I. Introduction to the Request for Proposals (RFP)

Tulare County is located in California's San Joaquin Valley. The county is located between the Sierra Nevada Mountains on the east and Coastal Mountains on the west and is situated 180 miles north of Los Angeles and 200 miles south of San Francisco. State Route 99, a major north- south corridor in the state, provides direct access to Los Angeles and Sacramento. State Highway 198 provides an east to west corridor between Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks and Interstate 5 in Fresno County.

The centralized location and affordable land cost attract industries that need efficient access to transportation facilities throughout the state. Tulare County's economic environment is dominated by agricultural production, but also includes other industries like manufacturing, food production and processing, and retail distribution. Tulare County is home to approximately 471,842 residents whom support this economic environment.

The Tulare County Association of Governments (TCAG) invites submission of proposals from qualified consultants for conducting a Transit Triennial Performance Audit (pursuant to PUC Section 99246) of the Tulare County Association of Governments and the public transit operators (7)in Tulare County. The audit shall be conducted in accordance with the Transportation Development Act (TDA). The purpose of the performance audit is to describe how TCAG is meeting its administrative and planning obligations under TDA, as well as to present a description of its organizational management and efficiency. The audit will also provide an independent, constructive and objective evaluation of the efficiency, effectiveness, and economy of the operation of all seven of the transit agencies within Tulare County. The audit should be conducted in accordance with the efficiency, economy and program results portion of the Comptroller General's "Standards for Audit of Governmental Organizations, Programs, Activities and Functions Programs, Activities and Functions."

II. Scope of Services and Schedule

The performance audit will be divided into two functional areas: an audit of TCAG performance, and an audit of the transit operators' performance.

1. TCAG Performance Audit:

The consultant will be required to review and determine TCAG's compliance with the Transportation Development Act and related sections of the California Administrative Code. The specific code sections for which compliance is to be verified are those specified within the "Performance Audit Guidebook for Transit Operators and Regional Transportation Planning Entities". If the consultant identifies instances of non-compliance in their review, a finding regarding the noncompliance must be made within the audit report.

The consultant will review the most recent prior performance audit for TCAG, and assess TCAG's implementation of the audit recommendations. The auditor will need to make determinations as to whether recommendations, which have not been implemented, are (a) no longer applicable, (b) infeasible, or (c) still need to be implemented.

The consultant will review each TCAG TDA-related function, consistent with "Performance Audit Guidebook for Transit Operators and Regional Transportation Planning Entities." The functional review is expected to include interviews with TCAG management, staff, members of the governing board, as well as with operators under TCAG's jurisdiction. Supplemental interviews with other regional, state, or federal agencies may be appropriate to gather more detailed information about areas of concern. Concerns over inefficient or ineffective TCAG performance may be raised by:

• TCAG and/or operator interviews concerning TCAG functions;
• Documents, such as the regional transportation plan, and adopted procedures for evaluating TDA claims;
• Follow-up of prior performance audits; and
• Review of TCAG compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements.

Such concerns of inefficient or ineffective performance should lead to further investigation. The detailed investigation of functional concerns, problems, and potential improvements should make up the basis of most findings in the audit report.

2. Transit Operators Performance Audits:

The seven transit operators as defined by TDA are:

• The City of Dinuba
• The City of Porterville
• The City of Tulare
• The City of Visalia
• The County of Tulare
• The City of Exeter
• The City of Woodlake

The performance audits must meet the requirements set forth in the most recent approved Performance Audit Guidebook. The evaluation of the operators will be divided into two groups:

• Group A consists of the City of Woodlake and the City of Exeter which provide only demand responsive services within their city boundaries.
• Group B consists of the City of Dinuba, City of Porterville, City of Tulare, City of Visalia, and County of Tulare which provide both a demand responsive system and fixed route services.

The audits of both Group A and Group B shall evaluate the operators based on the management of the services, their specific transit plans, and their relationship to operations, service goals and objectives.

The individual operator audits shall verify the following information for fiscal years 2015/16, 2016/17, and 2017/18:

• Operating cost per passenger
• Operating cost per vehicle service hour
• Passengers per vehicle service hour
• Passengers per vehicle service mile
• Vehicle service hours per employee
• Fare box ratio and recovery
• Passengers per no-show
• Average fare
• Vehicle spare ratio

All operators shall be evaluated by the above criteria for their demand responsive services. Group B operators shall have the route system portion of their services evaluated by the above criteria separately. The consultant will review and validate the operator's collection of basic data needed to calculate these indicators for each fiscal year covered in this audit. The consultant will be expected to analyze performance indicators with the intent of identifying potential issues or concerns that may be further examined during the functional review. In addition to the functional review described in the performance audit guidelines, the consultant will be expected to select, calculate, and analyze additional performance indicators, which are appropriate to identify, quantify, and/or resolve performance problems and potential areas for improvement.

The consultant will be required to review and determine the operators' compliance with the Transportation Development Act and related sections of the California Code of Regulations. At a minimum, the Code Sections for which compliance is to be verified are those specified within the "Performance Audit Guidebook for Transit Operators and Regional Transportation Planning Entities," published by the California Department of Transportation. Should the consultant identify instances of non-compliance, a finding regarding the non-compliance will be made in the audit report.

The consultant will review the most recent prior performance audit for the operators, and access the operator's implementation of audit recommendations. The auditor will need to make determinations as to whether recommendations, which have not been implemented, are (a) no longer applicable, (b) infeasible, or (c) should still be implemented. If a prior audit recommendation has not been implemented but still has merit, the consultant will include the prior audit recommendation in the current audit report. The consultant will evaluate recommendations which have been implemented or are being implemented. For these recommendations, the consultant will assess the benefits provided (or likely to be provided) by the recommendation. Significant accomplishments in implementing prior recommendations should be recognized.

This project is approved in the 2017/18 Overall Work Program for the Tulare County Association of Governments. Final Audits are due April 30, 2019. The consultant shall provide a detailed schedule of the requested services. All working meetings should be scheduled and coordinated with the TCAG Project Manager.

Draft Audits are due March 7, 2019. After TCAG and the operators review and comment on the draft, the consultant must deliver 3 (three) paper and 1 (one) electronic copy of each audit to TCAG (including original source files). The report must address each of the performance audit project requirements outlined above, and the final audits must be delivered no later than April 30, 2019.

The consultant shall keep project manager updated on project status and immediately notify project manager of issues which need further attention. Updates must occur at least once a month.

III. Timeline

The following project schedule is estimated. Prospective consultants are encouraged to submit a revised schedule in their proposal that reflects their dates of project delivery, ending no later than April 30, 2019. The proposal must indicate if this schedule can be maintained.

IV. Budget and Invoicing

The budget for tasks outlined in the contract is not to exceed a total of $50,000 in Fiscal year 2018/19. A $5,000 contingency will be made available for unforeseen tasks that may occur and that fall within the scope of this contract. Contingency funds and the scope for their use will be agreed upon in writing by the TCAG Executive Director and Consultant. Invoices with a breakdown of which tasks have been completed and the percentage of each task completed will be submitted at the end of each month. All invoices must include a description of work completed and the hourly rate and expenditures for each employee. Direct expenses should include receipts or an acceptable form of backup.

V. Proposal Requirements

Please see full RFP at www.tularecog.org

VI. Scoring Criteria, Submission and Selection

Please see full RFP at www.tularecog.org

VII. Proposal Submittal

Proposals must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 24, 2018 to the address below. Three bound copies and one electronic copy of each proposal should be submitted.

Tulare County Association of Governments
Attn: Kasia Poleszczuk
210 N. Church Street, Suite
B Visalia, CA 93291

VIII. Questions

Questions should be directed to Kasia Poleszczuk, TCAG Associate Regional Planner at KThompson1@TulareCOG.org or 559-623-0461. Questions will be accepted until 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 8, 2018. Please check www.tularecog.org regularly for amendments or additional information on this RFP. Consultants that are applying are forbidden from contacting members of the Tulare County Association of Governments to discuss their proposal. Failure to comply with this requirement may cause your proposal to be denied without review.