County’s Workforce Entry and Economic Growth Initiative

The County Executive’s Office of the County of San Mateo is soliciting proposals from qualified contractors to develop and administer the County’s Workforce Entry and Economic Growth Initiative pilot program (the “Program”). As detailed further below, the Program aims to increase the hiring of entry-level employees and support the County’s private sector small and medium-sized businesses by subsidizing early wages of new full-time hires who recently earned college degrees or trade certificates.

Background

Individuals transitioning from degree or certificate programs to the workforce are increasingly facing barriers to hiring due to their lack of experience in their selected industry. These barriers apply both to young adults seeking their first, entry-level job out of college as well as to older adults who returned to school to improve or redirect their career paths in a new discipline. The Public Policy Institute of California reports that workers aged 20 to 24 in California experienced an unemployment rate of 10.8% in May 2025, nearly three times the County’s typical overall rate. Economic analysts describe the current challenging job market as a “no hire, no fire economy.”

To address these challenges, the County Board of Supervisors on February 10, 2026, adopted a resolution allocating $2,000,000 to launch the Program and approve its general structure and key requirements. The County Executive’s Office is initiating a competitive request for proposals process to identify a qualified contractor to administer the Program and develop detailed guidelines for its administration.

Contact Information

Project Contacts:
Henry Nibbelin
Management Analyst
Email: hnibbelin2@smcgov.org
Phone: (650) 363-4259

Rocio Kiryczun

Deputy County Executive

Email: rkiryczun@smcgov.org

Phone: (650) 363-4132

Nicholas Calderon

Deputy County Executive

Email: ncalderon@smcgov.org

Phone: (650) 599-1386

Project Details

• Reference ID: 2026-RFP-00462
• Department: County Executive's Office - Board of Supervisors
• Department Head: Michael Callagy (County Executive)

Important Dates

• Questions Due: 2026-04-28T00:00:00.000Z
• Answers Posted By: 2026-05-01T00:00:00.000Z

Evaluation Criteria

• Design of Program (16 pts) —

  1.       Evaluators will determine how well the proposal articulates a successful program design that will ensure successful launch and administration of the Program.

  1. 1. 1. Does the proposal clearly articulate guidelines and a process for receiving and evaluating applications by eligible employers and employees?
        2. Does the proposal include a thorough outreach and communications strategy to inform potentially eligible employers and employees and other community partners of the Program?
        3. Does the proposal include well-drafted template application forms and agreements for use in connection with the Program?
• Implementation of Program (16 pts) —

  1. Evaluators will determine how well the proposal articulates a successful plan for launching and rolling out the Program.

  1. 1. 1. Does the proposal lay out a sensible, clear plan for launching the strategic outreach and communications aspect of the Program?
        2. Does the proposal include a sensible process to allow eligible employers and employees to begin preparing and submitting applications to the Program?
        3. Does the proposal articulate a clear fiscal management and subsidy disbursement process?
• Administration of Program (16 pts) —

  1. Evaluators will determine how well the proposal articulates a successful plan for administering the Program’s ongoing operations.

  1. 1. 1. How does the Program Administrator plan to manage ongoing contractual obligations and reporting requirements?
        2. Does the proposal explain how the Program Administrator will continue to communicate with participating employers and employees to verify all key Program requirements are being met.
• Firm and Team Qualifications (16 pts) —

  1. Evaluators will determine whether the Program Administrator and team have the requisite experience and resources to successfully meet Program requirements and milestones.

  1. 1. 1. Firm/team has experience designing, implementing, and administering similar programs
        2. Firm/team has experience and appropriate resources and staffing to conduct successful outreach efforts
        3. Firm/team has track record of successfully implementing and managing complex fiscal obligations required by the Program
• Implementation Schedule (16 pts) —

  Evaluators will determine whether the proposal for milestone delivery, including for program design, implementation, and administration, meets the County’s goals.

• Price (20 pts) —

  1. Pricing will be evaluated both qualitatively and quantitatively

  2. Evaluators will analyze the fee proposal based on the estimated cost to complete the Program’s design, implementation, and administration according to the County’s key milestones and the Program criteria.

Submission Requirements

• Minimum Qualifications
• Has Proposer has been providing similar services for a minimum of four (4) years within the last seven (7) years? (required)
• Please confirm your firm is registered with System for Award Management (SAM) (required) —

  SAM.gov

• What is the registered Business Name and Unique Entity ID (UEI) No.? (required) —
  • UEI number can be obtained by registering your business through SAM.GOV
  • Should you be in the process of obtaining your UEI number, please enter the digits ‘123’ temporarily for your response below in order to proceed with proposal. This temporary number should be replaced with the correct registration number for submission of the proposal.
• Technical Proposal
• Introduction and Executive Summary (required) —

  Submit a letter of introduction and executive summary of the proposal.  The letter must contain:

  • Name, title and contact information (email, phone, and address) for representative of proposer that is responsible for communication related to this RFP.
  • Name, title, contact information, and signature of person authorized to obligate firm to perform the commitment contained in the proposal.

  Submission of the letter will constitute a representation by proposer that it is willing and able to perform the commitments contained in the proposal and has not violated the terms of this RFP.

• Statement of Minimum Qualifications (required) —

  Describe how the proposer meets the minimum qualifications as set forth in Minimum Qualifications of this RFP.

  Submission of the Minimum Qualifications checklist is not a substitute for providing a detailed written response.

• Project Approach (required) —

  This section should correlate to the Scope of Work .  Proposer should give a short summary describing how it will perform the relevant work

• Scope of Work tasks/milestones (required) —

  Describe your proposed approach to tasks/milestones

• Proposed schedule (required) —

  Attach proposed schedule reference ability to complete the project within the County's required time frame

• Innovations (required) —

  Refence any notable innovations or improvements that you expect to provide (with respect to, for example, efficiency, technology, sustainability) 

• Performance Measures (required) —

  Describe a plan for achieving performance measures 

• Firm Qualifications (required) —

  Attach information regarding background and qualifications, including the following:

  • A brief description of the proposer.
  • A description of not more than three (3) projects similar in size and scope conducted by the proposer, including the client, reference and telephone numbers, primary staff members involved, budget, schedule, and project summary.  Descriptions should be limited to one (1) page for each project.
  • If subcontractors are anticipated, identify them (if known) and provide information on how they will be used.
• Team Qualifications (required) —

  Provide a chart identifying:

  5. 2. • Project team and reporting structure
        • Lead project manager
        • Role each person will play in the project

  Provide a brief description of the experience and qualifications of the project team members, including short resumes if desired.

  Written assurance that the key individuals listed and identified will be performing the work and will not be substituted or reassigned without the County’s prior approval

• References (required) —

  Provide TBD references for each of the following, including the name, address, and telephone number of recent clients (preferably other public agencies):

• Fee Proposal (required) —

  The Fee Proposal should be submitted as a separate PDF file from the Technical Proposals detailed in Required Documents.

  The County reserves the right to accept other than the lowest priced offer and to reject any proposals that are not responsive to this request.

• Agreement term (years) (required) —

  Update below if needed.

• Is there an extension to this agreement? (required) —

  Is there an extension to this agreement?

• Extension (required) —

  Modify the extension information below, if needed

• Will there be a Pre-Proposal Meeting and/or a Site Visit? (required)
• Include the information that will be covered in the site visit. (required)
• Require vendors to provide References? (required)
• References (required) —

  How many references are required by the vendor? (Number)

• Use Electronic Line Item Pricing? (required)
• Allow vendors to submit Confidential Information? (required) —

  In rare circumstances where there is an expectation that proposers will need to submit trade secrets or other confidential information in order to respond to an RFP. 

• Sample Agreement (required)

Questions & Answers