Request for Qualifications for Establishment of Qualified Consultant Lists

The San Francisco Planning Department (Planning Department) serves as the lead agency for California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review for the City and County of San Francisco. Private project sponsors are required to hire, contract with, and pay for consultants required to inform the environmental review. 

To support efficient, high quality environmental analysis and provide good customer service, the Planning Department is issuing this Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to establish four pre-qualified on-call consultant lists for privately sponsored development projects undergoing CEQA review and/or required to implement mitigation measures. 

Consultants may apply under the following specialty areas:

• General Environmental
• Transportation
• Historical Resources
• Archeology

All responses must be received by October 16, 2026. 

The resulting lists will be effective for a period of two years after December 4, 2026.

This RFQ outlines the submittal requirements and the Planning Department’s evaluation process.

After the lists are established, private project sponsors may select a consultant from the General Environmental list when the Planning Department determines that consultant services are needed to prepare a Negative Declaration, Mitigated Negative Declaration, Environmental Impact Report (EIR), or other complex CEQA document (e.g., an Addendum or General Plan Evaluation). Sponsors may select consultants with Transportation, Historical Resources, and/or Archeology expertise from the corresponding lists when such services are required to support CEQA review.

Project sponsors may also select qualified consultants who are not on the lists, provided the consultants meet the qualifications outlined in the Administration of Qualified Consultant Lists and Required Consultant Qualifications. Inclusion on a list indicates that a firm has already demonstrated the minimum qualifications.

For consultants not submitting during the initial request for qualifications period, prior to submitting a project application, private project sponsors must provide the selected consultant’s qualifications to the assigned staff contact and obtain confirmation that the consultant meets the required qualifications.

All work prepared by consultants will be performed for, on behalf of, and at the direction of the Planning Department, and consultants must work under the department’s supervision. The Planning Department retains the authority to update the consultant lists as described in the resubmittal process.

Consultant qualification does not guarantee selection for a project. Private sponsors are solely responsible for choosing and contracting with their consultant.

This section outlines the process for consultants seeking inclusion on the Planning Department’s qualified consultant lists.

Consulting firms must submit documentation demonstrating how they meet each requirement in the Administration of Qualified Consultant Lists and Required Consultant Qualifications. Submittals will be reviewed by subject matter experts to determine whether the firm meets the required qualifications.

Firms should clearly identify the specific areas of expertise for which they seek qualification—General Environmental, Transportation, Historical Resources, and/or Archeology. Consultants may apply for multiple categories; however, a separate proposal is required for each category. For example, a firm with both environmental and transportation expertise must submit separate proposals for each discipline. The Planning Department will review each proposal and determine whether the firm meets the qualifications. Firms that do not meet the qualifications will receive written feedback and may resubmit once they believe they have addressed the deficiencies.

Inclusion on the Planning Department’s qualified lists confirms that a firm has met the minimum qualifications but does not guarantee contracts, as private sponsors retain responsibility for consultant selection and payment.

Each consultant must submit a concise proposal (maximum 10 pages, or 15 pages for Historical Resources or Archeology) demonstrating the firm’s qualifications. Proposals will be evaluated for clarity, organization, completeness, accuracy, responsiveness, and writing quality.

Firm Qualifications

Proposals must include the following:

• Description of the firm’s expertise in the relevant consulting services identified in Attachment A, including environmental review, historical resource evaluation, archeological review and monitoring, and transportation impact analysis in complex urban settings.
• Demonstrated quality of recent projects, including previous work for the City and adherence to schedules, deadlines, and budgets.
• Experience with recent, similar project types.
• A clear explanation of how the firm meets each required qualification in the Required Qualifications memorandum.
• Description of the firm’s established quality assurance/quality control procedures to ensure accurate and professionally prepared deliverables.

Assigned Staff

• Recent experience of the staff proposed for assignment, demonstrating the qualifications outlined in the Required Consultant Qualifications memorandum and identifying their roles and responsibilities.
• Professional qualifications and education, including years of relevant experience as described in the Required Consultant Qualifications memorandum.
• Experience working with diverse communities and stakeholders.

The anticipated schedule for this request for consultant qualifications is set forth below. These dates are tentative and subject to change:

1. Planning Department Issues Request for Qualifications: September 16, 2026
2. Deadline for Consultant Submittal of Written Qualifications: October 16, 2026
3. Planning Department Responses to Consultant Qualifications and Establishment of Pre-Qualified On call Consultant Lists: December 4, 2026

Consultants qualified by the Planning Department are not guaranteed a contract with a project sponsor.

Consultants who are not approved for inclusion on the qualified list may submit updated proposals once they believe they meet the required qualifications. Updated proposals must follow the same format and requirements described above. The Planning Department will reevaluate the resubmission using the same review process.

The Planning Department may also request updated qualifications or initiate a reevaluation of any firm on the list at any time. This allows the department to confirm that consultants continue to meet the standards outlined in the Administration of Qualified Consultant Lists and Required Consultant Qualifications. Firms that no longer meet the required qualifications—or that do not respond to requests for updated information—may be removed from the qualified list at the department’s discretion.

If you have any questions about administration of the consultant lists, please contact:

Chelsea Fordham
chelsea.fordham@sfgov.org
(628) 652-7579