SOI 1189 NYS Governor’s Youth Council

The New York State (NYS) Office of Children & Family Services (OCFS) announces a Solicitation of Interest (SOI) to gauge the interest of qualified entities that can continue to implement administrative and programmatic operations of the Governor’s Youth Council (GYC). The GYC provides an effective way to engage youth in state government and creates a platform for their voices to be heard by policymakers. Youth members of the GYC offer their solutions to key issues facing young people in NYS to the Governor and other policymakers, including how to have better outreach and communication strategies to young people.

This advertisement is public notice that OCFS is seeking to gauge interest of qualified vendors that demonstrate an interest and ability to continue implementing current operations seamlessly to prevent any disruption of service. Current operations include use and maintenance of the purpose-built portal, engagement, communications and contracting with adult regional representatives, and engagement, communication and contracting with youth council members, and effectively managing partnerships with state government agencies. Interested vendors should have a deep understanding of Positive Youth Development practice in NYS and have longstanding, effective partnerships with each of the state’s municipal Youth Bureaus and OCFS.

The purpose of this solicitation is to invite any eligible and interested entities that believe they can satisfy this program’s needs to inform OCFS by a Letter of Interest (LOI). To be considered responsive, your organization’s LOI should be received no later than the deadline specified on the first page of this announcement.

Through this announcement, OCFS is exploring the availability of vendors who have the expertise to provide the services required by OCFS. The results of this announcement are intended to determine if this opportunity will be competitively bid. If too few responses are received, OCFS may pursue other procurement options for this project.

Eligibility Criteria

Interested parties who meet the following criteria are eligible to respond:

• A registered New York State Not For Profit entity
• Within the last seven years have at least four years’ experience in convening and facilitating collaborative programming between youth and adult partners virtually across New York State to create civic engagement opportunities for youth aged 13 through 21
• Within the last seven years spent at least four years working with municipal youth bureaus statewide in New York State
• Has created an online application platform designed for use by youth under age 21 within the last seven years