Request for Information for Restoration Facilities and Protective Services for Juvenile Victims of Human Trafficking

The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services is issuing a Request for Information on restoration facilities and protective services for juvenile victims of human trafficking, with responses due November 2, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. This is an informational inquiry, not a binding procurement; the Agency explicitly states it does not commit to any contract award or vendor agreement.

The RFI, directed by HF 1036 (2026 legislative session), seeks input from contractors and industry experts on existing and potential approaches to expand availability of restoration and protective services for juvenile trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation victims who fall outside the child-in-need-of-assistance and juvenile court systems. The Agency has not predetermined a single facility type, geographic model, service array, or funding approach and welcomes information across residential, community-based, mobile, regional, statewide, and interstate service models.

Respondents should address organizational capabilities and service offerings across fourteen topic areas: experience serving juvenile trafficking victims, current service offerings (emergency housing, behavioral health treatment, case management, vocational support), eligible populations and admission criteria, capacity metrics, unmet service needs and gaps, barriers to service expansion, interest in expanding services, protective practices, interstate referral participation, funding sources, workforce qualifications and recruitment challenges, and evidence-based or trauma-responsive practices. Respondents are not obligated to address every question and may submit multiple responses; subsequent submissions should include only new information.

Responses must be submitted as Microsoft Word-compatible electronic documents to Issuing Officer Melanie Mathes at melanie.mathes@hhs.iowa.gov. Respondents must exclude victim-identifying information, confidential case details, exact facility locations, and detailed operational security information. All submitted information becomes the Agency's property; the Agency reserves the right to use ideas presented in responses. No pre-bid meeting, site visit, or pre-qualification process is scheduled.