Burglary Alarm Response Services at City-Owned Facilities

The City of Palm Desert utilizes a third-party burglary and intrusion alarm monitoring service for various City-owned facilities. When an alarm is activated at a City facility, the monitoring company notify the City’s designated on-call alarm response vendor to investigate the alarm activation and assess the condition of the facility.

The City is seeking proposals from qualified vendors to provide on-site alarm response services 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year basis for City facilities currently managed by Pye-Barker. Facilities include, but may not be limited to, the following locations and better described in Scope of Services Section:

• Corporation Yard 
• Portola Community Center
• Historical Society
• City Hall
• State Building Suites 100 & 101
• Henderson Building
• Palm Desert Aquatic Center

The selected vendor shall maintain sufficient staffing levels, vehicles, equipment, communication systems, and operational procedures to ensure prompt, reliable, and professional response to alarm activations at all times. Further information is outlined in the Scope of Services Section of this document.

Background

The City of Palm Desert is a charter city located in the Coachella Valley in Eastern Riverside County, within the low desert region of Southern California. The City is home to approximately 50,000 full-time and an additional 32,000 seasonal residents. Palm Desert offers big-city resources within a welcoming, small-town environment, with high-quality educational opportunities, safe and clean streets, extensive retail and entertainment options, and a robust community programming. Widely considered the geographical, educational, and retail hub of the Coachella Valley, Palm Desert was incorporated in 1973 and operates under a council-manager form of government with a five-member City Council elected by district, each serving a four-year term. The City Council meets on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month at Palm Desert City Hall, 73-510 Fred Waring Drive.

Project Details

• Reference ID: 2026-RFP-011
• Department: PW - Operations & Maintenance
• Department Head: Randy Chavez (Director of Public Works)

Important Dates

• Questions Due: 2026-03-26T00:00:00.000Z
• Answers Posted By: 2026-03-28T00:00:00.000Z
• Pre-Proposal Meeting: 2026-03-16T17:00:00.000Z — City of Palm Desert, 73510 Fred Waring Drive, CA 92260 - Public Works Conference Room

Evaluation Criteria

• Company Experience and Qualifications (20 pts) —

  Demonstrated experience providing alarm response, mobile patrol, or similar security services. Experience serving municipal or public sector clients will be considered favorably.

• Staffing and Operational Capacity (20 pts) —

  Adequacy of staffing levels, qualifications of personnel, training programs, and the vendor’s ability to maintain continuous 24/7/365 coverage. Includes availability of vehicles, equipment, dispatch systems, and backup staffing.

• Response Procedures and Service Approach (20 pts) —

  Quality and clarity of the vendor’s alarm response procedures, including dispatch protocols, on-site assessment methods, communication processes, and coordination with law enforcement and City staff.

• Response Time and Reliability (15 pts) —

  Proposed response times and the vendor’s demonstrated ability to consistently meet those response times. Evaluation may consider geographic coverage, patrol deployment strategy, and dispatch capabilities.

• References and Past Performance (10 pts) —

  Quality and relevance of references from similar contracts, particularly with public agencies. Evaluation will consider reliability, professionalism, and overall performance history.

• Cost Proposal (15 pts) —

  Reasonableness and competitiveness of proposed cost proposal.

Submission Requirements

• Proposal (WITHOUT COST) (required) —

  Proposals shall be concise, well organized and demonstrate qualifications and applicable experience. Proposals shall be organized and include page numbers for all pages in the proposal. The proposal shall be uploaded here, in the following order and shall include:

  1. Cover Letter

     1. This letter should briefly introduce the firm, summarize the firm’s general qualifications, include an executive summary of the specific approach which will be used to deliver the work scope; and identify the individual(s) name, address and phone number authorized to negotiate Agreement terms and compensation.

  2. Company Background and Experience
     1. Company overview:  include years in business, ownership structure, and primary services offered.
     2. Team Resumes: Submit resumes of company key staff.  Describe qualifications, education, and professional licensing.
     3. Experience: Description of experience providing alarm response or similar security services, with emphasis on municipal or public-sector clients.
  3. Staffing and Availability
     1. Staffing: Description of staffing levels, qualifications, and training.
     2. Availability: Explanation of how continuous 24/7/365 coverage will be maintained, including backup staffing and contingency planning. 
  4. Response Procedures
     1. Response Protocol: Detailed description of alarm response protocols, communication methods, and escalation procedures.
     2. Response Time: Typical response times and methods used to ensure timely arrival at City facilities.
  5. References
     1. A minimum of three references, of similar type contracts, preferably with public agencies or government entities
     2. Include contact names, titles, phone numbers, and email addresses.
  6. Licenses, Permits, and Insurance
     1. Provide copies of all required business licenses, security-related permits, and certifications.
• Fee Proposal (required) —

  Please provide a lump-sum, not-to-exceed fee proposal for the scope of Services. The fee proposal shall include hourly rates for all personnel for “Additional Work” (as such term is defined in the proposed Agreement attached herein).

• Non-Collusion Declaration (required) —

  The undersigned declares:

  I am an authorized representative of my company, the party making the foregoing Bid, to certify the following.

  The Bid is not made in the interest of, or on behalf of, any undisclosed person, partnership, company, association, organization, or corporation. The Bid is genuine and not collusive or sham. The Bidder has not directly or indirectly induced or solicited any other Bidder to put in a false or sham bid. The Bidder has not directly or indirectly colluded, conspired, connived, or agreed with any Bidder or anyone else to put in a sham bid, or to refrain from bidding. The Bidder has not in any manner, directly or indirectly, sought by agreement, communication, or conference with anyone to fix the Bid Price of the Bidder or any other Bidder, or to fix any overhead, profit, or cost element of the Bid Price, or of that of any other Bidder. All statements contained in the Bid are true. The Bidder has not, directly or indirectly, submitted his or her Bid Price or any breakdown thereof, or the contents thereof, or divulged information or data relative thereto, to any corporation, partnership, company, association, organization, bid depository, or to any member or agent thereof to effectuate a collusive or sham bid, and has not paid, and will not pay, any person or entity for such purpose.

  Any person executing this declaration on behalf of a Bidder that is a corporation, partnership, joint venture, limited liability company, limited liability partnership, or any other entity, hereby represents that he or she has full power to execute, and does execute, this declaration on behalf of the Bidder.

  I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that the foregoing is true and correct.

• Iran Contracting Act Certification (required) —

  (Public Contract Code section 2200 et seq.)

  As required by California Public Contract Code Section 2204, the Contractor certifies subject to penalty for perjury that the option selected below relating to the Contractor’s status in regard to the Iran Contracting Act of 2010 (Public Contract Code Section 2200 et seq.) is true and correct.

  Note: In accordance with Public Contract Code Section 2205, false certification of this form shall be reported to the California Attorney General and may result in civil penalties equal to the greater of $250,000 or twice the Contract amount, termination of the Contract and/or ineligibility to bid on contracts for three years.

• SAM.gov (required) —

  Please enter your legal entity name for SAM.gov verification.

• Type of Business (required)
• Litigation (required) —

  Provide litigation history for any claims filed by your firm or against your firm related to the provision of Services in the last five (5) years (or type "N/A").

• Changes to Agreement (required) —

  The City standard professional services agreement contract is included as an attachment herein. The Proposer shall identify any objections to and/or request changes to the standard contract language in this section of the proposal (or type "N/A"). If you are identifying changes here ALSO upload a copy of the redlined Language/Agreement with your Proposal. Changes requested may affect theCity's decision to enter into an Agreement.

• No Deviations from the RFP (required) —

  In submitting a proposal in response to this RFP, Proposer is certifying that it takes no exceptions to this RFP including, but not limited to, the Agreement. If any exceptions are taken, such exceptions must be clearly noted here, and may be reason for rejection of the proposal. As such, Proposer is directed to carefully review the proposed Agreement and, in particular, the insurance and indemnification provisions therein (or type "N/A").

• List the Signatory(s) Authorized to Sign and Bind an Agreement. (required) —

  (If two (2) signatures are required, include the following information for both signatories)

  1. Full Name
  2. Title
  3. Physical Business Address
  4. Email Address
  5. Phone Number

  Corporation (C-Corp): Requires two signatures from authorized officers— one from President or Vice President, and the other from the Secretary or Treasurer.  

  An alternate signatory may be used if authorized by a Notarized Corporate Resolution or Article of Authority.

  LLC: Usually requires one signature from an authorized member or manager. For significant contracts (e.g., over $50,000 for construction or over $25,000 for service agreements), additional approvals or signatures may be required.

  Sole Proprietorship, Non-Profit, Single LLC: Only the one signature is necessary.

• Conflict of Interest Disclosure (required) —

  The proposer understands that any and all relationships with construction firms that may submit bids for projects developed under this agreement will require full disclosure of any direct or indirect conflicts of interest, financial interests, relationships, and the nature of any relationships with any related project bid submitters; and that any violation of this provision may result in the immediate termination of the Agreement  

• Certification of Proposal (required) —

  The undersigned hereby submits its proposal and, by doing so, agrees to furnish services in accordance with the Request for Proposal (RFP), and to be bound by the terms and conditions of the RFP.

• What is the Project Number? (required) —

  If not required, type "N/A"

• Agency (required) —

  What agency is this for?

• Agency Awarding Body (required)
• Select the appropriate Agency abbreviation/acronym. (required)
• Insert brief Project Description (required)
• Are there any special licenses or certifications required? (required)
• If a CA Contractor's State License IS required, enter the license classification requirement here. —

  ex.) Class A, General Engineering

• Insert background information regarding need for services requested (required)
• Select option below for pre-proposal meeting. (required)
• Use electronic pricing tabulation? (required) —

  If "NO" Proposers will be prompted to upload their own fee proposal.

• Prices valid for how many days ? (required) —

  Prices provided by Proposers in response to this RFP are valid for ____ days from the proposal due date.

• Will this project exceed $1,000,000.00? (required) —

  (this will determine the Iran Disclosure requirement for proposers)

• Agreement Name (required) —

  What is the agreement name?

• Does this project require a City issued permit? (required) —

  (ie, encroachment/building permits)

• Select the appropriate Agency abbreviation/acronym (required)
• What is your contract term? (required)