Community-Based Care Lead Agency for Circuit 1

The Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF), Northwest Region, Circuit 1 is seeking vendors to provide a range of Foster Care and Related Services for Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, and Walton counties. The requested services include, but are not limited to, child abuse prevention and protection, adoptions, family preservation, independent living, emergency shelter, residential group care, therapeutic foster care, intensive residential treatment, foster care supervision, case management, coordination of mental health services, post-placement supervision, permanent foster care, and family reunification. This Invitation to Negotiate (ITN) will result in one or more contracts to provide these child protection and child welfare services as outlined in Florida Statutes. Vendor responses are due by April 26, 2022, and DCF anticipates awarding the contract(s) by July 27, 2022, with a contract effective date of January 1, 2023 and a term of 5 years.

The solicitation does not mention any set-aside designations or restrictions on the types of organizations that can respond. An incumbent provider, Northwest Florida Health Network, has been selected for the intended contract award. The ITN does not provide details on pricing, funding sources, or award values, but indicates the selected vendor(s) will be compensated through a combination of state funds and federal grants, with a required local match for certain grant funds. DCF does not fund cost-of-living increases, and no start-up or readiness funding will be provided.