Third Party Partner - Employee First Program - FFY27 - RFP

The Colorado Department of Human Services is issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP IHGA 2026000227) to procure third-party partners to deliver Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Employment and Training services, known as the Employment First program, statewide across Denver County and Denver City, with an anticipated contract start date of October 1, 2026. The procurement targets current vendors with demonstrated experience providing employment and training services to SNAP clients, including vocational training, credentialing programs, internships, on-the-job training, and apprenticeships. Program Operators will provide case management services, participant reimbursements (including supportive payments for childcare up to $12,000 annually, transportation up to $1,500, and training fees up to $12,000), employment readiness services to SNAP clients ages 16 and older, and at least one employment and training component such as work-related education, reskilling, upskilling, or credential obtainment. Deliverables include comprehensive program planning through the 2026/2027 EF Program Operator Plan template, monthly data entry and reporting in Colorado's Benefits Management System (CBMS) by the 6th of each month, quarterly success stories, monthly invoices with supporting documentation due by the 15th of each month, and participation in mandatory Department-led training including the annual Employment First Kick-Off Meeting. Key objectives include achieving seventy-five percent performance targets across metrics such as unique clients served, employment gains, training completion, skill attainment, job retention, and ABAWD work requirement compliance. Required qualifications include current registration in CORE, E-Verify compliance, System for Award Management (SAM.gov) registration, business registration in Colorado, demonstrated financial capacity and federal grant management experience with three years of historical data, proper segregation of federal and non-federal funds, and ability to maintain non-federal funding contributions to sustain program services. Proposals must not exceed 50 pages and must include completed exhibits: the EF TPP RFP Questionnaire, the 2026/2027 EF Program Operator Plan with detailed budgets, and the CDHS Non-County Subrecipient Risk Assessment Questionnaire; questions from prospective vendors are due May 4, 2026, at 5:00 PM Mountain Time, proposals are due May 26, 2026, at 4:00 PM Mountain Time with a public opening scheduled for May 26, 2026, at 4:15 PM via Google Meet, and the contract term runs through September 30, 2027, with potential renewal for three additional one-year periods at the State's discretion.

This RFP is open to multiple awards with no identified set-asides for disadvantaged enterprises or specific organizational type restrictions, though the State has indicated that current vendors with demonstrated experience are targeted and that this solicitation may result in contracts with multiple vendors. Organizations must demonstrate organizational viability independent of Employment First funding and must maintain adequate internal controls, accounting systems, human resources policies, and project management procedures compliant with the Uniform Administrative Requirements (2 CFR 200); entities expending $750,000 or more in federal assistance are subject to Single Audit Act requirements and must provide evidence of independent or single audits completed by current auditors with disclosure of any audit findings. The Program Operator will operate under a reimbursement model wherein the organization first expends non-federal funds on approved activities before receiving federal reimbursement of up to 50 percent of allowable costs, with allowable direct costs including salaries, wages, fringe benefits (maximum 22.01%), non-capital equipment under $5,000 per unit, materials, travel, subsidized work-based learning wages, and contractual costs. Administrative holdback percentages ranging from zero percent for budgets up to $250,000 in federal reimbursement to three percent for amounts exceeding $1.5 million will be applied to federal reimbursement amounts. Indirect costs may be claimed using either a de minimis rate of fifteen percent or a federally negotiated indirect cost rate with supporting documentation required. No specific budget ceiling or floor has been identified in the RFP materials; however, the contract framework establishes that funding is contingent on appropriated funds and current fiscal year availability, with contract terms and conditions governed by the CDHS Original Contract Template requiring standard insurance coverage including general liability ($1,000,000 minimum), protected information liability ($1,000,000-$2,000,000), crime insurance ($1,000,000), and compliance with all federal and state statutes and regulations including 2 CFR 200 and 400, 7 CFR 271-285, and the SNAP E&T Toolkit.