IFB 38414 Electronic Verification Services

The California Department of General Services, Procurement Division is issuing Invitation for Bids (IFB) 38414 on behalf of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) to procure Electronic Verification Services for vital records processing. The contractor will provide electronic verification of applicant identity for individuals requesting certified copies of birth, death, or marriage records in compliance with Health and Safety Code Section 103526, implementing a multilayered remote identity proofing process (MRIPP) that meets or exceeds NIST Special Publication 800-63A Digital Identity Guidelines at Identity Assurance Level 2. Key deliverables include completing all assigned vital records requests within three months, maintaining reasonable service fees, and ensuring full responsibility for vital records fulfillment services. Required qualifications include maintaining comprehensive insurance coverage with general liability of $1,000,000 per occurrence, implementing strict information privacy and security safeguards using Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) with minimum SSH 2 protocol and AES 256-bit encryption, and complying with all California civil rights laws and Iran Contracting Act requirements. The evaluation will award the contract on an "All or None" basis to the responsive and responsible bidder with the lowest evaluated cost. Critical dates include a question submission deadline of May 20, 2026, at 10:00 AM PT, a bid response deadline of May 22, 2026, at 10:00 AM PT, and a public bid reading scheduled for May 27, 2026, at 10:30 AM PT; responses must be submitted to OTA@dgs.ca.gov.

This procurement includes several preference programs available to qualified organizations, including a 5 percent small business preference, Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE) program provisions, Target Area Contract Preference Act (TACPA) preferences, and non-small business subcontractor preferences. No incumbent vendors or current contractors are identified in the solicitation documents. The contract structure is unique in that it is a zero-dollar agreement where the contractor remits fees to CDPH based on statutorily set rates: $29 for birth certificates, $24 for death certificates, and $17 for marriage certificates (as of January 1, 2026, subject to annual adjustments), with fees remaining fixed throughout the entire contract term with no adjustments permitted. The contract term is mandatory for three years with optional extensions available for Years 4 and 5, and pricing must be fully burdened to include all operating expenses, labor, equipment costs, supplies, overhead, inflation costs, profit margins, taxes, and shipping. Bidders must complete the required Cost Worksheet template without any modifications, with failure to comply resulting in disqualification. The contractor is prohibited from imposing expedited service fees or disclosing personal information to third parties, and must notify CDPH immediately of any security breaches or incidents.