Managed Broadband Connectivity Services for Remote Field Operations

The County of San Mateo (“County”) covers most of the San Francisco Peninsula. The region covers 744 mi ² and is home to approximately 750,000 residents. The County is made up of 20 incorporated cities. The County provides for the health and welfare of all people within its borders and serves as the local government for the unincorporated areas. Innovation thrives here in industries including bioscience, computer software, green technology, hospitality, financial management, health care, education, and transportation. The County prides itself on how that prosperity fosters its commitment to protecting and enhancing the health, safety, welfare, and natural resources of the community.

The San Mateo County Parks Department (“Department”) serves nearly three million visitors every year. Visitors have many options when visiting the County’s unique park system. With 24 parks and recreation areas, over 16,000 acres of park land, and 190 miles of trail, the Department provides healthy outdoor activities, educational opportunities, and lasting memories.

Due to the diversity of the park system, visitors can enjoy an array of recreational opportunities, including walking; running; hiking; biking; picnicking; horseback riding; sailing; kite surfing; fishing; camping; gardening; tidepooling; volunteering; learning; sports courts; and playing on playgrounds.

San Mateo County Parks maintains multiple park sites and facilities located in geographically isolated areas, with limited proximity to telecommunications infrastructure. In some cases, topography and vegetation create persistent coverage gaps that cannot be reliably mitigated through conventional fixed-line or standard cellular solutions. As a result, terrestrial broadband and cellular connectivity at these locations is frequently unreliable, intermittent, or entirely unavailable.

The County has identified a need for a flexible, scalable connectivity solution capable of supporting remote and infrastructure-limited sites. The intent of this solicitation is to establish a service framework for broadband connectivity that can be deployed across multiple park locations with similar environmental and infrastructure constraints. Solutions may include, but are not limited to, terrestrial wireless (e.g., cellular or fixed wireless), satellite-based broadband, or integrated multi-path systems that combine multiple technologies to ensure reliable service continuity.

This RFP is intended to support a portfolio of sites with varying levels of connectivity challenge, where service reliability in remote conditions is the primary requirement.