Notice of Sole Source: To support implementation of SOCAC's Lived Experience Program

The Oregon Health Authority Behavioral Health Division is issuing a notice of sole source intent to contract with Unicorn Solutions, LLC for youth leadership development, meeting logistics, facilitation, and mentorship services supporting the System of Care Advisory Council's Lived Experience Program, with protests due September 10, 2026.

The sole source justification rests on Unicorn Solutions' unique qualifications: pre-existing trust relationships with SOCAC youth, Oregon Youth Peer Support Specialist and Traditional Health Worker certifications, lived experience in foster care systems, Youth Thrive certified trainer status since 2014, co-authorship of the Safe Havens II report on LGBTQ+ youth in foster care, and deep institutional knowledge of Oregon's child welfare and behavioral health systems. The agency determined no other contractor possesses the necessary convergence of lived expertise, professional credentials, LGBTQIA2S+ specialization, and knowledge required to support trauma-informed youth engagement in systems change work without disrupting established therapeutic relationships.

The scope is direct youth development support for young adults with lived experience in publicly funded behavioral health services, intellectual or developmental disability supports, child welfare, juvenile justice, or special education (IEP/504) settings. Services include youth development, meeting logistics, facilitation, and mentorship.

The estimated total contract value is $1.109 million: an initial contract amount of $56,000 with approximately $117,000 annually for subsequent years. The initial term is two years with options for contract extensions up to ten years, subject to available funding. Place of performance is Oregon. The contract specialist is Heidi Tracy; protests must be submitted to the Office of Contracts and Procurement in Salem, Oregon within seven calendar days after the notice posts on OregonBuys.