Office_of_Community_Affairs_Outreach_and_Education.pdf

County of San Mateo

Request for Proposals (RFP) for Office of Community

Affairs Outreach and Education

County Executive's Office - Office of Community Affairs

RFP No. 2025-RFP-00418

RFP Contact: Molly Ortiz mortiz@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 (the “County” or “SMC”) is committed to engaging hard-to-reach communities and ensuring they can access vital County programs and services. Many residents face significant challenges, including language barriers and limited access to technology, which prevent them from connecting with available resources. To address these gaps, the County seeks to collaborate with local trusted community partners who can bridge these barriers and effectively connect these hard-to-reach populations with access to County resources, services, and initiatives.

1.2. Background

The Office of Community Affairs (OCA), a division within the County Executive’s Office, works to bridge these gaps by fostering communication and engagement between the County and its residents. The

OCA serves as a liaison between County departments, community-based organizations, and other key stakeholders to ensure that residents have the information and resources to understand the latest initiatives from County departments and provide input.

OCA’s core principles center on engaging diverse communities and fostering quality outcomes. The office works to:

• Implement grassroots outreach strategies and creative approaches to mobilize and engage hard-to-reach populations.

• Utilize information and best practices to engage communities to ensure access to resources and opportunities.

• Build authentic, enduring partnerships with community organizations, service providers, and local stakeholders to ensure collaborative action.

• Develop culturally relevant and linguistically appropriate messaging to reach diverse populations effectively.

• Utilize data-informed strategies, including geospatial data, to identify and target areas and communities that are most in need of outreach and support.

Despite these efforts, connecting with underrepresented and hard-to-reach communities remains a challenge. The purpose of this Request for Proposal is to improve culturally and linguistically appropriate messaging for the growing non/limited English-speaking and immigrant communities. Therefore, OCA is requesting proposals from eligible frontline organizations to provide outreach and education services to

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San Mateo County residents. The selected contractor(s) will implement education and outreach campaigns to increase awareness of County resources, access to services, and initiatives. This proposal will focus on using trusted messengers to reach diverse communities through various campaigns and messaging based on County priorities and initiatives, such as how to access emergency response services due to weather conditions, tenant protection rights, or reporting poor farmworker housing conditions.

OCA intends for the services provided to increase the reach of communications, announce important program and project milestones, share important information and resources, and showcase local successes.

The contract shall have an original term of one (1) year. In addition, the County shall have one (1) option to extend the term for a period of one (1) year per contract, which the County may exercise in its sole, absolute discretion. The results of this RFP may be used by any County department or by other entities, within 12 months of the conclusion of the competitive solicitation process.

1.3. Contact Information

Project Contact:

Kenny Chu Senior Community Program Specialist Email: kchu2@smcgov.org Phone: (650) 381-4225

Procurement Contact:

Molly Ortiz Administrative Assistant II Email: mortiz@smcgov.org Phone: (650) 363-1810

Department:

County Executive's Office - Office of Community Affairs

Department Head:

Michael Callagy County Executive

1.4. Timeline

RFP Released March 14, 2025

Deadline for Questions, Comments and

Contract Exceptions

March 21, 2025, 12:00pm

Proposal Due Date and Time April 4, 2025, 12:00pm mailto:kchu2@smcgov.org tel:(650)381-4225 mailto:mortiz@smcgov.org tel:(650)363-1810

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Interviews (tentative) April 21, 2025

Anticipated Contract Award Date June 10, 2025

2. Scope of Work

2.1. Scope of Work

The County of San Mateo, through its Office of Community Affairs, seeks proposals from qualified community organizations to provide education and outreach support services for County resources, access to services, and initiatives. As part of this, OCA recognizes that there are ongoing initiatives and key messaging from the County that need to be shared with target communities. These efforts will rely on trusted messengers—community leaders and frontline organizations who have built relationships with the communities they serve—to assist with communication and high-touch outreach. The goal is to use this proposal to expand outreach to those who would most benefit from these resources, as needs arise.

Examples of specific communities and programs that could be a priority for service are as follows:

Example Programs:

• Immigrant Services – Know Your Rights

• Planning/Building Initiatives (i.e. Rezoning, Community Housing)

• Measure K Community Outreach

• Prioritized County Initiatives – i.e.

Emergency Response; Farmworker

Housing; Labor Standards and Enforcement;

Example Communities:

• Latinx

• Farmworkers

• Pacific Islander

• Black/African American

• Immigrants

• Refugees

• People experiencing homelessness

• Individuals living with a disability

• Older adults

• Youth

• LGBTQIA+ community

Selected contractor(s) will be expected to develop and implement outreach programs and strategies which will:

• Engage and ensure participation of diverse communities of County residents

• Use culturally competent and linguistically appropriate approach that fits best for their regional need

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• Increase awareness and knowledge of County programs among County residents

• Assist in message development and message testing in-language

• Assist residents in application or enrollment processes for County programs, if applicable

• Conduct measurable outreach and engagement tactics

• Participate in program partnership meetings as requested

• Compile program data and submit reports as required

• Pivot outreach strategies as County initiatives become available, and meet staffing requirements as needed

Outreach activities will be coordinated with the County of San Mateo and may include, but are not limited to:

• Outreach tabling

• Neighborhood canvassing

• Pop-up events

• Webinars

• Door-to-door outreach

• Outreach at food distributions, festivals, and other community special events

• Targeted direct mailings

• Phone-based or text-based outreach

• Promotoras(es) / Ambassadors model

• Other strategies

Preference will be given to organizations who can commit to in-person (high touch) outreach methods, as well as the ability to read, write and speak one of more of these languages (in addition to English):

Chinese, Samoan, Spanish, Tagalog, or Tongan.

Estimated Value or Range per contract may be between $5,000-$30,000 per contract, per year. There may be multiple contracts awarded, for a total value of up to $300,000 per year.

3. Submission Requirements

3.1. Submission Deadline

Proposals must be electronically received by 12:00 pm, on Friday, April 4, 2025 via eProcurement system.

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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

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) 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/151392/document?section=1371805

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• 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.

4. Minimum Qualifications and Technical Proposal

4.1. Minimum Qualifications

Any proposal that does not demonstrate that the proposer meets these minimum requirements by the deadline for submittal of proposals will not be eligible for award of the contract.

4.1.1. Are you legally authorized to do business in the State of California as one of the following entities:* o Not for profit or tax-exempt organization, which can include the following entities:

▪ Organizations: must be nonprofit, tax-exempt such as an IRS 501(c) organization, or an organization that files a Form 990, Form 990 EZ, or Form 990-N with the IRS and serves county residents

▪ Government Agencies: San Mateo County Cities and special districts, or County

Departments

▪ School groups: Must provide educational services to resident students in San Mateo

County

▪ Joint Proposers: Proposer groups comprised of two or more organizations

☐ Yes

☐ No

*Response required

4.1.2. Are you located in San Mateo County and/or serve San Mateo County residents?*

☐ Yes

☐ No

*Response required

4.1.3. Have you been providing similar services for a minimum of three (3) years?*

☐ Yes

☐ No

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*Response required

4.1.4. Technical Proposal (Maximum of 9 pages)*

NOTE: One (1) page of content is measured as 1-sided letter sized page. Pages that exceed the maximum page limit will not be reviewed or scored.

Please see the list of the four attachments required in the Exhibit and Attachments Section of this

RFP. All four attachments MUST be included in order for the submission to be considered complete.

• Attachment B: Cover Sheet

• Attachment C: Application Form

• Attachment D: Scope of Work

• Attachment E: Pricing Template

4.2.1 Attachment B: Cover Sheet (1 page)

Provide a one-page cover sheet (using Attachment B: Cover Sheet Template provided) that includes the address, phone and fax numbers, and e-mail address of the contact person or persons. Contact information must be for representative of proposing organization who is responsible for communication related to this

RFP.

4.2.2 Attachment C: Application Form (1 page)

• Region(s) Served: Please select the regions within San Mateo County that your organization will conduct outreach in.

• Population(s) Served: Please select the communities that your organization reaches.

4.2.3 Attachment D: Scope of Work (up to 5 pages)

Complete the sections outlined in the Scope of Work Template provided in Attachment D. Sections include:

• Effectiveness in Reaching Target Communities

• Cultural Competency and Engagement Strategies

• Project Approach and Implementation

• Experience and Capacity to Manage Outreach Campaigns

4.2.4 Attachment E: Pricing Budget Proposal (up to 2 pages)

Provide a pricing budget for provision of program services and should itemize work in sufficient detail to enable reviewers to evaluate the appropriateness of the funding request. Please include the following:

• Hourly rates of personnel

• Program and operating costs

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• Justification of costs in the budget, particularly for high-touch outreach (e.g., personnel hours, translation services, media buys).

• Cost efficiency relative to the expected outreach impact.

NOTE: Attachment F: Community Outreach Regions (map) will assist applicants in determining which regions to select for Attachment C Application Form.

*Response required

5. 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.

No. Evaluation Criteria Scoring Method Weight (Points)

1. Effectiveness in Reach Target Communities

The proposer’s ability to effectively reach and engage the target populations specified in the

RFP, especially those who are hard to reach

(e.g., low-income, limited English-speaking, immigrant populations) including language diversity and communication methods. Include a brief description of the communities that your organization reaches.

0-5 Points 25 (25% of Total)

2. Cultural Competency and Engagement

Strategies

The proposer’s ability to deliver culturally and linguistically appropriate services, ensuring the messaging resonates with diverse communities.

0-5 Points 20 (20% of Total)

3. Quality of Approach and Implementation

The clarity and feasibility of the proposed approach to outreach, including both the methods and strategies used for implementation. Indication of how the proposal will achieve the overall objectives and outcomes outlined in the RFP scope of work.

0-5 Points 30 (30% of Total)

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4. Experience and Capacity to Manage

Outreach Campaigns

The proposer’s past experience with similar outreach campaigns and their organizational capacity to manage this project, including program staff and their roles/responsibilities.

Identification of the person who will be overseeing the County account. Inclusion of 2-3 examples of previous collateral created for similar projects.

0-5 Points 10 (10% of Total)

5. Cost Effectiveness and Budget Justification

The appropriateness of the proposed budget, including how resources are allocated across activities including:

1. Justification of costs in the budget, particularly for high-touch outreach (e.g., personnel hours, translation services, media buys).

2. Cost efficiency relative to the expected outreach impact.

3. Overhead and/or administrative costs associated with outreach activities.

0-5 Points 15 (15% of Total)

6. Instructions to Proposers

Please make sure to submit all four required attachments for your proposal, as shown in Section 9:

Exhibit and Attachments.

6.1. Instructions

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

6.2. 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.

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

6.3. 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 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.

6.4. Term

County Executive's Office - Office of Community Affairsis issuing Request for Proposal (RFP) No. 2025-

RFP-00418 for Office of Community Affairs Outreach and Education.

The agreement shall have a term of one (1) year. In addition, the County shall have one (1) option to extend the term for an additional period not to exceed three 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.

7. Terms and Conditions for Receipt of Proposals

7.1. 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

Page 12 of 15 Release date of March 14, 2025 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.

7.2. 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.

7.3. 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.

7.4. 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.

7.5. 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.

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.

7.6. 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.

7.7. 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.

7.8. 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.

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7.9. 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.

7.10. 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

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

7.11. Reservations of Rights by the County

The issuance of this RFP does not constitute an agreement by the County that any contract will actually be entered into by the County. The County expressly reserves the right at any time to:

• Waive or correct any defect or informality in any response, proposal, or proposal procedure;

• Reject any or all proposals;

• Reissue an RFP;

• Prior to submission deadline for proposals, modify all or any portion of the selection procedures, including deadlines for accepting responses, the specifications or requirements for any materials, equipment or services to be provided under this RFP, or the requirements for contents or format of the proposals;

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• Procure any materials, equipment or services specified in this RFP by any other means; or

• Determine that no project will be pursued.

7.12. No Waiver

No waiver by the County of any provision of this RFP shall be implied from any failure by the County to recognize or take action on account of any failure by a proposer to observe any provision of this RFP.

7.13. Cooperative Agreement (Piggyback)

This competitive solicitation is being conducted as a Cooperative Procurement. The services, terms and conditions of any agreement resulting from this solicitation may be used by other organizations as a

Cooperative Agreement.

This provision in no way commits any affiliate to procure services from any awarded contractor, nor does it guarantee that any additional orders will result. At their discretion, and subject to their own procurement policies, interested organizations may make use of this competitive procurement and contract directly from the awarded contractor.

8. Protest Procedures

8.1. Protest of Non-Responsiveness Determination

Within five (5) working days of the County's issuance of a notice of non-responsiveness, any firm that has submitted a proposal and believes that the County has incorrectly determined that its proposal is non-responsive may submit a written notice of protest. Such notice of protest must be received by the County on or before the fifth working day following the County's issuance of the notice of non-responsiveness. The notice of protest must include a written statement specifying in detail each and every one of the grounds asserted for the protest. The protest must be signed by an individual authorized to represent the proposer, and must cite the law, rule, local ordinance, procedure or RFP provision on which the protest is based. In addition, the protestor must specify facts and evidence sufficient for the County to determine the validity of the protest.

8.2. Protest of Contract Award

Within five (5) working days of the County's issuance of a notice of intent to award the contract, any firm that has submitted a responsive proposal and believes that the County has incorrectly selected another proposer for award may submit a written notice of protest. Such notice of protest must be received by the

County on or before the fifth working day after the County's issuance of the notice of intent to award.

The notice of protest must include a written statement specifying in detail each and every one of the grounds asserted for the protest. The protest must be signed by an individual authorized to represent the proposer, and must cite the law, rule, local ordinance, procedure or RFP provision on which the protest is based. In addition, the protestor must specify facts and evidence sufficient for the County to determine the validity of the protest.

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8.3. Delivery of Protests

All protests must be received by the due date. If a protest is mailed, the protestor bears the risk of non-delivery within the deadlines specified herein. Protests should be transmitted by a means that will objectively establish the date the County received the protest. Protests or notice of protests made orally

(e.g., by telephone) will not be considered. Protests must be delivered to:

Protests@smcgov.org

Subject: Office of Community Affairs Outreach and Education, 2025-RFP-00418