Sole Source - Proviso Leyden Council for Community Action, Inc.

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) is issuing a notice of intent to award a sole source contract to Proviso Leyden Council for Community Action, Inc. (PLCCA) for the provision of trauma-informed support services in schools under the federal School-Based Trauma-Informed Support Services (TISS)/REACH OUT program, funded through a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) grant. The procurement encompasses screening, referral, consultation, and treatment services targeting students and families across Area #1, a geographic catchment area encompassing educational regions 19, 24, 31, 34, 44, and 56, representing 165 school districts with a minimum projected service population of 6,750 students. Key deliverables include the development and operationalization of implementation and training plans focused on trauma-informed interventions, with the contract period running from December 1, 2025, or upon execution, through September 30, 2026, with zero renewal options. The contractor must demonstrate geographic proximity to the service area, existing relationships within the communities served, and proven capability in delivering trauma-informed services, with ISBE justifying the sole source determination based on PLCCA's instrumental role in developing the original grant proposal, prior successful performance as a subcontractor under Contract 24027 from September 30, 2022, through June 30, 2024, and the infeasibility of identifying alternative vendors given less than one year remaining in the federal grant term. 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. via WebEx; the hearing will be canceled if no comments or hearing requests are received by the stated deadline.

This sole source procurement is restricted to Proviso Leyden Council for Community Action, Inc., with no open competition or set-aside designations applicable to this federal grant-funded award. PLCCA is identified as the incumbent contractor, having previously delivered these identical services under Contract 24027, which concluded on June 30, 2024, at a value of $150,000; services were subsequently paused due to the absence of an ongoing contract until this current award. The proposed contract maintains the same scope and value of $150,000, funded entirely through federal SAMHSA grant resources, with ISBE confirming the fairness and reasonableness of pricing through comparison with similar services costs under other grants. No renewal options are included in this contract award, and the contractor must integrate with existing trauma-informed systems and processes previously established and customized by PLCCA under the earlier contract. The service area includes schools with significant populations of low-income students (31.1% across Area #1 and 31.8% in the Proviso Township area specifically) and English learners (11.9% across Area #1 and 13.9% in Proviso Township), reflecting the demographics of the communities to be served.