Preparation of Technical Transportation Studies: On-Call Services

The City of Pasadena Department of Transportation is soliciting proposals from qualified transportation consultant teams to provide technical transportation impact analysis services for land use projects and other projects undergoing City review. The selected consultants will form an on-call bench and will be eligible to prepare a range of transportation analyses, including CEQA Transportation Impact Analyses, Local Mobility (outside CEQA) evaluations, travel demand modeling outputs, and supporting technical documentation required to assess the transportation effects of projects throughout the City.

The analyses will be used to evaluate a project’s influence on Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) per service population, Vehicle Trips (VT) per service population, multimodal accessibility, proximity to transit and active transportation networks, operational and circulation performance, and other factors, some of which are defined in the City’s Transportation Impact Analysis Guidelines. Consultants must demonstrate significant experience preparing transportation studies that support environmental review and entitlement processes for California jurisdictions.

This Request for Proposals (RFP) does not solicit services for a single, defined project. Rather, the resulting consultant list will be used by the Department of Transportation to assign project-specific Task Orders for transportation analysis services required across the City’s Development Review Section. Each Task Order will define the scope, deliverables, schedule, and coordination needs for the required work.

To be considered for selection, consultants must demonstrate substantial experience preparing transportation analyses in support of CEQA review, entitlement processes, and municipal transportation impact analyses using Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT), Vehicle Trips (VT), multimodal access, and operational methodologies consistent with Pasadena’s Transportation Impact Analysis Guidelines.

Consultants selected through this RFP will be placed on an on-call bench available to support transportation analysis needs on an as-needed basis. Placement on the on-call bench does not guarantee any minimum or maximum number of assignments.

The City of Pasadena is an active urban center with a diverse land use pattern and substantial development activity across residential, commercial, institutional, and mixed-use sectors. As development applications are submitted, the City evaluates each proposal to determine its potential transportation impacts consistent with the City's Transportation Impact Analysis Guidelines, CEQA, city policies, and multimodal mobility objectives. Technical transportation analyses are required to support this review and must be prepared with a high degree of accuracy, rigor, clarity, and defensibility.

The City's current transportation analysis framework includes CEQA transportation impact evaluations using VMT and VT metrics, Local Mobility (outside CEQA) analysis, multimodal access management, operational review of circulation, driveway design, loading, curb management, and neighborhood traffic considerations. DOT relies on consultant support to meet fluctuating workloads, ensure timely project review, and apply specialized analytical tools--including the City's travel demand forecasting model--to individual projects. Establishing a multi-consultant on-call services bench allows the City to access the services efficiently and maintain consistency with adopted methodologies.

The selected consultants will supplement DOT staff capacity by providing technical transportation analysis services on an as-needed basis. Consultants must be able to respond to varying workloads and project types and must apply City methodologies consistently across all assignments.

Purpose

The purpose of this Request for Proposals (RFP) is to select qualified consultants to prepare technical transportation studies on an as-needed basis in support of the City's review of land use applications and other similar projects. The consultant on-call services bench will assist the City in completing transportation analyses consistent with CEQA, the City's Transportation Impact Analysis Guidelines, and industry best practices. Assigned tasks may include modeling, multimodal assessment, site access and circulation review, evaluation of mitigation strategies, preparation of conditions of approval, and development of clear, public-facing technical documentation.

This RFP establishes the on-call services bench. Work will be assigned through Task Orders issued at the City's discretion.

Relationship to City Planning Documents and the General Plan

The City's Mobility Element provides the overall policy framework for this consultant on-call services bench RFP and transportation in the City.

Technical transportation studies prepared under this on-call services RFP support the Mobility Element Objective of Enhancing Livability through the following policies:

Policy 1.1 Encourage connectivity and accessibility to a mix of land uses that meet residents' daily needs within walking distance.

Policy 1.2 Promote greater linkages between land uses and transit, as well as non-vehicular modes of transportation to reduce vehicular trips related to emissions.

Policy 1.11 Design streets to reflect the mobility needs of the adjacent land use context to support healthy activities such as walking and bicycling.

Policy 1.19 Develop measures to reduce conflict areas for bicyclists such as driveways and right turn lanes.

Policy 1.31 Emphasize transportation projects and programs that will contribute to a reduction in vehicle miles traveled per capita, while maintaining economic vitality and sustainability.