902752_On-Demand_Client_Transporation.docx

COUNTY OF ALAMEDA

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL No. 902752 for

ON-DEMAND CLIENT TRANSPORTATION SERVICES

For complete information regarding this project, see Request for Proposal (RFP) posted at County of Alameda Procurement Portal [https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/acgov] or contact the County Thank you for your interest!

Contact Person: A. Ramesh Phone Number: (510) 208-3905 Email Address: a.ramesh@acgov.org General Services Agency (GSA) – Procurement

RESPONSE DUE

by 2:00 p.m.

on July 31, 2026 through Alameda County, GSA-Procurement County of Alameda Procurement Portal https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/acgov

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

ON-DEMAND CLIENT TRANSPORTATION SERVICES

TO ATTEND ONLINE:

RFP 902752 Bidder Conference Link Meeting ID: 295 448 424 338 45 Passcode: WQ6dR6c3 Dial in by phone +1 415-915-3950,,831980173# United States, San Francisco

(888) 715-8170,,831980173# United States (Toll-free) Find a local number Phone conference ID: 831 980 173# Join on a video conferencing device Tenant key: alamedacountyca@m.webex.com Video ID: 115 320 524 4 More info

Written Questions Due via the “Question & Answer” tab of this project in the County of Alameda Procurement Portal July 8, 2026, by 5:00 p.m.

Response Due and Submitted through County of Alameda Procurement Portal

July 31, 2026, by 2:00 p.m.

Followed immediately by online Public Bid Opening which can be joined here:

RFP 902752 Bid Opening Link Meeting ID: 237 516 344 777 428 Passcode: Xz2Px7CS Dial in by phone +1 415-915-3950,,299664781# United States, San Francisco

(888) 715-8170,,299664781# United States (Toll-free) Find a local number Phone conference ID: 299 664 781# Join on a video conferencing device Tenant key: alamedacountyca@m.webex.com Video ID: 118 806 454 5 More info

NOTE: All dates are tentative and subject to change.

Alameda County Vendor Outreach

Wednesday, July 1, 2026 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

TO ATTEND ONLINE:

Vendor Outreach Call-in: +1 415-915-3950 Conference ID: 504 517 635#

COME MEET ALAMEDA COUNTY’S

PROCUREMENT TEAM!

This public event is not specific to any RFP, where vendors can speak with GSA professionals, get to know them, and learn more about contracting opportunities with the County.

These are conducted on most Wednesdays. Dates and locations can be confirmed by checking at Upcoming Events [https://gsa.acgov.org/do-business-with-us/upcoming-contracting-events/]

SPECIFICATIONS, TERMS & CONDITIONS

for

ON-DEMAND CLIENT TRANSPORTATION SERVICES

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

ATTACHMENTS

EXHIBIT A Bid Response Packet

STATEMENT OF WORK

INTENT

It is the intent of these specifications, terms, and conditions to describe on-demand client transportation services being requested by the County.

The County intends to award a three-year contract (with the option to renew for two years) to the Bidder selected as the most responsive and responsible Bidder whose response conforms to the RFP and meets the County’s requirements.

SCOPE/BACKGROUND

Alameda County Social Services Agency – Children and Family Services (CFS):

On an as-needed basis, Contractor must provide weekdays, weekends, and holidays transportation for program participants. These services facilitate visits between foster placements, homes, visiting sites, schools, or other locations approved by the Child Welfare Worker (CWW), Child Welfare Supervisor, and Program Manager for adults involved and working with the family. Family visitation is linked to positive outcomes, including improved child wellbeing, reduced time in out-of-home care, and expedited reunification when deemed in the best interest of the child.

Participating families are involved with the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) for various reasons. Given their involvement with DCFS, Non-Minor Dependents (NMDs; ages 18-21 years), and adults may display certain issues or conditions that must be factored into the transportation plans. Transportation services are provided for individuals with an active children's services case and for placement providers in specific exceptional circumstances. Additionally, CWWs may use transportation to provide necessary client services as determined by management. Program participants include NMDs and adults traveling with or without minor individuals. Placement providers may use transportation when accompanying large sibling sets (comprising more than two children).

Alameda County Social Services Agency – Adult and Aging Services (AAS):

On an as-needed basis, Contractor must support Adult Protective Services (APS) and clients aged 60 years and above, and disabled adults aged 18-59 who are at risk of abuse, neglect, or self-neglect as well as clients under conservatorship with the Public-Guardian-Conservator (PG-C). This support services involve ensuring safe and dependable transportation for medical appointments, court appearances, and other locations that support activities of daily living approved by the APS or PG-C Supervisor or Program Manager.

Participating older and disabled adults may be receiving support from APS or the PG-C for several reasons, including but not limited to abuse, neglect, self-neglect and/or mental or physical disabilities. "Door-to-door" services may be required for some participants and will be noted in the request for transportation. Providing transportation services will ensure clients have safe, reliable transportation to promote self-sufficiency.

Alameda County Probation Department (ACPD):

On an as-needed basis, the Contractor must provide transportation services for ACPD clients, client's parent, guardian, and/or other pre-approved juvenile or adult, to approved destinations as authorized by ACPD. Such transportation services shall support clients' access to essential programs, services, appointments, and activities that are necessary to fulfill case plan objectives, court-ordered requirements, educational obligations, and placement needs. Approved destinations may include, but are not limited to, foster home placements, relative or kinship placements, residential treatment facilities, schools, vocational or educational programs, counseling and behavioral health appointments, medical appointments, probation-related meetings, court appearances, site visits, family visitation, and other locations authorized by ACPD staff.

Transportation services must be coordinated with designated ACPD personnel and may include one-way trips, round-trip transportation, scheduled recurring transportation, and urgent or time-sensitive transportation requests, as directed by the County.

BIDDER QUALIFICATIONS

BIDDER Minimum Qualifications Bidder must be regularly and continuously engaged in the business of providing client transportation services for at least five (5) years, which must be clearly stated or demonstrated in the bid response.

Bidder must possess a real-time transportation tracking/communication platform system that the County has access to, so that the County can see where the transporting vehicle is located at all times during the client transport. This must be clearly demonstrated in the PowerPoint presentation under the Exhibit A – Bid Response Packet, Description of Relevant Experience section.

Bidder must possess all permits, licenses, and professional credentials necessary to supply products and perform services specified under this RFP. Unless noted otherwise in the RFP, for example the item(s) stated above, including any Addendum, Bidder is not required to submit copies or verification of the permits, licenses and credentials; however, Bidder must provide such proof if requested by County.

SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS

Note: Airport transportation is not included in this RFP.

Staffing:

Contractor must at all times be responsible for maintaining appropriate staffing levels, employing sufficient qualified and properly trained personnel to perform the management, administrative, call-taking, scheduling and dispatch/concierge, operating and maintenance oversight functions necessary to operate on-demand transportation services.

Policies:

Bidder must provide the County with its policies and procedures related to the background checks and Zero Tolerance Policy in the Exhibit A – Bid Response Packet, Description of Proposed Services.

Criminal Background Checks:

Contractor must run or obtain a criminal background check of each driver applicant as a requirement for such driver to provide driving services and must run the criminal background check thereafter on an annual basis for each driver. The scope of the background check search must be at least seven (7) years where permitted by law, and must include a social security trace, national and county-level searches, and a national sex offender search. Contractor must review all results and refrain from approving any applicant with a background check that reflects convictions prohibited by applicable local, State or Federal Transportation Network Company (TNC) regulations in effect during the term of the Contract resulting from this RFP.

Driving Record Check:

Contractor must run or obtain a check of each driver applicant’s driving record as a requirement for such driver to provide driving services. Contractor must review all results and refrain from approving any applicant with driving record violations prohibited by applicable local, State, or Federal TNC regulations in effect during the term of the Contract resulting from this RFP. Contractor must require all drivers to have a valid driver's license. Vehicles used in transport must be licensed and properly insured.

Zero Tolerance Policy:

Contractor must maintain a Zero Tolerance Policy concerning the use of alcohol or controlled substances by drivers. In the event that the Contractor receives a Zero Tolerance complaint regarding a driver, the Contractor must deactivate such driver’s account pending the completion of investigation into the matter. Contractor must permanently deactivate a driver's account if it determines that the driver has violated Zero Tolerance Policy.

Transportation Obligations:

Contractor must create and maintain specialized system or mobile app for the Contract resulting from this RFP, operating a ridesharing platform and mobile application that enables DCFS, AAS, and ACPD to schedule rides for program participants from one location to another. The transportation services must be provided by authorized drivers using their own vehicles. If County Codes are used in this system or App, the County Codes must comply with the County’s geographic fixed parameters. County Codes are unique identifiers for billing for the DCFS, AAS, and ACPD Secretaries or designated staff to use when making reservations. The County Codes are also unique to the Contractor and support the tracking of these rides. Contractor must cooperate with the County in applying the County Codes assigned by the County to each account.

Contractor must maintain full accountability of the program participants being served. Contractor must establish a system that enables the County to track the whereabouts of the program participants during transportation. Real-time transportation tracking is essential. Additionally, door-to-car services are required for specific program participants to ensure the safety of their departure and arrival between locations.

Bidder must provide a PowerPoint presentation demonstrating their previous experience in maintaining the specialized system or mobile app to meet the aforementioned requirements in a and b. The PDF version of the PowerPoint presentation must be included in Exhibit A Bid Response Packet - Description of Relevant Experience.

Contractor must coordinate and provide transit/ride trips to both optimize efficiency and ensure consumer safety in a manner that results in prompt response time. The service must be available 24/7, 365 days a year, on-demand in real-time. The Contractor must promptly respond to the County’s service requests by confirming acceptance through email, phone call, or mobile app real-time communication platform within one (1) hour.

Contractor must continuously review and compare actual service results, implementing changes as necessary to improve transportation services.

Contractor must immediately notify ACPD if a client does not appear for a scheduled transportation pickup within fifteen (15) minutes of the driver's arrival. Contractor must remain at the pickup location for an additional fifteen (15) minutes to allow ACPD an opportunity to contract the client and/or cancel the transportation request. The Contractor must not depart the pickup location until the additional waiting period has elapsed or ACPD provides further direction.

Contractor must not transport more than one client per vehicle per trip unless prior approval is obtained from ACPD. Carpooling is prohibited. Contractor must not transport youth with adult riders unless the adult has been approved by ACPD. The possession of any weapon by any individual in the vehicle during the provision of transportation services is strictly prohibited.

Transit Ride Requests:

Transit rides may be requested in advance, same-day and as immediate requests.

(1) Advance Reservations:

(2) Reservations can be made up to a month advance;

(3) Same-Day Trips:

(4) Same-Day trip requests may be made on the day of the trip prior to the desired pick-up time; and

(5) Immediate Request Trips:

(6) Immediate requests may be made at any time, including after-hours, weekends and holidays.

Submitting Ride Requests:

When submitting a request, County consents on behalf of itself and each program participant to allow the Contractor to access program participants’ information to:

(1) Send transactional SMS texts to the program participants relating to the request and program participant’s ride;

(2) Share the program participants information with the driver who accepted the request, provided that the driver will only receive the first name of the program participants and pick up and drop off location; and

(3) Use and store the program participants information for the internal purposes of the Contractor, subject to amendments as needed, while adhering to data privacy and retention standards. County represents and warrants that County will only submit requests for program participants who are eighteen (18) years of age or older (for specific providers), and from whom County has obtained all necessary consents to share program participants information for the purposes set forth herein. If an individual who is eighteen years or older is accompanied by a minor during transportation, only the information of the rider aged eighteen years or older will be utilized.

Contractor must administer, track, and manage the spending costs associated with service allocation through the development and assignment of unique service codes for DCFS, AAS, and ACPD authorized program participants, facilitating a detailed breakdown of usage between DCFS, AAS, and ACPD. This breakdown must be included in the monthly invoices and the ride history section within the specialized system or mobile app.

DELIVERABLES / REPORTS

Contractor must submit a monthly report to the County, including a designated data field containing, at a minimum, the following details of each program participants: passenger ID (anonymized), trip length, trip duration, trip cost (actual), trip subsidy (actual), origin (census tract), destination (census tract), trip time period, day of travel, overall mileage of service, and overall hours of service. The monthly report must exclude any personally identifiable information of any program participant.

The data must distinguish between CFS, AAS, and ACPD program participants information.

This information will be accessible exclusively to the Contractor and the County following the end of each service month. The Contractor must provide the County with access to the program participant’s full name for County’s legitimate business, auditing, and reporting purposes.

The monthly report provided must include a record of transport dates, the names of NMDs and adults, transport times, and whether the transport was cancelled. In addition, the monthly report must indicate:

(1) The unduplicated number of NMDs and adults program participants transported during the month; and

(2) The year-to-date unduplicated number of NMDs and adult program participants transported since the beginning of the fiscal year.

Monthly report for CFS must be submitted to Division Director and Program Manager.

Monthly report for AAS must be submitted to Division Director, and Program Specialist.

Monthly report for ACPD must be submitted to Probation Specialist.

BIDDERS CONFERENCE(S)/VENDOR OUTREACH

The Bidders Conference(s) held on the date(s) specified in the Calendar of Events will have online conference capabilities for remote participation. Bidders can opt to participate via a computer with a stable internet connection (the recommended Bandwidth is 512Kbps) at:

TO ATTEND ONLINE:

RFP 902752 Bidder Conference Link Meeting ID: 295 448 424 338 45 Passcode: WQ6dR6c3 Dial in by phone +1 415-915-3950,,831980173# United States, San Francisco

(888) 715-8170,,831980173# United States (Toll-free) Find a local number Phone conference ID: 831 980 173# Join on a video conferencing device Tenant key: alamedacountyca@m.webex.com Video ID: 115 320 524 4 More info

1. Vendor Outreach is usually conducted on Wednesdays at Vendor Outreach Link (Call-in: +1 415-915-3950; Conference ID: 504 517 635#). Dates and locations can be confirmed by checking at: Upcoming Events [https://gsa.acgov.org/do-business-with-us/upcoming-contracting-events/].

Information regarding the RFP will be presented during the conference(s). To get the best experience, the County recommends that Bidders who participate remotely use equipment with audio output such as speakers, headsets, or a telephone.

2. Bidders Conference(s) will be held to:

Provide an opportunity for Small Local Emerging Businesses (SLEBs) and large firms to network and develop subcontracting relationships to participate in the contract(s) that may result from this RFP.

Provide an opportunity for Bidders to request clarification on this RFP and ask specific questions about the project, goods, and services.

Provide the County with an opportunity to receive feedback related to this RFP.

The Bidders Conference(s) Attendees List will be released in a separate document.

Written questions submitted by the stated deadline will be addressed in a posted RFP Questions and Answers (Q&A) following the Bidders Conference(s). Should there be a need to amend or revise the RFP, an Addendum will be issued. Any verbal statements, including at any Bidders Conference(s) are not binding. Only the written documents will be binding.

Questions regarding these specifications, terms, and conditions are to be submitted in writing through the “Question & Answer” tab of this project in the County of Alameda Procurement Portal by 5:00 p.m. on the date specified in the Calendar of Events.

Attendance at the Bidders Conference(s) and Vendor Outreach are highly recommended but are not mandatory. Vendors who attend the Bidders Conference(s) will be added to the Vendor Bid List.

COUNTY PROCEDURES, TERMS, AND CONDITIONS

EVALUATION CRITERIA / SELECTION COMMITTEE

1. Initial Evaluation (Completeness of Response and Debarment and Suspension). All proposals will first be reviewed to determine if they pass the initial Evaluation Criteria (Section A), which are determined on a pass/fail basis.

2. Evaluation by County Selection Committee. All proposals that have passed the initial Evaluation Criteria will be evaluated by a County Selection Committee (CSC). The CSC may be composed of County staff and other parties that may have expertise or experience related to the goods or services that are being procured. The CSC will score the proposals according to the Evaluation Criteria set forth in this RFP. Other than the initial pass/fail Evaluation Criteria, the evaluation of the proposals will be within the sole judgment and discretion of the CSC.

3. Unrealistic Bids. Bidders should bear in mind that any proposal that is unrealistic in terms of the technical or schedule commitments or unrealistically high or low in cost may be deemed reflective of an inherent lack of technical knowledge or indicative of a failure to comprehend the complexity and risk of the County’s requirements as set forth in this RFP.

4. Price Discrepancy. In the case of a discrepancy between the unit price and an extension, the unit price will be used for evaluation purposes.

5. Evaluation Criteria Descriptions. The items listed in the Evaluation Criteria should be considered as minimum requirements. All information contained in a proposal and presented in vendor interviews (if there are interviews) will be considered during the evaluation process and included in scoring within the appropriate Evaluation Criteria.

6. Evaluation Scores. Proposals will be evaluated and scored on the zero to five-point scale within each Evaluation Criteria below. Scores for all Evaluation Criteria (see the section below) will then be added, according to their assigned weight (below), to arrive at a weighted score for each proposal. A proposal with a higher-weighted total will be deemed of higher quality than a proposal with a lesser-weighted total.

7. Shortlist Process. The evaluation process may include a two-stage approach including a preliminary evaluation of the written proposal and preliminary scoring to develop a shortlist of Bidders that will continue to the final stage of optional vendor interview, and reference checks. The preliminary scoring will be based on the total points, excluding any points allocated to references, and optional vendor interview. The five (5) Bidders receiving the highest preliminary scores may advance to the next evaluation phase. All other Bidders will be deemed eliminated from the process. All Bidders will be notified of the shortlist participants; however, the preliminary scores at that time will not be communicated to Bidders.

8. Reference Checks. The County reserves the right to conduct reference check(s) on all Bidders who submitted a bid proposal. The CSC will then score the reference check(s), as identified in the Evaluation Criteria below, which will then be included in the final score.

9. Optional Vendor Interviews. The County may in its sole discretion, conduct vendor interviews. Should the County opt to conduct a vendor interview, the interview may include responding to standard and specific questions from the CSC regarding the Bidders’ proposal. Whether or not a shortlist process is used, the score of any evaluation criterion below may be revised or informed based on the vendor interview.

10. Final Score. The final maximum score for any procurement is 550 points, including the possible 50 points for local and small, local and emerging, or local preference points (maximum 10% of the final score; derived from 5% for local preference and 5% for either Small and Local or Emerging and Local preference). Proposals will be ranked by their final scores.

a. Without Vendor Interview. In procurements where there are no vendor interviews, the score received by the evaluation of the written proposal with the references score added will be the final score.

b. With Vendor Interview. In procurements where there are vendor interviews, the CSC will consider the interview and may adjust the scores received by the evaluation of the written proposal which, with the reference scores added, will be the final score.

11. Contact During Evaluation Process. All contact during the evaluation phase must be through the GSA-Procurement department only. Bidders must neither contact nor lobby CSC during the evaluation process. Attempts by Bidders to contact and/or influence members of the CSC may result in disqualification of Bidders.

12. Determining Award. As a result of this RFP, the County intends to award a contract to the highest-ranked responsible Bidder(s), as determined by the combined weight of the Evaluation Criteria, whose response conforms to the RFP and whose bid presents the greatest value to the County considering all Evaluation Criteria. The combined weight of the Evaluation Criteria is greater in importance than the cost in determining the best value to the County. The County may award a contract of higher qualitative competence over the lowest priced response.

13. The zero to five-point scale range is defined as follows:

14. The Evaluation Criteria and their respective weights are as follows:

Responses to this RFP must be complete. Responses must address all the requirements identified within this RFP and all related documents, including any Addenda. Failure to meet the Bidder Minimum Qualifications may also be considered an incomplete response and may result in the disqualification of the Bidder.

Pass/Fail

Bidders, its principal, and named subcontractors are not identified on the list of Federally debarred, suspended, or other excluded parties located at www.sam.gov/SAM.

Pass/Fail

The points for Cost will be computed by dividing the amount of the lowest responsive and responsible bid received by each Bidder’s total proposed cost.

Cost evaluation points may be adjusted by considering:

1. Reasonableness (i.e., how well does the proposed pricing accurately reflect the Bidder’s effort to meet requirements and objectives?).

2. Realism (i.e., is the proposed cost appropriate to the nature of the products and/or services to be provided? Is the price affordable to the County, including if costs exceed any budget contained in the RFP? ).

15 Points

In each area described below, an evaluation will be made of the probability of success and risks associated with the proposal response:

1. Does the description of proposed services match and contribute to achieving the objectives set out in the RFP?

2. To what extent does the Bidder’s proposal demonstrate effectiveness in ensuring the maintenance of appropriate staffing levels, including employing qualified and properly trained personnel for the management, administrative, call-taking, scheduling, dispatch/concierge, and oversight functions necessary to operate on-demand transportation services?

3. How well-defined and thoroughly are the Bidder's policies and procedures related to background checks, specifically criminal background checks, driving record checks, and the Zero Tolerance Policy?

4. To what extent does the Bidder's proposal demonstrate a comprehensive understanding and commitment to fulfill transportation obligations, including the creation and maintenance of a specialized system or mobile app with County Codes aligned to geographic parameters, maintaining accountability for program participants, ensuring an attentive and secure environment, optimizing efficiency and safety in transit/ride trips, and implementing.

30 Points

Proposals will be evaluated considering the RFP specifications and the questions below:

1. How much experience does the Bidder have with similar projects?

2. Do the individuals assigned to the project have experience on similar projects?

3. How effectively does the Bidder demonstrate their experience in managing the specialized system or mobile app to fulfill the specifications outlined in Section D (Specific Requirements), Item 3, Transportation Obligations, subpoints a. and b., as presented in the provided PowerPoint?

25 Points

Proposals will be evaluated, including considering the RFP specifications and the question below:

1. To what extent does the Bidder demonstrate a commitment to maintain a consumer-centric approach, including accountability for program participants, attentiveness to consumer needs, and a continuous improvement process to enhance overall transportation services?

20 Points

Should the County opt to conduct a vendor interview, the interview may include responding to standard and specific questions from the CSC regarding the Bidder’s proposal. Whether or not a shortlist process is used, the scores of any evaluation criterion above may be revised or informed based on the vendor interview.

Vendor Interview may be used to revise / inform scores of criteria above

SMALL LOCAL EMERGING BUSINESS PREFERENCE

1. CONTRACT EVALUATION AND ASSESSMENT

During the initial 120-day period of any contract awarded, the County may review the proposal, the contract, any goods or services provided, and/or meet with the Contractor to identify any issues or potential problems.

The County reserves the right to determine, at its sole discretion, whether:

The Contractor has complied with all terms of this RFP and the contract; and Any problems or potential problems with the proposed goods and/or services were evidenced, which makes it unlikely (even with possible modifications) that such goods and/or services have met or will meet the County requirements.

If, as a result of such determination, the County concludes that it is not satisfied with the Contractor’s performance under any awarded contract and/or Contractor’s goods and services as contracted for therein, the Contractor may be notified that the contract is being terminated. The Contractor must be responsible for returning County facilities to their original state at no charge to the County. The County will have the right to invite the next qualified Bidder(s) to enter into a contract. The County also reserves the right to re-bid this project if it is determined to be in its best interest to do so. The County’s right to go to the next qualified Bidder(s) and/or rebid is not limited by the award of a contract or the 120-day period.

NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD

At the conclusion of the RFP response evaluation period, all Bidders will be notified in writing by email or US Postal Service mail of the contract award recommendation, if any, by GSA-Procurement. The document providing this notification is the Notice of Intent to Award/Non-Award.

The Notice of Intent to Award/Non-Award will provide the following information:

The name(s) of the Bidder(s) being recommended for contract award; and The names of all other parties that submitted proposals.

The submitted proposals will be made available upon request no later than five calendar days before approval of the award and contract is scheduled to be considered by the Board of Supervisors.

BID PROTEST / APPEALS PROCESS

The County of Alameda prides itself on the establishment of fair and competitive contracting procedures and the commitment made to follow those procedures. The following is provided in the event that Bidders wish to protest the bid process or appeal the recommendation to award a contract once the Notices of Intent to Award/Non-Award have been issued. Bid protests submitted prior to issuance of the Notices of Intent to Award/Non-Award will not be accepted by the County.

Any bid protest must be submitted in writing by 5:00 p.m. on the SEVENTH (7th) calendar day following the date of issuance of the Notice of Intent to Award/ Non-Award, not the date received by the Bidder. The bid protest must be submitted to the office that has been designated for review of protests for this procurement (the Protest Evaluator). For this procurement, the Protest Evaluator is:

GSA–Office of Acquisition Policy ATTN: Contract Compliance Officer 1401 Lakeside Drive, 10th Floor, Oakland, CA 94612 Email: GSA-BidProtests@acgov.org

A bid protest received after 5:00 p.m. is considered received as of the next calendar day. A protest received after 5:00 p.m. on the SEVENTH (7th) calendar day following the date of issuance of the Notice of Intent to Award/Non-Award will not be considered under any circumstances by the Protest Evaluator or their designee.

Generally, the County will promptly send an email acknowledging receipt of the protest; it is the responsibility of the protestor to confirm that the protest was timely received.

The bid protest must contain a complete statement of the reasons and facts for the protest.

The protest must refer to the specific portions of all documents that form the basis for the protest.

The protest must include the name, address, email address, and telephone number of the person submitting the protest on behalf of the protesting party.

The Contract Specialist will send a notification to Bidders if a protest is received.

The Protest Evaluator, or their designee, will review and evaluate the protest and issue a written decision. The Protest Evaluator may, at its discretion, do any of the following: investigate the protest, obtain additional information, provide an opportunity to settle the protest by mutual agreement, and/or schedule a meeting(s) with the protesting Bidder and others (as appropriate) to discuss the protest. The decision on the bid protest must be final prior to the Board hearing.

A notification of the decision will be communicated by email and/or US Postal Service mail to the protestor. Notification will be provided to Bidders when a decision has been made on the protest and whether or not the recommendation to the Purchasing Agent in the Notice of Intent to Award/ Non-Award will stand.

The decision on the bid protest by the Protest Evaluator may be appealed to the Auditor-Controller's Office of Contract Compliance & Reporting (OCCR) located at 1221 Oak St., Room 249, Oakland, CA 94612, Email: OCCR@acgov.org, unless the OCCR determines that it has a conflict of interest in which case an alternate will be identified to hear the appeal and all steps to be taken by OCCR will be performed by the alternate. The Bidder whose bid is the subject of the protest, all Bidders affected by the Protest Evaluator's decision on the protest, and the protestor have the right to appeal if they feel the Protest Evaluator's decision is incorrect. All appeals to the Auditor-Controller's OCCR must be in writing and submitted within SEVEN (7) calendar days following the issuance of the decision, not the date the decision is received by the Bidder. An appeal received after 5:00 p.m. is considered received as of the next calendar day. An appeal received after 5:00 p.m. on the SEVENTH (7th) calendar day following the date of issuance of the decision by the Protest Evaluator will not be considered under any circumstances by the Auditor-Controller OCCR or their designee.

The appeal must specify the decision being appealed and all the facts and circumstances relied upon in support of the appeal.

In reviewing protest appeals, the OCCR will not re-judge the proposal(s). The appeal to the OCCR must be limited to a review of the procurement process to determine if the contracting department materially erred in following the bid or, if applicable, County contracting policies or other laws and regulations.

The appeal to the OCCR must be limited to the grounds raised in the original protest and the written decision by the Protest Evaluator. As such, a Bidder is prohibited from stating new grounds for a Bid protest in its appeal.

The Auditor’s Office may overturn the results of a bid process for ethical violations by Procurement staff, County Selection Committee members, subject matter experts, or any other County staff managing or participating in the competitive bid process, regardless of timing or the contents of a bid protest.

The finding of the Auditor-Controller’s OCCR is the final step of the appeal process. A copy of the finding of the Auditor-Controller’s OCCR will be furnished to the protestor.

The finding on the appeal must be issued before a recommendation to award the contract is considered and contract awarded by the Board of Supervisors.

The procedures and time limits set forth in this section are mandatory and are each Bidder's sole and exclusive remedy in the event of a bid protest. A Bidder’s failure to timely complete both the bid protest and appeal procedures will be deemed a failure to exhaust administrative remedies. Failure to exhaust administrative remedies, or failure to comply otherwise with these procedures, will constitute a waiver of any right to further pursue the bid protest, including filing a Government Code Claim or legal proceedings.

TERM / TERMINATION / RENEWAL

The contract term, which may be awarded pursuant to this RFP, will be three years.

By mutual agreement, any contract, which may be awarded pursuant to this RFP, may be extended for an additional two-year.

The County has and reserves the right to suspend, terminate or abandon the execution of any work, services and/or providing of goods by the Contractor without cause at any time upon giving the Contractor prior written notice. In the event that the County should abandon, terminate or suspend the Contractor’s work, services and/or providing of goods, the Contractor will be entitled to payment for services provided hereunder prior to the effective date of said suspension, termination, or abandonment. The County may terminate the contract at any time for cause without written notice upon a material breach of contract or substandard or unsatisfactory performance by the Contractor. In the event of termination with cause, the County reserves the right to seek any and all damages from the Contractor. In the event of such termination, with or without cause, the County reserves the right to invite the next highest-ranked Bidder to enter into a contract or rebid the project if it is determined to be in its best interest to do so.

PRICING

All pricing as quoted will not increase, but except as noted below, remain fixed and firm for the term of any contract that may be awarded as a result of this RFP.

Unless otherwise stated, Bidder agrees that, in the event of a price decline, the benefit of such a lower price will be extended to the County.

Reasonable price increases or decreases for subsequent contract terms may be negotiated between Contractor and County after completion of the initial term.

Taxes and freight charges:

All prices are to be Freight On Board (F.O.B.) destination. Any freight/delivery charges are to be included in the bid price.

The County is soliciting a total price for this project. The price(s) quoted must be the total cost the County will pay for this project, including all taxes (excluding Sales and Use taxes) and all other charges.

No charge for delivery, drayage, express, parcel post packing, cartage, insurance, license fees, permits, costs of bonds, or for any other purpose, except taxes legally payable by the County, will be paid by the County unless expressly included and itemized in the bid proposal.

Amount paid for the transportation of property to the County of Alameda is exempt from Federal Transportation Tax. An exemption certificate is not required where the shipping papers show the consignee as Alameda County as such papers may be accepted by the carrier as proof of the exempt character of the shipment.

Articles sold to the County of Alameda are exempt from certain Federal excise taxes. If applicable, and upon request, the County will furnish an exemption certificate.

All prices quoted must be in United States dollars.

Price quotes must include any and all payment incentives available to the County.

In the evaluation of cost, if applicable, it will be assumed that the unit price quoted is correct in the case of a discrepancy between the unit price and an extension, and the Bidder must honor the unit price quoted.

Federal and State minimum wage laws apply. The County has no requirements for living wages. The County is not imposing any additional requirements regarding wages.

AWARD

Most Responsive and Responsible Bidder(s)

a. The award will be made to the highest-ranked Bidder(s) who meet the requirements of these specifications, terms, and conditions.

b. Awards may also be made to the subsequent highest ranked Bidder(s) who will be called in order should the County need to contract with another Bidder(s).

c. An award will be recommended for the Bidder(s) that submitted the proposal(s) that best serves the overall interests of the County by attaining the highest overall point score. The award may not necessarily be made to the Bidder(s) with the lowest price.

Small Local Emerging Business (SLEB) Program Small and Emerging Locally Owned Business: The County is vitally interested in promoting the growth of small and emerging local businesses by means of increasing the participation of these businesses in the County’s purchase of goods and services.

As a result of the County’s commitment to advancing the economic opportunities of these businesses, Bidders must meet the County’s Small and Emerging Locally Owned Business requirements in order to be considered for the contract award. These requirements can be found online at:

Alameda County SLEB Program Overview [http://acgov.org/auditor/sleb/overview.htm]; and Alameda County SLEB Program Additional Information [https://gsa.acgov.org/do-business-with-us/vendor-support/small-local-and-emerging-businesses/] For purposes of this procurement, applicable industries include, but are not limited to, the following North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code(s): 485991 and 485999.

A small business is defined by the United States Small Business Administration (SBA) as having no more than the number of employees or average annual gross receipts over the last three years required per SBA standards based on the small business's appropriate NAICS code.

An emerging business is defined by the County as having either annual gross receipts of less than one-half that of a small business OR having less than one-half the number of employees AND that has been in business less than five years.

If a Bidder is certified by the County as either a small and local or an emerging and local business (SLEB), the County will provide up to 5% bid preference for procurements over $25,000.

If a Bidder is located within Alameda County, the County may provide a 5% local bid preference.

County Rights The County reserves the right to reject any or all responses that materially differ from any terms contained in this RFP, including Exhibits and any Addendums, to waive informalities and minor irregularities in responses received, and to provide an opportunity for Bidders to correct minor and immaterial errors contained in their submissions. The decision as to what constitutes a minor irregularity will be made solely at the discretion of the County.

Any bid proposals that contain false or misleading information may be disqualified by the County.

The County reserves the right to award to a single or multiple Contractors.

The County reserves the right to conduct additional procurements for the same or similar goods and/or services or to award to additional contract(s), including to other Bidder(s), during the term of the contract if it determines that additional Contractors are needed to supplement goods and/or services being provided.

The County has the right to decline to award this contract or any part thereof for any reason.

Procedures

a. Board approval to award a contract is required.

b. A contract must be fully executed by the recommended awardee and the County prior to any services and goods being provided or work being performed.

c. The County uses its Standard Services Agreement terms and conditions for purchases and services. Any terms that are not acceptable to a Bidder must be identified on the Exceptions and Clarifications form in Exhibit A - Bid Response Packet. Bidder may access a copy of the Standard Services Agreement template at:

Alameda County Standard Services Agreement Template [https://acgovt.sharepoint.com/:w:/s/GSADigitalLibrary/EeGBnUyJSMFBoXqtvbj7ly0BqycT5J83NKyIV19tLO6-yA?e=YwGjFP]

d. The RFP specifications, terms, conditions, Exhibits, RFP Addenda, and Bidder’s proposal may be incorporated into and made a part of any contract that may be awarded as a result of this RFP.

METHOD OF ORDERING

A written Purchase Order (PO) will be issued after an executed contract and Board approval. If there is any conflict in terms of any PO and the executed contract, the contract will control, even if a PO is issued later. Payment cannot be made to any Contractor until a PO is issued.

POs and payments for goods and/or services will be issued only in the name of the Contractor, as identified on the contract.

The Contractor must adapt to changes to the method of ordering procedures as required by the County during the term of the contract.

Any change orders must be agreed upon in writing by Contractor and County and issued as needed by County.

INVOICING

Contractor must invoice the requesting department, unless otherwise directed by County, upon satisfactory receipt of goods and/or performance of services.

County will use reasonable efforts to make payment within 30 days following receipt and review of invoice and complete satisfactory receipt of goods and/or performance of services.

County will notify the Contractor of any adjustments or corrections that must be made to receive payment on an invoice.

Invoices submitted by the Contractor must contain the County PO number, invoice number, remit to address, itemized goods and/or services description, and price as quoted and must be accompanied by an acceptable proof of delivery and any other information requested by the County.

Contractor must utilize a standardized invoice format upon request.

Invoices must be issued by, and payments made to, the Contractor who is awarded a contract.

The County will pay the Contractor, after receipt and approval of an invoice, monthly or as agreed upon, not to exceed the total contract amount. The County will not pay for goods and/or services in advance.

In the event the Contractor’s performance and/or deliverable goods have been deemed unsatisfactory by a review committee, the County reserves the right to withhold future payments until the performance and/or deliverable goods are deemed satisfactory.

ACCOUNT MANAGER / SUPPORT STAFF

The Contractor must provide dedicated support staff to be the primary contact for all issues regarding the response to this RFP and any contract which may arise pursuant to this RFP.

Contractor must also provide adequate, competent support staff that will be able to service the County during normal working hours, Monday through Friday, or as otherwise identified in this RFP. Such representative(s) must be knowledgeable about the contract, products, and/or services offered and able to identify and resolve quickly any issues, including but not limited to order and invoicing problems.

Contractor must provide a dedicated, competent account manager who will be responsible for the County account/contract and receive all orders. Contractor account manager must be familiar with County requirements and standards and work with the departments. to ensure that established standards are adhered to. This includes keeping the County Contract Administrator informed of department requests as needed.

INSTRUCTIONS TO BIDDERS

COUNTY CONTACTS

1. GSA-Procurement is managing the competitive process for this project on behalf of the County. All contact during the competitive process is to be through the GSA-Procurement department only. Any communication regarding this RFP with other County personnel may result in disqualification.

2. The evaluation phase of the competitive process will begin upon receipt of sealed bid proposals and continue until a contract has been awarded.