San_Francisco_Emerging_Technologies_RFQ_(P-697).pdf

P-697 (01-26) i Sourcing Event 0000011726 April 24, 2026

City and County of San Francisco Sourcing Event ID 0000011726

Formal Request for Qualifications for:

Products, Software, and Services powered by Emerging Technologies

This RFQ can be viewed on the City’s SF City Partner portal (Supplier Portal).

Solicitation Highlights

What we’re looking for The City seeks to create a Prequalified List (“Pool”) of firms who provide products, software, and services powered by emerging technologies such as AI. This pool is a two-year pilot of a new procurement framework to enable smarter City acquisition, testing, and evaluation of technology.

Minimum qualifications we expect firms to meet Firms who wish to join the RFQ Pool must meet the following requirements and must attest to meeting these requirements on the Response Form. Proposers that fail to complete the Response Form in its entirety and affirm all attestation requirements will not be eligible to join the Pool.

MQ # Description

MQ 1 Completion of Response Form (Attachment 1). Proposers must complete the online Response Form.

MQ 2 Two prior deployments. Proposers must have had at least two (2) past or continuing clients – either governmental, commercial, or institutional – where Proposer has deployed its AI solution. Proposers must complete the appropriate section of the Response Form with requested details about these clients and deployments.

MQ 3 Acknowledgement of Contract Terms. Proposers must acknowledge that they have reviewed and agree to substantially accept both Short-Form Contract (Attachment 2) and Long-Form Contract Amendment (Attachments 3a and 3b). Proposers must indicate that they meet this MQ in the appropriate section of the Response Form.

MQ 4 Acknowledgement of Technical Requirements. Proposers must acknowledge that they have reviewed and agree to accept the requirements specified in the Technical Requirements document (Attachment 4). Proposers must indicate their attestation to this MQ in the appropriate section of the Response Form.

Key Dates & Milestones Below is the anticipated schedule for this RFQ. These dates are tentative and subject to change. Proposers must check for any Addenda to this RFQ or other information posted on the SF City Partner portal.

https://sfcitypartner.sfgov.org/pages/index.aspx https://digital.forms.sf.gov/et_rfq https://digital.forms.sf.gov/et_rfq https://digital.forms.sf.gov/et_rfq https://digital.forms.sf.gov/et_rfq

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Proposal Phase Tentative Date

City issues Request for Qualifications (RFQ)

Friday, April 24, 2026

Pre-Proposal Conference for interested firms*

Tuesday, May 19, 2026 from 10-11am Pacific Time (PDT)

Microsoft Teams Meeting (click to join) Meeting ID: 257 661 454 241 98 | Passcode: NJ2uS6Ff Dial-in only: +1 415-906-4659,,591501405# Phone conference ID: 591 501 405#

Deadline for Questions about this RFQ Solicitation

Friday, May 22, 2026 at 11:59pm Pacific Time (PDT)

Deadline for Firms to Apply to the Pool (Proposal Deadline)

The City will accept Pool applications (Proposals) on a rolling basis.

• To join the pool as it is initially established (“Initial Phase”), apply by Friday, June 26, 2026 at 11:59pm Pacific Time

(PDT).

• To join the pool any time after that, be aware of the following, regular cadence. The City will evaluate applications received monthly with a cutoff on the 25th day of each month through December 2027.

Announcement of Firms Accepted into Prequalified Pool (Notice of Intent to Establish Prequalified Pool)

Initially, the City will announce firms accepted to the Pool by Friday, July 31, 2026 or upon completion of proposal evaluation.

Subsequently, the City will announce new firms added to the Pool monthly or upon completion of proposal evaluation.

Period for Protesting Notice of Intent to Establish Prequalified List

Within three (3) business days of the City's issuance of, or subsequent updates to, City’s Notice of Intent to Establish Prequalified List.

RFQ Administrator Amanda Wentworth Contracts & Procurement Manager, Office of the City Administrator Phone: (628) 652-1260 Email: EmergingTechRFQ@sfgov.org

Pre-Proposal Conference Details* The Pre-Proposal Conference will begin at the time specified. Proposers’ representatives are urged to arrive on time. Topics already covered will not be repeated for the benefit of late arrivals. Failure to attend the Pre-Proposal Conference shall not excuse the awarded Proposer from any obligations of a Resulting Contract awarded pursuant to this RFQ. Any change or addition to the requirements contained in this RFQ as a result of the Pre-Proposal Conference will be executed by a written Addendum to this RFQ, which will be posted on the SF City Partner Portal.

Interested? Complete these steps:

1) Review the balance of this RFQ Solicitation document.

2) Review all Solicitation Attachments, which include:

• Attachment 1: Response Form Worksheet (provided as a courtesy)

• Attachment 2: Short-Form Contract Terms

• Attachments 3a and 3b: Long-Form Contract Amendment Terms

• Attachment 4: Technical Requirements

3) Apply to join the Emerging Tech RFQ Pool by completing this Response Form.

mailto:https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/25766145424198?p=bHOG8a4lPNJjQTDFew tel:+14159064659,,591501405 mailto:EmergingTechRFQ@sfgov.org

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RFQ Solicitation

Table of Contents

I. Introduction A. General B. In Service of the Public Interest C. Creation of the Prequalified Pool

II. Goods and Services Requested A. Goods and Services Requested

III. Proposal Submission & Questions A. How to Submit a Proposal B. Proposal Acceptance Timeline C. Proposer Questions and Requests for Clarification D. RFQ Addenda

IV. Local Business Enterprise (LBE) Program A. Application of LBE Rating Bonuses and/or Bid Discounts B. LBE Subcontracting Participation Requirements

X. Terms and Conditions for Receipt of Proposals A. Cooperative Agreement B. How to Register as a City Supplier C. Public Disclosure D. Limitation on Communications During Solicitation E. Proposal Selection Shall Not Imply Acceptance F. Solicitation Errors and Omissions G. Objections to Solicitation Terms H. Protest Procedures I. Proposal Term J. Revision to Proposal K. Proposal Errors and Omissions L. Financial Responsibility M. Proposer’s Obligations under the Campaign Reform Ordinance N. Reservations of Rights by the City O. No Waiver P. Other

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I. INTRODUCTION

A. General

This Request for Qualifications (hereinafter “RFQ” or “Solicitation”) is issued by the City and County of San Francisco’s Emerging Technologies Team (hereinafter, “Emerging Tech” or “City”). In brief, Emerging Tech is entrusted to identify cutting edge technologies and innovations that will transform and improve the efficacy of the delivery of City services to all San Franciscans. This RFQ is where you can join us in this momentous effort!

Emerging Tech seeks qualified suppliers (“Proposers”) to provide proposals (“Proposal”) that demonstrate how your products, software, and services powered by emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) can help the City reimagine and transform how we deliver critical services to all San Franciscans.

The City seeks to use technology, including AI, to expand its capacity to serve the public, making government faster, more responsive, and more human-centered. The City is committed to using AI safely and equitably to strengthen public trust and improve service delivery for all San Franciscans.

However, the City currently lacks safe, standardized, and timely ways to test solutions before committing to full-scale procurement and deployment. As such, the City seeks to experiment in low-risk, time-bounded ways to validate whether a tool works for a specific service need, and evaluate risks and impacts upfront, before executing a long-term contract.

This solicitation aims to enable departments to explore emerging technologies responsibly while establishing clear guardrails for privacy, security, equity, transparency, and operational readiness.

B. In Service of the Public Interest

The fact that you are reading this RFQ means that your firm sees inherent value in how public services are delivered, to say nothing of the quality, depth, and breadth of those services. That fact, alone, is important to the City and County of San Francisco!

Equally important to being able to efficiently provide services to our residents is that we do so in a manner that fully protects and respects the public interest. The public’s trust in its government is sacrosanct. This means that where any personal, private, or sensitive data is shared to an external party; or where tax- and rate-payer funds are expended, it is safeguarded to the maximum extent possible. For this very reason, the provisions in our Contracts reflect the City’s desire to form meaningful partnerships with Proposers in the Prequalified Pool, while at the same time ensuring that the public interest is equally the number one priority.

C. Creation of the Prequalified Pool

The City will evaluate Proposals to create a Prequalified List of Proposers (“Pool”).

Proposers meeting the Minimum Qualifications for this RFQ will be added to the Pool and eligible for potential contract negotiations (“Resulting Contract”) with the City. Once established, the City may use the Prequalified Pool on an as-needed basis at its sole and absolute discretion. Proposers prequalified under this RFQ are not guaranteed a contract but will be invited to compete for contract opportunities.

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Through the establishment of a Prequalified Pool, the City seeks to leverage Proposers’ AI expertise to advance our four key principles at the intersection of technology and City services:

• Improve Services for the People of San Francisco

• Empower a Tech-Savvy Public Sector Workforce

• Set the Standard for Safe and Ethical AI Use

• Further Demonstrate National Leadership in Public Sector AI

D. Duration of and Entry into Pool

The Pool established by this RFQ will be valid for two (2) years. It is the City’s intention to accept proposals continuously through and inclusive of December 2027 and update the Pool monthly through the Pool’s valid duration. Proposers that are already part of the Pool will not need to re-apply unless they would like to update their proposals.

E. Resulting Contracts Awarded from the Pool: “One Solution, Two Steps”

1. Step 0: Competitive Request for Proposals (“mini-RFP”). All City departments will have access to utilize the Pool to seek solutions to the challenges they face in improving City service delivery. To engage the Pool, Departments will issue a competitive request for proposals solicitation (“mini-RFP”) inviting all prequalified Proposers to propose a solution for their specific challenge. This competitive mini-RFP process is pursuant to Section

21.4 of the San Francisco Administrative Code. Through an evaluation process outlined in the Department’s mini-RFP solicitation, City will evaluate proposals, with the highest-ranked Proposer(s) receiving a contract award. Such selections must be made prior to Pool expiration.

The mini-RFP will outline a two-step contract process:

a. Step 1: Short-Form Contract (i.e., initial contract term): Consider this our “sandbox” period. Using either publicly available or synthetic data, the awarded Proposer(s) will have an opportunity to build out a solution and demonstrate the potential to solve the City’s stated need. This initial Short-Form Contract is in the form attached as Attachment 2 and will be for the initial contract term. It is during this phase that the City department will determine whether the partnership with the awarded Proposer is a good fit and suitable for a longer-term engagement. The Short-Form contract terms are deliberately abbreviated and simplified due to the short duration and use of non-sensitive data. A Short- Form Contract is non-exclusive; the contract Not-to-Exceed (“NTE”) amount may not exceed the Minimum Competitive Amount in effect when a mini-RFP is awarded (currently $230,000) and will be for a term of not more than 12 months. Any other considerations for the contract NTE amount and term will be provided in the Department’s mini-RFP.

b. Departments may award multiple Short-Form contracts to simultaneously evaluate potential solutions from multiple Proposers. In such case, the Department’s mini-RFP will clearly specify the criteria they will use to evaluate Proposers’ solutions in how they determine for which Proposer’s solution, if any, they wish to pursue longer-term engagement through a Long-Form Contract Amendment.

c. Step 2: Long-Form Contract Amendment: Should the City department seek to pursue a subsequent longer-term engagement to roll out the awarded Proposer’s solution, the City and awarded Proposer will execute a formal amendment to the Short-Form

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Contract. The resulting “Long-Form Contract Amendment” will incorporate City contract terms substantially in the form of Attachment 3a and/or 3b. Unless specified in the mini-RFP, no additional procurement will be completed at this stage. A Long-Form Contract Amendment is non-exclusive; the contract NTE amount and term will be based on the awarding Department’s business needs, but the total term of any Short-Form Contract that is subsequently amended into a Long-Form Contract Amendment shall not exceed ten (10) years.

d. Long-Form Contract Amendment Requirements. Attachments 3a and 3b contain the City’s standard contract terms for a software solution that utilizes AI and will reflect the nature of the City data that will be involved as well as the specific City systems that will be accessed. This includes accessibility, cybersecurity, City network/systems integration, insurance, and indemnity provisions. The flexibility to negotiate these terms will be limited, because as much as service delivery is our mission, ensuring the necessary provisions to safeguard the public interest is our North Star. A Proposer’s agreement to them signifies a reciprocal commitment to safeguarding the public interest.

2. Removal from Pool. The City is excited for this opportunity to see how your emerging technology solutions might help improve how we deliver services to San Franciscans. We also want to be sure that you are committed to this vision. Should a Department engage your firm to enter into a Short-Form Contract or amend into a Long-Form Contract Amendment, we expect that you will do all within your power to execute the contract in a timely manner. Should the City determine that a Proposer has not negotiated in good faith or otherwise failed to exercise the desire and urgency commensurate with the City, the City reserves the sole and absolute discretion to remove such Proposer from the Pool.

3. Notice of Intent to Award a Resulting Contract to the Pool. City shall issue a “Notice of Intent to Award a Resulting Contract” to all proposers in the Pool upon selecting a proposer for Short-Form contract from the Pool. The City’s award of a Resulting Contract to a proposer from the Pool is final and not subject to further review.

II. GOODS AND SERVICES REQUESTED

A. Goods and Services Requested

This RFQ is being issued to create a Prequalified Pool of suppliers who offer products, software, and/or services powered by emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and are interested in the opportunity [competitive forum] to demonstrate how their offerings can advance the City’s mission to deliver critical services to the residents of San Francisco. These initial engagements are intended to support proof-of-concept validation and limited pilot testing in a controlled test (sandbox) environment—informing whether a department should pursue a broader procurement and/or production deployment.

Thinking about the services that the City delivers to its residents, possible technology solutions may include, but are not limited to:

• Document management – parsing, content extraction, classification etc.

• Notetaking – including speech to text, meeting notes, etc.

• Video generation for e-learning or similar

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• Language translation

• Chatbots and conversational AI, including website chatbots (for public and internal facing use)

• Image and video analysis

• Predictive analytics and decision support tools

• Anomaly detection

• Procurement

• Police and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) report generator

• AI bias and performance monitor

• Enterprise knowledge assistant/agentic assist

• Support for writing reports (e.g., inspection reports)

• Safety analytics/decision support (e.g., Caltrans vulnerable roadway user safety project)

• Transportation operations intelligence (e.g., Caltrans traffic mobility insights project)

To support City Departments in the “One Solution, Two Steps” approach to evaluating technology for department specific issues, firms should plan to provide the following during the “sandbox” period:

• Before any real-world testing begins, support City Departments in validating a sandbox environment that the proposed solution/AI system performs reliably across typical, edge, and adversarial scenarios; meets baseline performance thresholds; and provides sufficient evidence that safety, security, privacy, and fairness/equity controls are effective;

• Technical expertise to support pilot design and execution, including an evaluation plan aligned to City Departments’ success metrics and equity goals;

• Help City Departments design and conduct real-world pilot testing to confirm the AI system is ready for broader deployment—demonstrating intended outcomes with actual users and workflows; reliable operation in production-like environments;

maintained safety, privacy, and security protections under real conditions; effective human oversight; equitable user experiences across populations; and clear criteria and procedures to pause, roll back, or retire the system if needed;

• Support City Departments in producing an AI System Card (i.e., a publicly accessible document published on SF.gov that provides transparency about an AI system's purpose, functionality, and performance. The card includes responses to questions required under the City’s Chapter 22J AI Transparency Ordinance and plain-language summaries of testing and evaluation results).

While each Department will detail their specific project requirements in their mini-RFP’s, Proposers should ensure they consider the following measures of success during the sandbox/pilot phase:

• A clearly bounded pilot that stays within sandbox and data constraints.

• Measurable results against agreed-upon success criteria and baseline.

https://www.genai.ca.gov/ca-action/projects/vulnerable-roadway-users-safety/ https://www.genai.ca.gov/ca-action/projects/vulnerable-roadway-users-safety/ https://www.genai.ca.gov/ca-action/projects/traffic-mobility-insights/ https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/san_francisco/latest/sf_admin/0-0-0-71391

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• Responsive, iterative engagement with City teams to adapt the solution to real City workflows and ensure safety, security, privacy, fairness, and accessibility controls are aligned with the City’s AI risk posture.

• Transparent documentation of limitations, failure modes, and mitigations.

• Practical recommendations on safeguards, transparency, and monitoring for any production deployment.

• Staff training and capacity building for any production deployment

III. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION & QUESTIONS

A. How to Submit a Proposal

Proposers’ acceptance to the Pool is contingent upon meeting the Minimum Qualifications listed on page ii of this Solicitation, above. Proposers must submit their proposal and affirm they meet the Minimum Qualifications by completing the online Response Form in its entirety. A Word-based version of the Response Form is included as Attachment 1 to this solicitation as a courtesy. The proposal Response Form will include the following parts:

1. Proposers’ business and contact information

2. MQ 2: Two prior deployments. Proposers must complete Section 1: Firm Information of the Response Form, attesting that they meet this MQ and providing requested details about these clients and deployments.

3. MQ 3: Acknowledgement of Contract terms (Short-Form Contract terms attached as Appendix 2, Long-Form Contract Amendment terms attached as Appendices 3a and 3b for reference). Proposer must acknowledge that they have reviewed and agree to substantially accept both Short-Form Contract (Attachment 2) and Long-Form Contract Amendment (Attachment 3a and 3b).

4. MQ 4: Acknowledgement of Technical Requirements (attached as Attachment 4 for reference). Proposers must acknowledge that they have reviewed and agree to accept the requirements specified in the Technical Requirements document (Attachment 4).

Each original Proposal received will be screened to ensure that all content required by this Solicitation is included and all Minimum Qualifications have been met. Partial or complete omission of any required content or failure to adhere to any requirement may disqualify Proposals from further consideration.

B. Proposal Acceptance Timeline

Please refer to the “Key Dates & Milestones” section of this Solicitation on page i.

C. Proposer Questions and Requests for Clarification

Questions regarding the solicitation will only be accepted during the Initial Phase of the Pool, by the Written Questions due date as listed on the cover page of this Solicitation.

Proposers shall address any questions to the Contract Administrator whose name and contact

P-697 (01-26) 6 Sourcing Event 0000011726 information appear on page ii of this Solicitation. Proposers who fail to submit questions concerning this Solicitation and its requirements will waive all further rights to protest based on the specifications and conditions herein. Questions must be submitted by email to the RFQ Administrator whose name and contact information appear on the cover page of this Solicitation no later than Written Questions Due Date. A written Addendum will be executed addressing each question and answer and posted publicly. It is the responsibility of the Proposer to check for any Addenda and other updates that will be posted on the SF City Partner Portal.

D. RFQ Addenda

The City may modify this Solicitation, prior to the Initial Proposal Due Date, by issuing an Addendum to the Solicitation, which will be posted on the SF City Partner Portal. Every Addendum will create a new version of the Sourcing Event and Proposers must monitor the event for new versions. The Proposer shall be responsible for ensuring that its Proposal reflects any and all Addenda issued by the City prior to the Proposal Due Date regardless of when the Proposal is submitted. Therefore, the City recommends that the Proposer consult the website frequently, including shortly before the Initial Proposal Due Date, to determine if the Proposer has downloaded all Solicitation Addenda. It is the responsibility of the Proposer to check for any Addenda, Questions and Answers documents, and updates, which may be posted to the subject Solicitation.

THE SUBMITTAL OF A RESPONSE TO THIS SOLICITATION SHALL EXPLICITLY STIPULATE

ACCEPTANCE BY PROPOSERS OF THE TERMS FOUND IN THIS SOLICITATION INCLUDING ITS

ATTACHMENTS, ANY AND ALL ADDENDA ISSUED TO THIS SOLICITATION.

IV. LOCAL BUSINESS ENTERPRISE (LBE) PROGRAM

A. Application of LBE Rating Bonuses and/or Bid Discounts

As Proposers to this RFQ will be evaluated solely based on their satisfaction of Minimum Qualifications, LBE Rating Bonuses and/or Bid Discounts are not applicable to the RFQ evaluation and selection process. However, LBE Rating Bonuses and/or Bid Discounts shall be applicable when selecting a Contractor from the resulting Prequalified Pool.

B. LBE Subcontracting Participation Requirements

There shall be no LBE Subcontracting Requirement for any Short-Form Contract awarded to a Contractor selected from the Prequalified Pool because the LBE Subcontracting Requirements were waived by the Contract Monitoring Division. The LBE subcontracting goal for Long-Form Contract Amendments shall be project-by-project and the awarding department shall contact CMD to obtain LBE subcontracting requirements or waiver of such requirements. The LBE subcontracting requirements shall be based on the specific scope of each awarded contract, LBE availability and contract amount.

https://sfcitypartner.sfgov.org/pages/Events-BS3/event-search.aspx https://sfcitypartner.sfgov.org/pages/Events-BS3/event-search.aspx

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X. TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR RECEIPT OF PROPOSALS

A. Cooperative Agreement

Any other City department, public entity or non-profit made up of multiple public entities, may use the results of this RFQ to select Contractors from the Prequalified Pool under the same terms and conditions of this RFQ.

B. How to Register as a City Supplier

Successful Proposers awarded a Short-Form or Long-Form Contract, who are not already compliant City Suppliers, must register as a City supplier prior to entering a contract of any type.

C. Public Disclosure

All documents under this solicitation process are subject to public disclosure per the California Public Records Act (California Government Code Section §6250 et. Seq) and the San Francisco Sunshine Ordinance (San Francisco Administrative Code Chapter 67). Contracts, Proposals, responses, and all other records of communications between the City and Proposers shall be open to inspection immediately after a contract has been awarded. Nothing in this Administrative Code provision requires the disclosure of a private person’s or organization’s net worth or other proprietary financial data submitted for qualification for a contract or other benefit until and unless that person or organization is awarded the contract or benefit.

If the City receives a Public Records Request (“Request”) pertaining to this solicitation, City will use its best efforts to notify the affected Proposer(s) of the Request and to provide the Proposer with a description of the material that the City deems responsive and the due date for disclosure (“Response Date”). If the Proposer asserts that some or all of the material requested contains or reveals valuable trade secret or other information belonging to the Proposer that is exempt from disclosure and directs the City in writing to withhold such material from production (“Withholding Directive”), then the City will comply with the Withholding Directive on the condition that the Proposer seeks judicial relief on or before the Response Date. Should Proposer fail to seek judicial relief on or before the Response Date, the City shall proceed with the disclosure of responsive documents.

D. Limitation on Communications During Solicitation

From the date this Solicitation is issued until the date the competitive process of this Solicitation is completed (either by cancelation or final Award), Proposers and their subcontractors, vendors, representatives and/or other parties under Proposer’s control, shall communicate solely with the Contract Administrator whose name appears in this Solicitation.

Any attempt to communicate with any party other than the Contract Administrator whose name appears in this Solicitation – including any City official, representative or employee – is strictly prohibited. Failure to comply with this communications protocol may, at the sole discretion of City, result in the disqualification of the Proposer or potential Proposer from the competitive process. This protocol does not apply to communications with the City regarding business not related to this Solicitation.

https://www.sf.gov/step-by-step--become-city-supplier

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E. Proposal Selection Shall Not Imply Acceptance

The acceptance and/or selection of any Proposal(s) shall not imply acceptance by the City of all terms of the Proposal(s), which may be subject to further approvals before the City may be legally bound thereby.

F. Solicitation Errors and Omissions

Proposers are responsible for reviewing all portions of this Solicitation. Proposers are to promptly notify the City, in writing and to the Solicitation contact person if the Proposer discovers any ambiguity, discrepancy, omission, or other error in the Solicitation. Any such notification should be directed to the City promptly after discovery, but in no event later than the deadline for questions. Modifications and clarifications will be made by Addenda as provided in Section III.E “RFQ Addenda” above.

G. Objections to Solicitation Terms

Should a Proposer object on any ground to any provision or legal requirement set forth in this Solicitation, the Proposer must, no later than the deadline for questions, provide written notice to the City setting forth with specificity the grounds for the objection. The failure of a Proposer to object in the manner set forth in this paragraph shall constitute a complete and irrevocable waiver of any such objection.

H. Protest Procedures

1. Protest of Non-Responsiveness Determination

Within three (3) business days of the City's issuance of a Notice of Non-Responsiveness, a Proposer may submit a written Notice of Protest 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 Notice of Protest must be signed by an individual authorized to represent the Proposer, and must cite the law, rule, local ordinance, procedure or Solicitation provision on which the protest is based. In addition, the Notice of Protest must specify facts and evidence sufficient for the City to determine the validity of the protest.

2. Protest of Non-Responsible Determination

Within three (3) business days of the City's issuance of a Notice of Non-Responsibility, a Proposer may submit a written Notice of Protest of Non-Responsibility. The Notice of Protest must include a written statement specifying in detail each and every one of the grounds asserted for the protest. The Notice of Protest must be signed by an individual authorized to represent the Proposer, and must cite the law, rule, local ordinance, procedure or Solicitation provision on which the protest is based. In addition, the Notice of Protest must specify facts and evidence sufficient for the City to determine the validity of the protest.

3. Protest of Prequalified Pool Creation

Within three (3) business days of the City's issuance of a Notice of Intent to Establish Prequalified List, a Proposer may submit a written Notice of Protest of City’s Intent to Establish a Prequalified List. The Notice of Protest must include a written statement specifying in detail each and every one of the grounds asserted for the protest. The Notice of Protest must be signed by an individual authorized to represent the Proposer, and must cite the law, rule, local

P-697 (01-26) 9 Sourcing Event 0000011726 ordinance, procedure or Solicitation provision on which the protest is based. In addition, the Notice of Protest must specify facts and evidence sufficient for the City to determine the validity of the protest.

4. Delivery of Protests

A Notice of Protest must be written. Protests made orally (e.g., by telephone) will not be considered. A Notice of Protest must be delivered by mail or email to the Contract Administrator whose name and contact information appears on the cover page to this Solicitation and received by the due dates stated above. A Notice of Protest shall be transmitted by a means that will objectively establish the date the City received the Notice of Protest. If a Notice of Protest is mailed, the protestor bears the risk of non-delivery within the deadlines specified herein.

I. Proposal Term

Submission of a Proposal signifies that the proposed products, services and prices are valid for 180 calendar days from the Proposal Due Date and that the quoted prices are genuine and not the result of collusion or any other anti-competitive activity. At Proposer’s election, the Proposal may remain valid beyond the 180-day period in the circumstance of extended negotiations.

J. Revision to 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. A revised Proposal must be received on or before, but no later than the Proposal Due Date and time. In no case will a statement of intent to submit a revised Proposal, or commencement of a revision process, extend the Proposal Due Date for any Proposer. At any time during the Proposal evaluation process, the City may require a Proposer to provide oral or written clarification of its Proposal. The City reserves the right to make an award without further clarifications of Proposals received.

K. Proposal Errors and Omissions

Failure by the City to object to an error, omission, or deviation in the Proposal will in no way modify the Solicitation or excuse the Proposer from full compliance with the specifications of this Solicitation or any contract awarded pursuant to this Solicitation.

L. Financial Responsibility

The City accepts no financial responsibility for any costs incurred by a Proposer in responding to this Solicitation. Proposers acknowledge and agree that their submissions in response to this Solicitation will become the property of the City and may be used by the City in any way deemed appropriate.

M. Proposer’s Obligations under the Campaign Reform Ordinance

If a Resulting Contract awarded to a Contractor from the Prequalified Pool has (A) a value of $100,000 or more in a fiscal year and (B) requires the approval of an elected City official, Proposers are hereby advised:

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1. Submission of a Proposal in response to this Solicitation may subject the Proposers to restrictions under Campaign and Governmental Conduct Code Section 1.126, which prohibits City contractors, Proposers, and their affiliates from making political contributions to certain City elective officers and candidates; and

2. Before submitting a Proposal in response to this Solicitation, Proposers are required to notify their affiliates and subcontractors listed in the awarded contract or Proposal of the political contribution restrictions set forth in Campaign and Governmental Conduct Code section 1.126.

This restriction applies to the party seeking the contract, the party’s board of directors, chairperson, chief executive officer, chief financial officer, chief operating officer, any person with an ownership interest greater than ten percent, and any political committees controlled or sponsored by the party, as well as any subcontractors listed in the awarded contract or Proposal. The law both prohibits the donor from giving contributions and prohibits the elected official from soliciting or accepting them.

The people and entities listed in the preceding paragraph may not make a campaign contribution to the elected official at any time from the submission of a Proposal for a contract until either: (1) negotiations are terminated and no contract is awarded; or (2) twelve months have elapsed since the award of the contract.

A violation of Section 1.126 may result in criminal, civil, or administrative penalties.

For further information, Proposers should contact the San Francisco Ethics Commission at (415) 252-3100 or go to the Ethics Commission webpage entitled, “Notifying Bidders and Potential Bidders.”

N. Reservations of Rights by the City

The issuance of this Solicitation does not constitute a guarantee by the City that a contract will be awarded or executed by the City. The City expressly reserves the right at any time to:

1. Waive or correct any defect or informality in any response, Proposal, or Proposal procedure;

2. Reject any or all Proposals;

3. Reissue the Solicitation;

4. 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 Solicitation, or the requirements for contents or format of the Proposals;

5. Procure any materials, equipment or services specified in this Solicitation by any other means; or

6. Determine that the subject goods or services are no longer necessary.

tel:(415)%20252-3100 https://sfethics.org/compliance/city-officers/city-contracts/city-departments/notifying-bidders-and-potential-bidders https://sfethics.org/compliance/city-officers/city-contracts/city-departments/notifying-bidders-and-potential-bidders

P-697 (01-26) 11 Sourcing Event 0000011726

O. No Waiver

No waiver by the City of any provision of this Solicitation shall be implied from the City’s failure to recognize or take action on account of a Proposer’s failure to comply with this Solicitation.

P. Other

1. The City may make such investigation, as it deems necessary, prior to the award of this contract to determine the conditions under which the goods are to be delivered or the work is to be performed. Factors considered by the City shall include, but not be limited to:

a. Any condition set forth in this Solicitation;

b. Adequacy of Proposer’s plant facilities and/or equipment, location and personnel location to properly perform all services called for under the Purchase Order;

and

c. Delivery time(s).

2. City reserves the right to inspect an awarded Proposer’s place of business prior to award of and/or at any time during the contract term (or any extension thereof) to aid City in determining an awarded Proposer’s capabilities and qualifications.

3. Failure to timely execute a contract, or to furnish any and all insurance certificates and policy endorsements, surety bonds or other materials required in the contract, shall be deemed an abandonment of a contract offer. The City, in its sole discretion, may select another Proposer and may proceed against the original selectee for damages.

4. City reserves the right to reject any Proposal on which the information submitted by Proposer fails to satisfy City and/or if Proposer is unable to supply the information and documentation required by this Solicitation within the period of time requested.

5. Any false statements made by a Proposer or any related communication/clarification may result in the disqualification of its Proposal from receiving further evaluation and a contract award.