Sole Source - Center for Childhood Resilience (CCR)

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has issued a sole source procurement notice for the Center for Childhood Resilience (CCR) to provide annual regional trainings in school-based interventions with Continuing Education Credits (CEUs) under the School-Based Trauma-Informed Support Services (TISS) grant program funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The procurement encompasses clinician training on trauma screening and symptom monitoring targeted at alternative education systems and high-need referral districts across two geographic areas of Illinois, with a minimum objective to serve 6,750 students by project completion. The contract term runs from December 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026, with no renewal options. Key deliverables include the provision of specialized trauma intervention training leveraging CCR's 20-year history in evidence-based practices and established relationships with Illinois communities and SEL hubs. ISBE has determined that CCR possesses specialized expertise and customized systems that make alternative vendors economically infeasible given the less-than-one-year remaining federal grant term and the need for continuity of services. The deadline for interested parties to submit written comments or request a public hearing is February 13, 2026, at 4:00 p.m., with a scheduled public hearing on February 18, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. accessible via WebEx.

This procurement is designated as a sole source award, restricting responses to the Center for Childhood Resilience as the only vendor deemed economically feasible for this contract. CCR was previously engaged as a subcontractor under Contract 24027 from September 30, 2022, through June 30, 2024, at the same contract value, and work has been paused since FY 2024 pending contract renewal. The contract is entirely funded through federal SAMHSA grant funds with no state appropriations required. The contract value is $200,000, with ISBE having conducted a comparative price analysis determining the proposed pricing fair and reasonable, noting that alternative vendors would incur estimated price increases of 5-10% above current costs. As a sole source procurement, no competitive bidding process is available, and the Chief Procurement Officer will review any testimony regarding the appropriateness of the sole source designation under the Illinois Procurement Code. Written and oral comments submitted by the February 13, 2026, deadline will receive equal consideration in the procurement decision.