SLED Opportunity · CALIFORNIA · CITY OF MODESTO
AI Summary
The City of Modesto is soliciting proposals for Investigative Services to support its Human Resources Department. Proposals must be submitted electronically by 11:00 am on April 1, 2026.
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City of Modesto, County of Stanislaus, State of California (“City”), will receive proposals (each, a "Proposal") electronically through its OpenGov Procurement portal from qualified Proposers (each, a “Proposer”) for the furnishing of Investigative Services services (the “Services”) for the City of Modesto, Human Resources Department, Human Resources Division. Proposals are due before 11:00 am on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. Proposals received in any other format will not be accepted.
The City of Modesto is responsible for upholding the integrity, accountability, and ethical standards of public service. As part of this mandate, the organization periodically conducts or oversees investigations involving alleged misconduct, breaches of policy, violations of law, or other matters that may affect public trust, operational effectiveness, or compliance with applicable regulations.
The nature of these matters requires investigations that are impartial, thorough, and conducted in accordance with relevant legal, regulatory, and procedural frameworks. In certain circumstances, the organization may require the services of an independent, qualified investigative firm to ensure objectivity, manage complex or sensitive cases, and provide specialized expertise.
Accordingly, the City of Modesto is issuing this Request for Proposals (RFP) to solicit qualified firms or individuals with demonstrated experience in conducting public service or administrative investigations. The selected provider(s) will support investigations that may involve employees, officials, contractors, or other stakeholders and may include allegations related to misconduct, ethics violations, harassment, fraud, conflicts of interest, or other matters of concern within the public service context.
Investigations may vary in scope, complexity, and duration, and may require activities such as evidence collection and analysis, witness interviews, document review, fact-finding, and the preparation of clear, defensible investigative reports. All investigative work must be conducted with strict attention to confidentiality, procedural fairness, and applicable laws and policies.
Please use the See What Changed link to view all the changes made by this addendum.
Please upload your Proposal here formatted in the manner required by this RFP. Before submitting the Proposal, make sure to review the file to avoid submitting duplicate Proposals.
Please Upload your Proposal here formatted in the manner required by this RFP. This upload here should NOT INCLUDE any pricing information as that will be uploaded separately. Before submitting the Proposal, make sure to review the file to avoid submitting duplicate Proposals.
Proposer is able to choose from either of the following payment methods and associated timings:
Option A (Preferred): City of Modesto ePay Payment: This secure payment methodology is preferred by an increasing number of the City’s suppliers. On Net 30-day timing, you will receive a single-use Master Card number with a detailed remittance for each payment. You will process the payment though your POS/Card terminal. The payment remittance will be sent from InControl@mastercard.com via email and will contain the following information:
ePay results in small percentage rebate of 1.0% to the City through the card issuer. That rebate amount will be considered by the City in its evaluation of Proposer’s pricing proposal hereunder. Information about enrolling in MasterCard ePay program can be obtained from the City’s contact listed on the Cover Page of this RFP.
Option B – Manual Check: On Net 45 Day timing, the City will mail a hardcopy check to Bidder. The payment will be deemed to have been made when the check envelope is mailed via US Postal Service First Class Mail. The timing of the mailing will be at the end of the Net 45 Day period. Additional time should be estimated by the Bidder for the check to be in transit, and to await deposit and clearance by Bidder staff.
Please select which option for payment terms and method you accept.
Please upload a breakdown of your pricing information here. This information should not be part of your main proposal upload which is why it is requested separately here. Before submitting the pricing information, make sure to review the file to avoid submitting duplicate pricing files.
Any contract award to result from this RFP process and Proposer’s submission of a Proposal therewith will require approval by a majority vote of the City of Modesto’s City Council. In order to have full transparency in any City of Modesto commercial actions, the City Council may not approve an agreement between the City and the Proposer until all persons with a direct or indirect financial interest of greater than $2,000 in the Proposer are identified by name.
Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.
For any additional information requested or required by any of your previously provided answers or as stated within this RFP please upload the additional documentation here.
Proposer hereby certifies that all information provided within this proposal is accurate to the best of their knowledge. Proposer acknowledges that they have examined and carefully studied all Contract Documents and any Addenda and that they have provided any necessary proof of their authority to submit a proposal on behalf of the Company Name stated on the proposal thereby committing the Company to the information contained within.
By checking the "please confirm" box below, you certify the above statement.
Which Division within the selected City Department owns this particular contract, project, or purchase?
NOTE: Do NOT use the word "Division" in your entry as that will automatically be filled in.
Do you want to separate the cost information from the rest of the proposal? This is a different question from using the electronic pricing table as you may have both the pricing table and a file upload. The pricing upload may contain a breakdown beyond what you require in the table, but you may also choose to just use the pricing upload.
Do you wish to utilize the electronic pricing table available within OpenGov Procurement to obtain pricing/fees/costs for proposals?
If you answer with a "No", the electronic pricing table will not be available for use and you will be required to format the Pricing Schedule Form in the Vendor Questionnaire (Proposal) section of this RFP.
If you answer with a "Yes", the Pricing Schedule Form will not be used and pricing will need to be obtained within the electronic pricing table. You may also update the Vendor Questionnaire (Proposal) section of this RFP to obtain a breakdown of pricing or some sort of supplemental pricing document if you wish.
Is the budget for the goods and/or services to be procured through this RFP over $100,000? Or is there an expectation for the amount of this contract to exceed $100,000?
For how many days after the due date will proposals be required to remain valid?
Is there a minimum experience requirement for this RFP?
NOTE: Usually this would be a minimum number of years of experience for the Proposers.
What is the minimum number of years of experience required for a Proposer to be deemed qualified for this RFP?
NOTE: Be sure to provide in the following format: written number (#)
EXAMPLE:
five (5)
When providing references or examples of previously provided services to show proper experience, how many years are said services required to have been completed within from the time of proposal?
NOTE: Be sure to provide in the following format: written number (#)
EXAMPLE:
ten (10)
Q (Project Scope): Good morning, The project scope listed on the website states: The City of Modesto is soliciting a proposal from Consulting Firms to retain services for their assistance related to the Personnel Investigations. The RFP lists the scope as: Conduct various types of investigative services, including but not limited to surveillance, investigative research, interviews, background investigations, undercover investigations, people locates, Internet & Email tracing, computer examinations as well as electronic surveillance countermeasures. Is this RFP for employment related investigations (discrimination, harassment, etc.) or is it related to physical investigations such as surveillance, undercover work, etc.? Thank you.
A: It is for employment related, at times surveillance may be needed but is not common.
Q (Type of Investigations): For this RFP, it lists multiple areas of potential investigation including administrative investigations and background investigations. 1. For each category, is an hourly rate allowed? 2. For background investigations, is this for pre-employment background investigations? 3. Are the background investigations for sworn peace officers and firefighters? 4. Is the city looking for a firm(s) who can perform pre-employment background investigations and administrative investigations?
A: Refer to Addendum 1.
Q (Prior Contracts): What firms held prior contracts with the City for these services and what was their rates for each investigative category?
A: The following firms have held prior contracts with the City of Modesto: DigiStream Investigations Liebert Cassidy Whitmore Municipal Resource Group, LLC Oppenheimer Investigations Group, LLP Renne Public Law Group Armistead Research and Investigative Services Ellis Investigations Kramer Workplace Investigations Shaw Law Group Dave Young and Associates Robert Sarhad Investigations DR Associates International Law Office of Terry Roemer Information regarding rates or any further details would need to be obtained by submitting a Public Records Request.
Q (Costs): Will the city allow costs for travel including mileage, airfare, hotels, and per diem as needed for each investigation?
A: Most investigations are done remotely, very rarely do we request onsite investigation process. If there is a cost, it would need to be an agreed upon "not to exceed amount" prior to beginning the investigation assignment.
Q (Investigative Timelines): What is the expected completion timeline for each category listed in the RFP? 1. Administrative Investigations 2. Background Investigations 3. Surveillance. 4. Investigative research 5. Undercover investigations 6. People locates 7. Internet & E-mail tracing 8. Computer examinations 9. Electronic surveillance countermeasures.
A: This would depend on the scope and process of the matter.
Q (Quantity and Type of Investigations): How many separate investigations are anticipated under this RFP for: 1. Administrative investigations 2. Background Investigations Are administrative investigations for sworn peace officers? What departments will be utilizing the services under this RFP?
A: 1. Varies, depending on matters that arise. 2. Refer to Addendum 1. 3. Yes, if needed during contract. We are looking for investigators with FOBAR and POBAR knowledge and experience to handle sworn staff members. 4. All City Departments.
Q (Prior Investigations): How many investigations were completed in 2025 for each category: 1. Administrative Investigations 2. Background Investigations 3. Surveillance. 4. Investigative research 5. Undercover investigations 6. People locates 7. Internet & E-mail tracing 8. Computer examinations 9. Electronic surveillance countermeasures. What city departments were these investigations completed for in 2025? What type of undercover investigations were completed in 2025?
A: 1. 35 2. 0 3. 0 4. 0 5. 0 6. 0 7. 1-2 8. 1-2 9. 0 10. Information Technology, Parks Recreation and Neighborhood, Finance, Public Works, Utilities, Modesto Fire, and Community and Economic Development. 11. 0
Q (Administration of Work): Will HR be assigning work under this RFP or will individual departments be assigning the work?
A: Human Resources
Q (Final Report): For the final investigative report, will the city require a hard (paper) copy or an electronic copy? Does the City use an electronic system (IE: eSOPH, Guardian, etc.) for background investigations.
A: 1. Electronic 2. Refer to Addendum 1.
Q (Interviews): Does the city require in person interviews or will video or phone interviews suffice for the following? 1. Background Investigations 2. Administrative Investigations
A: 1. Refer to Addendum 1. 2. Video and/or phone suffices, depending on the matter. At times, in person is requested but is not common.
Q (Workers Comp): Will any of the investigations/work under this RFP include workers comp investigations of city employees? How many of these investigations were completed in 2025?
A: 1. No 2. N/A
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.
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