Notice of Intent to Award RFP 210000002098 ARC

Michigan's Department of Health and Human Services issued RFP 21-2098 to procure Adoption Permanency Services—specifically Adoption Resource Consultant services for two separate regions. The solicitation was posted on SIGMA VSS on June 9, 2021, for a four-week period with proposals due by July 7, 2021. The contract includes a three-year initial term with up to two one-year renewal options. The Adoption Resource Consultant position encompasses four primary service deliverables: case reviews and development of initial adoption readiness assessments for active status cases, case reviews for monitoring status cases with adoption goals, achievement of alternate permanency goals for monitoring and inactive cases, and provision of technical assistance and training. Qualified candidates must possess a bachelor's degree (master's degree preferred) in social work or a related field, combined with previous child welfare experience, expertise in developing permanent connections for children in foster care, strong communication and organizational skills, knowledge of Michigan's foster care and adoption systems, curriculum development experience, meeting facilitation abilities, and the capacity to work collaboratively with government institutions and diverse populations. Candidates must also pass all required state and federal background checks. Evaluation was conducted using a 100-point technical scoring rubric assessing bidder experience and past performance, education and credentials, staffing and organization, and program implementation, with best value determined by combining technical scores with pricing proposals.

Two vendors submitted proposals for each region: Judson Center and Orchards Children's Services, with Judson Center serving as the incumbent contractor since 2016. For Region 1, Orchards Children's Services received the award recommendation at $5,160,000.00, scoring 98 points compared to Judson Center's 93 points, with Orchards proposing $27.00 per unit versus Judson Center's $30.35 per unit. For Region 2, Orchards Children's Services also received the award recommendation at $4,410,000.00, scoring 98 points compared to Judson Center's 93 points, with pricing proposals nearly identical at approximately $4.4 million. The incumbent contractor did not meet expected performance outcomes and received deductions for incomplete documentation and program implementation details. The award recommendations were pending State Administrative Board approval as of the July 20, 2021 posting date, with a protest period deadline of July 27, 2021. The total combined award value across both regions was approximately $9.57 million.