County of San Mateo

Request For Statement of Qualification (RFSQ) for On-Call

Equitable Community Engagement Services

Planning and Building

RFSQ No. 2027-RFSQ-00050

RFSQ Contact: Amy Tang xtang@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

Planning and Building is seeking qualified community-based organizations, nonprofit organizations, firms, academic partners, and individuals to assist with equitably engaging communities in the County of

San Mateo.

The goal of this Request for Statement of Qualifications (RFSQ) is to make it easier for San Mateo

County jurisdictions to find community partners to help conduct community outreach to historically underrepresented groups, to allow more meaningful participation in government decisions.

1.2. Background

Community-based organizations play an important role in the communities they serve. They are often the ones who interact with the community every day, speak their language, and understand their lived realities. While many consulting firms bring expertise in community engagement, they often lack the strong local ties and relationships that come with being embedded in the community and are needed to conduct high quality, culturally sensitive outreach. This is especially important for reaching communities that have historically been left out of government decision-making and are often the hardest to reach, such as renters, low-income families, unhoused individuals and families, people with disabilities, seniors, and communities of color. Almost half of San Mateo County residents speak a language other than English at home. Approximately 40% of the population are renters, and many residents struggle to pay the bills. The decisions planning departments make often disproportionately affect these groups, and as a part of our commitment to furthering fair housing, it is important to make sure the people who are most are affected by government decisions are involved in shaping them.

Planning and Building Department will lead this RFSQ process in collaboration with cities in the San

Mateo County and compile a list of qualified community partners, also referred to as a “bench.” The list will highlight which populations each organization has experience with. As a Request for Statement of

Qualifications, this is not an invitation to bid, but rather a solicitation of qualifications and experience to perform the required services. While this RFSQ is being issued for the Planning and Building

Department, all departments can use the bench. Interested cities will work with their own procurement offices to identify the policies and steps they need to follow to contract with the organizations on their own. When the cities and the County of San Mateo want to conduct outreach, they may reach out to organizations or individuals on the bench to see if they are interested in working on a project as paid consultants. Generally, when the organization or individuals’ services are needed, city/county staff will forward a request for services to relevant potential partners, including a project description and scope of work. Community partners on the bench would then respond with a proposal and cost estimate.

It is also possible that the cities and County of Santa Clara will use the bench.

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1.3. Contact Information

Project Contact:

Sophie Miniter Assistant Director 455 County Center, 2nd Floor Redwood City, CA 94063 Email: smintier@smcgov.org Phone: (650) 363-1865

Procurement Contact:

Amy Tang Administrative Services Manager 455 County Center, 2nd Floor Redwood City, CA 94063 Email: xtang@smcgov.org Phone: (650) 363-4053

Department:

Planning and Building

Department Head:

Steve Monowitz Director

1.4. Timeline

RFSQ Released August 17, 2026

Deadline for Questions September 25, 2026, 5:00pm

Response to Written Questions Posted October 2, 2026, 5:00pm

Submittal Due Date and Time October 16, 2026, 5:00pm

Evaluation of Qualifications October 30, 2026, 5:00pm

Final Prequalified Consultant List

Determination

November 6, 2026, 5:00pm

2. Scope of Work mailto:smintier@smcgov.org tel:(650)363-1865 mailto:xtang@smcgov.org tel:(650)363-4053

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2.1. Range of Community Outreach Expertise

Selected community-based organizations, nonprofit organizations, academic partners, firms, or individuals may be asked to provide any of the services listed below. The County/cities are seeking a broad range of expertise across these services, and any given consultant or organization may have skills and experience in only one, several, or many of the areas listed. Specific needs will vary by project and jurisdiction and will be defined and mutually agreed upon by the requesting jurisdiction and the consultant or organization within each scope of work. Consultants and/or organizations may respond to all or some of the listed scope of services:

A. Build community trust and relationships between the cities/County and community, including leveraging existing relationships.

B. Serve as a trusted liaison between the community and the County/cities, sharing information and feedback both ways

C. Conduct background/technical research to determine which communities are most impacted or will experience greater impacts.

D. Create online, social media, radio, video and print public outreach and educational materials accessible to audiences with different language speakers, ages, cultures, abilities and familiarity with the issue requiring engagement.

E. Identify and implement equity-focused and creative community engagement strategies usings formats that are relevant to the communities where traditional public meeting formats may not be effective, which could include arts, music and other cultural activities.

F. Tailor community engagement strategies to reach specific hard-to-reach populations, which may include (depending on the project) renters, unhoused individuals and families, seniors/older adults, people with disabilities, immigrant and refugee communities, undocumented residents, non-English/limited-English speakers, low-income households, small businesses, and communities that have historically been excluded from civic processes.

G. Lead community engagement activities and associated follow-up activities, which may include facilitating and summarizing public meetings, workshops, surveys, polling, and mapping exercises.

H. Design and lead engagement activities specifically for youth and teens (e.g., participatory mapping, photovoice, storytelling exercises), and partner with schools, school districts, youth-serving organizations, and university youth engagement programs to meet young people where they are.

I. Coordinate the work of other team members and community ambassadors, including youth ambassadors and culturally/linguistically specific ambassadors.

J. Assist City or County staff in summarizing findings, attending, and/or facilitating at public forums, commissions, committees, and/or City Council meetings.

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K. Plan and facilitate in-person and virtual events, which may require food, room rentals, childcare, distributing compensation to the community (e.g., stipends, gift cards), translation and interpretation services, and accessibility support.

L. Provide tracking, documentation and analysis of engagement activities and outcomes, including analysis of the engagement’s success at reaching priority populations (and adapting strategies in response).

M. Build capacity in their communities to understand how government works and engage successfully with their local jurisdiction(s).

N. Support jurisdiction staff in “closing the loop” with the community to explain how their feedback was responded to and/or integrated into decisions.

3. Submission Requirements

3.1. Submission Deadline

Proposals must be electronically received by 5:00 pm, on Friday, October 16, 2026 via OpenGov.

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 Statement of Qualifications section for submittal documents and requirements.

Electronic Submissions 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/293966/document?section=2828622

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Include the proposer name and the RFSQ 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)

• 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 RFSQ 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 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 7 of 16 Release date of August 17, 2026 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. Statement of Qualifications

4.1. Proposal (Maximum of 5 pages)*

Submit a short description of:

• The Firm, Organization or Individual, including the populations it has experience with serving

• Team qualifications – include the names, titles, summary resumes, and hourly rates of key staff who would be able to perform services

• Relevant experience - include at least 3 examples of relevant projects providing services of similar scope

• Client/community references – include at least 3 references

*Response required

4.2. Minimum Qualifications

Any proposal that does not demonstrate that the proposer meets these minimum requirements by the submission deadline shall be determined to be non-responsive and not eligible for further consideration in the evaluation process.

Proposer is defined as the prime firm, organization, or joint venture that is submitting a proposal for this

RFSQ.

Proposers must meet the following Minimum Qualifications:

4.2.1. I certify that I am authorized to execute this Certification on my firm's behalf.*

Insert the Name and Title of the Authorized Representative completing this submission.

*Response required

4.2.2. Personnel Experience*

Personnel shall have a minimum of three (3) years of experience within the last five (5) years of providing services of similar size and scope.

☐ Please confirm

*Response required

4.2.3. System for Award Management*

Proposer is registered and in good standing with SAM.gov® (https://sam.gov/content/home).

Please use the above link to verify your firms registration in good standing, and enter the following information in this field:

A. Registered as [Business Name]

B. UEI No. [Business Number] https://sam.gov/content/home)

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*Response required

4.2.4. I certify that the foregoing information is true and correct as of the date of this

Certificate.*

☐ Please confirm

*Response required

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

4.3.1. 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...

4.3.2. 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"

4.3.3. 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.

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

• SMC_LocalBusiness_self-atte...

4.3.4. 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).

https://government-project.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/181069/d2a9af4c-2c98-426a-bbf5-ece16521eb73_SMC_LocalBusiness_self-attestation_form_120424.pdf https://government-project.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/181069/d9f8d505-fdb8-4a42-a73f-e07374d31300_SMC_LocalBusiness_self-attestation_form_120424.pdf

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“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.

4.3.5. 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.

4.4. Project Submission

In a concise manner, share the following information in relation to the project that is detailed in the Scope of Work section.

Project Summary

4.4.1. Can this firm provide the services outlined in the Scope of Work?*

☐ Yes

☐ No

*Response required

4.4.2. Personnel*

Include the following information for all personnel that will be assigned to this project:

A. Name

B. Title

C. Contact email:

D. Contact phone number

*Response required

4.4.3. Sub-contracted Services*

If any of the services are sub-contracted out please identify the service and the sub-contractor (or type

"N/A").

*Response required

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4.4.4. Technologies*

What technologies will be used for any of the services outlined in the Scope of Work (or type "N/A")?

*Response required

4.4.5. References*

List 2 public entities that the firm has completed similar services for. 1 of which is of a similar size to San

Mateo County

*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. Team qualification Points Based 25 (25% of Total)

2. Relevant experience and skills serving a historically underrepresented population(s) Points Based 25

(25% of Total)

3. Existing relationships with Bay Area, San

Mateo County, and Santa Clara County communities, including underserved communities

Points Based 25 (25% of Total)

4. Client/community references Points Based 15 (15% of Total)

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5. 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 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 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 awardable) if the proposer is a Micro Business or Micro Non-

Profit.

Points Based 10 (10% of Total)

6. Instructions to Proposers

6.1. Instructions

There will be no pre-proposal conference for this RFSQ.

6.2. Communications

A. As of the issuance date of this RFSQ 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 RFSQ 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.

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

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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.

6.4. Term

Planning and Building is issuing Request for Statement of Qualification (RFSQ) No. 2027-RFSQ-00050 for On-Call Equitable Community Engagement Services.

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The agreement shall have a term of Five (5) years. 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 RFSQ

Proposers are responsible for reviewing all portions of this RFSQ. Proposers are to notify the department, in eProcurement portal, if the proposer discovers any ambiguity, discrepancy, omission, or apparent error in the RFSQ. 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 RFSQ should be lodged in eProcurement portal.

7.2. Objections to RFSQ Terms

Should a proposer object on any ground to any provision or legal requirement set forth in this RFSQ, the proposer must, not more than ten calendar days after the RFSQ 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 RFSQ, in whole or in part, for any reason. Revisions will be posted as Addenda on eProcurement portal. No other revision of this RFSQ 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 RFSQ 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.

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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 RFSQ 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 RFSQ 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

RFSQ or participating in any presentations or negotiations.

7.9. Estimated Quantity

If the RFSQ 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 RFSQ 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 RFSQ 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.

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7.11. 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 trade secret or any other basis, identify each page of such material subject to protection as “CONFIDENTIAL.” If requested material has been designated as confidential, the County will attempt to inform the proposer of the public records request in a timely manner to permit assertion of any applicable privileges.

C. Failure to seek a court order protecting information from disclosure within ten days of the

County’s notice of a request to the proposer will be deemed agreement to disclosure of the information and the proposer agrees to indemnify and hold the County harmless for release of such information.

D. Requests to treat an entire proposal as confidential will be rejected and deemed agreement to

County disclosure of the entire proposal and the proposer agrees to indemnify and hold the

County harmless for release of any information requested.

E. Trade secrets will only be considered confidential if claimed to be a trade secret when submitted to the County, marked as confidential, and compliant with Government Code Section 6254.7.

7.12. Reservations of Rights by the County

The issuance of this RFSQ 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 RFSQ;

• 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 RFSQ, or the requirements for contents or format of the proposals;

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

• Determine that no project will be pursued.

7.13. No Waiver

No waiver by the County of any provision of this RFSQ 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 RFSQ.

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7.14. 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.