Evaluation of the Private Defender Program 2026

Background

The County Executive’s Office of San Mateo County is soliciting proposals from qualified contractors to evaluate the County’s Private Defender Program (PDP). Established in 1969, the PDP provides indigent defense services through a partnership with the San Mateo County Bar Association (SMCBA), which contracts approximately 116 attorneys to represent adult defendants and minors in various legal matters. The evaluation aims to assess the PDP's performance against national and state guidelines and best practices for indigent defense programs, ultimately leading to recommendations for improvement.

Work Details

The contractor will evaluate the PDP in several key areas: independence and oversight; compliance with applicable standards of indigent representation; quality of defense provided; staff workload; adequacy of resources including investigators and social workers; sufficiency of funding; management staffing and administrative support; training; supervision and performance tracking measures; quality of electronic case management systems; efficient resource use; capacity for program implementation and expansion; ability to secure additional funding opportunities; and capacity for ongoing research into best practices. The contractor is expected to collect data, conduct interviews with stakeholders, compare findings against established guidelines, and provide a comprehensive written report detailing evaluation findings, methodology, and recommendations.

Period of Performance

The contract is expected to be completed by April 12, 2027, although the formal agreement may extend for three years from the date of execution.

Place of Performance

San Mateo County, California.

Bidder Requirements

Proposers must have at least four years of experience providing similar services within the last seven years and must have completed at least three evaluations of indigent defense programs for public agencies. Proposers must also be legally authorized to do business in California and registered with SAM.gov.