RFP - Educational Advocacy, Technical Support and Legal Assistance Program for the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department

Harris County, Texas, through the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department, is issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) for an Educational Advocacy, Technical Support and Legal Assistance Program to serve youth ages 10-17 involved in the juvenile justice system. The procurement seeks a qualified vendor to provide comprehensive educational support services to pre- and post-adjudicated youth at risk of dropping out of school or with suspected education-related disabilities across Harris County's eight geographic zones and multiple service locations including Community Unit Probation Services and Therapeutic Connections Unit. The selected vendor must provide a Supervising Attorney/Coordinator of Operations and sufficient Educational Specialists to deliver county-wide services, with Educational Specialists required to work up to 40 hours per week and maintain caseloads of approximately 20-25 youth each. Key deliverables include monthly and annual reporting, compliance with specific performance metrics (75% of youth acquiring no new offense within 180 days and 70% within one year of program completion, 95% of referred youth enrolling in or returning to school, 75% showing improved school engagement, and 80% of parents engaging in educational advocacy), and all overhead costs including contract services, testing, travel, and supplies calculated into hourly rates. The contract term begins June 1, 2026, for one year with four optional one-year renewal periods subject to Harris County Juvenile Board approval. Evaluation criteria in order of relative importance include: Education Specialist qualifications and experience with minimum four years of relevant experience in education advocacy and supportive services (30% weight), turnaround time and ability to provide evening and weekend services (20%), ability to provide services across multiple locations and school districts (15%), ability to provide multiple community resources (15%), overall proposal quality (10%), and pricing (10%). The RFP deadline is March 9, 2026, with a pre-proposal conference scheduled for February 17, 2026, at 11:00 AM CST via Microsoft Teams; vendors must RSVP to margaret.obot@pur.hctx.net at least one day prior, and all written questions must be submitted through Bonfire prior to the published deadline.

The RFP does not indicate specific set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises, though the Subcontractor Listing Form references HUB/MWBE and Section 3 program certifications, suggesting vendor diversity considerations may apply. Vendors must comply with Harris County's mandatory minimum wage policy of $21.65 per hour for eligible workers directly assigned to the contract, adjusted annually based on the MIT Living Wage Calculator. All vendor personnel must be at least 21 years old, pass criminal background checks (at vendor expense of approximately $10.43 per individual), and comply with disqualifying criminal history standards under Texas Administrative Code Sections 344.400 and 344.410. Vendors must maintain comprehensive insurance coverage including workers' compensation, commercial general liability of $1,000,000 per occurrence, automobile liability of $1,000,000 combined single limit, professional errors and omissions liability of $1,000,000, and umbrella/excess liability of $1,000,000, with Harris County named as additional insured on a primary and non-contributory basis. Vendors must demonstrate technical capability to utilize Project II, Harris County Juvenile Probation Department's secure web-based reporting system, and must comply with all federal, state, and local laws including HIPAA requirements if applicable. No specific budget range or award value is disclosed in the documentation; however, Harris County anticipates awarding to a single vendor but reserves the right to award to multiple vendors if deemed in the county's best interest, with final award subject to Harris County Commissioners Court approval and submission of invoices on a monthly milestone or progress-payment basis following Harris County Auditor approval.