Child Care Expansion Grant Program Design and Administration

The City of South San Francisco is requesting proposals from qualified firms or organizations to design, launch, and administer a pilot Child Care Expansion Grant Program using available Childcare Impact Fee resources, with proposals due September 23, 2026 at 12:00 p.m.

The scope encompasses program design and guidelines development, provider outreach and technical assistance, application review and scoring, grant administration and contracting support, project monitoring, and outcome tracking and reporting. The consultant will work with the City's Parks and Recreation Department and other City staff to support capital improvements that create, expand, or activate licensed child care spaces serving both licensed child care centers and family child care homes. Required experience includes demonstrated work in child care facilities, capital grant programs, provider technical assistance, and public-sector grant administration.

The consultant services budget is approximately $100,000 over a contract term of 12 to 24 months. The City has established a separate pilot grant funding pool of approximately $500,000 for child care capital improvements, with a maximum individual grant award of approximately $200,000; these figures are planning assumptions subject to City modification. The Childcare Impact Fee Fund balance as of June 30, 2025 was approximately $16.7 million, with approximately $12.5 million already appropriated toward major preschool facility projects. Proposals must present a detailed, not-to-exceed fee organized by task and deliverable, including hourly rates, estimated hours, subconsultant costs, and reimbursable expenses. Proposals must not exceed 15 pages excluding covers and attachments.

Evaluation criteria are weighted as follows: Project Approach and Methodology (30%), Relevant Experience and Qualifications (25%), Project Team (20%), Project Schedule and Capacity (10%), Fee Structure and Cost Effectiveness (10%), and Quality and Responsiveness of Proposal (5%). Questions are due September 14, 2026, with City responses September 17. Interviews are tentatively scheduled for September 30, with Notice of Intent/Selection anticipated the week of October 5 and contract award November 10. Proposals remain effective for a minimum of 90 days beyond submittal.