Family First Program Intermediaries

The Colorado Department of Human Services is requesting proposals for Program Intermediaries to oversee five evidence-based prevention services under the Family First Prevention Services Act, with proposals due August 13, 2026, and questions due July 21, 2026.

Eligible vendors must be the National Program Organization (NPO) for each program or a vendor designated by the NPO as the Colorado liaison. The five programs are Child First, Functional Family Therapy, Parents as Teachers, Healthy Families America, and Fostering Healthy Futures–Preteen, serving at-risk families and children with open child welfare involvement from prenatal through age 18.

The Program Intermediary is responsible for supervising program sites across designated catchment areas, ensuring provider qualifications and training compliance, conducting fidelity monitoring, managing continuous quality improvement, coordinating trauma-informed training, and verifying data collection and eligibility determinations. Key deliverables include establishing provider qualification tracking, ensuring program-specific and trauma-informed training completion at initial rollout and annually, aligning fidelity data with a statewide dashboard, submitting quarterly fidelity data reports, participating in bi-monthly meetings with the Colorado Department of Children and Welfare, and submitting a mid-year report by February 28, 2027. The Program Intermediary must notify the Department within 30 days of any new or closing program sites.

The fixed award amount is $20,025 per year per Program Intermediary, representing one full-time equivalent position; vendors must accept this as full payment for all services rendered. The initial contract term runs September 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027, with renewal options for up to four additional one-year periods through June 30, 2031. Proposals are limited to ten pages. Before contract execution, awarded vendors must register in CORE, SAM.gov, and with the Colorado Secretary of State if a foreign entity, and must comply with E-Verify requirements and criminal background checks if providing direct contact services with vulnerable persons. All vendors handling protected health information must execute a HIPAA Business Associate Agreement.