Youth Restorative Justice

The Iowa Judicial Branch, through Juvenile Court Services, is issuing a Request for Proposal to procure Youth Restorative Justice services for Scott County. This solicitation seeks a qualified vendor to provide Restorative Community Conferencing (RCC) programs serving youth referred to juvenile court for automobile theft or other serious crimes with identifiable victims, with all referrals subject to Scott County Attorney's office approval. The primary deliverables include trained RCC mediators, conference facilitation, victim and youth engagement, harm repair planning, skill-building services, and quarterly performance reporting. Key objectives include reducing recidivism, repairing harm through dialogue and accountability rather than punishment, involving families and communities in the process, and developing youth empathy and conflict resolution skills. Required qualifications include the capacity to provide trained mediators within one month of contract execution, maintain youth record confidentiality, conduct annual background checks on all employees, and achieve specified performance metrics including 100 percent mediator training within one month, 95 percent victim and youth contact within two business days, 75 percent youth non-reoffending within three to six months of program completion, 90 percent participant satisfaction, and 75 percent program completion rates. Letters of intent and written questions are due April 24, 2026, with agency responses provided by May 1, 2026. Proposals must be submitted electronically by June 1, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. Central Time. The state anticipates issuing a notice of intent to award by June 24, 2026, with contract execution on or before July 1, 2026. Evaluation criteria award up to 5,500 points for technical proposals and up to 500 points for cost proposals, with the contract awarded to the responsive proposal offering the best value.

The RFP does not specify set-aside designations or restrictions limiting respondent eligibility based on organizational status. No incumbent vendors or existing contractors are identified in the available documents. The anticipated maximum annual contract budget is $60,000, covering an initial one-year term from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027, with options for up to five additional one-year renewals at the Iowa Judicial Branch's discretion. Cost proposals must include an all-inclusive unit rate encompassing direct client contact time, travel, training, professional meetings, administrative and case work hours, documentation, and indirect costs. Required insurance coverage includes general liability of $2 million general aggregate, automobile liability of $1 million combined single limit, workers compensation as required by Iowa law, property damage of $1 million per occurrence, professional liability of $1 million per occurrence, and cyber liability of $1 million per occurrence. The state allows 60 days for payment processing and accepts payment via Pcard, EFT/ACH, or state warrant.