MassAbility Transition to Adulthood Program 2026 - MassAbility TAP-2026

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services is requesting proposals for the Transition to Adulthood Program (TAP-2026), which provides transition and independent living services to students with disabilities ages 14 through 21 enrolled in high school or postsecondary educational programs, with proposals due August 5, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. EST through COMMBUYS. All bidders must make a meaningful financial commitment to the Supplier Diversity Program by partnering with at least one state-certified diverse business enterprise or non-profit organization, with at least 25% of evaluation points allocated to SDP Plan submissions.

The scope encompasses five core service categories: Information and Referral Services, Self-Advocacy and Community Integration Services, Peer Counseling, Independent Living Skills Training, and Transition Services. All TAP programs must employ a peer modeling approach based on Independent Living philosophy with consumer control and cross-disability scope; at least 50% of staff must be people with disabilities. Services are delivered through Independent Living Centers (ILCs) providing community-based outreach, recruitment, service planning, and multi-disciplinary team participation.

This is a unit rate contract with a maximum annual obligation of $126,953.28 per provider at an hourly service rate of $97.92 as established under 101 CMR 424.00 as of January 1, 2025. The total procurement value across all anticipated awards is $1,269,532.86. The contract term runs October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2031, with one five-year renewal option available through September 30, 2036. MassAbility anticipates awarding up to ten contracts but reserves the right to award more or fewer based on Commonwealth interests. Services are subject to annual appropriation and funding availability.

A bidders conference is scheduled for July 7, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. via Zoom. Questions were due July 14, 2026 at 4:00 p.m., with responses due by July 20, 2026. All invoicing must be submitted monthly through the Enterprise Invoice Management system by the 15th of each month, with services delivered by June 30th of each fiscal year and invoices received by July 31st. Notice of award is estimated for September 7, 2026. Evaluation criteria include organizational experience, staff qualifications, student engagement strategies, TAP service delivery capacity, partnership capacity with MassAbility, quality assurance processes, cultural and linguistic competency, and supplier diversity commitments. Bidders must submit a completed Contracting Qualification Form demonstrating financial and administrative capability, a Supplier Diversity Plan Form, a Department of Revenue Certificate of Good Standing, and compliance with all Commonwealth terms and conditions for health and human services contracting. Successful bidders must enroll in Electronic Funds Transfer for payment receipt.