Frequently Asked Questions

You can register and review open county bidding opportunities through the County's Supplier Portal.

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The approval process depends on the annual value of the service agreement:

• $0 to $50,000 per year for up to 3 years: This is an informal solicitation where the Department Head executes the agreement.
• $50,001 to $200,000 per year for up to 3 years: A formal solicitation is required, and the County Purchasing Agent executes the agreement.
• Above $200,000 per year or over 3 years: This requires a formal solicitation, and the Board of Supervisors awards the contract.

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The county's procurement process is guided by several core values, including transparency, integrity, fairness, open competition, accountability, compliance with all laws, and privacy of confidential data.

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Yes, registration is required to bid on and download County solicitations. The County only accepts electronic bids submitted through the portal.

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You should register as a:

• Bidder: if your company is new to doing business with the County.
• Supplier: if your company is currently or has previously done business with the County.

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Yes. Contractors with existing DHS contracts must submit proposals/bids to open procurements. This is true for procurements which cover the same scope of work that is within their existing contract and for any new opportunities.

The procurement process is cyclical, resulting in contracts with terms of 3-5 years in length. DHS is required to go back out to procurement at the end of the contracting cycle. 

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For technical assistance, you can contact the Supplier Desk at supplier-desk@sonomacounty.gov or the Purchasing Division at (707) 565-2550. A best practice is to submit your proposal early to avoid last-minute issues.

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Yes. Most Pre-Bid conferences are recorded.

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Yes. Both the recording and the slides are made available via an Addendum to the procurement and published on the Supplier Portal.

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To qualify, a business must have a valid local business license (if required by their city) and maintain a physical principal or satellite office within Sonoma County from which the business operates daily, employing at least one full-time worker. Details can be found on the County’s Local Preference page.

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Yes. For formal Requests for Proposals (RFPs), local providers receive a 5% scoring preference in quantitative evaluations. Exceptions to this are outlined on the County’s Local Preference page.

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Yes. Contractors awarded via local preference cannot subcontract more than 50% of the contract's total value to non-local entities.

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Procurement outcomes are communicated in various ways.

Notifications may include:

• Notice of Intent to Award webpage posting providing notification to all interested parties
• Award notification distribution by email to proposers
• Non-award notification distribution by email to proposers
• Request for contract negotiation by email or phone call
• Other procurement communications, as applicable

Please review all procurement communications carefully for applicable timelines and next steps.

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Yes. Questions regarding a procurement outcome should be directed to DHS-Procurement@sonomacounty.gov.

DHS is committed to providing clear and consistent communication regarding procurement processes and outcomes.

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Yes. A debriefing may provide information regarding:

• The evaluation process
• Evaluation criteria and methodology
• General strengths of a proposal
• General areas where a proposal was less responsive to solicitation requirements

To protect the integrity of the procurement process, confidential, proprietary, or protected information cannot be disclosed.

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Requests should be directed to DHS-Procurement@sonomacounty.gov.

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Yes. Protests must be filed within seven (7) calendar days from the date notice of intent to award is issued. Failure to file a timely protest shall constitute a waiver of any right to protest. Untimely protests will not be accepted or considered.

Any protest shall:

• State in detail each and every ground asserted for the protest, citing to the law, rule, local ordinance, procedure or bid provision on which the protest is based; and
• Identify the remedy sought.

Protests will only be accepted from agencies that submitted proposals for funding. No third-party protests will be considered.

Protests are managed by the Sonoma County Purchasing Division. Complete details can be found on the Protests & Appeals page.

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All protests must be made in writing and submitted to the Purchasing Agent at 400 Aviation Boulevard, Ste. 100, Santa Rosa, CA 95403. Complete details can be on the Protests & Appeals page.

Vendors should carefully review all applicable requirements, as protest and appeal deadlines are time-sensitive.

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Questions regarding procurement outcomes, debriefings or procurements in general may be directed to DHS-Procurement@sonomacounty.gov.

For general information about doing business with DHS, please visit the DHS contractor resources webpage  or contact the Department for assistance at: DHS-Contracting@sonomacounty.gov.

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All contractors must avoid any conflicts of interest, including situations that could lead to personal gain or involve personal relationships that could influence the professional engagement. This includes compliance with the Levine Act.

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Effective July 1, 2026, the County's Living Wage will increase from $23.15 to $23.84 per hour. All County government service contractors must pay their employees at least this rate, though various deductions and exemptions may apply. Specific details can be found by reviewing the County’s Living Wage Ordinance.

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Insurance requirements can vary depending on the scope of work. Contractors can review the various templates at by going to the County Insurance Requirements page.

Contractors must provide valid Certificates of Insurance (COI) with all required endorsements before a contract can be executed. Specifically, the "County of Sonoma, its Officers, Agents, and Employees” must be endorsed as additional insureds.

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Delays within a contractor's control are often caused by:

• Not providing correct insurance documents in a timely manner.
• Requesting changes to the standard boilerplate language in the County's contract, which requires additional legal review.
• Not returning the signed contract to DHS.

Delays not within a contractor’s control are often caused by:

• Need for Board authority for the contract.
• Delayed budget decisions.
• Legal counsel review.

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Any changes to the scope, cost, or duration require a formal, written amendment signed by all parties. Verbal approvals are not sufficient.

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To receive payment, you must submit an accurate invoice with all necessary supporting documentation to DHS. Payments are made after work is performed. You are only paid for services that are within your scope of work in the contract.

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No, you cannot use your own invoice. DHS Fiscal will provide a specific template designed to meet all funding requirements.

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Payments can be delayed for several reasons, including:

• Insufficient backup documentation.
• Incomplete invoices.
• Work described is not in the contract.
• Incomplete SmartCare patient records (if applicable).
• The invoice is submitted late.
• The contract is not yet fully executed.

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After an invoice and supporting documents are submitted, internal review takes 3–5 business days. After that, it may take another 2–3 weeks to receive a payment by check. The timeline is affected by internal approvals, the central check printing schedule, and mail delivery.

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Yes, the County offers ACH (electronic payments). While setup can take up to two months, it significantly reduces payment processing time once established. ACH payments are processed on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

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The details will depend on your contract and the funding source. To receive accurate guidance, please contact DHS.Fiscal@sonomacounty.gov. After reviewing your contract language, we can offer specific advice tailored to your contract.

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Please provide timecards and payroll reports for the staff, along with a justification of the allocation and the methodology used to determine each staff member's percentage of time. Including supporting documentation for these allocations will help the department substantiate the methodology used for each staff member.

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Unfortunately, not at this time. This may be something we can explore with the Auditor-Controller in the future.

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Yes. If your contract is federally funded, you are subject to the Code of Federal Regulations (2 CFR 200) and must have a valid Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) from SAM.gov. The County Auditor provides a helpful online tool for contractors with federally funded contracts: General Information for Federally Funded Contracts

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Yes. Contractors in these areas work with the Revenue Management Unit (RMU). Invoices must be submitted via a designated SoCoCloud folder within 30 days of the last day of the month of service. The RMU will provide a County-approved invoice template and generator.

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Yes, but if you are unsure, please review your contract to confirm the funding source and understand the associated requirements. If you still have questions or need further guidance, feel free to contact DHS.Fiscal@sonomacounty.gov

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For fiscal years beginning on or after October 1, 2024, the threshold changed from $750,000 to $1,000,000.

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DHS invites interested parties to join its Community Advisory Panel to help review and score applications for competitive procurements. You can complete an online interest form on the "Doing Business with DHS" website to be added to the list of potential reviewers.

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General

• Procurement
• Contracting
• General Invoicing / Payments

Behavioral Health / SUD (Resource Management Unit - RMU)

• Invoicing
  • Jessica Silveira
  • Lisa Monts
• Payments
  • Cherry Omiple
  • Sydnie Wilson
• Mental Health Billing
  • Mary Chamberlain
• Substance Use Disorder Billing
  • Julie Shirlock
• Contracts
  • Shannon Rasmussen
• Manager
  • Christine Poirier

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DHS Executive Leadership

• Director Nolan Sullivan
  • Phone: (707) 565-7901
  • Email: nolan.sullivan@sonomacounty.gov
• Assistant Director Jennifer Pimentel
  • Phone: (707) 565-5311
  • Email: jennifer.pimentel@sonomacounty.gov
• Assistant Director Gabriel Kaplan
  • Phone: (707) 565-6622
  • Email: gabriel.kaplan@sonomacounty.gov

Division Directors

• Public Health - Amelyn Olson
  • Phone: (707) 565-2696
  • Email: Amelyn.Olson@sonomacounty.gov
• Behavioral Health - Jan Cobaleda-Kegler
  • Phone: (707) 565-5157
  • Email: Jan.Cobaleda-Kegler@sonomacounty.gov
• Housing Support and Services (formerly the Homelessness Division) – Hunter Scott
  • Phone: (707) 565-7095
  • Email: Hunter.Scott@sonomacounty.gov

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