Active SLED Opportunity · CALIFORNIA · COUNTY OF SAN MATEO

    Towing, Recovery, Secure Storage, and Non-Passenger Vehicle Disposal Services

    Issued by County of San Mateo
    countyRFPCounty of San MateoSol. 245555
    Open · 7d remaining
    DAYS TO CLOSE
    7
    due May 2, 2026
    PUBLISHED
    Apr 17, 2026
    Posting date
    JURISDICTION
    County of
    county
    NAICS CODE
    488410
    AI-classified industry

    AI Summary

    San Mateo County Sheriff9s Office requests proposals for 24/7 towing, recovery, secure storage, and disposal services for various vehicle types to support law enforcement operations. Contractors must meet licensing, experience, and equipment requirements.

    Opportunity details

    Solicitation No.
    245555
    Type / RFx
    RFP
    Status
    open
    Level
    county
    Published Date
    April 17, 2026
    Due Date
    May 2, 2026
    NAICS Code
    488410AI guide
    Agency
    County of San Mateo

    Description

    The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office is seeking proposals from qualified contractors to provide towing, roadside assistance, vehicle recovery, secure storage, and non-passenger vehicle removal and disposal services. These services will support Sheriff’s Office operations that require reliable and timely vehicle management in support of law enforcement activities, investigations, and enforcement actions.

    The selected contractor must provide 24 hours per day, 7 days per week service coverage both within and outside San Mateo County. Services will include towing of light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicles, emergency roadside assistance, accident and non-accident recovery, temporary and secure evidence vehicle storage, and the removal and disposal of non-passenger vehicles such as recreational vehicles (RVs), trailers, boats, and other abandoned or illegally occupied structures encountered during enforcement operations.

    Contractors must maintain a properly equipped fleet and specialized equipment capable of handling a wide range of vehicles and situations while meeting guaranteed response times and maintaining appropriate staffing levels. The Sheriff’s Office is particularly interested in contractors with experience in large-scale vehicle recovery, environmental compliance, secure evidence storage, and the removal and disposal of abandoned vehicles. The selected contractor will also be required to designate an Account Manager to coordinate services, support operational efficiency, and serve as the primary point of contact for the Sheriff’s Office.

    Background

    The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office requires reliable towing, recovery, and vehicle management services to support law enforcement operations throughout the county. Sheriff’s Office personnel regularly require towing and roadside assistance for patrol vehicles, specialized equipment, and vehicles involved in enforcement actions, collisions, or criminal investigations. These services are critical to maintaining public safety operations and ensuring that vehicles involved in incidents are promptly removed and properly handled.

    In addition to routine towing and recovery, the Sheriff’s Office must address the removal and disposal of non-passenger vehicles and structures encountered during enforcement activities. These may include recreational vehicles (RVs), trailers, boats, and other abandoned or illegally occupied structures located on public or private property. These situations often involve complex ownership verification, environmental compliance considerations, and the safe handling and disposal of vehicle contents or hazardous materials.

    The Sheriff’s Office also requires specialized services for vehicles seized as evidence during criminal investigations. Such vehicles must be transported and stored in secure facilities that preserve the integrity of evidence and maintain proper documentation and chain-of-custody procedures. Because enforcement activities occur across San Mateo County’s urban, suburban, coastal, and rural areas, the Sheriff’s Office requires a contractor capable of providing rapid, reliable response and maintaining high levels of operational readiness at all times.

    Project Details

    • Reference ID: 2026-RFP-00410
    • Department: Sheriff's Office
    • Department Head: Kenneth Binder (Sheriff Elective)

    Important Dates

    • Questions Due: 2026-04-25T00:00:00.000Z

    Evaluation Criteria

    • Project Approach (25 pts)
    • Firm Qualifications (25 pts)
    • Team Qualifications (10 pts)
    • Price (30 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 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

      Contractors must meet the following minimum qualifications to be considered responsive to this solicitation:

      1. Licensing and Legal Compliance
        The contractor must possess all required federal, state, and local licenses and permits necessary to operate a towing, recovery, and vehicle storage business in the State of California and must comply with all applicable provisions of the California Vehicle Code and other relevant regulations.

      2. Business Experience
        The contractor must demonstrate a minimum of three (3) years of experience providing towing, roadside assistance, vehicle recovery, and vehicle storage services.

      3. Fleet and Equipment Capacity
        The contractor must maintain a fleet of properly equipped tow trucks and recovery vehicles capable of servicing light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicles, including equipment necessary for the removal of non-passenger vehicles such as recreational vehicles (RVs), trailers, and boats.

      4. 24/7 Service Availability
        The contractor must be capable of providing 24 hours per day, seven (7) days per week service, including emergency response and on-call services throughout San Mateo County.

      5. Secure Vehicle Storage Facility
        The contractor must maintain a secure vehicle storage facility capable of safely storing vehicles, including vehicles seized as evidence when requested by the Sheriff’s Office. The facility must provide controlled access and reasonable security measures.

      6. Environmental and Disposal Compliance
        The contractor must demonstrate the ability to remove and dispose of abandoned or non-passenger vehicles in compliance with all applicable environmental regulations, including proper handling of vehicle fluids and hazardous materials.

      7. Insurance Requirements
        The contractor must maintain insurance coverage, including commercial general liability, automobile liability, and workers’ compensation insurance in amounts required by the County of San Mateo.

      8. Qualified Personnel
        The contractor must employ trained and qualified personnel capable of safely performing towing, recovery, and vehicle removal services. Operators must hold valid California driver’s licenses appropriate for the vehicles being operated.

      9. Contract Management
        The contractor must designate a primary point of contact or Account Manager to coordinate services with the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office.

    • Has Proposer has been providing similar services for a minimum of three (3) years within the last five (5) 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 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.
    • 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. 

    • Technical Proposal
    • 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

    • Proposed schedule (required)

      Attach proposed schedule reference ability to complete the project within the County's required time frame

    • 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.
    • References (required)

      Provide We require at least three (3) references 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)

    Key dates

    1. April 17, 2026Published
    2. May 2, 2026Responses Due

    AI classification tags

    Frequently asked questions

    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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