Electronic Monitoring Program

The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office’s Alternative Sentencing Bureau (ASB) has three, well established community-based sentencing programs. The programs are alternatives to incarceration for selected and court recommended low-risk, non-violent, minimum-security offenders sentenced on a court commitment. These programs provide an opportunity for participants to improve their ability to reintegrate into the community as a productive member of society. The goal is to prevent the return of the participant to the criminal justice system as a law violator after release from custody.

The Electronic Monitoring Program (EMP) is an alternative to incarceration for low-risk, non-violent, minimum-security offenders, who with the use of technology will serve their sentence under house arrest conditions at their place of residence. Offenders must have received a specific recommendation from the sentencing court to participate in EMP for a commitment of 60-days or more, after PC4019CTS. Offenders’ movements will be restricted, and they are required to wear a tamper resistant, non-removable electronic monitor. They are allowed to leave their residence only for medical appointments, treatment programs, counseling or other necessary activities approved by the supervising Deputy Sheriff. Participation is generally reserved for those with medical conditions that require treatments that are out-of-the-scope of Correctional Health Services. Other considerations would be made for the exclusive or primary caregiver of an immediate family member that is under regular and scheduled doctor visits for significant health issues that leaves them house-bound or a parent of a minor child(ren) who is the financial engine of the family’s finances and who’s absence would leave the family unit destitute. Jobs requiring frequent movement of work sites, and a variety of start and finish times are not allowed.

ASB is seeking quotes and price lists from vendors to provide electronic monitoring equipment and software to monitor its inmates involved in the Sheriff’s Electronic Monitoring Program (EMP). ASB has an average of 2- 6 adult offenders in EMP at any one time. The majority of the offenders had alcohol abuse and/or use as an underlying cause for their criminality. Therefore both Alcohol Monitoring and Global Positioning Systems are necessary components of the program as well as of the equipment and software.

The contract shall have a term of three years and should not exceed $95,000 for the duration of the contract. The County’s standard contract template has been included as an attachment 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.

ASB welcomes quotes from all qualified vendors of electronic monitoring. The vendor will provide an array of equipment options to include global positioning (GPS) and alcohol monitoring (AM). The vendor will be required to provide access and training to a software program for Sheriff's Deputies that provides real time data entry and status review.

Responses to this RFQ may also be used for future Sheriff's ASB services or programs, as we expect a re-opening of our Work Furlough program with similar participant restrictions to EMP.

Programs served will include:

1. Electronic Monitoring Program (EMP):
   1. EMP allows ASB Deputies to know if a participant is present in their home as ordered by the Court. EMP utilizes electronic ankle monitors to verify the participant's location in real time and if they have exited or entered their place of residence or other preapproved location.
   2. Participants are equipped with a tamper-resistant ankle monitor and a charging base is placed inside the residence, tracking their movements within it. EMP Participants are sentenced to EMP for 60 - 180 days. While on EMP, participants are under house-arrest conditions, but may leave their residence with preapproval from the monitoring deputy for medical reasons, treatment programs, employment or other necessary activities deemed appropriate.
   3. The majority of the offenders had alcohol abuse and/or use as an underlying cause for their criminality. Therefore Alcohol Monitoring is a necessary component of the program