Request for Proposals (RFP) for a Project Manager to Implement the Electronic System for the San Mateo County Assessment Appeals Board

The San Mateo County Assessment Appeals Board ("AAB") was established to resolve property valuation disputes between taxpayers and the San Mateo County Assessor's Office. The AAB consists of a panel of three impartial commissioners who act on behalf of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors and is independent from both the Assessor's and Tax Collector's Offices. The AAB acts in a quasi-judicial capacity and hears evidence from both parties before rendering their decision as to the value of a property. Their decision is final and may not be reheard by the board unless ordered by the court.

The County plans to implement a new online electronic system and is in the process of finalizing an agreement with Applications Software Technology (AST), subject to Board approval. The new electronic system for the AAB will include an online portal through which members of the public can submit applications for assessment appeals as well as appeal-related documents, and which AAB staff can enter and store appeals data as well as develop and process meeting agendas.

The County’s objective in issuing this Request for Proposals (RFP) is to select one project manager to lead the implementation of the new AAB system for a period of approximately 18 months. The qualified Project Manager will guide the County’s project team to assist in meeting the objectives described above. The County’s standard contract template has been included an Appendix to this solicitation. The awarded contractor will be expected to sign an agreement prepared by the County using this template. Please ensure that your firm has completed legal review of these contract terms. If your firm wishes to request exceptions to these standard terms, submit a Contract Exceptions Request by the Deadline for Questions, Comments and Contract Exceptions listed in the Solicitation Schedule below. The County will consider Contract Exceptions Requests but reserves the right to reject requested modifications to its standard terms.

The expected term of the contract is 18 months with an option to extend and additional 12 months.

The County’s Assessment Appeals application and processing is currently a paper based manual process requiring extensive time and resources. This process will allow for the electronic submission of applications and payments, providing efficiency as well as a better user experience. The San Mateo County Assessor's Office selected Sapient Corporation to design and implement its new Assessor Processing Assessment System (APAS). The AAB's system will need to be able to share data with the Sapient Corporation system to ensure the accuracy and transparency of data.