Security Awareness Learning and User Education Platform

The County of San Mateo, California is issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a Security Awareness Learning and User Education Platform to serve approximately 9,000 participants annually across the county. The procurement seeks a qualified vendor to provide comprehensive security awareness training and education through a robust, multi-media platform that delivers real-world examples and testing capabilities for personnel on common security threats including phishing, business email compromise (BEC), and related security awareness subjects. Deliverables must include diverse instructional content such as videos, posters, and email-based tips, with integrated testing and simulation capabilities. Minimum qualifications require the proposed platform to have at least five years of production environment operation supporting government customers, and proposers must demonstrate a minimum of three years of experience implementing similar solutions with at least three successful government agency implementations within the last five years. Evaluation will occur in two phases: Phase 1 assesses technical proposals (45 points), experience and organizational capacity (30 points), and price (25 points) for a total of 100 points, with Phase 2 involving demonstrations and interviews scored on platform integration capabilities, reporting functionality, campaign setup ease, phishing demonstration features, and risk assessment capabilities. Key dates include a non-mandatory pre-proposal meeting on April 27, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. PST via Microsoft Teams; the deadline for submitting questions is April 30, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. PST; and proposals must be submitted electronically via the OpenGov portal by May 14, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. PST. The anticipated contract duration is 36 to 60 months with renewal options to be determined, and the contract award date and interview schedule remain to be determined.

San Mateo County offers local business procurement preferences under Chapter 2.89 of Title 2 of the San Mateo County Ordinance Code, providing 5 to 10 percent preferential points to qualifying local businesses and local non-profits with principal places of business or headquarters in San Mateo County. No incumbent vendor has been identified for this procurement. Required insurance includes General Liability ($1,000,000 per occurrence), Automobile Liability ($1,000,000 per occurrence), Workers' Compensation, Employers' Liability ($1,000,000 per occurrence), Professional Liability ($1,000,000 per occurrence), and Cyber Liability ($5,000,000 for Privacy and Network Security and $1,000,000 for Technology Errors and Omissions), all to be maintained during the contract term and for three years thereafter for cyber coverage. Vendors must be registered and in good standing with sam.gov, and subcontractors may not be used to perform services. Proposers must complete and submit multiple attachments including a price proposal using the County's required Price Proposal Template without modification, references from at least three completed similar projects, a Technology Security Assessment, and the County's standard contract template with any requested redlines. The estimated contract value and specific pricing information remain to be determined, with funding sources including federal, state, and county resources.