Site work and new construction of a service station / car wash facility in Scotts Valley, California. Completed plans call for the construction of a service station / car wash facility; and for site work for a service station / car wash facility.

The Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District ("Santa Cruz METRO" or "METRO") is soliciting Statements of Qualifications ("SOQs") from qualified firms to be the Design-Build entity ("Contractor" or "Respondent") to design, construct, commission, and maintain a turnkey hydrogen fuel storage, compression and dispensing ("FSCD") station that will serve to fuel METRO's fleet of fuel cell electric buses ("FCEBs") (referred to as the "Services" or "PROJECT"), in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Request for Qualifications. If Proposers want to change out a Key Team Member (firm or individual) listed in the SOQ, it will require submittal of additional qualifications and experience information in the RFP and approval by METRO. The RFP process will include a Pre-Proposal Conference and Site Visit. Questions from Short-listed Respondents will be addressed during the RFP step, with METRO's responses and RFP Addenda issued to all Shortlisted Respondents. METRO may conduct interviews after Proposal submission, at its discretion. Following receipt of Proposals, METRO will assemble an Evaluation Team which will review and evaluate each Proposal received, and ultimately select a DesignBuilder from among the Shortlisted Respondents. The evaluation will be based on a Best Value basis (i.e., not low-bid based selection). The Evaluation Team will rank Proposals and may enter into negotiations with the top-ranked Proposer. METRO's Board of Directors will award the Project to the Proposer whose Proposal presents the best value to METRO based on the evaluation criteria included within the RFP, subject to METRO's rights as described in the RFQ and RFP BACKGROUND INFORMATION :Santa Cruz METRO, a California political subdivision organized pursuant to California Public Utilities Code Section 98000 et seq., is the sole public transit operator in Santa Cruz County, and operates its transit services through four (4) transit centers located at: Pacific Station in downtown Santa Cruz, River Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060; Watsonville Transit Center, 475 Rodriguez Street, Watsonville, CA 95076; Bart Cavallero Transit Center, 246 Kings Village Drive, Scotts Valley, CA 95066; and Capitola Mall, 1855 41st Avenue, Capitola, CA 95010. It has a fleet of 94 buses and operates 24 routes. Santa Cruz METRO also provides paratransit services utilizing a fleet of shuttles and mini-vans. Santa Cruz METRO's service area is the entire county, an area of 441 square miles, with a population of 274,255 (according to the 2018 United States Census). Santa Cruz METRO was formed in 1968 and is a local public agency. METRO is undertaking a zero emission bus ("ZEB") transition for its fleet in accordance with California's Innovative Clean Transportation rule. METRO is also undertaking a significant intercity transit service expansion to establish a new rapid bus service connecting historically disadvantaged communities in Watsonville to Santa Cruz County. As part of this expansion, METRO has contracted with New Flyer to procure 53 FCEBs, consisting of 44 40-ft XHE40 FCEBs and nine 60-ft XHE60 FCEBs. METRO will receive rolling deliveries of the FCEBs through June 2025. The scope of the FSCD PROJECT includes the permitting, design, procurement of equipment and materials, construction, installation, commissioning, warranty, provision of hydrogen fuel for, and maintenance, of the permanent hydrogen fuel infrastructure to be sited at METRO's Judy K. Souza Operations Facility ("JKS") located at 1200 River Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060. This location will also be the primary storage lot for METRO's fleet of FCEBs. The FCSD will include a liquid hydrogen storage tank with a minimum capacity of 18,000 gallons to support METRO's fleet of 57 FCEBs by 2025, with potential future expansion of the FCEB fleet, as further detailed in the Part 3 of this RFQ, Scope of Services. METRO's ZEB Transition Rollout Plan envisions a future fleet that could have up to 119 FCEBs by 2037. METRO is currently procuring a Mobile Hydrogen Fuel Solution ("MHFS") and Hydrogen Fueling Services from 2024 to support the initial operation of the FCEBs until this PROJECT is complete. This PROJECT is primarily funded from the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program ("TIRCP"), Cycle 6 (FY23). The amount of funds budgeted for the Design-Build component of this PROJECT is $8.7 million. METRO has budgeted additional funds for METRO's other hydrogen infrastructure projects. METRO anticipates awarding the Notice to Proceed by September 1, 2024 and issuing Final Acceptance by July 31, 2025. If approved by METRO's Board of Directors, the successful Proposer will execute a DesignBuild Contract to design and construct the PROJECT. If approved by the Board of Directors, the successful Proposer will also execute a contract for maintenance of PROJECT and provision of hydrogen fueling services for a three (3) year base term, with up to two (2) one-year option terms to extend the contract at METRO's sole discretion. METRO anticipates executing both contracts before the PROJECT commences, however, the maintenance and fueling services contract will become effective upon Final Acceptance of the hydrogen fueling station, as further described in the maintenance and fueling services contract. Contact Information: Joan Jeffries, Purchasing Manager, procurements@scmtd.com Questions/Requests for Clarifications Due June 3, 2024 prior to 5:00 pm Santa Cruz METRO's Response to Questions/ Requests for Clarifications June 7, 2024 Shortlisting Notification Week of June 24 2024 *Request for Proposals ("RFP") Issued Week of July 1, 2024 *Pre-Proposal Conference and Site Visit July 11, 2024, at 10:00am *Questions/Requests for Clarifications Due Week of July 15, 2024 *Santa Cruz METRO's Response to Questions/ Requests for Clarifications Week of July 22, 2024 *Proposals Due Week of August 5, 2024 *Interviews (if applicable) Week of August 12, 2024 *Contract Award (tentative) August 23, 2024 *Contract Start Date (tentative) September 1, 2024 All questions and requests for clarification or modification of the RFQ should be submitted via Electronically to the right of the Questions Due Date. METRO's response to questions and/or requests for clarification will be made by written addendum and posted to the Procurement Portal. Respondents will be notified of addenda issued by METRO in the Procurement Portal. Please refer to the Solicitation Schedule of this RFP for deadlines for submitting questions and/or requests for clarification. All communications from prospective Respondents must be sent Electronically. General questions concerning METRO's procurement process can be addressed to METRO's Purchasing department at procurements@scmtd.com The point of contact for this RFQ is Joan Jeffries, Purchasing Manager, procurements@scmtd.com All communications related to this RFQ must be directed to the point of contact through METRO's Procurement Portal as outlined in the Questions and Requests for Clarification section. Contact with any other METRO staff may be grounds for disqualification of the SOQ