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STATE OF INDIANA

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION/INNOVATION 27-87934

INDIANA DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATION

SOLICITATION FOR:

INDIANA GOVERNMENT CENTER DAYCARE SERVICES

RESPONSE DUE DATE:

AUGUST 27, 2026, 3:00PM EASTERN TIME

Eli Sturgeon, Procurement Consultant esturgeon@idoa.in.gov

Indiana Department of Administration Procurement Division

402 W. Washington St., Room W478 Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 mailto:esturgeon@idoa.in.gov

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE OF THE RFI

RESPONSE FORMAT AND ATTACHMENTS

RFI TIMELINE

QUESTION / INQUIRY PROCESS

CLARIFICATIONS AND DISCUSSIONS

CONFIDENTIALITY

RESPONSE SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

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REQUEST FOR INFORMATION/INNOVATION 27-87934

INTRODUCTION

This is a Request for Information/Innovation (RFI) issued by the Indiana Department of Administration

(IDOA) regarding Indiana Government Center Daycare services. It is the intent of IDOA to solicit responses to this Request for Information/Innovation in accordance with the specifications contained in this document and associated attachments. Neither this RFI nor any response (proposal) submitted hereto is to be construed as a legal offer.

THE STATE MAY ELECT TO LIMIT PARTICIPATION IN ANY FUTURE COMPETITIVE SOLICITATION TO

VENDORS THAT RESPOND TO THIS RFI.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE OF THE RFI

1. Introduction and Purpose

The State of Indiana (State) is actively exploring partnerships with qualified, licensed childcare providers to establish and operate a high-quality, affordable on-site childcare center within the State Government Center complex. Recognizing that accessible early childhood care is a critical component of employee retention, workforce productivity, and overall well-being, this initiative aims to support state employees by mitigating the logistical and financial challenges of securing reliable childcare.

The purpose of this RFI is to gather operational insights, industry best practices, and capability statements from experienced childcare vendors. The feedback collected will help the State understand market capabilities, refine the operational scope, structure tuition framework models, and evaluate space allocation requirements. This information may subsequently inform the development of a formal competitive solicitation, such as a Request for Proposal (RFP).

2. Scope and Operational Objectives

The State envisions a comprehensive childcare program designed to serve children ranging from six (6) weeks through five (5) years of age (pre-kindergarten). To align with standard state government operating hours, the center is anticipated to operate Monday through Friday, from approximately 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM, excluding designated state holidays.

The selected vendor will assume legal liability and full operational responsibility for the center. Respondents will be expected to maintain full licensure in accordance with state early learning and childcare regulations, including mandatory staff-to-child ratios, background clearances, and health standards.

Respondents should explain how they will implement an evidence-based educational philosophy that promotes early childhood literacy, social-emotional development, and kindergarten readiness. An explanation of how the respondent will recruit, train, and retain credentialed professionals is expected.

The State expects respondents to offer a transparent, competitive tuition structure that accommodates and seamlessly processes state-subsidized childcare payments to support a large workforce with an array of childcare needs.

3. Facilities and State Provisions

To facilitate a sustainable partnership, the State intends to provide dedicated physical space within the State Government Center complex at a heavily subsidized or no-cost lease structure.

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The State anticipates providing several programmatic supports. There will be provided controlled-access facilities with dedicated indoor classrooms and administrative spaces, including a secure, fenced outdoor playground area.

The State intends to provide standard utilities, including heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC), electricity, water, and sewage. Base building maintenance is to be included, as is lawn care, pest control, and standard janitorial services for common areas.

The respondent will be responsible for outfitting the center with all interior furnishings, classroom equipment, age-appropriate educational supplies, indoor/outdoor play structures, and managing day-to-day operational cleaning.

4. Questions for Respondents

To assist the State in its planning and structuring process, respondents are requested to provide concise, comprehensive answers to the following eleven (11) questions:

1. Company Profile & Experience: Describe your organization's history, credentialing, and professional experience over the past five (5) years in operating high-capacity, licensed childcare facilities, particularly those sponsored by employers, government agencies, or situated within public complexes. Please indicate whether your organization currently operates a facility in any of these spaces and whether employees working in those locations receive childcare discounts. If discounts are offered, indicate the percentage of families currently receiving them.

2. Licensure & Quality Ratings: Confirm your compliance history with state childcare licensing bodies.

What specific national or state quality rating systems (e.g., NAEYC accreditation, state-level Star ratings) does your organization participate in, and what are your typical center designations?

3. Staffing & Retention Strategy: Provide your standard staffing matrix and model for maintaining mandatory staff-to-child ratios across different age groups (infants through pre-K). What recruitment and retention strategies do you deploy to ensure competitive wages and minimize staff turnover?

4. Curriculum & Developmental Philosophy: Detail your early childhood educational philosophy. How does your curriculum specifically address language/literacy development, social-emotional growth, and the inclusion of children with special developmental needs?

5. Tuition & Subsidy Models: Provide an overview of your typical tuition billing structures (e.g., weekly or bi-weekly rates) across various age cohorts. What is your experience with accepting and managing state-subsidized childcare payments or low-income financial assistance programs?

6. Operations & Fee Policies: Describe your standard corporate policies regarding registration fees, deposits, late pick-up penalties, and tuition obligations during family vacations, child illnesses, or unexpected state facility closures.

7. Facility & Space Requirements: Based on an estimated target capacity of 100 to 150 children, what are your ideal square footage benchmarks for indoor learning areas, administrative offices, and secure outdoor play spaces?

8. Food & Beverage Services: Detail your capabilities and standard approach to providing age-appropriate meals (breakfast/lunch) and snacks. Do your operations typically utilize an on-site commercial kitchen, vendor-catered options, or parent-provided meals?

9. Emergency Preparedness & Evacuation: Outline your protocols for emergency preparedness, medical crises, and facility evacuations. How frequently do you conduct staff training and drills, and how do you handle continuity of operations during extended localized disruptions?

10. Waitlist Management & Enrollment Practices: Explain how you manage enrollment demand, waitlists, and priority considerations (e.g., employees first, public access, special needs considerations).

11. Implementation & Transition Timeline: Assuming a fully executed agreement and a turnkey physical space provided by the State, what is your typical operational runway (in weeks or months) to fully staff, furnish, license, and open a brand-new center?

The goal of this RFI is to gather general functionality and general pricing structures from vendors for the development of a potential Request for Proposal (RFP).

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IDOA is requesting information to formalize the scope of work for a potential RFP by allowing the vendor community to apprise the IDOA on information that should be considered as part of the scope of work.

RESPONSE FORMAT AND ATTACHMENTS

Respondents should submit responses to the RFI describing how they will meet the specific requirements of this

RFI and the deliverables included within. All narrative responses must be provided to the State in Microsoft

Word format. Respondents must structure their response according to the sections outlined above to facilitate the State’s review of the responses. THE TOTAL RESPONSE SHOULD NOT BE MORE THAN 20 PAGES IN

LENGTH.

If you would like to provide response/feedback to this RFI for a potential RFP for IDOA, you must provide your response to State as shown in the RFI Timeline and Response Submission section below.

RFI TIMELINE

The following timeline is only an illustration of this RFI process. The dates associated with each step are not to be considered binding.

Anticipated RFI Dates:

Activity Date

Issuance of RFI July 30, 2026

Deadline to Submit Written Questions (3:00PM Eastern Time) August 6, 2026

Response to Written Questions/RFI Amendments August 13, 2026

Due Date for Submissions (3:00PM Eastern Time) August 27, 2026

QUESTION / INQUIRY PROCESS

All questions/inquiries in regards to RFI 27-87934 must be submitted in writing via email using Attachment A, Questions and Answers Template, by the deadline of August 6, 2026, by 3:00PM ET to rfp@idoa.IN.gov. The email subject line should contain the following phrase:

“REQUEST FOR INFORMATION/INNOVATION 27-87934, QUESTION AND INQUIRIES.”

Following the question/inquiry due date, IDOA will compile a list of the questions/inquiries submitted by all

Respondents. The responses will be posted to the IDOA website as soon as possible. Only answers posted on the IDOA website will be considered official and valid by the State. No Respondent shall rely upon, take any action, or make any decision based upon any verbal communication with any State employee.

Please note that Eli Sturgeon (esturgeon@idoa.in.gov) is the State’s single point of contact for this RFI.

Inquiries are not to be directed to any other staff member of the IDOA. Such action may disqualify respondent from further consideration in this RFI and any subsequent RFP process.

If it becomes necessary to revise any part of this RFI, or if additional information is necessary for a clearer interpretation of provisions of this RFI prior to the due date for submissions, an addendum will be posted on the IDOA website.

mailto:rfp@idoa.IN.gov mailto:esturgeon@idoa.in.gov

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CLARIFICATIONS AND DISCUSSIONS

The State reserves the right to request clarifications on information submitted to the State. The State also reserves the right to conduct discussions, either oral or written, with the Respondents. These discussions could include requests for additional information, requests for cost information or technical requirements response attachment revision, etc. Additionally, in conducting discussions, the State may use information derived from the responses submitted by competing Respondents only if the identity of the Respondent providing the information is not disclosed to others. The State will provide equivalent information to all Respondents which have been chosen for discussions.

The Procurement Division will schedule all discussions. Any information gathered through oral discussions must be confirmed in writing.

CONFIDENTIALITY

It is important to note that all information submitted in Respondent’s proposals to this RFI will be kept confidential and will not be made available to the public unless this RFI does not result in the release of a solicitation at a later date. If a solicitation results from this RFI, then the information contained in the proposal submissions for this RFI must be made available to the public once the resulting solicitation has been awarded and the protest period has ended.

Respondents are advised that materials contained in proposals are subject to the Access to Public Records Act (APRA), IC 5-14-3 et seq., and, after award, the entire solicitation file may be viewed and copied by any member of the public, including news agencies and competitors.

Please note citing “Confidential” on an entire section is not sufficient. The Public Access Counselor (PAC) provides guidance on APRA. Respondents are encouraged to read guidance from the PAC on this topic as this is the guidance IDOA follows:

• 18-INF-06; Redaction of Public Procurement Documents Informal Inquiry

Respondents claiming a statutory exception to the APRA must indicate so on a separate attachment labeled “Confidential Documentation Listing”. That document should include the following information:

• List all documents where claiming a statutory exemption to the APRA;

• Specify which statutory exception of APRA that applies for each document;

• Provide a description explaining the manner in which the statutory exception to the APRA applies for each document.

When claiming confidential information, respondents should submit two versions of their response:

1) A confidential version (for the State’s review and evaluation)

a. Confidential Information must be clearly marked in a separate folder.

2) A redacted version (for public records requests)

If the Respondent does not identify the statutory exception, the Procurement Division will not consider the submission confidential. The State also reserves the right to seek the opinion of the PAC for guidance if the State has doubts the cited exception is applicable.

Prices are NOT confidential information.

RESPONSE SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

Firms interested in providing information to IDOA should submit responses via email to rfp@idoa.IN.gov. All responses must be received no later than August 27, 2026, by 3:00PM ET. The subject line of the email submission must clearly state the following:

https://www.in.gov/dA/c33d53e048/18-INF-06.pdf?language_id=1 https://www.in.gov/dA/c33d53e048/18-INF-06.pdf?language_id=1 mailto:rfp@idoa.IN.gov

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“RESPONSE TO REQUEST FOR INFORMATION/INNOVATION 27-87934”

Any information received after the due date and time may not be considered.

No more than one proposal per Respondent may be submitted.

Templates outlined in this document should be returned in their native file format.

The State accepts no obligations for costs incurred by Respondents in anticipation of being awarded a contract.