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
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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
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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.
1.1.1
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.
Timeline
Request for Proposals Issue Date:
Deadline for Written Questions and
Requests for Clarification to MDCPS
Anticipated Posting of Answers to
Questions and Requests for Clarifications:
Proposal Submission Deadline:
Proposal Opening:
Anticipated Notice of Intent to Award:
Friday, April 3, 2026
Wednesday, April 15, 2026
Thursday, April 16, 2026
Monday, May 4, 2026
Tuesday, May 5, 2026
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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This page summarizes the opportunity, including an overview and a preview of the attached documents.