Professional Case Note Documentation Training for Probation Staff

The San Mateo County Probation Department (the “Department”) is responsible for the supervision of approximately 2,500 adult and juvenile probationers. Probation represents the link between the application of appropriate consequences for illegal and delinquent behavior and the establishment of offenders transitioning to productive, law-abiding lives. This specialized criminal justice role of probation is a successful and cost-effective balance of both enforcement and treatment. Deputy Probation Officers (DPOs) are responsible for monitoring probationers in the community by enforcing court-ordered restrictions and providing access to rehabilitation programs as well as promoting victim safety and restoration.

The Department’s primary purpose of enhancing public safety is achieved in three specialized ways: 1) investigating major elements of crimes/offenses, the impact upon victims, the criminal/offense histories and behavior of adults and juveniles, plus possible sentencing alternatives and providing this information to the Superior Court in the form of accurate and impartial reports and recommendations; 2) monitoring and supervising those placed on probation to ensure that court-ordered “conditions of probation” are obeyed and public safety is maintained; and 3) providing opportunities for probationers to receive treatment, resources, and services that will prevent future criminal/delinquent activities.

The Department's Professional Standards Unit coordinates and conducts mandated training for sworn officers as well as administrative professionals. The Department seeks responses to the Request for Proposals from qualified firms or individual consultants to develop and deliver a comprehensive training program on effective and compliant case note documentation.

The primary goal is to standardize the quality, legal defensibility, and accuracy of case notes across the department. The Department is looking for state-certified trainers who can bridge the gap between the "field observations" and "court-ready documentation."

Project Details

• Reference ID: 2026-RFP - Informal-00409
• Department: Probation
• Department Head: John T. Keene (Chief Probation Officer)

Important Dates

• Questions Due: 2026-03-28T00:00:00.000Z
• Answers Posted By: 2026-04-04T00:00:00.000Z

Addenda

• Addendum #1 (released 2026-03-23T22:29:21.128Z) —

  Please use the See What Changed link to view all the changes made by this addendum. Categories updated under Project Properties.

Evaluation Criteria

• Project Approach (35 pts) —
  1. The proposal specifically addresses key objectives (objectivity, professionalism, time management).
  2. The proposal explains how they will consult with the Training Manager to learn departmental policies to customize the course.
  3. The proposal is clear they are building a custom course rather than delivering an "off-the-shelf" training.
• Trainer Qualifications and Experience (35 pts) —
  1. Extensive background in criminal justice, community supervision, or legal/technical writing.
  2. Strong references from similar law enforcement or probation agencies.
• Interview (15 pts)
• Price (10 pts) —
  1. The pricing structure is clear and competitive.
• Preferential Points (5 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 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 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 awardable) if the proposer is a Micro Business or Micro Non-Profit.

Submission Requirements

• Minimum Qualifications —

  Any proposal that does not demonstrate that the proposer meets these minimum requirements by the submission deadline shall be determined to be non-responsive and not eligible for further consideration in the evaluation process.

  Proposer is defined as the prime firm, organization, or joint venture that is submitting a proposal for this RFP.

  Proposers must meet the following Minimum Qualifications:

• Experience (required) —

  Trainer shall have at least three (3) years of experience within the last five (5) years immediately preceding the issuance of this RFP in providing services of similar size and scope.

• Experience in Probation Field (required) —

  Trainer has three (3) years of experience delivering engaging, practical training to probation staff, in particular, and Law Enforcement, in general.

• System for Award Management. (required) —

  Please confirm your firm is registered with System for Award Management (SAM).

   

• What is the registered Business Name and Unique Entity ID (UEI) No.? (required) —

  Proposer is registered and in good standing with SAM.gov^® (https://sam.gov/content/home).

  Unique Entity ID (UEI) numbers can be found on sam.gov

  Please use the above link to verify your firms registration in good standing, and enter the following information in this field:

  1. Registered as [Business Name]

  2. UEI No. [Business Number]

• Standards and Training for Corrections (STC) Certification (required) —

  Proposer is STC-certified or able to be STC-certified. 

• 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
• Proposal Submission (Maximum of 8 pages) (required) —

  Interested trainers should submit the following:

  1. Letter of Interest: Submit a letter of introduction and executive summary of 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. 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.
     • A brief overview of your training philosophy and approach to adult learning and a multigenerational workforce.
  2. Resume/CV: Highlight relevant experience in community corrections or professional writing. Reflect the instructor's: expertise in the subject area; work experience related to the topic; areas of related training experience; education and training received; and, relevant specialized instructor training courses.
  3. Sample Outline: A preliminary outline demonstrating how you would teach objective writing and time management in a digital case note environment, i.e. course content; job-relatedness; relationship between content and performance objectives; and instructional methodology. Additionally, provide a sample activity to include instructions, document and learning outcomes.  Please refer to the Scope of Work section.
  4. References: Contact information, including the name, address, and telephone number of recent clients (preferably other public agencies), for at least two agencies where you have provided similar training. If you are already a Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) Standards and Training for Corrections (STC) Provider, you may provide course evaluations in addition to agency references.
  5. Cost Estimate: A breakdown of fees for development time, material creation, per-session delivery (min/max participants), and travel. Tuition should align with section IV, subsection F. of the BSCC Policy and Manual for Training Providers. 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.
• Personnel (required) —

  Include the following information for all personnel that will be assigned to this project:

  1. Name 
  2. Title
  3. Contact email:
  4. Contact phone number
• Sub-contracted Services (required) —

  If any of the services are sub-contracted out please identify the service and the sub-contractor (or type "N/A").

• Performance Measures (required) —

  To ensure a professional training program on case note documentation is effective, describe a plan for achieving the following performance measures on both the learning process and on-the-job application. 

  Please explain your plan for helping our staff achieve the following practical targets:

  Performance Goal	What Success Looks Like
  1. Timeliness	Staff consistently complete and enter their notes within the mandated 24-hour window.
  2. Objectivity	Written entries are strictly fact-based, completely eliminating subjective language or personal opinions.

• 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)

Questions & Answers