REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
October 20, 2026
FROM
NOEL CASTILLO, Director, Department of Public Works - Solid Waste Management
SUBJECT
Title
Contract with HF&H Consultants, LLC for Solid Waste Disposal Consulting and Analysis Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve Contract with HF&H Consultants, LLC for solid waste disposal consulting and analysis services, in an amount not to exceed $1,000,000, for the term of October 20, 2026 through June 30, 2031, with the option to extend the contract for two additional one-year periods.
(Presenter: Noel Castillo, Director, 387-7906)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Operate in a fiscally responsible and business-like manner.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost) as the Department of Public Works - Solid Waste Management Division (SWMD) (6700004250) is financed by fee revenue. SWMD establishes fees that are charged to the public and other agencies for utilization of the County Waste Disposal System. The contract amount is projected at an annual cost of $200,000 per year; however, the contractor may exceed that annual amount, if necessary, to complete the necessary assigned tasks. In no case, however, will the amount exceed $1,000,000 during the contract period. Cost for any of the optional one-year extensions is $200,000 per year; therefore, in the event that both one-year optional extensions are exercised, total contract costs would not exceed $1,400,000 for the contract period. Sufficient appropriation and revenue have been included in the SWMD 2026-27 recommended budget and will be included in future recommended budgets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
HF&H Consultants, LLC (HF&H) previously provided consulting and solid waste disposal analyses services for SWMD under Contract No. 20-299 (original contract). The original contract was approved by the Board of Supervisors (Board) on May 19, 2020 (Item No. 71) and an amendment to add additional funds and extend the contract term for an additional one year was approved by the Board on December 17, 2024 (Item No. 73). The contract expired on June 30, 2026.
HF&H represents only public sector entities and specializes in solid waste, integrated waste, and landfill disposal services. HF&H has extensive knowledge and experience in providing the analysis services necessary for a thorough review of the County’s solid waste disposal system. HF&H has provided similar review and analysis work for SWMD over the past 25 years, including, but not limited to, terms and conditions, negotiations of the franchise waste hauler contracts to improve the accuracy of the rate adjustment method and meet the requirements of prescriptive State mandates, and financial considerations in the 2001 and 2013 disposal system operations contracts.
Approval of the recommended competitive contract will provide SWMD with assistance with various financial and strategic analyses of the County’s solid waste disposal system, such as: franchise hauler agreement negotiations to comply with State mandated regulations associated with solid waste handling service programs; developing plans to assist the County with complying with State mandated regulations; annual calculation and rate schedule development for collection services provided in the unincorporated areas; audits of disposal tonnage, billings, and fees; assistance with other waste agreements; financial analysis and support; and other solid waste analysis services.
The recommended contract supports the County and Chief Executive Officer’s goals and objectives of operating in a fiscally responsible and business-like manner by analyzing the dynamic waste disposal and recycling marketplace and rapidly changing regulatory environment to ensure that the County’s rates are competitive and reflect the true cost of providing solid waste services, as well as ensuring that the County is in compliance with State mandated regulations and programs.
SWMD is recommending the approval of the contract to facilitate analysis for critical initiatives, such as:
• Ongoing impacts of legislation on the waste management system, such as California Senate Bill (SB) 1383 that includes residential organics recycling and a statewide goal of reducing organic waste disposal by 75% by 2025, as well as California SB 54 that will include new guidelines of what products are considered recyclable or compostable and a statewide goal of recycling 65% of single-use plastic packaging and food service ware by 2032.
• Ongoing rate structures and market analysis; and
• Financial advisory analysis and support.
PROCUREMENT
On January 16, 2026, Request for Proposal (RFP) No. PWG126-SOLID-6200 for Solid Waste Disposal Consulting and Analysis Services for the San Bernardino County Solid Waste Management Division (SWMD) was released via the County’s eProcurement System (ePRO). The RFP was sent to 376 firms via ePRO. Amendment No. 1 to the RFP was issued on January 16, 2026, modifying Section II. PROPOSAL TIMELINE of the RFP. On February 27, 2026, two qualified proposals were received from:
|
Consultant |
Location |
|
Climate & Waste Systems Advisory |
Weatherford, TX |
|
HF&H Consultants, LLC |
Newport Beach, CA |
A selection committee comprised of three representatives from SWMD was assembled to evaluate the written proposals. The representatives evaluated the proposals for professional qualifications and technical expertise to perform the solid waste disposal consulting and analysis services set forth in the RFP. Even though HF&H Consultants, LLC was not the lowest bidder, due to their qualifications and technical expertise, the proposal evaluations resulted in HF&H Consultants, LLC receiving the highest-ranking points.
Following completion of the evaluation and selection process, the County provided notice of the recommended selection in accordance with the RFP’s protest procedures. The applicable protest period expired with no protests received.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Jolena Grider, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on October 2, 2026; Purchasing (Michael Reyna, Lead Buyer, 387-2233) on September 28, 2026; and County Finance and Administration (Scott Bruckner, Administrative Analyst, 387-4020) on October 1, 2026.