Intranet Modernization Using M365 G5 & SharePoint Online

REQUEST FOR
PROPOSALS
SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA
COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA
REGARDING:
Intranet Modernization Using M365 G5/
SharePoint Online
RFP 81326C
PROPOSALS DUE:
9/30/2026 NO LATER THAN 1:00 P.M. PACIFIC TIME
GS-036 IT REV 4/17/2026 Page 1 of 32

1. BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara is inviting qualified vendors to
submit a bid proposal to modernize the Court's intranet leveraging the Court's M365 G5
Subscription and SharePoint Online.
The Court currently operates an intranet that is a self-hosted internal website, hosted on
an IIS server. It is not a SharePoint-based system. The existing system contains
operational and financial business process documents, HR-related documents, employee
resources, Judicial Officer pages, and reports. There are no migration requirements or
expectations - the Court does not intend to perform a lift-and-shift migration. Instead,
identified and relevant files will be manually migrated by Court staff and the selected
vendor collaboratively during the discovery phase.
The Court serves approximately 600 internal users with minimal anticipated growth over
the life of the contract.
2. DESCRIPTION OF GOODS AND/OR SERVICES
The Court seeks the services of a person or entity with expertise in developing modern
intranet solutions on the Microsoft 365 platform. The new intranet must be easy to
navigate, offer modern features, and integrate well with existing systems. Scope of work
includes but is not limited to the following:
2.1. System Design & Architecture
2.1.1. Conduct a discovery phase to assess current intranet usage and gather
requirements from approximately 6 key stakeholder departments.
2.1.2. Recommend technical architecture for the new intranet system, including
information architecture consistent with a hub site with associated
divisional/department sites (estimated at a couple dozen).
2.1.3. Provide an intuitive, user-friendly interface design with an emphasis on full
WCAG 2.1 accessibility compliance.
2.1.4. Develop detailed user stories and wireframes for Court approval. The more
detail provided in the proposal regarding design concepts, the better the Court will be
able to evaluate and award.
2.1.5. Define naming conventions, metadata standards, and content taxonomy in
collaboration with IT and content owners.
2.2. Platform Development & Customization
2.2.1. Implement a custom intranet solution leveraging SharePoint Online within the
Court's existing M365 G5 tenant. The Court is not looking for a basic out-of-the-box
SharePoint site; custom SPFx web parts are expected where justified.
2.2.2. Develop necessary templates, modules, and features, including, but not limited
to:
i. News and announcements (with optional approval workflow).
ii. Document management and collaboration tools (metadata and folder-based
structure; naming conventions required).
iii. Employee directory and organizational chart (system of record: Active
Directory / Microsoft Entra ID).
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iv. Calendar and event management (optional).
v. Search functionality with advanced filters, custom refiners, managed
properties, and promoted content.
vi. Permission management and role-based access control (RBAC).
vii. Configurable email notifications and alerts.
2.2.3. Develop a reusable department site template so future sites can be provisioned
consistently.
2.2.4. Implement automated site provisioning for new departments where feasible.
2.3. Security, Compliance & Governance
2.3.1. Implement appropriate security measures including authentication, encryption,
and data protection.
2.3.2. Ensure compliance with relevant government standards, privacy policies, and
cybersecurity protocols, with a baseline of RBAC and security best practices.
2.3.3. Implement conditional access policies, sensitivity labels, and audit
logging/reporting as part of the base scope.
2.3.4. Evaluate the Court's existing tenant configuration and recommend governance
and access-control frameworks, including site provisioning processes, naming
conventions, and lifecycle management (archive/delete). Vendor is expected to
implement approved governance controls within the scope of the project.
2.3.5. Limit Teams/SharePoint site creation to specific roles within IT.
2.3.6. Implement Microsoft Purview for data classification and retention, ideally in
Phase 1 or as a near-term roadmap item.
2.3.7. Implement SLAs for issue resolution and enhancements (vendor to
recommend tiers).
2.4. AI Readiness (Optional - Separate Line Item Required)
AI readiness features are not required as part of the base scope. However, the Court
is interested in positioning the new intranet to leverage current and emerging Microsoft
AI capabilities. Vendors who offer AI readiness capabilities must price them as
separate, optional line items in their cost proposals so the Court can evaluate them
independently from the core implementation. Vendors should address the following in
their proposals where applicable:
2.4.1. Microsoft Copilot Integration - Describe how the intranet architecture will
support Microsoft 365 Copilot, including content discoverability, permissions hygiene,
and Copilot-ready metadata structures. Copilot integration is optional in Phase 1 but
should be designed for in the base architecture.
2.4.2. Copilot Search & Content Summarization - Propose how Copilot can be
used within the intranet to help users find, summarize, and act on content (e.g.,
policies, announcements, documents).
2.4.3. SharePoint Agents / Embedded Chatbot - Describe options for an intranet-
specific chatbot or SharePoint agent scoped to intranet content (not general Court
topics). This is optional but of interest.
2.4.4. Power Platform AI Features - Identify opportunities to leverage AI Builder,
Copilot Studio, or other Power Platform AI features within the Court's M365 G5
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licensing.
2.4.5. Governance for AI - Propose guardrails, permissions hygiene practices, and
content governance standards that ensure AI features surface appropriate content to
appropriate users.
2.4.6. Adoption Roadmap - Provide a phased AI adoption roadmap that
distinguishes what is in scope for Phase 1 versus future enhancements as Microsoft's
AI capabilities evolve.
2.5. Testing & Quality Assurance
2.5.1. Conduct thorough testing, including user acceptance testing (UAT) with a
dedicated Court business stakeholder group, to ensure functionality, security, and
performance.
2.5.2. Ensure cross-platform compatibility (PC, Mac, mobile) and across standard
web browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari).
2.5.3. Conduct a pilot migration/launch before full enterprise-wide rollout.
2.5.4. Address any identified issues or bugs prior to deployment.
2.6. Deployment & Migration
2.6.1. Provide a detailed deployment plan. Since content is not being migrated from
the legacy system, vendors should recommend a deployment approach (enterprise-
wide launch is acceptable given the greenfield nature of the build).
2.6.2. Support Court IT and content owners in selectively migrating approved, active
content during the discovery phase. Content validation and ownership assignment is
a collaborative responsibility between the vendor and IT/content owners.
2.6.3. Provide a smooth transition to the new platform with minimal disruption to
operations.
2.6.4. Deliver a knowledge transfer plan to internal IT staff prior to project close.
2.7. Training & Support
2.7.1. Provide remote, live, train-the-trainer training for approximately 12
administrators and site owners.
2.7.2. Develop user manuals and online resources (combination of live virtual, train-
the-trainer, and recorded modules) for self-service support.
2.7.3. Post-go-live support is optional and not a requirement, but vendors must
include tiered post-go-live support options as line items in their cost proposal,
including:
i. Hypercare support (30-60 days post-launch)
ii. Ongoing managed services (optional)
iii. SLA tiers for issue resolution and enhancement requests
3. Functional Requirements
3.1. User Experience
3.1.1. Easy-to-use and intuitive interface.
3.1.2. Customizable homepage with widgets (e.g., latest news, calendar, task reminders).
3.1.3. All content and interfaces must meet full WCAG 2.1 accessibility standards.
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3.2. Document Management
3.2.1. Centralized document storage and versioning using a combination of metadata
and folder-based structure.
3.2.2. Departments must adopt standardized naming conventions and metadata.
3.2.3. Easy document sharing and collaboration (comments, edits, approvals).
3.2.4. Searchable document repository with advanced filtering and categorization.
3.3. Communication Tools
3.3.1. Newsfeed or announcements board for internal communications, with
configurable notifications and alerts that can be managed by content owners.
3.3.2. Email notifications and alerts.
3.3.3. Teams and Copilot integration (optional/nice-to-have).
3.4. Search
3.4.1. Enhanced search is a requirement. Out-of-the-box Microsoft Search is not
sufficient.
3.4.2. Required capabilities include: custom managed properties, refiners/verticals,
promoted results, people directory integration, and metadata-driven filtering.
3.4.3. Custom search experiences (e.g., PnP Search, custom verticals) are expected.
3.4.4. IT will be responsible for maintaining the search schema and refiners post-go-
live.
3.5. Governance
3.5.1. Vendor must recommend and implement a governance framework covering:
i. Site provisioning process
ii. Naming conventions
iii. Lifecycle management (archive/delete)
iv. Role definitions (Site Owners, Content Authors, Governance Committee -
to be defined with Court)
3.5.2. Change management post-kickoff will be handled on a case-by-case basis
through a vendor-defined change control process.
4. Technical Requirements
4.1. Compatible with standard web browsers: Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari.
4.2. Secure authentication via Single Sign-On (SSO), integrated with Active
Directory and Microsoft Entra ID (both currently in use).
4.3. Solution must leverage the Court's existing M365 G5 SharePoint Online tenant.
Vendors must rely solely on Court-owned M365 G5 licensing; no additional licensing
costs should be included.
4.4. High availability and reliability, with contingency plans for disaster recovery.
4.5. Dev, QA, and Production environments as separate site collections within the
existing tenant.
4.6. No third-party integrations required beyond the Microsoft stack.
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4.7. All work to be performed remotely. Offshore resources are acceptable; the
awarded vendor is responsible for vetting resources and ensuring compliance with Court
remote access policies.
4.8. User satisfaction will be measured via survey; vendor should propose an
adoption metrics approach.
5. TIMELINE FOR THIS RFP
Court has developed the following list of key events related to this RFP. All dates are
subject to change at the discretion of Court.
EVENT DATE
RFP issued 8/13/2026
Pre-proposal Conference 8/26/2026 @ 11:00 am
Deadline for questions 9/7/2026
Questions and answers posted 9/17/2026
Latest date and time proposal may be submitted 9/30/2026 @ 1:00 pm
Anticipated interview dates (estimate only)
10/12/2026 - 10/16/2026
Evaluation of proposals (estimate only)
10/19/2026 - 10/23/2026
Public opening of cost portion of proposals 10/28/2026
Notice of Intent to Award (estimate only) 11/4/2026
Negotiations and execution of contract (estimate only) 11/12/2026
Contract start date (estimate only) 12/1/2026
Contract end date (estimate only) 11/30/2029
Court's preference is for a phased implementation delivered as soon as possible. The
implementation timeline is flexible and should be refined based on scope discovery. A
pilot launch is expected before enterprise-wide rollout.
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6. RFP ATTACHMENTS
The following attachments are included as part of this RFP:
ATTACHMENT DESCRIPTION
Attachment 1: These rules govern this solicitation.
Administrative Rules
Governing RFPs (IT
Goods and Services)
Attachment 2: Court If selected, the person or entity submitting a proposal
Standard Terms and (herein after referred to as "Proposer") must sign this Court
Conditions Standard Form Agreement (the "Terms and Conditions").
Attachment 3: On this form, Proposer must indicate acceptance of the
Proposer's Terms and Conditions or identify exceptions to the Terms
Acceptance of Terms and Conditions.
and Conditions
Note: Any exception to a Minimum Term will render a
proposal non-responsive.
Attachment 4: General Proposer must complete the General Certifications Form and
Certifications Form submit the completed form with its proposal.
Attachment 5: Proposer must complete this form only if it wishes to claim
Small Business the small business preference associated with this
Declaration solicitation.
Attachment 6: Payee This form contains information Court requires in order to
Data Record Form process payments and must be submitted with the proposal.
[Only for solicitations of Proposer must complete the Iran Contracting Act
$1,000,000 or more]
Certification and submit the completed certification with its
Attachment 7: Iran
proposal.
Contracting Act
Certification
(Only for solicitations of Proposer must complete the Unruh Civil Rights Act and
$100,000, or more) California Fair Employment and Housing Act Certification
Attachment 8: Unruh and
and submit the completed certification with its proposal.
FEHA Certification
7. PAYMENT INFORMATION
7.1. The vendor will be expected to invoice based on agreed upon project deliverables.
7.2. Any necessary travel expenses will be covered by the vendor. The majority of this work
can be completed offsite / remotely.
7.3. Payment is net 30 days after acceptance of invoice.
7.4. All invoices must reference contract purchase order.
8. PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCE
Court will hold a pre-proposal conference on the date identified in the timeline above. The
pre-proposal conference will be held below:
Microsoft Teams meeting
Join: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/270151859545397?p=0vTG1lJf3UCcrJuOuK
Meeting ID: 270 151 859 545 397
Passcode: tL2ao9sT
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Attendance at the pre-proposal conference is MANDATORY. Each Proposer must be certain
to check in at the pre-proposal conference, as the attendance list will be used to ascertain
compliance with this requirement. Court will reject a proposal from any Proposer who did not
attend the pre-proposal conference.
9. SUBMISSIONS OF PROPOSALS
9.1. Proposals should provide straightforward, concise information that satisfies the
requirements of the "Proposal Contents" section below. Expensive bindings, color
displays, and the like are not necessary or desired. Emphasis should be placed on
conformity to the RFP's instructions and requirements, and completeness and clarity of
content.
9.2. Proposer must submit its proposal in two parts, the non-cost portion and the cost portion.
a. Proposer must submit an electronic copy of the non-cost portion of the proposal. The
proposal must be signed by an authorized representative of the Proposer. The non-cost
portion of the proposal must be submitted to Court via email to
solicitationsmailbox@scscourt.org. Proposer must write the RFP title and number in the
subject line of the email.
b. Proposer must submit an electronic copy of the cost portion of the proposal. The cost
proposal must be submitted in the same email as the technical proposal above, (via
email to: solicitationsmailbox@scscourt.org) but should be a separate attachment from
the technical proposal and marked "COST PROPOSAL." The proposal must be signed
by an authorized representative of Proposer.
9.3. Late proposals will not be accepted.
10. PROPOSAL CONTENTS
10.1. Non-Cost Portion: The following information must be included in the non-cost
portion of the proposal. A proposal lacking any of the following information may be
deemed non-responsive.
a. Proposer's name, address, telephone and fax numbers, and federal tax
identification number. If Proposer is a sole proprietor using their social security
number, the social security number does not need to be included but will be
required before finalizing a contract.
b. Proposed method to complete the work.
(1) Technical Approach - Describe your approach to SharePoint Online
architecture, SPFx customization strategy, information architecture, and
how you will handle the Court's specific requirements (enhanced search,
RBAC, AI readiness, governance).
(2) Work Plan & Methodology - Provide a detailed project plan with
milestones, phasing, and timeline. Include your proposed change control
process.
(3) Experience - Provide references from similar assignments, preferably
government or court environments. Federal and commercial references
are acceptable.
(4) Staff Credentials - Identify key personnel to be assigned to the project,
including relevant Microsoft certifications.
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(5) Design Concepts / Wireframes - While not required, the more design
detail provided, the better the Court will be able to evaluate proposals.
(6) AI Readiness Plan - Address Section 2.4 in full, including a phased AI
adoption roadmap.
c. Acceptance of the Terms Conditions.
(1) On Attachment 3, the Proposer must check the appropriate box and sign
the form. If Proposer marks the second box, it must provide the required
additional materials. An "exception" includes any addition, deletion, or
other modification.
(2) If exceptions are identified, Proposer must also submit (a) a red-lined
version of the Terms and Conditions that implements all proposed
changes, and (b) a written explanation or rationale for each exception
and/or proposed change.
(3) Note: Any exception to a Minimum Term will render a proposal
non-responsive.
d. Certifications, Attachments, and Other Requirements.
(1) Proposer must complete the General Certifications Form (Attachment 4)
and submit the completed form with its proposal.
(2) If Proposer is a California corporation, limited liability company ("LLC"),
limited partnership ("LP"), or limited liability partnership ("LLP"), Proposer
must submit proof that it is in good standing in California. If Proposer is a
foreign corporation, LLC, LP, or LLP, and conducts or will conduct (if
awarded the contract) intrastate business in California, Proposer must
submit proof that it is qualified to do business and is in good standing in
California. If Proposer is a foreign corporation, LLC, LP, or LLP, and
Proposer does not (and will not if awarded the contract) conduct intrastate
business in California, Proposer must submit proof it is in good standing
in its home jurisdiction.
(3) Copies of Proposer's (and any subcontractors') current business licenses,
professional certifications, or other credentials.
(4) [for solicitations of $1,000,000 or more] Proposer must complete the Iran
Contracting Act Certification (Attachment 7) and submit the completed
certification with its proposal.
(5) (for solicitations of $100,000 or more) Proposer must complete the Unruh
Civil Rights Act and California Fair Employment and Housing Act
Certification (Attachment 8) and submit the completed certification with its
bid.
10.2. Cost Portion: The following information must be included in the cost portion of the proposal.
Provide a fixed-price, turnkey "not-to-exceed" proposal with an itemized cost
breakdown by phase/deliverable. Post-go-live support and any optional features
(including AI readiness items per Section 2.4) must be priced as separate line
items. Budget will be discussed during contract negotiation.
NOTE: It is unlawful for any person engaged in business within this state to sell or use any
article
or product as a "loss leader" as defined in Business and Professions Code Section 17030.
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11. OFFER PERIOD
Proposer's proposal is an irrevocable offer for ninety (90) days following the proposal due date.
In the event a final contract has not been awarded within this period, Court reserves the right
to negotiate extensions to this period.
12. EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS
The cost portion of proposals will be publicly opened at the date and time noted in Section 3.0.
Microsoft Teams meeting
Join: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/221259064413388?p=OgUakOwo2V1hlZUDwY
Meeting ID: 221 259 064 413 388
Passcode: uw2md9DE
Court will evaluate the proposals on a 100-point scale using the criteria set forth in the table
below. The award, if made, will be to the highest-scored proposal.
If a contract will be awarded, Court will post an intent to award notice at
http://www.scscourt.org/general_info/vendors/archive.shtml.
CRITERION MAXIMUM NUMBER OF
POINTS
Quality of work plan submitted 25
Experience on similar assignments 15
35
Cost
5
Credentials of staff to be assigned to the project
20
Ability to meet timing requirements to complete the
project
13. INTERVIEWS
Court may conduct interviews with Proposers to clarify aspects set forth in their proposals or
to assist in finalizing the ranking of top-ranked proposals. The interview process may require
a demonstration. The interview may also require a demonstration of equivalence if a brand
name is included in the specifications. The interviews may be conducted in person, via a
virtual meeting platform, or by phone. If conducted in person, interviews will likely be held at
Court offices. Court will not reimburse Proposers for any costs incurred in traveling to or from
the interview location. Court will notify eligible Proposers regarding interview arrangements.
14. CONFIDENTIAL OR PROPRIETARY INFORMATION
PROPOSALS ARE SUBJECT TO DISCLOSURE PURSUANT TO APPLICABLE
PROVISIONS OF THE CALIFORNIA PUBLIC CONTRACT CODE AND RULE 10.500
OF THE CALIFORNIA RULES OF
COURT. Court will not disclose (i) social security numbers, or (ii) balance sheets or income
statements submitted by a Proposer that is not a publicly-traded corporation. All other
information in proposals will be disclosed in response to applicable public records requests.
Such disclosure will be made regardless of whether the proposal (or portions thereof) is
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