Program Administration - Refugee School Impact Program

The Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), specifically the Office of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance (ORIA), is conducting a competitive solicitation (RFP #2534-871) to select a statewide Program Administrator for the Refugee School Impact (RSI) program. The procurement seeks a qualified contractor to manage federal funding that supports the effective integration and education of eligible refugee children ages birth to 18 across multiple Washington counties and jurisdictions. The contractor will be responsible for developing program frameworks, managing subawards to school districts and community-based organizations, providing training and technical assistance, and conducting program evaluation and monitoring. Key deliverables include subcontracting funds to educational entities, developing integration strategies, supporting English Language Learners, and tracking detailed participant demographic information. The solicitation requires bidders to demonstrate at least three years of experience working with educational entities and refugee communities, with evaluation criteria spanning administrative responses, qualifications, solution approach, training capabilities, and monitoring strategies. Critical procurement dates include a pre-bid conference on May 6, 2025, bidder questions due by May 14, 2025, and proposal submissions due by June 4, 2025, with a proposed contract period from October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026.

The solicitation includes provisions for diversity and inclusion, requiring bidders to outline strategies for engaging small and diverse businesses, specifically those certified by OMWBE (Office of Minority and Women's Business Enterprises) or DVA (Department of Veterans Affairs). While inclusion goals are aspirational and will not directly impact bid evaluation, contractors must detail their approaches to increasing subcontracting opportunities for minority, women-owned, veteran-owned, and small businesses. The total budget for this contract is $7,000,000, with a proposed funding allocation that includes $3,100,000 for subawards to school districts, $1,000,000 for Ukrainian refugee children, $1,000,000 for community-based organizations, $1,350,000 for Early Refugee School Impact programs, and $550,000 for contractor administrative costs, training, and technical assistance. The contract will operate on a cost-reimbursement model, with funds explicitly prohibited from supplanting existing initiatives. Potential contractors must provide a comprehensive budget detailing personnel, fringe benefits, operating costs, subawards, and indirect costs, with the option to apply a federally negotiated indirect rate or a standard 15% administrative cost.