Single-Source Continuum Contractor Unsolicited Proposal Grants

Article I Background

The Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) has continued to take a planned approach in implementation of Community-Based Care (CBC), along with the Office of Community-Based Care Transition (OCBCT) to provide support services to children and families for the safety, permanency and well-being of children in DFPS legal conservatorship. A single contractor in a geographic service area creates a network of services, foster homes, and other living arrangements and, when ready, provides case management for each child as well. Child Protective Services division of DFPS and the OCBCT work with each contractor (Single Source Continuum Contractor or SSCC) to carefully manage the transition from traditional foster care to community-driven care. Read more about DFPS: Community-Based Care.

1.1 Authority

The Texas Family Code §264.157(c) authorizes the OCBCT to contract on behalf of the DFPS in expanding community-based care, to, among other actions, “enable satisfactory unsolicited proposals for community-based care services to be accepted and implemented.”

Texas Family Code §264.157(b) further states the department must “accept and evaluate unsolicited proposals from entities based in this state to provide community-based care services in a geographic service area where the department has not implemented community-based care.” DFPS: Community-Based Care lists areas currently under contract with an SSCC. An unsolicited proposal cannot be accepted for any of the counties on the map that are colored and represent geographic areas where community-based care has already been implemented.

Article II Scope of Proposal

2.1 Proposal

The Applicant must propose a geographic area(s) that have been identified as “open”; meaning the proposed area is not currently part of a SSCC service area and meets the following criteria:

  1. Includes a full Texas county or counties – does not split a Texas County
  2. Includes counties that are contiguous, if proposing more than one county
  3. Though not required, it is encouraged that the proposed service area does not split a judicial district court. (Review Court Jurisdiction Maps.)

2.2 Eligible Applicants

Eligible Applicants are governmental entities or community-based nonprofits that have an organizational mission focused on child welfare services, and that meet the qualifications consistent with Texas Family Code Section 264.157, including but not limited to:

  1. The Applicant must be a nonprofit entity that has an organizational mission focused on child welfare with a majority of the entity's board members residing in this state or a governmental entity;
  2. The Applicant must be an entity based in this state and must be an HHS licensed Child-Placing Agency (CPA);
  3. Applicant must demonstrate its experience in providing services to children, youth, and families in the proposed catchment area;
  4. The Applicant may be a single entity or may submit a proposal through the formation of a consortium of providers, which may include itself. If the Applicant is awarded an SSCC contract, one provider must act as the consortium’s lead in directly contracting with DFPS;
  5. An Applicant that has a Child Placing Agency license, issued under HHS Residential Child Care regulations, within the proposed geographic service area must be in good standing, not on hold, as of the date of the proposal submission and award; and
  6. DFPS will not contract with any provider for more than a total of two (2) CBC SSCC contracts. Those can be either specified regions by Request For Application award or community directed areas proposed under the unsolicited bid process and awarded.

Article III Instructions

3.1 Submission

An Applicant may submit a proposal via email with subject line: CBC Unsolicited Proposal. Within a week, the Applicant will receive an email confirming receipt of the submitted proposal. The OCBCT and the DFPS Contracting Unit will evaluate the submitted proposal, post for public comment via email, and within its sole discretion, determine eligibility and next steps.

Within three months of the Applicant’s submission, the Applicant will receive notification of the department’s decision. DFPS, with the OCBCT, may decide to (1) enter into contract negotiations with the Applicant or (2) deny the Applicant a contract award and procure a competitive Request For Application that could include other providers in the same or similar geographic service area at a later time.