Request_for_Proposals_(RFP)_for_Quality_Assurance_Testing_Services_(Addendum_#1_Revision).pdf

County of San Mateo

Request for Proposals (RFP) for Request for Proposals

(RFP) for Quality Assurance Testing Services

County Executive's Office - Board of Supervisors

RFP No. 2027-RFP-00181

RFP Contact: Misty Hommerding mhommerding@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’s objective in issuing this Request for Proposals (RFP) is to establish agreements with one or more qualified contractors to provide quality assurance (QA), testing, and related consulting services on an as-needed basis in connection with software and related technology used by the County. Services may support a range of County initiatives, including the planning, design, implementation, integration, enhancement, and ongoing maintenance of software-as-a-service (SaaS) and other technology systems, as well as other County applications, business processes, and operational initiatives requiring structured testing and quality assurance support.

Selected contractor(s) may be engaged to provide experienced QA testers, test leads, and related subject-matter support to lead or augment County project teams. Services may include developing and executing test strategies, test plans, test cases, test scripts, and test data; conducting functional, regression, integration, system, user acceptance, accessibility, performance, and other appropriate testing;

documenting and tracking defects; coordinating testing activities among County staff, vendors, and other stakeholders; validating defect resolutions; supporting user acceptance testing; and providing testing status reports, recommendations, and other deliverables necessary to support successful project implementation and system quality.

The County does not guarantee a minimum volume of work; specific assignments within the scope of this

RFP, duration, and staffing needs will be established through individual contracts.

The County’s standard contract template is included as an appendix to this solicitation. Awarded contractor(s) will be expected to enter into an agreement prepared by the County using this template.

Proposers should ensure that their firms have completed legal review of the contract terms before submitting a proposal. If a proposer wishes to request exceptions to the County’s standard terms, it must submit a Contract Exceptions Request by the Deadline for Questions, Comments, and Contract

Exceptions identified in the Solicitation Schedule. The County will consider requested exceptions but reserves the right to reject proposed modifications to its standard contract terms.

1.2. Background

The County intends to establish agreements with one or more qualified firms/contractors to provide quality assurance, software testing, and related consulting services on an as-needed basis. Because specific future projects, technical environments, and assignment requirements may vary, proposers will be evaluated based on both their organizational qualifications and their demonstrated ability to provide qualified personnel with appropriate skills and experience within the contemplated scope of work, as further specified herein.

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1.3. Contact Information

Misty Hommerding Principal Management Analyst Email: mhommerding@smcgov.org Phone: (650) 599-4283

Department:

County Executive's Office - Board of Supervisors

Department Head:

Michael Callagy County Executive

1.4. Timeline

RFP Released October 16, 2026

Deadline for Questions and Comments October 30, 2026, 12:00pm

Deadline for Contract Exceptions October 30, 2026, 12:00pm

Question Response Deadline November 9, 2026, 12:00pm

Proposal Due Date and Time November 13, 2026, 12:00pm

Anticipated Contract Award Date January 12, 2027

2. Scope of Work

2.1. Role Summary and QA Tester Responsibilities

The County is looking for one or more Quality Assurance (QA) testers. The QA tester is responsible for ensuring the quality, functionality, and reliability of a software platform application and configurations before they are deployed to production environments. They work with County subject matter experts, vendor developers, other QA testers, business/systems analyst, and other stakeholders to ensure that solutions meet business requirements and are free of defects.

QA Tester Responsibilities:

• Requirement Analysis: Collaborate with County and vendor staff, and stakeholders to understand business requirements, user stories, and technical specifications, translating them into detailed test cases.

mailto:mhommerding@smcgov.org tel:(650)599-4283

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• Test Planning and Execution: Design, write, and execute comprehensive test cases for all functionalities, features, and bug fixes related to the platform functionality

• Types of Testing: Perform various types of manual testing, including functional, regression, integration, user acceptance testing (UAT), security, and performance testing.

• Defect Management: Identify, document, track, and report application defects/bugs using bug tracking system and work closely with vendor QA testers to ensure timely resolution and verification of fixes.

• Configuration and Customization Validation: Validate platform configurations (e.g., custom objects, fields, layouts, flows, validation rules, permission sets) and custom Apex code to ensure they function as expected and align with requirements.

• Integration Testing: Ensure seamless and accurate data exchange between system platform(s) using APIs (REST) and tools like Postman if appropriate.

• Data Validation: Verify data integrity and accuracy during data migration or routine operations using tools like Data Loader and database queries (SOQL/SQL).

• Collaboration and Communication: Provide testing status updates and reports, and support

County users during Integration Testing and UAT.

2.2. Key Skills and Qualifications

• Technical Proficiency: Strong understanding of various enterprise, SaaS, or complex business-system implementations and other platforms utilized by public agencies, configurations, and customization options.

• Testing Expertise: Knowledge of testing methodologies (Agile, Scrum) and experience with test management tools (e.g., Jira, Postman).

• Analytical Skills: Strong problem-solving, analytical, and debugging skills with keen attention to detail.

• Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams and stakeholders.

3. Submission Requirements

3.1. Submission Deadline

Proposals must be electronically received by 12:00 pm, on Friday, November 13, 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

Page 5 of 19 Release date of October 16, 2026 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)

• Pages should have margins of at least one inch on all sides (excluding headers and footers) 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/313065/document?section=2973764

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• 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

4.1.1. Has Proposer been providing similar services for a minimum of six (6) years within the last ten (10) years?*

☐ Yes

☐ No

*Response required

4.1.2. Do all proposed quality assurance applicant(s) have in depth knowledge and experience with testing methodologies? *

☐ Yes

☐ No

*Response required

4.1.3. Does the proposer have experience providing QA and software testing services for comparable public-sector enterprise, SaaS, or complex business-system implementations?

☐ Yes 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

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☐ No

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

SAM.gov

☐ Please confirm

*Response required

4.1.5. 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

4.3.1. Introduction and Executive Summary *

Submit a letter of introduction and executive summary of the proposal. The letter must contain:

• Name, title and contact information (email, phone, and address) for representative of proposer that is responsible for communication related to this RFP.

• Name, title, contact information, and signature of person authorized to obligate firm to perform the commitment contained in the proposal.

Submission of the letter will constitute a representation by proposer that it is willing and able to perform the commitments contained in the proposal and has not violated the terms of this RFP.

*Response required

4.3.2. Statement of Minimum Qualifications *

Describe how the proposer meets the minimum qualifications as set forth in Minimum Qualifications of this RFP.

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

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Submission of the Minimum Qualifications checklist is not a substitute for providing a detailed written response.

*Response required

4.3.3. Project Approach*

This section should correlate to the Scope of Work . Proposer should give a short summary describing how it will perform the relevant work

*Response required

4.3.4. Scope of Work tasks/milestones*

Describe your proposed approach to tasks/milestones

*Response required

4.3.5. Innovations*

Refence any notable innovations or improvements that you expect to provide (with respect to, for example, efficiency, technology, sustainability)

*Response required

4.3.6. Performance Measures*

Describe a plan for achieving the following performance measures:

Performance Measure Description Target

Defect Detection Rate Number of valid defects identified before release

Identify 95% of critical defects prior to production

Test Case Execution Completion of assigned test cases within release timeline

Execute 100% of planned test cases by release deadline

*Response required

4.3.7. Proposed Quality Assurance Applicants*

Provide a representative roster of personnel who may be assigned to provide services under any resulting agreement. For each proposed individual, provide the following: a resume, relevant certifications, areas of technical specialization, and a brief summary of experience relevant to the services requested in this RFP.

The County may request additional resumes and approve proposed personnel for individual agreements.

Attach information regarding background and qualifications, including the following:

• A brief description of the proposed applicant.

• Resume of applicant(s)

• Relevant certifications

• Areas of technical specialization

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• A description of not more than three (3) projects in which the proposed quality assurance applicant provided services, including the client, software application, budget, schedule, and project summary. Descriptions should be limited to one (1) page for each project.

*Response required

4.3.8. References*

Provide 3 references, including the name, address, email and telephone number of recent clients

(preferably other public agencies):

*Response required

4.3.9. Fee Proposal*

The Fee Proposal should be submitted as a separate PDF file from the Technical Proposals detailed in

Required Documents.

Propose an hourly rate for professional services, inclusive of any expenses. The County anticipates entering into a time and materials contract with a cap on the County's maximum fiscal obligation (not to exceed) amount for a set period of time.

The County reserves the right to accept other than the lowest priced offer and to reject any proposals that are not responsive to this request.

*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.

5.1. Phase 1

No. Evaluation Criteria Scoring Method Weight (Points)

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1. Proposer's relevant organizational experience and demonstrated past performance

• Experience providing QA and software testing services for comparable public-sector, enterprise, SaaS, or complex business-system implementations.

• Experience with a range of testing types, such as functional, integration, regression, system, user acceptance, accessibility, performance, security coordination, and data-conversion testing.

• Approach to test planning, test case development, defect management, test reporting, test automation where appropriate, and support for user acceptance testing.

• Ability to provide personnel with varying levels of experience and specialized skills as project needs arise.

• Capacity to staff assignments promptly, replace personnel when necessary, and maintain continuity of services.

• Experience working with public-sector clients, regulated environments, confidential data, or projects involving

Points Based 30 (30% of Total)

Page 12 of 19 Release date of October 16, 2026 multiple County departments and third-party vendors.

• References and record of successful delivery on comparable engagements.

2. Qualifications, depth and breadth of proposed personnel pool

• Years and types of QA/testing experience

• Experience with relevant testing tools and methodologies.

• Experience with enterprise applications, SaaS implementations, system integrations, and data migration/conversion, as applicable.

• Experience working with business users, business analysts, developers, vendors, and project managers.

• Availability and anticipated ability to support County assignments.

Points Based 45 (45% of Total)

3. Price Points Based 25 (25% of Total)

5.2. 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)

6. Instructions to Proposers

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.

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

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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

County Executive's Office - Board of Supervisors is issuing Request for Proposal (RFP) No. 2027-RFP-

00181 for Request for Proposals (RFP) for Quality Assurance Testing Services.

The agreement shall have a term of three (3) years. 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.

6.5. Public Disclosure

Government Code Section 7920.00 et. seq., the California Public Records Act (the “PRA”), defines a public record as any writing containing information relating to the conduct of the public's business prepared, owned, used, or retained by any state or local agency regardless of physical form or characteristics. The PRA provides that public records shall be disclosed upon request and that any citizen has a right to inspect any public record, unless the document is exempted from disclosure.

Be advised that this RFP and any contract that may arise from this RFP is a public record in its entirety.

Also, all information submitted in response to this RFP is itself a public record without exception, which may be subject to disclosure under the PRA. Submission of any materials in response to this RFP constitutes a waiver by the submitting party of any claim that the information is protected from disclosure. By submitting materials, (1) you are consenting to release of such materials by the County if requested under the PRA without further notice to you and (2) you agree to indemnify and hold harmless the County for release of such information.

If the County receives a request for disclosure of any document submitted in response to this RFP, it will not assert any privileges that may exist on behalf of the Proposer or any member of the Development

Team or any other person. If a Proposer believes that a portion of its proposal is confidential and notifies the County of such in writing, the County may, as a courtesy but shall have no obligation to attempt to notify the Proposer of any request for disclosure of the proposal. However, Proposer understands that it is the sole responsibility of that Proposer to assert any applicable privileges or reasons why the document should not be produced, and to obtain a court order prohibiting disclosure. The Proposer understands that the County is not responsible under any circumstances for any alleged harm caused by production of a confidential submission, and by its submission expressly waives any such claim against the County.

7. Terms and Conditions for Receipt of Proposals

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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 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.

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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.

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;

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• 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;

• 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

Page 19 of 19 Release date of October 16, 2026 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.

8.3. 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: Request for Proposals (RFP) for Quality Assurance Testing Services, 2027-RFP-00181