[CP] Event Management

The County of San Mateo, CA is seeking the services of a professional event planning company to support the planning and hosting of public-facing and stakeholder-focused events to increase participation in sustainability programs and activities.

Background

The County of San Mateo, CA is seeking the services of a professional event planning company to support the planning and hosting of public-facing and stakeholder-focused events to increase participation in sustainability programs and activities related to waste, carbon pollution, climate resilience, and schools and youth programs hosted by the County and/or other partners. The selected vendor will be responsible for supporting the County in delivering polished, well-organized, and accessible events that aim to educate and engage the public, build relationships, and encourage attendees to take advantage of publicly funded programs and resources.

The vendor will work with the County and its partners to attract diverse audiences. Different events may attract different audiences, including public agency staff, real estate professionals, trades people, small businesses owners, educators, homeowners, and apartment owners, as well as the general community, to events that may include, but are not limited to:

• Summits, retreats, and networking events
• Cooking classes or demonstrations
• Trainings for professional audiences
• Workshops to promote programs
• Focus groups or forums
• Open houses, home tours
• Listening sessions
• Pop-up outreach events
• Community meetings, fairs and festivals
• Town halls
• Neighborhood meetings
• Ribbon cuttings and grand openings
• Youth events

A successful proposal will demonstrate the following capabilities:

• Experience in planning and executing events.
• Strong project management skills, including the ability to manage multiple activities and vendors simultaneously and meet deadlines.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively with County staff, vendors, and community stakeholders.
• Proficiency in using event management software and tools, including online registration platforms and marketing automation tools.
• Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, with a focus on creating accessible and inclusive events for all community members.

The County anticipates establishing a five-year on-call contract with the selected vendor with a not-to-exceed amount. The County will create task orders with the vendor to work on individual events during the contract period.

Project Details

• Department: Sustainability
• Department Head: Jasneet Sharma (Director)

Important Dates

• Questions Due: 2026-06-16T22:00:00.000Z
• Pre-Proposal Meeting: 2026-06-03T07:00:00.000Z — There will be no pre-proposal meeting

Evaluation Criteria

• A. Background and Qualifications (25 pts)
• B. Experience Providing Requested Services (35 pts)
• C. Performance Measures (5 pts)
• Pricing for Sample Event (25 pts) —

  Please fill out attachment, "TITLE OF"

• Preferential Points (10 pts) —

  Where price is not the sole evaluation factor for a solicitation (e.g., in the case of a "best-value" solicitation), five percent (5%) of the total evaluation points otherwise awardable will be added to the proposal score for each Local Business or Local Non-Profit score for evaluation purposes. In the event of a tie between a Local Business or Local Non-Profit and another bidder, the Local Business or Non-Profit shall be awarded the Contract, assuming agreement on other contract terms.

  An additional three percent (3%) preference shall be given to a Local Business or Local Non-profit (for a total of eight percent (8%) of total points otherwise awardable) if the proposer is a Small Business or Small Non-Profit, or an additional 5 percent preference (for a total of ten percent (10%) of total points otherwise awardable) if the proposer is a Micro Business or Micro Non-Profit.

Submission Requirements

• Minimum Qualifications
• Has Proposer has been providing similar services for a minimum of two (2) years within the last four (4) years? (required)
• Please confirm vendor is not excluded, suspended, or debarred from the System for Award Management (SAM). SAM.gov (required) —

  SAM.gov

• Procurement Preference for Local Businesses and Local Non-Profits
• Is the Proposer a "Local Business"? —

  As Defined by Chapter 2.89.020 of the San Mateo County Ordinance Code, a “Local Business” means any for-profit business which has its principal place of business, or is headquartered, in San Mateo County. If this designation applies to the proposer, a self-attestation form must be completed and provided with this response. 

  Please download the below documents, complete, and upload. If this designation is not applicable, please leave blank. 

• Is the Proposer a Non-Profit? (required) —

  A Non-Profit is defined as a tax-exempt public charity organization (within the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code) that is formed for purposes other than making a profit, is exempt from paying federal income taxes on the income generated for their exempt purposes. 

• Is the Proposer a "Local Non-Profit" —

  As Defined by Chapter 2.89.020 of the San Mateo County Ordinance Code, a “Local Non-Profit" means a tax-exempt public charity organization (within the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code) that is formed for purposes other than making a profit, is exempt from paying federal income taxes on the income generated for their exempt purposes, and has its principal place of business, or is headquartered, in San Mateo County. If this designation applies to the proposer, a self-attestation form must be completed and provided with this response. 

  Please download the below documents, complete, and upload. If this designation is not applicable, please leave blank.

• Is the Proposer a Local "Small" or "Micro" Business? —

  As Defined by Chapter 2.89.020 of the San Mateo County Ordinance Code:

  “Small Business” means any business which holds a Small Business Certification awarded by the California Office of Small Business and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise Services (OSDS).

  “Micro Business” means any Small Business certified by the OSDS which is automatically designated by the OSDS as a Micro Business due to gross annual receipts falling below the OSDS-designated dollar amount.

  If the above designations apply, please provide the OSDS provided Certification ID. 

  If this designation is not applicable, please leave blank. 

• Is the Proposer a Local "Small" or "Micro" Non-Profit? —

  As Defined by Chapter 2.89.020 of the San Mateo County Ordinance Code:

  “Small Non-Profit" means a Local Non-Profit with an annual revenue of $1,000,000 to $2,500,000 according to its most recently filed IRS Form 990.

  “Micro Non-Profit" means a Local Non-Profit with an annual revenue of less than $1,000,000, according to its most recently filed IRS Form 990.

  If the above designations apply, please provide your latest filed IRS form 990. A filing from the last two calendar years is acceptable. 

  If this designation is not applicable, please leave blank. 

• Proposal
• Proposal Letter (required) —

  Please write a proposal letter that includes the following elements in order:

   

  A. Background and Qualifications. Please include the following: 

  • A brief description of your company.
  • A brief description of the experience and qualifications of the team members who would manage events for the County, including short resumes if desired.
  • If subcontractors are anticipated, identify them (if known) and provide information on how they will be used.

   

  B. Experience Providing Requested Services (see the list of Requested Services in the Appendix). Please describe your experience implementing the Requested Services, Tasks 1-4. If you have any additional skills or offer relevant services beyond those listed, please describe them in Task 5.

   

  C. Performance Measures. Please list one or two suggested measures to evaluate the performance of events, and include a plan for achieving the performance.

   

  D. References. Please provide references for three (3) events similar in size and scope your company has managed. Provide a one-paragraph description of each event, including the client, primary staff members involved, budget, schedule, and project summary, along with contact information.

   

  E. Name and contact information for the person representing the proposer that is responsible for communication related to this RFP.

• Pricing
• Pricing for Sample Event (required) —

  The Pricing for Sample Event should be submitted as a separate PDF file from the Proposal Letter 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)