To: Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): Sonoma County Public Infrastructure
Staff Name and Phone Number: Johannes J. Hoevertsz, 707-565-2550
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
2025 On-Call Right-of-Way Services Agreements
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
A) Approve and authorize the Director of Sonoma County Public Infrastructure to execute On-Call Professional Services Agreements with seven right-of-way services consultants, each with a three-year term and an aggregate not-to-exceed amount for all seven contracts of $1,000,000.
B) Delegate to the Director of Sonoma County Public Infrastructure the authority to execute individual task orders under the Agreements for any amount up to the aggregate not-to-exceed value of $1,000,000.
C) Delegate to the Director of Sonoma County Public Infrastructure the authority to execute up to two, one-year, no-cost time extensions, for a maximum potential contract period of five years.
end
Executive Summary:
Sonoma County Public Infrastructure (SPI) is requesting that the Board of Supervisors approve and authorize the Director of SPI to execute agreements with seven right-of-way (ROW) consultants to provide services associated with easements (temporary and permanent), real property appraisal, appraisal review, acquisition, and relocation services connected to specific infrastructure capital improvement and maintenance projects. The proposed contracts will augment, and support services provided by the County’s principal ROW consultant and are a critical element of SPI’s capacity to quickly deliver major infrastructure improvements and effectively respond to disaster recovery efforts.
Discussion:
Road and bridge construction and maintenance projects managed by SPI frequently require acquisition of easements and other real estate property. Examples include temporary construction easements for equipment and material staging, permanent right of way (easements and fee simple) for construction, and access for maintenance of roads, sidewalks, bridges, and other infrastructure. SPI does not currently employ staff who possess the necessary qualifications for this type of work and has utilized a combination of a dedicated ROW consultant and on-call ROW consultants for these tasks since 2015.
With the current agreements scheduled to expire, SPI is now requesting Board approval of seven new agreements for on-call ROW services. If approved, the term for each new contract will be three years, with the option of two 1-year time extensions. The aggregate, no-to-exceed value of all seven agreements is $1,000,000; however, there is no minimum quantity or value of work guaranteed, and any individual consultant can perform any value of work up to the aggregate, not-to-exceed limit. This structure has been adopted due to SPI’s expectation that some or all projects may receive federal funding, and this approach is consistent with federal regulations and Caltrans’ guidance.
This new shortlist will replace the 2021 On-Call ROW Services shortlist, under which SPI issued 12 separate Task Orders. A total of $585,396 was awarded across five selected firms over a 4-year period, each of which held contracts with a not-to-exceed value of $500,000. There are open Task Orders for the 2021 Agreements which will remain active until the work is completed; however, no new Task Orders will be issued under the 2021 Agreements. SPI has notified all applicable employee collective bargaining units as required, and to date no objection or other response has been received.
On June 24, 2025, in accordance with the Caltrans Two-Step Method and County Procurement policies, SPI issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to provide on-call ROW services with the goal of having services available in November 2025. In response to the RFQ, SPI received nine proposals and selected the seven most qualified firms. The selected firms, in alphabetical order, are:
• Associated Right of Way Services, Inc.
• Bender Rosenthal, Inc.
• Dokken Engineering, Inc.
• Interwest Consulting Group, Inc.
• Monument ROW
• Paragon Partners Consultants, Inc.
• Universal Field Services, Inc.
The primary selection criteria included understanding of scope of work, similar experience to required services, technical ability, and consultant qualifications (including key staff and subconsultants). Rates were not considered for selection criteria and were not received until after all proposals had been evaluated and the shortlist selected.
Should the Board approve the execution of the On-Call agreements as recommended, SPI will solicit individual proposals from the shortlisted consultants using project-specific Task Orders. Each Task Order will outline a defined scope of work, and each shortlisted firm will have the opportunity to submit a detailed proposal and cost estimate in response. The cost estimate will be based on the rates of compensation established in the On-Call agreements approved with this Board Item. SPI will then execute the individual task order for the project.
Though this method is time intensive at the beginning, it allows SPI to react quickly once the shortlist of On-Call Agreements is approved by the Board. A Request for Proposals may take from three to six months to go from proposal to executed contract; however, a Task Order can be advertised and awarded to a shortlisted firm in as little as three to four weeks. While SPI may not use the full $1,000,000 value of these agreements, the requested not-to-exceed limit provides flexibility and critical capacity to deliver the infrastructure and recovery projects currently committed to and future disaster recovery efforts.
Strategic Plan:
This item directly supports the County’s Five-year Strategic Plan and is aligned with the following pillar, goal, and objective.
Pillar: Resilient Infrastructure
Goal: Goal 3: Continue to invest in critical road, bridge, bicycle, and pedestrian infrastructure.
Objective: Objective 2: Increase investment by 5% annually on preventive maintenance on all road infrastructure/facilities.
Racial Equity:
Was this item identified as an opportunity to apply the Racial Equity Toolkit?
No
Prior Board Actions:
12/7/2021 Item #35 - On Call Right-of-Way Services Agreements
12/4/2018 Item #20 - On Call Right-of-Way Services Agreements
3/17/2015 Item #20 - On Call Right-of-Way Services Agreements
Fiscal Summary
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
There is no direct fiscal impact from this Board Action as no Task Orders are being awarded at this time. Work authorized by the Task Order process outlined in this Board Item will be included in the annual Road Fund (11051-3401010x) Recommended Budget each year. The Road Fund derives its funding from a variety of sources including: the State Highway Users Tax, SB1, Federal and State Grants, as well as contributions from Sonoma County’s General Fund.
Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
None.
Attachments:
On Call Right-of-Way Services 2025 PSA
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
ARWS OCRW25 PSA
Bender Rosenthal OCRW25 PSA
Dokken OCRW25 PSA
Interwest OCRW25 PSA
Monument OCRW25 PSA
Paragon OCRW25 PSA
UFS OCRW25 PSA