SLED Opportunity · CALIFORNIA · COUNTY OF SAN MATEO
AI Summary
The County of San Mateo seeks information on GPS tracking devices and related services to monitor approximately 400 election material containers, ensuring security and integrity. This RFI is for market research only, with no contract awarded.
The County of San Mateo (the County or SMC) covers most of the San Francisco Peninsula. The region covers 744 mi and is home to nearly 800,000 residents and 20 incorporated cities. The County provides for the health and welfare of all people within its borders and serves as the local government for the unincorporated areas. Innovation thrives here in industries including bioscience, computer software, green technology, hospitality, financial management, health care, education and transportation. The County prides itself on how that prosperity fosters its commitment to protecting and enhancing the health, safety, welfare and natural resources of the community.
The Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder-Elections (ACRE) is a Department within the County of San Mateo. The Registration & Elections Division (Division) is a division in ACRE and is responsible for registering all voters and conducting fair and accurate elections for cities, schools, and special districts.
The Division is seeking to use GPS devices for the tracking of approximately 400 containers that are used to store election material. These devices will be utilized to track the transportation and delivery, ensuring the security and integrity of the election process. The devices should be handheld/palm sized with their own power. The selected vendor must provide all hardware and software related to real-time tracking, such as equipment, licenses, data/cellular connection for each of the devices, training, and ongoing support and maintenance services.
No contract will be awarded as part of this Request for Information (RFI).
This RFI solicitation document is being issued for market research to obtain general information from suppliers about their products, services, and capabilities to assist the County in the development and issuance of a potential future Request for Proposal (RFP) solicitation for ACRE.
Proposers may be requested to perform product demonstrations.
Proposals must be electronically received by 5:00 pm, on Friday, March 27, 2026 via the County's eProcurement system.
Allow sufficient time for the upload to complete by the Due Date and Time. Partial uploads will automatically terminate, and proposals will be rejected. The eProcurement system submission time will be the official submission time. The County will not be responsible for and may not accept proposals that are late due to slow internet connections or for any other failure of the eProcurement system.
NOTE: The County does not maintain the eProcurement system and is not liable for site failures or technical problems. To resolve technical issues, contact OpenGov Technical Support directly by using the real time chat located in the lower right hand corner of the screen, or via email at procurement-support@opengov.com
The Division is seeking vendors who can provide GPS real-time tracking devices and associated licenses that will be used to monitor Division containers that store and move election material. The selected vendor will provide a complete solution including the necessary hardware, software licenses, network connections and data plan (if necessary) for each of the GPS devices, installation, training, and ongoing support services.
Detailed Specifications for GPS Tracking Devices
Software Licenses
Service Requirements
Delivery Requirements
Vendors are invited to submit solutions that meet or exceed the above specifications and requirements. Solutions will be evaluated based on the quality of the products and services offered, compliance with the specifications, and overall cost-effectiveness.
Organizations or individuals interested in responding to this solicitation must register online with the County of San Mateo at:
It is recommended that organizations complete this registration as soon as possible. The County will not be responsible for and may not accept proposals that are late due to a failure to timely register with the eProcurement system.
The Division may schedule up to five firms to provide demonstrations of their solutions. All presentations will be conducted online.
The Division may also request several demo devices from selected vendors to test the devices/software for a trial period.
Required Documents
Documents requested in the RFI
Electronic Submissions
Include the proposer name and the RFI title and number in each filename. Submit proposals via the eProcurement website, allowing sufficient time for the upload to complete by the Due Date and Time. As noted above, the eProcurement portal submission time will be the official submission time, and partial uploads will automatically terminate, and proposals will be rejected. Contact eProcurement Portal with technical questions regarding this site.
Conflicts between Certain Requirements
It is recommended that organizations complete this registration as soon as possible. The County will not be responsible for and may not accept proposals that are late due to a failure to timely register with the eProcurement system.
Format
Documents should be created in the following format:
Errors in Proposals
The County will not be liable for any errors in proposals. Proposals may be rejected as unresponsive if they are late, incomplete, missing pages or information, or cannot be opened for any reason. The County may waive minor irregularities, but such waiver will not modify any remaining RFI requirements.
Questions related to scope of work.
Name:
Title:
Contact Email:
Contact Phone Number:
Q (Number of Devices): What is the quantity of tags the county will be looking to purchase?
A: In Section 1.1 Summary, the Division is seeking GPS devices to track approximately 400 containers.
Q (Scenario): What is the scenario that these tags will be used?
A: As described in Section 1.1 Summary and Section 2.1 Scope of Work, the GPS devices will used to track and monitor Division containers that store and move election material.
Q (Approximately 400 containers used to store election material): Do the approximately 400 containers represent the maximum number of GPS devices required, or does the County anticipate future expansion in the number of containers to be tracked?
A: The County's estimated number of GPS devices required is 400. The County does not anticipate needing additional devices.
Q (The Division is seeking to use GPS devices for the tracking of approximately 400 containers that are used to store election material): Could the County provide information about the type of containers used to transport election materials (including material composition and approximate thickness)?
A: The containers are a mix of hard plastic containers and fabric containers.
Q (These devices will be utilized to track the transportation and delivery, ensuring the security and integrity of the election process): How are the containers sealed or closed during transportation, and how frequently are they opened during a typical deployment (for example at intermediate warehouses prior to final delivery)?
A: The hard plastic containers are sealed with lock and key, while the fabric containers are zippered and sealed with a tamper evident seal zip tie. They can be opened multiple times during a typical deployment.
Q (These devices will be utilized to track the transportation and delivery, ensuring the security and integrity of the election process): Is there a specific location within the container where the GPS devices are expected to be placed, or can the vendor propose the most suitable installation method?
A: The vendor may propose the most suitable installation method.
Q (Device may connect to external battery): In which operational scenarios does the County anticipate the use of external batteries to extend device operating time?
A: An external battery should not be required by the device. The County has no plans at this time to use external batteries to continue to power the GPS devices.
Q (Vendor must provide hardware, software, network connections and data plan): Does the County expect the vendor to fully manage the cellular data plan for each device, or could the solution integrate with existing County cellular contracts?
A: Vendor should provide the complete solution. The GPS device ability to ping must be provided by vendor and not rely on County for any such service.
Q (GPS tracking devices must be rugged and handheld sized): Will the GPS devices be permanently assigned to each container, or are they expected to be transferable between containers depending on operational needs?
A: The devices will be permanently assigned to each container. However, there is an expectation that if a device needs to be swapped (malfunction or other reason) that the web app/mobile app database can be updated by end user to associate the new GPS device with that container.
Q (Ability to ping continuously when in motion): Is there a maximum ping interval required when the container is in motion (for example every 30 seconds or less)?
A: The maximum ping interval is 30 seconds.
Q (Vendor must provide hardware, software, network connections and data plan): Should the vendor include a cellular data plan as part of the proposed solution, what is the expected contract duration for the data plan? Is the County expecting a month-to-month arrangement, an annual commitment, or a multi-year term aligned with the overall contract period?
A: These GPS devices should come with the necessary service (GPS/cell) to ping successfully. These pings should be reflected on a map that identifies the device location.
Q (Vendor must provide hardware, software, network connections and data plan): To ensure our solution is optimally configured for the County's needs, could you describe the intended operational model for the GPS devices? Specifically: Will each device be assigned to a single driver or vehicle traveling from a fixed origin to a single destination, or will the tracking scenario involve multiple stops, multiple drivers, or containers that change custody at various points during transport?
A: These GPS devices will not be connected to a car battery. They are not assigned to vehicles. The GPS devices are installed inside containers of hard plastic or fabric. The containers will indeed change custody as they travel from one facility to another, until reaching our headquarters.
Q (Vendor must provide hardware, software, network connections and data plan): Would the County be open to considering an alternative solution where GPS tracking is done via a mobile application installed on the driver’s smartphone, instead of using a dedicated hardware device? This option could meet the real-time tracking, geofencing, and reporting requirements while potentially offering greater operational flexibility and cost efficiency. If so, would such an alternative be considered alongside proposals based on dedicated hardware?
A: The County would not be using smartphones as GPS devices. This is not an acceptable solution.
Q (Minimum battery life requirements): For how long are the devices expected to operate without recharging during typical logistics operations?
A: Device should last 7 days/168 hours without needing to recharge when not in motion.
Q (Real-time alerts): Has the County already defined the geofencing zones, or is the vendor expected to assist in defining the initial geofencing configuration?
A: The County will define the geofencing zones. These should be inputted by the County on the web app and assign devices to geofence zones.
Q (Platform with at least 25 users): Do the 25 users represent the expected maximum number of users, or may the County require support for additional users in the future?
A: 25 users are the maximum expected number of users.
Q (Vendor must provide training): Does the County prefer in-person training, remote training, or a hybrid training model for staff training?
A: In person training is preferred.
Q (Minimum 3-year warranty): The RFI specifies a minimum 3-year hardware warranty but does not indicate the intended contract term. Can the County provide guidance on the expected duration of the future contract that will be issued through the RFP?
A: The County anticipates a 3-year contract.
Q (24/7 support): Should the 24/7 support include direct phone support, or is portal/ticket-based support acceptable?
A: There should be emergency 24/7 support available via phone. Ticket based support that can be immediately escalated to a live agent for emergency assistance is acceptable.
Q (3-year hardware warranty): Is there an expected turnaround time for replacement of defective devices under warranty?
A: During the election period, next day shipping of a replacement device is expected.
Q (Delivery within 30 days): Does the County require all devices to be delivered in a single shipment, or would staged deliveries be acceptable?
A: Staged delivery of the devices is acceptable.
Q (No subject): How long would you want to suspend service for? Is this a battery saving focus, or billing suspension focused?
A: The suspend service is billing suspension focused. The County anticipate suspending services for up to 6 months with additional suspension possible.
Q (No subject): When you mention election materials, can you clarify what type of equipment this will be? Will it be in boxes?
A: The election material will be in hard plastic or fabric containers.
Q (No subject): Is this equipment ever going to be outside?
A: The hard plastic containers are weatherproof and may be outside. The fabric containers will stay indoors. Majority of the containers are fabric.
Q (No subject): Is the expected usage of these trackers always going to be indoors? stored in vehicles in indoor sites?
A: The trackers are placed inside containers. The containers remain in vehicles during transport, and then inside a facility upon delivery/transfer.
Q (No subject): What is driving the 2.5m accuracy? Is it for precision mapping? Would 5 be acceptable?
A: Device tracking at 5 meters is acceptable.
Q (No subject): Any integration requirements?
A: There are no integrations requirements. However, the solution of GPS devices must come with the required web app/mobile app and ability to admin/add remove users with role-based access control.
Q (No subject): What is driving the 30 second ping rate while moving?
A: The 30 second ping rate is desired for the ability to see containers moving on a map toward their destination and the ability to track movement of the device in short intervals in the event it is lost or stolen.
SLED stands for State, Local, and Education. These are solicitations issued by state governments, counties, cities, school districts, utilities, and higher education institutions — as opposed to federal agencies.
SamSearch Platform
AI-powered intelligence for the right opportunities, the right leads, and the right time.