OF WORK/SCHEDULE OF DELIVERABLES

A. Statement of Work

Under the direction of the South Coast AQMD Executive Officer or Deputy Executive

Officer of Legislative & Public Affairs, and Media, as appropriate, in coordination with

staff, the selected Contractor shall provide educational consulting services to review,

update, and enhance the CAPES and WHAM educational programs. The Contractor

shall support the modernization of curriculum content, multimedia resources, and

educational materials to ensure alignment with current instructional practices,

California educational standards, and South Coast AQMD educational outreach goals,

including, but not necessarily limited to the following:

P2027-02

1. Conduct a comprehensive review of existing CAPES and WHAM curriculum

materials, multimedia resources, educator support, and hands-on science

activities. Activities may include evaluating instructional effectiveness,

identifying outdated or redundant content, assessing alignment with current

educational standards, and recommending opportunities to improve

program organization, accessibility, and classroom implementation.

2. Update, revise, and restructure CAPES and WHAM curriculum content for

elementary, middle, and high school audiences utilizing the 5E instructional

model (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate). Activities may

include consolidating modules, improving lesson sequencing and

coherence, updating scientific and technical information, incorporating

current air quality topics and technologies, strengthening connections to

real-world applications, and enhancing student engagement opportunities.

3. Review and revise curriculum materials to ensure alignment with applicable

California educational standards, including but not limited to the CA NGSS,

EP&Cs, and other relevant state educational frameworks. Activities may

include development of standards alignment documentation and

recommendations for strengthening standard integration throughout the

curriculum.

4. Review existing videos, digital content, presentations, and other multimedia

resources associated with CAPES and WHAM. Activities may include

updating content for accuracy and relevance and recommending revisions

or new multimedia approaches that support effective classroom and virtual

learning environments.

5. Evaluate existing hands-on science experiments and activities included

within CAPES and WHAM and recommend updates, modifications,

replacements, or enhancements as appropriate. Activities may include

ensuring age appropriateness, improving student engagement, reinforcing

key learning objectives, aligning activities with revised curriculum content,

and identifying materials and implementation considerations for educators.

6. Update and enhance educator implementation resources to support

effective classroom use of CAPES and WHAM materials. Activities may

include development of teacher guides, lesson overviews, pacing

recommendations, implementation tips, classroom facilitation guidance, and

other resources designed to improve usability and educator confidence in

delivering air quality education.

7. Provide recommendations regarding the organization, presentation, and

accessibility of curriculum and multimedia resources for educators and

students. Activities may include recommendations related to digital delivery,

web-based access, curriculum navigation, resource categorization, and

long-term maintenance of educational materials.

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

Bid Number	Title	Bidder's Conference	Closing Date	Contact Person	Document
P2027-02	Clean Air Program for Elementary Students (CAPES) & Why Healthy Air Matters (WHAM) Air Quality Education Materials	None	9/8/2026 01:00 PM	Monika Kim (909) 396-2342	P2027-02

Clean Air Program for Elementary Students (CAPES) & Why Healthy Air Matters (WHAM) Air Quality Education Materials

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See also