State Disbursement Unit (SDU) - DHS

The Rhode Island Department of Human Services, Office of Child Support Services is seeking a vendor to operate a State Disbursement Unit (SDU) for collecting and disbursing payments under child support and medical support orders. The procurement is a Request for Proposals (RFP) with the solicitation number RFP23002854, targeting vendors capable of providing comprehensive administrative and financial management services for child support payment processing. Key deliverables include establishing and maintaining a centralized unit to receive, track, and distribute child support payments efficiently and accurately. The initial contract period will span approximately four years, beginning July 1, 2023, with potential options for two additional 12-month renewal periods contingent on vendor performance and funding availability. Proposals must be submitted electronically through the Ocean State Procures system by July 21, 2023 at 10:00 AM EDT, with a vendor Q&A period running from May 24 to June 8, 2023. The evaluation criteria will comprehensively assess technical merit, cost proposals, and Inclusive Small Business Enterprise (ISBE) participation, with a technical evaluation committee reviewing submissions and scoring based on vendor qualifications, proposed approach, and compliance with state requirements.

The procurement encourages participation from Minority Business Enterprises (MBE), Women Business Enterprises (WBE), and Disability Business Enterprises (DisBE), with evaluation points explicitly allocated for ISBE utilization rates. Vendors must register in the Ocean State Procures system and comply with extensive insurance requirements, including $1 million in general liability coverage, workers compensation, automobile liability, $500,000 in crime coverage, $5 million in technology errors and omissions insurance, and $5 million in cyber/privacy liability insurance. While no specific incumbent vendor is mentioned, the RFP suggests existing infrastructure or technological systems that the successful vendor must integrate with or complement. The RFP does not disclose a specific contract value or budget range, indicating that pricing will be vendor-proposed and evaluated competitively. Vendors must also complete various compliance documents, including a Vendor Certification questionnaire, Supplemental Bidder Attestation Form, and provide detailed ISBE participation documentation, with the state reserving the right to award based on overall best value or cancel the solicitation if deemed appropriate.