Special Event Support Services 2026

Request for Proposals
City of San Mateo
Special Event Support Services 2026
City of San Mateo
330 W. 20th Avenue
San Mateo, CA 94403
RFP Issued: Wednesday, March 18, 2026
Proposal Deadline: Wednesday April 8, 2026
Submission Options:
1) Electronic: Email one PDF with the subject line "Special Event Support Services RFP" to
Christine Peralta at cperalta@cityofsanmateo.org
2) Printed: Deliver or mail to San Mateo City Hall - City Manager's Office, 330 W. 20th
Avenue, San Mateo, CA 94033. Must be received (not postmarked) by the deadline.

1. Introduction
The City of San Mateo (the City) is accepting proposals from qualified Staging and Audio/Visual
Support Services in accordance with the included specifications, terms, and conditions shown in
this Request for Proposal (RFP). Prospective respondents are advised to read this
information carefully prior to submitting a proposal.
One (1) signed original of the proposal must be mailed to the Parks and Recreation Department
on or before Wednesday, April 8, 2026. In addition, a pdf copy of the proposal must be emailed
to cperalta@cityofsanmateo.org no later than 5:00pm on April 8, 2026. Proposals shall be
submitted in a sealed envelope clearly marked "Special Event Support Services RFP" and
addressed to:
Parks and Recreation Department
City of San Mateo
330 West 20th Avenue
San Mateo, CA 94403
Questions regarding this RFP are to be directed by e-mail to: Christine Peralta, Community
Services Supervisor at cperalta@cityofsanmateo.org. Such contact shall be for clarification
purposes only. Material changes, if any, to the scope of services or proposal procedures will
only be transmitted by written addendum. Answers to submitted questions shall be provided to
each of the firms invited to submit proposals.
2. Background
The City of San Mateo, incorporated in 1894, is the largest municipality in San Mateo County,
California with a population of approximately 103,350. It is one of the larger suburbs of the San
Francisco Peninsula, and when traveling on U.S. Highway 101, San Mateo is approximately 30
minutes from downtown San Jose, Oakland, and 25 minutes from downtown San Francisco.
The City of San Mateo is a charter city and has a Council-Manager form of government. The
City Council is comprised of five district-elected council members, who rotate annually as Mayor.
The City Manager is appointed by the Council and serves as the chief executive officer
responsible for the day-to-day administration of City affairs. The Council also appoints a City
Attorney. There are seven advisory boards and commissions appointed by the Council.
The City provides a wide range of municipal services including police, public works, parks and
recreation, library, planning and zoning, building inspection, code enforcement, affordable
housing, sewer system, street maintenance, economic development, and general administrative
services. The City shares a consolidated Fire Department with the cities of Foster City and
Belmont.
3. Scope of Services
a. The City has prepared an outline of services included in this RFP, which includes:
ii) Event name, date, time and location
iii) Staging
iv) Dance Floor
v) Audio/Visual
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vi) Additional labor costs (if any)
A guide to proposing a Scope of Services is included as Attachment A.
4. Submittal Guidelines
The following guidelines are provided for standardizing the preparation and submission of
proposals. The intent is to assist respondents in the preparation of their submissions and to
assist the City by simplifying the review process providing standards for comparison of
submissions.
Statements submitted in response to this RFP shall include a complete response to the
requirements in this section in the order presented. Statements should be a straightforward
delineation of the respondent's capability to satisfy the intent and requirements of this RFP and
should not contain redundancies and conflicting statements.
Each Bidder shall submit one (1) hard copy of the Bid package. Said Bids shall be delivered to
the San Mateo City Clerk, c/o Christine Peralta, 330 W. 20th Avenue, San Mateo, California
94403, no later than 5:00 pm, April 13, 2026.
Bids shall be opened and read by a City representative, and said City representative shall report
the results of the bids to the Director of Parks and Recreation, at which time the Director may
award the contract to the bidder whose demonstrated experience, competency, and pricing
represent the best value for the City; or as the City's interest may dictate, Director may exercise
its right to modify the award or reject any or all bids.
City Clerk's Office
City of San Mateo
330 West 20th Avenue
San Mateo, CA 94403
Proposals shall contain the following information in the order listed:
a. Cover letter
The cover letter should be addressed to:
Parks and Recreation Department
City of San Mateo
330 West 20th Avenue
San Mateo, CA 94403
The letter should state the proposer's name, mailing address, telephone number, and
contact name. The letter shall address the proposer's understanding of the project based
on this RFP and any other information the proposer has gathered. The proposer shall
include a statement discussing the proposer's interest and qualifications for this type of
work. A principal of the company authorized to legally bind the company shall sign the
letter.
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b. Table of Contents
The proposer shall insert a comprehensive table of contents denoting sections three (3) through
eleven (11) of the proposal as indicated below.
c. Qualifications and Experience
Describe the proposer's capability for actually undertaking and performing the work as described
in this RFP. Include qualifications of each key team member. List types and locations of similar
work performed by the proposer in the last two (2) years that best characterizes the quality and
past performance. Describe experience with similar events and positive references from
previous clients.
vii) Experience, as Applicable to the Proposal
List up to five (5) comparable projects (e.g., staging, audio, dance floor, tenting, or other event
support services for special events) with dates, client names, service scope, and locations that
have been completed within the past two (2) years.
d. Work Plan, Scope of Work, Performance Standards
The work plan should indicate the proposer's ability to meet each specification as outlined in this
document. The work plan should address the items of work as described in this RFP. The plan
should be simple, easy to read and follow, and addresses and satisfies the scope of work and
services listed in this RFP.
e. Conflict of Interest Statement
The proposer shall disclose any activities and financial, business, and other relationships of the
firm that might create a conflict of interest for the proposer or City. Proposer shall describe the
facts, legal implications, and possible effects of said conflicts sufficient to permit the City to
appreciate the significance of the conflict and to grant any conflict waiver, if appropriate and
necessary. Conflict information is further delineated in the provided Professional Consultant
Services Agreement. Proposer further agrees to complete any statements of economic interest if
required either by City ordinance or State law.
f. Insurance
Show proof of insurance for the insurance requirements shown in the City of San Mateo's
Professional Consultant Services Agreement provided as Attachment 2.
g. Supportive Information/References
This section may include graphs, charts, photos, resumes, references, etc. in support of the
proposer's qualifications. Include names and current phone numbers of references. References
may be contacted as part of the selection process.
h. Pending Litigation
Describe in detail any recent, current or pending litigation involving the proposer's operation of
Special Event Support Services. Attach additional descriptive material, if necessary.
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i. Best Performance
Indicate briefly why you consider your firm to be the best to perform this contract. Please
indicate any new or creative ideas that would provide the City with high-quality, safe, efficient
and responsive services in the provision Special Event Support Services.
j. Costs
This section should include the cost for requested services outlined in the Scope of Work.
Proposers are encouraged to provide pricing proposals on both a flat fee and "time and
expense" basis. Proposers submitting flat fee proposals may specify separate fees for the
Special Event Support Services portion of the services described below.
No cost increases shall be passed onto the City after the proposal has been submitted.
k. Changes to Standard Contract
The City's Professional Consultant Services Agreement is included with this proposal as
Attachment 2. Any requested changes to the Professional Consultant Services Agreement
must be addressed in advance by inclusion in the proposal. If a proposing firm does not
include any proposed changes or objections, those objections will be deemed waived.
l. Service and support
All Consultants shall explain how all on-going service and support shall be handled by
the Consultant and the City.
5. Withdrawal or Modifications of Proposals
Any proposal may be withdrawn or modified by a written request signed by the Consultant and
received by the Parks and Recreation Department prior to the final time and date for receipt of
proposals. Once the deadline is past, Consultants are obligated to fulfill the terms of their
proposal.
6. Open Records
Upon delivery, each proposal will be subject to all applicable open records laws, including but
not limited to the California Public Records Act. Firms submitting agree to hold the City harmless
if such information is released, knowingly or not.
7. Proposal Acceptance and Rejection
The City reserves the right to accept any proposal, to reject any and all proposals, or to call for
new proposals if such action is determined to be in the best interests of the City, such
determination to be made in the sole discretion of the City. In addition, the City may award the
contract to other than the lowest proposal if deemed such award is determined to be in the City's
best interests, such determination to be made in the sole discretion of the City.
8. Proposal Evaluation and Award
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Award shall be made to the responding Consultant whose proposal is determined by the City in
its sole discretion to be the most advantageous to the City. The City shall enter into an
agreement with the successful Consultant for the specified services. All Consultants that were
not selected by the City shall be notified in writing. The City reserves the right to negotiate with
selected Consultant on any and all terms of the contract for services.
9. Proposal Process Schedule
The City intends to follow, but will not be bound by, the following schedule of events:
RFP Published: Wednesday, March 18, 2026
Proposals Due: Wednesday, April 8, 2026
Consultant Selection/Negotiation: Friday, April 10, 2026
Award of Contract: Friday, April 15, 2026
Contract Start Date: Monday, June 1, 2026
10.Term of Agreement
The term of the contract shall be for a specific period of time, commencing upon contract
execution and expiring on Thursday, December 31, 2026. The contract may be extended by
mutual agreement of the parties.
11.Payment
Invoices must be submitted fourteen (14) business days prior to the event start dates to Deana
Sevigny at dsevigny@cityofsanmateo.org. City of San Mateo will process invoices and send
payment via check or Electronic Funds Transfer. Upon receipt of the invoice, if an error is found
by San Mateo, vendor will provide the process on how to remedy said error.
12.Proposed Changes
If, in the course of the Agreement, Consultant or the City proposes changes to the scope of
work, and informal consultation with the other party indicates that a change in the terms and
conditions of the Agreement may be warranted, Consultant or the City may request a change in
the Agreement. The parties to the Agreement shall meet to discuss and negotiate the required
change order documents. Upon completion of those negotiations, the negotiated change order
documents shall be submitted to the City for approval. Upon approval by the City, an "Order to
Proceed" with the approved changes shall be submitted to Consultant. Any Amendment to this
Agreement shall not render ineffective or invalidate any unaffected portions of this Agreement.
13.Waiver of Irregularities
The City retains the right, in its sole discretion, to waive any irregularities in proposals that do
not comply with the strict requirements of this RFP, and the City reserves the right to award a
contract to a consultant submitting any such non-compliant proposal, all in the City's sole
discretion.
14.Warranty of Usage
Any quantities listed in this RFP are estimated or projected and are provided for tabulation and
information purposes only. No warranty or guarantee of quantities is given or implied. It is
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understood that the Consultant will furnish the City's needs as they arise.
15.Validity of Pricing
Consultants are required to provide a fee structure including, if applicable, the hourly rate of the
employees to be assigned to the matter, and proposed cost and expense reimbursement levels.
No cost increases shall be passed on to the City after the agreement has been executed.
16.Qualification, Inspection, and Interviews
The City reserves the right to inspect the Consultant's facilities, products, personnel, and
organization at any time, or to take any other action necessary to determine Consultant's ability
to perform. The City reserves the right to interview any or all responding consultants and/or to
award a contract without conducting interviews.
17.Indemnification
See City of San Mateo's standard Professional Consultant Services Agreement provided as
Attachment 2.
18.Insurance
See Exhibit C of City of San Mateo's standard Professional Consultant Services Agreement
provided as Attachment 2.
19.Ownership of Proposal
Proposals submitted to the City typically become property of the City. Proposals will not be
returned to the bidder and may be used for evaluation purposes.
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ATTACHMENT A
SCOPE OF SERVICES
General Overview
This RFP solicits qualified firms to provide an array of professional consultant services to the
City.
Respondents to this RFP must demonstrate an understanding of the professional consultant
services required, the capacity to deliver these services, and the ability to tailor services to
address specific issues and situations.
Terms of Contract
Monday, June 1, 2026 - Thursday, December 31, 2026
All reasonable efforts should be undertaken to minimize potential damage to the underlying turf
and other park elements. All sections below should include the price of labor and staffing.
Staging Requirements
Staging support services must meet the following minimum specifications:
Set up and take down of vendor owned 20' x 20' stage with elevated (minimum 3') stage
floor and skirting
Set up of vendor owned stair unit with safety railing on stage
Set up of vendor provided rear backdrop truss with display capability for two (2) 20' x 2.5'
onstage banners
ADA Ramp or elevator
Tent Requirements
viii)Set up and take down of vendor provided 10' x 10' tent booths with zip-in walls
ix) Includes one (1) 10' x 10' tent with zip in walls that serves as "backstage" dressing
area for performers
x) Includes ten (10) 10' x 10' vendor provided tents to serve as food booths that comply
with the County of San Mateo Health regulations
Dance Floor Requirements
One of the features that distinguish the Music Series from other similar events is the inclusion of
adancefloortypicallylocatedinfrontofthestage. Thedancefloorisverypopularwithaudience
members, and will be used continuously during performances.
Dance floor support services must meet the following minimum specifications:
One (1) 20' x 25' dance floor with minimum 1" subflooring
One pedestrian pathway leading to the dance floor from crowd (approximately 95' feet
long)
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Audio/Visual Support Requirements
The audio system must be capable of producing clear, quality sound for an outdoor audience of
up to 3,000 people while being respectful of residents located near the Park.
Audio support services must meet the following minimum specifications:
Onsite sound engineer - same individual each week
Front of House mix
24-channel mixing equipment with full effects support
Eight (8) onstage monitors with a minimum of six (6) separate mixes
All necessary audio cables and speaker cables
Additional hourly labor costs
Any additional costs of labor due to set-up based on location or needs of events to take into
consideration.
Eggstravaganza - Saturday, April 4 (Central Park from 9:00am - 12:00pm)
Section Cost for one (1) event
Staging
Audio/Visual
Additional hourly labor costs
(if applicable)
CentralParkMusicSeries-Thursdays,June18-August6(CentralParkfrom6:00-8:00pm);No
concert Thursday, July 2
Section Cost for seven (7) events
Staging
Tents
Dance Floor
Audio/Visual
Additional hourly labor costs (if applicable)
4th of July in the Park - Saturday, July 4 (Central Park from 11:00am - 2:00pm)
Section Cost for one (1) event
Staging
Tents
Dance Floor
Audio/Visual
Additional hourly labor costs (if applicable)
SeptemberNightsonBStreet-Thursdays,September10&17(DowntownSanMateofrom6:00-
8:00pm)
Section Cost for two (2) events
Staging
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Audio/Visual
Additional hourly labor costs (if applicable)
Boos & Brews on B Street - Saturday, October 24 (Downtown San Mateo from 3:00-5:00pm)
Section Cost for one (1) event
Staging
Audio/Visual
Additional hourly labor costs (if applicable)
Central Park Playground Ribbon Cutting - Fall 2026/Date TBD (Central Park, Time TBD)
Section Cost for one (1) event
Staging
Audio/Visual
Additional hourly labor costs (if applicable)
EventsCost for All Events
Section Cost for one (1) event
Total Staging Cost
Total Audio/Visual Cost
Total Additional hourly labor costs (if applicable)
Miscellaneous Services
1. The Consultant shall cooperate with file and program audits with state agencies and City
designated auditors.
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