To: Board of Supervisors
From: Warren Lai, Public Works Director/Chief Engineer
Report Title: Approve Re-Solicitation of Proposals for the CEC Government Fleet EVSE Projects
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
REJECT all bids received on May 7, 2026, for the California Energy Commission (CEC) Government Fleet Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) Projects, and ORDER any bid bonds posted by the bidders to be exonerated and any checks or cash submitted for security shall be returned, and
AUTHORIZE the Public Works Director, or designee, to re-solicit design-build proposals under an Amended RFP for the CEC Government Fleet EVSE Projects, to be received on or about September 29, 2026, and issue RFP addenda, as needed, for clarification of the RFP documents.
APPROVE the project design and the amended criteria documents, including the concept design and specifications, for the above project.
FISCAL IMPACT:
This project was funded by the California Energy Commission (CEC) Grant Funding Opportunity (GFO) 23-606. All installed Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) must meet design requirements and specifications listed in that GFO.
The established contract sum (Fixed Project Price), including Design-Build design and construction costs and Owner Allowances, for all sites for base bid is $7,344,000. Of this amount, $3,644,000 (50%) is expected to be covered by the CEC Government Fleet EVSE Projects with the remainder covered by the Measure X Sustainability Fund.
BACKGROUND:
Contra Costa County is implementing a grant-funded EV charging program to support fleet electrification and achieve carbon neutrality for government operations. On September 10, 2025, as the first phase of the procurement, the Public Works Department published an RFQ soliciting Statements of Qualifications (SOQs) from interested design-build entities. Thirteen SOQs were received and were reviewed, scored, and ranked by a selection committee comprised of County staff. The four highest ranking firms were shortlisted.
The second phase of the design-build procurement was authorized by the Board of Supervisors on February 10, 2026, under Board Letter File #: 26-573, Agenda #: C.67. Following this authorization, a competitive RFP was issued to the four shortlisted firms. However, only one proposal was subsequently received, and it substantially exceeded the anticipated project budget of $5,304,875. As noted in the RFP, the County reserves the right, in its discretion, to reject all Proposals and issue a subsequent request for proposals for the Project.
To address the funding deficit and protect public funds, Public Works has decided to repeat the second phase by issuing a subsequent RFP with a reduced scope of work. By refining deployment configurations and dividing the project into a core scope and strategic add-alternates, the revised scope aligns directly with the established budget while still successfully satisfying the County's critical fleet charging needs and operational goals.
With Board approval, Public Works will invite the four shortlisted design-build firms to submit new proposals for design and construction services to complete the project with a revised scope.
Construction is expected to be completed by Sumer of 2028.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
Without Board of Supervisors approval, the CEC Government Fleet EVSE Projects will not be built, the $3,644,000 CEC grant opportunity will be lost, and the County’s ability to procure electric vehicles as required by County purchasing policy and achieve its carbon reduction goals will be delayed.