NIGP 95247: Foster Care Services

NIGP 95247 Foster Care Services, an Item code, encompasses state and local procurement of direct residential and community-based care for children and youth in the child welfare system, spanning case management, family reunification support, emergency shelter, therapeutic foster care, residential group care, adoption services, and post-adoption support. Recent solicitations show a mix of issuing bodies—state departments of children and family services, county human services divisions, and municipal grants programs—all actively building or maintaining foster care and related services capacity. The City of Santa Monica opened a four-year Human Services Grants Program RFP in September 2026 inviting nonprofit proposals for community-based human services addressing identified local needs, with awards executed July 1, 2027 through June 30, 2031 and annual funding contingent on performance and City Council appropriation. The Cuyahoga County Division of Children and Family Services in Ohio solicited event services in September 2026 supporting its adoption month programming. The Florida Department of Children and Families issued a major Invitation to Tender (ITN) in July 2026 to select a Community-Based Care Lead Agency for Circuit 6 (Pinellas and Pasco counties), a five-year contract delivering comprehensive foster care, family preservation, family reunification, emergency shelter, residential group care, therapeutic foster care, adoption services, guardianship assistance, and independent living services 24/7 at state-and-federal-funded rates, with responses due August 27, 2026 and potential renewal for one to five additional years.

Recent activity is concentrated in Florida and Utah, with scattered municipal and county-level engagement. The Florida Department of Juvenile Justice conducted an RFI in July 2026 on operating secure residential programs for female youth, identifying capacity gaps and exploring feasibility at two potential facility locations (Raiford and Orlando) with vendor conferences and optional site visits. Utah's Department of Health and Human Services issued multiple solicitations: in June 2026, an RFP for residential treatment services for persons with serious emotional or behavioral disorders at licensed facilities statewide (proposals due July 29, 2026); in June 2026, an RFP for employment training curriculum development and peer mentoring services for competitive integrated employment (proposals due June 30, 2026); and in July 2026, an Invitation for Applications for time-limited peer support services to persons on the Division of Services for People with Disabilities wait list (applications due December 30, 2037). The mix of notice types—RFPs, ITNs, RFIs, and grant-program solicitations—reflects both direct service procurement and capacity-gap exploration. Administrative and fiscal compliance requirements are substantial across all bodies: Florida's Lead Agency contract requires a 2% performance bond, 10% administrative cost cap, board-composition requirements, and 1,000-point evaluation rubric; Utah's residential treatment procurement mandates DHHS licensing, separate facility licenses, and specific direct-care staffing ratios (1:4 to 1:6 operational, 1:8 nighttime).