Turnkey Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP)

The state of Arkansas, through the Department of Transformation and Shared Services, Office of State Procurement, is seeking a contractor to operate a Turnkey Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) for the Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment. The selected contractor will be responsible for providing a comprehensive web portal and call center to implement and administer the LIHWAP program, including eligibility determination, benefit calculation, applicant notifications, and payments to water utility companies. The contract will have an initial two-year term with the possibility of up to five one-year renewals. Proposals are due by February 14, 2022 at 10:00 AM Central Time. The contractor must have the financial resources to make weekly contractor-financed payments and receive reimbursement from the state. The contractor will be responsible for managing the allocated LIHWAP funding, and the state will not be obligated to reimburse the contractor for costs incurred in excess of the allotted funding.

The RFP does not specify any set-aside designations or restrictions on the types of organizations that can respond. The incumbent vendor or current contractor is not identified. The available funding amount or budget range is also not provided in the documents. The evaluation of proposals will be based on the content provided in the experience, solution, and risk sections, as well as the required forms and certifications.