BOARD MEETING DATE: October 2, 2009
AGENDA NO. 16

PROPOSAL:

Execute Contract for the Refinement of Sub-County Geography

SYNOPSIS:

On April 3, 2009, the Board authorized the release of an RFP to refine the current sub-county geography for socioeconomic impact assessments. Five proposals were received and evaluated. This action is to execute a contract with Cal Poly Pomona Foundation, Inc. in an amount not to exceed $49,530 to update the existing geography with available census data.

COMMITTEE:

Administrative, September 18, 2009, Recommended for Approval

RECOMMENDED ACTIONS:

1. Appropriate $49,530 from the Undesignated Fund Balance to the Professional and Special Services Account in the Planning, Rule Development and Area Sources FY 2009-2010 Budget.
    
2. Authorize the Chairman to execute a contract with Cal Poly Pomona Foundation, Inc. for refining sub-county geography in an amount not to exceed $49,530.
    

Barry R. Wallerstein, D.Env.
Executive Officer

Background

AQMD conducts socioeconomic impact assessments of the Air Quality Management Plan (AQMP) that include costs, health benefits, and employment impacts based on the four-county geography. The assessments are performed at the sub-county level by grouping contiguous census tracts that have similar political, geographical, and social characteristics. The yearly American Community Survey on population and housing since 2005 provides a unique opportunity to assess the impact of changing communities on the current geography.

In April 2009, RFP #P2009-15 was released to solicit proposals from qualified independent contractors to refine the existing 19 sub-county geography used for the socioeconomic impact assessments of the AQMP. No proposal was submitted by the deadline of May 5, 2009. In June, RFP #P2009-15 was released again, and five proposals were received.
 

Proposals

Of the five proposals received, two were rated technically qualified to perform the work identified in the RFP. The remaining three did not achieve the minimum 56 points required to meet the technical criteria. Table 1 reflects the evaluation results of the two technically qualified proposals.

Table 1: Proposal Evaluation Results for RFP #P2009-15

It is recommended that the Board authorize the Chairman to execute a contract with Cal Poly Pomona Foundation, Inc. in an amount not to exceed $49,525.20. The Cal Poly Pomona team is headed by Professor Michael Reibel who has a Ph.D. in Geography from UCLA and is a Professor of Geography at Cal Poly Pomona. Professor Reibel has performed several GIS-related projects.  He has published several articles on managing spatial data for various geography and is on the editorial board of Urban Geography. 

The $60,000 appropriated to the FY 2008-09 Budget for the sub-county refinement was not spent or encumbered. Thus, the money was reverted back to the Undesignated Fund Balance. It is recommended that the Board appropriate $49,530 from the Undesignated Fund Balance to the Professional and Special Services Account in the Planning, Rule Development and Area Sources FY 2009-10 Budget.
 

Panel Composition

The proposal evaluation panel was comprised of one Program Supervisor, one Systems and Programming Supervisor, and one Senior Staff Specialist. Of the three panelists, one is Asian and two are Caucasian; two male, one female.
 

Outreach

In accordance with AQMD’s Procurement Policy and Procedure, a public notice advertising the RFP and inviting bids was published in the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County Register, the San Bernardino Sun, and Riverside County Press Enterprise newspapers to leverage the most cost-effective method of outreach to the entire South Coast Basin.

Additionally, potential bidders were notified utilizing AQMD’s own electronic listing of certified minority vendors. Notice of the RFP was mailed to the Black and Latino Legislative Caucuses and various minority chambers of commerce and business associations, and placed on the Internet at AQMD’s Web site (http://www.aqmd.gov where it can be viewed by making menu selections “Inside AQMD”/“Employment and Business Opportunities”/“Business Opportunities” or by going directly to http://www.aqmd.gov/rfp/index.html). Information was also available on AQMD’s bidder’s 24-hour telephone message line (909) 396-2724.
 

Resource Impacts

Funding is available from the General Fund, Undesignated Fund Balance.