San Mateo County Parks Dept. - Central Reservation and Point of Sale System Replacement RFP

The County of San Mateo (“County”) covers most of the San Francisco Peninsula. The region covers 744 mi ² and is home to approximately 750,000 residents. The County is made up of 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.

The San Mateo County Parks Department (“Department”) serves nearly three million visitors every year. Visitors have many options when visiting the County’s unique park system. With 24 parks and recreation areas, over 16,000 acres of park land, and 190 miles of trail, the Department provides healthy outdoor activities, educational opportunities, and lasting memories.

Due to the diversity of the park system, visitors can enjoy an array of recreational opportunities, including walking; running; hiking; biking; picnicking; horseback riding; sailing; kite surfing; fishing; camping; gardening; tidepooling; volunteering; learning; sports courts; and playing on playgrounds.

The Department operates 8 parks with group picnic areas and 3 parks with camping opportunities. There are about 194 camping sites, including 4 RV campsites and 3 equestrian campsites. The Department plans to start field and court rentals in 2026.

As mentioned previously, the Department is seeking proposals for a web-based and cloud hosted Central Reservations and Point of Sale System (“CRPSS”). The Department’s current CRPSS includes reservations for facility, picnic, amphitheater, shelter, day use, youth camp, group camp, horse camp, and RV sites. A list of current reservable facilities can be found by visiting the Department’s website ( https://parks.smcgov.org/ ). The Department also has the ability to accept individual donations. The Department is seeking to add other Point of Sale (“POS”) items including special permits and other trackable inventory that could be sold, exchanged, and/or transferred. The Department also sells annual passes, which offer unlimited vehicle entrances to all County parks for 12 consecutive months.

The Department began selling annual passes online in the 2020-2021 fiscal year. The number of annual passes sold has increased tremendously. Below is a breakdown of the number of annual passes sold by fiscal year:

• FY 2018-19– Mail: 553; In-person: 420.
• FY 2019-20– Mail: 389; In-person: 341.
• FY 2020-21– Mail: 304; In-person: 480; and Online: 1,180.
• FY 2021-22 – Mail: 109; In-person: 577; and Online: 1,214.
• FY 2022-23 – Mail: 193; In-person: 363; and Online: 1,000
• FY 2023-24 – Mail: 142; In-person: 466; and Online: 993
• FY 2024-25 – Mail: 142; In-person: 511; and Online: 1007

The Department is issuing Request for Proposal (“RFP”) No. 2026-RFP-00117 for a comprehensive CRPSS. The contract shall have an original term of three (3) years. In addition, the County shall have two (2) separate options to extend the term for a period of one (1) year each, which the County may exercise in its sole, absolute discretion.

Performance Measure: Project success will be measured by vendor’s ability to deliver and implement the proposed system within the specified timeline, and in full compliance with the functional, technical, and operational requirements described in this RFP.