Message Switch System Replacement

The County of San Mateo (County) is seeking proposals from qualified vendors to replace its legacy Message Switch System (MSS), a mission-critical public safety platform that enables secure, real-time exchange of criminal justice information between local, state, and federal law enforcement systems. The Public Safety Communications (PSC) Department serves as the County's centralized emergency communications hub, providing 24/7 dispatch and emergency communication services for fire, emergency medical services (EMS), and law enforcement agencies serving approximately 800,000 residents throughout the County.

The County's existing MSS supports approximately 30 law enforcement, public safety, and criminal justice agencies by providing secure connectivity to critical systems, including the California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (CLETS), National Crime Information Center (NCIC), Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), Automated Warrant System (AWS), County CJIS, and other criminal justice information systems.

As the current platform has reached the end of its practical lifecycle, the County is seeking a modern, secure, scalable, and CJIS-compliant replacement that meets current operational needs while supporting regulatory compliance, interoperability, and future technology integration. The proposed solution will enhance system reliability, ensure uninterrupted access to critical criminal justice information, strengthen cybersecurity, and provide a sustainable platform that supports the County's long-term public safety mission.

The County's Public Safety Communications (PSC) Department is responsible for operating and administering the Countywide Message Switch System (MSS), which serves as the central communications gateway for the exchange of criminal justice information among approximately 30 local, county, state, federal, and regional public safety agencies. The MSS routes authorized inquiries, responses, broadcasts, and transactional messages between agency systems and external resources, including the California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (CLETS), National Crime Information Center (NCIC), California Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), Automated Warrant System (AWS), County Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS), and other public safety databases. Access to the MSS is governed by applicable DOJ, CLETS, and Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) security, operational, and regulatory requirements.

The current MSS operates within a highly integrated public safety environment that supports Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD), Records Management Systems (RMS), Law Enforcement Network (LawNet), wireless mobile data communications, CJIS interfaces, the Automated Warrant System (AWS), and other mission-critical public safety applications. Together, these interconnected systems provide law enforcement personnel with timely access to the information needed for emergency response, criminal investigations, warrant processing, and other essential criminal justice operations.

While the existing MSS has served the County reliably for many years, its aging architecture presents increasing operational, security, and maintenance challenges. Limited vendor support, constrained modernization capabilities, and evolving cybersecurity, interoperability, and regulatory requirements make replacement of the platform necessary. Through this procurement, the County seeks a commercially supported, standards-based Message Switch System that minimizes operational risk, enables a seamless migration from the existing environment, maintains uninterrupted public safety operations, and provides a secure, scalable, resilient, and future-ready platform to support the County's public safety agencies for years to come.