City of San Marcos takes on larger procurement load with Planetbids

Overview

The City of San Marcos, a parks and recreation paradise located in San Diego County, is a rapidly growing city of nearly 95,000.

While the City has been conducting procurement processes with PlanetBids digital procurement solution since 2018, project requests and funding have skyrocketed in the past year, thanks to the passing of a major tax initiative in late 2024.

Measure Q imposed a one-cent sales tax on most purchases, providing approximately $20 Million annually for general government use for 10 years – all to be used locally.

The measure provides funding for services such as fixing public infrastructure, updating and maintaining local parks, trails, and playgrounds, and providing additional fire, paramedic, and 911 emergency response services for the city.

A new fire station, fire engines, and brush rig were among the emergency response improvements, while infrastructure additions included two dump trucks, street paving, and a lighting project along Mission Road. Parks and recreation was slated to receive playground replacements, new sports lighting, and master plans for new parks.

As expected, this new influx of funds and the corresponding projects put new pressure on the City’s procurement team.