To: Sonoma County Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): County Executive Office
Staff Name and Phone Number: David Guhin, Katharine Gabor 707-565-2431
Vote Requirement: 4/5th
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
Consulting Agreement for Wildfire Vulnerability Assessment for County Assets
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Recommended Action:
Recommended action
A) Authorize the County Executive, or designee, to execute an Agreement with Wuuii, Inc. to conduct a wildfire vulnerability assessment of existing County-owned buildings and infrastructure, in an amount not to exceed $356,925, with a term ending on November 30, 2027.
B) Adopt a Budget Resolution that increases the County Executive‘s Office FY 2026-27 budget by $386,925 from the PG&E 2017 Fire Settlement Fund allocation to execute the wildfire vulnerability assessment and support Sonoma Public infrastructure staff time on the project.
(4/5 vote Required)
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Executive Summary:
In 2024, the Board of Supervisors approved the Climate Resilience Comprehensive Action Plan <https://sonoma-county.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=6847082&GUID=2FDE916D-FA11-41CA-85EF-862A1FA994DE> (Climate Plan) which describes climate actions for County operations and lands to make them more resilient to climate hazards. The Climate Plan includes conducting a wildfire vulnerability assessment to identify best management practices for wildfire resilient infrastructure (Wildfire Measure 2.1). The primary objective of this measure is to develop a phased wildfire risk-reduction and structure-hardening plan for County-owned lands and facilities. The Board allocated $400,000 from the PG&E 2017 Fire Settlement Fund to support this measure as part of the Climate Plan’s approval.
The proposed Wildfire Vulnerability Assessment, focused on County buildings and built assets, represents a proactive step toward strengthening wildfire resilience within the County’s property portfolio. Its findings will support facility managers and other County staff in making informed recommendations about assets and facilities and guide future planning, actions, and investments.
Discussion:
Sonoma County has experienced repeated and significant wildfire events that have directly affected County-owned assets, including buildings, infrastructure, and public lands. These impacts reinforce the County’s ongoing emphasis on wildfire resilience and asset protection. County Executive’s Office, Strategic Initiatives Division, has responsibility for advancing selected measures identified in the Climate Resilience Comprehensive Action Plan <https://sonoma-county.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=6847082&GUID=2FDE916D-FA11-41CA-85EF-862A1FA994DE> (Climate Plan).
Wildfire Measure 2.1 recommends conducting “a wildfire vulnerability assessment of existing County building, infrastructure, and lands (built assets, parks, public rights of way, wooded/brush covered areas, and other vegetated spaces) in wildfire hazard areas to identify applicable defensible space and structure hardening practices”. When the Board adopted the Climate Plan, the Board allocated $400,000 from the PG&E 2017 Fire Settlement Fund towards this initiative.
To pursue implementing this initiative, in December 2025, staff issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) seeking qualified consultants with expertise in wildfire risk, defensible space and structure-hardening assessments, associated analytical software, and Geographic Information System (GIS) tools. Proposers were directed to provide:
• A review of existing databases on historical, current, and projected wildfire and climate conditions in Sonoma County.
• Defensible space and structure hardening assessments for County buildings and infrastructure at the address/parcel or campus level.
• A prioritized list of resiliency and adaptation actions, considering wildfire risk, asset criticality, departmental operational needs, and cost.
• A final report for County facility and land managers to inform future planning, actions, investments, and policy decisions related to wildfire resilience.
• An interactive and updateable map illustrating building and infrastructure vulnerability for use in communication with County executives and the Board of Supervisors.
Proposers were evaluated on their:
• Demonstrated ability to successfully complete the project as described.
• Cost relative to scope
• Demonstrated experience providing similar services.
• Quality of work confirmed through reference checks.
• Experience, qualifications, and expertise of proposed staff.
The County received ten proposals. Proposal review and interview committees made up of staff from the County Executive’s Office, Public Infrastructure, Regional Parks, and Permit Sonoma conducted the evaluations. Overall, the committees noted a strong and competitive proposal pool.
Three firms were selected for interviews and follow-up questions. Following the interview process, Wuuii, Inc. was unanimously recommended by the interview committee due to the exceptional alignment of their prior work and capabilities with the scope outlined in the RFP. Major tasks associated with the proposed workplan include:
• A review of climate and wildfire conditions in the County
• Site-specific defensible space and structure hardening assessments
• Prioritization of resiliency and adaptation actions
• Mapping of building and asset vulnerabilities
Staff recommends entering into an agreement with Wuuii, Inc., from July 2026 to November 30, 2027, for a total not to exceed contract amount of $356,925.
Further, Public Infrastructure has requested $30,000 for time spent on the project to support the onsite visits of the vendor and hosting the assessment results. Other partners including ISD, Permit Sonoma, Human Resources- Risk Management, Regional Parks, and the Department of Emergency Management will spend comparatively less time on the project, primarily in meetings or deliverables review, and as such, funding is not directly allocated to them.
Scope of Services, Outcomes, and Next Steps
The vendor’s scope of services includes:
• Reviewing existing information on climate and wildfire conditions in the County.
• Conducting site-specific defensible space and structure hardening assessments for a selected list of buildings and built assets.
• Developing a prioritization scheme for resiliency and adaptation actions.
• Mapping vulnerabilities of buildings and assets in GIS.
The defensible space and structure hardening assessments in this project apply to buildings and built assets. Land and other elements identified in the Measure are outside the scope of this assessment and if pursued in the future, will require additional funding as this current assessment will expend most of the funds set aside for this measure.
Public Infrastructure (PI) and Human Resources-Risk Management staff, in consultation with Departments, will select buildings and built assets for hardening assessments. Selection will consider factors such as location, value, function, and anticipated lifespan. Once assessments are complete, the vendor will recommend a prioritized list of resiliency and adaptation actions based on wildfire risk, infrastructure criticality, cost and ease of replacement, and other relevant factors. These findings will help facility managers and other County staff make informed recommendations to support future planning, actions, and investments.
Work products from this assessment will include:
• A wildfire risk to County assets deliverable
• Defensible space and structure hardening assessments for up to 400 assets
• A prioritized list of resiliency and adaptation actions,
• GIS-format mapping of building and asset vulnerability data
• A final report.
At the conclusion of this project, Public Infrastructure’s GIS team will assume responsibility for managing the assessment data. They will develop an internal interface enabling County staff to update project data and track implementation of building resiliency and adaptation actions.
This project’s budget does not include funding to carry out the recommended resiliency and adaptation actions. Determining whether and how to pursue the recommendations arising from this assessment will require additional discussion and decision-making.
Strategic Plan:
By informing implementation of wildfire resiliency and adaptation actions this project is strongly aligned with the Climate and Resiliency and Resilient Infrastructure pillar of the Strategic Plan.
Pillar: Climate Action and Resiliency
Goal: Goal 3: Make all County facilities carbon free, zero waste and resilient
Objective: Objective 1: Design or retrofit County facilities to be carbon neutral, zero waste and incorporate resilient construction techniques and materials.
Racial Equity:
Was this item identified as an opportunity to apply the Racial Equity Toolkit?
No
Prior Board Actions:
September 10, 2024: Approval of the Climate Resilience Comprehensive Action Plan and Near-term Funding, including up to $400,000 for Wildfire measure 2.1.
Fiscal Summary
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Expenditures |
FY26-27 Adopted |
FY27-28 Projected |
FY28-29 Projected |
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Budgeted Expenses |
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Additional Appropriation Requested |
$386,925 |
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Total Expenditures |
$386,925 |
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Funding Sources |
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General Fund/WA GF |
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State/Federal |
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Fees/Other |
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Use of Fund Balance |
$386,925 |
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General Fund Contingencies |
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Total Sources |
$386,925 |
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Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
With approval of the Climate Plan, $400,000 from the PG&E 2017 Fire Settlement Fund was allocated to support Wildfire Measure 2, which provides funding for the Wildfire Vulnerability Assessment.
$356,925 will fund this contract with Wuuii, Inc. and $30,000 will be allocated to Sonoma Public Infrastructure Facility Operations and GIS staff for work associated with the project.
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Staffing Impacts: |
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Position Title (Payroll Classification) |
Monthly Salary Range (A-I Step) |
Additions (Number) |
Deletions (Number) |
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Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
N/A
Attachments:
Attachment 1: Contract for Professional Services with Wuuii, Inc.
Attachment 2: Budget resolution
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
Not applicable.