On-Call Environmental Consulting Services for California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Compliance and Permitting

The City of Santa Cruz requests proposals from "qualified" proposers for o n- c all e nvironmental c onsulting services for California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) c ompliance and environmental p ermitting services on an on-call basis. Environmental review services will include reviewing the City’s public projects, such as, but not limited to, public infrastructure projects, policies, ordinances, zoning updates, long-range plans, and private development projects as they move through the City's planning and permitting processes. T he environmental review services will include preparing environmental review documents as may be required, such as, but not limited to, Categorical Exemptions, Initial Studies, Mitigated Negative Declarations, Draft Environmental Impact Reports, and Final Environmental Impact Reports in compliance with CEQA; and Categorical Exclusions, Environmental Assessments, Findings of No Significant Impact, and Environmental Impact Statements in compliance with NEPA. The environmental review services will also involve overseeing sub-consultants, ensuring the studies are in keeping with regulatory standards and best management practices, managing the process to keep each project on schedule, preparing environmental noticing lists and notices, presenting at public meetings or outreach events, maintaining appropriate documentation and record keeping, a nd providing training to staff and public bodies.

Additional services will involve environmental permitting, tracking, and compliance for select projects. Selected “qualified” proposers w ill evaluate the feasibility, schedule, and requirements of Project environmental permitting. The strategy will critically analyze specific projects to identify potential issues that may be encountered during environmental permitting. Project alternatives may be developed, analyzed, and documented as needed to assist in a permitting feasibility determination. Potential required permits, such as Section 404 Clean Water Act Permitting, Section 401 Clean Water Act Water Quality Certification, California Endangered Species Act Consistency Determination or Incidental Take Permit, Lake and Streambed Alteration Agreement, and Coastal Development Permitting, among others. Compliance with National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Section 7 ESA Consultation/Biological Opinions from the USFWS and NMFS, and Section 106 may also be required for issuance of federal permits. It is expected that environmental permitting would be completed at the conclusion of the CEQA process; however, support during early consultation with permitting agencies may be necessary. The services may also include the timely development of environmental permitting submittals and approvals necessary for project implementation based upon the developed environmental permitting strategy. Technical resource support during agency consultations may be required.

The City is seeking firms with knowledge and experience to perform CEQA, NEPA, and environmental permitting services on various project types and environments. Firms should have experience working on projects with very passionate and engaged communities. A successful proposer will be reputable, possess the technical knowledge and expertise to ensure complex projects meet regulatory standards and best management practices, are well-versed in case law and anticipate how it can affect future processes, communicate effectively, and have experience leading sub-consulting teams and the City through the numerous steps involved in environmental review processes. Successful firms must be capable of producing high-quality deliverables on time and per the professional standard.