Citywide Community Facilities District (CFD)

City of Atwater
Request for Qualifications for
A Citywide Community Facilities District (CFD)
Date Released: March 12, 2026
Proposals due prior to: 2:00 pm on April 2, 2026
Submit Proposals to: City of Atwater
Attn: Janell Martin, Assistant City Clerk
1160 Fifth Street
Atwater, CA 95301

Request for Qualification
City Wide Community Facilities District Consultation
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................... 1
II. GENERAL INFORMATION AND SCHEDULE .............................................. 1
III. SCOPE OF SERVICES ................................................................................ 3
IV. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS ....................................................................... 4
V. STATEMENT OF QUALIFICATIONS REQUIREMENTS .............................. 5
VI. EVALUATION AND CRITERIA ..................................................................... 6
ATTACHMENT A - SAMPLE CONTRACT AGREEMENT

Request for Qualification
City Wide Community Facilities District Consultation
INTRODUCTION
The City of Atwater ("City") is seeking Statements of Qualifications (SOQs) from
experienced and qualified firms to provide professional services for the formation,
implementation, annexation processing, and ongoing administration of a Citywide
Community Facilities District (CFD) structured as a Maintenance CFD.
The purpose of this CFD is to ensure long-term fiscal sustainability by creating a legally
sound financing mechanism to fund the maintenance, operation, and lifecycle
replacement of public infrastructure and facilities associated with new development. The
CFD will be structured with a citywide annexation area requiring all future development
to annex into the district as a condition of approval.
The City seeks a firm with strong expertise in CFD formation, special tax consulting,
annexation processes, rate and method of apportionment (RMA) development, and
annual CFD administration.
This Request for Qualifications (RFQ) is intended to identify the most qualified firm
based primarily on experience, technical expertise, staffing capacity, and demonstrated
ability to provide effective CFD-related services. Cost will be considered but shall not be
the sole or determinative factor in the City's selection.
Issuance of this RFQ does not obligate the City to award a contract. The City reserves
the right to cancel this solicitation or reject any or all submittals if it is determined to be
in the City's best interest. There is no expressed or implied obligation for the City to
reimburse respondents for any expenses incurred in preparing or submitting
qualifications in response to this RFQ.
Submission of qualifications indicates acceptance by the respondent of the conditions
contained in this RFQ unless clearly and specifically noted in the submittal and
subsequently agreed upon in a contract with the City.
BACKGROUND
The City of Atwater has a population of approximately 32,000 and is located on State
Route 99 in Merced County, within California's San Joaquin Valley.
The City is a general-law city operating under a Council-Manager form of government,
governed by a five-member City Council that appoints the City Manager and City
Attorney. The City is a full-service municipality providing a comprehensive range of
services, including police, fire, public works, community development, utilities, and
administration.
Additional information regarding the City's organization, services, operating and capital
budgets, and annual financial reports is available on the City's website at
www.atwater.org.
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Request for Qualification
City Wide Community Facilities District Consultation
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this RFQ is to secure a qualified consulting firm to form and administer
a Citywide Maintenance CFD, including providing annexation processing, RMA
development, and full annual administration. The selected consultant must ensure that
new development pays its fair share of maintenance and service costs, protecting the
City's General Fund and supporting long-term fiscal sustainability.
GENERAL INFORMATION AND SCHEDULE
A. General
Addenda to this RFQ, if issued, will be posted on the City of Atwater website at:
https://www.atwater.org/bids-rfps-rfqs/
All interested firms are required to submit statements of qualification in accordance with
the conditions and dates outlined in this Request for Qualifications (RFQ).
All questions or inquiries regarding this RFQ or the selection process are to be
addressed, in writing only, (e-mail is acceptable) by Wednesday, March 25, 2026 at
5:00 PM to:
Gisela Peralta, Executive Assistant
1160 Fifth Street
Atwater, CA 95301 or
Email: gperalta@atwater.org
Questions received after this time will not be answered. Questions and responses will
be posted on the website. It will be the submitter's responsibility to periodically review
the website for responses to questions and to review any additional information that
may be provided by the City. All interested firms are required to submit Statements of
Qualifications (SOQs) in accordance with the conditions and dates outlined in this
Request for Qualifications (RFQ).
B. Submission
SOQs shall be clear, concise, and responsive to the information requested. The SOQ
shall not exceed twenty (20) pages total (812" x 11"), minimum 12-point font, excluding
required forms and attachments. Pages shall be numbered.
Each proposer shall submit one (1) electronic copy of the SOQ in PDF format via email
(maximum file size 15 MB), labeled with the consultant's name. A separate electronic
file containing the proposed fee schedule shall also be submitted.
SOQs must be received no later than 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 2, 2026. Late
submittals will not be accepted.
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Request for Qualification
City Wide Community Facilities District Consultation
City of Atwater
Attn: Janell Martin, Assistant City Clerk
1160 Fifth Street
Atwater, CA 95301
Email: jmartin@atwater.org
All cost for preparation of the submittals shall be borne by the applicant, and submittals
received shall become the property of the City, whether accepted or rejected. Incomplete
submittals may be rejected as non-responsive. The City of Atwater reserves the right to
reject any or all proposals submitted and the City reserves the right to waive any
irregularities in the proposals.
C. Schedule
The City's tentative schedule for the RFQ process is as follows, subject to change,
depending on the needs of the City.
* Issuance of RFQ: March 12, 2026
* Last day for Request for Information: March 25, 2026 at 5:00 PM
* Deadline for submittal of SOQ: April 2, 2026 at 2:00 PM
* SOQ review and evaluation: Week of April 6th, 2026
* Cost Negotiation, Award contract: Pending City Council Decision
I. SCOPE OF SERVICES
The selected consultant will provide comprehensive support for the formation,
implementation, financing, annexation, and administration of a Citywide Maintenance
CFD. Services include:
A. CFD Formation Services
* Project initiation, data collection, and analysis of maintenance and service needs.
* Development of fiscal models and a defensible Rate and Method of Apportionment
(RMA).
* Preparation of CFD formation documents including boundary maps, resolutions,
notices, and ballots.
* Staff, stakeholder, and City Council presentations.
B. Annexation Services
* Establish annexation procedures for integration with City entitlement processes.
* Review development applications and determine applicable special taxes.
* Prepare annexation resolutions, ballots, disclosures, and related materials.
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C. Annual CFD Administration
* Annual special tax levy and County roll submissions.
* Fund monitoring, delinquency management, and statutory reporting.
* Updating parcel records, prepayment processing, and compliance reporting.
D. Optional Services
* Updates to CFD policies, public outreach materials, GIS mapping, and staff training.
All responsive statements of qualifications will be evaluated and assigned a score by a
team of raters. Successful firm(s) may be invited to participate in an interview to further
discuss their firm's ability to provide the services required by the City. The City is
seeking to execute a twelve (12) month contract (Attachment A) with two (2) options to
extend the term of the agreement following the end of the initial term. Each option term
shall be for a period of twelve (12) months, for a total maximum contract period of thirty-
six (36) months.
II. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
The selected consultant must meet the following requirements:
* Personnel must be qualified, experienced, and capable of performing the services
described.
* Consultant must comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws, including the
Mello-Roos Act.
* Any proposed staff changes must be approved by the City at no additional cost.
* Consultant must provide all equipment and software necessary to complete the work.
* Consultant must be properly licensed in California.
* Consultant must maintain a high standard of professional care and avoid conflicts of
interest.
III. STATEMENT OF QUALIFICATIONS REQUIREMENTS
The City is seeking qualified consultants that demonstrate extensive knowledge and
experience in dealing with municipalities and scope of services listed in this RFQ. To be
considered, all submittals shall be responsive to the RFQ and must contain the following:
1. Cover letter: Shall be addressed to Christopher Hoem, City Manager and must,
at a minimum, contain the following information:
a) Brief summary of Consultant's profile, qualifications and capabilities which
specifically addresses the organization's knowledge and experience under this
RFQ.
b) Proposed subconsultants (if applicable)
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City Wide Community Facilities District Consultation
c) Proposed Consultant's phone number and email address
d) Acknowledgement of receipt of all addenda (if applicable)
e) A statement attesting that all information submitted with the SOQ is true and
correct
f) Signature of the official authorized to negotiate and contractually bind the firm
with the City should an award of contract occur.
2. Qualifications and Experience: The Consultant shall summarize the
qualifications and relevant experience for the consultant firm, proposed any
subconsultants. The following items should be included:
a) Project Team - Identify the contact person with primary responsibility for this
project, other key project personnel, including sub-consultants, and their
individual areas of responsibility. Key personnel listed will be considered as
committed to the project. A resume of all key personnel assigned to the project,
including sub-consultants, shall be submitted.
b) Relevant Project Experience - Describe the team's experience providing State
and/or Federal legislative advocacy services for municipalities or public
agencies. Provide five (5) representative projects completed within the past five
(5) years that are relevant to the Scope of Services. For each project, include
the client name, contact person, phone number, email address, and a brief
description of the services provided.
3. Project Understanding and Approach: The consultant shall provide a narrative
describing the firm's approach to delivering comprehensive Community Facilities
District (CFD) formation, administration, and implementation services, including
coordination with City staff and elected officials, methods for conducting project
and financial analyses, development of CFD structures and special tax strategies,
and practices for accurate and compliant district administration. The narrative
should also address the firm's monitoring and reporting procedures,
communication methods, responsiveness to City needs, and the firm's ability to
adjust services based on City direction, evolving development conditions, or
changing policy and funding priorities.
4. References: Provide two or more references from municipal agencies that can
supply information on the quality of your services during the past two (2) years.
5. Conflict of Interest Statement: Provide a statement of any recent, current or
anticipated contractual obligations which may have a potential to conflict with the
Consultant's work with the City.
6. Contract and Insurance Documentation: The City's standard contract for
professional services is attached for review - See Attachment A. The City requires
that the consultant provide and maintain policies of insurance according to the
contract. If upon review, the Consultant has concerns with the standard contract,
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they may submit a red-lined copy indicating their concerns within their proposal.
The City shall review any requested changes and if deemed appropriate, will
approve the requested changes. If the City does not deem the changes
appropriate, this will be relayed back to the Proposer. Where applicable, an award
of contract will not be recommended if changes are not agreeable to both parties.
7. Fees: Proposers shall provide a fee schedule to include hourly rates and titles of
staff proposed. This information will not be used as a determining factor as to which
firm we will enter into an agreement with. It will be used as a basis of compensation
for future work under the Agreement. Fee information will be considered but shall
not be the sole or determinative factor in selection and will be used as the basis
for contract negotiations.
IV. EVALUATION AND CRITERIA
A Selection Committee will review and evaluate the SOQ submitted based on the
following criteria and maximum points allotted. The committee will "short-list" the most
qualified firms, utilizing the selection criteria listed below. In the event that the Selection
Committee requires an interview, key personnel proposed for the project shall attend.
The committee will review and evaluate the SOQ submitted based on the following criteria
and maximum points allotted.
Criteria POINTS
Consultants understanding of the City's needs under this RFQ
10
and overall responsiveness to the requirements.
Consultant Team - expertise, capabilities and technical
competence of key personnel, familiarity with state and federal
35
procedures, local experience on comparable services/municipal
agencies.
Relevant experience performed by the Consultant Team;
details about comparable services completed by the firm, as 30
well as local experience; ability to provide the required services;
references from agencies
Technical competence and expertise as demonstrated by the
proposer's expressed subject matter understanding, proposed 25
approach, delivery and methodology.
Interview (optional) 20
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Request for Qualification
City Wide Community Facilities District Consultation
ATTACHMENT A - SAMPLE CONTRACT AGREEMENT
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Request for Qualification
City Wide Community Facilities District Consultation
CITY OF ATWATER
DRAFT PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT
This Agreement is made and entered into as of _________ by and between the
City of Atwater, a public agency organized and operating under the laws of the State of
California ("City"), and [***INSERT NAME***], a [***INSERT TYPE OF ENTITY -
CORPORATION, PARTNERSHIP, SOLE PROPRIETORSHIP OR OTHER LEGAL
ENTITY***] with its principal place of business at [***INSERT ADDRESS***] (hereinafter
referred to as "Consultant"). City and Consultant are sometimes individually referred to
as "Party" and collectively as "Parties" in this Agreement.
RECITALS
A. City is a public agency of the State of California and is in need of professional
services for the following project:
________________________________________________________________
______
(hereinafter referred to as "the Project").
B. Consultant is duly licensed and has the necessary qualifications to provide such
services.
C. The Parties desire by this Agreement to establish the terms for City to retain
Consultant to provide the services described herein.
AGREEMENT
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS AGREED AS FOLLOWS:
1. Services.
Consultant shall provide the City with the services described in the Scope of
Services attached hereto as Exhibit "A." [Alternatively, Scope of Services can
be included here and all subsequent exhibits renumbered accordingly.]
2. Compensation.
a. Subject to paragraph 2(b) below, the City shall pay for such services in
accordance with the Schedule of Charges set forth in Exhibit "B."
[Alternatively, Schedule of Charges may be included here and all
subsequent exhibits renumbered accordingly.]
b. In no event shall the total amount paid for services rendered by Consultant
under this Agreement exceed the sum of $ [Insert amount of
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