City News

Invitation to Join a DHS NOFA-RFP Community Advisory Panel

July 11, 2025, City News

Dear community partners and colleagues,

The Sonoma County Department of Health Services (DHS) is seeking individuals willing to join Community Advisory Panels to review and score applications submitted for Notices of Funding Availability (NOFAs) and Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for DHS programs. We’d love for you to consider joining our panel pool or sharing this opportunity with others!

If you believe you are a good fit for this role, please complete the online community advisory panel interest form to be added to a list of potential reviewers. At this moment, we are only able to conduct our community advisory panels in English and are not providing stipends.

NOFAs and RFPs are used by government and other agencies (such as education and non-profits) to request applications or proposals from organizations or vendors for a specific project or service. There are standardized practices in DHS for NOFAs and RFPs, one of which is a review panel to review and score applications received by DHS.  

DHS recognizes the value in engaging community participants in our contracting processes. Community members are able to bring their lived experiences, knowledge of community needs and assets, and vision for their community. We seek candidates who are committed to promoting equitable access to public services.

Ideal candidates will:  

• Represent the diversity of Sonoma County’s population  
• Be interested in gaining experiential education and insight into how County contracting decisions are made  
• Appreciate connecting with diverse groups of individuals and agencies that value the well-being of people in our communities 
• Be willing to commit to the time needed for participation in the review process. Time commitments will vary depending on the number of proposals received for each funding opportunity  

By completing and submitting the form, you will be automatically added to the reviewer pool. Selection for review of specific NOFAs and RFPs will be determined by a set of criteria specific to each NOFA or RFP opportunity. With your additional consent, you may also be asked to review proposals for other County of Sonoma departments. 

If you know someone else who might be a good fit for this role, please feel free to share this request and the link to the interest form.  

If you have additional questions, please contact DHS-Procurement@sonoma-county.org.