WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Services

This is a Request for Proposals (RFP HSS-26-070) issued by the State of Delaware, Department of Health and Social Services, Division of Public Health, for WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Services to support pregnant and breastfeeding women eligible for the WIC program. The procurement seeks professional services to implement breastfeeding peer counselor programs statewide with the primary objective of increasing breastfeeding initiation rates, exclusivity, and duration to meet or exceed Healthy People 2030 targets. Eligible applicants include hospitals, federally funded health care facilities, pediatric offices, obstetrician offices, and other agencies offering support to women of childbearing age. Key deliverables and requirements include employment of peer counselors working between 20 and 40 hours per week, provision of a private office for counseling sessions, maintenance of WIC-approved Medela breast pumps, designation of a qualified Breastfeeding Expert, and submission of detailed quarterly and annual statistics on program effectiveness. Proposals will be evaluated using a weighted scoring system across five criteria: Qualifications of Vendor (25 points), Methodology Proposed (25 points), Responses to Scope of Work (20 points), Ability to Recruit, Hire, Schedule, and Train Qualified Applicants (15 points), and Evaluation of Proposed Costs (15 points). Critical deadlines include June 1, 2026 for submission of questions, June 15, 2026 for posted responses to questions, June 29, 2026 at 1:00 PM EDT for proposal submission, July 21, 2026 for estimated award notification, and October 1, 2026 for estimated project start date. The contract term is one year with four optional one-year extensions, and multiple awards will be made based on service volume and bidder capacity.

The State does not restrict proposals to disadvantaged or minority-owned enterprises; however, vendors must demonstrate proof of Delaware business licensure or initiate the application process and may designate proprietary information and trade secrets as restricted from public disclosure under Delaware Code Chapter 10002. Subcontracting is not permitted for this procurement, though current breastfeeding peer counselor service providers may submit proposals to expand existing services. All submissions must be made electronically through the Euna Procurement portal at https://dhss.bonfirehub.com/, and vendors must provide at least three business references, complete all required vendor forms and attachments from the submission package, and maintain specified insurance coverage including Commercial General Liability of $1,000,000 per occurrence and Professional Liability of $1,000,000 per occurrence. The State reserves the right to reject any or all proposals and award to the vendor whose proposal is most advantageous to the State rather than selecting the lowest bidder. No press releases or public disclosures regarding the solicitation or resulting contract are permitted without prior express written permission from the State. Specific budget values or award amounts are not disclosed in the available solicitation documents.