Sole Source: Accreditation Services

The state of Illinois is seeking to award a sole source contract to the Council on Accreditation (COA) for the accreditation of child welfare agencies in three program areas: Child Protection Services, Foster and Kinship Care, and Adoption. The contract term is for one year from July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020, with no renewal options. The total value of the sole source contract is $267,173, which includes re-accreditation fees, site visit fees for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services' (DCFS) central office, northern, southern, and cook regions, as well as a maintenance of accreditation fee. DCFS has been accredited by COA since 1996, and considers the pricing reasonable given the potential risks of losing accreditation, such as lawsuits, non-compliance with consent decrees, loss of federal funding, and loss of public confidence. COA is the sole vendor nationwide that accredits child welfare agencies in the required program areas, and DCFS has utilized their services consistently in the past.

The sole source procurement is open only to the Council on Accreditation, as they are the sole provider of the required accreditation services. There are no set-aside designations or restrictions on the types of organizations that can respond. No incumbent vendors or current contractors are listed, and the procurement does not require any existing infrastructure or technology integration. The $267,173 total value of the contract is the only budgetary information provided.