Absence Management and Staffing Services

The City of Bridgeport, Connecticut, through the Department of Public Purchases on behalf of the Bridgeport Board of Education, is issuing a Request for Proposal (RFP) for Absence Management and Staffing Services. The procurement seeks a qualified provider to deliver three integrated services: an electronic absence management system for daily absence reporting and tracking across all BBOE employee categories (teachers, certified pupil personnel services, paraprofessionals, and non-certified staff); substitute teacher staffing services for certified teaching staff; and substitute and long-term paraprofessional placement services across 39 school sites serving approximately 19,000 students. The provider must deliver web-based automated reporting and billing capabilities while meeting performance metrics requiring a minimum 90 percent fill rate for occasional substitutes and 95 percent for building substitutes. Proposals will be evaluated on a 100-point scoring matrix weighted as follows: qualifications and experience (20 points), quality of past success (20 points), organizational structure (25 points), work plan (15 points), and cost (20 points). The RFP was released on April 14, 2026, with a question submission deadline of May 1, 2026 at 2:00 pm EST, question responses due by May 6, 2026 at 4:00 pm EST, and proposal submissions due by May 12, 2026 at 2:00 pm EST. The initial contract term is three years with two one-year renewal options for a potential total of five years, with the current contract with existing providers terminating on June 30, 2026.

The RFP contains no identified set-aside designations or restrictions limiting responses to specific organization types. Proposers must demonstrate comprehensive pre-employment screening compliance with Connecticut law, including criminal background checks, DCF registry verification, and appropriate certifications and vaccinations. All personnel costs, including salaries, wages, Social Security, workers' compensation, unemployment insurance, and employee benefits, are the sole responsibility of the proposer. Proposers must carry specified insurance coverage including workers' compensation with employer's liability limits of $100,000 per accident, commercial general liability of $1,000,000 per occurrence ($2,000,000 annual aggregate), automobile liability of $1,000,000 per accident, and professional liability of $1,000,000 per claim with a $1,000,000 aggregate. Pricing must be submitted as an all-inclusive daily rate and half-day rate with no additional fees permitted for travel time, mileage, or miscellaneous expenses, and payment terms are Net 45 days. The RFP does not specify a stated budget range or award value; award amounts will be determined based on the successful proposer's pricing submission and the District's operational needs. The District reserves the right to contract with non-exclusive providers and retains all discretionary rights to reject any or all proposals, modify terms, or cancel the solicitation.