Transportation Pricing and Incentives Pilots (Joint Request for Proposals) (RFP#2022-05)

JOINT REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS - TRANSPORTATION PRICING AND INCENTIVES PILOTS (RFP# 2022-04) Administered by SACRAMENTO AREA COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS on behalf of the SACRAMENTO AREA COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS (SACOG), SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATIONG OF GOVERNMENTS (SCAG), and SAN DIEGO ASSOCIATION OF GOVERNMENTS (SANDAG) California has set ambitious climate goals that can only be met by supplementing the state’s efforts to electrify vehicle trips with local programs to reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and congestion. Implementing VMT reduction programs is central to Executive Order 19-19, which requires alignment between transportation investments and state goals on greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction and climate change mitigation. The 2017 Scoping Plan further specifies that the current “gap” between anticipated results of known state greenhouse gas reduction programs and Senate Bill (SB) 375 should be bridged through additional VMT reductions, and Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) have a major role and responsibility to achieve the needed, additional VMT reductions. SB 743 has sharpened the focus on VMT reduction as a necessary part of achieving state climate change goals. Variable pricing and incentives for alternative mode use are potentially powerful tools to achieve the behavioral changes needed to achieve our statewide objectives. Fuel taxes are an unsustainable primary source in raising revenue for maintenance and development of the transportation system. As the fleet of vehicles using the roads becomes more fuel-efficient, and includes more hybrid, electric, and ultimately, fuel cell vehicles, the disconnect between fuel consumption and roadway use will widen. As California is leading the changeover from fuel taxes to a road user charge as the basis for generating revenue, the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) —in partnership with Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) and San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG)—wants to complement this work by creating a common design framework for MPO-led transportation pricing pilots that will be flexible to allow for adaptation to local needs and policy issues. Future pricing pilots that are launched using this framework will: 1. Create a better understanding and defined set of policy issues to be addressed in a transportation pricing program design. E.g., How would an integrated mobility payment system, such as a mobility wallet, work for different drivers throughout different regions? What equity impacts need to be considered in a mobility payment system? What issues should be considered when examining the effects of transportation pricing for residents who live in areas with varying levels of alternative modes available, such as rural and suburban communities? 2. Promote efficient system management by piloting the integration of incentives with fees. E.g., Can subsidies for using transit, incentives for carpooling, and other transportation demand management (TDM) measures promote behavioral changes and enhance the effect of pricing, while also increasing public acceptance of transportation pricing? Can these incentives add to VMT reductions, reduce negative impacts to low-income and rural communities, and help to achieve the State’s ambitious climate goals? SACOG, SCAG, and SANDAG (“Partner MPOs”) are seeking consultant services for two (2) phases of work outlined in the Scope of Work. In Phase I (funded through a Caltrans Planning Grant), Partner MPOs will select a consultant or team of consultants to develop a common research design framework for transportation pricing pilots that would begin to answer some of these policy questions. Phase II will be dedicated to launching pilots in each of the three regions, collectively leveraging relationships with our 231 cities and 13 counties while building on knowledge gained through the Phase I research project. In Phase II, each Partner MPO will have the opportunity to identify funding and contract directly with the selected consultant (or team) and/or procure another consultant (or team) to implement the pilots in their respective MPO regions. Spanning the entirety of Southern California and the large metropolitan area surrounding the State’s capital, the project area contains 62.3% of California’s population. Proposers may submit an offer on Phase I only, or both project Phases. Proposers may not submit an offer on Phase II only. Proposers will be evaluated on their proposals for Phase I and will not receive additional points for submitting offers on Phase II. Proposers that do not submit proposals for Phase II would be precluded from any future procurements that may be conducted for Phase II if the proposer has an unfair competitive advantage.