RFP for library patron experience navigator services

The City of Oakland, Library Department is requesting proposals for Library Patron Experience Navigator services with proposals due September 18, 2026, and a voluntary pre-proposal meeting on September 10. The City specifies no local/small local business enterprise (L/SLBE) participation requirement for this procurement.

The scope requires qualified organizations or firms to deploy navigators working alongside library staff and contracted security officers to serve as supportive guides for individuals experiencing homelessness, incarceration, substance abuse, or mental health concerns. Service delivery consists of two navigators per service hour at the Main Library (seven days per week, 9:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., with reduced hours on Friday) and one navigator for roving branch assignments based primarily at the Martin Luther King Jr. Branch Library with similar weekly schedules. Minimum qualifications include three years' experience providing similar services, at least one current project serving populations experiencing homelessness or substance use recovery, and a clearly articulated strategy for hiring staff with relevant lived experience. The City prefers that at least seventy percent of staff employed possess relevant lived experience, documented through quarterly reporting. Contractors must comply with Oakland's Living Wage Ordinance, Minimum Wage Ordinance, Equal Benefits Ordinance, Prompt Payment Ordinance, and various other City policies including non-discrimination requirements, Arizona boycott provisions, Sanctuary City Contracting and Investment Ordinance compliance, and Border Wall Ordinance restrictions.

The anticipated contract term is two years with two optional one-year extensions. Compensation shall be a not-to-exceed amount established through contract negotiations based on a mutually agreeable scope of services and fee schedule, with the City withholding the final ten percent of the contract amount pending successful completion of work.

Proposals are evaluated on technical merit at 70 points maximum covering relevant experience, qualifications, organization, and approach, with cost/fee proposals weighted at 30 points maximum, and potential interviews of short-listed firms for an additional 100 points. The City anticipates contract award between November and December 2026. Questions are due September 10, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time. An addendum has been issued modifying requirements; the specific modifications require review of the complete addendum document.