2026-13 DYS PRE-INDEPENDENT LIVING -MALES, Statewide - Request for Responses

The Massachusetts Department of Youth Services seeks to competitively procure two pre-independent living residential programs serving males statewide under RFR 2026-13, with responses due by June 1, 2026, at 3:00 PM EST and contract commencement on July 1, 2026. Each program will serve 5-11 youth, providing safe, community-based transitional housing and comprehensive support services primarily for older adolescents and emerging adults ages 16-21 who are committed to DYS or engaged through the Youth Engaged in Services (YES) program. Key service requirements include 24/7 awake on-site supervision with specified staffing levels (one program director, one assistant director, 1.07 clinical FTE, 7.27 direct care FTE, 1.10 direct care support FTE, and 1.43 relief staff FTE), implementation of trauma-responsive and Positive Youth Development frameworks, life skills and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) curricula, coordinated case management through the DYS Community Services Network, provision of three meals and two snacks daily, health services through MassHealth, financial literacy training, and comprehensive transition planning to independent living or community placements. Responders must submit proposals not to exceed 30 pages plus appendices through the COMMBUYS system, and evaluation will be conducted using a consensus model allocating 100 points across vision statement (8 points), program specifications (48 points), general specifications (4 points), and proposed location (40 points). The initial contract term is three years with two optional one-year renewals for a maximum five-year contract period, with no bidders' conference scheduled.

Responder eligibility is restricted to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations that have either completed the DYS Master Service Pre-Qualification Application (MSPQA) or will complete it concurrently with proposal submission. Responders may propose provider-owned or provider-leased locations or request use of state-owned property in the Central Region, specifically the Grafton or Westborough campuses. All programs must be licensed through the Department of Early Education and Care (DEEC). Compensation is structured as a unit rate contract based on daily bed occupancy, calculated at $493.50 per bed per day at 90 percent utilization under Chapter 257 rates, with maximum annual contract obligations ranging from $810,574 for a 5-bed model to $1,296,918 for an 8-bed model depending on actual capacity and occupancy levels. Providers may submit quarterly settlement requests for reimbursement of underutilized programs. Vendor registration in the COMMBUYS procurement system is required, and technical support is available through the Massachusetts Office of Strategic Development and Procurement Help Desk. The contract is subject to appropriation.