Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) Prevention and Education Services

COUNTY OF LAKE - HEALTH SERVICES DEPARTMENT REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) Prevention and Education Services

COUNTY OF LAKE

Solicitation No. 261963

Issued: July 1, 2026

Submission Deadline: July 31, 2026 at 5:00 P.M.

By:

Naomi Suematsu

Health Program Coordinator

Contents

Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................... 3

Scope of Service ............................................................................................................................................................ 3

Community Based Organization ................................................................................................................................ 3

Compensation ............................................................................................................................................................... 3

Proposal Content .......................................................................................................................................................... 4

Proposal Submittal ....................................................................................................................................................... 4

Proposal Evaluation and Award ................................................................................................................................. 5

Protest Procedure ......................................................................................................................................................... 6

General Terms and Conditions ................................................................................................................................... 7

INTRODUCTION

The County of Lake Health Services Department is inviting Proposals for a qualified Community-Based Organization (CBO) to work in collaboration with Lake County Health Services to provide Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) prevention and education services. The Health Services Department is receiving funds from California Department of Health to support STI prevention and control activities. A requirement for receiving these funds is that a portion of funds shall be provided to CBOs or nonprofit health care providers to be used for the implementation of public health activities related to monitoring, prevention, testing, treatment and linkage to and retention in care activities for the most vulnerable and underserved individuals living with, or at high risk, for STIs. Proposals should be submitted in accordance with the requirements of this solicitation, which are contained herein.

SCOPE OF SERVICE

Services may include the following and similar activities:

Reporting to the Health Program Coordinator, Contractor shall carry out the functions of Contracted STI Prevention and Collaboration CBO for the duration of fiscal year 2026-2027 with the option to continue.

Contractor will provide local Contracted Community Based Organization Services; proposed services may include:

Pilot innovative preventive and clinical technologies and interventions for the most vulnerable and underserved individuals at risk for STIs.

Provide, link, or refer clients to supportive services for persons receiving STI services.

Assist with disseminating local surveillance data findings (i.e. fact sheets, reports, etc.)

Be available by phone for discussions related to STIs and meet with Health Services staff as needed, either in person or virtually.

Engage with affected communities to inform STI activities, promote racial and health equity, and reduce stigma.

Other STI education and prevention services

COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATION

A CBO is a public or private nonprofit organization that provides services to individuals in the community, including Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC), FQHC Look-Alikes, Rural Health Clinics, and drug treatment programs. Correctional health organizations are considered a CBO as long as they are a nonprofit entity. A nonprofit entity is a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code. The CBO(s) will carry out the functions of the contract for fiscal year 2026-2027 with an option to continue.

COMPENSATION

The Contracted CBO(s) would be allocated up to $37,204 for the 2026-2027 fiscal year.

PROPOSAL CONTENT

Please assemble your Proposal in the following order:

Cover Letter A standard business letter must be included which provides a brief overview of the organization and relevant STI services offered to the community. Content should be no more than two pages.

Confirmation of Qualifications Provide proof of nonprofit/CBO being a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code. If proposal includes clinical services, please provide copy of current medical license, DEA and NPI Number.

Cost Proposal Please describe how the organization plans to spend up to $37,204 over the course of the 2026-2027 fiscal year. Description should include cost and description of services and personnel costs for employees responsible for carrying out activities, any operating expenses to support completion of activities, equipment needs, etc. All prices submitted are non-binding at this stage of the procurement process and are subject to negotiation.

PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL

Proposals submitted must meet the following criteria to be acceptable for consideration regarding this project:

In order to be considered, responses may be submitted either on paper or electronically through the Lake County Health Services Department. Electronic submissions must be in either Microsoft word or PDF format and sent to Naomi.Suematsu@lakecountyca.gov Proposals, whether submitted electronically or via hard copy through the United States Postal Service or any other courier service, must be received no later than July 31, 2026 at 5:00 pm and addressed to:

RFP No. 261963: Request for Proposals for

STI Prevention and Education Services

Lake County Health Services Department

Attn: Naomi Suematsu

922 Bevins Court

Lakeport, CA 95453

Normal business hours are Monday through Friday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.

In order to receive addenda and information regarding this RFP, proposer must register online at: . Proposers are cautioned to read the scope of services and proposal contents herein and be sure to respond to all items listed in these sections.

Proposals received incomplete or late, for any reason, shall not be accepted.

All Questions regarding this Request for Proposals may be submitted in writing at any time prior to July 24, 2026 at 5:00 pm addressed to Naomi Suematsu, Health Program Coordinator at: . Only written questions will be accepted. Questions will be answered by July 29, 2026 at 5:00 pm and uploaded as an addendum to the website listed in the above paragraph.

Proposers may contact only the individual identified above and are specifically directed not to contact other County personnel for meetings, conferences, or other technical discussions related to this RFP. No questions will be answered by other County staff.

All proposals submitted in response to this RFP will become the property of the County and will not be returned.

PROPOSAL EVALUATION AND AWARD The County is using the competitive proposal process, wherein the experience and responsiveness of each submitted proposal is evaluated as it relates to the Scope of Services. Staff will evaluate the proposals as described below.

Proposals shall be opened and checked to ensure that each complies with the requirements of the RFP. The absence of required information may render the proposal non-responsive and may be cause for rejection.

All proposals will be evaluated to determine whether they meet all the requirements of the RFP.

A Consultant Selection Board will be convened to review, discuss and rank the proposals, using the following criteria:

Criteria

Organization is qualified CBO/non-profit

Relevant STI treatment or education experience

Scope of services proposed

Cost: Alignment and reasonableness of costs in proportion to services proposed

Prior to final selection, a short list of qualified and responsive Contractors may be requested to participate in an interview. The purpose of the interview will be to provide an opportunity for each Contractor to present their qualifications and proposals in person and/or to answer any questions that County staff may have regarding the Contractor's submittals.

If an agreement cannot be reached with the top ranked Contractor(s), the County will then contact the next highest ranked and attempt to negotiate a contract scope of work and fee. This process will continue until a contract scope of work and fee is successfully negotiated, or until the County determines to cease negotiations with any Contractor.

County reserves the right to select multiple contractors.

The County of Lake is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and the successful Contractor(s) will be required to comply with the provisions of Federal Executive Order 11246 and applicable state and federal laws.

PROTEST PROCEDURE The County of Lake will follow the Appeal Procedure in their Consultant Selection Policy as follows:

Appeal Procedure:

Any party with a direct financial interest who is aggrieved by any alleged material irregularity in connection with the intended RFP award, may file a protest with the Purchasing Agent or Assistant Purchasing Agent, where such protest is based on alleged violations of Federal, State, or local law or ordinance, or alleged material irregularity in either the County's RFP invitation or in the proposal to which an award is intended. Generally, non-material irregularities in a RFP response are those that substantially conform to the RFP requirements and do not affect the RFP price, time or conditions in such a way as to affect the amount of the RFP or provide a competitive advantage or benefit not allowed to other bidders. Material irregularities in a RFP invitation provide a competitive advantage or benefit to one (1) bidder that is not enjoyed by other bidders. The Purchasing Agent or Assistant Purchasing Agent may determine whether an alleged irregularity exists and whether it is material or non-material and shall have the authority to waive non-material irregularities. A RFP protest must:

Be written,

State the specific alleged violation of law or alleged material irregularity,

Request a determination of the appeal,

Provide a telephone number and email address at which the appellant can be contacted,

Be filed no later than seven (7) days after the date of the Notice of Intent to Award Letter and/or formal Bid Opening (holidays excepted). Any protest filed after this time will not be considered.

The party filing the appeal ("appellant") must concurrently transmit a copy of all appeal documents and any attachments to all other parties with a direct financial interest which may be adversely affected by the determination of the appeal.

Within seventy-two (72) hours of receipt of appeal, the Purchasing Agent or Assistant Purchasing Agent shall provide written notification to the appellant of the determination. A determination under this procedure shall be final except that the Purchasing Agent's decision may be appealed to the County Administrative Officer in writing within forty-eight (48) hours from the Purchasing Agent's or Assistant Purchasing Agent's notification to appellant.

GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS By your submission of a proposal, you agree to be bound by the following conditions:

To the fullest extent allowed by law, RFPs will not be public record until discussion and negotiations with Respondent have been completed, as such premature disclosure would jeopardize the County's and the Respondents negotiating interests. If any proposal contains trade secrets or other information that is confidential or proprietary by law, Respondent shall label all such pages with a stamped annotation such as: "CONFIDENTIAL-PROPRIETARY TRADE SECRETS, DO NOT DISCLOSE", and further, provide written notification to the County of its request to keep said information confidential. A Respondent's request for confidentiality must be made in writing and enclosed in the envelope containing the proposal. The proprietary or confidential data must be readily separable from the proposal in order to facilitate eventual public inspection of the non- confidential portion of the proposal.

The County reserves the right to cancel this RFP at any time, even after opening of proposals.

County is not liable for any costs incurred by Proposer in the preparation, presentation or in any other aspect of the Proposal.

Disposition of Proposal(s) and Contract Award:

All proposals shall become the property of Lake County.

Failure to furnish all information requested in this RFP or to follow the proposal format may disqualify a proposal.

County reserves the right to accept or reject all or any part of any proposal, waive immaterial defects, informalities, irregularities, negotiate with all qualified Respondents, and award the contract to the firm or individuals, who, in the sole judgment of the County, best serves the interests of the County. The County may terminate negotiations if, in its opinion, they are unsuccessful and begin negotiations with other respondents.

A response to this RFP is an offer to contract with the County based upon the terms, conditions, scope of work and/or specifications contained herein. County shall have no contractual or other obligation to a Respondent under any successfully negotiated contract until the contract has been approved and signed by both parties. The contents of the proposal submitted by the successful Respondent and this RFP will become part of any contract awarded.

Issuance of this RFP in no way constitutes a commitment by the County to procure or contract for the articles of goods or services solicited.

Proposers may be required before the award of any contract to show, to the complete satisfaction of the County, the necessary facilities, ability, and financial resources to provide the services specified in a satisfactory manner.

Respondent shall indemnify and defend County and its officers, employees, and agents against and hold them harmless from any and all claims, losses, damages, and liability for damages, including attorney's fees and other costs of defense incurred by County, whether for damage to or loss of property, or injury to or death of person, including properties of County and injury to or death of County officials, employees or agents, arising out of, or connected with the use of any copyrighted or uncopyrighted composition, secret process, patented or unpatented invention, articles or appliances furnished or used under this Request and any subsequent Contract, unless such damages, loss, injury or death is caused solely by the negligence of County.

Lake County reserves the rights to amend, alter, or change the rules and conditions contained in this RFP prior to the deadline for submission and to request additional data after the deadline. If it becomes necessary to do so, an addenda or supplements to the RFP will be issued and shall become a part of the RFP. The County is not responsible for any other explanation or interpretation. It is the responsibility of the Respondent to ensure that they have received all addendums and/or supplements prior to submitting a proposal.

It is the County's intent that this Request for Proposal (RFP) permits competition. It shall be the Respondent's responsibility to advise the County in writing if any language, requirement, specification, etc., or any combination thereof, inadvertently restricts or limits the requirements stated in this RFP to a single source. Such notification must be received by the County not later than ten (10) days prior to the date set for acceptance of proposals.

Errors and Omissions: If prior to the date fixed for submission of proposals, a respondent discovers any ambiguity, conflict, discrepancy, omission or other error in the RFP or any of its exhibits, it shall immediately notify the designated County contact of such error in writing and request modification or clarification. Modifications and clarifications will be made by written addenda and distributed to all parties who have been furnished or who have requested the RFP.

Security and Confidentiality: To preserve the integrity of the security and confidentiality measures integrated into County operations, any Respondent required to come in contact with confidential County information in order to respond to this RFP and/or to perform the services solicited, may be required to sign and submit a Confidentiality Statement and HIPAA Business Associate Agreement. Successful Respondents, who may require periodic access to secured areas within the County, may be required to wear security identification badges. Badges will be issued to individuals only after satisfactory completion of a background check. Any such confidentiality and/or security measures will be part of the contract.

Insurance: Successful Respondent agrees to comply with the County's standard insurance provisions. County shall provide malpractice insurance only for services provided under the contract. Professional conduct outside the provisions of the contract is solely the responsibility of the contractor and is not covered by malpractice insurance provided by County.

Governing Laws: The laws of the State of California will govern any purchase order entered into between the County and the selected Respondent.

Each Respondent shall inform themself of, and the successful Respondent awarded a contract shall comply with, State and local laws, statutes, regulations, ordinances and generally accepted industry standards relative to the execution of the material supplied or work performed. This requirement includes, but is not limited to, applicable regulations concerning employment of labor, protection of public and employee safety and health, environmental protection, the protection of natural resources, fire protection, burning and non-burning requirements, permits, fees, and similar subjects.