Employee Housing Survey

The County of San Mateo Human Resources and Department of Housing are seeking a consulting vendor to conduct a comprehensive Employee Housing Survey for their approximately 7,000 employees. The primary objective is to perform a detailed demand study to understand current workforce housing conditions, challenges, and preferences, with the potential to develop a targeted Employee Housing program. Key deliverables will include creating and administering a survey, conducting interviews and focus groups, performing market analysis, and producing detailed reports that explore employee demographic data, current housing situations, commute experiences, and interest in employer-supported housing options. The proposal evaluation will use a points-based scoring system across six categories: Project Approach (30 points), Proposed Schedule (20 points), Price (20 points), Firm Qualifications (10 points), Team Qualifications (10 points), and Innovations (10 points). The RFP was released on June 17, 2025, with proposal submissions due by July 7, 2025 at 5:00 pm, interviews tentatively scheduled for July 21, 2025, and an anticipated contract award date of July 28, 2025. The contract term will be one year, focusing on helping the County design housing support options to address rising housing costs and long commute times.

While no specific set-aside designations were explicitly mentioned in the documentation, the County currently offers limited housing support through a Down Payment Assistance Program and partnerships with HIP Housing and the City of San Mateo for affordable housing. The contract templates provided (both over and under $200,000) suggest flexibility in vendor selection and include standard provisions for insurance, non-discrimination, and intellectual property rights. The County reserves the right to interview the top three highest-ranking proposers to make the final selection. Although no precise budget range was specified, the standard contract templates indicate the potential for contracts over $200,000, depending on the scope and complexity of the proposed housing survey and subsequent recommendations. The ultimate goal is to create housing programs that will help the County attract and retain talent by addressing the significant housing challenges faced by their workforce.