S-58800-00016155- PDG 2.1.2.6 Engaging Business in Child Care Efforts RFQ Final.pdf

Last Updated: 9/24/2024

REQUEST FOR QUOTES (RFQ)

Best Value Analysis (BVA)

#DELC – S-58800-00016155

PDG Activity 2.1.2.6 Strengthening Business Engagement in Child Care

Issue Date: March 2, 2026

Issued to: OregonBuys

Issuing Office: Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC or Authorized

Purchaser)

RFQ (Authorized Representative): Jordyn Stanley Address: 700 Summer Street Salem, OR 97301 Phone: (971) 240-8749 E-mail: Jordyn.stanley@delc.oregon.gov

OFFER DUE DATE AND TIME: Thursday, March 16, 2026, 1:00 PM

EVENTS SCHEDULE

EVENT DATE

RFQ Release 3/2/2026

Due Date for Questions/Clarifications 3/5/2026

Answers to Questions/Clarifications (Approximately) 3/9/2026

RFQ Closing (Proposed quotes due) 3/16/2026 1:00 PM

Presentations, Demonstrations, or Interviews TBD

Issue Intent to Award TBD

1. Introduction

Department of Early Learning and Care (“DELC” or “Authorized Purchaser”), is issuing this Request for Quote (“RFQ”) to solicit competitive quotes from a qualified vendor that is an expert in community building to engage business leaders and a wide range of community partners from across the state to develop a statewide toolkit that can be customized to fit each region’s needs.

DELC intends to contract with an expert in community-building to develop a toolkit on engaging business leaders in a broader group of community partners that include educators, workforce and economic development representatives, government officials, faith leaders, and community members that are focused on the accessibility of local child care; that are working to support child care owners to stay open and grow; encourage people to enter and stay in the child care field; navigate local difficulties to opening or expanding programs; and educate community members about the challenges faced in child care and how they can help.

Additional details on the Scope of goods or services or both are included in Sections 2 (Scope of Services).

DELC anticipates the Award of one Contract. The total Contract value shall not exceed $250,000.

All work under the resulting Contract must be completed by December 31, 2026. All invoices must be submitted within 30 days of 12/31/2026.

2. Scope of Services

The selected vendor shall plan, convene, design and execute a statewide business engagement toolkit.

The scope of services includes but is not limited to :

• Conduct initial discovery and landscape scan of existing local coalitions and business engagement efforts

• Identify and interview key community leaders, business representatives, and coalition members

• Begin drafting framework for toolkit structure and content areas

• Continue stakeholder engagement through focus groups and case study development

• Analyze successful local strategies for engaging business leaders in child care solutions

• Draft toolkit sections focused on: Building cross-sector partnerships, supporting child care providers, and navigating local regulatory and infrastructure barriers

• Refine toolkit content based on stakeholder feedback

• Develop practical tools and templates (e.g., outreach materials, meeting agendas, messaging guides)

• Pilot toolkit components with select communities for usability testing and refinement

• Finalize and publish the business engagement toolkit

• Disseminate toolkit to local coalitions, chambers of commerce, and community partners

• Host virtual learning sessions or webinars to introduce toolkit and share lessons learned

• Collect feedback for future updates and continuous improvement

3. Questions and Requests for Clarification:

All questions and requests for clarification regarding this RFQ must be submitted in writing by e-mail, to the Authorized Representative and must be received no later than _March 5, 2026 at 5:00 PM PST__.

DELC may issue revisions, substitutions or clarifications of the RFQ. DELC will send revisions, substitutions or clarifications, if any, electronically to the above referenced Contract holders.

4. Offer Submittal:

Offers must be received on or before the Offer Due Date and Time at the location identified above to be considered. DELC may extend the Offer Due Date and Time. Offers will be accepted by e-mail to the Authorized Representative identified above, or to OregonBuys.

Offers will not be accepted after the Offer Due Date and Time.

5. Submittal Requirements:

a. Offeror must provide a description of the proposed approach for providing the Scope of Services described in the RFQ, including a comprehensive description of the proposed implementation methodology for Project. The description should include how the Offeror has developed this methodology to incorporate lessons learned from experiences, as well as to meet the needs described in the RFQ.

b. Offeror must provide a draft Scope of Work using the information from Section 2, Scope of Services.

c. Offer must include submission of the Price Offer on the form or forms attached hereto as Exhibit 1 detailing all costs associated with the System(s) and Services.

d. Experience: Offerors responding to this RFQ must have a current system in production environment, successfully implemented within the past 3 years of similar scope and size, and at least 5 years’ experience providing these services. Offeror should include a description of Offeror’s experience, methodologies, and lessons learned around migrating data from multiple legacy systems.

e. Organization and Personnel: Offers must include a description of Offeror’s organization, Key Persons, other staff or personnel (including subcontractors, if applicable), and their experience.

i. Key Person(s). Specify Key Person(s) to be assigned to this Project and include a current resume (not to exceed 2 pages each) for each individual that demonstrates qualifications and experience for the Services proposed.

Key Person(s) Requirements and Preferences are:

• Demonstrated experience in engaging and convening with partners, community organizations, businesses, parents, caregivers, and community members

• Demonstrated knowledge in Oregon’s child care sector

• Recent experience within the last 3 years of engaging business leaders in child care sector issues

• Bachelors degree or higher in public administration, business management, early childhood, or another relevant field is preferred.

• Strong understanding of the public sector preferred

• Strong research and financial analysis experience and knowledge are required.

• Demonstrate Offeror has internal quality control practices for its Key

Person(s) to use when reviewing, editing, and providing feedback on projects and project artifacts is required.

• Recent experience, in last 3 years, providing technical assistance and providing policy recommendations, and facilitating community engagement is required.

• Strong quality control experience and knowledge is required.

• Due to the nature of services, Key Person(s) must be available to work on-site as agreed upon between all parties, subject to all facilities, access rules and procedures. Work site is designated as DELC’s headquarters office in Salem, Oregon.

ii. Organization and Organizational Chart. Provide a description of Offeror’s organization and provision of products and services, including a narrative that describes the organization’s security program as it relates to the proposed solution. As an organization that shares in the responsibilities to protect the state’s data, it is important to understand how cybersecurity principles at an architectural and organizational level will be applied.

iii. Subcontractors. If Proposer intends to work with subcontractor(s), Proposer shall include a statement detailing any subcontracting firms or individual subcontractors that may be engaged as part of the Proposal to this RFQ, with those entities and the Services they will provide clearly identified.

f. Offeror must provide a list of 3 governmental or educational entities using Offeror’s proposed system as references using the Reference Check Form attached hereto as Exhibit No. 2.

DELC may check to determine if references provided support Offeror’s ability to comply with the requirements of this RFQ. DELC may use references to obtain additional information, or verify any information needed. DELC may contact any reference (submitted or not) to verify Offeror’s qualifications.

g. Offer must include any underlying agreements, including license agreements, subscription agreements, maintenance, service level agreement and security/privacy agreements that will be required to use the System.

6. Evaluation and Award:

DELC may reject all Offers or cancel this RFQ at any time.

Submissions will be reviewed to determine if all Submittal Requirements have been met.

Those meeting the Submittal Requirements will be evaluated to determine the “Best Value” for DELC, as set forth in this Section 8.

6.1 Tier – Evaluation of Written Offers

The first tier is an evaluation of Offers by an evaluation team assembled by DELC. The evaluation team may include Authorized Purchaser business and program personnel, as well as subject matter experts and/or representatives from other agencies or other authorized users.

Scoring Criteria (BVA) and Points

Best Value Analysis Maximum Points Available

Proposed Approach 100

Scope of Work 150

Price Offer 50

Experience 50

Total Score Tier 1 350

Based on scores from the first-tier evaluation, DELC will select one or more of the top-scoring Offerors as finalists for the second-tier evaluation or award a contract.

6.2 Second Tier – Presentations and/or Demonstrations DELC may elect to conduct a second-tier of evaluation that may involve Presentations/Demonstration. Evaluation team members may change and DELC may have additional or fewer evaluators for the second round, but again including Authorized Purchaser business and program personnel, as well as subject matter experts and/or representatives from other agencies or other authorized users.

Tier 1 and Tier 2 scores will be added together to determine the System and Contractor that will be awarded a Contract resulting from this RFQ. DELC will issue a Notice of Intent to Award to the successful Offeror(s).

If DELC elects to conduct Tier 2, more information will be included in an addendum.

Commitments made by Offeror during the evaluation process, including at the presentation/demonstration, if any, will be considered binding. Responses that are contingent upon acceptance of additional terms and conditions may be rejected. DELC may negotiate contract terms and conditions with the successful Offeror.

7. Protest of Intent to Award. An Affected Offeror shall have 7 calendar days from the date of the Intent to Award notice to file a Written protest. An Offeror is an Affected Offeror only if the Offeror would be eligible for Contract award in the event the protest was successful and is protesting for one or more of the following reasons as specified in ORS 279B.410:

• All higher ranked Offers are non-Responsive.

• DELC has failed to conduct an evaluation of Offers in accordance with the criteria or process described in the RFQ.

• DELC abused its discretion in rejecting the protestor’s Offer as non-Responsive.

• DELC’s evaluation of Offer or determination of award otherwise violates the terms of the Participating Addenda.

Protests must:

• Be delivered to the RFQ contact via email or hard copy

• Reference the RFQ number

• Identify Offeror’s name and contact information

• Be signed by an Authorized Representative

• Specify the grounds for the protest

• Be received within 7 calendar days of the Intent to Award notice

Response to Protest. DELC will address all protests submitted in accordance with this Section 9 within a reasonable time and will issue a Written decision to the respective Offeror. Protests that do not include the required information prescribed in Section 9 may not be considered by DELC.

EXHIBIT NO. 1

PRICING

Deliverable # Deliverable Price

1.1 Conduct initial discovery and landscape scan of

existing local coalitions and business engagement efforts

1.2 Identify and interview key community leaders, business representatives, and coalition members

1.3 Begin drafting framework for toolkit structure

and content areas

1.4 Continue stakeholder engagement through focus

groups and case study development

1.5 Analyze successful local strategies for engaging

business leaders in child care solutions

1.6 Draft toolkit sections focused on: Building cross-

sector partnerships, supporting child care providers, and navigating local regulatory and infrastructure barriers

1.7 Refine toolkit content based on stakeholder

feedback

1.8 Develop practical tools and templates (e.g., outreach materials, meeting agendas, messaging guides)

1.9 Pilot toolkit components with select communities

for usability testing and refinement

1.10 Finalize and publish the business engagement

toolkit

1.11 Disseminate toolkit to local coalitions, chambers

of commerce, and community partners

1.12 Host virtual learning sessions or webinars to

introduce toolkit and share lessons learned

1.13 Collect feedback for future updates and

continuous improvement

TOTAL PRICE

EXHIBIT NO. 2

REFERENCE CHECK FORM

Customer Contact Name

Phone Number

Email