On-Call Traffic Signage Fabrication

The County of San Mateo Department of Public Works Road Services Division maintain and operate signage within 316 miles of unincorporated roadways.  In the next 5-10 years the County of San Mateo will be replacing over 5,000 signage assets per the County’s signage replacement program.

The County of San Mateo is seeking up to three qualified vendors for the purpose of providing sign replacement services on an on-call basis or as needed basis. The target start of the contract term is October 1, 2026 with a term of five (5) years. The resulting contract(s) from this solicitation may be piggybacked by the twenty cities within the County of San Mateo or any other government agency.

Project Details

• Department: Public Works - Road Services - Road Operations
• Department Head: Tory Newman (Director)

Important Dates

• Questions Due: 2026-08-17T23:00:00.000Z
• Answers Posted By: 2026-08-24T23:00:00.000Z

Evaluation Criteria

• Technical Proposal and Ability to Meet Scope of Work (30 pts) —

  4.4.1 – 3 points

  4.4.2 – 3 points

  4.4.3 – 3 points

  4.4.4 – 3 points

  4.4.5 – 3 points

  4.4.6 – 3 points

  4.4.7 – 3 points

  4.4.8 – 3 points

  4.4.9 – 3 points

  4.4.10 – 3 points

• Signage Proof Proposal (15 pts) —

  4.5.1 – 15 points

• Fabrication Timeline Proposal (10 pts) —

  4.6.1 – 10 points

• Firm Qualifications (10 pts) —

  4.7.1 – 10 points

• Team Qualifications (10 pts) —

  4.8.1 – 8 points

  4.8.2 – 2 point

• Price Proposal (25 pts) —

  4.9.1 & 5 (pricing table) – 25 points

• 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 been providing similar services for a minimum of four (4) years within the last seven (7) years? (required)
• Please confirm your firm is registered with System for Award Management (SAM) (required) —

  SAM.gov

• 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.
• Is the address of your firm’s servicing facility within a 135-mile driving distance from the County’s facility at 752 Chestnut St, Redwood City, CA? (required) —

  Please note – if your principal place of business or headquarters is located geographically within the County of San Mateo, please see Section 4.2 below regarding the Local Preference Ordinance from San Mateo County Ordinance Code, Chapter 2.89.020.

• 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. 

• Insurance Requirements
• Please confirm insurance coverage that meets the following amounts.* (required) —

  Comprehensive General Liability - $1,000,000

• Technical Proposal and Ability to Meet Scope of Work
• 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 (email, phone, and address), 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.

• Will Contractor provide a confirmation of receipt of signage fabrication request within two (2) business days of submission from the County of San Mateo? Describe your process. (required)
• Will Contractor self-perform fabrication of signage? Describe your process. (required)
• Will Contractor have surplus stock available of frequently requested signage kept at storefront or is signage made to order? (required) —

  If applicable, please provide an approximate quantity of signage stock available in surplus. If stock availability varies for various signage classifications, then please provide an approximate quantity for each signage classification (e.g., regulatory, warning/advisory, guide, temporary traffic control, object and markers, school zone safety, etc.).

• Please provide the average turn-around time, in business days, for signage fabrication to be completed by the Contractor after County approval. (required) —

  If signage fabrication processing varies for various signage classifications, then please provide an approximate time for each signage classification (e.g., regulatory, warning/advisory, guide, temporary traffic control, object and markers, school zone safety, etc.).

• Please provide the average turn-around time, in business days, for shipping of fabricated signage and delivery. (required) —

  If signage shipping and delivery processing varies for signage classifications, then please provide an approximate time for each signage classification (e.g., regulatory, warning/advisory, guide, temporary traffic control, object and markers, school zone safety, etc.).

• Does the Contractor have control over shipping time and allow real-time tracking updates upon request by the County of San Mateo? Describe your process. (required)
• Does the Contractor provide Quality Assurance (QA) / Quality Control (QC) in house? Describe your process. (required)
• Describe your process for correcting signage received by the County that does not adhere to the custom proof approved by the County, meet the latest revision of the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (CA MUTCD) standard, and/or use the correct retro reflective sheeting during fabrication? (required)
• Innovations (required) —

  Reference any notable innovations or improvements that you expect to provide (with respect to, for example, efficiency, technology, sustainability). 

• Signage Proof Proposal
• Signage Proof Proposal (required) —

  Download the attachment "Street_Name_Standard_2026" in .pdf format.

  The attachment references the San Mateo County Department of Public Works standards for street name signage.

  Using the standards and specifications provided in the attachment, create a signage proof for the following Street Name Sign (SNS) : Sequoia Avenue

  Upload the completed SNS proof proposal for Sequoia Avenue here in .pdf format.

• Fabrication Timeline Proposal
• Fabrication Timeline Proposal (required) —

  Download the attachment "Fabrication_Timeline_Proposal_PDF" in .pdf format.

  Download the attachment "Fabrication_Timeline_Proposal_EXCEL" in .xlsx format.

  Please provide responses measured in business days (i.e., if the answer is 7 business days respond with 7).

  Upload the completed fabrication timeline proposal here in either .pdf or .xlsx format.

• Firm Qualifications
• 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.
• Provide the total number of personnel employed by your firm. (required)
• Team Qualifications
• 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
        • Contact information (email, phone, etc.)

  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.
  
  Limit submission to 1-2 pages.

• Project manager has a minimum of two (2) years of experience within the last five (5) years in providing signage fabrication services? (required)
• Pricing Proposal
• Pricing Proposal List (required) —

  Download the attachment "Pricing_Proposal_PDF" in .pdf format.

  Download the attachment "Pricing_Proposal_EXCEL" in .xlsx format.

  Upload the completed pricing proposal list here in either .pdf or .xlsx format.

  The pricing proposal should be submitted as a separate .pdf or .xlsx format file from the Technical Proposals detailed in Required Documents.

  Please note that the pricing proposal table in the following section must also be filled in. 

  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.

• References (required) —

  Provide TBD 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.

• 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)