Interface Engine (V6.2026)

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.

Background

The County of San Mateo Health Administration is comprised of 11 Divisions providing health and welfare across San Mateo County including (a) Administration & Central Finance, (b) Aging & Adult Services, (c) Behavioral Health & Recovery Services, (d) Correctional Health, (e) Emergency Medical Services, (f) Environmental Health, (g) Family Health, (h) Health Coverage Unit, (i) Health Information Technology, (j) Public Health, Policy & Planning, (k) San Mateo Medical Center.

The County’s current Integration Engine is NextGen Connect, which we will replace through this RFP process. The goal and objective of this Request for Proposal (RFP) is to solicit consultation and a solution to have our end users be able to access the Integration Engine through a Web based Software as a Service (SAAS) application. The objective is to take current integration channels residing in our systems and port this channel capability to the new solution. After the successful migration of channels to the new solution we would expect that all of our users of this system would be able to support this new engine going forward.

Project Details

• Reference ID: 2026-RFP-00555
• Department: Health - Health IT
• Department Head: Colleen Chawla (Chief, San Mateo County Health)

Important Dates

• Questions Due: 2026-07-22T21:00:00.000Z
• Answers Posted By: 2026-07-29T21:00:00.000Z

Evaluation Criteria

• Pass/Fail Evaluation Criteria Statement (100 pts) —

  A vendor will receive a pass under this evaluation criterion if they have provided confirmation that demonstrating full agreement and compliance with all of the following requirements:

  1. Has implementation experience in California Safety Net Public Hospitals with Epic EHR.
  2. Insurance Requirements
     Vendor must agree to comply with all insurance requirements as outlined in the RFP without exceptions or conditions.
  3. Limitation of Liability
     Vendor must not include any limitation of liability provisions in their final agreement with the County.
  4. System for Award Management (SAM)
     Vendor must be actively registered and in good standing with the federal System for Award Management (SAM) at the time of proposal submission.
  5. Use of County Standard Contract Template
     Vendor must agree to use the County’s standard contract template without requiring substantive modifications.

  Failure to comply with any of the above conditions will result in a Fail and disqualification from further evaluation.

• Project Approach (30 pts)
• Firm Qualifications (25 pts)
• Team Qualifications (25 pts)
• Price (20 pts)
• Preferential Points (10 pts)
• Interview/Demo (100 pts) —

  Criteria to be provided upon vendor being elevated to this phase.

• Overall Best Fit (5 pts) —

  Criteria to be provided upon vendor being elevated to this phase.

Submission Requirements

• Minimum Qualifications - Contracting
• Has implementation experience in California Safety Net public Hospitals with Epic EHR. (required)
• Insurance Requirements Confirmation (required) —

  The vendor agrees to be insured for the following coverages, naming the County of San Mateo as an additional insured. 

  Comprehensive General Liability	$1,000,000
  Motor Vehicle Liability	$1,000,000
  Professional Liability	$1,000,000
  Cyber Liability: Privacy and Network Security/Technology Errors and Omissions	$5,000,000/$1,000,000
  Workers' compensation and employer’s liability insurance	Full statutory coverage, per California Law

   

  By submitting your proposal for this RFP, you agree to the above coverages.

• Please confirm your firm is registered with an Active System for Award Management (SAM) ID (required) —
  • Your SAM.gov account will have a green dot with the words "ACTIVE REGISTRATION" beside it. Your account will also show an expiration date in the future. If you have any other description than ACTIVE REGISTRATION (i.e. ID Assigned or Expired), this indicates the registration is incomplete.
  • Incomplete SAM.gov registrations at the time of submission will disqualify the proposal.
• 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.
• Agree to Use County Standard Template for the Agreement (required) —

  Vendor must agree to use the County’s standard contract template without requiring substantive modifications.

• Limitation of Liability Confirmation (required) —

  The County disfavors contracts that limit vendor liability and prefers contractors that will agree to the terms in the attached sample contract without exception.

  Please mark yes that you agree not to limit liability, or, if you cannot agree to those terms, please mark no and provide proposed language regarding limitations on liability that would accommodate as many of the following factors as possible:

  • Align limitation of liability with insurance coverage limits such that contractual defenses do not impair the amount of insurance that would cover a claim under subrogation principles
  • Propose a “super-cap” for liability limitation (for example, “ten times sales” or up to a specific dollar amount)
  • Carve out application of the limitation of liability for specific types of risk scenarios (for example, intellectual property, intentional acts, negligence, gross negligence, data loss or theft, privacy breaches)
  • Carve out application of the limitation of liability for specific types of damages (for example, “no liability cap for consequential damages for intellectual property claims” or “liability cap up to insurance limits for data breach, theft, or loss”)
• Liability Limitation (required) —

  Vendor must supply exact language proposed to be included in the Master Agreement.

• Epic GuestHouse and System Access History Disclosure (required) —

  Has your organization ever been required by Epic Systems Corporation to operate within Epic's GuestHouse program, or has your access to any Epic system been restricted, limited, or conditioned by Epic for any reason, whether currently or at any point in the past?

  This includes, but is not limited to:

  • Placement in Epic's GuestHouse program or any predecessor or successor restricted-access environment
  • Limitations on the scope, type, or duration of your access to Epic software or systems
  • Requirements to enter into special access agreements beyond Epic's standard third-party access terms
  • Any suspension, removal, or denial of access to Epic systems
• If YES to Epic GuestHouse (required) —

  Please provide a written explanation of the circumstances, the dates the placement was in effect, the reason provided by Epic, whether the placement was removed, and if removed, the reason for removal.

• Please submit completed C - Supplemental Questionnaire document (required) —

  This document can be accessed in the Exhibit and Attachment, Supporting Documents section.

• 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. 

• Technical Proposal
• Has Proposer has been providing similar services for a minimum of four (4) years within the last seven (7) years? (required)
• Account manager has a minimum of two (2) years of experience within the last five (5) years in providing account services? (required)
• 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 3 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.

• Technical and Security Requirements (required) —

  Vendor must demonstrate that all employees have undergone a background security check and are provided training to handle confidential data including a yearly security awareness training.

  - Employees for this project must be located in the United States.

  Vendor must demonstrate evidence that all subcontractors used have undergone a background security check, provided training to handle confidential data including a yearly security awareness training.

  Vendor must adhere to all County policies and procedures and will utilize all reasonable means and due diligence to protect the confidentiality and security of the County’s data.

  Remote access tools, if used, must be approved by the County’s Technology Services Department prior to implementation.

  Session network connectivity and traffic must be encrypted at all times.

  Proposed solution must be compatible with SAML v. 2.0 for identity management, if required.

  Vendor must provide security and administrative controls, such as performance monitoring, event monitoring, vulnerability assessments.

  Vendor must provide specific network and design information on exactly how they propose to transfer data from their SaaS/Cloud service to the interior County enterprise environment and a secure and regulatory compliant manner.

  Vendor must provide a logical and detailed diagram on exactly how their proposed platform will transfer data to and from the EHR platform complete with protocol requirement.

• 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)