INTENT TO AWARD SOLE SOURCE- ECKERDYOUTH

The South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) is pursuing a sole source procurement for Motivational Interviewing (MI) training services from Eckerd Youth Alternatives. The contract aims to deliver comprehensive MI training to both institutional and community corrections staff, specifically targeting 60 Intensive Supervision Officers and 30 institutional staff including rehabilitation counselors and correctional officers. Training must be conducted in small group sessions of 15-20 participants, with each session not exceeding 12 hours or two business days, and must be held onsite at the SCDC Training Academy. Required deliverables include an MI Participant Manual with curriculum tailored to institutional and community contexts, an MI Train the Trainers/Instructor Manual, evidence-based reference materials, and certification of select SCDC participants as trainers. Vendors must demonstrate expertise in Motivational Interviewing training, extensive experience with youthful offenders aged 17-25, and proven experience training both institutional and community corrections staff. The procurement notice was posted on June 19, 2020, with a response deadline of July 14, 2020, at 10:00 a.m. Potential vendors may protest the intended award within five business days of the notice posting, with formal protests due within fifteen days.

The procurement appears to be a direct sole source award without specific set-aside designations or restrictions on organizational types. Eckerd Youth Alternatives was previously the sole vendor responding to a Best Value Bid Solicitation (5400014791) awarded on May 2, 2018, and has an established relationship with SCDC for training services. The notice does not specify contract pricing, total award amount, or specific funding sources. The training initiative is designed to complement SCDC's existing Risk-Asset assessment tool (GRAD) and associated intervention program (CREST). The procurement will be posted in the South Carolina Business Opportunities (SCBO) for at least ten business days, as required by SC Code 11-35-1560. While no specific budget range is provided, the scope suggests a focused, specialized training engagement targeting corrections staff development and intervention strategies.