Simulation Training for Child Welfare

The Florida Department of Children and Families is seeking to implement innovative and data-proven training techniques for simulation training in child welfare. The selected vendor will be required to build custom simulations, after sitting with subject matter experts, to integrate into a curriculum redesign. This pre-service training is intended to prepare trainees for the reality of the work by providing real-life experiences and an environment in which it is safe to fail. The term of the contract is 1 year upon award. The estimated total available budget for this project is $1,000,000, with $250,000 from the Office of Child and Family Well-Being for the pilot portion and $750,000 from the Florida Institute for Child Welfare upon completion of the pilot and the Department's decision to move forward. The justification for the single-source acquisition is that REAL Academy is the only organization offering child welfare simulation, technical assistance to implement simulation, practice-driven training into existing curriculum, and a Learning Management System to bridge practice gaps and provide continuing education units. Additionally, REAL Academy has proprietary decision-making tools and access to copyrighted materials to strengthen the attachment of frontline professionals to policy, law, and practice.

The procurement is limited to REAL Academy as the single-source provider, as they are the only organization with the required capabilities and proprietary materials. The deadline for this opportunity is September 27, 2022. The estimated award value for the contract is $1,000,000 over the 1-year term.