On-Call Professional Consulting Services for Parks Projects: Archaeological/Cultural Resource Assessment, Monitoring, CEQA, and Permitting

The County of San Mateo Parks Department is seeking on-call professional consulting services through a Request for Proposals (RFP) to support archaeological and cultural resource assessment, monitoring, California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) compliance, and permitting activities across its park system. The procurement encompasses archival research, field investigations, subsurface testing, prehistoric and historic context reports, technical documentation, on-site monitoring during ground-disturbing activities, stakeholder coordination, regulatory agency consultation, and permitting support for federal, state, and local compliance. Qualified contractors must demonstrate a minimum of four years of experience providing similar services within the last seven years and identify an account manager with at least two years of relevant experience. The evaluation criteria allocate 40 points for firm qualifications, 25 points for team qualifications, and 25 points for price proposals, with additional preferential scoring available for local and small/micro business status. The RFP was released on March 9, 2026, with a deadline for questions and contract exceptions on March 16, 2026, at 5:00 p.m., and proposals are due on March 23, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. via the eProcurement portal. The initial contract term is three years with one optional extension period not to exceed two years, exercisable at the County's sole discretion with thirty days' written notice prior to term expiration. No pre-proposal conference or mandatory site visit is scheduled for this procurement.

The County of San Mateo has adopted a Procurement Preference for Local Businesses Ordinance that provides a 5 percent preference for local business status, with an additional 3 percent preference for small businesses or 5 percent for micro businesses, allowing qualified local and disadvantaged enterprises to gain competitive advantages in the evaluation process. Contractors must comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws, including prevailing wage requirements and the County's Living Wage Ordinance, and must maintain comprehensive insurance coverage including workers' compensation, general liability of $1,000,000, motor vehicle liability of $1,000,000, and professional liability of $1,000,000, with the County named as additional insured. The contract template indicates that the Levine Act disclosure requirements apply if the agreement exceeds $200,000 or requires Board of Supervisors approval, with separate contract templates provided for agreements under and over that threshold. The sample project scope for pricing purposes includes 10 days of archaeological and Native American monitoring associated with ground-disturbing construction in Half Moon Bay, California, though the specific budget range or award value is not disclosed in the RFP materials. All proposals become public records subject to review under the California Public Records Act, and all work products created under the agreement become the exclusive property of the County upon completion or termination.