UCSF RFP# 004066 - Cremation Services

The Regents of the University of California

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

004066 /Cremation Services/2026

Request for Proposal

For

Cremation Services for the Willed Body Program at UCSF

Date Issued: September 11th, 2026

Issued By: University of California, San Francisco

RFP Administrator: Silvia Rivera Vasquez

silvia.riveravasquez@ucsf.edu

University of California, San Francisco

1855 Folsom Street

San Francisco, CA 94143

Table of Contents

General information about this RFP

Purpose of this RFP

The purpose of this Request for Proposal ("RFP") is to invite qualified business suppliers ("Bidders") to prepare and submit a bid proposal ("bid") for Cremation Services to the University of California, San Francisco ("UCSF", "UC San Francisco" or "University") in accordance with the requirements defined in this RFP.

The University's intent is to ensure adequate services and reduce the overall cost to end users.

Background

The University of California, San Francisco Willed Body Program supports the advancement of medical education, healthcare professional training, and scientific research through the generous donation of human bodies for educational and research purposes. The Program is committed to ensuring that donors are treated with dignity, respect, and care throughout the donation process and that activities associated with the disposition of donors and anatomical materials are conducted in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, and University requirements.

UCSF is seeking qualified supplier(s) to provide professional cremation and related services for the Willed Body Program on an as-needed basis. Services may include transportation of cadavers and anatomical materials, cremation, processing and placement of cremated remains into appropriate containers, return of cremated remains to UCSF, and, when requested, scattering of cremated remains at sea. Through this RFP, UCSF intends to identify a supplier/s that can provide reliable, timely, compliant, and respectful services while maintaining appropriate identification, documentation, and chain-of-custody controls throughout the process.

Contract Period

The initial term of the Contract resulting from this RFP is for a period of five (3) years commencing from the inception date of a fully executed Contract. The University may, at its option, extend the Contract and its terms for additional one-year periods.

Objectives of this RFP

The overall objective of the RFP is the selection of a qualified supplier/s to assist in sustaining a cost effective and efficient procurement solution for Cremation Services. The awarded bid will support UCSF in the following objectives:

Offer a quality service that meets the University need;

Reduce the price of services to campus end users;

Maintain high standards of quality and service to the University;

Please review the attached Scope of Work (SOW) - Attachment A (under attachments), containing all the details specified by the University as the requirements of the service(s) being requested by the Willed Body Program.

Issuing Office and Communication

This RFP, and any subsequent addenda to it, is issued by the UC San Francisco Strategic Sourcing Team on behalf of the Regents of the University of California. UC San Francisco Strategic Sourcing is the sole point of contact regarding all procurement and contractual matters relating to the requirements described in this RFP. UC San Francisco Strategic Sourcing is the only office authorized to change, modify, or clarify the specifications or terms and conditions of this RFP.

All communications concerning this RFP should be addressed in writing or email:

Silvia Rivera Vasquez

silvia.riveravasquez@ucsf.edu

Significant RFP Dates

*Note: All times are Pacific Standard.

Proposal Acceptance Period

All Bids shall remain available for University acceptance for a period of 1 year following the submission date.

Bidder Questions About the RFP

Each Bidder is expected to exercise its best professional independent judgment in analyzing the requirements of this RFP to ascertain whether additional clarification is necessary or desirable before responding. If there are any discrepancies in, omissions to, or questions about the information provided in the RFP or by any other source, a request must be submitted to request clarification, interpretation, or correction.

Questions regarding this RFP must be submitted electronically through the University of California bidding website Question & Answer Board (Discussion Forum) by the date stated in the RFP Timeline (Deadline for Questions). Questions and responses will be published to all listed bidders.

Scoring of Qualified Bids

This RFP is focused on determining the total solution of RFP components that best addresses UCSF's requirements, as defined within this RFP. All evaluation criteria have been weighted by UCSF based on its priorities. The most important selection criterion is the functional fit of the firm to UCSF's requirements, beginning with any mandatory requirements.

Participating Locations

This RFP covers the entire UC San Francisco campus, its satellite locations and affiliates. Any awarded Contract(s) shall be extended to any future UC locations as they may be announced during the term of an awarded Contract, which has potential to generate additional opportunity for the awarded supplier.

Auditing Requirements

Any awarded Contract and any orders resulting therefrom shall be subject to examination and audit by the University for a period of three (3) years after final payment. University shall provide reasonable advance notice to Bidder, and the examination and audit shall be confined to those matters connected with the performance of the awarded Contract, including, but not limited to, the costs of administering the awarded Contract. Any such audit shall be conducted without business disruption to Bidder, and shall be at the sole cost of the University.

Instructions for RFP Response

RFP Response

Bidders are asked to respond to all questionnaires into the online UC bidding application by the RFP deadline. Proposals will be evaluated based on how well they address the requirements and deliverables outlined in the bid and based on price competitiveness.

Throughout your proposal, please articulate:

Bidder's approach to executing such an engagement.

The structure of pricing for entirety of proposed Bidder's services (e.g. fixed price; time and materials; hourly rate by type resource type, etc.)

What additional information, if any, Bidder needs in order to provide a specific pricing and timeline proposal.

Submittal Instructions

This RFP documents listed in Table 1 (below) will be incorporated into any Contract resulting from this RFP.

Regarding Table 1 below:

* RFP Document and Response Structure - lists all of the documents and informational requests comprising the RFP

* Reference - refers to the document title

* To be Included in Bidder Response - line items with a "Yes" in this column are documents/forms to be completed by Bidder and submitted to UCSF to comprise your proposal (items with a designation of "Yes (signed)" requires the document to be signed by Bidder)

Table 1

Bid Response Format and Required Submittals

Bidder is to provide a written response addressing the full scope specified under this RFP.

Please submit your response in the format requested. The University may, at its sole option, ask the Bidder to provide clarifications to their response provided the information requested does not materially negate competition.

Your Bid Response must include all of the elements listed, be clearly indexed and assembled (in accordance with the numbers and in the order listed in the sections above) referencing the corresponding RFP sections and headings.

The Bid Response should include a table of contents with page numbers covering all parts including exhibits and addenda, with sufficient detail to facilitate easy reference to all requested information.

Proprietary Information

Any restrictions on the use of data contained in a Bid Response must be clearly stated in the response itself. Proprietary information submitted in response to this RFP will be handled in accordance with applicable University of California procurement regulations and the Public Records Act. All data and documentation become the property of the University.

Exceptions and Deviations to RFP Contract Documents

If Bidder has issues with the Exhibit Contracts included in this bid, then Bidders shall use the following format for responding. Bidder proposed wording that does not include a rationale for making a change will be NOT be considered. Any rationale that is merely a statement of the concept that an issue is "not acceptable", with no other rationale will NOT be considered. The table below illustrates an example.

Any issues that are not identified in the format below will not be considered during negotiations.