San_Mateo_County_(DOH)_-_Request_for_Proposals_(RFP)_for_Grants_Management_System.pdf

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COUNTY OF SAN MATEO | DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) for Grants Management

System

Issuing Department: Department of Housing

Issue Date: October 2, 2026

Proposal Due Date: See Solicitation Schedule, Section 2

Contact: Douglas Frederick dwfrederick@smchousing.org

County Website: www.smcgov.org/housing

Proposals must be submitted electronically through the County's OpenGov Procurement portal.

Late submissions will not be accepted. All inquiries must be submitted through OpenGov.

County of San Mateo | Department of Housing | Grants Management System RFP | 2026

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SECTION 1 – INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

1.1 Purpose of this RFP

The County of San Mateo, Department of Housing (DOH or the “County”) is issuing this Request for Proposals (RFP) to solicit proposals from qualified firms or individuals (“Proposers”) to provide a grant and asset management system for the management of federal, state, and local funds as well as department assets, including the full grant, project, underwriting, compliance, and long-term asset management life cycle. The system should meet the requirements of the included Scope of Work (Section 3).

1.2 About the Department of Housing

The San Mateo County Department of Housing is made up of two divisions: Housing and Community Development (HCD) and the Housing Authority of the County of San Mateo (HACSM). DOH administers a range of federal, state, and local housing programs designed to expand and preserve affordable housing in one of the nation's most costly housing markets. DOH deploys funding through loans, grants, and other financing tools to nonprofit and for-profit developers of affordable housing. DOH also directly owns a small portfolio of properties and holds long-term ground leases and regulatory agreements on projects it has funded. Some of these properties are under contract for housing development and others are being evaluated for future development. DOH is seeking an end-to-end grants and asset management solution that will accommodate all of these various funding sources and activities.

1.3 DOH Funding Sources

The Department of Housing (DOH) manages grant funding from multiple sources:

Federal Housing Programs: The County is an entitlement jurisdiction for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnership (HOME), and Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) programs. Current annual awards are $2.3 million for CDBG, $1.5 million for HOME, and $200K for ESG. DOH issues yearly Notices of Funding Availability (NOFAs) that detail the funds available each year, priorities for the use of those funds, and limits (if any) on how the funds can be used. Applications for both service contracts and loans for new construction and rehab are received in January, evaluated and scored in February and March, presented to the Housing and Community Development Committee for recommendations to the Board of Supervisors in March, and sent to the Board of Supervisors in April or May for approval. DOH adds approved projects to the Annual Action Plan and entered into the US Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Integrated Disbursement and Information System (IDIS). Agencies then work with DOH staff for reimbursements of funds expended. The County also uses an over-the-counter process, as needed, to source projects from returned, unexpended or unallocated funds.

County Funding: The County of San Mateo Board of Supervisors (BOS) provides DOH with an annual infusion of Measure K funds for the development of affordable housing. Measure K is a half-cent sales tax collected for a variety of County-sponsored projects. Measure K annual awards have typically been $20 million. Distribution of the Measure K funds is made through an annual Affordable Housing Funds (AHF) NOFA process which screen applications for soft

3 | P a g e subsidy loans primarily by developers of new construction multi-family rental housing financed with low-income housing tax credits. Timing of this annual process depends on several factors, one of which is State plans for tax credit applications but typically starts in the Spring with the goal of making recommendations to the Board of Supervisors in August or September. DOH also uses the AHF NOFA to make loans of funds received from state HCD for the development of affordable housing. Examples of these sources include $5 million from the Local Housing Trust Fund program and $20 million from the state Housing for Healthy California program. DOH also uses the AHF NOFA to make loans of funds originally received by other County agencies seeking to develop units in affordable housing for specific target populations. Examples of these sources from recent NOFAs include $5 million from Behavioral Health and Recovery Services for Mental Health Services Act/Behavioral Health Services Act (MHSA/BHSA) units; $1.5 million from the Center on Homelessness for Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) units, and $864,000 from Children and Family Services Agency for Former Foster Youth Program (FFY) units. Because the sources of the AHF NOFA vary annually, the amount of the NOFA has varied in recent years from $25 million to $48 million. The number of applications received has ranged from a minimum of ten to a maximum of seventeen. The NOFA has typically been oversubscribed by four times or more.

State Funding: DOH also receives funding from the State of California from a variety of programs which vary by year. Most years the department manages ESG funding the State receives from HUD and passes down to local jurisdictions. DOH also receives yearly Permanent Local Housing Allocation (PLHA) funding. Other State funding sources include Homekey and Joe Serna Farmworker Housing Grant. DOH applies for other available funding programs as opportunities are presented. As described in the above description of the AHF NOFA, state Housing and Community Development (HCD) has awarded DOH grant funds to make loans to developers to produce affordable housing under the Housing for Healthy California program and the Local Housing Trust Fund program.

1.4 Procurement Authority

This RFP is issued by DOH pursuant to the County of San Mateo Ordinance Code and Procurement policies. Award of any contract resulting from this solicitation is subject to approval by the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors. The County reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, waive minor irregularities, and select the proposal that is determined to be in the best interest of the County.

1.5 Contract Term

The initial contract term is anticipated to be up to seven (7) years, with up to three (3) optional one-year extensions at the County's sole discretion dependent up Board of Supervisor approval with sufficient justification to enter into a contract beyond the County’s typical five (5) year contract limit, for a maximum total term of up to ten (10) years. The County makes no guarantee of a minimum compensation level.

1.6 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

4 | P a g e 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 4 (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).

SECTION 2 – SOLICITATION SCHEDULE

The following schedule governs this solicitation. All dates are subject to change by written addendum posted to the OpenGov Procurement portal.

Milestone Date

RFP Issued / Posted to OpenGov October 2, 2026

Pre-Proposal Conference (Optional) October 13, 2026, 10:00 a.m. PDT (Virtual via Zoom)

Deadline to Submit Written Questions October 16, 2026, 5:00 p.m. PDT

County Responses to Questions Posted October 20, 2026

Proposal Submission Deadline October 30, 2026, 5:00 p.m. PDT

Evaluation / Scoring Period November 2 – November 19, 2026

Oral Interviews (if conducted) December 1, 2026

Board of Supervisors Approval (if applicable) February 2027 (Date TBD)

Contract Start Date (estimated) March 1, 2027

All dates in the Solicitation Schedule are subject to change. Any changes will be issued by written addendum posted to the OpenGov Procurement portal at www.opengov.com. It is the sole responsibility of Proposers to monitor the portal for updates. All proposals must be submitted electronically through the OpenGov Procurement portal prior to the Proposal Due Date and Time listed above. Late submissions will not be considered regardless of cause.

Pre-Proposal Conference: Attendance is strongly encouraged but not mandatory. The pre-proposal conference will be held virtually. The online meeting link will be posted on the OpenGov portal prior to the conference date. Questions raised during the pre-proposal conference will not be answered verbally; all responses will be issued in writing as an addendum.

Questions, Comments and Contract Exceptions: All questions, comments, and exceptions to the County's standard contract terms must be submitted in writing through the OpenGov portal question-and-answer function no later than the deadline listed in the Solicitation Schedule.

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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Submissions by phone, email, or in-person will not be accepted or acknowledged. Only written responses issued through OpenGov constitute official guidance. Contract exceptions submitted after this deadline will not be considered during contract negotiation.

Communications

1.1 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 Public Purchase, to the Authorized Contact Person, or as outlined in the evaluation or protest procedures.

1.2 Proposers (including any agent, owner, employee, board members, or other such affiliates) shall not offer any gift, favor, or other personal benefit to any County officer or employee during the procurement process for this agreement, including during the solicitation period and contract negotiations.

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

SECTION 3 – SCOPE OF WORK

Objectives

DOH is seeking an end-to-end grants and asset management solution, which will accommodate multiple funding sources and contracting periods, starting from the application through evaluation, award of funds, quarterly performance reporting, invoicing, and asset management functionalities. The solution should include robust reporting and dashboard features. Ideally the solution will allow for automatic transfers of data to HUD’s IDIS system. Additional objectives of this RFP include the following.

● Replace manual, spreadsheet- and email-based tracking with a single, auditable system of record for all grant and loan activity, from application through closeout through long-term monitoring of affordability and repayment obligations, with different levels of user permission based on roles and a process for controlling changes.

● Improve compliance monitoring and reduce risk of HUD findings by automating compliance verification and required reporting deadlines.

● Reduce staff administrative burden through workflow automation and self-service applicant/subrecipient portals whenever possible.

● Automate tracking of loan underwriting and servicing events throughout the life of a loan commitment, including but not limited to loan closing dates, completion of construction, permanent conversion, maturity dates, payment due dates, residual receipt repayments, annual monitoring fees payments etc.

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● Ensure financial accuracy and reconciliation between award commitments, loan commitments, disbursements, loan repayment and other program income, and the HCD Fiscal Team’s systems.

● Support compliance monitoring and reporting required under HUD program regulations, including data elements needed for IDIS reporting and the Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER), monitoring and reporting required under state HCD reporting of program grants awarded to DOH for lending to qualified projects, and monitoring and reporting required for the lending of Measure K sales tax proceeds and other local sources to qualified projects.

● Support the automated update of real-time, portfolio-level dashboards (for example, the AHF dashboard currently maintained on the DOH website) and other outcome-based reporting for the benefit of HCD staff and leadership.

● Integrate and streamline data exchange with HUD’s Integrated Disbursement and Information System (IDIS), which serves as the online software tool for managing, disbursing, and reporting on federal grants.

● Integrate and streamline established systems among HCD division’s staff including administrative, program, and fiscal teams including but not limited to the use of DocuSign or similar approval and routing tracking systems.

● Ensure maintenance, tracking, privacy and security of real estate transactions and public services programs that may include retaining documentation for up to 50+ years; evaluate existing and/or integrate existing documentation from County's Laserfiche, Network, and SharePoint repositories.

● The solution shall be secure, accessible, and sustainable to meet the County's long-term needs, with minimal dependence on custom-developed code.

● Provide training, training tools, FAQs, and other support tools for staff and subrecipients or borrowers.

● Enable a single application and set of reporting tools for San Mateo County and one or more of the CDBG entitlement cities in the County.

● The proposed solution must support multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all user logins, with the ability for the County to enforce MFA policies across all user roles.

The Vendor's scope, broken down below, should include discovery and configuration, data migration, system integration, testing, training, documentation, and post-go-live support. All cloud platforms are required to integrate with the County authentication SSO platform per policy. Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions must utilize latest version of Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) authentication (WS-Federation and Okta’s Secure Web Authentication (SWA) may be used in lieu of SAML) and integrate with the County’s identity provider (currently Okta).

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1. Program and Portfolio Setup The system shall allow HCD staff to:

1. Configure an unlimited number of funding sources and programs (e.g., CDBG, HOME, ESG, Measure K, County General Fund, other local and state programs), each with distinct eligibility rules, funding cycles, and reporting requirements.

2. Define award types (grant, forgivable loan, surplus cash/residual receipts loan, deferred payment loan, amortizing loan) with configurable budgets, budget changes, contract amendments, funding terms, interest rates, repayment triggers, and subordination tracking.

3. Configure application forms, review workflows, and required documents by program without vendor-billed customization. The system shall provide the capability to configure custom workflows and support integrations with other County systems, as requested by the County, to accommodate current and future business process needs

4. The system shall maintain a hierarchical view of projects organized by funding source, program, project/activity, award, and disbursement. It shall also track project status — including construction completion, occupancy, and conversion to permanent financing — as well as ongoing compliance functions such as regular performance monitoring, annual collection of residual receipts payments, and project close-out.

5. Loan and grant asset records — capture originating program (HOME, CDBG, other federal/state/local funds), borrower/sponsor information, loan type (amortizing, deferred, residual receipts), original principal, interest rate/terms, and funding source layering for projects with multiple financing sources, including multiple DOH funding sources.

6. Lien position and subordination tracking — record the County's lien position relative to senior and other subordinate lenders, link related subordination agreements, and flag changes triggered by refinancing events.

7. Amortization and payment tracking — generate amortization schedules where applicable, track scheduled and actual payments, and calculate/track residual receipts payments where loans are payable from project cash flow.

8. Affordability and regulatory compliance monitoring — track affordability period start/end dates, income-restriction requirements, annual certification and monitoring due dates, and automatically flag upcoming or missed compliance milestones.

9. Automated alerts and notices — configurable reminders for maturity dates, insurance and property tax verification, annual reporting deadlines, and covenant expirations, routed to assigned HCD staff.

10. The system must support integration with Okta and/or native two-factor authentication (2FA) to secure user logins, with the ability for the County to enforce authentication policies across all user roles

11. The system shall provide a documented, secure Application Programming Interface (API) to support integration with existing County systems and external data sources, including:

• Financial and accounting systems (e.g., for disbursement and payment reconciliation)

• IDIS (Integrated Disbursement and Information System) for federal reporting

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• Document management systems (e.g., Laserfiche, SharePoint)

• GIS or mapping platforms

2. Application Intake and Underwriting

1. Provide a public-facing, ADA-compliant online application portal for applicants (developers, nonprofits, subrecipients, and individual homeowners/borrowers, as applicable) to submit applications and supporting documentation.

2. Support configurable, multi-stage application workflows (e.g., pre-application, full application, threshold review, underwriting, department/committee/board review, award). Include functionality to allow for the management of minor home repair and single-family home programs.

For each minor home repair program, the subrecipient would need to be able to create a "project" for each project address and tie it to the specific home repair program as well as to a specific environmental review.

3. Support document upload with checklist tracking, automated reminders for missing items, and version control.

4. Support underwriting worksheets, including calculation of loan-to-value, debt coverage, sources and uses, and subsidy layering/HUD subsidy layering review documentation.

5. Track application status with full audit history and role-based visibility for applicants, HCD staff, and reviewers.

6. Support electronic scoring/ranking for competitive NOFA-style funding rounds.

3. Award, Contract, and Agreement Management

1. Generate award/commitment records linked to the originating application, funding source, and program.

2. Support generation of standard agreement documents (loan agreements, grant agreements, regulatory agreements, promissory notes, deeds of trust, subordination agreements) via template merge fields.

3. Integrate with DocuSign (or equivalent) for e-signature routing and execution, with awareness that certain recorded instruments (e.g., deeds of trust) require wet or notarized signatures under California law and cannot rely solely on e-signature or remote online notarization.

4. Track key dates: award date, agreement execution date, recordation date, maturity date, compliance period end date, and renewal/extension milestones, with automated alerts to responsible staff.

5. Maintain subordination and lien position history for loans, including subsequent refinances and subordination requests, and flag County's lien position relative to senior lenders.

4. Disbursement and Draw Management

1. Support draw request submission (by subrecipients/borrowers), multi-step internal review and approval routing, and disbursement recordkeeping tied to budget line items.

2. Track budget-to-actual by award, activity, and funding source, including retention/holdback tracking where applicable.

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3. Track program income received, recorded, and re-committed; support batch export of approved disbursements to HCD’s fiscal team systems and reconciliation reporting.

5. Compliance Monitoring

1. Provide configurable compliance checklists and monitoring schedules by program (e.g., annual income recertification, affordability period monitoring, environmental review status, labor standards/Davis-Bacon, procurement compliance, timeliness of expenditure).

2. Automatically generate monitoring due dates and escalation alerts for upcoming or overdue compliance items.

3. Track findings, concerns, corrective action plans, and resolution status, with document attachment and audit trail.

4. Maintain historical compliance records accessible through the life of the affordability/compliance period, which may extend affordable housing loans.

6. Subrecipient and Subgrantee Management

1. Maintain a subrecipient/vendor registry with risk assessment, insurance, licensing, and W-9/vendor data.

2. Provide a subrecipient-facing portal for draw submission, reporting, and document upload, including, but not limited to, allowing property managers to submit annual compliance reports, track unit inspections, calculating and verifying rents and utilities allowances.

3. Support subrecipient risk-based monitoring scheduling and desk/on-site review documentation.

7. Financial Management and Reporting

1. Maintain fund-level and program-level budget tracking, including multi-year grant budgets and carryover balances.

2. Support amortization schedules and payment tracking for amortizing and deferred loans, including balloon payment and forgiveness schedule tracking for forgivable loans.

3. Generate standard financial reports (funding source summary, expenditure by activity, program income summary, aging of outstanding loans) exportable to Excel/PDF.

4. Support configurable, role-based dashboards summarizing portfolio status for program staff, finance, and management.

5. The system should support real-time (or near real-time) reporting of outstanding loan balances and amounts due, reflecting up-to-date payment and disbursement activity.

8. HUD IDIS and Federal Reporting Support

1. Support data structures and exports that align with HUD IDIS activity setup, draw, and accomplishment reporting to minimize duplicate entry between the GMS and IDIS (noting that direct system-to-system integration with IDIS is not available from HUD; the Proposer should describe its approach to minimizing dual entry, such as pre-formatted export templates matching IDIS data fields).

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2. Support generation of data needed for the Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER), Annual Action Plan, and other HUD-required reporting.

3. Track national objective and eligibility category documentation (e.g., low/moderate income benefit, area benefit) at the activity level.

9. Document Management and Integration

1. Provide native document storage and version control within the System, and support integration with HCD's existing Laserfiche repository so that key documents (executed agreements, recorded instruments, compliance monitoring files) can be pushed to or retrieved from Laserfiche without duplicate manual uploads.

2. Support configurable file-naming and metadata tagging consistent with HCD's naming convention.

3. Support integration with Microsoft SharePoint/OneDrive for staff-facing working documents where appropriate, distinct from the system of record documents retained in Laserfiche.

10. Reporting, Analytics, and Dashboards

1. Provide a report builder allowing non-technical staff to create and save ad hoc reports.

2. Provide exportable, scheduled reports (e.g., emailed weekly/monthly summaries) to designated staff distribution lists.

3. Provide visual dashboards (charts, portfolio maps, pipeline views) suitable for presentation to County leadership and the Board of Supervisors. The dashboards should have the flexibility to generate reports by project, project status, expenditure status, financial source, NOFA, award year, and likely many other ways of categorizing our work, so the tool should allow for broad flexibility in generating reports.

11. Applicant, Borrower, and Subrecipient Portal

1. Provide a secure, branded self-service portal for external users to submit applications, upload documents, submit draw requests and performance reports, and view status.

2. Support role-based access so applicants/borrowers see only their own records, while HCD staff retain full portfolio visibility.

12. Asset Management Data Migration and Conversion

1. Asset Management Data Migration and Conversion

a. Review and assess HCD's existing loan/grant portfolio data currently maintained in spreadsheets and legacy systems.

b. Migrate existing active and closed-but-monitored loan/grant records into the new system, including a reconciliation step and HCD sign-off prior to go-live.

2. Joint Application and Reporting Capability

a. Enable funding recipients to complete a single application and submit quarterly reports covering both San Mateo County and one or more CDBG entitlement cities within the County.

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The proposed solution must include data conversion and migration services to transfer all existing County data — including active and historical records — into the new system, with data validation, reconciliation, and County sign-off prior to go-live.

SECTION 4 – SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

4.1 General Instructions

Proposals must be submitted electronically through the OpenGov Procurement portal at smcgov.org/housing no later than the deadline specified in Section 2. All proposal documents must be submitted in PDF format unless otherwise specified. Each Proposer may submit only one proposal. Joint ventures or teaming arrangements are permitted, but a single entity must be designated as the prime contractor.

4.2 Proposal Organization and Content

Proposals shall be organized in the following order and clearly labeled by section:

Section A – Cover Letter and Executive Summary Include a signed cover letter (not to exceed two pages) on the Proposer's official letterhead identifying the firm's legal name, principal place of business, contact information for the designated point of contact, and a concise executive summary of the Proposer's qualifications and proposed approach. The cover letter must be signed by a representative authorized to bind the organization contractually.

Section B – Firm Qualifications and Experience Provide a narrative description of the firm's background, organizational structure, and relevant experience. Include:

a) A description of the firm's experience providing grants and asset management services similar to those described in the Scope of Work.

b) A minimum of three (3) and up to five (5) relevant project examples or client references for grants and asset management work performed within the last seven (7) years. For each, provide client name, scope of work, contract period, and client contact willing to serve as a reference.

Section C – Proposed Approach and Methodology Provide a detailed description of the Proposer's proposed approach to fulfilling the Scope of Work set forth in Section 3, including:

a) Description of tools, databases, or software platforms proposed for the 12 Sections of the Scope of Work. Proposers must clearly identify any portions of the Scope of Work they are unable to provide.

b) Approach to data migration, transition from current provider, and staff training during the first six (6) months.

c) Proposed troubleshooting methodology for when staff encounters problems with software systems.

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Section D – Staffing Plan and Key Personnel Identify all key personnel proposed to work on this contract, including:

a) Name, title, and proposed role for each key staff member.

b) Resumes or professional biographies for each key staff member (up to two pages each), highlighting appropriate experience.

c) Identification of the proposed lead contact and their availability to serve as DOH's primary point of contact.

d) Proposed staffing levels of the proposer and hours estimated for each major task area.

e) Expectations for DOH staffing levels for each major task area, including roles and level of effort

Section E – Fee Proposal and Terms

The Fee Proposal and Terms must be submitted as a separate PDF within the OpenGov portal.

The document shall include a detailed, itemized cost breakdown covering:

a) Data & Integration

a. Data conversion/migration costs

b. Integration/interface development costs

c. API access or usage fees, if applicable

b) Training & Change Management

a. Initial user training costs

b. Ongoing training costs

c. Training materials/documentation development

c) Support & Maintenance

a. Help desk / technical support costs

b. Service Level Agreement (SLA) costs, if tiered pricing applies to response/resolution times

c. Software update/upgrade costs (are major version upgrades included in maintenance, or billed separately?)

d) Infrastructure & Hosting

a. Hosting costs (if not bundled into SaaS subscription including cloud storage, bandwidth)

b. Disaster recovery / backup service costs

e) Customization

a. Custom development/configuration costs beyond standard implementation

b. Report writing or custom report development costs

c. Third-party module or add-on costs (if core functionality requires optional modules)

d. Proposed hourly rates for out-of-scope or as-needed services, by staff classification.

e. Any proposed fee escalation methodology for multi-year contract terms.

f. Travel and expense reimbursement policy.

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A Fee Proposal appendix is included as Exhibit B to this RFP as a placeholder only. The County does not provide a template. Proposers must submit their own fee schedule and terms in a clear, organized format. Each Fee Proposal shall include a complete description of the Proposer’s proposed fee structure for the services requested, including any fixed fees, per‑unit fees, retainers, hourly rates, and any other cost elements the Proposer deems necessary.

Section F – References Provide a minimum of three (3) professional references from clients for whom the Proposer has provided comparable asset management services within the last five (5) years. Include client name, organization, title, phone number, and email address for each reference as well as names of Proposer’s staff who worked on each reference and their role. References may overlap with the project examples provided in Section B.

Section G – Minimum Qualifications Checklist Complete and return the Minimum Qualifications Checklist included as Exhibit A to this RFP.

Section H – Required Certifications and Disclosures Include complete and signed copies of the following:

a) Statement of non-collusion

b) Conflict of Interest Disclosure (Proposers must disclose any financial, familial, or other relationships with current County employees or officials)

c) Acknowledgment of all addenda issued, if any

Section I - Preferential Points

Where price is not the sole evaluation factor for a solicitation (e.g., in the case of a "best-value" solicitation), five percent (5%) of the total evaluation points awardable will be added to the proposal score for each Local Business or Local Non-Profit score for evaluation purposes. In the event of a tie between a Local Business or Local Non-Profit and another bidder, the Local Business or Non-Profit shall be awarded the Contract, assuming agreement on other contract terms.

An additional three percent (3%) preference shall be given to a Local Business or Local Non-profit (for a total of eight percent (8%) of total points awardable) if the proposer is a Small Business or Small Non-Profit, or an additional 5 percent preference (for a total of ten percent (10%) of total points awardable) if the proposer is a Micro Business or Micro Non-Profit.

4.3 Proposal Format

Proposals should not exceed sixty (80) pages in total, excluding resumes, and the Fee Proposal.

Pages should be numbered consecutively. Use 12-point font, 1-inch margins, and single- or double-line spacing. Excessive length or extraneous material may be viewed unfavorably.

4.4 Questions, Comments and Contract Exceptions

All questions regarding this RFP, comments on its terms, and exceptions to the County's standard Professional Services Agreement must be submitted in writing through the OpenGov Procurement portal no later than the deadline specified in the Solicitation Schedule (Section 2).

The County will post written responses to all timely questions as an addendum. Exceptions to

14 | P a g e contract terms submitted after the deadline will not be considered during contract negotiation. No oral interpretation of any provision of this RFP is binding on the County.

4.5 Modification and Withdrawal

Proposals may be modified or withdrawn prior to the submission deadline through the OpenGov portal. No modifications will be accepted after the deadline.

4.6 Addenda

The County reserves the right to amend this RFP at any time prior to the submission deadline.

All addenda will be posted to the OpenGov portal and will be considered part of this RFP.

Proposers are responsible for monitoring the portal for updates.

SECTION 5 – EVALUATION CRITERIA AND PROCESS

5.1 Overview

All responsive proposals will be evaluated by a County evaluation panel consisting of DOH staff and, at the County's discretion, other County representatives. Proposals will be scored against the criteria set forth below. The County may conduct oral interviews with shortlisted Proposers prior to final scoring.

5.2 Minimum Qualifications

Proposals will be screened for minimum qualifications prior to substantive review. Proposals not meeting minimum qualifications will be deemed non-responsive.

a) Minimum five (5) years of demonstrated experience providing Grants Management services.

b) Demonstrated experience working with a public agency in a similar capacity.

c) Legally authorized to do business in the State of California.

d) Not listed on any federal or state debarment or suspension list.

5.3 Evaluation Criteria and Weights

Evaluation Category Maximum Points

Relevant Experience and Qualifications 30

Proposed Approach and Methodology 25

Staffing Plan and Key Personnel 20

Fee Proposal 15

References 10

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Evaluation Category Maximum Points

Local Business Preference 10

Total 110

Relevant Experience and Qualifications (30 points): Evaluators will assess the depth and relevance of the firm’s experience providing grants and asset management services. Prior experience with San Mateo County or comparable Bay Area jurisdictions is a plus but is not required.

Proposed Approach and Methodology (25 points): Evaluators will assess the quality, specificity, and practicality of the Proposer’s methodology for the grants and asset management services being requested. Proposals that demonstrate a clear, systematic approach to fulfilling the Scope of Work and that reflect familiarity with the unique regulatory and operational landscape of publicly funded affordable housing will score higher.

Staffing Plan and Key Personnel (20 points): Evaluators will assess the qualifications and experience of key staff proposed for this engagement, with particular attention to the proposed lead manager. The appropriateness of proposed staffing levels relative to Scope of Work and complexity of the services requested will also be evaluated.

Fee Proposal (15 points): Fee proposals will be scored on a relative basis, with the highest score assigned to the proposal offering the best value to the County. The lowest-cost proposal does not automatically receive the highest score.

References (10 points): Evaluators will contact and assess the quality of professional references.

References attesting to strong performance in government-funded grants management will score higher.

5.4 Oral Interviews

The County reserves the right to conduct oral interviews with any or all shortlisted Proposers during the interview period identified in the Solicitation Schedule. If interviews are conducted, they will be factored into the final evaluation. Proposers selected for interviews will be notified through the OpenGov Procurement portal. Interview schedules are subject to change.

5.5 Best and Final Offers

The County reserves the right to request Best and Final Offers (BAFOs) from any or all Proposers at any stage of the evaluation process.

5.6 County's Reserved Rights

The County reserves the right to:

• Reject any or all proposals for any reason.

• Waive any informality or irregularity in any proposal.

• Request additional information from any Proposer.

• Cancel or reissue this RFP at any time without obligation.

• Award contracts to more than one Proposer, if deemed in the County's interest.

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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.

SECTION 6 – AWARD PROCESS AND CONTRACTING

6.1 Notice of Intent to Award

Following completion of the evaluation process, the County will post a Notice of Intent to Award on the OpenGov Procurement portal on or around the Anticipated Contract Award Date identified in the Solicitation Schedule, identifying the Proposer(s) selected for contract negotiation. All Proposers will be notified through the portal.

6.2 Contract Negotiation

The selected Proposer will be invited to negotiate the terms of a professional services agreement with DOH. The County's standard Professional Services Agreement template (can be found as an attachment in OpenGov) is included for reference. Proposers are encouraged to review the template prior to submission and to disclose any significant concerns in their proposal. The County's position on its standard contract terms is final on matters of County Attorney-approved language.

6.3 Board of Supervisors Approval

Any contract resulting from this solicitation with a total value exceeding the Department Director’s signature authority requires approval by the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors.

Contract execution is contingent upon such approval.

6.4 Insurance Requirements

The selected Contractor will be required to maintain the following minimum insurance coverages throughout the contract term, naming the County of San Mateo as an additional insured:

• Commercial General Liability: $1,000,000 per occurrence / $2,000,000 aggregate

• Automobile Liability: $1,000,000 combined single limit

• Workers' Compensation: Statutory limits (if Contractor has employees)

• Errors and Omissions (Professional Liability): $1,000,000 per occurrence / $2,000,000 aggregate

• Cyber Liability: $1,000,000 per occurrence

The County reserves the right to require higher insurance limits based on the scope of services performed. Evidence of required insurance must be provided in the form of certificates of insurance and additional insured endorsements prior to contract execution.

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6.5 Living Wage Ordinance

The County's Living Wage Ordinance (Ordinance No. 04652) applies to contracts for services valued at $25,000 or more per year. The selected Contractor may be required to pay employees who perform work on this contract no less than the County's established living wage rate.

Information regarding the current living wage rate is available from the County Procurement Department.

6.6 Non-Discrimination

The selected Contractor shall comply with all applicable federal and state non-discrimination laws, including but not limited to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Fair Housing Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

6.7 Public Records

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.

Submission of any materials in response to this RFP constitutes:

a) 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

b) 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

c) 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.

6.8 Conflict of Interest and Ethics

Proposers and their employees must comply with the San Mateo County Conflict of Interest Code and the Political Reform Act of 1974. Any Proposer who has made, or plans to make, a contribution to a County official who will participate in the award decision may be disqualified.

6.9 Levine Act Disclosure

The 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.

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Generally, under current County policy, approval by the Board of Supervisors is required for any agreement for services above $200,000, and agreements for services below that threshold may be approved by Department heads. If your proposal is selected, you will be required to certify compliance with the Levine Act. As part of this process, you will need to certify and warrant that you have fully complied, and will remain in full compliance, with all applicable requirements of the Levine Act in connection with the Agreement, including making any required disclosures of campaign contributions to County Officers, which includes but may not be limited to elected County Officers. Elected County Officers include members of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, as well as the Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder, Controller, Coroner, District Attorney, Sheriff, and Tax Collector-Treasurer. Any campaign contribution required to be disclosed under the Levine Act in connection with this Agreement shall be disclosed on the County of San Mateo Levine Act Disclosure Form, a copy of which is available from the County upon request. Parties are solely responsible for accurate certification and disclosure. The Levine Act is complex, and this brief description is not legal advice. For example, certain contributions must be aggregated when determining whether contributions have exceeded the $500 threshold. If your proposal is selected, you are urged to review the Levine Act and consider consulting an attorney.

VIII. Protest Procedures

A. 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.

B. Protest of Contract Award

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

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

C. 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

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Protests@smcgov.org Subject: RFP Name and Number

SECTION 7 – GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

7.1 No Commitment to Award

Issuance of this RFP does not constitute commitment by the County to award a contract. The County is not responsible for any costs incurred by Proposers in preparing or submitting proposals.

7.2 Ownership of Work Product

All work product, reports, analyses, data, and deliverables produced by the Contractor under any resulting contract shall be the property of the County of San Mateo.

7.3 Subcontracting

Any subcontracting arrangements must be disclosed in the proposal and approved by the County.

The prime contractor remains fully responsible for all work performed under the contract.

7.4 Governing Law and Venue

Any contract resulting from this solicitation shall be governed by the laws of the State of California. Venue for any legal proceeding shall be in the Superior Court of San Mateo County.

7.5 Accessibility

The County of San Mateo is committed to ensuring accessible services and programs. Proposers with disabilities who require accommodations to participate in this RFP process may contact ADA Coordinator at bhunter@smcgov.org.

7.6. 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.

mailto:Protests@smcgov.org mailto:bhunter@smcgov.org

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APPENDICES

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Exhibit A – Minimum Qualifications Checklist: Loan Compliance Monitoring

This Minimum Qualifications Checklist must be completed, signed, and submitted with the Proposal. Each Proposer must affirmatively confirm that it satisfies all minimum qualifications described in Section 5.2 of this RFP. Failure to meet all minimum qualifications will result in the Proposal being deemed non-responsive.

The Checklist must be signed by an authorized representative of the Proposer.

Minimum Qualifications (Proposer must check “Yes” for all)

1. Proposer has at least five (5) years of experience providing grants management services for public agencies or affordable housing organizations. Yes ☐ No ☐

2. Proposer has demonstrated experience working with a public agency in a similar capacity. Yes ☐ No ☐

3. Proposer is legally authorized to do business in the State of California. Yes ☐ No ☐

4. Proposer is not currently debarred, suspended, or otherwise excluded from participation in federal, state, or local programs. Yes ☐ No ☐

Proposer Certification

By signing below, the undersigned certifies that:

1. They are an authorized representative of the Proposer.

2.