Annual Youth Transition DREAM Conference - 5 Years

The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS), specifically the Office of Child Welfare Programs, is seeking a contractor to conduct the Annual Youth Transitions DREAM Conference from 2026 through 2030. The procurement is for a five-year contract to plan, coordinate, and execute summer conferences targeting foster youth and former foster youth between ages 16 and 24. The conferences will last a maximum of four days and three nights, with two and a half days of structured programming, serving between 50 to 100 participants. Key objectives include focusing on post-secondary education, career pathways, financial management, and independent living skills. The contractor will be responsible for creating conference activities, developing registration materials, hosting a College, Career, and Resource Fair, providing supervision and orientation for participants and adult chaperones, and submitting detailed reports after each conference. The proposal evaluation will assess proposers based on experience with youth conferences, conference planning approach, community networking, equal representation strategies, supervision plans, and fiscal stability, with a maximum possible score of 100 points. Proposals are due on June 9, 2025, at 3:00 PM Pacific Time, with an anticipated contract award in late June 2025.

The procurement includes a Certified Disadvantaged Business Outreach Plan that encourages participation of certified minority-owned, woman-owned, service-disabled veteran-owned, and emerging small businesses in subcontracting opportunities. Proposers must disclose their certification status, potential subcontracting opportunities, and commitment to providing equal opportunities for certified firms. The state will cover all expenses for participants' food and lodging, and ODHS will provide an on-site registered nurse. Proposers must complete several mandatory attachments, including a Proposer Information and Certification Sheet, a Responsibility Inquiry form, and a Disclosure Exemption Affidavit. While specific budget details are not explicitly stated, the contract will include maximum not-to-exceed compensation to be negotiated based on the proposed work. Contractors must maintain various insurance coverages, including Workers' Compensation, Commercial General Liability, Automobile Liability, and Professional Liability, with specific minimum coverage amounts. The contract also requires extensive compliance with federal and state regulations, including background checks, mandatory abuse reporting, and non-discrimination policies.