Intake Agent and Eligibility OfficeBid Documents

The State of Indiana, through the Department of Administration on behalf of the Office of Early Childhood and Out of School Learning (OECOSL), is seeking a contractor or contractors to serve as the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) and On My Way Pre-K Intake Agent(s). The primary objective is to establish and operate one Central Eligibility Office (CEO) and twelve Regional Eligibility Offices (REOs) across the state to manage intake, application processing, eligibility determination, and case management for early care and education programs. The contractor will be responsible for processing applications, conducting eligibility assessments, managing reauthorizations, and maintaining comprehensive case management for these programs. Proposals will be evaluated on a 103-point scale, with 50 points for Management Assessment/Quality, 30 points for Cost, 5 points for Buy Indiana Initiative, and additional points for Minority Business Enterprise, Women Business Enterprise, and Indiana Veteran Owned Small Business subcontractor commitments. Key deadlines include a pre-proposal conference on January 28, 2026, written questions due by February 4, 2026, proposal responses posted by February 11, 2026, and proposals due by February 25, 2026 at 3:00 PM Eastern Time. The contract term will be two years from execution, with two optional one-year renewals, and the state anticipates conducting proposal evaluations starting March 16, 2026, with potential oral presentations on March 23, 2026, and an award recommendation targeted for April 10, 2026.

The procurement includes set-aside goals for Minority Business Enterprises (8%), Women Business Enterprises (11%), and Indiana Veteran Owned Small Businesses (3%) of the total bid amount. Respondents must be registered with the Indiana Department of Administration Procurement Division and be in good standing with the Indiana Secretary of State. The state has established participation requirements for certified MBE/WBE and IVOSB subcontractors, with vendors required to submit detailed commitment forms and signed letters from proposed subcontractors. The current services are provided by five separate regional vendors, and the new contractor must transition services and be fully operational by October 1, 2026. The contract will support approximately 82 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions, with compensation structured as a monthly staffing fixed fee, facility lease and operations pass-through reimbursements, and one-time technology and implementation start-up costs. The state will implement a performance-based payment model, withholding 10% of the monthly staffing fee pending performance verification and requiring specific performance metrics, including processing 50% of new enrollments within state timeframes and maintaining a 97% accuracy rate for applications and case processing.