RFP_Document_902705_Network_Systems_Modernization.docx

COUNTY OF ALAMEDA

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL No. 902705 for

NETWORK SYSTEMS MODERNIZATION

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

Thank you for your interest!

Contact Person: T. Malmirchegini Phone Number: (510) 208-9614 Email Address: T.Malmirchegini@acgov.org General Services Agency (GSA) – Procurement

RESPONSE DUE

by 2:00 p.m.

on May 26, 2026 through Alameda County, GSA-Procurement County of Alameda Procurement Portal https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/acgov

Alameda County is committed to reducing environmental impacts across our entire supply chain. Please print only what you need, print double-sided, and use recycled-content paper if printing this document.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL No. 902705

NETWORK SYSTEMS MODERNIZATION

Microsoft Teams meeting Join: RFP 902705 Bidders Conference Meeting ID: 242 162 769 394 2 Passcode: 6Pi67AN3 Dial in by phone: +1 415-915-3950 Phone conference ID: 173 526 169

Written Questions Due via the “Question & Answer” tab of this project in the County of Alameda Procurement Portal May 13, 2026 by 5:00 p.m.

Response Due and Submitted through County of Alameda Procurement Portal June 10, 2026 by 2:00 p.m.

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

Microsoft Teams meeting Join: RFP 902705 Public Bid Opening Meeting ID: 214 693 815 134 79 Passcode: cx6xf7f5 Dial in by phone: +1 415-915-3950 Phone conference ID: 298 733 899#

NOTE: All dates are tentative and subject to change.

Alameda County Vendor Outreach

Wednesday, May 6, 2026 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

TO ATTEND ONLINE:

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

COME MEET ALAMEDA COUNTY’S

PROCUREMENT TEAM!

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

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

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL No. 902705

SPECIFICATIONS, TERMS & CONDITIONS

for

NETWORK SYSTEMS MODERNIZATION

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

ATTACHMENTS

EXHIBIT A Bid Response Packet

STATEMENT OF WORK

INTENT

It is the intent of these specifications, terms, and conditions to describe network systems modernization being requested by the County.

The County intends to award a three (3) year contract (with the option to renew for two (2) years) to the Bidder selected as the most responsive and responsible Bidder whose response conforms to the RFP and meets the County’s requirements.

SCOPE

The Network Modernization Project will encompass both on-premises enterprise data centers and public cloud environments to deliver resilient, secure, and scalable network services across approximately 200 locations throughout the County of Alameda’s geographically dispersed footprint. The modernization effort will address an environment supporting 30,000 wired switchports and approximately 10,000 remote and on-site users, ensuring seamless connectivity and optimized performance. This infrastructure supports essential County operations serving approximately 1.6 million residents who rely on these systems for critical public services. The initiative will focus on modernizing the following key infrastructure domains while integrating with current County infrastructure and systems:

1. User and Device Authentication and Authorization:

a. Solution will provide authentication and authorization with compliance checks for all devices connecting to the County of Alameda network for both wired and wireless.

b. Ability to have policy enforcement at the device connection point.

c. Ability to deploy dynamic access enforcement based on user, device, and location, using platforms that integrate with Microsoft Entra ID and/or Cisco Identity Service Engine (ISE).

d. Provide continuous monitoring of behavior of devices and users for compliance and take steps to remediate any undesired actions if needed.

e. Remote users and devices will be under the same enforcement policies as on-premises users and devices.

2. Network Segmentation and Security

a. Solution will provide a framework that supports granular access controls, network micro segmentation, and continuous authentication using identity-aware security frameworks across datacenter and cloud workloads.

b. Ability to enforce the least privileged framework across multiplatform environments.

c. Ability to support edge workloads and Internet of Things (IoT) securely.

d. Ability to restrict access to resources by using identity-based frameworks no matter location or application with continuous authentication and authorization based on the context of the request and sensitivity of the resource across hybrid environments.

e. Ability to integrate with National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) 800-207 or similar frameworks.

3. Network High Availability and Flexibility

a. Solution will provide network agility, automation, and centralized policy control.

b. Ability to decouple the control plane from the data plane.

c. Ability to support policy-driven automation across Wide Area Network (WAN) and cloud.

d. Ability to ensure high availability, security and scalability across all locations.

4. Network Visibility and Security

a. Solution will provide full visibility of internal traffic within County data centers, branch offices and cloud environments to detect lateral movement and policy violations.

b. Ability to integrate with Secure Web Gateways (SWG), DNS filtering, and Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB).

c. Ability for continuous verification of trust across users, devices, and applications.

d. Ability to support edge workloads and IoT securely.

e. Ability to provide end-to-end visibility into user experience, especially for remote users.

f. Ability to integrate with NIST 800-207 or similar frameworks.

5. Hybrid and Multi-cloud

a. Solution will provide support for multi-cloud and on-premise workloads, providing high availability and resiliency policies.

b. Ability to have Cloud Security Posture Management and Cloud Workload Protection Frameworks.

c. Ability for unified monitoring and centralized policy enforcement.

d. Ability to provide migration planning, operational runbooks, business continuity, and disaster recovery procedures.

6. Data Security and Integrity

a. Solution will provide controlling of data and data governance, including Personally Identifiable Information (PII), Payment Card Industry (PCI), Protected Health Information/Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (PHI/HIPAA), Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS), Internal Revenue Services (IRS) 1075, and any other confidential data.

b. Ability to align with data classifications and labels defined by County data governance framework.

c. Ability to enforce County data governance policies.

d. Ability to assess current data flows with the ability to capture data flows and potential risk to data exfiltration.

e. Ability to integrate into Mandiant Security Information and Event Management/Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SIEM/SOAR) solutions with reporting and incident response.

f. Ability to generate audit trails and compliance reports.

7. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Security

a. Solution will be capable of providing AI Security and Governance into current infrastructure.

b. Ability to assist in defining a governance model aligned with County objectives.

c. Ability to secure training datasets against poisoning, exfiltration, and bias.

d. Ability to have runtime monitoring for model drift, misuse, and adversarial attacks.

e. Ability to enable risk scoring of AI applications across public-facing and internal use cases.

f. Ability to integrate AI observability into Mandiant SOC and data governance platforms.

BACKGROUND

The County of Alameda’s current technology infrastructure has reached a point where modernization is essential to meet the demands of emerging technologies and evolving County initiatives. The County’s agencies require a secure, scalable, and efficient infrastructure framework capable of supporting diverse services and continuous innovation. To achieve this, the County of Alameda is advancing toward automated device and network management solutions designed to improve operational efficiency, consistency, and resiliency. The new architecture will be built upon Zero Trust principles, emphasizing continuous verification, least privilege access, and robust endpoint security.

A key objective of this modernization effort is to strengthen software and configuration management across all infrastructure components, ensuring standardized deployment, improved governance, and enhanced visibility. These improvements will deliver stronger security controls, better compliance, and improved oversight of County assets. As part of this initiative, the County of Alameda is also embarking on a comprehensive branch and campus modernization program to upgrade network infrastructure, enhance connectivity, and enable secure, high-performance access across all County locations. This modernization will support both remote and on-site operations, aligning with the County’s goals for automation, security, and efficient service delivery.

The County of Alameda has adopted a hybrid computing model that integrates on-premises and cloud environments. This includes virtualization technologies such as Broadcom VMware, Microsoft Hyper-V, and Oracle VirtualBox, as well as cloud platforms including Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Google Cloud Platform (GCP). The awarded Contractor will be expected to assist in maintaining, optimizing, and evolving this hybrid and distributed environment to ensure ongoing alignment with industry’s best practices and County standards and integrating this architecture with the current County systems and operations.

The County’s vision is to evolve toward a zero-trust architecture that ensures every user, device, and workload connecting to the County of Alameda network is authenticated, authorized, and continuously monitored. This initiative will strengthen County operations, improve service delivery, and enhance the overall security posture while aligning with modern technologies and regulatory requirements. The modernization effort includes significant upgrades to branch and campus networks, ensuring that all County locations benefit from standardized, automated, and policy-driven network infrastructure. These enhancements will improve performance, security, and manageability across all campuses and remote sites, providing consistent user experience and unified security posture regardless of location.

BIDDER QUALIFICATIONS

BIDDER Minimum Qualifications Bidder is to provide documentation, references, or a summary to prove that they have been regularly and continuously engaged in the business of providing network and security modernization services for at least five (5) years for organizations of similar size and complexity, which must be clearly demonstrated in the bid response, specifying the engagement and client names. OR Bidder must possess all permits, licenses, and professional credentials necessary to supply products and perform services specified under this RFP. Unless noted otherwise in the RFP, including any Addendum, Bidder is not required to submit copies or verification of the permits, licenses and credentials; however, Bidder must provide such proof if requested by County.

SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS

The Contractor must deliver a fully integrated, secure, and high-performing hybrid network and cloud infrastructure that achieves standardized operations, ensures compliance with applicable frameworks, and provides reliable, scalable, and continuously monitored services for all County of Alameda users and systems.

Contractor must be capable of providing, at a minimum, the goods, licenses, and services listed below to meet the requirements of this RFP.

General Requirements Contractor must provide end-to-end design, procurement, deployment, integration, training and operational support for the County of Alameda’s network, security, branch, campus, and cloud infrastructure modernization.

Contractor’s solutions must standardize network infrastructure, security policies, and management across all branch, remote, and campus locations.

Contractor’s solution must integrate existing County of Alameda local systems, firewalls, switches, and Wi-Fi networks into the new framework.

Contractor must provide design documentation and as-built diagrams for each site or solution.

Contractor must provide project management and reporting, including regular status updates, milestone tracking, risk management, resource allocation, and cost reporting.

Contractor must have a proven history of designing, implementing, and managing enterprise network modernization projects spanning on-premise data centers, cloud environments, branch, and campus networks, with integration into current environment.

Contractor must have demonstrated experience integrating hybrid and multi-cloud solutions into existing enterprise systems, including architecture, deployment, monitoring, and management.

Contractor must provide a County resource plan that identifies the County Network Team resources required by domain and project phase, including role descriptions, estimated hours/level of effort, sequencing dependencies, and any associated effort related to County participation.

Architectural and Technical Expertise Contractor must have expertise in zero-trust architectures, including user and device authentication, authorization, policy enforcement, and continuous compliance monitoring.

Contractor must have experience with network segmentation, micro-segmentation, and identity-aware security frameworks.

Contractor must have proven experience in network high availability, automation, and centralized policy control, including decoupling of control and data planes.

Contractor must have proven experience delivering visibility and monitoring solutions across data centers, branch/campus networks, and cloud workloads.

Contractor must have proven ability to implement data governance, data security, and regulatory compliance solutions for sensitive information (PII, PHI, PCI, confidential data).

Contractor must have experience integrating AI security and governance frameworks into current infrastructure, including runtime monitoring, model drift detection, adversarial attack mitigation, and risk scoring for AI applications.

Solution Delivery and Professional Services Contractor must have demonstrated ability to provide end-to-end project delivery, including solution design, architecture, procurement, implementation, and operational support.

Contractor must have the capability to provide migration planning, operational runbooks, business continuity, and disaster recovery procedures for complex, multi-location environments.

Contractor must have expertise in the delivery of project management, reporting, and knowledge transfer, aligned with the County of Alameda’s systems.

Contractor must have the ability to deliver professional services and knowledge transfer to the County of Alameda IT staff to ensure long-term operational success. This should include the ability to provide vendor training to the County of Alameda County IT staff.

User and Device Authentication and Authorization Contractor’s solution must provide policy-based authentication and authorization for all users and devices connecting to County networks (wired and wireless).

Contractor’s solution must provide compliance checks and provide enforcement at the device connection point, with automatic remediation for non-compliant devices.

Contractor’s solution must provide dynamic access enforcement based on user, device, location, and risk profile must be implemented.

Contractor’s solution must provide remote users and devices to be subjected to the same policies as on-premises users.

Contractor’s solution must integrate with existing identity platforms (such as Azure Entra ID, Cisco ISE).

Contractor’s solution must support 15,000 end users, 30,000 devices both on-premises and remote locations.

Bidder is to specify hardware, software, licensing, and maintenance for Contractor’s solution to be implemented during the contract term in the Bid Response Packet.

Network Segmentation and Security Contractor’s solution must provide granular access control and micro-segmentation for all workloads, including data center, branch/campus, and public cloud.

Contractor’s solution must support edge workloads and IoT securely.

Contractor’s solution must implement identity-aware security frameworks enforcing least privilege access across hybrid environments. The rules for enforcement will be defined by the County of Alameda.

Contractor’s solution must provide continuous authentication and authorization which must adapt based on request context, resource sensitivity, and user/device behavior.

Contractor’s solution must integrate segmentation and security policies with existing Alameda County security and network management systems.

Contractor’s solution must have the ability to provide automated patching and updates for current infrastructure and any proposed solutions of this contract.

Contractor’s solution must use and integrate with NIST 800-207 or similar frameworks.

Contractor’s solution must support 8 redundant firewall pairs (Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances and Palo Alto NGFW), 48 different security zones, and 3,000 concurrent remote users.

Bidder is to specify hardware, software, licensing, and maintenance for Contractor’s solution to be implemented during the contract term in the Bid Response Packet.

Network High Availability and Flexibility Contractor’s solution must support high availability, fault tolerance, and scalability across all locations, including WAN, branch, campus, and cloud networks Contractor’s solution must provide network automation and policy-driven orchestration across hybrid environments.

Contractor’s solution must decouple the control plane from the data plane to improve agility and resilience, in the County of Alameda branch offices.

Contractor’s solution must support 200 remote sites, 6 campus locations, and 2 datacenters (Cisco Networking Campus and Datacenter Infrastructure).

Bidder is to specify hardware, software, licensing, and maintenance for Contractor’s solution to be implemented during the contract term in the Bid Response Packet.

Network Visibility and Monitoring Contractor’s solution must provide visibility of internal traffic, including data center, branch, campus, and cloud workloads. This visibility will provide both metrics and dashboards for performance and security awareness.

Contractor’s solution must integrate with Secure Web Gateways (SWG), Domain Name Server (DNS) filtering, and Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB).

Contractor’s solution must support edge workloads and IoT devices.

Contractor’s solution must detect and alert on lateral movement, policy violations, and anomalous behavior.

Contractor’s solution must provide end-to-end visibility into user experience, especially for remote users.

Contractor’s solution must provide performance metrics and optimization data across hybrid infrastructure.

Contractor’s solution must integrate monitoring and reporting with SIEM/SOAR platforms.

Contractor’s solution must Include real-time analytics and automated alerting capabilities. The analytics shall be presented on dashboards for ease of consumption.

Contractor’s solution must integrate with NIST 800-207 or similar frameworks.

Contractor’s solution must provide visibility and actionable data for 8 separate firewall pairs, 200 routers, 900 switches, and 3000 wireless access points across the County of Alameda (Cisco Networking Campus Infrastructure).

Bidder is to specify hardware, software, licensing, and maintenance for Contractor’s solution to be implemented during the contract term in the Bid Response Packet.

Hybrid and Multi-Cloud Integration Contractor’s solution must support multi-cloud and on-premise workloads with consistent policy enforcement.

Contractor’s solution must integrate Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) and Cloud Workload Protection Platforms (CWPP) into the architecture.

Contractor’s solution must provide centralized visibility and control across hybrid and multi-cloud environments.

Contractor’s solution must provide connectivity and centralized security for 3 distinct Cloud Service Providers and 60 segments across the Providers (Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Service).

Bidder is to specify hardware, software, licensing, and maintenance for Contractor’s solution to be implemented during the contract term in the Bid Response Packe.

Data Security and Integrity Contractor’s solution must provide protection for sensitive data including PII, PHI, PCI, and confidential information.

Contractor’s solution must enforce data classification, labeling, and governance policies in alignment with County frameworks across hybrid infrastructure.

Contractor’s solution must capture, assess, and monitor data flows to detect potential exfiltration risks.

Contractor’s solution must integrate monitoring and reporting with SIEM/SOAR platforms, with incident response capabilities.

Contractor’s solution must generate audit trails and compliance reports.

Contractor’s solution must provide security and enforcement for 15,000 end users, 30,000 devices, 8 firewall pairs, 48 security zones, 3000 concurrent remote users, 3 Cloud Service Providers, and 60 segments across the Providers.

Bidder is to specify hardware, software, licensing, and maintenance for Contractor’s solution to be implemented during the contract term in the Bid Response Packet.

AI Security and Governance Contractor’s solution must integrate AI security and governance into hybrid infrastructure.

Contractor’s solution must secure training datasets against poisoning, exfiltration, and bias.

Contractor’s solution must implement runtime monitoring, model drift detection, and adversarial attack mitigation.

Contractor’s solution must integrate AI observability and reporting with SIEM/SOAR platforms, with incident response capabilities.

Contractor’s solution must provide AI security for both inbound and outbound AI workloads across 15000 users, 2 datacenters, 3 Cloud Service Providers, and 60 segments across the Providers.

Bidder is to specify hardware, software, licensing, and maintenance for Contractor’s solution to be implemented during the contract term in the Bid Response Packet.

Project Management and Reporting Contractor must provide a project management plan including scope, timelines, milestones, risk mitigation, and resource allocation for this project.

Contractor must provide weekly and monthly status reports with updates on progress, issues, and performance metrics.

Contractor must deliver final projects documentation, including architecture designs, operational manuals, runbooks, and integration details.

Professional Services and Support Contractor must provide end-to-end professional services, including architecture design, procurement, installation, configuration, support, project management, and testing.

Contractor must provide migration planning, operational runbooks, business continuity, and disaster recovery procedures, aligned with County systems for each solution.

Contractor must conduct knowledge transfer and training for County of Alameda IT staff.

Contractor must procure any necessary vendor training County of Alameda IT staff to ensure successful support and operation of implemented solutions.

Contractor must provide post-deployment support and maintenance, including troubleshooting, upgrades, and incident response for all installations under this contract.

Contractor must follow all change management plans based on the County of Alameda standards.

Contractor must participate and implement standard change control management for all tasks.

Contractor expressly warrants that all goods and/or services to be furnished pursuant to any contract awarded arising from the proposal will conform to the descriptions and specifications contained herein, in the submitted proposal, and in supplier catalogs, product brochures, and other representations, depictions or models, and will be free from defects, of merchantable quality, good material, and workmanship. Contractor expressly warrants that all goods and/or services to be furnished pursuant to such award will be fit and sufficient for the purpose(s) intended. This warranty must survive any inspections, delivery, acceptance, or payment by the County. Contractor warrants that all goods and/or work and/or services furnished hereunder will be guaranteed for a period of 180 days, after County acceptance of solution for professional services and one (1) year for hardware from the date of acceptance by the County. Following the expiration of the one (1) year hardware warranty period, any applicable manufacturer’s warranty shall remain in effect and be assigned or passed through to the County for the remainder of the manufacturer’s standard warranty term.

DELIVERABLES / REPORTS

Contractor must provide the following deliverables and reporting artifacts to ensure transparency, accountability, and alignment with the County of Alameda’s infrastructure modernization objectives:

1. Project Management Deliverables

a. Project Management Plans per initiative

b. Project Schedules per initiative

c. Remote Kickoff Meeting & Deliverables

2. Architecture and Design Deliverables

a. Enterprise Architecture Blueprint

b. Detailed Technical Design Documents (Per System/Location)

c. As-Built Documentation

3. Implementation Deliverables

a. Configuration and Deployment Documentation

b. Integration Deliverable reports

c. Migration and Cutover Plans

d. Test Plans and Test Reports

4. Security, Compliance, and Data Governance Deliverables

a. Security Control Implementation Reports

b. Data Governance and Protection Deliverable reports

c. AI Security Testing Reports

5. Monitoring, Visibility, and Operational Deliverables

a. Monitoring Integration Deliverable reports

b. Operational Runbooks

6. Training and Knowledge Transfer Deliverables

a. Training Plan

b. Training Delivery Plan

c. Knowledge Transfer Documentation

7. Reporting Requirements

a. Weekly Status Reports

b. Monthly Executive Reports

c. Milestone or Solution Completion Reports

d. Final Projects or Solutions Reports

BIDDERS CONFERENCE(S)/VENDOR OUTREACH

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

Microsoft Teams meeting Join: RFP 902705 Bidders Conference Meeting ID: 242 162 769 394 2 Passcode: 6Pi67AN3 Dial in by phone: +1 415-915-3950 Phone conference ID: 173 526 169

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

COUNTY PROCEDURES, TERMS, AND CONDITIONS

EVALUATION CRITERIA / SELECTION COMMITTEE

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

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

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

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

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

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

7. Shortlist Process. The evaluation process may include a two-stage approach including a preliminary evaluation of the written proposal and preliminary scoring to develop a shortlist of Bidders that will continue to the final stage of optional vendor interview, and reference checks. The preliminary scoring will be based on the total points, excluding any points allocated to references, and optional vendor interview. The six (6) Bidders receiving the highest preliminary scores may advance to the next evaluation phase. All other Bidders will be deemed eliminated from the process. All Bidders will be notified of the shortlist participants; however, the preliminary scores at that time will not be communicated to Bidders.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pass/Fail

Debarment and Suspension:

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

Pass/Fail

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

Cost evaluation points may be adjusted by considering:

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

2. Realism (i.e., is the proposed cost appropriate to the nature of the products and/or services to be provided?).

15 Points

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

1. Design - A comparison will be made of the proposed modernization solutions designs. The proposal will be rated higher for features of the proposed design that offer enhanced utility, ease of use, comprehensiveness of management and ease of integration with existing infrastructure equipment and systems.

2. Solution Implementations- The evaluation will compare the proposed software capabilities with the requirements of this RFP and in terms of the software’s compatibility with existing infrastructure management and infrastructure systems.

3. Life-Cycle Support - An assessment will be made of the scope and extent of resources required to operate and maintain the proposed modernization solutions.

4. Ancillary Services - A comparison will be made of the proposed services with the requirements of this RFP. Scoring will take into account convenience, responsiveness, and technical expertise.

15 Points

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

1. How well has Bidder demonstrated a thorough understanding of the purpose and scope of the project?

2. How well does the description of proposed services depict a logical approach to fulfilling the requirements of the RFP?

3. How well does the description of proposed services achieve all the requirements in the RFP, including the deliverables and reports the County expects it to provide?

4. How thorough, thoughtful, and relevant is Bidder’s plan to collect data to monitor the progress of the proposed services?

5. How well has Bidder identified pertinent issues and potential problems related to the project?

10 Points

Evaluation will include the likelihood that Bidder’s implementation plan and schedule will meet the County’s schedule and is reasonable. Identification and planning for mitigation of risks that Bidder believes may adversely affect any portion of the County’s schedule may be considered.

1. How effectively did the Bidder’s plan and schedule detail the information provided in the RFP?

2. How well has the Bidder demonstrated that it understands the County’s schedule and can meet it?

10 Points

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

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

2. How much experience does the individuals assigned to the project have experience on similar projects?

3. How extensive is the applicable education and experience of the personnel designated to work on the project?

20 Points

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

1. How well has the Bidder demonstrated a thorough understanding of the purpose and scope of the project?

2. How well has the Bidder identified pertinent issues and potential problems related to the project?

3. How well has the Bidder demonstrated that it understands the deliverables the County expects it to provide?

4. How well has the Bidder demonstrated that it understands the County’s schedule and can meet it?

10 Points

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

1. How well does the methodology depict a logical approach to fulfilling the requirements of the RFP?

2. How well does the methodology match and contribute to achieving the objectives set out in the RFP?

3. How well does the methodology interface with the County’s schedule?

10 Points

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

1. How well does Bidder’s cost capture all activities and staff needed to meet the services requested?

2. How well does the Bidder allocate staff and resources?

3. How well does the Budget Justification detail how Bidder arrived at particular calculations?

4. Is the proposed cost appropriate to the nature of the services to be provided?

5. How clear, realistic, and reasonable are costs in relation to the services provided and the number of clients to be served?

6. How well does the Bidder describe its fiscal oversight and management practices?

7. How well does the Bidder identify all County resource assumptions, including estimated County staff hours by phase and domain, required skill sets/roles, and any corresponding effort tied to County participation?

5 Points

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

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

SMALL LOCAL EMERGING BUSINESS PREFERENCE

1. CONTRACT EVALUATION AND ASSESSMENT

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

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

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

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

NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD

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

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

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

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

BID PROTEST / APPEALS PROCESS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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