REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
June 23, 2026
FROM
STEPHENIE SHEA, Acting Director, Purchasing Department
CRISANTA GONZALEZ, Director, Office of Emergency Services
SUBJECT
Title
Disaster Response and Recovery Contingency Contracts
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Approve fixed-rate contract with DRC Pacific, Inc., for debris removal and management services, and mass care and sheltering services, on an as-needed fee-for-service basis, for the period of June 23, 2026 through June 22, 2031.
2. Approve fixed-rate contract with Ceres Environmental Services, Inc. dba Environmental & Demolition Services Group, for debris removal and management services, on an as-needed fee-for-service basis, for the period of June 23, 2026 through June 22, 2031.
3. Approve fixed-rate contract with Gothams LLC, for debris removal and management services, on an as-needed fee-for-service basis, for the period of June 23, 2026 through June 22, 2031.
(Presenter: Stephenie Shea, Acting Director, 387-4811)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Improve County Government Operations.
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
Enhance Readiness for Major Emergency Responses.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The costs associated with the utilization of these recommended contracts will be incurred at the time services are requested and provided under the terms of one or more contracts. These contracts establish fixed rates for various goods and services over a five year period, as indicated in Exhibit 2. The requesting departments utilizing these services are responsible for ensuring adequate funding is included in their respective department budgets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Purchasing Department (Purchasing) and other County departments maintain contracts that can be accessed for various goods and services in an emergency and disaster contingency contracts may be used if additional support is required. These services are essential to ensuring operational readiness and rapid response capabilities in the event of a major incident.
On November 19, 2019 (Item No. 28), the Board of Supervisors approved Agreement No. 19-764 with DRC Pacific, Inc. (DRC) for debris removal, management services, and mass care and sheltering services, and Agreement No. 19-765 with Ceres Environmental Services, Inc. dba Environmental & Demolition Services Group (Ceres) for debris removal and disaster management services. Both agreements had an initial term of November 19, 2019 through November 18, 2024 and were amended to extend the term through November 18, 2025 on October 22, 2024 (Item No. 44).
While these contracts were not engaged during their initial terms and have since expired, new agreements are recommended to ensure that qualified contractors are available to mobilize when needed. Maintaining these agreements is vital to support emergency response operations and safeguard the County’s ability to recover following a major disaster.
Recommended Contracts were awarded to all responsive and responsible bidders to increase the number of resources available to the County in an emergency. Both Gothams LLC (Gothams) and Ceres provide debris removal and disaster management services. DRC provides mass care and sheltering services in addition to debris removal and disaster management services.
Unforeseen disasters can occur at any time and in any location across the expansive county. These disaster response and recovery contingency contracts are essential to ensuring the County’s resiliency, preparedness, and recovery following major disasters.
PROCUREMENT
Pursuant to County Policy 11-04, the County Administrative Office approved and authorized the release of Request for Proposal (RFP) AGENCY24-PURC-5465 with Purchasing on June 24, 2024 to solicit proposals from interested and qualified agencies to provide Disaster Response and Recovery Contingency Services for a period of five years. The RFP was posted to the County’s Electronic Procurement Network.
Three proposals were received by the established deadline in response to the RFP. Proposals from the three agencies listed below met the minimum requirements and continued through the evaluation process.
|
Proposer Name |
Location |
|
Gothams |
Austin, TX |
|
DRC |
Metairie, LA |
|
Ceres |
Sarasota, FL |
The evaluation panel, with representation from the Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator, Office of Emergency Services, Department of Public Works, and San Bernardino County Fire Protection District, reviewed and evaluated the proposals based on the criteria listed in the RFP. The criteria included: Qualifications and Experience, Financial Review, Technical Review, Cost, References, and Demonstrations.
Based on the evaluation criteria, the evaluation panel determined that all three vendors met the needs of the County. Award letters were sent to all responsible and responsive proposers on September 24, 2025. No protests were received.
Purchasing supports this competitive procurement based on the formal solicitation described above.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Bonnie Uphold, Supervising Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on June 4, 2026; Risk Management (Arrissia Beaven, Staff Analyst II, 386-9030) on May 28, 2026; Purchasing (Ariel Gill, Supervising Buyer, 387-2070) on May 28, 2026; Office of Emergency Services (Crisanta Gonzalez, Emergency Services Officer, 356-3988) on May 29, 2026; Department of Public Works (Robert Aguirre, Engineer II, 387-7987) on May 28, 2026; San Bernardino County Fire Protection District (Bertral Washington, Deputy Chief, 387-5974) on May 29, 2026; and County Finance and Administration (Erika Rodarte, Finance Analyst, 387-4919) on June 1, 2026.