Health and Social Services Department Integrated Employee Onboarding Program

Background

Currently, the County lacks a unified onboarding process, resulting in inconsistent experiences and inefficiencies.

With newly available funding, the County seeks to develop a modern onboarding solution that:

• Enhances employee engagement and retention
• Improves role clarity and accelerates time-to-productivity
• Streamlines orientation processes
• Integrates seamlessly with existing systems
• Delivers a consistent and welcoming experience for all new employees

Although this initiative is not intended as a countywide program, all components should be scalable and adaptable for potential future expansion or replication.

Project Details

• Reference ID: 918-0225-26
• Department: Health and Social Services
• Department Head: Emory Cowan (Director of Health and Social Services)

Important Dates

• Questions Due: 2026-03-31T00:00:00.000Z
• Answers Posted By: 2026-04-09T00:00:00.000Z

Addenda

• Addendum #1 (released 2026-04-06T15:25:06.810Z) —

  Please use the See What Changed link to view all the changes made by this addendum.

Evaluation Criteria

• Local Vendor Preference —

  In order to address the competitive disadvantage faced by local businesses that seek to enter into contracts with the County because of the higher costs of doing business in the County, and to encourage businesses to locate and remain in the County, the County has implemented a local preference policy.

• Scope of Work —
  The contractor will collaborate with Health & Social Services (H&SS) to deliver a comprehensive onboarding solution that meets the following objectives:

   

  1. Design and Implement Onboarding Program 
     1. Create a structured, measurable onboarding program tailored to H&SS’s super-agency context. 
     2. Ensure the program fosters early connection, role clarity, and a consistent, welcoming experience for all new hires. 
     3. Make the solution adaptable for future expansion.
  2. Develop Digital Onboarding Materials 
     1. Produce engaging and informative content, including:
     2. Videos
     3. Guides
     4. Checklists
     5. Printed documentation
     6. Interactive tools (e.g., forms)
  3. Utilize existing platforms such as Microsoft 365 (SharePoint, Forms, Loop).
  4. Ensure compatibility with NeoGov, as these platforms will house the developed materials.
  5. Surveys and Analytics 
     1. Design, administer, and analyze surveys related to:
        1. Onboarding experience
        2. Job satisfaction
        3. Workplace experience
     2. Use science-based methodology and ensure anonymous response handling.
  6. Accessibility, Branding, and Security 
     1. Ensure the solution is:
        1. Accessible to all H&SS employees
        2. Branded to reflect H&SS identity
        3. Secure, sustainable, and scalable for future use
  7. Manager and Supervisor Support 
     1. Provide tools and guidance to help managers and supervisors effectively support new hires.
  8. Metrics and Reporting 
     1. Establish metrics and reporting processes to track:
        1. Program effectiveness
        2. Employee engagement
        3. Time to productivity (unless this will be tracked by NeoGov LMS)
  9. Deliverables 
     1. A solution that:
        1. Is scalable and sustainable
        2. Promotes early connection and role clarity
        3. Provides a consistent onboarding experience
     2. Delivered in accordance with the phases outlined in the RFQ. 

  All objectives outlined above shall be achieved in accordance with the phased approach detailed in this RFQ, ensuring a structured, transparent, and collaborative process. Each phase is designed to guide development, implementation, and evaluation of the onboarding solution, while maintaining alignment with H&SS’s strategic goals and operational requirements.
• Definition of Local Business —

  For purposes of this section, a “local business” means a business enterprise, including but not limited to a sole proprietorship, partnership, or corporation, which has the following:

  • a valid business license issued from the County or a political subdivision within the County; and
  • its principal business office, or a satellite office with at least one full-time employee, located in the County.
• Preference —
  • Where the lowest responsible bidder is not a local business, the purchasing agent shall provide the lowest responsible local business bidder, should one exist and its bid is within five percent (5%) of the lowest responsible bidder, with notice and an opportunity to reduce its bid to match that of the lowest responsible bidder.  Notice shall be by telephone and either facsimile or electronic mail.  The local business shall have five (5) business days after the date of such notice to match the lowest bid, in writing.  Should the local business so match, it shall be deemed the lowest responsible bidder and receive the award.
  • Should the lowest responsible local business bidder decline to match as set forth above, the purchasing agent shall provide the next lowest responsible local business bidder, should one exist and its bid is within five percent (5%) of the lowest responsible bidder, with the same notice and opportunity to match the bid of the lowest responsible bidder as above.  This process shall continue as necessary, until an award is made either to a responsible local business bidder within five percent (5%) of the lowest responsible bidder, or the lowest responsible bidder itself.
  • In instances where a local business and a non-local business submit equivalent, lowest responsible bids, the purchasing agent shall give preference to the local business.
  • No contract awarded to a local business under this section shall be assigned or subcontracted in any manner that permits more than fifty (50) percent or more of the dollar value of the contract to be performed by an entity that is not a local business.
• Phases of the Project (Contractor Responsibilities) —
  Phase 1: Project Initiation

  1. Kickoff Meeting: Conduct a kickoff meeting with key stakeholders to confirm goals, outcomes, and expectations.
     Recommended timeline: within 10 business days of contract award.
  2. Project Planning: Establish a detailed project timeline, communication plan, and deliverable schedule.
     Recommended timeline: within 15 business days of contract award.

  Phase 2: Information Gathering

  1. Conduct interviews with stakeholders across H&SS.
  2. Review existing onboarding practices and documentation.
  3. Launch surveys and begin data collection (baseline for new hires and incumbents).
  4. Identify gaps and opportunities for improvement.
     Estimated duration: 3–4 weeks, depending on stakeholder availability and survey response time.

  Phase 3: Material Creation

  Develop comprehensive onboarding materials, including:

  1. Orientation Content:
     1. Division-specific and department highlight videos/presentations.
  2. Digital Onboarding Hub:
     1. Central repository (e.g., SharePoint) for supervisors/managers, new hires (0–1 year), and employees.
  3. Internal Messaging & Rollout Strategy:
     1. Sustainable communication plan, site tours, leadership meet-and-greets.
  4. Toolkit:
     1. Welcome guides (County systems, job expectations, workplace tools, emergency plans, org charts, site maps, checklists).
  5. Interactive Forms:
     1. Electronically fillable forms or packets to support onboarding processes.
  6. Feedback Tools & Surveys:
     1. Onboarding feedback, employee engagement, job satisfaction, DEI-BA metrics, and ESU communication plan.
  7. Onboarding Plan & Timeline:
     1. 0–1 year plan using best practices for culture embedding and retention.
  8. Structured Check-in Plans:
     1. 30-60-90+ day departmental check-ins with trauma-informed, implicit bias, and self-care content.
        Estimated duration: 6–8 weeks, including stakeholder review and revisions.

  Ensure all materials are accessible and aligned with county/department branding and compliance standards.

  Phase 4: Implementation

  1. Deploy onboarding materials using Microsoft 365 tools:
     1. SharePoint for content hosting.
     2. Forms for feedback and data collection.
     3. Loop for collaborative engagement.
  2. Pilot onboarding materials, site tours, communication plan, toolkit, and surveys with a new-hire group.
  3. Analyze feedback and implement quality improvement actions and updates.
  4. Provide training and documentation for internal staff to maintain and update the program.
     Estimated duration: 4–6 weeks, including pilot and adjustments.
• Scalability and Contract Utilization —

  While this initiative is not intended to serve as a countywide program at this time, all components of the proposed solution shall be designed to be scalable and adaptable for potential future expansion or replication. This ensures that, if needed, the onboarding framework can be extended to other County departments, which retain the ability to adopt and implement the program in alignment with their operational needs. As permitted by County procurement policies, other Solano County departments may utilize this contract under the same terms and conditions for the same or similar services.

• Declaration of Compliance —

  In submitting a bid subject to this section, a local business shall affirm its compliance with Sections 22-24 of the Solano County Code, on a form to be provided by the purchasing agent (Declaration form included in this bid

• Notice —

  The purchasing agent shall provide adequate notice of the provisions of this section to prospective bidders.

• Exceptions —

  The exceptions provided for in section 2.11 of the County’s Purchasing & Contracting Policy Manual shall apply to this section.  Furthermore, this section is made expressly inapplicable to public works or other projects to the extent the application would be prohibited by state or federal law.

Submission Requirements

• The undersigned offers and agrees to furnish the above service(s) at the prices and terms stated subject to the instructions and conditions of this RFQ. (required)
• Bid Validity - 90 Day Period: (required) —

  Bidder confirms that its bid shall be valid for a period of 90 days after RFQ closing date.

• Agency References: (required) —

  Please download the documents provided below, complete them as required, and upload the finalized versions as part of your submission.

  The bidder shall provide the (3) references of government agencies and or firms for whom they have provided similar services during the last three (3) years.  

  THESE REFERENCES SHOULD BE FROM DIFFERENT ENTITIES AND NOT FROM SOLANO COUNTY.

• Subcontractor Listing: —

  If Bidder will use subcontractors to assist with providing the goods/services requested in this solicitation, bidder must upload details of said subcontractors here.  The County reserves the right to deny or accept subcontractors and subcontracting.

• Non-Collusion Declaration Pursuant to Public Contract Code Sec. 7106 (required) —

  The undersigned declares:  I am the authorized representative of the party making the foregoing bid.

  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 and that this declaration is executed.

• Certification of Compliance: (required) —

  The bidder does hereby make certification and assurance of the Proposer’s compliance with:

  The laws of the County of Solano:
  http://www.codepublishing.com/CA/SolanoCounty/

  Title VI of the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964:
  https://www.justice.gov/crt/fcs/TitleVI-Overview

  Title IX of the federal Education Amendments Act of 1972:
  https://www.justice.gov/crt/title-ix-education-amendments-1972

  The Equal Employment Opportunity Act and the regulations issued thereunder by the federal government:
  https://www.justice.gov/jmd/hr-order-doj12001-part-4-equal-employment-opportunity

  The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the regulations issued thereunder by the federal government:
  https://www.ada.gov/pubs/adastatute08.htm

  All contract employees performing services and/or work as a result of this solicitation must have documented legal authority to work in the United States of America,

  The condition that the submitted proposal was independently arrived at, without collusion, under penalty of perjury; and,  

  The condition that no amount shall be paid directly or indirectly to an employee or official of the County of Solano as wages, compensation, or gifts in exchange for acting as an officer, agent, employee, subcontractor, or consultant to the Proposer in connection with the Procurement under this IFB for Health and Social Services Department Integrated Employee Onboarding Program.

• County Reservations: (required) —

  The County of Solano reserves the right to make an award in whole or in part or any varying combination of the following requirements that will be in the best interest of the County, and not necessarily to the lowest Contractor. The intended award of Contract shall be made to the highest rated Proposer based on the evaluation Criteria stated within the RFQ.

  Right of Rejection

  The County reserves the right to reject any and all proposals, or to cancel this RFQ in part or in its entirety.

  The County reserves the right to waive any variances in proposals provided such action is in the best interest of the County.

  The County reserves the right to amend this RFQ at any time.  The County also reserves the right to cancel or reissue the RFQ at its sole discretion. 

   Any proposal received which does not meet the stated pre-requisites of this RFQ for Health and Social Services Department Integrated Employee Onboarding Program, may be considered to be non-responsive, and may be rejected. The County may reject any proposal that does not comply with all of the terms, conditions, and performance requirements as stated within the RFQ.

  To cancel any award and re-solicit proposals for services herein specified due to the increased or added costs, if in its opinion increased prices are greater than those of the general market.

  To cancel any award and re-solicit bids in the event services cannot commence with ten (10) days after the specified date for start of work.

  To reject any and all proposals considered not to be in the best interest of the County.

  To waive any and all minor irregularities in proposals.

  To reduce or increase any specification, in whole or in part due to changes in budget allocations. 

  I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that I have read the above Reservations as stated by the County of Solano.

• Drug-Free Workplace Certification: (required) —

  The contractor or grant recipient named on this proposal hereby certifies compliance with Government Code Section 8355 in matters relating to providing a drug-free workplace. The contractor will:

  1. Publish a statement notifying employees that unlawful manufacture, distribution, dispensation, possession, or use of a controlled substance is prohibited and specifying actions to be taken against employees for violations, as required by Government Code Section 8355(a).

  2. Establish a Drug-Free Awareness Program as required by Government Code Section 8355(b), to inform employees about all of the following: 

  1. The dangers of drug abuse in the workplace
  2. The person's or organization's policy of maintaining a drug-free workplace
  3. Any available counseling, rehabilitation and employee assistance programs
  4. Penalties that may be imposed upon employees for drug abuse violations

  3. Provide, as required by Government Code Section 8355(c), that every employee who works on the proposed contract or grant:

  1. Will receive a copy of the company's drug-free policy statement
  2. Will agree to abide by the terms of the company's statement as a condition of employment on the contract or grant

  CERTIFICATION

  I, the official submitting this proposal, hereby swear that I am duly authorized legally to bind the contractor or grant recipient to the above-described certification. I am fully aware that this Certification, executed on the date of proposal submittal and in the County below, is made under

• Declaration of Local Business: (required) —

  Solano county gives local businesses a preference in formal solicitations of goods and services as set forth in section 22-24 of the Solano County code. in order to qualify for this preference, a business must meet all of the following criteria:

  • a valid business license issued from the county or a political subdivision within the county; and
  • its principal business office, or a satellite office with at least one full-time employee, located in the county.

  Section 2: Acknowledgement

  By completing this section, the undersigned states that, under penalty of perjury, the statements provided herein are true and correct and that the business meets the definition of a local business as defined in section 22-24 of the Solano County code.

  All information submitted is subject to investigation, as well as disclosure to third parties under the California public records act.  incomplete, unclear, or incomprehensible responses to the following will result in the bid not being considered for application of the county’s local preference policy.  false or dishonest responses will result in rejection of the bid and curtail the declarant’s ability to conduct business with the county in the future.  it may also result in legal action.

  Bidder declares under penalty of perjury under the laws of the state of California that the foregoing is true and correct and that this declaration is executed by an authorized representative of the firm. 

  Please select YES if your business is located within Solano County.

• Legal name of the business? (required) —

  Enter Detail Below

• Physical address of principal place of business or satellite office with at least one employee: (required) —

  Enter Complete Address Below.

• Attach Current Business license issued within the County of Solano (required)
• I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the state of California that the foregoing is true and correct and that this declaration is executed by an authorized representative. (required)
• Debarment Certification: (required) —

  I, an authorized representative, by submitting a bid/offer/proposal/quote to the County of Solano, under penalty of perjury, hereby certify that the Prospective Contractor and/or its officers, directors, and employees:

  1. are not currently excluded, debarred, or otherwise ineligible to participate in a federally funded program; 
  2. have not been convicted of a criminal offense related to the provision of federally funded items or services nor has been previously excluded, debarred, or otherwise declared ineligible to participate in any federally funded programs, and 
  3. are not, to the best of its knowledge, under investigation or otherwise aware of any circumstances which may result in contractor being excluded from participation in federally funded programs.

  This representation shall be an ongoing representation during the term of any contract awarded to the Prospective Contractor. If awarded a contract, Prospective Contractor hereby commits to immediately notify the County of any change in the status of the representations set forth in this Form.

  Prospective Contractor authorizes the County to independently verify its suspension and debarment status.

  Prospective Contractors are cautioned that making a false certification may subject the certifier to criminal prosecution or administrative sanctions.

  I certify that I am authorized by the company named above to respond to this request.

• Firm's Disclosure of Criminal and Civil Proceedings: (required) —

  Describe all ongoing and past civil and criminal proceedings within the last 10 years. Indicate the status of current proceeding and the outcome of closed or completed actions. Also, describe, if any, how the outcome of actions impacted company business operations.

  Note: if no civil and criminal proceedings within the last 10 years, please indicate.

• ****Optional**** Additional Information: —

  Please provide any additional or relevant information that you would like to have considered by the County of Solano.

• Bidder Accepts County Terms and Conditions Without Qualification? (required)
• What qualifications (i.e., exceptions or conditions) are being requested by the Bidder? (required) —

  If the Bidder takes exceptions, please attach qualifications here. The County is under no obligation to accept your qualifications; however, they will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

• Bidder Declaration: (required) —

  Bidder declares under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that the foregoing is true and correct, and that this declaration is executed by an authorized representative of the firm. 

• Signature Page: (required) —

  Please download the documents provided below, complete them as required, and upload the finalized versions as part of your submission.

• Will The "Public Works Reforms" (SB 854) Apply to This Project? (required) —

  Public works reforms (SB 854) were signed into law on June 20, 2014. The reforms made several significant changes to the administration and enforcement of prevailing wage requirements by the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR). Among other things, SB 854 established a public works contractor registration program to replace prior Compliance Monitoring Unit (CMU) and Labor Compliance Program (LCP) requirements for bond-funded and other specified public works projects. The fees collected through the program established by SB 854 are used to fund DIR’s public works activities. 

• Delivery Date (required) —

  Enter Delivery Date

• Use Electronic Pricing Table? (required) —

  Select yes when you have line items (construction, commodities, etc.). This option provides automatic tabulation of pricing results.

  Select no if you would like the vendors to upload pricing as a document in their own format and pricing structure. This option will not enable automatic tabulation of pricing results.

• Bids Shall Remain Valid For (required) —

  Your bid shall remain valid and open for acceptance for a period of _____.

• Will these goods/service require installation or delivery? (required)
• What is the delivery/service location? (required) —

  Please enter exact address.

• Are there any special policy compliance requirements for this project? (required)
• Policy Compliance (required) —
  1. Insert any special policy compliance, pertinent to local, state or federal law applicable to this purchase in order for the bidder to be in compliance with such a policy.
• Will any grant funds be used for the awarded good/service? (required)

Questions & Answers