Message_Switch_System_Replacement.pdf

County of San Mateo

Request for Proposals (RFP) for Message Switch System

Replacement

Public Safety Communications

RFP No. 2027-RFP-00007

RFP Contact: Anil Balivada abalivada@smcgov.org

1. Introduction and Schedule

The County of San Mateo (the “County” or “SMC”) covers most of the San Francisco Peninsula. The region covers 744 mi and is home to nearly 800,000 residents and 20 incorporated cities. The County provides for the health and welfare of all people within its borders and serves as the local government for the unincorporated areas. Innovation thrives here in industries including bioscience, computer software, green technology, hospitality, financial management, health care, education and transportation. The

County prides itself on how that prosperity fosters its commitment to protecting and enhancing the health, safety, welfare and natural resources of the community.

1.1. Summary

The County of San Mateo (County) is seeking proposals from qualified vendors to replace its legacy

Message Switch System (MSS), a mission-critical public safety platform that enables secure, real-time exchange of criminal justice information between local, state, and federal law enforcement systems. The

Public Safety Communications (PSC) Department serves as the County's centralized emergency communications hub, providing 24/7 dispatch and emergency communication services for fire, emergency medical services (EMS), and law enforcement agencies serving approximately 800,000 residents throughout the County.

The County's existing MSS supports approximately 30 law enforcement, public safety, and criminal justice agencies by providing secure connectivity to critical systems, including the California Law

Enforcement Telecommunications System (CLETS), National Crime Information Center (NCIC), Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), Automated Warrant System (AWS), County CJIS, and other criminal justice information systems.

As the current platform has reached the end of its practical lifecycle, the County is seeking a modern, secure, scalable, and CJIS-compliant replacement that meets current operational needs while supporting regulatory compliance, interoperability, and future technology integration. The proposed solution will enhance system reliability, ensure uninterrupted access to critical criminal justice information, strengthen cybersecurity, and provide a sustainable platform that supports the County's long-term public safety mission.

1.2. Background

The County's Public Safety Communications (PSC) Department is responsible for operating and administering the Countywide Message Switch System (MSS), which serves as the central communications gateway for the exchange of criminal justice information among approximately 30 local, county, state, federal, and regional public safety agencies. The MSS routes authorized inquiries, responses, broadcasts, and transactional messages between agency systems and external resources, including the California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (CLETS), National Crime

Information Center (NCIC), California Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Motor Vehicles

(DMV), Automated Warrant System (AWS), County Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS), and other public safety databases. Access to the MSS is governed by applicable DOJ, CLETS, and Criminal

Justice Information Services (CJIS) security, operational, and regulatory requirements.

The current MSS operates within a highly integrated public safety environment that supports Computer-

Aided Dispatch (CAD), Records Management Systems (RMS), Law Enforcement Network (LawNet), wireless mobile data communications, CJIS interfaces, the Automated Warrant System (AWS), and other mission-critical public safety applications. Together, these interconnected systems provide law

Page 3 of 26 Release date of August 20, 2026 enforcement personnel with timely access to the information needed for emergency response, criminal investigations, warrant processing, and other essential criminal justice operations.

While the existing MSS has served the County reliably for many years, its aging architecture presents increasing operational, security, and maintenance challenges. Limited vendor support, constrained modernization capabilities, and evolving cybersecurity, interoperability, and regulatory requirements make replacement of the platform necessary. Through this procurement, the County seeks a commercially supported, standards-based Message Switch System that minimizes operational risk, enables a seamless migration from the existing environment, maintains uninterrupted public safety operations, and provides a secure, scalable, resilient, and future-ready platform to support the County's public safety agencies for years to come.

1.3. Contact Information

Project Contact:

Anil Balivada PSC Systems Management Division Manager Email: abalivada@smcgov.org Phone: (408) 431-9448

Procurement Contact:

Anil Balivada PSC Systems Management Division Manager Email: abalivada@smcgov.org Phone: (408) 431-9448

Department:

Public Safety Communications

Department Head:

Natasha Claire-Espino Director

1.4. Timeline

RFP Released August 20, 2026

Deadline for Questions and Comments September 3, 2026, 5:00pm

Proposal Due Date and Time September 21, 2026, 5:00pm

Proposer Demonstrations and Technical

Presentations

October 12, 2026 mailto:abalivada@smcgov.org tel:(408)431-9448 mailto:abalivada@smcgov.org tel:(408)431-9448

Page 4 of 26 Release date of August 20, 2026

Anticipated Contract Award Date December 11, 2026

2. Scope of Work

2.1. Project Overview

The County of San Mateo (County), through its Public Safety Communications (PSC) Department, is seeking proposals from qualified Contractors to design, configure, implement, and support a replacement for the County's legacy Message Switch System (MSS). The replacement solution shall provide a secure, resilient, highly available, and scalable platform for the routing and exchange of criminal justice information among County, local, state, and federal public safety systems.

The County's preferred deployment architecture is cloud-native or hybrid, leveraging modern technologies to improve system resiliency, cybersecurity, operational efficiency, disaster recovery, scalability, and long-term maintainability. The proposed solution shall support secure interoperability with existing public safety applications and external criminal justice information systems while providing the flexibility to accommodate future operational and regulatory requirements. Contractors proposing an on-premises solution shall demonstrate how their solution provides equivalent capabilities, resiliency, scalability, security, and long-term lifecycle value.

The proposed solution shall support the County's current operating environment, including:

• Approximately 30 participating law enforcement, public safety, and criminal justice agencies.

• Approximately 2,500 authorized user mnemonics.

• Average monthly processing of approximately 1.5 million inbound (terminal input) messages and 2.5 million outbound (terminal output) messages.

• Continuous 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year operations.

The County seeks a commercially supported solution that complies with all applicable Criminal Justice

Information Services (CJIS) Security Policy, California Department of Justice (DOJ) requirements, California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (CLETS) policies, and other applicable federal, state, and local regulatory requirements, while providing a modern, secure, scalable, and sustainable technology platform capable of supporting the County's public safety mission over the next decade and beyond.

Prevailing Wage and Public Works Requirements. The Contractor shall comply with all applicable

California prevailing wage, public works, labor compliance, contractor registration, payroll reporting, and related requirements to the extent applicable to any portion of the work performed under the resulting contract. The County shall identify in the solicitation and/or resulting contract any determination it has made regarding the applicability of California prevailing wage and public works requirements. Proposers shall identify in their proposals any portion of the proposed work that they believe is subject to prevailing wage or other public works requirements and shall identify all assumptions concerning such applicability.

If prevailing wage or public works requirements apply, the Contractor shall be responsible for compliance

Page 5 of 26 Release date of August 20, 2026 by itself and all applicable subcontractors, including payment of applicable prevailing wages and satisfaction of applicable reporting, recordkeeping, registration, and labor compliance requirements.

2.2. Scope of Services

The selected Contractor shall provide all labor, professional services, software, licensing, implementation, integration, testing, documentation, training, project management, maintenance, and technical support necessary to deliver a fully operational and fully supported production system.

At a minimum, the Contractor shall:

• Provide a complete replacement of the County's existing Message Switch System.

• Design, configure, install, implement, and commission the proposed solution.

• Migrate existing configurations, routing rules, interfaces, and required historical and operational data.

• Integrate the solution with County systems and authorized external law enforcement and criminal justice systems.

• Perform comprehensive system, integration, performance, security, disaster recovery, and user acceptance testing.

• Develop and execute a detailed implementation and production cutover plan that minimizes operational disruption and ensures business continuity.

• Provide administrator and end-user training.

• Deliver complete technical, operational, and system administration documentation, including architecture, configuration, and disaster recovery documentation.

• Deliver a complete set of as-built documentation for the implemented solution. At a minimum, as-built documentation shall accurately reflect the final production environment and shall include, as applicable, system architecture and topology diagrams; hardware, software, and cloud-service inventories; network and interface diagrams; data flows; system configurations; routing rules;

integration specifications; application and API configurations; security configurations and dependencies; identity and access-management configurations; backup and recovery configurations; disaster recovery architecture and procedures; monitoring and alerting configurations; third-party components and dependencies; and all other material configuration information necessary for the County to understand, operate, administer, troubleshoot, maintain, recover, and support the implemented solution. As-built documentation shall reflect the system as actually implemented following completion of configuration, testing, and production cutover and shall be updated to reflect material changes made during implementation.

• For all custom development, custom configuration, scripts, interfaces, integrations, modifications, reports, utilities, workflows, or other work product specifically created or developed for the

Page 6 of 26 Release date of August 20, 2026

County under the resulting contract ("Custom Deliverables"), provide complete and current technical documentation sufficient for the County or its designated third party to understand, maintain, operate, troubleshoot, modify, and, where applicable, redeploy the Custom

Deliverables. Such documentation shall include source code, build and deployment instructions, configuration information, dependencies, data structures, interface specifications, and other materials reasonably necessary for continued use and maintenance, except to the extent expressly identified in the contract as Contractor Background Technology or third-party technology.

• Custom Deliverables specifically developed for the County under the resulting contract shall be owned by the County upon payment for the applicable services or deliverables, subject to the provisions governing Contractor Background Technology, third-party materials, and open-source software. To the extent any Custom Deliverable qualifies as a "work made for hire" under applicable copyright law, the parties shall treat it as a work made for hire. To the extent it does not qualify as a work made for hire, the Contractor shall assign to the County all right, title, and interest in and to such Custom Deliverable, including all transferable intellectual property rights, upon payment. The Contractor shall execute and deliver any documents reasonably necessary to evidence or perfect such ownership or assignment.

• The Contractor shall clearly identify in its proposal and, if selected, in the resulting contract, any

Contractor Background Technology, pre-existing materials, third-party software, open-source software, tools, frameworks, libraries, or other intellectual property that are incorporated into or required for the County's use of the proposed solution or any Custom Deliverable. The Contractor shall retain ownership of its Contractor Background Technology; however, the resulting contract shall grant the County the perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive, worldwide, fully paid-up, royalty-free license rights reasonably necessary for the County to use, execute, reproduce, maintain, support, modify, and otherwise operate the solution and Custom Deliverables, including through County personnel and third-party service providers acting on the County's behalf, subject to applicable third-party license restrictions.

• Provide warranty, ongoing maintenance, software updates, security patches, and technical support following production deployment.

• Maintain and update the technical, operational, configuration, and as-built documentation throughout implementation and prior to final system acceptance so that the documentation accurately reflects the production solution delivered to the County.

2.3. Cloud and Infrastructure Requirements

The County encourages innovative deployment approaches that maximize reliability, scalability, and operational efficiency, cybersecurity, and long-term maintainability.

The proposed solution should:

• Be architected as a cloud-native Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution or a hybrid cloud solution whenever practical.

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• Support secure deployment within commercially recognized cloud service provider (CSP) platforms.

• Provide elastic scalability to accommodate future increases in terminal message volume, participating agencies, and connected systems.

• Support automated monitoring, high availability, redundancy, disaster recovery, and automated failover.

• Provide secure administrative access using modern identity management (IAM) and multi-factor authentication (MFA).

• Utilize infrastructure designed to eliminate single points of failure.

• Support secure standards-based API-based integration with current and future County applications.

• Support deployment across multiple availability zones or equivalent fault domains, where supported by the underlying platform.

If proposing an on-premises deployment, Vendors shall explain why that architecture represents the most advantageous solution and describe how it provides capabilities equivalent to a cloud-native or hybrid architecture with respect to scalability, resiliency, security, disaster recovery, maintainability, operational availability, and total cost of ownership (TCO) over the system lifecycle.

2.4. Desired Outcomes

The County expects the replacement Message Switch System to:

• Improve system reliability and operational resiliency.

• Strengthen cybersecurity and support compliance with applicable regulatory compliance.

• Reduce infrastructure complexity, administrative overhead, and lifecycle management effort.

• Simplify future upgrades and technology modernization.

• Enhance interoperability with County, local, state, and federal criminal justice information systems.

• Improve monitoring, reporting, alerting, and operational visibility.

• Minimize planned and unplanned service interruptions through high availability and disaster recovery capabilities.

• Provide a scalable, secure, and maintainable platform capable of supporting future public safety initiatives.

3. Submission Requirements

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3.1. Submission Deadline

Proposals must be electronically received by 5:00 pm, on Monday, September 21, 2026 via eProcurement system.

Allow sufficient time for the upload to complete by the Due Date and Time. Partial uploads will automatically terminate, and proposals will be rejected. The eProcurement system submission time will be the official submission time. The County will not be responsible for and may not accept proposals that are late due to slow internet connections or for any other failure of the eProcurement system.

NOTE: The County does not maintain the eProcurement system and is not liable for site failures or technical problems. To resolve technical issues, contact OpenGov Technical Support by using the real time chat located in the lower right hand corner of the screen, or via email at procurement-support@opengov.com https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/smcgov

3.2. Pre-submission Registration

Organizations or individuals interested in responding to this solicitation must register online with the

County of San Mateo at:

• https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/smcgov

It is recommended that organizations complete this registration as soon as possible. The County will not be responsible for and may not accept proposals that are late due to a failure to register in the eProcurement system.

3.3. Submission via eProcurement Portal

Required Documents

Please refer to the Technical Proposal section for submittal documents and requirements.

Electronic Submissions

Include the proposer name and the RFP title and number in each filename. Submit proposals via the eProcurement website, allowing sufficient time for the upload to complete by the Due Date and Time. As noted above, the eProcurement portal submission time will be the official submission time, and partial uploads will automatically terminate, and proposals will be rejected. Contact eProcurement Portal with technical questions regarding this site.

Conflicts between Certain Requirements

Prior to the submission deadlines and solely relating to a determination of the timeliness of questions, comments, and proposal submissions, information displayed on the eProcurement portal site will take precedence in the event of a discrepancy between that information and the information within the solicitation documents. For all other discrepancies, the information in the solicitation documents will take precedence.

Format mailto:procurement-support@opengov.com mailto:procurement-support@opengov.com https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/smcgov https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/smcgov https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/smcgov/projects/285889/document?section=2755618

Page 9 of 26 Release date of August 20, 2026

Documents should be created in the following format:

• Text should be Times New Roman (12-point minimum font size) and unjustified (i.e., with a ragged-right margin)

• Pages should have margins of at least one inch on all sides (excluding headers and footers)

• If the proposal is lengthy, a Table of Contents should be included.

• PDF format is preferred.

Errors in Proposals

The County will not be liable for any errors in proposals. Proposals may be rejected as unresponsive if they are late, incomplete, missing pages or information, or cannot be opened for any reason. The County may waive minor irregularities, but such waiver will not modify any remaining RFP requirements.

3.4. Procurement Preference for Local Businesses and Local Non-Profits

The County of San Mateo has adopted a Procurement Preference for Local Businesses Ordinance (County

Ord. Code Ch. 2.89.) The purpose of this Ordinance is to promote a strong local economy by giving preference to local businesses, local non-profits, local small and micro businesses, and local small and micro non-profits in County procurements, to the extent consistent with the law and interests of the public. The County’s process for applying local preferences to competitive procurements is set forth in

County Ordinance Code Section 2.89.030. The Ordinance and exemptions (e.g. the ordinance will be exempt when all bids or proposals received are from Non-Profit Organizations) can be reviewed here:

Chapter 2.89 - PROCUREMENT PREFERENCE FOR LOCAL BUSINESSES | Code of Ordinances |

San Mateo County, CA | Municode Library

The requirements for bidders to establish eligibility for a local preference for this solicitation are detailed below in Section III (Submission Requirements) The Ordinance does not apply if a procurement is determined to be exempt (County Ord. Code sec. 2.89.050), and the County reserves the right to waive application of the Ordinance to this procurement if determined to be in the best interests of the County

(County Ord. Code sec. 2.89.060).

4. Minimum Qualifications, Local Preference Ordinance, and Technical Proposal

4.1. Minimum Qualifications

The following minimum qualifications are mandatory. Failure to meet any mandatory qualification may result in the proposal being deemed non-responsive.

4.1.1. Relevant Experience*

Has the Proposer provided Message Switch Systems (MSS), secure criminal justice messaging platforms, or comparable mission-critical public safety integration solutions for at least five (5) years?

☐ Yes

☐ No

*Response required https://library.municode.com/ca/san_mateo_county/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TIT2AD_ART2.8INFIPRCOCO_CH2.89PRPRLOBU https://library.municode.com/ca/san_mateo_county/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TIT2AD_ART2.8INFIPRCOCO_CH2.89PRPRLOBU

Page 10 of 26 Release date of August 20, 2026

4.1.2. Public Safety Experience*

Has the Proposer successfully implemented or supported at least three (3) Message Switch Systems or comparable criminal justice integration platforms for law enforcement, public safety, or criminal justice agencies within the past seven (7) years?

☐ Yes

☐ No

*Response required

4.1.3. California Criminal Justice Experience*

Does the proposed solution currently interface with or support connectivity to California DOJ, CLETS, NCIC, DMV, AWS, or equivalent criminal justice systems?

☐ Yes

☐ No

*Response required

4.1.4. CJIS Compliance*

Confirm that the proposed solution complies with the current FBI Criminal Justice Information Services

(CJIS) Security Policy and applicable California DOJ/CLETS security requirements.

☐ Yes

☐ No

*Response required

4.1.5. Financial Stability*

Has the Proposer continuously operated under its current business name for at least five (5) years?

☐ Yes

☐ No

*Response required

4.1.6. Project Manager Qualifications*

Will the proposed Project Manager have a minimum of five (5) years of experience managing enterprise public safety or criminal justice technology implementations comparable in size and complexity?

☐ Yes

☐ No

*Response required

4.1.7. Technical Support*

Can the Proposer provide ongoing production support, including 24x7x365 emergency support, software maintenance, security updates, and incident response?

☐ Yes

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☐ No

*Response required

4.1.8. Please confirm your firm is registered with System for Award Management (SAM)*

SAM.gov

☐ Please confirm

*Response required

4.1.9. What is the registered Business Name and Unique Entity ID (UEI) No.?*

• UEI number can be obtained by registering your business through SAM.GOV

• Should you be in the process of obtaining your UEI number, please enter the digits ‘123’ temporarily for your response below in order to proceed with proposal. This temporary number should be replaced with the correct registration number for submission of the proposal.

*Response required

4.2. Procurement Preference for Local Businesses and Local Non-Profits

4.2.1. Is the Proposer a "Local Business"?

As Defined by Chapter 2.89.020 of the San Mateo County Ordinance Code, a “Local Business” means any for-profit business which has its principal place of business, or is headquartered, in San Mateo

County. If this designation applies to the proposer, a self-attestation form must be completed and provided with this response.

Please download the below documents, complete, and upload. If this designation is not applicable, please leave blank.

• SMC_LocalBusiness_self-atte...

4.2.2. Is the Proposer a Non-Profit?*

A Non-Profit is defined as a tax-exempt public charity organization (within the meaning of section

501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code) that is formed for purposes other than making a profit, is exempt from paying federal income taxes on the income generated for their exempt purposes.

☐ Yes

☐ No

*Response required

When equals "Yes"

4.2.3. Is the Proposer a "Local Non-Profit"

As Defined by Chapter 2.89.020 of the San Mateo County Ordinance Code, a “Local Non-Profit" means a tax-exempt public charity organization (within the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the

Internal Revenue Code) that is formed for purposes other than making a profit, is exempt from paying federal income taxes on the income generated for their exempt purposes, and has its principal place of business, or is headquartered, in San Mateo County. If this designation applies to the proposer, a self-attestation form must be completed and provided with this response.

https://sam.gov/content/home https://government-project.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/153456/a16ffdc0-a0ee-44ca-b6de-1fddd010042f_SMC_LocalBusiness_self-attestation_form_120424.pdf

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Please download the below documents, complete, and upload. If this designation is not applicable, please leave blank.

• SMC_LocalBusiness_self-atte...

4.2.4. Is the Proposer a Local "Small" or "Micro" Business?

As Defined by Chapter 2.89.020 of the San Mateo County Ordinance Code:

“Small Business” means any business which holds a Small Business Certification awarded by the

California Office of Small Business and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise Services (OSDS).

“Micro Business” means any Small Business certified by the OSDS which is automatically designated by the OSDS as a Micro Business due to gross annual receipts falling below the OSDS-designated dollar amount.

If the above designations apply, please provide the OSDS provided Certification ID.

If this designation is not applicable, please leave blank.

4.2.5. Is the Proposer a Local "Small" or "Micro" Non-Profit?

As Defined by Chapter 2.89.020 of the San Mateo County Ordinance Code:

“Small Non-Profit" means a Local Non-Profit with an annual revenue of $1,000,000 to $2,500,000 according to its most recently filed IRS Form 990.

“Micro Non-Profit" means a Local Non-Profit with an annual revenue of less than $1,000,000, according to its most recently filed IRS Form 990.

If the above designations apply, please provide your latest filed IRS form 990. A filing from the last two calendar years is acceptable.

If this designation is not applicable, please leave blank.

4.3. Technical Proposal

Provide an executive summary describing the proposed solution, deployment model (cloud-native, hybrid, or on-premises), key differentiators, understanding of the County's objectives, and why the proposed solution is best suited for this project.

Reference Exhibits The following documents are provided as exhibits to this RFP and shall be reviewed and considered by the Proposer when preparing its technical response and proposed solution:

• Exhibit A – CLETS Policies, Practices, and Procedures

• Exhibit C – FBI CJIS Security Policy

The Proposer’s solution, implementation approach, security controls, and operational support model shall comply with all applicable requirements identified in these documents.

4.3.1. Introduction and Executive Summary *

https://government-project.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/153456/80d29c2f-acda-4b87-837e-cb4ead1fb303_SMC_LocalBusiness_self-attestation_form_120424.pdf

Page 13 of 26 Release date of August 20, 2026

Submit a Letter of Transmittal and Executive Summary that demonstrates the Proposer's understanding of the County's objectives and summarizes the proposed Message Switch System (MSS) solution.

The letter shall include:

• Proposer's legal business name and corporate headquarters.

• Name, title, address, telephone number, and email address of the primary contact for this proposal.

• Name, title, and signature of the individual authorized to legally bind the Proposer.

• A statement certifying that the proposal is valid for at least 180 calendar days.

• A statement acknowledging the Proposer's ability to perform the services described in this RFP.

The Executive Summary should briefly describe:

• The proposed solution.

• Deployment model (cloud-native, hybrid, or on-premises).

• Key differentiators.

• Benefits to the County.

*Response required

4.3.2. Understanding of County Requirements*

Describe your understanding of the County's operational environment and the challenges associated with replacing a mission-critical Message Switch System supporting more than 30 agencies, approximately

2,500 authorized user mnemonics, and average monthly processing volumes of approximately 1.5 million inbound (terminal input) and 2.5 million outbound (terminal output) messages.

*Response required

4.3.3. Project Approach*

Describe your overall technical and implementation approach for delivering the proposed Message Switch

System. Include your methodology for project planning, system design, configuration, implementation, testing, deployment, knowledge transfer, production cutover, and post-implementation support. Describe how your approach minimizes operational disruption while maintaining continuity of critical public safety operations.

*Response required

4.3.4. Scope of Work tasks/milestones*

Describe how your proposed solution satisfies each component of the Scope of Work. Include a detailed description of the major project phases, deliverables, milestones, dependencies, acceptance criteria, and responsibilities of both the Contractor and the County.

The Proposer shall specifically identify:

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• Any portion of the proposed work that the Proposer believes is subject to California prevailing wage or other public works requirements, including the basis for that determination and the applicable worker classifications, if known.

• All Custom Deliverables that will be developed specifically for the County, including a description of the proposed ownership and licensing rights applicable to each Custom

Deliverable.

• Any Contractor Background Technology, third-party software, open-source software, or other pre-existing intellectual property that will be incorporated into the solution or any Custom

Deliverable and any license restrictions applicable to such materials.

• The proposed approach for providing source code, technical documentation, configuration information, build and deployment information, and other materials necessary for the County to maintain and support Custom Deliverables.

• The proposed as-built documentation deliverables, including the format, level of detail, delivery schedule, and process for updating the documentation to reflect the final production environment.

*Response required

4.3.5. Proposed schedule *

Provide a detailed project schedule identifying all major activities, milestones, deliverables, dependencies, resource assignments, and estimated durations through final system acceptance and production deployment. Identify any County resources or decisions required to maintain the proposed schedule.

*Response required

4.3.6. Innovations*

Describe any innovative capabilities or value-added services included in your proposed solution that improve security, operational efficiency, scalability, resiliency, system administration, automation, monitoring, analytics, cloud services, artificial intelligence (AI), or future interoperability. Clearly identify which capabilities are included in the proposed solution and which are optional.

*Response required

4.3.7. Performance Measures*

Describe the performance standards and service level commitments for the proposed solution, including:

• System availability (uptime)

• Performance monitoring

• Response times

• Incident resolution targets

• Disaster recovery objectives (RTO/RPO)

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• Maintenance windows

• Service Level Agreements (SLAs)

• Reporting metrics and dashboards

*Response required

4.3.8. Firm Qualifications *

Provide information demonstrating your firm's qualifications and experience implementing Message

Switch Systems or comparable mission-critical public safety or criminal justice integration solutions.

Include:

• Company overview and years in business.

• Experience with cloud-native, hybrid, or on-premises public safety solutions.

• Experience integrating with CJIS, CLETS, DOJ, NCIC, DMV, AWS, CAD, RMS, or comparable criminal justice systems.

• Descriptions of no more than three (3) projects of similar size and complexity completed within the last seven (7) years, including:

o Client name o Project scope o Number of agencies supported o Implementation timeline o Current operational status o Client reference information

• Identify any subcontractors and describe their responsibilities.

*Response required

4.3.9. Team Qualifications*

Provide an organizational chart identifying the proposed project team, reporting relationships, and key personnel assigned to this project.

Include:

• Executive Sponsor

• Project Manager

• Solution Architect

• Technical Lead

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• Integration Lead

• Security Lead

• Training Lead

• Support Manager

For each key individual, provide:

• Role and responsibilities

• Relevant experience

• Qualifications

• Applicable certifications

• Resume (optional)

Include a written commitment that key personnel identified in the proposal will not be substituted without prior written approval from the County.

*Response required

4.3.10. References*

Provide a minimum of three (3) customer references for Message Switch System or comparable public safety/criminal justice system implementations completed within the last seven (7) years.

Include:

• Agency name

• Contact name and title

• Email address

• Telephone number

• Project description

• Implementation date

• Current operational status

• Scope of services provided

• Number of agencies and users supported

*Response required

5. Pricing Proposal

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MESSAGE SWITCH SYSTEM (MSS) REPLACEMENT – PRICING PROPOSAL

Proposers shall complete the Pricing Proposal by providing all costs necessary to deliver a complete, fully operational Message Switch System (MSS) solution in accordance with this RFP. Pricing shall include all applicable one-time and recurring costs, including software licensing or subscriptions, cloud hosting (if applicable), hardware, implementation, system integration, data migration, training, warranty, maintenance, support, and any optional services. Proposers shall clearly distinguish one-time implementation costs from recurring annual costs and identify any assumptions or exclusions.

Line Item Description Quantity Unit of

Measure Unit Cost Total

1 Software License or SaaS Subscription

(Year 1) 1 Lot

2 Project Management 1 Lot

3 Solution Design & Architecture 1 Lot

4 System Installation, Configuration &

Implementation 1 Lot

5 Integration with County Systems

(CAD, RMS, CJIS, etc.)

1 Lot

6 Integration with External Systems

(CLETS, DOJ, NCIC, DMV, AWS,

etc.)

1 Lot

7 Data Migration & System Cutover 1 Lot

8 System Testing (Unit, Integration, Performance & User Acceptance) 1 Lot

9 Training (Administrator & End Users) 1 Lot

10 Technical Documentation 1 Lot

11 Production Go-Live Support -1 Lot

12 Cloud Hosting / Managed Services (if applicable) 1 Lot

13 On-Premises Infrastructure (if applicable) 1 Lot

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Line Item Description Quantity Unit of

Measure Unit Cost Total

14 Disaster Recovery / High Availability

Configuration 1 Lot

15 Security & Compliance Configuration

(CJIS/CLETS)

1 Lot

16 Annual Software Maintenance &

Technical Support – Year 1 1 Lot

17 Annual Software Maintenance &

Technical Support – Year 2 1 Lot

18 Annual Software Maintenance &

Technical Support – Year 3 1 Lot

19 Annual Software Maintenance &

Technical Support – Year 4 1 Lot

20 Annual Software Maintenance &

Technical Support – Year 5 1 Lot

21 Optional Software Modules / Features 1 Lot

22 Optional Professional Services 1 Lot

23 Optional Training Services 1 Lot

24 Total Five-Year Cost of Ownership

(TCO)

1 Lot

TOTAL

6. Evaluation and Selection Criteria

The proposals will be evaluated by a selection committee with relevant expertise. The County intends to evaluate the proposals generally in accordance with the criteria itemized below. Proposers with the highest scoring proposals may be interviewed by the committee to make the final selection.

6.1. Phase 1

No. Evaluation Criteria Scoring Method Weight (Points)

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1. Technical Solution & Project Approach

Evaluation will consider the Proposer's understanding of the County's requirements, overall solution architecture, implementation methodology, cloud-native/hybrid capabilities, system functionality, security, scalability, integration approach, migration strategy, and ability to deliver a reliable, mission-critical

Message Switch System.

Points Based 35 (35% of Total)

2. Firm Experience & Qualifications

Evaluation will consider the Proposer's experience delivering Message Switch Systems or comparable public safety or criminal justice solutions, successful implementations of similar scope and complexity, organizational qualifications, customer references, financial stability, and demonstrated experience supporting mission-critical systems.

Points Based 25 (25% of Total)

3. Project Team & Implementation Capability

Evaluation will consider the qualifications and experience of the proposed project team, implementation methodology, project management approach, staffing plan, training, knowledge transfer, and ongoing support capabilities.

Points Based 15 (15% of Total)

4. Price

Evaluation will consider the total proposed cost, including implementation, software licensing or subscription, cloud hosting (if applicable), maintenance, support, optional services, and overall value to the County.

Points Based 25 (25% of Total)

6.2. Phase 2

No. Evaluation Criteria Scoring Method Weight (Points)

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1. Preferential Points

Where price is not the sole evaluation factor for a solicitation (e.g., in the case of a "best-value" solicitation), five percent (5%) of the total evaluation points otherwise awardable will be added to the proposal score for each Local

Business or Local Non-Profit score for evaluation purposes. In the event of a tie between a Local Business or Local Non-Profit and another bidder, the Local Business or Non-

Profit shall be awarded the Contract, assuming agreement on other contract terms.

An additional three percent (3%) preference shall be given to a Local Business or Local

Non-profit (for a total of eight percent (8%) of total points otherwise awardable) if the proposer is a Small Business or Small Non-

Profit, or an additional 5 percent preference (for a total of ten percent (10%) of total points otherwise awardable) if the proposer is a Micro

Business or Micro Non-Profit.

Points Based 10 (100% of Total)

7. Instructions to Proposers

7.1. Instructions

There will be no pre-proposal conference or site visit for this project.

7.2. Communications

A. As of the issuance date of this RFP and continuing until it is canceled or an award is made, no proposer or person acting on behalf of a prospective proposer may discuss any matter relating to the RFP with any officer, agent, or employee of the County, other than through eProcurement portal, to the Authorized Contact Person, or as outlined in the evaluation or protest procedures.

B. Proposers (including any agent, owner, employee, board members, or other such affiliates) shall not offer any gift, favor, or other personal benefit to any County officer or employee during the procurement process for this agreement, including during the solicitation period and contract negotiations.

Violation of the foregoing prohibitions may result in a proposer being found non-responsible and barred from participating in this or future procurements.

7.3. Contract Award

A. Award Procedure

Contract negotiations are neither an offer nor guarantee that a contract will be executed. A contract award, if any is made, will be to the responsive, responsible proposer offering the overall best value to the County for the services and goods described in this solicitation, or as applicable, for a specific portion of the services and goods described. Any agreement reached will be

Page 21 of 26 Release date of August 20, 2026 memorialized in a formal agreement using the attached template, executed by the appropriate authority.

B. Notice of Intent to Award

If a decision is made to take steps to enter into an agreement with one or more proposers, the

County will post a Notice of Intent to Award or otherwise notify proposers the remaining proposers of their non-selection. Notice may instead be provided by including approval of the agreement as an item on an agenda for a meeting of the Board of Supervisors.

C. Commencement of Performance

After all parties have signed the agreement, the County will notify the contractor and performance may proceed. Prior to execution of the agreement by the County, no County employee may authorize work under the agreement. Any work performed prior to the full execution of the Agreement may not be compensated.

D. Levine Act DisclosureThe Levine Act (California Government Code Section 84308) imposes certain requirements on parties contracting with the County of San Mateo related to campaign contributions to County “officers,” including elected County officers and candidates seeking elective office, who may participate in making a decision on certain County contracts. Elected

County officers in San Mateo County include: the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder, County Controller, Coroner, District Attorney, Sheriff, and Tax

Collector-Treasurer.Generally, under current County policy, approval by the Board of

Supervisors is required for any agreement for services above $200,000, and agreements for services below that threshold may be approved by Department heads.If your proposal is selected, you will be required to certify compliance with the Levine Act.As part of this process, you will need to certify and warrant that you have fully complied, and will remain in full compliance, with all applicable requirements of the Levine Act in connection with the

Agreement, including making any required disclosures of campaign contributions to County

Officers, which includes but may not be limited to elected County Officers. Elected County

Officers include members of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, as well as the

Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder, Controller, Coroner, District Attorney, Sheriff, and Tax

Collector-Treasurer. Any campaign contribution required to be disclosed under the Levine Act in connection with this Agreement shall be disclosed on the County of San Mateo Levine Act

Disclosure Form, a copy of which is available from the County upon request.Parties are solely responsible for accurate certification and disclosure. The Levine Act is complex, and this brief description is not legal advice. For example, certain contributions must be aggregated when determining whether contributions have exceeded the $500 threshold. If your proposal is selected, you are urged to review the Levine Act and consider consulting an attorney.

7.4. Term

Public Safety Communicationsis issuing Request for Proposal (RFP) No. 2027-RFP-00007 for Message

Switch System Replacement.

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The agreement shall have a term of three (3) years. In addition, the County shall have one (1) option to extend the term for an additional period not to exceed two years, which the County may exercise in its sole, absolute discretion. To exercise this option, the County shall provide written notice to the Contractor at least thirty days before the end of the agreement’s term.

The County’s standard contract template has been included with this solicitation. The awarded contractor will be expected to sign an agreement prepared by the County using this template. Please ensure that your firm has completed legal review of these contract terms. If your firm wishes to request exceptions to these standard terms, submit a Contract Exceptions Request by the Deadline for Questions, Comments and

Contract Exceptions listed in the Solicitation Schedule below. The County will consider Contract

Exceptions Requests but reserves the right to reject requested modifications to its standard terms.

8. Terms and Conditions for Receipt of Proposals

8.1. Errors, Omissions and Inquiries regarding the RFP

Proposers are responsible for reviewing all portions of this RFP. Proposers are to notify the department, in eProcurement portal, if the proposer discovers any ambiguity, discrepancy, omission, or apparent error in the RFP. Such notification should be made promptly after discovery, but in no event later than five business days prior to the deadline for receipt of proposals. Modifications and clarifications will be made by addenda as provided below.

Inquiries regarding the RFP should be lodged in eProcurement portal.

8.2. Objections to RFP Terms

Should a proposer object on any ground to any provision or legal requirement set forth in this RFP, the proposer must, not more than ten calendar days after the RFP is issued, provide written notice to the department, via eProcurement portal, setting forth with specific grounds for the objection.

8.3. Addenda

The County may cancel, revise, or reissue this RFP, in whole or in part, for any reason. Revisions will be posted as Addenda on eProcurement portal. No other revision of this RFP is valid. Proposers shall be responsible for ensuring that their proposals reflects any and all Addenda issued by the County prior to the proposal due date regardless of when a proposal is submitted. Therefore, the County recommends that proposers consult eProcurement portal frequently, including shortly before the proposal due date, to confirm that all Addenda have been downloaded.

8.4. Term of Proposal

Submission of a proposal signifies that the proposed services and prices are valid for the duration of the proposed agreement term and that the quoted prices are genuine and not the result of collusion or any other anti-competitive activity.

8.5. Revision or Withdrawal of Proposal

A proposer may revise a proposal on the proposer’s own initiative at any time before the deadline for submission of proposals. The proposer must submit the revised proposal in the same manner as the original on or before the proposal due date.

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A proposer may withdraw a proposal at any time before the deadline for submission of proposals. After that time, whether or not a new RFP is issued for the same subject matter, withdrawal of a proposal may preclude the proposer from participating in the procurement as a proposer or subcontractor, except that an original equipment manufacturer may participate indirectly through a reseller.

8.6. Errors and Omissions in Proposal

The County will not be liable for any errors in proposals. Proposals may be rejected as unresponsive if they are incomplete, are missing pages or information, or cannot be opened for any reason. The County may waive minor irregularities, but such waiver will not modify any of the remaining RFP requirements.

8.7. No Commitment

Neither submission of a proposal nor the County’s receipt of proposal materials confers any right to the proposer nor any obligation on the County. This RFP does not commit the County to award a contract.

8.8. Financial Responsibility

The County shall have no financial responsibility for any costs incurred by a firm in responding to this

RFP or participating in any presentations or negotiations.

8.9. Estimated Quantity

If the RFP results in an indefinite quantity or a requirements agreement, the goods and services actually requested by the County may be less than the maximum value of the agreement and there is no guarantee, either expressed or implied, as to the actual quantity of goods and services that will be authorized under the agreement.

8.10. Public Record

A. General

1. All proposals, protests, and information submitted in response to this solicitation will become the property of the County and will be considered public records. As such, they may be subject to public review.

2. Any contract arising from this RFP will be a public record.

3. The County is not seeking proprietary information and will not assert any privileges that may exist on behalf of the proposer.

4. Submission of any materials in response to this RFP constitutes:

▪ Consent to the County’s release of such materials under the Public Records Act without notice to the person or entity submitting the materials; and

▪ Waiver of all claims against the County and/or its officers, agents, or employees that the

County has violated a proposer's right to privacy, disclosed trade secrets, or caused any damage by allowing the proposal or materials to be inspected; and

▪ Agreement to indemnify and hold harmless the County for release of such information under the Public Records Act; and

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▪ Acknowledgement that the County will not assert any privileges that may exist on behalf of the person or entity submitting the materials.

8.11. Confidential Information

A. Proposers are responsible for asserting any applicable privileges or reasons why a document should not be produced in response to a public record request.

B. If submitting information protected from disclosure as a…