3-SP-2026-0027 RFP for Probate Investigation Services for Yolo Court.pdf

SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA,

COUNTY OF YOLO

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

(Non-IT Services)

RFP NUMBER SP-2026-0027

PROBATE INVESTIGATION SERVICES

RFP SP-2026-0027 p. 1

A. BACKGROUND / PURPOSE

The Superior Court of California, County of Yolo (“Court”) is requesting proposals from well-qualified Proposers to provide probate investigation services. Interested and qualified Proposers who can demonstrate their ability to successfully provide the services described in this Request for Proposal (“RFP”) are invited to submit a proposal.

This is a fully electronic RFP process. All proposals must be submitted electronically on the Court’s Online Procurement Website at https://lacourt.bonfirehub.com/ (“Bonfire”). See the attached Court Online Procurement Procedures document for further information.

B. DESCRIPTION OF GOODS AND/OR SERVICES NEEDED

The Court seeks probate investigation services meeting the requirements set forth in the Statement of Work.

C. RFP TIME-LINE

The Court has developed the following list of key events related to this RFP. The listed dates are not binding upon the Court and subject to change at the discretion of the Court. Changes to the listed dates will be posted on Bonfire or on the Court’s website.

EVENT DATE

RFP Issued See Bonfire for exact date

Deadline for Submission of Questions See Bonfire for exact date

Proposal Due Date (Late proposals will not be accepted by the Court)

See Bonfire for exact date

Proposal Evaluations Process Month of October, 2026 (estimated)

Interviews (Optional, at the Court’s discretion) Month of October, 2026 (estimated)

Notice of Intent to Award Month of November, 2026 (estimated)

Project Target Start Date Month of January, 2027 (estimated)

D. RFP PACKET ATTACHMENTS

1. Statement of Work

Describes in detail the specific services for which proposals are being solicited. Once a contractor has been selected, the Statement of Work will become part of the final Agreement.

2. Court Online Procurement Procedures

These rules and procedures govern this solicitation and should be read carefully by Proposer.

https://lacourt.bonfirehub.com/

RFP SP-2026-0027 p. 2

3. Terms and Conditions

Proposers are encouraged to carefully review the Model Agreement, which includes the Court’s Standard Business Terms and Conditions. Please note that the language may be subject to change.

Proposers are not required to sign the Model Agreement at this time. The contractor selected to provide services as a result of this RFP process will be required to sign the final version of the Model Agreement upon completion of the negotiation process.

Any proposed exceptions/modifications to the Model Agreement must be submitted on a red-line version of the Model Agreement with comments to substantiate each proposed exception/modification.

4. Required Forms

All forms posted on Bonfire must be completed and submitted electronically on Bonfire. The completed forms will become part of Proposer’s proposal.

E. MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Proposer must meet the minimum requirements listed below. Failure to comply with any one of the minimum requirements may be cause for disqualifying a proposal from further consideration. The Court may, in its discretion, waive minor deviations or defects. Only those proposals that are deemed as meeting the minimum requirements may be considered for a full evaluation and a possible contract award.

1. Proposal Submission Deadline. The proposal must be submitted on Bonfire on or before the Proposal Due Date. The Court will not accept proposals submitted by email, unless otherwise specified.

2. Experience and Capability. Proposer must have at least five (5) consecutive years documented experience in providing services similar to the ones being solicited, as described in this RFP. Such experience shall be documented by completing the Vendor Information Questionnaire on Bonfire.

3. Insurance.

The selected contractor must procure and maintain the insurance coverages as indicated below.

The Court Standard Business Terms and Conditions 4.0 describes the Court’s specific insurance requirements.

☒ Standard Business Terms and Conditions 5.0, Section 22.2 Insurance Requirements – Specific Coverages

☒ Workers Compensation/Employer’s Liability ☒ Commercial General Liability

☒ $1 million per occurrence and $2 million annual aggregate ☒ Commercial Automobile Liability ☒ Sexual Misconduct

4. Business License and Certifications. Upon request of the Court, Proposer must submit copies of any current business licenses, professional licenses, certificates or other credentials required by the nature of the contract work to be performed by Proposer.

RFP SP-2026-0027 p. 3

5. Required Forms. Proposer must complete and submit all Required Forms as directed.

F. TECHNICAL PROPOSAL

In preparing its proposal, Proposer should do so in its own words and take care not to simply copy the language in the RFP. Specific information is requested from all Proposers to ensure that the proposals can be fairly compared in a standard manner. Only that information which is contained in the proposal will be evaluated. Incomplete or inaccurate information may result in disqualification of the proposal.

1. Executive Summary. Provide an Executive Summary of your proposal. The Executive Summary should be a high‐level, general overview of how Proposer intends to accomplish the requirements of this RFP. The Executive Summary should demonstrate the Proposer’s understanding of the requirements. The Executive Summary must also address how Proposer meets the minimum requirements.

2. Work Plan for Providing the Requested Services. Provide a detailed Work Plan, which must include a proposed method for completing the work set forth in the Statement of Work.

3. Staff Qualifications. For each key staff member provide a resume describing the individual’s background and experience, as well as the individual’s ability and experience in conducting the proposed activities.

4. Business License and Certification. Proposer must submit a copy of all business or professional licenses or certificates required by the nature of the services to be performed and held by Proposer (i.e. California State Board of Equalization Seller’s Permit and Business License). Bidder must provide the Court their current Private Investigators License number. All licenses will be verified with the Department of Consumer Affairs Bureau of Security and Investigative Services.

5. Required Forms. Proposer shall complete and submit all Required Forms posted on Bonfire where indicated on Bonfire.

G. COST PROPOSAL

1. Proposer shall submit on Bonfire, where indicated, its pricing for the services described in the Statement of Work.

2. In calculating pricing to be offered, Proposers are cautioned to include all costs associated with providing the service. It is the intent of the Court to award a contract to a Contractor with a set uniform fee schedule for the listed investigations that is both equitable to the investigators and economical for the court and the public.

H. EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS

1. The Court shall evaluate the proposals using the criteria set forth in the table below. An award, if any, will ultimately be made to the highest scoring proposal.

2. If a contract will be awarded, an Intent to Award Notification will be posted on the Court’s website at www.yolo.courts.ca.gov.

http://www.yolo.courts.ca.gov/

RFP SP-2026-0027 p. 4

EVALUATION CRITERIA PERCENT WEIGHTED

Experience on Similar Assignments 30%

Credentials of Proposer’s Personnel to be Assigned to the Project 20%

Quality of Work Plan Submitted 20%

Cost 30%

Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise 3%

I. ADDITIONAL PROVISIONS

1. Cooperative Agreement (“Piggybacking”). Following discussion and consideration by the Court and the successful bidder/proposer, the “piggybacking clause,” provided in the Model Agreement, may be included in the final form of the Agreement if mutually desired.

2. Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (“DVBE”) Preference.

a. The Court has established rules and procedures for its DVBE program. Qualified Proposers wishing to claim the DVBE incentive should refer to the DVBE Rules and Procedures for further information. The Court’s DVBE Rules and Procedures can be located at the following website:

https://www.lacourt.ca.gov/pages/lp/procurement/tp/shared-procurement-services-sps-program/cp/socioeconomic-programs-for-the-sps-program

b. A Proposer will receive the DVBE incentive if, in the Court’s sole discretion, Proposer has met all applicable requirements. If Proposer receives the DVBE incentive, the final score of its proposal will be increased (for evaluation purposes only) by an amount equal to 3% the total possible available points.

3. Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI)

a. Definitions.

“Artificial intelligence” or “AI” means technology that enables computers and machines to reason, learn, and act in a way that would typically require human intelligence.

“Generative Artificial Intelligence” or “GenAI” means an artificial intelligence system that can generate derived synthetic content, including text, images, video, audio, code, and data visualizations, that emulates the structure and characteristics of the system’s training data.

b. In its proposal, Proposer must notify the Court if Proposer’s goods or services contain or utilize GenAI (or will contain or utilize GenAI), or if GenAI is or will be included in any services, goods, or deliverables that materially impact:

1) Functionality of a Court system (i.e., the work using GenAI could have a significant, substantial effect on the system’s data integrity, availability, confidentiality, or security, and failure to perform such work in accordance with the contract could cause major disruptions to court operations);

https://www.lacourt.ca.gov/pages/lp/procurement/tp/shared-procurement-services-sps-program/cp/socioeconomic-programs-for-the-sps-program https://www.lacourt.ca.gov/pages/lp/procurement/tp/shared-procurement-services-sps-program/cp/socioeconomic-programs-for-the-sps-program

RFP SP-2026-0027 p. 5

2) Risk to the Court (i.e., the work using GenAI could have a significant, substantial effect on the Court’s operations, finances, security, or reputation, and failure to perform such work in accordance with the contract would constitute a high likelihood of damage to the JBE); or

3) Contract performance (i.e., when failure to conduct work which uses GenAI in accordance with the contract would constitute a material breach of contract).

c. Proposer’s failure to disclose GenAI to the Court may result in disqualification (at the Court’s sole discretion), and the Court reserves the right to seek any and all relief it may be entitled to as a result of such non-disclosure.

d. The Court reserves the right to incorporate GenAI-related provisions into the final contract and to reject bids/offers that present an unacceptable level of risk to the Court, as determined by the Court in its sole discretion.

4. Multiple Awards. The Court reserves the right, but is under no obligation, to award multiple contracts to more than one vendor under this RFP. If multiple awards are made, the Court will not be obligated to procure any minimum amount of Work under such contracts executed under this RFP.

RFP SP-2026-0027 p. 6

ATTACHMENT A – STATEMENT OF WORK (SOW)

1. Background and Purpose.

The Probate Guardianship/Conservatorship Investigator conducts investigations concerning guardianship and conservatorship petitions and prepares required written reports with recommendations to the Court. Yolo operates within the court investigator reciprocity agreement between California counties. In a typical month, the court requires approximately 15-20 total investigations.

2. Description of Services

Contractor’s services will be strictly limited to the following services, unless approved in advance by the CEO or designee:

2.1 Investigations and recommendations concerning proposed guardianships (Probate Code section 1513).

2.2 Investigations and recommendations concerning temporary conservatorships (Probate Code section 2250.6).

2.3 Investigations and recommendations concerning proposed conservatorships (Probate Code section 1826).

2.4 Annual and thereafter biennial reviews concerning conservatorships (Probate Code sections 1850, 1851). (Reviews shall not include six month review pursuant to Probate Code section 1850(a)(1) unless ordered by the court. (Probate Code section 1850, subd. (f).).)

2.5 Investigations and recommendations concerning change of residence for conservatee (Probate Code section 2253).

2.6 Investigations and recommendations concerning termination of conservatorships (Probate Code section 1852).

2.7 Investigations and recommendations concerning petitions to terminate guardianships.

All investigations shall comply with all statutory deadlines, which include, but are not limited to, Probate Code sections 1513, 1826, and 2250.6.

3. Deliverables. Contractor shall submit the following deliverables for services rendered:

3.1 Results, deliverables: This includes, but is not limited to, successful completion of investigations and written reports within the time frames and in a manner that meets Court and statutory requirements.

3.2 Timelines, progress reports: Written reports will be filed with the court within the time frames that meet Court and statutory requirements.

3.3 Coordination of services: Contractor shall communicate with Court staff to coordinate these services and deliverables and to keep the Court informed as to the status of investigations and investigative reports. Such communication shall be performed according to the guidelines and instructions of Court management.

4. Contractor’s Personnel.

RFP SP-2026-0027 p. 7

4.1 Contractor shall assign to this project only persons who have sufficient training, education, and experience to successfully perform Contractor’s duties. If the Court is dissatisfied with any of Contractor’s personnel, for any reason or no reason, Contractor shall replace them with qualified personnel.

4.2 Contractor’s investigators shall comply will all educational requirements as described in Probate Code sections 1454 and 1456 and California Rules of Court 10.478 and 10.777.

4.3 Contractor shall endeavor to minimize turnover of personnel Contractor has assigned to this project. Any additional personnel are subject to approval by the Court.

4.4 Contractor shall cooperate with the Court if the Court wishes to perform any background checks on Contractor’s personnel by obtaining, at no additional cost, all releases, waivers, and permissions the Court may require. Contractor shall not assign personnel who refuse to undergo a background check. Contractor shall provide prompt notice to the Court of (i) any person who refuses to undergo a background check, and (ii) the results of any background check requested by the Court and performed by Contractor.

5. Service level agreements.

Contractor shall perform the above ordered services in the manner and at the times and places described in subsection 2, Contractor’s Services. Contractor shall perform all work with the requisite skill and diligence consistent with professional standards for the industry and type of work described by this RFP, and pursuant to the governing rules and regulations of the industry. Contractor understands that Court relies on the accuracy, competence, and completeness of Contractor’s services. Time is of the essence in performance of services by Contractor. Contractor’s investigators must conduct investigations in a manner that instills trust in the process and upholds the highest ethical duty and must:

5.1 Meet the practice and ethical standards of the Code of Ethics for State of California Superior Court

Employees ;

5.2 Meet the practice and ethical standards of the California Association of Superior Court Investigators

(CASCI);

5.3 Operate within the limits of their training and experience and disclosure to the appropriate parties or the court, any limitations, bias, or conflicts of interest that would affect their ability to conduct an investigation; and

5.4 Be sensitive to the parties’ socioeconomic, gender, race, ethnicity, cultural values, religions, family structures, and developmental characteristics.

5.5 Provide neutral information about the case to the judge. All investigations and reports must conform to current status and requirements for the specific type of investigation being conducted.

All investigations should conform with the guidelines for conservatorship and guardianship investigations, except where statute or necessity dictates otherwise.