On-Call Professional Consulting Services for Parks Projects: Vegetation Management (Forestry, Heavy Equipment Use, & Tree Management)

The County of San Mateo Parks Department is soliciting proposals through a Request for Proposals (RFP) for on-call professional consulting services to support vegetation management, forestry, heavy equipment use, and tree management across the county's 24 parks and recreation areas encompassing over 16,000 acres. The scope of work includes mastication, mechanical removal of woody debris, manual or mechanical tree and brush removal, tree removals for fuel reduction and wildfire risk mitigation, encroachment management, project management and coordination, daily activity logs, work plan development, hazard tree removal, species identification, integrated pest management, and traffic control installation. All work must comply with ANSI, OSHA, and Cal/OSHA standards, and services must be performed by dedicated on-site ISA Certified Arborists or Tree Workers. Minimum qualifications include four years of similar services experience within the last seven years, an account manager with two years of account services experience within the last five years, a California C-61/D-49 Tree Service Contractor license, and ISA or TCIA certification for key personnel, with all crew members First Aid and CPR certified. The RFP was released March 9, 2026, with a questions deadline of March 16, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. and a proposal submission deadline of March 23, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. via the eProcurement portal; no pre-proposal conference or site visit is scheduled. Evaluation will employ a best-value methodology with 40 percent weight for Firm Qualifications, 25 percent for Team Qualifications, and 25 percent for Price Proposal. The contract term is three years with one optional extension period of up to two years at the County's sole discretion, exercisable with thirty days' written notice.

Local preference points are available under San Mateo County Ordinance Code Chapter 2.89, providing five percent additional points for Local Businesses or Local Non-Profits, eight percent for Small Businesses or Small Non-Profits, and ten percent for Micro Businesses or Micro Non-Profits. The RFP does not specify set-asides or restrictions limiting responses to particular organization types, though local preference incentives favor businesses and non-profits based in San Mateo County or meeting small/micro business definitions. No incumbent vendors or current contractor information is referenced in the RFP materials. Contractors must obtain all required licenses, permits, and approvals at their own expense and maintain comprehensive general liability insurance of $1,000,000, motor vehicle liability insurance of $1,000,000, and professional liability insurance of $1,000,000, with the County named as additional insured. All work products become exclusive property of the County upon completion. No specific budget range, pricing information, estimated quantities, or award value is disclosed in the RFP; compensation will be determined by rates specified in Exhibit B of the final contract, with the County's total fiscal obligation not to exceed a specified amount to be established upon contract execution.