HOPE01-24_-_FINAL_RFP_(12-23-24).pdf

Hope, Opportunity, Perseverance, & Empowerment (HOPE) for Children

901 P St, Suite 411B Sacramento, CA 95814

Request for Proposals (RFP) No. HOPE01-24

Program Administrator

NOTICE TO PROSPECTIVE PROPOSERS

December 23, 2024

You are invited to review and respond to this Request for Proposals (RFP) No. HOPE01-

24. The California Hope, Opportunity, Perseverance, and Empowerment (HOPE) for Children Trust Account Program (California HOPE Program) codified in Chapter 16.1 (commencing with section 18997.5) of the Welfare and Institutions Code (Assembly Bill 156, (Chapter 569, Statutes of 2022)) is seeking specific, detailed proposals from qualified firms experienced in Program Administration, Outreach, Enrollment, and Services Coordination, and Website Development and Management for youth-focused programs.

Proposals for these services must comply with the instructions included in the RFP.

The RFP includes the Sample Standard Agreement the selected firm will be expected to execute. The agreement that will be entered into with the State of California (“State”) will include by reference the General Terms and Conditions and Contractor Certification Clauses which may be viewed and downloaded online at:

https://www.dgs.ca.gov/OLS/Resources/Page-Content/Office-of-Legal-Services- Resources-List-Folder/Standard-Contract-Language. The General Terms and Conditions and all Exhibits that are a part of the Sample Standard Agreement are not negotiable. By submitting a proposal, your firm agrees to the terms and conditions stated in this RFP.

In the opinion of the California HOPE for Children Trust Account Program, this RFP is complete and without need of explanation. However, if you have questions, or should you need any clarifying information, the contact person for this RFP is:

Kasey O’Connor, Executive Director California HOPE Program

901 P Street, Suite 411B Sacramento, CA 95814

Kasey.O'Connor@treasurer.ca.gov

Questions regarding this RFP must be submitted in writing no later than January 2, 2025, at 4:00 p.m. PT. Responses to the questions will subsequently be posted by January 7, 2025, in the California State Contracts Register (CSCR). Please note that no verbal information provided will be binding upon the State unless such information is also issued in writing as an official addendum.

https://www.dgs.ca.gov/OLS/Resources/Page-Content/Office-of-Legal-Services-Resources-List-Folder/Standard-Contract-Language https://www.dgs.ca.gov/OLS/Resources/Page-Content/Office-of-Legal-Services-Resources-List-Folder/Standard-Contract-Language mailto:Kasey.O'Connor@treasurer.ca.gov

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. PURPOSE AND DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES Page 1

1.1 Introduction Page 1

1.2 Scope Overview Page 2

1.3 Sample Standard Agreement Page 3

1.4 Background and Program Overview Page 4

1.5 Scope of Work Page 9

1.6 Term of Agreement Page 18

2. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS FOR PROPOSERS Page 18

3. PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS AND INFORMATION Page 19

3.1 Key Action Dates Page 19

3.2 Question and Answers Page 19

3.3 Content and Format of Proposals Page 19

3.4 Submission of Proposals Page 22

4. EVALUATION AND AWARD PROCESS Page 25

4.1 Evaluation Process Page 25

4.2 Tiebreaker Page 27

4.3 Award and Protest Page 27

4.4 Disposition of Proposals Page 27

4.5 Agreement Execution and Performance Page 28

5. PREFERENCE AND INCENTIVE PROGRAMS Page 28

5.1 Small Business (SB) or Microbusiness (MB) Preference Program Page 28

5.2 Non-Certified Small Business (SB) or Microbusiness (MB) Preference Page 28

5.3 Disabled Veterans Business Enterprise (DVBE) Incentive Program Page 29

5.4 The Target Area Contract Preference Act (TACPA) Page 30

6. REQUIRED ATTACHMENTS Page 30

Attachment 1 – Required Attachment Checklist Attachment 2 – Proposal/Proposer Certification Sheet Attachment 3 – Minimum Qualifications Certification Attachment 4 – Proposer References Attachment 5 – Resumes of Key Personnel Attachment 6 – Cost Proposal Worksheet Attachment 7 – Payee Data Record (STD. 204) Attachment 8 – Darfur Contracting Act Certification Attachment 9 – California Civil Rights Laws Certification Attachment 10 – Iran Contracting Act Certification Attachment 11 – Contractor Certification Clauses (CCC 04/2017) Attachment 12 – GenAI Disclosure and Fact Sheet (Std. 1000) Attachment 13 – Bidder Declaration (GSPD-05-105) Attachment 14 – Small Business or Microbusiness Preference* Attachment 15 – Non-Small Business or Microbusiness Preference* Attachment 16 – Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise Incentive Program* Attachment 17 – The Target Area Contract Preference Act (TACPA)*

*if applicable

7. SAMPLE STANDARD AGREEMENT

Standard Agreement (STD. 213 Form) Exhibit A – Scope of Work Exhibit A, Attachment 1 – Resumes of Key Personnel Exhibit B – Budget Detail and Payment Provisions Exhibit B, Attachment 1 – Cost Proposal Exhibit C – General Terms and Conditions (GTC 04/2017) Exhibit D – Special Terms and Conditions

California HOPE for Children Trust Account Program Board

Request for Proposals No. HOPE01-24

1. PURPOSE AND DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES

1.1 Introduction

The California Legislature Enacted Assembly Bill 156 (Chapter 569, Statues of 2022) and codified in Chapter 16.1 (commencing with section 18997.5) of the Welfare and Institutions Code (“HOPE Act” or “Act”) to create opportunities, economic autonomy, and hope; and to promote intergenerational wealth and asset building for eligible youth as one of the many strategies California must employ to reverse the state’s record level of inequality. The HOPE Act established the California Hope, Opportunity, Perseverance, and Empowerment Fund (the “HOPE Fund”) in the State Treasury with $100 million appropriated through the fiscal year 2022 budget and an additional $15 million annually through ongoing appropriations to fund the HOPE for Children Trust Account Program (“HOPE”).

HOPE will provide individual accounts (“HOPE Accounts”) to eligible children, which includes those from low-income families who have lost a parent or guardian to COVID-19 or long-COVID (“COVID-bereaved”) and children who have been in foster care for at least 18 months and family reunification services have been terminated (“long-term foster children”). The HOPE Fund will have approximately $145 million available to capitalize HOPE Accounts when the program becomes operational in 2025. This figure reflects appropriations through the state budget process including that for fiscal year 2025, the expected returns on the short-term investment of the unencumbered moneys so far received, and expenditures of up to 5% of appropriated resources for operational costs as required by the HOPE Act.

Based on information received from interagency partners and researchers, HOPE projects that there will be about 56,500 children of various ages who will be eligible for automatic enrollment at the time of the program launch (including 10,000 income-eligible COVID-bereaved children and 46,500 long-term foster youth), and that there will be an estimated additional 10,000 children who become eligible every year after that.

Based on these facts, HOPE projects that each eligible child that will receive annual deposits such that every program enrollee will be able to withdraw a total of approximately $4,500 in 2025 dollars, adjusted for inflation, when they reach 18 years of age up until the day before their 27th birthday. Additional monies secured via philanthropic and other nonstate sources will enable HOPE to in-part offer each youth the ability to receive financial education and mentoring services until they turn 30 years old to help them learn how to invest, grow, and utilize the money in their HOPE Accounts. With sufficient private money raised, HOPE intends to offer financial incentives to promote completion of financial education and mentoring programs.

The California Legislature designed the HOPE for Children Trust Account Program to be constructed similarly to the model of Baby Bonds, tailored to

California’s unique needs and resources. Conceptualized in modern form by economist Dr. Darrick Hamilton, Baby Bonds programs are intended to provide children—no matter their race, ethnicity, background or where they come from—with the resources needed as adults to lead lives that are prosperous, self-directed and fulfilling, and to move us toward closing the racial wealth gap. An early version of Baby Bonds was established in the United Kingdom, which created its Child Trust Fund program in 2005. In the last decade, economists and policymakers have built on the success of that model and introduced local, state, and national legislation, including the American Opportunity Accounts Act (AOAA), first introduced by Senator Cory Booker in 2018 and re-introduced in 2021. Connecticut and Washington DC were the first to pass state or district-wide legislation, in 2021, California’s HOPE Act passed in 2022, and other local areas are developing their own models, including New York City’s COVID-19 Children's Fund, which, like California, is aiming at serving COVID-impacted youth. 1

1.2 Scope Overview

The Board of Directors of the California Hope, Opportunity, Perseverance, and Empowerment (HOPE) Program solicits proposals from qualified firms and/or organizations to provide: Program Administration, Outreach, Enrollment, and Services Coordination, and Mobile-Optimized Website Development and Management services. The following descriptions serve only as an overview of the services sought; please refer to the Scope of Services for the complete descriptions.

A. Program Administration – provider will (1) create and manage HOPE Accounts, help determine deposit schedules and incentives for participation in financial education and mentoring programs, allocate deposits and incentives, manage disbursement of moneys from HOPE accounts, apply identity verification and fraud prevention protocols, (2) coordinate with government and community-based partners to develop an auto-enrollment process, receive and verify eligibility information as detailed in the Background and Program Overview in section 1.4, and provide an appeals process for enrollment denials, (3) apply protocols to prevent fraud and verify the identity of minors, including those who may not have social security or individual tax identification numbers, (4) provide trauma-informed and youth-oriented customer service support in appropriate languages as deemed necessary, deliver program related notices to enrollees and their primary caregivers (directly and through the Department of Social Services and county welfare offices, as necessary), encourage and track program participation (5) develop and maintain records relating to eligibility, enrollment, accounting, contact information, and voluntary demographic information, and (6) ensure program

1 Gaudino, L. (2023, May 11). 16,000 NY Kids lost a parent to covid - how this new “baby bonds” bill could help. NBC New York.

adherence to state and federal requirements, and work with enrollees and the community as well as other partners to strategize program improvement and expansion.

B. Outreach, Enrollment, and Services Coordination – provider will maximize enrollment of eligible youth via partnerships with community, tribal, and government partners to create and implement a multifaceted strategy that includes community outreach in areas where Medi-Cal eligible COVID-bereaved youth and long-term foster youth reside, identification of eligible youth, enrollment support, and coordination of the financial education and related services that will be offered to HOPE participants. They will (1) coordinate all partnerships, (2) provide toolkits with outreach materials, training on the enrollment process, materials that support adherence to the HOPE financial education policy, and additional technical assistance as needed, (3) market the HOPE program using the explicit goals of the HOPE Act including opportunity, economic autonomy and wealth-building capacity, hope, as narrative themes developed by the Youth Panel of Experts, (4) coordinate with STO’s communications teams, and (5) report on marketing, outreach, enrollment, and financial education participation milestones.

C. Mobile-Optimized Website Development and Management – will create and maintain a user-friendly, multilingual mobile-optimized website that provides program information, an eligibility portal, and an account dashboard. The eligibility portal should allow youth and/or their primary caregivers to answer eligibility related questions, upload documents, electronically sign statements, receive user support, and submit appeals for denied enrollment. It should also include tutorial videos and guides to help respondents provide the necessary information. The account dashboard should be similarly designed to help enrolled participants access and understand their HOPE Accounts, including the amounts deposited, amounts expected to be available by their 18th birthday up until the day before their 27th birthday, opportunities to access and verify participation in financial education resources and services, and the ability to submit and resolve disputes, among other features.

1.3 Sample Standard Agreement

Section 7 of this RFP includes a Sample Standard Agreement. All terms and conditions noted in the Standard Agreement are not negotiable. Proposals that do not accept all items included in the Standard Agreement shall be deemed to be nonresponsive and will be excluded from evaluation. The agreements entered into pursuant to this RFP, if any, will become effective upon approval by the Department of General Services (DGS).

1.4 Background and Program Overview

The information in this section is being provided as a reference of information to provide context of the essential components of the Program, foreseen potential barriers, programmatic goals, and inter-agency collaboration with community and governmental partners. This information is being provided to aid prospective proposers in their responses to the RFP.

A. Program Eligibility Criteria and Analysis – The HOPE Act limits eligibility to children in low-income families who have lost a parent or guardian to COVID-19 (“COVID-bereaved youth”) and those who have been in the state’s foster care system 18 months or more and/or family reunification services have been terminated (“long-term foster youth” note that the 18 months need not be consecutive: many youths go in and out of the foster system). The Act further requires the Program to include youth who do not have social security numbers (“SSN”) or individual tax identification numbers (“ITIN”) but otherwise meet eligibility requirements.

Children who are eligible for a HOPE account will include minors (under age 18) who are undocumented, Indigenous, from low-income and immigrant families, impacted by the carceral system, parents of young children, multi- and non-English speakers, youth with disabilities or major mental and other health issues, victims of and vulnerable to identity theft, homeless, children of essential and other highly COVID impacted families, and many others who live at the intersection of multiple and systemic socially and economically marginalizing forces.

B. COVID-bereaved youth – California residents who meet all three of the following criteria are eligible to have a HOPE Account opened for them: (1) they have lost a parent, guardian, or Indian custodian to COVID, long COVID, or a consequence of COVID since the declaration of the federal public health emergency in March 2020, (2) were under 18 years old when that death occurred, and (3) their household income before that death was equal to or less than the amount that made a child in that household eligible for Medi-Cal benefits under Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 14000) of Part 3 (“Medi-Cal for Children”).

There are potentially 10,000 children from low-income households across California who have lost a parent, legal guardian, or Indian custodian to death because of COVID-19, long-term COVID-19, and the health consequences of these illnesses since the declaration of the federal health emergency in March 2020.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, child poverty more than doubled from 5.2% to 12.4% from 2021-2022, the largest one-year increase ever. COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted Latine/ Hispanic and African Americans ages 18 to 34, as well as women and immigrants in low-wage jobs. Due to long-standing wealth and income inequalities among these populations, they had fewer resources to fall back on when the COVID-19 pandemic abruptly reduced their incomes, be it due to illness, mandated shutdowns, or both. Children who lost a parent or primary caregiver are particularly vulnerable.

Additionally, a growing number of adults are dying from long-COVID related illnesses, while California’s lowest-income adults are more than twice as likely as their higher-income peers to experience long COVID symptoms: 50% of adults with incomes 0–99% of the federal poverty level compared to 22% of adults 300% FPL and above.

C. Long-term foster youth – California residents who, as of September 27, 2022, were under 18 years old and have been subject to a foster care order under Welfare Institutions Code sections 300, 601, or 602 for 18 months or longer (cumulative, not consecutively) are eligible to have a HOPE account opened for them.2

Children who are in foster care for over 18 months and stop receiving parental reunification services are more likely to transition from foster care directly into independent living as opposed to having the financial and social support that non-foster youth are more likely to maintain into adulthood. Statistically, they are more likely to have 50% lower earnings and 20% lower employment rates by age 26 compared to a sample of young adults with similar levels of education. Approximately one-third experience homelessness.3 Providing trauma-informed, developmentally appropriate support for transition-age youth is crucial to ensuring their lifelong success and protecting them from the difficult outcomes that youths aging out of foster care often experience.

Data provided by the California Department of Social Services (CDSS), which works with all of California’s fifty-eight counties, indicates that there will be more than 46,500 long-term foster youth who will be eligible for a HOPE account when the program launches in 2025.

D. Outreach – HOPE will need to partner with trusted leaders and service providers embedded in the communities where COVID-19 most heavily and disproportionately impacted the population, including undocumented and tribal communities, to identify and enroll low-income COVID-19 bereaved children. These include tribal services organizations, churches, mutual aid societies, and peer support networks, which typically operate through volunteer-driven and donor-dependent operations budgets, which are organized to ensure low-income kids and surviving parents are fed, housed, vaccinated, and otherwise materially supported

2 WIC section 18997.51(d)(2)A) 3 Bald, Anthony and Doyle, Joseph John and Gross, Max and Jacob, Brian A., Economics of Foster Care (April 2022). NBER Working Paper No.

w29906.

as they mourn the loved ones who passed away due to COVID-19, long COVID, and the fatal consequences of these illnesses.

In addition, HOPE expects that approximately 7,000 long-term foster youth will be over 18 years old when the Program launches. This makes them immediately eligible to withdraw from their HOPE Account. Some will have opted not to enroll in extended foster care services (which provide care until age 21), and CDSS may not have their contact information. Therefore, there will be a need to conduct outreach to locate and enroll these youths to comply with the HOPE Act requirement to maximize participation in the program.

E. Enrollment – HOPE has committed to avoid burdening eligible children and any surviving parents with limited resources with difficult procedural requirements such as requiring expensive and difficult-to-attain documents that would then need to be copied, and then mailed or scanned and uploaded. This approach is the standard best practice of other successful savings programs administered under the Treasurer’s Office. All HOPE-eligible children must be able to enroll, especially those who lack trusting and reliable relationships with adults.

Following this commitment, HOPE’s program administrators will bear the duty of identifying participants who are eligible for enrollment using interagency agreements and other means of verifying eligibility; this may include residency verification, such as a utility bill, birth or death certificates, if potential participants readily have these items, and any other documents they deem pertinent. HOPE will also accept signed legal attestations to establish enrollment eligibility where official documents are unavailable given that tribal children, children without SSNs or ITINs, and children whose parent(s) do not have SSNs or ITIN, among others, may not have access to certain government-issued documents or be included in government created records subject to HOPE Program interagency agreements.

Once eligibility is verified, HOPE will create and allocate money from the HOPE Fund into the HOPE Accounts and provide materials to the children and their primary caregivers and information about how to learn more about the account.

F. Program Infrastructure – The HOPE Act established the HOPE Board of Directors which includes the California State Treasurer, or their designee (who serves as the chair), the Director of Finance, or their designee, the Controller, or their designee, an individual with expertise in poverty alleviation and the racial wealth gap appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules, an individual with investment expertise appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly, an expert on financial empowerment and consumer protection appointed by the Governor, a public member who has experienced childhood poverty appointed by the Governor, and two additional nonvoting members appointed by the Governor- all of whom serve at the pleasure of the appointing authority. Current board members are listed here: https://www.treasurer.ca.gov/hope/members.asp.

The HOPE for Children Trust Account Program staff includes Kasey O’Connor, Executive Director, HOPE’s program manager, analysts and an administrative assistant, all of whom operate from the State Treasurer’s Office (STO). They also receive support from the STO’s communications team, legal, investment management team, and legislative advocacy teams.

The Board also convenes standing subcommittees including the Philanthropic Leadership Committee, the Outreach Committee, the Financial Education Committee, and the Youth Ambassador Committee.

Each committee is chartered to support critical operation support such as securing nonstate money for financial education and outreach, developing and supporting outreach strategies that will maximize enrollment, developing the financial education services policies for partnering with and evaluation providers, and supporting ongoing youth leadership in the design and improvement of the HOPE program.

G. Interagency Partners – Additional state agencies supporting HOPE include the California Departments of Social Services (“CDSS”) and California Department of Public Health (“CDPH”), Medi-Cal for Kids & Teens, and the Franchise Tax Board (“FTB”).

The HOPE Act makes CDSS responsible for determining eligibility for long-term foster children. HOPE will work through an interagency data-sharing agreement with CDSS, which is currently being developed, to auto-enroll all eligible long-term foster children using information available to the agency as a normal part of coordinating the state’s foster care system. The agreement will maintain the foster children’s confidentiality while providing sufficient deidentified information to allow them to log in to the HOPE portal to verify their accounts.

Unfortunately, there is no comparable government entity that has kept track of children impacted by the death of parents or guardians due to COVID-19. To enroll COVID-bereaved youth, HOPE will work with the CDPH and the National Association for Public Health Statistics and Information Systems (NAPHSIS) to verify vital records including death certificates that list as the cause or underlying cause of death for deceased parents COVID, long-term COVID, or the consequences of either. HOPE will work with Medi-Cal to identify youth enrolled in that program and with the FTB and Income and Eligibility Verification System (IEVS) to verify household income before the decedent’s death.

H. Contracted Vendors – HOPE has contracted an investment consultant who will work under the general direction of the Executive Director and https://www.treasurer.ca.gov/hope/members.asp program staff, other consultants, and the Board to create an investment plan that will include investment management goals, principles, and policies. They will help determine the amount of money that each youth program participant will receive annually based on the size of the HOPE Fund, expected returns on investment, any additional money secured or expected, and the estimated number of children who will be eligible when the program launches and annually after that.

The executive director, with support from the team of staff and contracted service providers, will determine the amount and timing of annual deposits to HOPE Accounts to maximize the number of program enrollees, participation by eligible children and their autonomous wealth-building capacity, and the amount of money allocated per account based on (1) the number and age distribution of program enrollees; (2) money available from the HOPE Fund and any other sources that may be used to make deposits in HOPE trust Account ; (3) ensuring that eligible youth will be able to withdraw the maximum amount possible from their HOPE Account upon reaching 18 years of age in amounts that adjust for inflation after 2025, and (4) any grants, gifts, appropriations, and other money received from federal, state, or local government or any other person, firm, partnership, corporation, or other entity for deposit to the HOPE Fund.

I. Evaluation Partnership – The Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality and the HOPE team are working together to evaluate the impact of the program on participating youth. The research includes three basic components: 1) simulation of the effects of the HOPE program in existing longitudinal data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics; 2) qualitative analysis of existing data from the CPI’s American Voices Project, an archive of “life story” interviews, to identify key moments when asset shortfalls affect decisions, investments, and long-term outcomes; and 3) direct assessment of the short-term effects of baby bonds on youth who will eventually become eligible to access their HOPE Accounts and their caregivers and on young adults as they become eligible to withdraw and spend the resources provided.

J. Youth Leadership – For the last year, consultants and advocates have convened the HOPE Youth Panel of Experts (“YPE”), a group of young folks, ages 14 - 23, from across California who have either lost a parent/caregiver to COVID-19 or have been in the foster care system. This group of resilient individuals helped design and provide recommendations to help shape the Program because HOPE believes the best solutions come from those directly on the front lines. Each panelist is either eligible for a HOPE Account or would have been eligible if the program had previously existed.

The partners who brought the YPE together held multiple online meetings and two in-person weekend retreats during which we asked questions designed to solicit the youth's "user" perspective.

These panelists gave critical insight into the needs they struggle to meet and what services would best assist them in reaching their goals. They also provided important information about outreach, website design and features, the enrollment process, and customer support. Insights collected through this process will be provided to the selected Contractor.

The next phase of youth leadership is to create a Youth Ambassadors program to empower and amplify the voices of young individuals within the HOPE Program (above the age of 16) by advocating for the needs of HOPE enrollees, communicating their perspectives to HOPE staff and Board, and supporting outreach and marketing efforts. The Board has established a Youth Ambassadors Subcommittee to develop and manage this program.

1.5 Scope of Work

The following scope of work details the Board’s expectations for the Program Administrator. The program administrator will provide all program administration services, mobile-optimized website development and management, develop and manage outreach, enrollment, and services coordination and other general responsibilities. Further description of each service area is provided below.

A. Program Administration

1. Information Management System

a. Create an Information Management System (IMS) to support the Program that will allow the HOPE program staff to securely view information about the number of enrolled children, date of enrollment, age, other personally identifiable information for match purposes, earliest potential draw date, participant engagement, balance and fund allocations per account, number and amounts of contributions year to date and since inception, disbursement dates, periodic updates on the number and approximate ages of expected newly eligible youth, participant in financial education programs, and other demographic and economic information about program participants on the individual and aggregate level.

b. At a minimum, the proposed IMS solution should provide the following capabilities:

1. Software as a Service (SaaS) Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) Security Authorization and associated Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS) FedRAMP Security Authorization at Moderate level or higher.

2. Securely controlling data so that it is processed, stored, and accessible only from within the United States.

3. Maintenance, including responsiveness and minimal downtimes.

4. Support single sign on and multifactor authentication.

5. Role-based access and user management.

6. Product meets all applicable accessibility guidelines.

7. Data or business dictionary functionality.

8. Full and incremental data loads.

9. Batch and real time processes to load data changes.

10. Data quality flags.

11. Matching, merging, and unmerging capabilities.

12. Matching analytics and reporting.

13. Refining matches and identifying mismatches based on new information.

14. Self-service reporting, canned reports, and dashboards.

c. Train HOPE staff on how to use the IMS.

2. Enrollment

a. Establish or continue the development of data-sharing agreements/Interagency Agreements with local, state, and federal partners, including the Department of Social Services, Department of Public Health, and Medi-Cal, the Income and Eligibility Verification System, the National Association for Public Health Statistics and Information Systems, and any other similar partners to access necessary information for verifying eligibility of youth.

b. Create processes to efficiently auto-enroll youth whose eligibility can be established and verified via the above data-sharing agreements and to enroll youth who present documentation, including legal attestations (statements signed under penalty of perjury), that establish eligibility.

c. Create and implement a process to appeal enrollment denials that will allow those appealing to provide additional information and receive a decision within 60 days.

d. Develop and implement fraud prevention and identity verification protocols that will allow minors, many of whom may not have social security or taxpayer identification numbers or other traditional identification documents, to be verified using available government-issued identification, alternative documentation (e.g., school records, birth certificates), as well as mobile number verification, digital identity checks, and other noninvasive means.

3. Account Management

a. Within 6 months of date of contract execution, the contractor shall create a policy and procedure for the HOPE program that clearly identifies:

1. Eligibility

2. Enrollment into the program

3. Grievance process

4. Impose appropriate monitoring safeguards on contributions and withdrawals from accounts

5. Develop incentives for youth in financial education mentoring program.

6. Develop incentives for participation in financial education and mentoring program

7. Track youth in financial education program.

8. Provide CDSS and HOPE a list of newly enrolled foster youth.

9. Provide quarterly and annual statements to enrolled youth.

10. Provide account closure statement 60 days prior to enrolled participants 27th birthday to remind participants that funds must be withdrawn before their 27th birthday.

11. Provide an annual financial audit to HOPE.

12. Contractor representative will attend Board meetings and provide program related reports to the Board.

b. Create HOPE Accounts and coordinate with the HOPE Fund investment team to determine a schedule of allocations from the Fund to the Accounts so that every enrolled youth will have access to an equitable amount when they turn 18 years old, adjusting for inflation.

c. Help determine the value of monetary incentives to be allocated to those who participate in financial education and mentoring programs, based on the availability of private secured funds.

d. Develop a dynamic allocation schedule that can be adjusted in real-time based on changes in participant circumstances or legislative updates, maximizing flexibility and responsiveness.

e. Plan for and manage funds for disbursement to participants eligible to withdraw (from their 18th birthday through their entire 26th year, i.e. 11:59 pm before their 27th birthday).

f. Develop and employ disbursement through secure, traceable transactions that ensure that disbursements from HOPE accounts are deposited only to an eligible account, currently defined as a checking, savings, or prepaid card account that is subject to 12 CFR Part 1005, Regulation E, and is either solely owned by the eligible youth or has been established by a fiduciary for the eligible youth as the sole principal beneficiary. CalSavers and CalABLE accounts are considered eligible accounts.

g. Notify banks of statutory protections on HOPE deposits.

4. Participant Engagement and Customer Service

a. Provide initial and regular notices to enrollees, parents/guardians/caregivers, directly, and via the Department of Social Services and county welfare offices.

b. Offer comprehensive customer support that includes multi-channel (phone, email, chat), trauma-informed, and multilingual support that provides timely responses to inquiries.

c. Provide ongoing, specialized training for customer service staff to properly handle secure data, act with empathy, and manage crisis calls with trauma-informed and culturally sensitive care.

d. Provide automated, personalized notifications via text and email to engage participants at critical milestones, such as upcoming eligibility deadlines or financial education opportunities.

e. Implement a data reporting system to track interactions, identify service gaps, generate detailed monthly reports, and identify opportunities for program improvement.

B. Mobile-Optimized Website Development and Management

1. Within 6 months from the date of contract execution, contractor shall develop, maintain, and update a mobile-optimized, HOPE-branded website (with potential multilingual capabilities) with an intuitive interface that is easy for youth to use, has secure login, and clear navigation and instructions, and includes the following:

a. An eligibility portal that allows youth or their parents or other caregivers the ability to (1) answer questions, (2) upload or create electronically singable documents, including signed statements under penalty of perjury, and (3) provide other necessary information that the Program Administrator can verify via interagency agreement partners and other processes to establish eligibility and set up a HOPE Account.

b. A website that clearly identifies eligibility criteria. This should include consent screens and language explaining reasons for requesting specific Personal Identity Information (PII). Should include an option to opt-out of sharing data and if it means the applicant can’t verify their eligibility.

c. An account dashboard that provides an updated history of the dollars allocated to their HOPE Account, projections for the amount of money expected to be available by their 18th birthday and on the last day of age 26, and opportunities to access and verify participation in financial education resources and services.

d. The ability for HOPE participants to submit and resolve disputes;

capture participant and other stakeholder feedback; and participate in periodic surveys, including those developed by the Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality and other partners to document program engagement and impact evaluation.

e. Tutorial videos and other guides to help respondents learn about the following topics: the HOPE program in general, information that is needed in the eligibility portal with explanatory information, how a participant provides the necessary information, how to access the account dashboard and the information that will be provided via the dashboard, how to submit disputes, how to request disbursement from their HOPE Account, and other relevant topics.

f. Website is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”), Sections 7405 and 11135 of the California Government Code, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (“WCAG”) for people with disabilities, and uses "People First" language. The website should provide access to Program information.

g. Includes interactive “live chat” features that allow enrollees to interact with customer service.

h. Website is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”), Sections 7405 and 11135 of the California Government Code, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (“WCAG”) for people with disabilities, and uses "People First" language. The website should provide access to Program information.

i. Develop, produce, and distribute official disclosure statements and any necessary supplements or updates. These documents must also be made available in Spanish.

C. Outreach, Enrollment, and Services Coordination

1. Create and implement an outreach and enrollment support strategy.

Within 6 months from the date of contract execution, the contractor will provide a market and outreach plan that will provide:

a. Methodology to outreach in rural areas.

b. Methodology to reach COVID bereaved youth in high Medi-cal populated areas.

c. Methodology to market HOPE using social marketing and media that utilizes HOPE branding.

d. Develop toolkits that includes outreach materials, enrollment process and materials that support the financial education policy.

e. Work with STO’s external affairs teams.

f. Create and enrollment guide and HOPE program brochure.

g. Contractor shall provide a monthly report to HOPE by the 20th of each month, a report that contains ongoing and completed marketing and outreach efforts of the preceding month.

h. Identify community, agency, and institutional partners that operate in the communities in which HOPE eligible youth reside. These partners will facilitate spreading awareness of the HOPE program, helping to identify eligible youth, and providing enrollment support (digitally, telephonically, or in person).

i. Work with these partners to develop a comprehensive outreach and enrollment support plan that includes digital, in-person, and grassroots strategies. Use data analytics to target outreach and enrollment support effectively.

j. Work with COVID-19 Bereaved Outreach subcommittee to ensure current and future outreach methodology to reach COVID-19 Bereaved youth, tribal liaison partners and long-term foster youth.

k. Offer regular, interactive training sessions and webinars for outreach and enrollment partners, supplemented with a library of digital and other resources for ongoing support.

l. Implement a robust data tracking system to measure the effectiveness of outreach and enrollment activities to continuously improve them based on feedback and engagement metrics.

2. Market the HOPE Program

a. Use existing logos and branding tools and your own market research to create local and social media campaigns that will build recognition for the HOPE program across key audiences. These includes the communities that eligible children and youth live in and frequent, community organizations that serve eligible youth (such as nonprofits with civic and service missions and faith-based institutions), philanthropic leaders, policy makers, voters, and the wider public.

b. Use the explicit goals of the HOPE Act including hope, opportunity, economic autonomy and wealth-building capacity, as well as narrative themes developed by the Youth Panel of Experts and Youth Ambassadors to increase engagement among eligible youth and their caregivers.

c. Foster strategic partnerships with community organizations, educational institutions, and local agencies to extend the program's reach, provide additional resources and support, and help build trust within the community.

3. Create and implement HOPE’s financial education program

a. Adhering to the HOPE Financial Education Policy, vet and develop service agreements with financial education providers, such as experienced community-based nonprofit service providers, government agencies, and others, to maximize HOPE program participants’ economic autonomy by helping them develop their own individualized plan to use, match or safely leverage their HOPE funds for wealth-building opportunities.

b. Develop financial education participation goals and strategies to meet them. This includes providing financial incentives to participants for completion of programs, depending on availability of private secured financial resources.

D. General Responsibilities

1. Report to the HOPE Executive Director and designated staff

a. Regularly meet with HOPE staff and attend board meetings, as needed.

b. Engage with Youth Ambassadors, board members, and community partners, as needed, to identify areas and plans for ongoing program improvement.

2. Create infrastructure that can adapt as needed and easily coordinates with other Contracted Vendors

a. Create program infrastructure that can adapt to legal, regulatory, and policy changes that may affect the amount of state resources available to the program, the size of eligible populations to be served, and other program features.

b. Program infrastructure must also allow easy coordination between Program Administration, Website Development and Management, and Outreach, Enrollment, and Service Coordination to ensure that each participant has an uninterrupted experience from finding out about the HOPE program through enrollment, participation in financial education and mentorship programs, and disbursement.

3. Advance Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)

a. Collaborate with the Executive Director to continuously improve the DEI strategies of the HOPE team to support long-term program performance.

b. Provide DEI training for program staff, inclusive outreach strategies, and tailored services to meet the diverse needs of participants.

c. Ensure service design and delivery reflects the diversity of target audiences, is culturally appropriate, developed with community leaders, and engages targeted communities such as through tailored messaging, inclusive imagery, and partnerships with trusted local organizations.

4. Recordkeeping

a. Use secure systems to create, receive, manage, and maintain records and documents relating to eligibility, enrollment, accounting, contact information, and program engagement for every participant, consistent with the requirements of the Information Practices Act of 1977 (Civil Code Section 1798, et seq.)

and in adherence with industry standard security protocols such as encrypted data storage and sharing methods;

b. Track engagement by eligible children, their caregivers, and program enrollees, such as engagement with community outreach services, enrollment support, use of the eligibility portal and dashboard, customer service requests and appeals and their resolutions, use of financial education services, and disbursements.

c. Request, gather, and maintain demographic information that may be voluntarily provided by the program enrollee, their parent(s), legal guardian(s), Indian custodian(s), or primary caregiver(s), regarding eligible children, program enrollees, and eligible youth in the program, such as gender, race or ethnicity, geographic location, language, and general income level, to improve the HOPE program.

d. Develop comprehensive data management policies that include data minimization, access control, and real-time monitoring to detect unauthorized access or breaches and implement automated data integrity checks and continuous backups to ensure data accuracy and security.

5. Compliance

a. Develop and implement a comprehensive compliance and risk management plan that includes regular external audits, continuous monitoring for legal, regulatory and policy changes, and a rapid response strategy for relevant compliance issues, e.g., participant confidentiality, secure data transmission and storage, identity verification, and fraud prevention.

b. Produce audited reports, as needed.

c. Implement a detailed program assessment framework to evaluate program performance against multiple metrics, including participant outcomes, engagement, and satisfaction.

d. Provide ongoing program assessment and recommendations regarding program administration, interagency agreements, and policy per the HOPE Act and adopted operation values.

e. Provide proactive policy recommendations and scenario planning to prepare for potential changes in the legal, regulatory, and policy environment and support program expansion.

6. Provide Report on outreach, enrollment, marketing, and financial education activities, accomplishments, and expenditures

a. No less than every 90 days, then firm shall provide HOPE a report that details marketing updates including but not limited to outreaches conducted, marketing in rural areas, financial activities.

1.6 Term of Agreement

The term of the Agreement entered into pursuant to this RFP, if any, will be for a three-year period beginning February 10, 2025 through February 9, 2028 and shall not exceed $2,500,000. The California HOPE Program shall have three options to extend the Agreement by one additional year and up to $500,000 per year. The Agreement shall not exceed $4,000,000.00 for the entire term, including all optional extensions. This Agreement is subject to the approval of the Department of General Services (DGS). In no event shall services be performed prior to the approval of the agreement by the DGS Office of Legal Services.

2. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS FOR PROPOSALS

Firms must complete Attachment 3 certifying that the firm meets the following qualifications.

If the proposal includes subcontractors, all subcontractors must also certify compliance with the following minimum requirements via Attachment 3.

• Hold and maintain all licenses and registrations required by or otherwise needed to comply with applicable federal and state laws for businesses offering the required services.

• Be qualified to do business in the State of California. If awarded a contract, firm(s) must be able to provide, at the State’s request, evidence of qualification to do business in the State of California by the California Secretary of State.

• Have a minimum of five years of experience providing the services as detailed in the Scope of Work.

• Be technically and professionally capable of providing the services.

• Be free from conflicts of interest, not only at the time of selection, but throughout the term of the Agreement as well.

• The selected contractor will have a continuing requirement to disclose any business relationships that may be construed to be a potential or actual conflict. The disclosure must be sufficiently detailed to inform the Board of the nature, implications and potential consequences of each conflict and must include an explanation of how the firm addresses, or intends to manage or mitigate, each conflict. The Board may reject a proposal due to any disclosure or conflict of interest (potential or actual) that is material in the sole opinion of the Board.

• Be immediately available to provide the services set forth in the Scope of Work.

• All infrastructure created to provide the services in this RFP must be operational within six months of the start of the Agreement(s).

3. PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS AND INFORMATION

3.1 Schedule (Key Action Dates)

All prospective proposers are hereby advised of the following schedule and will be expected to adhere to the required dates and times (all times listed are Pacific Time (PT)).

Date Action

December 23, 2024 RFP available to Prospective Proposers

January 2, 2025 at 12:00pm PT Written Question Submittal Deadline

January 7, 2025 Answers to Written Questions Distributed

January 22, 2025 at 5:00pm PT Deadline for Proposal Submission

January 23 - 27, 2025 Evaluation of Proposals

January 28 - 31, 2025 Finalist Interviews

February 3, 2025 Notice of Intent to Award

February 10, 2025 Anticipated Commencement of Agreement

The Board reserves the right to change the above dates and times, and, if so, HOPE may modify this RFP prior to the date fixed for submission of proposals by the issuance of an addendum. HOPE will also provide updates online at www.treasurer.ca.gov/HOPE and https://caleprocure.ca.gov/pages/index.aspx.

HOPE reserves the right to reject all proposals and not award an Agreement.

3.2 Question and Answers

In the opinion of the Board, this RFP is complete and needs no further explanation.