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REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
COMPREHENSIVE EVALUATION
Proposals must be submitted to:
FIRST 5 SAN MATEO COUNTY
1700 S. EL Camino Real, Suite 405
San Mateo, California 94402-3050
By 4:00 p.m.,
Friday, May 1, 2015
www.first5sanmateo.org
TABLE OF CONTENTS
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
COMPREHENSIVE EVALUATION
SECTION I.
PREFACE ........................................................................................................ 4
A.
Timeline and Guidelines .................................................................................... 4
B.
General Provisions and Rights ........................................................................... 5
SECTION II.
INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................ 7
A.
Invitation to Submit .......................................................................................... 7
B.
Purpose.............................................................................................................. 7
C.
Funding Amount Available and Term ............................................................... 7
D.
Authority ........................................................................................................... 7
E.
Background ........................................................................................................ 8
F.
Communication with First 5 San Mateo County ............................................. 13
G.
RFP Modification ............................................................................................. 14
SECTION III. SCOPE OF WORK SPECIFICATIONS .................................................................15
A.
Description of Required Evaluation Activities ................................................ 15
B.
Additional Scope of Work Options .................................................................. 16
C.
Agreement to Terms ....................................................................................... 16
D.
Staffing ............................................................................................................ 16
E.
Survey Instruments ......................................................................................... 16
F.
Agreement Term and Renewal Language ....................................................... 17
SECTION IV. PROPOSAL CONTENTS ..................................................................................18
A.
Content and Sequence of Proposal ................................................................ 18
SECTION V. PROPOSAL FORMAT ......................................................................................23
A.
Format Guidelines. .......................................................................................... 23
B.
Submission Instructions. ................................................................................. 23
2
SECTION VI. PROPOSAL PROCESS ......................................................................................24
A.
Schedule of Events .......................................................................................... 24
B.
Submittal of Letter of Intent and Written Questions ..................................... 24
C.
Submission of Proposal. .................................................................................. 25
SECTION VII. PROPOSAL SELECTION PROCESS AND EVALUATION .......................................26
A.
Final Filing Date ............................................................................................... 26
B.
Additional Information .................................................................................... 26
C.
Late Proposals. ................................................................................................ 26
D.
Rejection of Proposals. .................................................................................... 26
E.
Proposal Review Panel. ................................................................................... 26
F.
Proposal Review Criteria. ................................................................................ 27
G.
Errors or Changes in the Proposal................................................................... 28
H.
Lowest-cost Proposals. .................................................................................... 29
I.
Local Preference. ............................................................................................. 29
J.
Notification. ..................................................................................................... 29
K.
Inability to Negotiate a Contract..................................................................... 29
L.
Appeal Process. ............................................................................................... 29
SECTION VIII. APPENDICES .................................................................................................30
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I. PREFACE
A. TIMELINE AND GUIDELINES:
1. Release of RFP
April 3, 2015
2. Letter of Intent (MANDATORY)
April 15, 2015
3. Written Questions (OPTIONAL)
April 15, 2015
4. Release of Responses to Written Questions
April 22, 2015
5. Proposal Due Date (MANDATORY)
May 1, 2015
6. Review of Proposals
May 4-15, 2015
7. Announcement of Recommendation
May 18, 2015
8. Appeal Deadline
May 27, 2015
9. Agreement Negotiations
June 2015
10. Announcement of Award
June 22, 2015
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B. GENERAL PROVISIONS AND RIGHTS
Proposals must be submitted to:
First 5 San Mateo County
1700 South El Camino Real, Suite 405
San Mateo, California 94402-3050
By 4:00 p.m.,
May 1, 2015
This Request for Proposals (RFP) is not a commitment or contract of any kind. First 5 San Mateo
County (F5SMC/the Commission) reserves the right to pursue any and/or all ideas generated by
this request. F5SMC reserves the right to reject any and all proposals and/or terminate the RFP
process if deemed in the best interest of the Commission. Further, while every effort has been
made to ensure the information presented in this RFP is accurate and thorough, F5SMC
assumes no liability for any unintentional errors or omissions in this document. F5SMC reserves
the right to waive or modify any requirements of this RFP when it determines that doing so is
in the best interest of the Commission. Costs for developing the proposals are entirely the
responsibility of the Proposers and shall not be reimbursed.
General Provisions Regarding Public Nature of Proposals. Government Code Sections 6550 et.
seq., the California Public Records Act, defines a public record as any writing containing
information relating to the conduct of the public business. The California Public Records Act
provides that public records shall be disclosed upon written request, and that any citizen has a
right to inspect any public record, unless the document is exempted from disclosure.
F5SMC cannot represent or guarantee that any information submitted in response to this RFP will
be confidential. Be advised that any contract that eventually arises from this Request for Proposals
is a public record in its entirety. Also, all information submitted in response to this Request for
Proposals is itself a public record without exception. Submission of any materials in response to
this Request for Proposals constitutes a waiver by the submitting party of any claim that the
information is protected from disclosure. By submitting materials, (1) you are consenting to
release of such materials by F5SMC if requested under the California Public Records Act without
further notice to you and (2) you agree to indemnify and hold harmless F5SMC for release of such
information.
All proposals submitted in response to this RFP shall become the exclusive property of F5SMC.
At such time as F5SMC approves an Agreement, all proposals submitted in response to this RFP
shall become a matter of public record and shall be regarded as public records.
Proposer’s Rights regarding Confidentiality of Proposals. If F5SMC receives a request for any
portion of a document submitted in response to this RFP, it will not assert any privileges that
may exist on behalf of the person or entity, and F5SMC reserves the right to disclose the
requested materials without notice to the party who originally submitted the requested
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material. If a Proposer believes that a portion of its proposal is confidential and notifies F5SMC
of such in writing, F5SMC may, as a courtesy, attempt to notify the Proposer of any request for
the proposal. However, it would be the sole responsibility of that Proposer to assert any
applicable privileges or reasons why the document should not be produced, and to obtain a
court order prohibiting disclosure. The Proposer understands that F5SMC is not responsible,
under any circumstances, for any harm caused by production of a confidential proposal.
F5SMC’s Rights Regarding Confidentiality of Proposals. To the extent consistent with
applicable provisions of the California Public Records Act and applicable case law interpreting
those provisions, F5SMC and/or its officers, agents, and employees retain the discretion to
release or to withhold disclosure of any information submitted in response to this RFP.
Submission of a proposal constitutes a complete waiver of any claims whatsoever against
F5SMC and/or its officers, agents, or employees that F5SMC has violated a proposer’s right to
privacy, disclosed trade secrets, or caused any damage by allowing the proposal to be
inspected.
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II. INTRODUCTION
A. Invitation to Submit:
F5SMC welcomes proposals from all qualified providers. F5SMC may, in its sole discretion,
enter into contracts with multiple qualified providers. Non-profit agencies [501(c) (3)],
government entities, and private organizations are eligible to apply.
B. Purpose:
In September 2014, our Commission ratified its Strategic Plan for 2015-2020 (Appendix F).
In accordance with Proposition 10, the new plan calls for all investments and activities
funded by F5SMC to be evaluated for effectiveness, and identifies outcomes and
indicators for this purpose. This RFP will select an evaluation contractor (herein after
referred to as the “Evaluator”) to provide portfolio evaluation services, using common
outcomes and indicators to examine the impact of F5SMC across its multiple investments
in multiple sectors.
Goals of the evaluation will include:
 Maintaining appropriate continuity with the past 6 years of Comprehensive
Evaluation, while taking a fresh look at data elements and technological means to
reduce/streamline data collection
 Using common outcomes and indicators across funded programs to characterize
the population served by F5SMC and to examine the impact of service participation
 Ensuring that F5SMC evaluation efforts leverage and complement evaluations of
similar investments being supported through other funding sources
 Enabling F5SMC participation in the “Big Data” project (described on page 13)
 Fulfilling First 5 California (F5CA) annual client data and evaluation narrative
requirements
 Enabling comparisons of effectiveness between service delivery strategies, service
populations, etc.
C.
D.
Funding Amount Available and Term
To meet the goals and objectives detailed in this RFP, F5SMC has allocated a total of
$672,000 over 40 months, from July 1, 2015-October 31, 2018. This budget was approved
by the Commission as part of its Long Term Financial Plan in July of 2014. The Commission
approved allocations and funding mechanisms for the first phase of Strategic Plan
implementation at its meetings in October and November 2014. As part of these actions,
the Commission approved the release of this RFP to support the F5SMC Comprehensive
Evaluation. F5SMC is inviting proposals covering the entire 40-month term: July 1, 2015
through October 31, 2018. However, funding beyond fiscal year 2015-16 is not
guaranteed and will be contingent upon satisfactory performance.
Authority:
Proposition 10, the “California Children and Families Act of 1998” imposed an excise tax
on tobacco products and authorized counties to establish commissions to allocate these
funds at the local level. Ordinance #03889 was adopted by the San Mateo County Board
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of Supervisors on March 9, 1999, creating the nine-member Children and Families First
Commission (now referred to as First 5 San Mateo County Commission). The Commission
was authorized to develop a Strategic Plan and allocate funds accordingly. The First 5 San
Mateo County Children & Families First Commission adopted the initial Strategic Plan on
March 15, 2000. The most recent update to the Strategic Plan was approved in
September 2014.
The F5SMC Commission consists of: (a) one member from the Board of Supervisors, (b)
the Director of the County Health Department, (c) the Director of the County Human
Services Agency, (d) the County Superintendent of Schools, and (e) five public members
appointed by the Board of Supervisors. In addition, the F5SMC Commission recognizes
the value of youth representation, and therefore invites up to two Youth Commissioners
to serve as active members on the F5SMC Commission. The current Commission
members are:

Michael Garb, Chair, Public Member

Lee Michelson, Vice-Chair, Public Member

Angel Barrios, Public Member

Anne E. Campbell, San Mateo County Superintendent of Schools

Jean S. Fraser, Chief, Health System

Neel Patel, Supervising Physician – Pediatrics, Fair Oaks Health Clinic

David Pine, San Mateo County Board of Supervisors

Iliana Rodriguez, Director, San Mateo County Human Services Agency

Vacant, Public Member

Yianni Alevizos, Youth Commissioner

David Zhou, Youth Commissioner
E. Background Information on First 5 San Mateo County
2015-2020 Strategic Plan:
In September 2014, the Commission adopted a new Strategic Plan for the years 20152020. The Commission identified the following desired outcomes to guide its efforts
during the Strategic Plan period:
1.
2.
3.
4.
San Mateo County will give priority to young children and their families;
Communities provide a safe and healthy environment for young children;
Children have access to high-quality early care and education settings;
Families feel connected to and supported by their community and able to nurture
their child’s health and development;
5. Children have healthy attachments to their parents and caregivers; and
6. Children have access to and are utilizing appropriate health care services to meet
their health and developmental needs.
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The 2015-2020 Strategic Plan is consistent with the focus and intent of the Children and
Families Act, building on what has been learned and accomplished locally and providing a
framework for the Commission and the community for how Proposition 10 funds will be
strategically invested over the next five years. Central to the success of these investments
is a strong foundation that adequately prioritizes early childhood systems and services in
San Mateo County. These foundational improvements will be furthered with investments
in three core focus areas: Early Learning, Child Health & Development, and Family
Engagement.
For each focus area the Commission identified specific strategies for investment and
population- and participant-level indicators to help track progress towards the
Commission’s desired outcomes. Proposers should be familiar with the content of the
new Strategic Plan, which is included as Appendix F of this RFP, and is available on the
F5SMC website at www.first5.smcgov.org.
Current Evaluation Structure
Proposition 10, First 5 California, and the F5SMC Strategic Plan each require that all
funded efforts be evaluated to determine whether they are achieving the outcomes
identified by the local Commission.
Since 2009, First 5 San Mateo County has used a Comprehensive Evaluation approach to
track its impact and identify effective strategies for achieving its desired outcomes using
common indicators and data collection protocols across all funded partners. This approach
allows the Commission to look broadly at the children, families, and providers we serve,
and to examine our impact across all funded programs. The 2015-2020 Strategic Plan
envisions continuing this comprehensive approach to evaluating our investments and
activities.
All currently funded F5SMC programs have participated in the Comprehensive Evaluation
for the past 6 years (or since their initial funding date). With some exceptions due to
specific programmatic requirements, all contracts end at the close of FY 14-15 (June 30,
2015). New contracts will begin on July 1, 2015, and will cover fiscal years 2015-16, 201617, and 2017-18. New data collection requirements will be written in to the scopes of
work of these new programs and initiatives.
F5SMC Early Childhood Evaluation Advisory Subcommittee
F5SMC convenes an Early Childhood Evaluation Advisory Subcommittee, comprised of
Commissioners, staff, and members of community programs with evaluation expertise. Its
purpose is: to advise the full Commission on issues related to planning and implementing
the Commission’s research and evaluation activities; to hear the perspectives of F5SMC
grantees on evaluation and data collection and utilization; to serve as the initial audience
for research and evaluation findings; and to provide guidance to staff and evaluation
contractors regarding presentation of results to the full F5SMC Commission.
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First 5 California Client Data Collection Requirements
All County First 5 Commissions are required to submit client data to First 5 California on an
annual basis. These data include the number of children, parents/guardians, or providers
receiving specific types of services within a given fiscal year, broken down by the following
categories: race/ethnicity, language, and child age. Because these data are required by the
State, all activities supported by Prop 10 dollars must collect this information. The current
method used by F5SMC to gather this information is the “aggregate data collection” form
(see Appendix B). However, once we transition to an online data system for grantee
reporting and data collection, it will be more efficient to extract these data from the
online system.
Client data are reported cumulatively within each fiscal year. These data include clients
who were enrolled during the previous fiscal year but continued to receive services as of
July 1st of the current fiscal year. Data sets, therefore, include all clients being served from
July 1st through June 30th of the fiscal year, whether they are continuing clients or new
clients.
Characteristics of Clients Served:
In fiscal year 2013-2014, F5SMC programs served 26,980 clients (duplicated count),
including 9,997 children, 12,264 parents/guardians, and 4,719 providers. Fifty-seven
percent of the children and parents served were Latino and 55% lived in homes where
Spanish was the primary language.
F5SMC Local Evaluation Activities:
Programs funded by F5SMC are contractually obligated to collect evaluation data using
Comprehensive Evaluation forms. The type and amount of information collected by each
program depends on the type, duration, and dosage of services provided, and may
include:



Individual-level data, including demographic information (e.g. age, race/ethnicity,
language, income, educational attainment, zip code of residence); indicator data
(e.g. child care arrangements, access to services, social support); and self-reported
parenting behaviors and confidence (e.g. frequency of early literacy activities).
Program- or Agency-level information, such as wait-list length; time spent by staff
on activities relevant to F5SMC’s desired outcomes; referral protocols; or
information-sharing practices.
Systems-level information, such as the extent of cooperation and coordination
amongst participating agencies; perceived quality and availability of relevant
services within the County.
Forms used to collect individual-level data vary based on the population being served, and
the types and duration of services provided. Specifically:

Intensive services for parents/families: These services are typically provided
individually (rather than in group settings), are tailored to address the unique
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needs of the family, and include multiple contacts that take place over at least two
months. Examples include home visiting and care coordination. Forms completed
for intensively-served families include: Intake interview; Follow-up interview;
Aggregate Data Form.

Less-intensive services for parents/families: These are typically conducted in group
settings (such as classes, workshops, playgroups, or support groups). They may last
only two or three sessions, or meet regularly for several months. Forms completed
for these clients include: Parent Survey, Aggregate data form.

Services for providers: Professional development services are typically conducted
in group settings, although certain components may occur one-on-one. Data
collection requirements for provider services vary by type of provider, with Early
Learning providers answering a set of questions pertaining to their work with
children and families in child care and preschool settings. General providers (for
example, health care professionals, and family support providers) do not answer
the questions relating to skills and knowledge specific to early learning services.
Forms completed by these clients include: General Provider Survey; Early Care &
Education (ECE) Provider Survey; Aggregate Data Form.
Data collection forms currently in use are available in Appendix B.
Current Individual-Level Data Collection Protocols
Programs collect data from a quota of their less-intensively served clients (i.e., providers
and parents receiving training/education and support) and up to 100% 1 of their intensively
served clients (i.e., families receiving home visitation and care coordination). Individually
identified information is used to link intake and follow-up records from intensively served
clients, allowing us to examine longitudinal outcome data. For less-intensively-served
families and providers, retrospective pre-test data as well as post-test data are collected
on a single form at the conclusion of services. This eliminates the need to match pre- and
post-test data collected at different time points.
Measurement of Systems Change Activities
In accordance with the intent of Prop 10 to create “an integrated, comprehensive, and
collaborative system of information and services to enhance optimal early childhood
development and to ensure that children are ready to enter school,” and F5SMC’s 20152020 Strategic Plan, The Commission will direct resources increasingly towards systemwide capacity building through community partnerships, policy development, and
leadership on issues related to young children and families. To examine the impact of
such activities, the Comprehensive Evaluation currently includes a survey of grantees that
asks about the quality and accessibility of San Mateo County’s services for young children,
their parents, and the providers who work with them. Respondents also report on the
1Programs
requested that they be able to use Intake Interviews with all of their intensively served clients,
rather than need to keep track of who they sampled and who they did not for the purpose of administering the
Follow-up Interview. However, not all families gave consent for their information to be shared. These nonconsenting families are still counted using the Aggregate Tool.
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degree of cooperation and collaboration between their agency and others in the F5SMC
funding portfolio. This information is used create a network analysis of collaboration
among funded programs.
Other Research and Evaluation Projects that may Intersect with the F5SMC Evaluation
There are several research and evaluation efforts going on in the County that may
intersect with the F5SMC comprehensive evaluation, either by necessitating data sharing,
or by necessitating the use of common data elements. It may also be possible for F5SMC
to rely on some of these other efforts to fulfill the mandated evaluation requirements,
thus reducing duplicative data collection requirements on the part of grantees and
community partners. Some of the projects underway include:

Big Lift: This collective impact initiative aims to increase the percentage of San
Mateo County children reading at grade-level in 3rd grade from 57% to 80%
through four main strategies: Increasing the availability of high-quality preschool in
low-performing school districts; partnering with families to help children reach
their potential; reducing chronic absenteeism; and creating inspiring summers for
children. It was initiated by the Peninsula Partnership Leadership Council, which
has over 50 member organizations and has been fueled by a $10M commitment by
the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors in 2013. F5SMC estimates that about
80% of its early learning funds will be invested in Big Lift eligible school districts.
Additional support for this effort is provided by the Silicon Valley Community
Foundation (SVCF), which was recently awarded a federal Social Innovation Fund
(SIF) grant to support this work in 2-4 pilot communities. The San Mateo County
Office of Education (SMCOE) is the lead agency for implementing Big Lift, including
the SIF-funded programming and the related Early Learning funding from F5SMC.
RAND has been identified as the evaluator for the SIF grant; the organization that is
awarded the F5SMC Comprehensive Evaluation contract will be expected to work
closely with RAND, SVCF, SMCOE, and F5SMC to ensure appropriate levels of
alignment and coordination amongst the several early learning evaluation efforts
with the goal of reducing duplicative requirements and increasing the power of the
evaluation. The Cocoa database by WestEd has been identified as the
administrative data system for Big Lift, SIF grant, and F5SMC EL grantees. The
evaluator selected through this RFP will be expected to use data from the Cocoa
data system to fulfill F5CAs client data requirements, and to support the evaluation
of F5SMCs early learning investments.

F5CA, State, and Federal Investments in Early Learning: First 5 California offers
grants to County Commissions to support implementation of F5CA programs. The
Child Signature Program is currently funded by F5CA; however, a new F5CA effort
supporting implementation of Quality Rating and Improvement Scales in early
learning programs will be kicking off in FY 15-16. Participation in the Statewide
Evaluation(s) of F5CA programs is required of County Commissions receiving these
funds. State and Federal investments for early learning here in San Mateo County
also include the California State Preschool Program Block Grant and the Race to the
Top Early Learning Challenge.
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
Big Data Project: In partnership with the Bella Vista Foundation and the John W.
Gardner Center at Stanford University, F5SMC is currently developing a project that
will examine service participation by low-income pregnant women and families
with children ages 0 to 3 by linking administrative data across service providers in
San Mateo County. The F5SMC Comprehensive Evaluation will be expected to
contribute data to this project. The Evaluator may also be required to provide
technical assistance to F5SMC grantees regarding providing relevant data to the
Gardner Center.

School Readiness Assessment: This population-based assessment is conducted
periodically and examines entering kindergarteners’ school readiness, as well as
demographic, socioeconomic, and experiential factors that are associated with
school readiness. This assessment was most recently administered in 2012. In the
future, such assessments may be incorporated into the evaluation plan for Big Lift.
Regardless of how school readiness assessments are conducted in the future,
F5SMC will want data collected from families served through our investments to be
linked to school readiness data. This will allow an examination of the impact of
F5SMC-funded services during the first five years of life on a child’s readiness for
success in school and in life. It would be especially beneficial if such an analysis
could be done in concert with the Big Data Project referenced above.
Technical Aspects of Data Housing and Management:
Currently, funded program staff-administer data collection tools with their clients as
required in each program’s evaluation plan, and submit these tools twice annually. The
forms are cleaned, optically scanned, and merged into an integrated analytical database.
This database is updated twice per year.
F5SMC plans to move to an online grants management and data system, wherein funded
programs would manage fiscal, programmatic, and evaluation reporting for their F5SMC
grants. The Evaluator is expected to be an active participant in planning for and
implementing the system.
In order to integrate with other Early Learning initiatives within the County, our Early
Learning grantees will be required to use WestEd’s Cocoa database, which has been
identified as the administrative data system for The Big Lift and the federal SIF grant.
F. Communication with F5SMC:
As of the issuance date of this RFP and continuing until the final date for submission of
proposals, F5SMC personnel are specifically directed not to hold meetings, conferences,
technical discussions, or communications of any kind with any applicant for purposes of
responding to this RFP. Any attempt by an applicant, or agent thereof, to contact F5SMC
personnel or a member of the Proposal Review Committee regarding the proposal process
may be considered tampering and may result in the applicant being disqualified from
entering into any contract that may result from this RFP.
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G. RFP Modification:
F5SMC may modify the RFP prior to the fixed date for submission of proposals by issuance
of an addendum to all parties who have received the RFP.
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III. SCOPE OF WORK AND OTHER SPECIFICATIONS
A. Description of Required Evaluation Activities:
The Evaluator will be expected to perform the following activities:
A1. Project Planning: A planning phase to develop a coherent program that will
accomplish the evaluation activities listed in items A2-A6. This planning will be
done collaboratively with the F5SMC Evaluation Specialist, the F5SMC Early
Childhood Evaluation Advisory Committee, and representatives from funded
programs and community partners as appropriate. Note that planning activities
are expected to continue as necessary.
A2. Comprehensive F5SMC Evaluation: (July 1, 2015 - June 30, 2018) Integrated
evaluation of funded programs and systems change activities, using common
outcomes and indicators in accordance with the F5SMC Strategic Plan. F5SMCfunded activities that are likely to be rigorously evaluated through other local,
state, or federal funding streams (e.g. Big Lift, Race to the Top, SIF grant) may be
exempted from certain Comprehensive Evaluation requirements, depending on
the ability of the Evaluator to link with and use data and analysis generated
through these other efforts. Note that the Evaluator’s contract term will end on
October 31st, 2018 to allow time for data analysis and report preparation.
A3. Training, Technical Assistance, and Consultation:
 As needed to F5SMC staff and funded programs regarding data collection,
data entry, data management, database maintenance, and data transfer.
 As needed to F5SMC staff on data analysis, research, and evaluation issues.
A4. Data housing and/or database management, if needed.
A5. Presentations and Reports:
 Presentations as needed of evaluation plans, research designs, and
evaluation results to stakeholders, including F5SMC, community partners,
funded programs, and the public.
 Preparation of required data elements for the F5SMC Annual Report to
First 5 California.
 Preparation of quarterly Evaluation Updates and Annual Evaluation
Reports, Briefs, and/or Dashboards, in a format or formats to be
determined.
 Preparation of other reports as needed.
A6. Communication and Collaboration:
 Collaboration on joint evaluation and data-sharing efforts at the local,
regional, and/or statewide level as directed by F5SMC. These efforts will
include, but are not limited to:
o Race to the Top
o The Big Lift
o Social Innovation Fund grant to the Big Lift
o The San Mateo County Big Data Project
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o First 5 California Statewide Evaluation Projects


Attendance at F5SMC Early Childhood Evaluation Advisory Committee
meetings and/or Commission meetings on a schedule to be determined,
but not more than monthly or less than quarterly.
Regular communication on all aspects of the project with the F5SMC
Evaluation Specialist.
B.
Additional Scope of Work Options:
The services to be delivered are described above, in Section III.A: Scope of Work. However,
proposers are not discouraged from proposing additional services or services different in
kind than those contained in Section III.A, with a discussion of how the greater or different
services proposed would improve the evaluation.
C.
Agreement to Terms:
The proposer must be able to agree to all of the terms of the F5SMC general contract
included in Appendix C. If the proposer cannot agree to each term but still wishes to
respond to the RFP, the proposer must specifically identify in its proposal the terms with
which it cannot comply.
D. Staffing:
The F5SMC Evaluation Specialist will be the direct liaison between the Evaluator, F5SMC
staff, and the F5SMC Early Childhood Evaluation Advisory Committee. As manager of
evaluation contracts, the Evaluation Specialist will co-construct and review evaluation
designs and plans, collaborate on the selection or development of outcome measures, and
oversee all evaluation activities for coherence and integration, as well as contract
compliance and quality oversight.
The F5SMC Early Childhood Evaluation Advisory Committee will provide input, suggestions
and direction on methodological approaches, as well as serving as the initial audience for
evaluation results. The Evaluator is expected to attend F5SMC Early Childhood Evaluation
Advisory Committee meetings on a schedule to be determined, but not more than
monthly or less than quarterly.
The Evaluator will be expected to participate in other regularly scheduled or ad hoc
meetings as requested by F5SMC staff and is expected to maintain regular communication
with F5SMC staff.
E. Survey Instruments:
Proposers must agree to administer/use any and all survey instruments as directed by
F5SMC, including outcomes and satisfaction measurement instruments.
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F.
Agreement Term and Renewal Language:
The Agreement Term will be for 40 months, from July 1, 2015 through October 31,
2018. Entering into a contract related to this RFP does not guarantee funding beyond
June 30, 2018. Please remember that funding beyond fiscal year 2015-16 is not
guaranteed and will be contingent upon satisfactory performance. Furthermore, all
F5SMC contracts are subject to contract Agreement Term and Termination provisions as
stated in Paragraph 3 of the F5SMC Agreement (See Appendix C).
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IV. PROPOSAL CONTENTS
A.
Content and Sequence of Proposal:
To be eligible for evaluation, proposers shall adhere strictly to the format set forth
below. Each of the required sections identified must be addressed and must be
specifically labeled.
The content and sequence of the proposal will be as follows:
Section
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Title
Cover Sheet
Table of Contents
Project Narrative
Financial Summary
Proof of Insurance
References
CEO or Board Authorization
Attachments:
Staff Resumes/CVs (Optional)
Example Work Products
Scope of Work
Budget Request and Budget
Narrative Forms
Items 1 through 8 below contain brief descriptions of material that must be included
in this proposal.
1.
Cover Sheet (Appendix D):
Proposer shall identify the firm’s name that will be providing the services
offered in the proposal. The name, address, telephone number, facsimile
number and e-mail address of a principal contact for information regarding
the proposal shall be supplied. The form to be used for this purpose is
included with the RFP as Appendix D.
2.
Table of Contents:
Immediately following the Cover Letter, provide a comprehensive Table of
Contents of the material included in the proposal. The Table of Contents
must clearly identify the proposal sections and the applicable page
numbers.
3.
Project Narrative:
A narrative description of the proposed evaluation activities. Project
narratives are limited to 25 pages. In addressing the requirements of the
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Scope of Work (see Section III.A) and the F5SMC Strategic Plan, the project
narrative should include the following content areas:
3a.
Comprehensive Evaluation Design:
Describe the proposed evaluation design for the integrated evaluation
of funded programs and systems change activities, including the
following:
 How your evaluation design aligns with the F5SMC 2015-2020
Strategic Plan.
 How you propose to partner with F5SMC and grantee staff to
develop and/or refine current data collection protocols to be
appropriate to the clients served, type of service delivery, and
characteristics of services such as dose and duration.
o Include a discussion of how you propose to maintain
appropriate continuity with the comprehensive evaluation
that has been conducted over the past 6 years. Address the
following: data elements, analysis, data housing and
management, data collection protocols, and how you will
transition programs from their current data collection
practices.
 How you will develop or select specific outcome measures based
on the 2009-2015 Comprehensive Evaluation activities and
results, and the 2015-2020 F5SMC Strategic Plan. If your agency
has existing expertise in the administration or scoring of relevant
outcome measures, indicate that here.
 The methodology and analytical techniques that will be used to
implement the evaluation, including quantitative and qualitative
methods as appropriate. Please address how these techniques
will allow stakeholders to consider the following questions:
o How many (and what sort of) clients are served through
F5SMC activities, and what types of services do they
receive?
o What is the impact of F5SMC-funded activities on
participants (including parents, children, service providers,
and systems-level entities such as programs, agencies,
policy-makers, and communities)?
o How can ongoing programs, services, and systems-building
activities be improved in terms of their quality, efficacy, or
efficiency?
o Where should F5SMC focus future efforts to ensure the
greatest impact, given the available resources?
 How you plan to work effectively with other rigorous and largescale research and evaluation efforts in our county that intersect
with F5SMC funding and projects (e.g. Big Lift, SIF grant, Big Data
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Project, School Readiness Assessment). Bear in mind that many of
these will have separate data systems. If you have experience
working with the Cocoa data system, discuss that here. Provide
examples of past experiences working in tandem with other
evaluation efforts. Including a discussion of how you
accomplished the following:
o Leverage of common data elements
o Minimization of duplicative or overly-intensive data
collection requirements
o Utilization of the analytical activities and results of the
intersecting evaluations
 How you propose to maintain and expand upon efforts to
evaluate systemic aspects of the array of services and supports
for children 0-5 in San Mateo County, and F5SMC’s investments
and activities targeted to these areas.
3b. Participatory Evaluation:
Describe how you will maintain a close relationship with F5SMC, our
funded programs, and community partners. Include the key players you
anticipate working with and what information you will need from them.
 Describe how you will ensure responsiveness to the concerns of
line-staff (e.g., child care providers, therapists) and their ongoing
involvement in the evaluation process.
 Discuss any challenges you anticipate in implementing the
evaluation and how you will address them.
 Describe how you will ensure that process and outcome data are
used to refine and strengthen the evaluation design.
 Discuss how you will facilitate the use of evaluation data to inform
program improvement and funding strategies.
3c. Data Housing and Database Management:
F5SMC plans to move to an online grants and data management system
to be used by funded programs. The Evaluator will be an active
participant in planning for and implementing the system. In this
section, describe:
 Any experience working with data management systems that are
external to your organization. If you have experience working with
Persimmony, Mosaic, Efforts to Outcomes, or other similar data
systems please discuss that here.
 Your experience in supporting program staff to use live data
housed in such a system for continuous quality improvement.
 Procedures and proposed formats for collecting, transferring, and
housing client data as required by First 5 California and F5SMC.
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3d. Cultural Competence:
Describe how your agency will ensure culturally sensitive and
linguistically competent evaluation design, as well as the ability to work
effectively with programs serving the culturally diverse children and
families of San Mateo County. This may include the use of culturally
relevant outcome measures and staffing that will enable your agency to
work with people of diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, including
the large Spanish-speaking population served by our funded programs.
3e. Organizational Background:
Describe the agency’s history, mission, and services it provides;
administrative structure; and experience in providing similar services.
With the history include length of time in business, and any experience
working with county First 5 Commissions, county departments or
agencies, and programs serving children 0-5 and their families or care
providers. Describe how this program will fit into your overall
organization. Attach an organizational chart.
3f. Staffing:
Describe proposed staff and their duties, including disciplines
and degrees, as appropriate. Describe how the training and experience
of your staff will ensure that the needs of F5SMC and our funded
programs will be addressed. Identify the person who will be overseeing
the F5SMC account. Provide information regarding the level of
education, background and experience of this person. Resumes or CVs of
key staff may be provided as appendices if desired. Note that these
documents are optional, and that they will not count toward the project
narrative page limit.
3g. Work Plan and Timelines:
Describe your work plan, including a detailed description of the proposed
activities during the planning phase and a timeline for the
implementation of services and receipt of deliverables. Demonstrate the
capacity to implement the program by July 1, 2015.
4.
Financial Summary:
Provide a synopsis of your anticipated budget for each fiscal year of the
project, including the process you used to determine your budgetary needs.
Detailed financial information for the first 24 months of the project (July
2015 through June 2017) will be included as attachments, using the Budget
Request and Budget Narrative forms provided in Appendix E.
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5.
Proof of Insurance:
Attach insurance certificates indicating liability insurance of a minimum of
$1,000,000 for each of the following: comprehensive general, motor
vehicle, professional, and worker’s compensation.
6.
References:
Include three references recently familiar with the quality and reliability of
the proposer’s work. Include the name, mailing address, contact person,
email address and phone number for each reference.
7.
CEO or Board Authorization:
Private organizations must submit a statement from your chief operating
officer (CEO) verifying support for your proposal.
8.
Attachments:
 Resumes or CVs of key staff may be provided as appendices if desired.
Note that these documents are optional, and that they will not count
toward the project narrative page limit.
 Examples of Evaluation Reports, Briefs, and/or Dashboards generated
by your agency for similar projects.
 Scope of Work: Using the template provided in Appendix G, prepare a
Scope of Work including detailed deliverables that show how you will
implement the proposed planning and evaluation activities for the
period July 1, 2015 – October 31, 2018.
 Budget Requests and Budget Narratives: Using the templates included
in Appendix D, provide information about how this program will be
staffed and financed during the first 24 months of operations. Include
personnel, operating, and other relevant expenditure categories.
Include information on any other sources that will fund the proposed
evaluation program. Identify any subcontractors whose contract will
exceed $25,000 and submit a Budget Request and Narrative Form for
those subcontractors. Please submit two Budgets and Budget
Narratives according to the table below:
Year 1
Year 2
7/01/15 – 6/30/16 (12 months)
7/1/16 – 6/30/17 (12 months)
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V. PROPOSAL FORMAT
A.
Format Guidelines:
Proposals must be submitted both electronically and in paper format. Both electronic
and paper copies must be received by the filing deadline. Paper copies must be typed
in Microsoft Word, double-spaced in no smaller than 12-point Calibri font, have
margins no less than 1” on any side, and have consecutively numbered pages. Project
narratives are limited to 25 pages. The Scope of Work, Budgets and Budget
Narratives, Letters of Support, examples of work products, and optional staff
resumes/CVs are considered attachments and do not count toward the project
narrative page limits. Any materials in excess of the limits may not be considered.
B.
Submission Instructions:
Electronic copies of the proposal must be submitted on disc or portable drive. The
original paper copy of the proposal submitted should be unbound, along with eight
copies securely bound by an industrial/heavy duty stapler in the upper left-hand
corner. No facsimile, email, or telephone proposals will be accepted.
Proposals must be received by 4:00 P.M. on Friday, May 1, 2015.
Submit proposals to:
Newton Martin
First 5 San Mateo County
1700 S. El Camino Real, Suite 405
San Mateo, California 94402-3050
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VI. PROPOSAL PROCESS
A.
Schedule of Events:
EVENT
Release of RFP
Deadline for Mandatory Letter of Intent
Deadline for Optional Written Questions
Release of Responses to Written Questions
Proposal Due Date and Time
Review of Proposals
Announcement of Recommendation by F5SMC
Appeal Deadline
Agreement Negotiations
Announcement of Award
Anticipated Agreement Start Date
B.
DATE
4/3/2015
4/15/2015
4/15/2015
4/22/2015
5/1/2015; 4:00pm
May 4-15 2015
5/18/2015
5/27/2015
June 2015
6/22/2015
7/1/2015
Submittal of Letter of Intent and Written Questions:
Proposers intending to respond to this RFP are required to submit a Letter of
Intent no later than 5:00 p.m. on April 15, 2015. This letter should include the
name of the firm that will be submitting the proposal, as well as the name,
address, telephone number, facsimile number and email address of a principal
contact for information regarding the proposal.
Proposers requiring clarification of the intent or content of this RFP, or of the
competitive proposal process, may request clarification by submitting written
questions by email no later than 5:00 p.m. on April 15, 2015 to:
Newton Martin
E-Mail: nmartin@smcgov.org
F5SMC will accept Letters of Intent and Written Questions via email. F5SMC will
provide responses to all Written Questions on April 22, 2015. These responses
will be sent via email to all parties who submitted a Letter of Intent and will also
be posted on the F5SMC web site.
F5SMC is responsible only for what is expressly stated in this RFP and any
authorized written addenda thereto. F5SMC is not responsible for, and shall not
be bound by, any non-authorized person acting or purporting to act on its
behalf.
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C.
Submission of Proposal:
1.
All proposals submitted in response to this RFP shall become the exclusive
property of F5SMC.
2.
The proposal shall be used to determine the proposer’s ability to render the
services to be provided. The failure of a proposer to comply fully with the
instructions in this RFP may eliminate its proposal from further evaluation
as determined at the sole discretion of F5SMC. F5SMC reserves the sole
right to evaluate the contents of proposals submitted in response to this
RFP and to select a successful contractor, if any.
3.
All proposals must remain valid for a period of not less than one hundred
twenty (120) days from the closing date for submission.
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VII. PROPOSAL SELECTION PROCESS AND EVALUATION
A.
Final Filing Date:
The final date and time to submit a proposal is May 1, 2015 at 4:00 p.m.
Proposals, in hard copy (one unbound original, and eight stapled copies using
industrial/heavy duty staples in upper left hand corner) must be received at the
F5SMC office by 4:00 p.m. on May 1, 2015. The office of First 5 San Mateo
County is located at:
First 5 San Mateo County
1700 S. El Camino Real, Suite 405
San Mateo, CA 94402-3050
B.
Additional Information:
If F5SMC determines, in its sole discretion, that additional information is
required or desirable beyond that provided in the proposal(s) of any of the
proposer(s), F5SMC may call the proposer(s) for additional information or invite
the proposer(s) to make oral and/or written presentations to the Proposal
Review Panel.
C.
Late Proposals:
Any proposals received after 4:00 p.m. on May 1, 2015 may be rejected by
F5SMC as not meeting the requirements of this RFP. Faxed and emailed
proposals will not be accepted.
D.
Rejection of Proposals:
1. F5SMC may reject any proposals not meeting the minimum requirements
of this RFP.
2. F5SMC reserves the right to reject any and all proposals.
3. F5SMC reserves the right to waive any requirements of this RFP when it
determines that waiving a requirement is in the best interest of F5SMC.
F5SMC’s waiver of an immaterial requirement shall not excuse the
proposer from full compliance with remaining requirements and the
contents of its proposal in the event it is awarded the contract.
E.
Proposal Review Panel:
The evaluation of proposals will be made by a Proposal Review Panel comprised
of F5SMC staff and outside experts in the evaluation field selected by the
Executive Director of First 5 San Mateo County. The Proposal Review Panel will
objectively and fairly assess each proposal and the qualifications of proposers
submitting proposals.
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F.
Proposal Review Criteria:
1.
History and Structure of Proposer:
a. Personnel: How long have key personnel been conducting the types
of evaluation services described in the RFP? Do key staff have
experience providing the required evaluation services? Do staff
have knowledge of early physical, cognitive, and social-emotional
development, and of the issues facing San Mateo County’s children
aged 0-5 and their families?
b. Experience: How long has the proposer been involved in providing
the types of evaluation services described in the RFP? What is the
proposer’s track record in implementing new evaluation programs?
Does the proposer have a history of successfully managing contracts
with public or private agencies? Does the proposer have experience
working with other First 5 Commissions, county departments or
agencies, or programs serving children aged 0-5 and their families?
c. What is the proposer’s track record in contract compliance,
including accounting and record-keeping requirements?
2.
Philosophy/Service Model/Evaluation Design:
a. Is there is a clearly articulated understanding of and commitment to
the intent of the evaluation as described in the RFP and The F5SMC
Strategic Plan, including purpose, scope, population to be served,
major design elements, and effective organizational structure?
b. Will the proposed evaluation design satisfactorily support the
objectives delineated in the F5SMC strategic plan?
c. Does the proposer demonstrate that it has a record of positive
community collaboration? Does it currently have good relationships
in San Mateo County?
3.
Scope of Work/Staffing and Operations/Cultural Competency:
a. Are the activities described in the Scope of Work sufficient to
accomplish the goals outlined in the RFP and the F5SMC Strategic
Plan?
b. Is there sufficient staffing proposed to perform the services and
activities?
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c. Is the level of expertise and experience of the staff sufficient to
provide the proposed services?
d. Is the agency’s plan for providing culturally competent services
consistent with the principles described in the RFP? Does the agency
offer multi-lingual capability?
4.
Planning/Implementation Plan/Timeline:
a. Will the proposed planning activities allow for the development of a
comprehensive, integrated, and cohesive program of evaluation as
outlined in the Scope of Work?
b. Does the proposal provide enough specificity to support detailed
implementation of the required evaluation services?
c. Can the proposed evaluation activities reasonably be accomplished
within the proposed timeline?
5.
Project Budget and Budget Narrative:
a. Is the budget narrative clear, realistic and specific? Does the
narrative demonstrate a thoroughly planned project?
b. Are budget justifications, including administrative costs, reasonable?
Are staffing patterns adequate?
c. Does the proposal ensure that the project does not supplant state or
local general fund money? See Supplantation Policy (Appendix E).
d. Are budgets and budget narratives for subcontracts exceeding
$25,000 included?
6.
G.
References:
Are three references included, giving company name, mailing address,
contact person, email address and phone number for each reference?
Errors or Changes in the Proposal:
If errors are found in a proposal, F5SMC may reject the proposal; however,
F5SMC may, in its sole discretion, correct arithmetic and/or transposition errors.
The proposer will be informed of the errors and corrections.
If an item is described in the narrative and omitted from the cost data, the
proposal will be interpreted to mean that the proposer will provide the item
at no cost. If this is a significant item, the proposer will be notified.
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Clarification of and changes to proposals prior to contract award are
permissible provided that each proposer is treated fairly and equally.
H.
Lowest-cost Proposals:
F5SMC reserves the right to accept other than the lowest price when the best
interests of F5SMC are served by doing so.
I.
Local Preference:
F5SMC reserves the right to give preference to a Bay Area based vendor if
deemed in the best interest of F5SMC.
J.
Notification:
Notification of the announcement of recommendation will be done by certified
or registered mail. Notification may also be conducted via email and/or
telephone.
K.
Inability to Negotiate an Agreement:
After an applicant has been recommended for funding by the Proposal Review
Panel and selected for funding by F5SMC, negotiations will commence to
institute a contract. If a satisfactory contract cannot be negotiated, F5SMC may,
in its sole discretion, defer the amount of funding to another date or award the
funds to another applicant.
L.
Appeal Process:
An email followed by a certified or registered letter informing unsuccessful
applicants that their proposal has not been selected for funding will be sent on
May 19, 2015. An applicant must submit a written appeal to be received by the
Executive Director of F5SMC by May 27, 2015. Appeals shall be in writing
(emails and faxes will not be accepted) and shall be limited to the following
grounds:
1. Any failure of F5SMC to follow RFP procedures as articulated in the RFP;
and/or,
2. The RFP review criteria were not appropriately applied to the proposal.
The applicant must include a statement of explanation in the appeal letter
describing the specific reasons that form the basis of the appeal.
The Executive Director of F5SMC will respond in writing to the appeal within 10
calendar days of the receipt of the written appeal. F5SMC staff may establish a
meeting with the applicant in order to discuss the concerns. The decision of the
Executive Director of F5SMC is final.
If the instructions of this RFP were not followed in full by the applicant, there
are no grounds for appeal to the Commission.
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VIII. APPENDICES
Appendix A: F5SMC RFP Cover Sheet
Appendix B: Current F5SMC Comprehensive Evaluation Data Collection Tools
Appendix C: F5SMC Sample Contractor Agreement
Appendix D: Budget Request and Budget Narrative Forms
Appendix E: F5SMC Supplantation Policy
Appendix F: F5SMC 2015-2020 Strategic Plan
Appendix G: Scope of Work
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