State 0000000597SL FCCM.docx

State of Missouri Office of Administration, Division of Purchasing

Request for Proposal (RFP) for Foster Care Case Management

PROPOSAL DUE NO LATER THAN: October 21, 2026 AT 2:00 PM CENTRAL TIME Proposal response must be submitted electronically through MissouriBUYS, powered by MOVERS, at https://missouribuys.mo.gov.

E-mailed, mailed, courier, or hand-delivered proposal responses will not be accepted.

RFP CONTACT INFORMATION:

BUYER: Nicolle Backes

PHONE NO.: (573) 751-5341

EMAIL: nicolle.backes@oa.mo.gov See “RFP Questions” in Section 1 for appropriate communications during the procurement process.

DELIVER SUPPLIES/SERVICES FREE ON BOARD (FOB) DESTINATION TO THE FOLLOWING ADDRESS:

Department of Social Services Children’s Division P.O. Box 88 Jefferson City, MO 65102

ATTENTION:

1. After reviewing the Request for Proposal (RFP), the vendor must complete and return Exhibit A, Proposal Signature Page and all other necessary exhibits.

2. Due to lead times for obtaining the information needed to complete the various Business Compliance Exhibits herein as explained in the RFP’s Vendor Response Exhibits, vendors are encouraged to IMMEDIATELY begin securing these verifications.

3. The vendor must be registered in MissouriBUYS, powered by MOVERS in a “Prospective” or “Spend Authorized” registration status to submit a proposal. The vendor must achieve “Approved” registration status in MissouriBUYS (WebProcure/Proactis) and “Spend Authorized” registration status in MissouriBUYS, powered by MOVERS to be considered for a contract award. Reference Section 5.

RFP Organization:

RFP Sections:

RFP Vendor Response Exhibits (Return these exhibits with the proposal):

BUSINESS COMPLIANCE EXHIBITS

Attachments (Separate Documents) (Do not return these documents with response)

Separate Documents: The vendor is advised that the separate documents to this document referenced above provide additional requirements, information, and/or instruction. The separate documents must be downloaded from the Division of Purchasing’s MissouriBUYS, powered by MOVERS, website at: https://missouribuys.mo.gov/. The separate documents are downloadable from the same web page where the solicitation document is downloadable. It shall be the sole responsibility of the vendor to obtain each of the separate documents. The vendor shall not be relieved of any responsibility for performance under the subsequent contract due to the failure of the vendor to obtain a copy of the separate documents.

INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND INFORMATION SECTION

Introduction:

Purpose: This document constitutes a request for competitive, sealed proposals for the provision of a range of child welfare services including case management services for children in out-of-home placements, family-centered services for parents, siblings, and legal guardians from whose care the child was removed, resource home development, and community resource development as set forth herein for the Department of Social Services.

STATE 0000000597SL for Foster Care Case Management for the Department of Social Services, is a rebid of STATE 0000000418SL which was issued on May 29, 2026. While much of the two RFPs match, STATE 0000000597SL includes minor changes in comparison to STATE 0000000418SL. STATE 0000000418SL remains a closed record and will not be available for public review until contracts are executed from STATE 0000000597SL.

Minimum Experience Qualifications: There are minimum experience qualifications in the RFP (See Section 2.3, Minimum Experience Requirements in Section 2: Scope of Work).

Titles: Titles of paragraphs used herein are for the purpose of facilitating reference only and shall not be construed to infer a contractual construction of language.

Background and Historical Usage Information:

Pursuant to § 210.112 RSMo, it is the policy of the Department of Social Services and its agencies to implement a foster care, child protection, and welfare system focused on providing the highest quality of services and outcomes for children and their families. The Department of Social Services, Children’s Division is interested in continuing a public-private partnership through performance-based contracting to meet the needs of the child welfare population in targeted areas of the state. A partnership between the public and private sectors provides the flexibility, creativity, and expertise needed to best serve the children and families served through Missouri’s child welfare system.

The provisions of 13 CSR 35-35.120 establish the governing provisions for foster care case management contracts to provide a comprehensive system of service delivery for children and their families as set forth in § 210.112, RSMo. The provisions of 13 CSR 35-35.130 establish the methodology for the provision of reasonable cost for foster care case management contracted services as set forth in § 210.112.4.(6), RSMo.

Missouri’s child welfare system is driven by the below four key priorities focused on increasing safety, permanency, and well-being.

Seeing families accurately through the full frame of their lives allows the Children’s Division to better understand behavior, emphasizes curiosity and critical thinking, minimizes tradeoffs, and moves beyond symptoms and compliance to sustainable change;

Engaging children, youth, families, and communities as partners improves working relationships, which are fundamental to developing safety and well-being networks in families and communities;

Making informed decisions through inclusive processes, data, research, and evaluation ensures decisions are based on reliable information, includes diverse perspectives, and leads to individualized and realistic goal setting and cross-system accountability; and

Strengthening frontline practice and supporting what works through a clear and evolving practice model based on values, principles, experience, and results.

The following attachments provide additional details and historical data for informational purposes only for Foster Care Case Management:

Attachment 1 contains current case information by county within each region.

Attachment 2 contains case distribution information by county for the contracts to be awarded via this RFP.

Attachment 3 contains information regarding the percentage of children placed in relative placements and foster home placements as of July 31, 2025.

Attachment 4 contains the number of LS1 cases with the Children’s Division and Foster Care Case Management by county with each region as of July 31, 2025. Attachment 4 shows the number of children placed outside the region but not for children placed out-of-state as those cases would not be assigned to a Foster Care Case Management provider.

The Department of Social Services has contracts in existence for related foster care case management services. The following information regarding existing related contracts for the contracted Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood, Intensive In-Home Services and Intensive Family Reunification Services, Specialized Care Management Services, and the Transitional Living Program Services is provided as background information.

Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood: Chafee services are separate from and are not included in Foster Care Case Management, but the services interrelate. Therefore, the following information may be helpful:

The foundation of the Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood is based on Four Core Principles. These principles are: Positive Youth Development, Collaboration, Cultural Competence, and Permanent Connections.

The Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood includes youth who have left the Children’s Division’s legal custody on or after the age of 16 until their 23rd birthday. These specified services are to include financial, housing, counseling, employment, education, and other appropriate support and services. The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-351) adds the purpose of providing services to youth who after age 16 leave foster care for kinship guardianship or adoption.

The Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood is designed to complement the youth’s own efforts to achieve self-sufficiency and to assure that program participants recognize and accept their personal responsibility in preparing for and making the transition from adolescence to adulthood. Each youth will come to the Children’s Division with unique strengths, different experiences, and goals. The services are intended to help these youth, ages 14-23, choose the path they want to follow, and then help them achieve their goals.

A copy of the Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood (previously called Chafee Foster Care Independence Program) contracts can be viewed and printed from the Division Purchasing’s Awarded Bid & Contract Document Search System located on the Internet at: https://purch.oa.mo.gov/bidding-contracts/awarded-bid-contract-document-search. Please reference the Bid number STATE 0000000061SL or the contract numbers MS260061001 through MS260061003 when searching for these documents.

Intensive In-Home Services and Intensive Family Reunification Services: Intensive In-Home Services and Intensive Family Reunification Services are separate from and are not included in Foster Care Case Management, but the services interrelate. Therefore, the following information may be helpful:

Intensive In-Home Services (IIS) are intensive, short-term, home-based, crisis intervention services offering families in crisis the alternative to remain safely together, averting the out-of-home placement of children whenever possible. The Intensive In-Home Services program combines skill-based intervention with maximum flexibility so that services are available to families according to their unique needs. Among other services, family members may receive individual and family counseling, parenting education, child development training, household maintenance education, nutritional training, job readiness training, and referral to other community resources. Services provided are focused upon assisting in crisis management and restoring the family to an acceptable level of functioning.

Intensive Family Reunification Services (IFRS) consists of intensive, short-term, home-based, intervention provided to reunite children in out-of-home placement with their identified families.

Intensive In-Home Services and Intensive Family Reunification Services are based upon the belief that families can, through intervention, learn to nurture their children, improve their functioning, and gain support within their community to enable the family to remain safely together. The goal of Intensive In-Home Services and Intensive Family Reunification Services is to protect children through the enhancement of family capabilities. The Intensive In-Home Services and Intensive Family Reunification Services programs are available throughout the state.

A copy of the Intensive In-Home Services and Intensive Family Reunification Services contracts can be viewed and printed from the Division of Purchasing’s Awarded Bid & Contract Document Search System located on the Internet at: https://purch.oa.mo.gov/bidding-contracts/awarded-bid-contract-document-search. Please reference the Bid number RFPS30034902401594 or the contract numbers CS241594001 and CS241594002 when searching for these documents.

Specialized Care Management Services: Specialized Care Management Services are separate from and are not included in Foster Care Case Management, but the services interrelate. Therefore, the following information may be helpful:

Specialized Care Management Services is a public-private partnership through performance-based contracting designed to move children with severe and complex behavioral health needs into stable and ultimately permanent placements with families (specialized care management).

The regions served through specialized care management are different than through foster care case management.

The population of children referred for specialized care management services are those with already identified “high end” service needs. Once children demonstrate stability in a community setting, they are disenrolled back to the Department of Social Services for case management.

A copy of the Specialized Care Management Services contract can be viewed and printed from the Division of Purchasing’s Awarded Bid & Contract Document Search System located on the Internet at: https://purch.oa.mo.gov/bidding-contracts/awarded-bid-contract-document-search. Please reference the Bid number RFPS30034902400578 or the contract number CS240578001 when searching for these documents.

Transitional Living Program Services: The following information regarding existing contracts for contracted Transitional Living Program Services is provided as background information. Therefore, the following information may be helpful:

The purpose of the transitional living program is to provide a living environment in the best interest of the youth that provides a path for the youth to transition from alternative care to self-sufficiency and achieves the outcome of preparing the youth to live independently.

The transitional living program is designed to provide youth more independent types of living arrangements and programs. The Department of Social Services recognizes there may be occasions when youth in the transitional living program are in need of the same services/programs provided to youth in the residential program, such as classes and counseling.

The transitional living program provides services that are different than the services provided under the residential program. While the programs are connected as part of the continuum of services provided to youth from entry into state custody to exit, the transitional living program provides services to transition youth to become more independent rather than the congregate care typified by residential care services.

· Pre-Transitional Living Group Homes (PTLG) and Transitional Living Group Homes (TLG) are licensed and contracted Residential Child Care agencies operating a site dedicated solely to youth, age 15.5 through age 18 for PTLG or age 16 through 18, until the youth’s 19th birthday for TLG.

· Transitional Living Single/Scattered Site apartments (TLSS) are approved and contracted living arrangements dedicated solely to youth, ages 18 through age 20, until the youth’s 21st birthday, who has a plan of independent living and has demonstrated an ability to live independently with an array of supportive services.

A copy of the Transitional Living Program Services contracts can be viewed and printed from the Division Purchasing’s Awarded Bid & Contract Document Search System located on the Internet at: https://purch.oa.mo.gov/bidding-contracts/awarded-bid-contract-document-search. Please reference the Bid number STATE 0000000412SL or the contract numbers MS260412001 through MS260412018 when searching for these documents.

Current and/or Previous Contract Information:

Current Foster Care Case Management contracts exist for the services being obtained via this RFP. A copy of the contracts can be viewed and printed from the Division of Purchasing Awarded Bid & Contract Document Search System located on the Internet at: https://purch.oa.mo.gov/bidding-contracts/awarded-bid-contract-document-search. In addition, all proposal and evaluation documentation leading to the award of the contracts may also be viewed and printed from the Division of Purchasing’s Awarded Bid & Contract Document Search System. Please reference the Bid numbers RFPS30034902001200 and RFPS30034902100172 or the contract numbers CS201200001, CS201200002, CS201200004, CS201200005, and CS210172002 when searching for these documents.

State Expenditures: The Missouri Accountability Portal (MAP) located on the Internet at: http://mapyourtaxes.mo.gov/MAP/Expenditures/ provides financial data related to the purchase of the services under the contract. Be sure to read the information provided in the site information and disclaimer links: https://mapyourtaxes.mo.gov/MAP/Help/MapExpendituresHelp.htm and https://mapyourtaxes.mo.gov/MAP/Help/MapExpendituresHelp.htm#disclaimer. Then search by the contract numbers shown above when searching for the financial information.

RFP Questions:

Buyer is Single Point of Contact for Solicitation: Vendors and their agents (including subcontractors, employees, consultants, or anyone else acting on their behalf) must direct all of their questions or comments regarding the RFP, the evaluation, etc., to the buyer indicated on the first page of this RFP. It is preferred that questions be emailed to the buyer.

Except as noted herein, vendors and their agents are instructed not to contact any other state employee regarding any of these matters during the solicitation and evaluation process. Inappropriate contacts are grounds for suspension and/or exclusion from specific procurements. Vendors can be sanctioned for unauthorized contact with any evaluator under 1 Code of State Regulation (CSR) 40-1.060(8)(G) and (H) available at http://www.sos.mo.gov/adrules/csr/csr.asp.

Service Disabled Veteran Enterprise and Honorably Discharged Veteran Enterprise certification certifications or subcontract questions should be directed to the Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO) at http://oeo.mo.gov.

Vendor is Responsible for Asking Questions About the RFP: It is the vendor’s responsibility to ask questions, request changes or clarifications, or otherwise advise the Division of Purchasing if the vendor believes that any language, specifications, or requirements are: (1) ambiguous, (2) contradictory or arbitrary, (3) violate any state or federal law or regulation, (4) restrict or limit the requirements to a single source, or (5) restrict or limit the vendor’s ability to submit a proposal.

Vendor Question Deadline: Every attempt shall be made to ensure that the vendor receives an adequate and prompt response. However, in order to maintain a fair and equitable procurement process, all vendors will be advised, via the issuance of an amendment to the RFP, of any relevant or pertinent information related to the procurement. All questions and issues should be submitted no later than ten (10) calendar days prior to the proposal closing date and time of the proposals. If not received prior to ten (10) calendar days before the proposal closing date and time, the Division of Purchasing may not be able to fully research and consider the respective questions or issues.

State’s Response to Vendor Questions: Upon the Division of Purchasing’s consideration of questions and issues, if the Division of Purchasing determines that changes are necessary, the resulting changes will be included in a subsequently issued RFP amendment(s); absence of such response indicates that the questions and issues were considered but deemed unnecessary for an RFP amendment. All vendors will be advised of any change to the RFP’s language, specifications, or requirements by a formal amendment to the RFP. There will be no posted written records of the questions/communications (i.e., formal question/answer document).

RFP is State’s Only Official Position: The only official position of the State of Missouri shall be that which is contained in the RFP and any amendments thereto.

Amendments:

If the Division of Purchasing determines that changes to the RFP are necessary, the resulting changes will be included in a subsequently issued RFP amendment(s) prior to the proposal closing date and time.

Glossary of Terms and Acronyms:

Whenever the following terms and acronyms appear in the RFP document or any amendment thereto, the definitions or meanings described below shall apply.

Technical Glossary, Acronyms, and Abbreviations:

Case is defined as a child in the legal custody of the Children’s Division and is in out-of-home care, family members, including siblings remaining in the home the child was removed from, and parent(s) of the child in out-of-home care. If more than one sibling is in out-of-home care, it is counted as a separate case. Children of youth in out-of-home care that are not in the legal custody of the Children’s Division are not counted as a separate case.

Case Plan is defined as the services and activities necessary for the achievement of reunification or other permanent plan which includes the Social Service Plan.

Child Placing Agency is defined as any person or organization, other than the parents, who places a child outside the home of the child’s parents or guardian or advertises or holds him/herself forth as performing such services, but excluding the attorney, physician, or clergyman of the parents per section 453.014(4), RSMo.

Competent is defined as having adequate qualifications or the capacity to function in a particular way.

Crisis Fund is explained in detail at the following link: https://dssmanuals.mo.gov/child-welfare-manual/section-3-chapter-3-monitoring-plan-subsection-4-crisis-intervention-funds/.

Diligent Efforts is defined as efforts initiated by the contractor’s family case manager to pursue a parent, relative, or locate a child who is on runaway status with the progress reported at each court hearing until the parent, relative, or child is located or the court excuses further search.

Elevated Needs is defined as a home with foster parent(s) who acquired skills through specialized training to meet the needs of a child with identifiable and documented moderate or serious emotional and/or behavioral needs requiring intensive and individualized intervention to succeed in a community-based family setting as defined in 13 CSR 35-60.070.

Family-Centered Services is defined as the family-focused intervention method utilized by the Missouri Department of Social Services, Children’s Division when working with families to assist them in identifying families’ strengths and needs and to develop a family plan for change.

Family Support Team Meeting is defined as a meeting convened by the family case manager on behalf of the family and/or child for the purpose of determining service and treatment needs, determining the need for placement and developing a plan for reunification or other permanency options, determining the appropriate placement of the child, evaluating case progress, and establishing and revising the case plan.

Foster Care Maintenance is defined as payments to cover the cost of (and the cost of providing) food, clothing, shelter, daily supervision, school supplies, a child’s personal incidentals, liability insurance with respect to a child and reasonable travel to the child’s home for visitation, and Infant Allowance.

Legal Family-Centered Services is defined as a child that enters the legal custody of the Children’s Division but is not placed in out-home care.

LS1 means children in the custody of the state agency.

LS3 means children under the supervision of the state agency for Jackson County only.

Medical Needs Resource Provider is defined as a resource provider who is licensed as required in 13 CSR 35-60.010-13 CSR 35-60.110, has entered into a contract with the Children’s Division to provide medical foster care, and has successfully completed and provided documentation of the completion of the individualized medical training specific to the needs of the youth provided by the youth’s healthcare provider or other provider and approved by the Children’s Division.

New Entry Into Care is defined as a child who has either never been in the legal custody of the Children’s Division or has not been in the legal custody of the Children’s Division in the last 12 months.

Out-of-Home Care is defined as substitute care for a child, who is in the Missouri Department of Social Services, Children’s Division’s custody or who is under court-ordered supervision by the Missouri Department of Social Services, Children’s Division, whose welfare requires that the child be removed from their own home.

Out-of-Home Care Provider is defined as an adult providing the direct care for children in out-of-home placements.

Out-of-Home Placement is defined as a form of substitute care usually in a home licensed by a public agency for children whose welfare requires that they be removed from their own homes.

Permanency is defined as reunification with the child’s family or caretakers, a finalized adoption, or a legal guardianship.

Placement Decision is defined as the decision to either place, delay placement, or deny placement, of child into foster care or an adoptive home. It includes the decision of the Missouri Department of Social Services, Children’s Division to seek the termination of birth parent rights or otherwise make a child legally available for adoptive placement.

Placement Setting is defined as a move to any out-of-home placement excluding those moves to detention, a medical facility, and/or a mental health facility when the placement is less than 30 calendar days. Children in these placements or on runaway status are also excluded from the placement setting definition for the purpose of calculating number of moves experienced during placement. Moves are counted after the case is referred to the contractor and calculated when a new vendor number (DVN) is entered into the case management system.

Post Permanency Service is defined as service provided to the child and family once a child is reunified or placed in an adoptive or guardianship home.

Professional Personnel is defined as persons that are a member of a recognized profession. The professional personnel include, but are not limited to, social workers, counselors, and psychologists whether they are full-time personnel or part-time personnel. For purposes of this document, family case managers are included in professional personnel but shall be referred to specifically as “family case managers” when a requirement is specific to only the family case manager.

Re-entries into Care is defined as a child who was previously managed by the contractor who returned to care within twelve (12) months of previous exit (legal status change, exiting care, exiting jurisdiction, achieving permanency, or date of reunification).

Relative is defined as a grandparent or any other person related to another by blood or affinity (marriage) or a person who is not so related to the child but has a close relationship with the child or the child’s family. Additionally, per Section 210.565.2(2) RSMo a foster parent or kinship caregiver with whom a child has resided for nine (9) months or more is considered to be a person who has a close relationship with the child.

Replacement Cases is defined as cases assigned to the contractor by oversight which replaces those cases moving to permanency or are no longer served by the contractor. Such cases may be new entries into care or come from Missouri Department of Social Services, Children’s Division caseloads that may not have an assigned worker such as a case being covered by a supervisor due to a vacancy or extended leave of a Missouri Department of Social Services, Children’s Division staff. In such cases, the child(ren) and family are already undergoing a change in worker. In addition, cases may be assigned from a Missouri Department of Social Services, Children’s Division caseload which exceeds Council on Accreditation caseload standards. It is the Missouri Department of Social Services, Children’s Division’s intention to refer cases that are representative of the caseload maintained by Missouri Department of Social Services, Children’s Division staff in the region.

Special Needs is defined by 13 CSR 35-38.010 as minority racial or ethnic parentage; a Physical or Developmental Disability member of a sibling group of two or more siblings who are placed in the same adoptive home at the same time; a “guarded prognosis” indicating possible future challenges related to the child’s condition or status at the time of adoptive placement; five (5) years of age or older; and/or the child has a history, which includes circumstances such as long-term out-of-home care, incest, or social or genetic complication in the family background, which provides other impediments to adoption.

State Agency is defined as the Missouri Department of Social Services, Children’s Division.

Subcontractor is defined as any entity the contractor partners, collaborates, or subcontracts with to provide the services described herein.

Treatment Foster Home is defined as a home where the child’s caregiver(s) have fulfilled the requirements to provide treatment foster care and are responsible for providing intensive, individualized therapeutic interventions and daily care for one (1) to two (2) children with significant medical, developmental, emotional, or behavioral needs as defined in 13 CSR 35-60.075.

Glossary, Acronyms, and Abbreviations:

Agency and/or State Agency means the statutory unit of state government in the State of Missouri for which the equipment, supplies, and/or services are being purchased by the Division of Purchasing (Purchasing). The agency is also responsible for payment, unless otherwise specified herein.

Amendment means a written, official modification to a solicitation or contract.

Attachment applies to all documents which are included with an RFP to incorporate any informational data or requirements related to the performance requirements and/or specifications.

Buyer means the procurement staff member of Purchasing.

Code of State Regulation (CSR) contains the current administrative rules of executive agencies of Missouri government. The regulations are arranged by agency rather than by subject.

Contract means a legal and binding agreement between two or more competent parties, for a consideration for the procurement of equipment, supplies, and/or services.

Contractor means a supplier, offeror, person, or organization who is a successful vendor as a result of an RFP and who enters into a contract.

Exhibit applies to forms which are included with an RFP for the vendor to complete and submit with their proposal prior to the specified closing date and time.

ITSD means the State of Missouri, Office of Administration’s Information Technology Services Division.

May means that a certain feature, component, or action is permissible, but not required.

Must means that a certain feature, component, or action is a mandatory condition.

Party refers to either the State of Missouri or the contractor as an entity that may enter into a contract pursuant to the terms herein.

Pricing Page(s) applies to the form(s) on which the vendor must state the price(s) applicable for the equipment, supplies, and/or services required in the RFP. The pricing pages must be completed and submitted by the vendor with the proposal prior to the specified proposal closing date and time.

Proposal Closing Date and Time and similar expressions mean the exact deadline required by the RFP for the receipt of sealed proposals.

Purchase Order means the authorized document issued by the state agency to the contractor indicating descriptions, quantities, and agreed prices for products and/or services.

Reasonable, Necessary or Proper as used herein shall be interpreted solely by the State of Missouri.

Request for Proposal (RFP) means the solicitation document issued by Purchasing to potential vendors for the purchase of equipment, supplies, and/or services as described in the document. The definition includes the following sections: Introduction and Background Information; Scope of Work; Terms and Conditions (“terms and conditions” and “Terms and Conditions” are used interchangeably throughout the RFP); General Contractual Requirements; and Vendor Submission, Evaluation, and Award Information; and the RFP Vendor Response Exhibits, Attachments, and Amendments of the RFP.

RSMo (Revised Statutes of Missouri) refers to the body of laws enacted by the Legislature which govern the operations of all agencies of the State of Missouri. Chapter 34 of the statutes is the primary chapter governing the operations of Purchasing.

Shall has the same meaning as the word must.

Should means that a certain feature, component and/or action is desirable but not mandatory.

State collectively referring to the state government and/or the agencies thereof.

Supplier has the same meaning as the word, vendor.

Vendor means the supplier, offeror, person, or organization that responds to an RFP by submitting a proposal with prices to provide the equipment, supplies, and/or services as required in the RFP document.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Definitions:

Artificial Intelligence (AI): A machine-based system or service that can generate outputs such as content, predictions, recommendations, or decisions (i.e. virtual or real environments) influencing the environments they interact with.

Generative AI: Artificial intelligence (AI) service that generates new content, such as text, images, audio, code, synthetic data, or other content based on learned patterns from large data sets, including but not limited to Large Language Models (LLMs).

Machine Learning (ML): A type of Artificial Intelligence (AI) that helps computers and machines learn like humans, to perform tasks, and to improve their performance and accuracy through experience and exposure to more data.

AI Training: The computational process by which an artificial intelligence or machine learning model ingests and processes data to develop, adjust, or optimize its internal parameters, weights, or algorithms for the purpose of enabling the model to perform specified tasks, generate outputs, or make predictions. Training includes initial pre-training on large datasets, fine-tuning on domain-specific data, and any reinforcement or feedback-based optimization processes applied to the model.

Automated Decision-Making (ADM) Technology: Any system, software, or algorithmic process—utilizing either artificial intelligence, machine learning, or advanced rule-based logic—that automates the evaluation of data to make a decision, issue a score, or recommend a specific course of action with minimal or no human intervention.

AI Model: A component of an information system that implements AI technology and uses computational, statistical, or machine-learning techniques to produce outputs from a given set of inputs.

AI Prompt: The input, instruction, or command that a user provides to an Artificial Intelligence (AI) model to elicit a specific AI generated output, which can be in the form of text, code, images, audio, automated task or function.

Agentic AI: Artificial Intelligence (AI) service that exhibits a level of autonomy, proactivity, and decision-making capability, often acting as agents that can pursue goals, initiate actions, and adapt based on context without direct human prompting.

Data Poisoning: A type of cyberattack in which an adversary intentionally compromises a training dataset used by an AI or Machine Learning (ML) model to influence or manipulate the operation of that model.

Drift: A phenomenon where an AI model's performance degrades over time due to changes in the data it is exposed to, causing its predictions or outputs to become less accurate or relevant.

Hallucination: When an Artificial Intelligence (AI) service generates inaccurate or nonsensical information.

Model Bias: When an Artificial Intelligence (AI) service makes systematic errors or shows favor to certain groups, leading to unfair or discriminatory outcomes.

Prompt Injection: An attack that forces a generative model to produce unexpected output by manipulating the structure, instructions, or information contained in its prompt.

Deterministic AI: A machine-based system that operates on predefined rules to produce consistent, predictable outputs for a given input, without the variability typically found in generative models.

Open-Weight AI: Artificial intelligence systems where the underlying source code, model weights, and training data are made publicly accessible for review, use, and community development.

Closed AI: Proprietary artificial intelligence systems where the technology, code, training data, and model weights remain private and are strictly controlled by the developer or vendor.

AI Tuning: The process of adjusting and refining an existing artificial intelligence model to make it more accurate, efficient, or skilled at a specific job.

Algorithm: An algorithm is simply a specific set of step-by-step instructions that a computer follows to solve a problem or complete a task. Common algorithms include classification, regression, and clustering.

Artificial Neural Network: A type of artificial intelligence (AI) designed with a deep learning technique modeled after the structure of the human brain, requiring large datasets to perform complex calculations and generate outputs - enabling capabilities such as speech and image recognition.

Chatbot: Software application that is designed to imitate human conversation through text or voice commands. See also Generative Artificial Intelligence or GenAI.

Deep Learning: A subfield of machine learning that focuses on training neural networks with many layers, enabling learning of complex patterns.

Domain Language Model: A domain language model is a type of artificial intelligence trained to understand and write about a highly specific subject, rather than general, everyday topics. For example, the state might use one specifically trained on Missouri legal codes or public health regulations so it can accurately help staff search specialized documents or answer complex policy questions.

Embedded AI: The Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities are part of an existing application as an additional feature of that application Fine-tuned Model: An Artificial Intelligence (AI) program that has already learned general information, but is then given extra training and is focused on a specific context or category of information so it becomes an expert in that area.

Input Transformation: A data processing technique where raw input is systematically altered, rephrased, or sanitized before being passed to a downstream system.

Large Language Model: A type of artificial intelligence model designed to process and generate human-like text by leveraging deep learning techniques, typically trained on vast amounts of data to understand and produce language-based outputs.

Local-Side Secret Scanning: Is a security process where data is analyzed for sensitive information (passwords, API keys, tokens) on the user’s device before it is ever transmitted over the network. (sometimes known as client-side secret scanning) Model Context Protocol: An open-source framework designed to standardize how Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems, particularly Large Language Models (LLMs), integrate with and share data with external tools, systems, and data sources.

Multimodal AI Model: An AI model capable of processing and integrating multiple data types - such as text, images, and audio - simultaneously. By combining information from these different modalities, the model can generate more accurate and context-aware responses to user queries or tasks.

Natural Language Processing: A term for a machine’s ability to perform conversational tasks, such as recognizing what is said to it, understanding the intended meaning and responding intelligibly.

Neural Network: AI technology mimics human brain function to process data and create patterns for decision making.

Non-Deterministic Noise: Refers to variability in system behavior that cannot be predicted or reproduced reliably from the same inputs. In coding, it manifests as outputs or states that differ across runs despite identical code, configuration, and initial conditions.

Power User (AI): A Power user (AI) primary use goes beyond the limits of the standard AI tool and uses it for deep research, coding, or analyzing massive datasets.

Pretrained Model: An Artificial Intelligence (AI) program that has already been taught to understand basic language, images, or patterns by analyzing massive amounts of general information. A pretrained model can be used as a starting point to create a fine-tuned contextualized version of a model, thus applying transfer learning.

Private AI Model: An Artificial Intelligence (AI) system that trained on the state's internal data and is used in a single tenant environment available only to the state.

Prompt Engineering: Prompt engineering is the practice of carefully writing the instructions or questions (the "prompts") given to an artificial intelligence tool to get the best and most accurate response. Think of it like giving highly specific, step-by-step directions to a new assistant so they understand exactly what you need them to do without getting confused.

Public AI Model: An Artificial Intelligence (AI) system trained on publicly available data from across the internet—such as text articles, images, and videos—and used in a multi-tenant environment, where it is accessible to multiple organizations. This means that, as a customer, your data may not be completely private, and some of these models may use your input to improve their algorithms.

Red Teaming: An exercise where human testers (or automated adversarial agents) attempt to force an AI model to produce harmful, illegal, or unethical outputs that violate its own safety guardrails.

Retrieval Augmented Generation: An AI technique for improving the quality of Generative AI (GenAI) responses by including trusted sources of knowledge, outside of the original training set, to improve the accuracy of the GenAI’s output. Implementing Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) in Generative AI question answering system has benefits: 1) assurance that the service has access to the most current, reliable facts, 2) reduce hallucinations rates, and 3) provide source attribution to increase user trust in the output.

Standard User (AI): A Standard User that uses AI for "General Productivity." They primarily use the service to help with administrative tasks, drafting emails, and summarizing documents.

Sub-Agent: An Artificial Intelligence (AI) agent that receives a bounded task from an orchestrator and executes it within defined constraints. Sub-agents may themselves further delegate to other agents.

Vibe Coding: A software development practice that shifts your role from writing code line-by-line to guiding an Artificial Intelligence (AI) assistant through a conversational process. Instead of manual syntax and precision, you describe what you want in plain language, and agentic AI systems turn that intent into working code.

Accuracy of Background Information:

Although an attempt has been made to provide accurate and up-to-date information, the State of Missouri does not warrant or represent that the background information provided herein reflects all relationships or existing conditions related to this RFP.

****END OF INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND INFORMATION SECTION****

SCOPE OF WORK SECTION

General Requirements:

The contractor shall provide a range of child welfare services including case management services for children in out-of-home placements, family-centered services for parents, siblings, and legal guardians from whose care the child was removed, resource home development, and community resource development (hereinafter collectively referred to as foster care case management services) for the Department of Social Services, Children’s Division (hereinafter referred to as “state agency”) in accordance with the provisions and requirements stated herein and to the sole satisfaction of the state agency.

The contractor shall refer to and comply with federal and state law, regulations and policies, including the state agency’s Child Welfare Manual, for guidance on current practice and policies. The contractor shall review all Policy Memorandums and Practice Alerts as they are issued by the state agency at the following website: https://dssmanuals.mo.gov/child-welfare-manual/child-welfare-manual-2019-update/.

The contractor shall provide foster care case management services that respect the culture, ethnicity, and religious practices of the child and that of the child’s family. The contractor shall also provide foster care case management services that respect and meet the needs of family members who have special needs due to physical, cognitive, or mental disabilities and limitations.

The contractor shall be aware of cultural differences and the differences in norms and values and design service delivery in such a manner in order to be responsive to the needs of the families the contractor serves.

The contractor shall provide foster care case management services in the following region(s) as stated in the Notice of Award issued by the Division of Purchasing (hereinafter referred to as Notice of Award).

Jefferson St. Charles St. Francois St. Louis County St. Louis City Washington

Christian Greene Lawrence Stone Taney

Callaway Cole Howard Randolph

Laclede Phelps Pulaski Texas Crawford

McDonald Newton

Dunklin Ripley Stoddard

The contractor shall provide services in all counties listed within the awarded region. The contractor shall ensure that each county within the awarded region receives the full range of services required under the contract.

Modifications to the counties may be allowed on a case by case basis as determined by the state agency.

The contractor shall maintain a case record for each child referred which is consistent with the standards in the Child Welfare Manual and contains all information necessary to keep the state agency’s automated system accurate (refer to the Automated System Requirements, Section 2.20 herein).

The contractor shall keep all case records of referred children separate from other cases the contractor may be handling. With the exception of appropriate state agency personnel, the case record shall only be accessible to the contractor’s personnel performing tasks related to the contract.

The contractor shall have an office for the contractor’s case managers in the awarded regions(s). The contractor’s offices, personnel, and services shall be provided in the awarded region(s) and shall be accessible by the children and families served through the contract.

Contractor’s Obligation: Unless otherwise specified herein, the contractor shall furnish all material, labor, facilities, equipment, and supplies necessary to perform the services required herein.

Laws and Policies:

The contractor shall comply with and implement the requirements of all relevant federal and state laws, regulations, and policies including, but not limited to, those listed below, which pertain to the foster care case management services provided by the contractor. In the event any of the following are updated throughout the life of the contract, the contractor shall adhere to the most recent version. In the event of a discrepancy between the policies of the state agency and federal or state law, the contractor shall comply with the federal or state law. These laws, policies, and regulations include, but are not limited to:

Missouri Rules and Regulations governing the Missouri Children’s Division, foster care case management contracts, and child-placing agencies within Title 13 of the Code of State Regulations (CSR), including but not limited to Divisions 35 and 40;

Missouri laws pertaining to the services described herein. This includes, but is not limited to Chapters 207, 210, 211 and 453 of the Missouri Revised statutes;

The Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 25 USC Section 1901-1963 (located at www.tribal-institute.org/lists/chapter21_icwa.htm);

Children’s Division Child Welfare Manual and written policies and procedures pertaining to services described herein (located at https://dssmanuals.mo.gov/child-welfare-manual/child-welfare-manual-2019-update/) to provide services through best child welfare practices

Children’s Division Federal Program Improvement Plan…