RFP # R00B7600009 Child Care Call Center and Administration Services

The Maryland State Department of Education is requesting proposals for Child Care Scholarship Customer Service and Administration functions under RFP R00B7600009, with proposals due October 2, 2026 at 2:00 PM local time and a pre-proposal conference on September 14, 2026 at 1:00 PM. This is a single-award contract combining firm fixed price and indefinite quantity pricing with a three-year base period and two one-year option periods. MBE and DBE subcontracting goals of 20% apply (7% African-American, 2% Hispanic-American, 8% Woman-Owned), and a VSBE participation goal of 5% is required. Questions are due by September 18, 2026 at 2:00 PM.

The scope encompasses eligibility determinations, case management, provider payment administration and accounts processing, customer service operations, and audit and compliance functions for a program serving approximately 26,000 families, 40,000 children, and 3,600 childcare providers across Maryland's 23 counties and Baltimore City. The contractor must provide all staffing, operations, and supporting technology—including call center telephony, workstations, and a cloud-based case management solution—and execute a four-month transition-in from the incumbent before SLAs become effective. The contractor must meet 28 Service Level Agreements with service credits of 0.5% to 5% of monthly charges for non-compliance and must maintain 99.5% system availability during business hours with WCAG 2.1 Level AA accessibility compliance. All data processing and storage must occur exclusively within the continental United States.

The estimated contract value does not exceed $62.5 million over five years. Minimum qualifications include at least ten years of cumulative public assistance or human services program experience within the past five years, a minimum of three years implementing or operating paperless case management systems at comparable scale, and demonstrated state and federal cybersecurity and regulatory compliance capability. The primary place of performance must be within 50 miles of MSDE headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland, or through a hybrid model with remote staff within the Continental United States. The contract is subject to Maryland Living Wage Law (Tier 1 rates for covered employees) and requires annual SOC 2 Type II audits, 24-hour disaster recovery time objectives, and unlimited indemnification liability for accessibility compliance failures.