HOPE01-24 - Program Administrator

The California Hope, Opportunity, Perseverance, and Empowerment (HOPE) for Children Trust Account Program Board is seeking a comprehensive Program Administrator through Request for Proposals (RFP) No. HOPE01-24. The procurement targets a qualified firm to provide program administration, outreach, enrollment, services coordination, and website development and management for a youth-focused trust account program. Required deliverables include creating and managing HOPE Accounts for eligible children, developing an information management system, providing customer service, and establishing a mobile-optimized website. The RFP mandates comprehensive outreach strategies and an enrollment system to serve approximately 56,500 eligible children, including 10,000 COVID-bereaved children and 46,500 long-term foster youth. Key deadlines include a written question submittal deadline of January 28, 2025 at 12:00pm PT, with answers distributed by January 31, 2025, and a final proposal submission deadline of February 11, 2025 at 5:00pm PT. The proposal evaluation period is scheduled for February 12-13, 2025, with finalist interviews planned for February 14-17, 2025, and a Notice of Intent to Award expected on February 20, 2025.

The contract will be a three-year agreement from February 10, 2025 through February 9, 2028, with three optional one-year extensions potentially available. The initial three-year contract value is set not to exceed $2.5 million, with each potential one-year extension valued up to $500,000, creating a total maximum contract value of $4 million. The website and enrollment system development is specifically budgeted not to exceed $1 million. The program is funded through the HOPE Fund, with $100 million initially appropriated in FY2022 and $15 million allocated annually thereafter, resulting in approximately $145 million available to capitalize HOPE Accounts when operational in 2025. While the RFP does not explicitly outline specific set-aside designations or enterprise restrictions, it emphasizes the need for firms with demonstrated experience in program administration, youth-focused services, and technical infrastructure development. The successful vendor will be responsible for creating a comprehensive system that supports trust account management, customer service, and ongoing program expansion, with an anticipated ability to serve an estimated additional 10,000 children becoming eligible annually.