Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Jasneet W. Sharma, Director, Sustainability Department
Subject: Extending Contract with Rincon Consultants, Inc. for Climate Action Planning Technical Assistance for the San Mateo County Regionally Integrated Climate Action Planning Support (RICAPS) Climate Collaborative Program
RECOMMENDATION:
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Adopt a resolution authorizing an amendment to an agreement with Rincon Consultants, Inc. for climate action planning technical assistance to implement the San Mateo County Regionally Integrated Climate Action Planning Support Climate Collaborative program and to support San Mateo County jurisdictions in developing, implementing, and tracking climate action plans, extending the contract end date to October 19, 2026, and increasing the agreement amount by $208,000 to an amount not to exceed $1,333,781.
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BACKGROUND:
The San Mateo County Sustainability Department has administered the Regionally Integrated Climate Action Planning Support (RICAPS) program since 2011 to provide strategic guidance and technical support to the County and 20 local jurisdictions develop and implement climate action plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and meet countywide reduction goals. Since its establishment, the program, through a collective impact model and monthly working groups for sustainability staff, has been a unique example of local governments working together to achieve regional synergy in reducing carbon pollution that leads to climate change. The program has also received multiple awards, including a 2015 Institute for Local Government Beacon Award, 2017 Climate Leadership Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the 2021-2022 County Stars Award.
The County has contracted with Rincon Consultants, Inc. since October 2021 to provide project management assistance with the RICAPS program, including technical assistance for climate action planning to all cities and towns, developing template policies and technical guides, and supporting collaboration on countywide climate action implementation.
Funding for climate action technical assistance for the RICAPS program is currently provided to the Department primarily from two sources: Peninsula Clean Energy (PCE) and the City/County Association of Governments of San Mateo County (C/CAG) via the San Mateo County Energy Watch (SMCEW) program, a local government partnership with C/CAG funded by Pacific Gas and Electric Company.
Rincon Consultants was selected as part of a competitive Request for Proposal process and awarded Contract No. 40000-22-D012 on October 22, 2021 for $200,000 for climate action technical support services. On February 7, 2022, the Director of the Sustainability Department executed a no-cost Amendment 1 to the Contract to add billing rates for Rincon’s subcontractor, DKS, that were inadvertently omitted from the original agreement.
On January 3, 2023, this Board authorized Amendment 2 to the Contract, increasing the agreement amount by $190,000 to an amount not to exceed $390,000, and extending the end date from September 30, 2023 to December 31, 2023 (Resolution No. 079401).
On April 11, 2023, this Board authorized a separate contract with PCE to accept $285,000 to fund the RICAPS program from May 1 through December 31, 2025 (Resolution No. 079557).
On June 13, 2023, this Board authorized a separate contract with C/CAG to accept $1,763,000 in additional funding for the San Mateo County Energy Watch Program and extend the date to December 31, 2025 (Resolution No. 079759). From this contract, $412,000 was allocated to the County’s Contract with Rincon Consultants, Inc. to implement the RICAPS program.
On July 25, 2023, this Board authorized Amendment 3 to the Contract with Rincon Consultants, Inc., increasing the agreement amount by $717,000 to an amount not to exceed $1,107,000 and extending the end date to December 31, 2025 (Resolution No. 079841).
On November 27, 2024, the Director of the Sustainability Department authorized Amendment 4 to the Contract with Rincon Consultants, Inc., adding $18,781 for a new total of $1,125,781 to fund a carbon sequestration study for the Government Operations Climate Action Plan.
On October 7, 2025, this Board authorized an amendment to the contract with C/CAG to accept $1,210,250 in additional funding for the San Mateo County Energy Watch Program and extend the date to December 31, 2027 (Resolution No. 081460). From this contract, $124,000 was allocated to the County’s Contract with Rincon Consultants, Inc. to implement the RICAPS program for an additional 10 months.
DISCUSSION:
The agreement between the County and Rincon Consultants, Inc. is being amended (Amendment 5) to add $208,000, increasing the total not to exceed amount to $1,333,781, and extend the contract end date from December 31, 2025 to October 19, 2026, bringing it to a five-year term.
During the December 9, 2025 Board meeting, the Board will have the opportunity to authorize a contract with PCE to accept $95,000 to fund the RICAPS program for an additional year, ending on December 31, 2026. From this contract, $76,000 will be allocated to the County’s contract with Rincon Consultants, Inc. to implement the RICAPS program for an additional 10 months.
During the 10 months of this contract, staff with support from Rincon will conduct a robust process to solicit input from various stakeholder groups and evolve the RICAPS program to better meet climate action implementation needs into the future. This input will inform a competitive Request for Proposals process for a new contract agreement. This amendment will allow for ongoing program delivery for climate action support services during the remaining contract term, including support for municipal facility decarbonization planning and the County’s Government Operations Climate Action Plan implementation.
The County Attorney’s Office has reviewed and approved the resolution and agreement as to form.
PERFORMANCE MEASURE:
|
Measure |
Number of projects FY 2025-2026 |
Number of projects FY 2026-2027 |
|
Number of emissions reduction implementation projects. Projects could include but aren’t limited to: Ebike programs, policy and/or code adoption, EV infrastructure installation, grant applications, communications campaigns, electric equipment installation. |
5 |
2 |
COMMUNITY IMPACT:
This program contributes to advancing the County’s progress on the Government Operations Climate Action Plan and Community Climate Action Plan for the unincorporated areas, and it facilitates countywide emissions reduction efforts. By providing support to jurisdictions to develop climate action plans and work collaboratively on implementation, the RICAPS program enhances staff capacity, enabling all cities and towns across the county to participate and make meaningful progress toward their climate action goals and collective impact.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The Amendment will increase funding to Rincon Consultants, Inc. by $208,000 for a new not to exceed amount of $1,333,781 and extend the contract term to October 19, 2026. Funding for this agreement comes from multiple funding sources:
1. $76,000 is provided by PCE;
2. $124,000 is provided by C/CAG via the SMCEW program;
3. $8,000 of approved programmatic Net County Cost is included in the Sustainability Department FY 2025-26 Adopted Budget.
This funding is allocated as follows: $130,000 in the FY 2025-2026 Adopted Budget and $78,000 in the FY 2026-27 Recommended Budget. There is no new Net County Cost associated with this action.