Advocacy Services for Individuals Experiencing Domestic Abuse

The Dane County Department of Human Services in Wisconsin is issuing a Request for Proposal (#427023-PMW) for advocacy services to individuals experiencing domestic abuse. The procurement seeks a qualified vendor to provide legal advocacy (not representation) services to domestic violence victims, including safety planning, explanation of legal options, assistance with court-related paperwork, and court accompaniment. The selected vendor must serve 320 clients annually and provide 2,000 hours of advocacy services per contract year, with service availability during regular business hours when Dane County courts are in session and capacity to serve clients within 10 days of request. Required deliverables include position descriptions for all staff, a completed budget backup workbook, W9 forms, and evidence of registration in good standing with the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions. Vendors will be evaluated on program overview (15 points), program implementation and staffing (30 points), qualifications (20 points), quality review practices (15 points), cost (20 points), and local vendor preference (5 points). The question submission deadline is May 8, 2026, the proposal submission deadline is June 4, 2026 at 11:59 p.m., and award notification is anticipated in August 2026. The contract will be effective for one year from execution with an option to renew for four additional one-year periods by mutual agreement.

Dane County offers geographic preference points to qualified vendors: five points for vendors located within Dane County and two points for vendors in adjacent counties (Columbia, Dodge, Green, Iowa, Jefferson, Rock, or Sauk). The current service provider, Domestic Abuse Intervention Services Inc., delivered 2,020 units of crisis services to 253 persons in 2025. Pricing will be based on actual expenses incurred with vendors submitting a unit price per hour of service, and administrative costs are capped at 15% of total program costs. Final pricing will be negotiated post-award based on cost reasonableness and available County funding. While a specific award value is not provided, the scope of services (320 clients annually and 2,000 hours of advocacy services) provides a baseline for budgeting purposes. All vendors must be registered entities in good standing with the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions and must demonstrate organizational capacity to bill for discrete units of service rendered.