Career and Technical Education Oversight and Management Services

The Missouri Department of Corrections is requesting proposals for Career and Technical Education Oversight and Management Services across eleven correctional facilities, with proposals due August 21, 2026 at 2:00 PM Central Time. The contractor must be an accredited institution of higher learning recognized by the Higher Learning Commission, Federal Department of Education, and Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development — a mandatory eligibility filter.

The scope requires the contractor to administer and operate 22 existing vocational programs across nine facilities (Auxvasse, Bonne Terre, Chillicothe, Crossroads, Moberly, Northeast, Tipton, Western Regional Drug Treatment, and Western Regional Detention), serving a minimum of 1,250 student offenders annually. Programs span automotive technology, welding, building trades, business technology, certified nursing assistant, cosmetology, culinary arts, electrical wiring, HVAC, plumbing, telecommunications, commercial vehicle operator, and manufacturing and supply chain, with course lengths ranging from 75 to 1,220 hours. The contractor must identify and implement new initiatives aligned with current employment standards; assume responsibility for all equipment, software, hardware, curriculum updates, and certification testing expenses; and provide personnel including a Contract Manager with five years' relevant experience and Program Directors with three years' CTE experience assigned to each facility. The state retains oversight of the federal Prison Education Program and will maintain two CTE Contract Monitors and one CTE Program Manager on staff.

The contract runs from authorization through June 30, 2029, with renewal options for two additional one-year periods. All pricing must be firm and fixed, with renewal pricing not to exceed amounts specified in the proposal. The contractor must demonstrate a minimum of ten years' experience providing CTE programming and preferably one year in correctional settings. A pre-proposal teleconference is scheduled for August 10, 2026 at 10:00 AM, and non-mandatory facility tours are available August 11–12. No incumbent contractor currently exists. The state will provide utilities, physical space, and security.