Item 20 - On-Call Grant Writing Services

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Proposal for Grant Writing Services | Santa Ana Public Works Agency Page 4 1. STATEMENT OF QUALIFICATIONS State Bond Legislation: Since its establishment in 1998, TPA has participated in the development and implementation of many California legislative propositions to provide capital funding for a wide variety of infrastructure projects, including water, natural resources, parks and recreation, transportation, education, and cultural and historical resources in the following bonds: 13, 40, 50, 84, and 1. TPA worked closely with the Senate and Assembly leaders, staff, and stakeholders on the drafting of park bond legislation for the June 2018 statewide ballot, which was eventually passed by voters and implemented Proposition 68. Proposition 68 authorized $4.1 billion for the Legislature to appropriate to various state and local agencies to fund a variety of capital projects. $2.5 billion of the total amount of the bond funds park and open space related projects, while the remaining $1.5 billion funds a variety of water development programs. By using a holistic approach targeted at exploring all channels of funding advocacy, TPA worked with relevant state agencies to develop guidelines for park and water bond grant programs to ensure that language is included so that client projects are eligible and competitive. TPA was successful in creating and directing funding in Proposition 68 to align with client projects and priorities that ultimately resulted in the funding of legacy infrastructure projects. Federal Infrastructure Legislation: At the federal level, in addition to funding programs that the Agency is already familiar with including the WaterSMART Water and Energy Grant Program (WEEG) and Drought Resiliency Program, there are new opportunities that have been created through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) that was recently signed into law by President Biden. These new federal opportunities include $9 billion in dedicated funding for remediation of emerging contaminants in water supplies, including PFAS. $4 billion of these funds are distributed through the States’ various State Revolving Fund programs. California’s share of these funds will be distributed through the State’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF), which is administered by the State Water Resources Control Board. TPA is uniquely positioned to pursue these funds given our extensive relationships in Sacramento as well as Washington, D.C. For water recycling there is a dramatically expanded water recycling program administered by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation that provides $1 billion for projects that reclaim or reuse municipal, industrial, and agricultural wastewater. This program could be a unique opportunity to expand the Agency’s recycled water system. The BIL also includes a large focus on energy and electric vehicle infrastructure. The primary program for electric vehicle infrastructure is the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program (NEVI) which will allocate $5 billion over the course of the next five years to build out electric vehicle charging infrastructure on both public and private land. An additional $2.5 billion is being allocated through discretionary grant programs along highway corridors and in communities to expand the nation’s electric vehicle charging infrastructure. TPA will utilize the following strategic and comprehensive approach to provide grant funding services to the Agency: • Conduct Detailed Orientation: TPA utilizes a comprehensive onboarding process that includes extensive meetings with various relevant members of Agency leadership and key Agency departments to help develop a strategic plan that is carefully tailored to satisfy the needs of the Agency, as well as designed for maximum success in the current political climate and funding environment.