CDCR @ Chino Farming Lease 700 Acres

The California Department of General Services (DGS) on the behalf of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), collectively referred to as ¿State¿, welcomes farming, effluent disposal, and sustainable land management lease proposals for approximately seven hundred (700) acres of farmland and open space at the California Institution for Men (CIM).
The CDCR identified State-owned land available for farming activities at CIM. The current land use includes a farming operation to grow, rotate, maintain, and harvest sellable fodder and other crops. The fodder crops are grown as part of the effluent disposal effort to mitigate nitrates in ground water. The remaining crops are grown using irrigation wells and recycled water. The CIM land is identified in ¿Attachment A¿ (CIM Farmable Land and Open Space). CDCR requests bidders identify the Open Space as areas that the bidder will maintain. This opportunity requires Bidders to submit a ¿Sustainable Land Management Plan¿ (SLMP) outlining its operation and plan to maintain land that is not farmed. The SLMP terms are negotiable provided the plan includes farming, effluent disposal, ground water recharge efforts, land management activities, and best efforts to support the Chino Basin via policies implemented by the Chino Basin Watermaster.
While Bidders are not required to lease the CIM Open Space, the SLMP must identify CIM Open Space as being managed and maintained by the Lessee.
CDCR/CIM is an Agricultural Pool Member under the management of the Chino Basin Watermaster, so Bidders must be willing to support the Agricultural Pool¿s mandates such as safe yield adjustments, groundwater recharge efforts, best practices for water conservation, and nitrate mitigation.
Bidders may identify partnering arrangements with Inland Empire Utility Agency (IEUA) and the City of Chino to manage IEUA¿s and the City¿s recycled water and groundwater recharge efforts on the CIM leased area. However, those arrangements must be approved by both CDCR and the Chino Basin Watermaster.
Irrigation water is sourced by both CIM effluent disposal and irrigation wells. The CIM irrigation infrastructure is identified in ¿Attachment B¿ (CIM Irrigation and Wells). The State does not guarantee water availability, quality, or quantity. The State requires the Lessee to provide comprehensive, sustainable land management, and maintenance. Land management shall include weed abatement for fire control and mosquito abatement on all CIM Open Space, whether farmed, grazed, vacant, leased, or not leased.
A Bidder will be considered a ¿Qualified Bidder¿ after meeting all the Bidder requirements outlined in this RFP including, but not limited to, following instructions for submission, meeting established timelines, clearing a security background check, attending the mandatory walk-through, and providing a SLMP that identifies how the Lessee will: 1) manage the CIM Open Space in its entirety to eliminate maintenance and weed abatement costs for CDCR; 2) manage effluent disposal for CDCR; and 3) Identify the Lessee¿s farming operation including the plan to grow, rotate, maintain, and harvest sellable fodder and other crops.
The Qualified Bidder must:
1) Have the authority to enter into a ground lease agreement with the State of California on the State¿s property.
2) Outline details of Bidder¿s farming operation irrigating the Bidder¿s crops in the proposed SLMP. 3) Obtain all necessary permits from the appropriate agencies for the proposed operations.
4) Provide and maintain all equipment required to plant, cultivate, irrigate, and harvest crops. 5) Mitigate fire risks by initiating fire safety and risk mitigation practices including equipment safety training, implementing operational safety standards, conducting weed abatement, and other land maintenance activities.
Please take the time to carefully read the proposal requirements. In submitting proposals, Bidders must comply with the instructions herein. All proposals submitted for consideration must be received by the date specified on the cover page labeled ¿SUBMISSION DUE DATE¿ December 19, 2025.
If part of the SLMP includes livestock grazing, Bidders must include an overview of the grazing operation and provide a livestock management plan as an attachment to their bid.
Submittals and all other materials included will not be returned. All submittals will become public records upon bid award. If a submittal includes proprietary information exempt from public disclosure, it should be clearly designated as such so that a claim of exemption may be made in response to a public disclosure request. No assurances can be given, however, that any information so designated would not ultimately be deemed subject to public disclosure. The State reserves the sole right and privilege to judge the responses to the Bidders¿ RFPs based on evaluation criteria, and to accept a submittal or to reject any or all submittals. The State also reserves the right to cancel in whole or in part this RFP and to waive immaterial defects and minor irregularities in submittals. This RFP is not a contract or a commitment of any kind on the part of the State and does not commit the State to award. In no event shall the State be responsible for any real estate brokerage fees.