Regionally Integrated Climate Action Planning Support (RICAPS) Climate Collaborative Technical Assistance

The County of San Mateo (the “County” or “SMC”) covers most of the San Francisco Peninsula. The region covers 744 square miles 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. Formed in July 2014, the San Mateo County Sustainability Department strives to improve the sustainability of the County’s operations and the greater community through work that is designed to bring solutions today while solving for tomorrow. The Sustainability Department has programs to help the county both fight and prepare for climate change, ensure clean energy, water, and air, and conserve resources for future generations through waste reduction.  The Sustainability Department has approximately 35 staff members and provides services in the following areas: Communications, Climate Resilience, Climate Protection, Waste Reduction, and Special Districts with similar but varying community needs.

Background

Project Details

• Reference ID: 2026-RFP-00556
• Department: Sustainability
• Department Head: Jasneet Sharma (Director)

Important Dates

• Questions Due: 2026-08-15T00:00:00.000Z
• Pre-Proposal Meeting: 2026-08-04T21:00:00.000Z — https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/212364363253203?p=iIis6GHt2qNQfbiJdc

Evaluation Criteria

• Project Approach (45 pts)
• Firm Qualifications (10 pts)
• Team Qualifications (10 pts)
• Price (25 pts)
• 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 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)
• Please confirm Vendor is not excluded, suspended, or debarred from the System for Award Management (SAM).* SAM.gov (required)
• 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
• Technical Proposal (15 page max) (required) —

  The Technical Proposal shall not exceed fifteen (15) pages total and must be submitted as a single PDF organized as follows:

  1. Introduction, Executive Summary, and Minimum Qualifications Narrative — 1 page max
  2. Project Approach, Scope Tasks, Schedule, Innovations, and Performance Measures — 10 pages max
  3. Firm Qualifications and Relevant Experience — 2 pages max
  4. Team Qualifications — 1 page max
  5. References — 1 page max

  Please see sections below for additional details. Fee Proposal, Local Preference documentation, SAM.gov confirmation, required County forms, and other administrative attachments are excluded from the Technical Proposal page limit.

  Proposals exceeding the stated limits may not be reviewed or scored at the County’s discretion. Proposers should use the limited space to clearly identify any unique approaches, recommended innovations, and/or proposed augmentations (i.e. additions or deletions) that would strengthen delivery of the requested services under this RFP. To conserve page count, please reference the applicable Scope of Work task numbers without fully restating or reproducing the Scope of Work text.

• Introduction, Executive Summary and Statement of Minimum Qualifications (1 page max) (required) —

  Submit a letter of introduction, executive summary of the proposal and statement of minimum qualifications.  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.
  • Description of 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.

  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.

• Project Approach, Scope Tasks, Schedule, Innovations, and Performance Measures (10 page max) (required) —

  This section should correlate to the Scope of Work. Proposer should:

  • Give a short summary describing how it will perform the relevant work
  • Describe your proposed approach to tasks/milestones
  • Attach proposed schedule and reference ability to complete the project within the County's required time frame
  • Reference any notable innovations, augmentations, or improvements that you expect to provide
  • Describe a plan for achieving performance measures
• Firm Qualifications (2 page max) (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 a half (1/2) page for each project.
  • If subcontractors are anticipated, identify them (if known) and provide information on how they will be used.
• Team Qualifications (1 page max) (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 (1 page max) (required) —

  Provide Three (3) references for each of the following, including the name, address, and telephone number of recent clients (preferably other public agencies):

• Fee Proposal (3 page max) (required) —

  See attached Fee Proposal with sample project and additional details. 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)