IT Nonprofessional Consulting Support Services

STATEMENT OF QUALIFICATIONS
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
(RFP) NO. FN081826
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
NONPROFESSIONAL CONSULTING SUPPORT SERVICES
CITY OF RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA
22112 El Paseo
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688
(949) 635-1800
Tentative RFP Dates
Request for Proposal Posting/Mailing: Tuesday, August 18, 2026
Written Question Deadline/Request for Information: Tuesday, August 25, 2026
Addenda/Responses to Questions (if any): Thursday, August 27, 2026
Proposal Submittal Deadline: Thursday, September 10, 2026, 4p.m.
Interviews with Top-Rated Consultants: Week of October 5, 2026
November 12, 2026, Council Meeting
Tentative City Council Award and Effective Date:
Contract Start Date: December 1, 2026

City of Rancho Santa Margarita
RFP NO. FN081826
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY NONPROFESSIONAL CONSULTING SUPPORT SERVICES
Table of Contents
SECTION I - INTRODUCTION AND INSTRUCTIONS TO PROPOSERS Page 4
A. Introduction
B. Proposed Time Schedule
C. Instructions to Proposers and Procedures for Submittal
D. General Conditions
SECTION II - PROPOSAL RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS Page 10
A. Cover Letter
B. Company Data
C. Organizational Chart
D. Resumes and Qualifications of Personnel
E. References
F. Overview and Approach
G. Schedule of Compensation/Fees
H. Proposal Forms
SECTION III - PROPOSAL EVALUATION AND SELECTION Page 13
SECTION IV - SCOPE OF SERVICES Page 14
SECTION V - SCHEDULE OF COMPENSATION/FEES Page 18
APPENDIX 1 - Page 19
NON-COLLUSION AFFIDAVIT
APPENDIX 2 - Page 20
CONSULTANT'S ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COMPLIANCE WITH INSURANCE
REQUIREMENTS FOR IT CONSULTING SUPPORT SERVICES
APPENDIX 3 - Page 21
CERTIFICATION OF PROPOSAL TO THE CITY OF RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA
APPENDIX 4 - Page 23
SCHEDULE OF CONSULTING FEES
APPENDIX 5 - Page 24
SAMPLE CONSULTING SERVICES AGREEMENT
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City of Rancho Santa Margarita
RFP NO. FN081826
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY NONPROFESSIONAL CONSULTING SUPPORT SERVICES
City of Rancho Santa Margarita
22112 El Paseo Rancho Santa Margarita California 92688-2824
Phone: (949) 635-1800 Fax: (949) 635-1840 www.cityofrsm.org
August 18, 2026
SUBJECT: INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY NONPROFESSIONAL
CONSULTING SUPPORT SERVICES REQUEST FOR
PROPOSAL (NO. FN 081826)
Dear Proposers:
The City of Rancho Santa Margarita invites qualified consultants to submit proposals to
provide IT Consulting Support Services.
The City of Rancho Santa Margarita is requesting proposals from qualified firms for
Information Technology (IT) Consulting Support Services. The term of the proposed
Nonprofessional Consulting Services Agreement will be for five (5) years, expected to
commence on December 1, 2026, and end on November 30, 2031.
To be considered responsive to this Request for Proposals (RFP), Proposers must submit a
written proposal in accordance with the requirements, specifications, conditions and
provisions described in this RFP. Failure to do so may result in your proposal being deemed
non-responsive.
PROPOSALS ARE DUE BEFORE
4:00 P.M. on Thursday, September 10, 2026
If you have any questions or need additional information regarding this RFP, please email
them to: sdjordjevic@cityofrsm.org by the deadline noted in this RFP. Thank you for your
interest.
Respectfully,
Stefanie Turner
Stefanie Turner
Finance Director
City of Rancho Santa Margarita
Mayor Mayor Pro Tempore Council Member Council Member Council Member City Manager
L. Anthony Beall Anne D. Figueroa Keri Lynn Baert Jerry Holloway Bradley J. McGirr Jennifer M. Cervantez
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City of Rancho Santa Margarita
RFP NO. FN081826
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY NONPROFESSIONAL CONSULTING SUPPORT SERVICES
SECTION I
INTRODUCTION AND INSTRUCTIONS TO PROPOSERS
A: Introduction and Overview
The City of Rancho Santa Margarita (City) invites qualified firms to submit written proposals
for IT consulting support services. Should an award be made, the selected Proposer will
enter into a nonprofessional consulting services agreement with the City of Rancho Santa
Margarita.
B: Proposed Schedule
Request for Proposal Posting/Mailing: Tuesday, August 18, 2026
Written Question Deadline/Request for Information: Tuesday, August 25, 2026
Addenda/Responses to Questions (if any): Thursday, August 27, 2026
Proposal Submittal Deadline: Thursday, September 10, 2026, 4p.m.
Interviews with Top-Rated Consultants: Week of October 5, 2026
November 12, 2026, Council Meeting
Tentative City Council Award and Effective Date:
Contract Start Date: December 1, 2026
C: Instructions to Proposers and Procedures for Submittal
One printed original (marked original), 3 printed copies (marked copy) of the proposal and
one (1) electronic copy on a flash drive (will not be returned) must be submitted in a sealed
envelope or box bearing the name of the Proposer, marked RFP No. FN081826 and
submitted only to the following address:
City of Rancho Santa Margarita
Proposal for IT Consulting Support Services
Attn: Sofia Djordjevic, Senior Management Analyst
22112 El Paseo
Rancho Santa Margarita CA 92688
Proposers are solely responsible for ensuring their submitted proposal is received by the City
in accordance with the solicitation requirements, before the Submittal Deadline, and at the
place specified. Postmarks will not be accepted in lieu of actual delivery. No oral, telegraphic,
electronic mail, facsimile, or telephonic proposals or modifications will be considered unless
specified. The City shall not be responsible for any delays in mail or by common carriers or
by transmission errors or delays or mistaken delivery. Delivery of proposals shall be made at
the office specified in this Request for Proposals. Deliveries made before the Submittal
Deadline, but to the wrong City office, will be considered non-responsive unless re-delivery
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City of Rancho Santa Margarita
RFP NO. FN081826
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY NONPROFESSIONAL CONSULTING SUPPORT SERVICES
is made to the office specified before the Submittal Deadline. All proposals shall become the
property of the City.
Late proposals may not be accepted and may be returned to the Proposer unopened.
D: General Conditions
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, RIGHT TO REQUEST. The City reserves the right, where it
may serve the City's best interest, to request additional information or clarifications from
proposers during its review and evaluation of proposals submitted for consideration.
ADDITIONAL SERVICES. The Scope of Work describes the minimum work to be
accomplished. Upon final selection of the firm, the Scope of Work may be modified and
refined during negotiations with the City.
AUTHORIZED SIGNATURES. Every proposal must be signed by the person or persons
legally authorized to bind the Proposer to a contract for the execution of the work. Upon
request of the City, any agent submitting a proposal on behalf of a Proposer shall provide a
current power of attorney, articles of incorporation, or other instrument confirming the agent's
authority to bind the Proposer. If an individual makes the proposal, his or her name, signature,
and post office address must be shown. If a firm or partnership makes the proposal, the name
and post office address of the firm or partnership and the signature of at least one of the
general partners must be shown. If a corporation makes the proposal, the proposal shall
show the name of the state under the laws of which the corporation is chartered, the name
and post office address of the corporation and the title of the person signing on behalf of the
corporation. Upon request of the City, the corporation shall provide a certified copy of the
bylaws or resolution of the board of directors showing the authority of the officer signing the
proposal to execute contracts on behalf of the corporation.
BIDDING PROCESS/AWARD OF PROPOSAL. In accordance with Section 3.07.070 of the
Rancho Santa Margarita Municipal Code (RSMMC), the City reserves the right to publish this
RFP and request bids from qualified firms to perform the specified services as listed in the
Scope of Services. Additionally, the City reserves the right to negotiate final terms with the
selected Proposer, if any. Award of contract, if any, will be made in accordance with Sections
3.07.070(11), 3.07.050, and 3.07.111, of the RSMMC, and accordingly, an Evaluation
Committee will be established by the City. The City shall not be obligated to accept the lowest
priced proposal, but if an award is made, the City will make an award in the best interests of
the City after all factors are considered, including but not limited to the demonstrated
competence, experience and professional qualifications of the Proposer. Discussions may,
at the City's option, be conducted with the most qualified proposers. Discussions may be for
the purpose of clarification to assure full understanding of, and responsiveness to, the
solicitation requirements. Proposers shall be accorded fair and equal treatment with respect
to any opportunity for discussion and written revision of proposals. In conducting discussions,
the City will not disclose information derived from proposals submitted by competing
proposers.
COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS. All proposals shall comply with current federal, state, and other
laws relative thereto.
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City of Rancho Santa Margarita
RFP NO. FN081826
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY NONPROFESSIONAL CONSULTING SUPPORT SERVICES
CANCELLATION OF SOLICITATION. The City may cancel this solicitation for proposals at
any time.
CANCELLATION OF TASKS. If a consulting services agreement is awarded for the work
described in this RFP, the City will authorize work on a Task Order basis. Task Orders may
be issued in any sequence. The City is not obligated to issue a task order for all tasks listed
in the scope of work and reserves the right to cancel tasks.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST. By signing the Certification of Proposal (Appendix 3) and
submitting a proposal to the City in response to this Request for Proposals, the Proposer
represents and certifies that:
A) No elected or appointed official, officer, or employee of the City has been or shall be
compensated, directly or indirectly, in connection with this proposal or for any work connected
with this proposal; should any agreement be approved in connection with this Request for
Proposals ("Agreement") no elected or appointed official, officer, or employee of the City,
during the term of his/her service with the City, shall have any direct or indirect financial
interest in the Agreement, or obtain any present, anticipated, or future financial interest or
other material benefit arising therefrom;
B) No elected or appointed official, officer, or employee of the City shall have any financial
interest, direct or indirect, in the Agreement nor shall any such official, officer, or employee
participate in any decision relating to the Agreement which effects his/her personal financial
interest or the financial interest of any corporation, partnership, or association in which they
are, directly or indirectly, interested in violation of state law;
C) The Proposer and its principals do not have now, nor shall it acquire any financial or
business interest that would conflict with the performance of services under the Agreement
COSTS. The City is not liable for any costs incurred by proposers before entering into a
formal contract. Costs of developing the proposals, or any other such expenses incurred by
the Proposer in responding to this RFP, are entirely the responsibility of the Proposer, and
shall not be reimbursed in any manner by the City. No reimbursable cost may be incurred in
anticipation of award.
DISQUALIFICATION OF PROPOSER. If there is reason to believe that collusion exists among
the proposers, the City may refuse to consider proposals from participants in such collusion.
No person, firm, or corporation under the same or different name, shall make, file, or be
interested in more than one proposal for the same work unless alternate proposals are called
for. Reasonable grounds for believing that any Proposer is interested in more than one
proposal for the same work will cause the rejection of all Proposals for the work in which a
Proposer is interested. If there is reason to believe that collusion exists among Proposers, the
City may refuse to consider proposals from participants in such collusion. Proposers shall
submit as part of their proposal documents the completed Non-Collusion Affidavit provided as
Appendix 1.
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City of Rancho Santa Margarita
RFP NO. FN081826
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY NONPROFESSIONAL CONSULTING SUPPORT SERVICES
DOCUMENTS, EXAMINATION OF. It is the responsibility of the Proposer to carefully and
thoroughly examine and be familiar with these RFP documents, general conditions, all forms,
specifications, drawings, plans, and addenda (if any). Proposer shall satisfy himself as to the
character, quantity, and quality of work to be performed and materials, labor, supervision,
necessary to perform the work as specified by these documents. The failure or neglect of
the Proposer to examine documents shall in no way relieve him from any obligations with
respect to the solicitation or and subsequent contract that may be awarded. The submission
of a proposal shall constitute an acknowledgment upon which the City may rely that the
Proposer has thoroughly examined and is familiar with the RFP documents. No claim will be
allowed for additional compensation that is based upon a lack of knowledge of any solicitation
document.
INTERPRETATION OF RFP DOCUMENTS. City reserves the right to make corrections or
clarifications of the information provided in this RFP. If any person is in doubt as to the true
meaning of any part of the specifications or other RFP documents, or finds discrepancies or
omissions in the specifications, he or she may submit to the City a written request for an
interpretation or correction.
Oral statement(s), interpretations or clarifications concerning meaning or intent of the
contents of this RFP by any person are unauthorized and invalid. Modifications to the RFP,
including, but not limited to the scope of work, shall be made only by formal written addendum
issued by the City. Accordingly, in order to ensure that all proposers have access to the
same information, the City will use the following procedure to respond to inquiries.
All questions or requests for interpretations shall be made in writing and
delivered to Sofia Djordjevic, Senior Management Analyst, City of Rancho
Santa Margarita, 22112 El Paseo Rancho Santa Margarita CA 92688, or via
email at sdjordjevic@cityofrsm.org by 3:00 p.m. Tuesday, August 25, 2026.
The requesting party is responsible for prompt delivery of any requests. All such addenda
shall become a part of the RFP document. It is the responsibility of each Proposer to ensure
the City has their correct business name and address on file. Any prospective Proposer
who obtained a set of RFP documents is responsible for advising the City that they
have a set of RFP documents and wish to receive subsequent Addenda.
IRREGULARITIES. Unauthorized conditions, limitations, or provisions attached to a proposal
may cause its rejection. The completed proposal shall be without interlineations, alterations
or erasures. Alternative proposals will not be considered unless specifically requested. No
oral, telegraphic, or telephonic proposal, modification or withdrawal will be considered.
NON-DISCRIMINATION. Proposer shall represent and certify that it does not and will not
discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, religion,
gender, color, national origin, sexual orientation, ancestry, material status, physical condition,
pregnancy or pregnancy related conditions, political affiliation or opinion, age or medical
condition.
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City of Rancho Santa Margarita
RFP NO. FN081826
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY NONPROFESSIONAL CONSULTING SUPPORT SERVICES
NON-EXCLUSIVE. Should the City make an award, the successful Proposer will enter into
a non-exclusive consulting services agreement, and the City reserves the right to enter into
agreements with other firms or consultants for the services listed in this RFP.
NO OBLIGATION. The release of this RFP does not obligate or compel the City to enter into
a contract or agreement.
OFFERS OF MORE THAN ONE PRICE. Proposers are not allowed to submit more than one
proposal.
OWNERSHIP. All data, documents and other products used or developed during the RFP
process become the property of the City upon submission.
PROPOSAL, REJECTION OF. The City reserves the right to reject any or all proposals or
any part of a proposal. The City reserves the right to reject the proposal of any Proposer who
previously failed to perform adequately for the City or any other governmental agency. The
City expressly reserves the right to reject the Proposal of any Proposer who is in default on
the payment of taxes, licenses or other monies due to the City.
PROPRIETARY INFORMATION. All proposals and documents submitted in response to this
RFP shall become the property of the City and a matter of public record pursuant to
Government Code sections 6250 et seq. It is the responsibility of each Proposer to clearly
identify any and all information contained within the proposal that it considers to be
confidential and/or proprietary. To the extent that the City agrees with that designation, such
information will be held in confidence whenever possible. All other information will be
considered public. In the event that a demand for disclosure of information designated as
"confidential and/or proprietary" by a Proposer is made, the City will notify the Proposer in
writing of such demand and shall furnish a copy of the City's written response to the
requestor. Proposer may then pursue, at its sole cost and expense, any and all appropriate
legal action necessary to maintain the confidentiality of such information.
NO PUBLIC PROPOSAL OPENING/PUBLIC RECORDS ACT. Proposals shall be opened
and their contents secured by City staff to prevent disclosure during the evaluative process
and the process of negotiating with competing proposers. Adequate precautions shall be
taken to treat each Proposer fairly and to ensure that information gleaned from competing
proposals is not disclosed to other proposers. Prices and other information concerning the
proposals shall not be disclosed until finalists are selected to present proposals to the City
Council, or a recommendation for award is made to the City Council, whichever comes first.
REPRESENTATIONS. Proposer understands and acknowledges that the representations
made in their submitted proposal are material and important and will be relied on by the City
in evaluation of the proposal. Proposer misrepresentation shall be treated as fraudulent
concealment from the City of the facts relating to the proposal.
RFP PART OF AGREEMENT. Should an agreement be awarded, this Request for Proposals
and Scope of Services and all conditions may become part of the agreement between the
City of Rancho Santa Margarita and the successful Proposer.
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City of Rancho Santa Margarita
RFP NO. FN081826
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY NONPROFESSIONAL CONSULTING SUPPORT SERVICES
SEVERABILITY. If any provisions or portion of any provision of this Request for Proposals
are held invalid, illegal or unenforceable, they shall be severed from the Request for
Proposals and the remaining provisions shall be valid and enforceable.
VALIDITY. Proposal must be valid for a period of 120 days from the due date and may be
extended by written authorization from the Proposer.
WITHDRAWAL OF PROPOSAL. Proposers' authorized representative may withdraw
Proposals only by written request received by the City's project manager before the Proposal
Submittal Deadline.
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City of Rancho Santa Margarita
RFP NO. FN081826
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY NONPROFESSIONAL CONSULTING SUPPORT SERVICES
SECTION II
PROPOSAL RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS
Proposers shall submit one printed original (marked original), 3 printed copies (marked copy)
of the proposal and one (1) electronic copy on a flash drive (will not be returned) on or before
the Submittal Deadline to:
City of Rancho Santa Margarita
Proposal for IT Consulting Support Services
Attn: Stefanie Turner, Finance Director
22112 El Paseo
Rancho Santa Margarita CA 92688
If discrepancies are found between the copies, or between the original and copy or copies,
the "ORIGINAL" will provide the basis for resolving such discrepancies. If one document is
not clearly marked "ORIGINAL", the City reserves the right to use any of the proposals as
the Original. If no document can be identified as an original bearing original signatures,
Proposer's proposal may be rejected at the discretion of the City.
It is imperative that all proposers responding to the RFP comply exactly and completely with
the instructions set forth herein. Proposals must be concise, but with sufficient detail to allow
accurate evaluation and comparative analysis. Proposals should be straightforward and
provide "layman" explanations of technical terms that are used. Emphasis should be
concentrated on conforming to the RFP instructions, responding to the RFP requirements,
and on providing a complete and clear description of the offer. Do NOT include marketing
brochures or other promotional material not connected with this RFP.
All proposals shall be submitted on standard 8.5" by 11" paper three-hole punched and
secured in binders or bound. All pages should be numbered and identified sequentially by
section. Response items must be indexed in the following order with individual tabs:
A. Cover Letter:
Proposal must be accompanied by a cover letter signed by an individual authorized to bind
the proposing entity. An unsigned proposal is grounds for rejection. The cover letter should
include an introduction of the firm and summary statement of qualifications.
B. Company Data:
Please submit the following information for the Proposer:
* Official name and address
* Name, address, and telephone number of the Proposer's point of contact.
* Indicate what type of entity (corporation, company, joint venture, etc.).
* Federal employer I.D. Number
* The address, telephone numbers, and fax numbers of each of your firm's locations
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