Cancelation Notice - Community Based Services RFP

ANDREA SANDERS
COMMISSIONER
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)
COMMUNITY BASED SERVICES
RFP#2026CBSPI
Issue Date: Friday, April 3, 2026
CLOSING LOCATION
Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services
750 North State Street
Jackson, Mississippi 39202
CONTACT
Justin Stepp, RFP Coordinator
601-359-4368
contracts@mdcps.ms.gov
CLOSING DATE AND TIME
Proposals must be received by Monday, May 4, 2026 by 12:00 P.M., CT
MDCPS WELCOMES THE PARTICIPATION OF MINORITY
BUSINESSES
RFP#2026CBSPI 1

TABLE OF CONTENTS
SECTION 1: REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) PROCESS OVERVIEW......................................................3
SECTION 2: PROGRAM INFORMATION........................................................................................................ 8
2.1 Purpose .......................................................................................................................................... 9
2.2 Scope of Services......................................................................................................................... 15
SECTION 3: MINIMUM CERTIFICATIONS .............................................................................................. 20
SECTION 4: PROPOSAL FORMAT ............................................................................................................ 21
4.1 Written Proposals Shall Contain the Following Minimum Information: ........................................ 21
4.2 Evaluation Procedure ................................................................................................................... 24
4.2.1 Step One: ..................................................................................................................................... 24
4.2.1.1 Responsive Respondent ........................................................................................................... 24
4.2.1.2 Responsible Respondent .......................................................................................................... 24
4.2.2 Step Two: .................................................................................................................................... 25
4.2.2.1 Relevant Experience and Expertise (10 point maximum) ......................................................... 25
4.2.2.2 Service Goals and Objectives (10 point maximum) .................................................................. 25
4.2.2.3 Program Approach (15 point maximum) .................................................................................. 26
4.2.2.4 Management Plan (10 point maximum) ................................................................................... 26
4.2.2.5 Service Coordination/Collaboration (10 point maximum) ........................................................ 26
4.2.2.6 Timetable (10 point maximum)................................................................................................ 27
4.2.2.7 Budget Narrative (35 point maximum)..................................................................................... 27
4.4 Nonconforming Terms and Conditions ......................................................................................... 30
4.5 Informalities and Irregularities ..................................................................................................... 30
4.6 Conditioning Proposal Upon Other Awards.................................................................................. 30
4.7 Award.......................................................................................................................................... 30
4.7.1 Notice of Intent to Award ............................................................................................................ 30
4.7.2 Notice of Subgrant Agreement ..................................................................................................... 31
SECTION 5: POST AWARD INFORMATION ............................................................................................ 31
5.1 Post-Award Vendor Debriefing .................................................................................................... 31
5.2 Required Subgrant Terms and Conditions .................................................................................... 31
5.3 MDCPS Website ......................................................................................................................... 31
5.4 Attachments ................................................................................................................................. 31
5.5 MDCPS Rights Reserved ............................................................................................................. 32
5.6 Legal Requirements ..................................................................................................................... 32
RFP#2026CBSPI 2

SECTION 1: REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) PROCESS OVERVIEW
1.1 Proposal Acceptance Period
Respondents shall submit one (1) original, signed proposal, and one (1) electronic copy
on USB flash drive in a sealed envelope or package to the following (mailed or hand-
delivered), no later than the time and date specified for receipt of proposals:
MDCPS Contracts & Procurement
RFP No. - Community Based Services
750 North State Street
Jackson, Mississippi 39202
NOTE: MDCPS will NOT accept proposals submitted via either electronic mail or
facsimile.
Timely submission is the responsibility of the respondent. Proposals received after the specified
Proposal Submission Deadline described herein shall be rejected. Any Proposal
received later than 12:00PM CT on Monday May 4, 2026, will be declared non-
responsive and not eligible for consideration for possible award of a subgrant.
MDCPS will entertain any exceptions to this hard deadline. The envelope or package
shall be marked with the Proposal opening date and time, and the number of the RFP.
The time and date of receipt shall be indicated on the envelope or package by
MDCPS staff. Modifications or additions to any portion of the procurement
document may be cause for rejection of the Proposal. MDCPS reserves the right to
decide on a case-by-case basis whether to reject a proposal with modifications or
additions as non-responsive. As a precondition to proposal acceptance, the MDCPS
may request the respondent to withdraw or modify those portions of the proposal
deemed non-responsive that do not affect quality, quantity, price, or delivery of the
service.
1.1.1 Timeline
Request for Proposals Issue Date: Friday, April 3, 2026
Deadline for Written Questions and
Requests for Clarification to MDCPS Wednesday, April 15, 2026
Anticipated Posting of Answers to
Questions and Requests for Clarifications: Thursday, April 16, 2026
Proposal Submission Deadline: Monday, May 4, 2026
Proposal Opening: Tuesday, May 5, 2026
Anticipated Notice of Intent to Award: Friday, May 15, 2026
Anticipated Period of Performance June 1, 2026 - September 30, 2029
Note: MDCPS reserves the right to adjust this schedule as it deems necessary. MDCPS may
post Answers to Questions or the Notice of Intent to Award on dates other than those
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stated above without amendment to this RFP. The initial contract term is determined
by MDCPS, but MDCPS may change the dates of the initial contract term without
amendment to this RFP if the date changes are necessary because of the procurement
schedule. No other dates shall be changed unless a written amendment is issued.
MDCPS also has the right to reject any and all proposals during any step of the
procurement or awarding process (even after negotiations have begun).
1.1.2 Rejection of Proposals
Proposals which do not conform to the requirements set forth in this RFP may
be rejected by MDCPS. Proposals may be rejected for reasons which include,
but are not limited to the following:
A. The proposal contains unauthorized amendments to the
requirements of the RFP.
B. The proposal fails to include provisions as designated in the RFP.
C. The proposal is conditional.
D. The proposal is incomplete or contains irregularities which make
the proposal indefinite or ambiguous.
E. The proposal is received late. Late proposals will be retained
unopened in the procurement file.
F. The proposal is not signed by an authorized representative of the
party.
G. The proposal contains false or misleading statements or references.
H. The proposal does not offer to provide all services required by the
RFP.
I. The proposal fails to follow the required format of Sec. 4.3.
1.1.3 Exceptions
Respondents taking exception to any part or section of the solicitation shall
indicate such exceptions on the Proposal Exception Summary Form, attached
to this RFP as Attachment B.
Failure to indicate any exception will be interpreted as the respondent's intent
to comply fully with the requirements as written. Conditional or qualified
proposals, unless specifically allowed, shall be subject to rejection in whole or
in part.
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1.2 Expenses Incurred in Preparing Offers
The MDCPS accepts no responsibility for any expense incurred by the respondent in
the preparation and presentation of an offer. Such expenses shall be borne exclusively
by the respondent.
1.3 Confidential and Proprietary Information
Should the respondent's proposal contain any confidential or proprietary information
per Mississippi Code Annotated 25-61-1, et. seq., and 79-23-1 (1972, as amended),
the respondent shall submit a separate redacted PDF copy of the proposal on a separate
USB flash drive. The USB flash drive containing the separate redacted proposal shall
be clearly labeled as "REDACTED COPY." A redacted copy will be in addition to
the number of required copies as requested in Sec. 1.1 of this RFP.
If a respondent does include a redacted copy of the proposal, the redacted copy will
be considered public record and will be released by MDCPS upon receipt of a Public
Records Request. If the respondent does not include a redacted copy of the proposal,
the entire proposal (including attachments, etc.) will be considered public record and
subject to review by the general public. Requests to review confidential and/or
proprietary information will be handled in accordance with applicable legal
procedures. Failure to clearly redact any proprietary information, trade secrets, or
other confidential commercial/financial information may result in that information
being released in a public records request.
1.4 Registration with Mississippi Secretary of State
By submitting a proposal, the respondent certifies that it is registered to do business
in the State of Mississippi as prescribed by Mississippi law and the Mississippi
Secretary of State or, if not already registered, the respondent hereby certifies that it
will register with the Mississippi Secretary of State within five (5) business days of
being offered an award. Sole proprietors are not required to register with the
Mississippi Secretary of State.
1.5 Debarment
By submitting a proposal, the respondent certifies that it is not currently debarred from
submitting proposals for subgrants issued by any political subdivision or agency of
the State of Mississippi or Federal government and that it is not an agent of a person
or entity that is currently debarred from submitting proposals for contracts issued by
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any political subdivision or agency of the State of Mississippi or federal government.
The respondent shall submit a completed MDCPS Debarment Verification Form,
attached to this RFP see Attachment H for additional details. The MDCPS reserves
the right to deem any proposal not containing an executed MDCPS Debarment
Verification Form as non-responsive to this RFP.
1.6 Competitive Proposals
Discussions may be conducted with respondents who submit proposals determined to
be reasonably susceptible of being selected for award. Likewise, MDCPS also reserves
the right to accept any proposal as submitted for subgrant award, without substantive
negotiation of proposed terms, services or prices. For these reasons, all parties are
advised to propose their most favorable terms initially.
1.7 Additional Information
Questions and requests for clarifications regarding this RFP shall be submitted in
writing by e-mail to the RFP Coordinator at contracts@mdcps.ms.gov. Verbal
questions will NOT be accepted. Questions shall NOT contain proprietary or classified
information. MDCPS does not guarantee that questions received after the deadline are
reflected in Section 1.1.1. Timeline will be answered. When submitting questions and
requests for clarifications, "Questions for RFP No. 2024TDPP - Transportation and
Driving Pilot Program" should be the subject for the email. Question submittals should
include a reference to the applicable RFP section and be submitted in the format shown
below:
No. RFP Section, Page No. Question/Request for Clarification
1.
MDCPS will not be bound by any verbal or written information that is not contained
within this RFP unless formally noticed and issued by MDCPS. Respondents are
cautioned that any statements made by contact persons that cause a material change to
any portion of the RFP shall not be relied upon unless subsequently ratified by a formal
written amendment to the RFP. At no time shall any respondent or its personnel
contact, or attempt to contact, any MDCPS staff regarding this RFP except in writing
to the email address as set forth and, in the manner prescribed in this section.
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1.8 Acknowledgment of Amendments
Should an amendment to the RFP be issued, it will be posted on the MDCPS website
(www.mdcps.ms.gov) in a manner that all respondents will be able to view and posted
to the MS Procurement Portal for ARPA Subgrants. Further, respondents must
acknowledge receipt of any amendment to the solicitation by signing and returning
the amendment with the proposal, by identifying the amendment number and date in
the space provided for this purpose on the amendment, or by letter. The
acknowledgment should be received by the MDCPS by the time and at the place
specified for receipt of proposals as reflected in Section 1.1.1. It is the respondent's
sole responsibility to monitor the MDCPS website for amendments to the RFP.
This RFP, all questions, requests for clarification, and answers will be published on
the MDCPS website (www.mdcps.ms.gov) and posted to the MS Procurement Portal
in a manner that all respondents will be able to view by the date reflected in Section
1.1.1. (Attachment T)
1.9 Type of Contract and Payment for Services
Agreement(s) for services resulting from this RFP will be in the form of a firm fixed
price subgrant. Payments for services will be on a Cost Reimbursement basis as
detailed and required in the most current version of the MDCPS Subgrant Manual
(Sec. 5.7).
Depending upon requirements of a federal award and other applicable federal cost
principles, MDCPS may provide reimbursement to Subgrantees on a Current
Needs/Cash Advance basis for the first sixty (60) days of the subgrant period.
Subgrantees must submit this initial payment request through a Cash Advance Claim
Support Form. Payments on Current Needs/Cash Advance basis may be permitted by
MDCPS provided that the Subgrantee maintains and/or demonstrates the capacity
through established written procedures and financial management systems to meet the
requirements of applicable federal cost principles.
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All payment requests will be on a Cost Reimbursement basis. Cost
Reimbursement claims shall be accompanied by the following required
supporting documentation: Subgrantee's General Ledger, Monthly Expenditure
Report Form, and required Participant Data that reflects participants served
during the prior month.
Payment on Cost Reimbursement basis will be processed based on respondent's
proper submission of a Claim Form along with required supporting documentation
detailing services provided for any negotiated subgrant agreement. Any Subgrantee
request for payment shall comply with the most current version of the MDCPS
Subgrant Manual. MDCPS reserves the right, under the MDCPS Subgrant Manual, to
monitor and review all claim submissions under any Subgrant Agreement entered into
based upon this procurement.
NOTE: Subgrantees that receive funding from any other source, such as another agency
or grant, shall not be reimbursed for providing any of the proposed services as
required and detailed in Sec. 2.3 of this RFP.
1.10 Written Proposals
Proposals shall be in writing, indexed, and divided by sections to allow for ease of
handling and review by MDCPS.
SECTION 2: PROGRAM INFORMATION
2.1 Description of Services
Respondents shall adhere to the proposal limitation of twenty (20) pages in providing its
responses to the scope of services below.
The Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) was signed into law as part of the Bipartisan
Budget Act on February 9, 2018. This act reforms the federal child welfare financing streams,
Title IV-E and Title IV-B of the Social Security Act, to provide services to families who are at
risk of entering the child welfare system. Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services is
responsible for implementing the federal regulations resulting from FFPSA, managing the Title
IV-E State Plan, and administering funding to support these efforts. FFPSA allows states,
territories, and tribes the option of using federal title IV-E funds for prevention programs such as
Community Based Services.
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MDCPS provides services to address the safety and wellbeing, prevention, and permanency of
families and children through internal service provision and in collaboration with other child and
family service providers. Service needs vary across the state. It has been consistently noted that
there is limited access to services in some areas of the state, causing service gaps. The Prevention
Unit seeks to improve Community Based Services by expanding service array and delivery and
by allocating additional funds to expand current prevention programs. The Prevention Services
Unit is seeking proposals for the following Community Based Services:
Purpose
MDCPS is currently seeking proposals from qualified agencies interested in providing traditional
and intensive in-home and community-based services. Qualified agencies will provide primary,
secondary, and tertiary prevention-related support programs. MDCPS is seeking to collaborate
with agencies for in-home and community-based services that will enhance the protective
capacities of caregivers and improve the conditions that may contribute to safety and risk concerns
for children. It is the intent of the Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services to select
the proposer(s) that provides the best solution that will address the needs of families referred to
by Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services.
The purpose of these contracts will allow MDCPS to refer families when services are deemed
necessary to keep a family unit safely intact or to allow for safe reunification. Providers shall be
able to:
* Establish, develop, expand, and operate well-supported, supported, promising, and
general practices.
* Operate community-based family support and reunification services which include
but are not limited to preservation, home visiting, parenting, reunification, parent
advocacy and engagement, post adoption support
* Prevent child maltreatment among families at risk through the provision of
supportive family services.
* Assure children's safety and development within the home and preserve intact
families in which children have been maltreated, when the family's problems can
be addressed effectively.
* Address the problems of families whose children have been placed in foster care
so that
* reunification may occur in a safe and stable manner in accordance with the
Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997.
* Support adoptive families by providing support services as necessary so that they
can make a lifetime commitment to their children
Types of Prevention Services
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* Primary Prevention- refers to services and efforts before child abuse/neglect occurs.
All members of the community have access to and may benefit from these services.
Primary prevention attempts to influence societal forces that impact parents and children.
*Secondary Prevention- supported services for populations who are "at risk" due to their
life circumstances. Secondary prevention seeks to prevent future problems by focusing on
stresses of parents, caregivers, and youth identified at-risk.
* Tertiary Prevention- services for families that have substantiated evidence of child
abuse/neglect * Tertiary prevention services are not funded through this RFP.
Expected Safety, Permanency and Well-Being Outcomes of Contracted Services:
* Protect children from abuse and neglect.
* Safely maintain children in their homes whenever possible and appropriate.
* Ensure children have permanency and stability in their living situation.
* Preserve the continuity of family relationships and connections for children.
* Enhance the capacity of the family to provide for their children's needs.
* Ensure children receive adequate services to meet their physical and mental health
needs.
* Practices reduce the impact of social stress on the mental health of vulnerable
children and families.
Program Structure
Parenting and Support Programs- Parenting education and support programs provide a
process of helping individuals to formally learn age appropriate, non-violent disciplinary
techniques, parenting skills, and stress management techniques. These families may also
receive intensive, individualized support to strengthen parental resilience, increase social
connections, and access to concrete supports, when needed. Interventions are unique to
each community and are culturally sensitive. Where appropriate, programs must include
a parent leadership component.
1. Homeless/Unhoused Families Programs:
The agency seeks to procure services targeting homeless/unhoused families. Services will
include:
a. Emergency Housing Program - Emergency Housing is a short-term, immediate
housing intervention designed to provide safe, temporary shelter for individuals and
families experiencing homelessness or facing an imminent housing crisis. The
purpose of Emergency Housing is to ensure immediate safety, prevent exposure to
unsafe living conditions, and stabilize households while longer-term housing
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