On-Call Professional Consulting Services for Parks Projects: Vegetation Management (Invasive Species, Habitat Restoration, and Fire Fuel Reduction)

The County of San Mateo Parks Department is issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) for on-call professional consulting services to support vegetation management across the County's 24 parks and recreation areas encompassing over 16,000 acres. The services sought include invasive species removal and control, herbicide application, mechanical and manual vegetation removal, native habitat restoration, fire fuel reduction activities such as mowing and tree stand thinning, and shaded fuel break installation. Qualified proposers must demonstrate a minimum of four years of similar service experience within the last seven years, maintain valid California Department of Pesticide Regulation licensure for applicable staff, and designate an account manager with a minimum of two years of relevant experience. The contract will run for an initial three-year term with one optional two-year extension exercisable at the County's discretion upon thirty days' written notice. Evaluation will be based on firm qualifications (40 points), team qualifications (25 points), and price proposal (25 points). The proposal submission deadline is March 23, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. via the County's eProcurement portal, with a deadline for questions and contract exceptions of March 16, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. No pre-proposal conference or site visit will be held. The RFP includes a sample project example at San Bruno Mountain State and County Park involving native scrub treatment in grassland habitats with pre-work surveys, herbicide application, notification signage, and GIS-based mapping and reporting.

San Mateo County offers a 10 percent preferential point allocation for local businesses and non-profits as defined by San Mateo County Ordinance Code Chapter 2.89, creating a set-aside opportunity for entities meeting these criteria. The standard contract template indicates that the County retains the right to withhold payment if work quality is deemed unacceptable and requires contractors to obtain all necessary licenses and permits at their own expense prior to commencing work. Contractors 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, and must comply with applicable federal, state, county, and municipal laws including prevailing wage requirements and the County's Living Wage Ordinance. All work products created under the agreement become the exclusive property of the County, which may also terminate the contract for cause after providing notice of breach and allowing ten calendar days to cure, or immediately in extreme circumstances. No specific budget range has been disclosed, though the RFP's use of both the over-$200K and under-$200K contract templates suggests potential award values may vary based on individual proposals and County resource allocation decisions.