Foster Support

The Colorado Department of Human Services, Office of Children, Aging and Community Services, Division of Child Welfare is requesting proposals for statewide foster parent and kinship caregiver mental health and stabilization support services under RFP 2026000277, with proposals due July 28, 2026 at 1:00 p.m. MT. The questions deadline was July 6, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. MT, with responses posted by July 14. No pre-bid conference will be held.

The scope includes mental health resources delivered by licensed professionals, caregiver support and education with trauma-informed training, and hard goods distribution including beds, cribs, car seats, and clothing. Services must serve approximately 2,500 certified foster or kinship foster care homes and over 500 non-certified kinship caregivers across multiple Colorado regions. Vendors must demonstrate current or former foster parent or kinship caregiver experience, capability to connect caregivers with licensed mental health professionals, crisis management and placement stabilization support, mentorship provision, hard goods procurement and delivery, and monthly reporting on unique individuals served, services provided, and associated costs. Services must comply with the OCACS Nondiscrimination Policy and HIPAA Business Associate Agreement requirements.

The initial contract term runs September 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, with renewal options for up to four additional one-year terms through June 30, 2031. The first-year award is not to exceed $250,000 for the nine-month initial term; subsequent annual awards are not to exceed $300,000 per year. Proposals must not exceed 15 pages and be submitted as a single zip file with maximum 15 GB size. Budget must use detailed line-item format correlating to proposed scope and may use the department's template (Exhibit B) or the vendor's template. Before contract execution, the awarded vendor must register in CORE, SAM.gov, and with the Colorado Secretary of State, comply with E-Verify and background check requirements, and meet accessibility standards. An addendum to the RFP was issued July 14, 2026.