Sole Source - Specialized Resource Parent Retention and Recruitment Services

The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS), specifically the Office of Child Welfare Program, is conducting a sole-source procurement for specialized Resource Parent Retention and Recruitment Services through their "Every Child Oregon" (ECO) program. The contract will be awarded to The Contingent, which will provide comprehensive statewide services covering foster care marketing, inquiry customer service, community engagement, and support across all 36 Oregon counties. Key deliverables include marketing and outreach, gap analysis for targeted recruitment, customer service support, technology infrastructure, resource parent peer mentoring, and program evaluation. The procurement aims to address Oregon's shortage of resource families by engaging potential foster and adoptive parents through targeted strategies. The contract opportunity was posted on July 11, 2025, with proposals due by July 18, 2025, and has a total contract value of $3,600,000. The services will involve an existing API data exchange between ECO and ODHS, with the goal of maintaining continuous support for resource families.

The sole-source determination is specifically justified for The Contingent due to their unique and longstanding collaboration with ODHS since 2012, during which they have demonstrated exclusive capabilities in supporting children and families impacted by foster care. Over the past nine years, ECO has engaged more than 13,000 individuals and families in resource and adoptive parent recruitment, establishing them as the only organization capable of providing these services at the required scope and scale. No specific set-aside designations or restrictions on responding organizations were mentioned in the documentation. The contract appears to be open to the proposed vendor based on their demonstrated competence and proven track record. The existing infrastructure includes an API data exchange system, and changing providers could potentially disrupt critical support for resource parents. The procurement represents a significant investment in child welfare support, with the $3,600,000 contract designed to maintain and expand critical recruitment and retention services for foster and adoptive families across Oregon.