2026-2028 International Contractor Request for Proposals

The Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) is soliciting proposals for a qualified international contractor to provide on-demand trade and investment support services on a task-order basis across multiple markets and sectors to advance California's global economic priorities. The procurement encompasses comprehensive international business development services, including market research and intelligence, trade missions and show support, business-to-business matchmaking, foreign direct investment attraction, event execution, in-market representation, and payment facilitation across priority sectors such as clean energy, advanced manufacturing, life sciences, aerospace and defense, agriculture, and emerging technologies. Minimum qualifications require ten years of continuous operation, demonstrated capability across 50 or more international markets, proven experience serving U.S. businesses and state economic development organizations, multi-lingual staff, and a documented track record of producing over 1,000 market entry reports and managing at least 50 trade missions. The RFP was released on April 27, 2026, with written questions due by May 1, 2026, responses posted by May 5, 2026, and proposals due by 5:00 PM PST on May 11, 2026, followed by interviews scheduled for May 13-15, 2026, and a tentative award notice by May 15, 2026, with contract services commencing June 1, 2026 through May 1, 2028. Proposals must include organizational information, key personnel resumes, a technical proposal limited to 10 pages, cost proposal, and at least three references, with evaluation based on relevant experience (20 points), technical approach (40 points), cost and value (30 points), and references (10 points) for a total of 100 points. Payments will be issued via physical check in U.S. dollars tied to task-order deliverables and milestones based on invoiced completed work with no advance payments required unless negotiated.

The procurement includes set-aside preferences for certified small businesses and microbusinesses in California, which may claim a five percent preference, while non-small businesses receive a five percent preference if committing to subcontract at least 25 percent of the net bid price to small businesses or microbusinesses. Disabled Veterans Business Enterprise (DVBE) certified firms or prime contractors subcontracting at least five percent to DVBEs also qualify for a five percent preference. Prospective contractors must comply with multiple state compliance requirements, including completion of the Contractor Certification form (CCC), Bidder Declaration form, Payee Data Record (STD 204) or applicable IRS W-8 tax forms (W-8BEN for foreign individuals or W-8BEN-E for foreign entities), Drug-Free Workplace Certification (STD 21), California Civil Rights Laws Attachment for contracts valued at $100,000 or above, and Darfur Contracting Act Compliance certification. GO-Biz has allocated $200,000 in state funding to award one organization under this solicitation, with no guaranteed minimum volume of work as services will be deployed on an as-needed basis according to program priorities, funding availability, and contractor performance. The RFP does not identify any incumbent vendors or existing infrastructure requiring integration, though foreign contractors should note that tax withholding documentation and GenAI disclosure requirements apply as applicable.