Local Child Care Market Rate Survey and Cost of Care Analysis

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
LOCAL CHILD CARE MARKET RATE SURVEY AND COST OF CARE ANALYSIS
ISSUED BY
DIVISION OF SOCIAL SERVICES
CONTRACT NUMBER HSS-27-012
Contents:
I. Overview
II. Scope of Services
III. Required Information
IV. Professional Services RFP Administrative Information
V. Contract Terms and Conditions
VI. RFP Miscellaneous Information
VII. Attachments
Appendix A - Minimum Mandatory Submission Requirements
Appendix B - Scope of Work and Tenhnical Requirements
Appendix C - Vendor Forms
Attachment 2 - Vendor Information Form
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Attachment 3 - Non-Collusion Statement
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Attachment 4 - Exception Form
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Attachment 5 - Confidentiality Form
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Attachment 6 - Business References
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Attachment 7 - Subcontractor Form - if applicable
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Appendix D - Templates/Sample Agreements
Professional Services Agreement
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Business Associate Agreement
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DTI Terms & Conditions
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Appendix E - Project Cost Template
** Ctrl + Click on the headings above will take you directly to the section.
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STATE OF DELAWARE
DIVISON OF SOCIAL SERVICES
I. Overview
The Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) is the single State agency mandated
by the federal government and the State of Delaware to administer state and federally funded
financial assistance programs for Delaware's needy citizens. Within the Department, the
Division of Social Services (DSS) is directly responsible for these programs, which include
TANF, Food Benefits, medical assistance eligibility, General Assistance, Subsidized Child
Care, and Employment and Training. Through this Request for Proposals, DSS seeks
professional services to conduct a local child care market rate survey and a cost of care
analysis of Delaware's child care providers, and to produce the analysis, reporting, and
deliverables described in Section II, Scope of Services. This request for proposals ("RFP") is
issued pursuant to 29 Del. C. 6981 and 6982.
The proposed schedule of events subject to the RFP is outlined below:
Public Notice October 1, 2026
Deadline for Questions October 16 at 4:30 PM EST
Response to Questions Posted by: October 30, 2026
Deadline for Receipt of Proposals November 20, 2026 at 1:00 PM EDT
Estimated Notification of Award December 18, 2026
Each proposal must be accompanied by a transmittal letter which briefly summarizes the
proposing firm's interest in providing the required professional services. The transmittal letter
must also clearly state and justify any exceptions to the requirements of the RFP which the
applicant may have taken in presenting the proposal. (Applicant exceptions must also be
recorded on Attachment 4).
Furthermore, the transmittal letter must attest to the fact, at a minimum, that the Vendor shall
not store or transfer non-public State of Delaware data outside of the United States.
For technology related solicitations, Vendors may refer to the Delaware Department of
Technology and Information identified terms and conditions included in this solicitation.
The State of Delaware reserves the right to deny any and all exceptions taken to the RFP
requirements.
A pre-bid meeting has NOT been established for this Request for Proposal.
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STATE OF DELAWARE
DIVISON OF SOCIAL SERVICES
Questions may be submitted no later than October 16, 2026 @ 4:30 PM EST.
All inquiries must be submitted in the Q/A section of the project listing in the Euna
Procurement (formerly Bonfire) Portal (https://dhss.bonfirehub.com).
The Department's response to questions will be posted, according to the
procurement schedule, under the project listing in Euna Procurement
(formerly Bonfire) and to the State of Delaware Bid Solicitation Directory
Website: http://www.bids.delaware.gov/ by October 30, 2026.
II. Scope of Services
This Section describes what DSS is procuring and what the CONTRACTOR must deliver.
* Part A gives background on the Department, the Purchase of Care program, and the
policy environment.
* Part B defines the terms used throughout; capitalized terms have the meanings
given there.
* Part C states the objectives.
* Part D lists the twelve tasks and their deliverables.
* Part E sets the statistical standards the work must meet, with plain-language
explanations of the technical terms.
* Parts F through K cover the schedule, acceptance, DSS responsibilities, contractor
qualifications, data ownership, and contract term.
* Federal requirements are cited once, in Part A, and referenced by task number
elsewhere.
In brief, the CONTRACTOR will survey every eligible child care provider in Delaware to
learn what providers charge families who pay privately (the market rate survey), separately
estimate what it actually costs providers to operate at basic and higher levels of quality (the
cost of care analysis), collect the additional provider information federal rules require,
compare cost and price against what Delaware pays, and deliver one public report, a cost
estimation tool DSS can use on its own, and the underlying data.
Please refer to Appendix B for full detail of the Scope of Service and requirements.
III. Required Information
The following information shall be provided in each proposal in the order listed below. Failure
to respond to any request for information within this proposal may result in rejection of the
proposal at the sole discretion of the State.
A. Minimum Requirements
1. Provide Delaware license(s) and/or certification(s) necessary to perform services as
identified in the scope of work.
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STATE OF DELAWARE
DIVISON OF SOCIAL SERVICES
Prior to the execution of an award document, the successful Vendor shall either furnish
the Agency with proof of State of Delaware Business Licensure or initiate the process
of application where required.
2. Vendor shall provide responses to the Request for Proposal (RFP) scope of work and
clearly identify capabilities as presented in the General Evaluation Requirements
below.
3. Complete all appropriate attachments and forms as identified within the RFP.
4. Proof of insurance and amount of insurance shall be furnished to the Agency prior to
the start of the contract period and shall be no less than as identified in the bid
solicitation, Section V, Item G, subsection 8 (Insurance).
B. General Evaluation Requirements
Proposal Content
Proposals shall contain the following sections in the order listed. Each section corresponds
to an evaluation criterion in Section IV. Vendors will be evaluated only on information they
were required to submit.
Proposal section Evaluation Required content
criterion
1. Relevant experience Experience and Experience in child care and early
and qualifications qualifications (20 education at the state and local
points) government level. Demonstrated
capability in both price survey research
and cost analysis or modeling. Prior
stakeholder engagement with
examples of resulting products. Links
or copies of prior final reports.
2. Technical approach Technical approach Detailed methods for the market rate
and methodology and methodology survey, the cost of care analysis
(30 points) including the 45 CFR 98.45(f)(1)(ii)
elements, and the 45 CFR 98.45(d)(2)
data. The proposed collection design
and its defense against Section II.E.
Frame construction, response-rate
strategy, nonresponse analysis,
weighting, uncertainty estimation,
disclosure control, treatment of family
child care owner compensation and
shared occupancy, and reconciliation
with prior Delaware work.
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STATE OF DELAWARE
DIVISON OF SOCIAL SERVICES
3. Work plan, staffing, Work plan, staffing, Task-level work plan aligned to Section
project management, project II.F, with any proposed acceleration
and capacity management, and and its justification. Organization chart,
capacity (20 points) named project manager, key personnel
with role, location, and committed
effort, resumes, subcontractors with
services, percentage of work, and
oversight, and evidence of capacity to
run two collections within the schedule.
4. References and past References and At least three references from
performance demonstrated past comparable engagements with States
performance (10 or comparable public agencies
points) completed within the past five years,
on Attachment 5, with a description of
the work performed and outcomes.
5. Cost proposal Cost proposal (20 Cost on the State pricing schedule with
points) a personnel budget and budget
narrative. The optional Task 4 priced
separately. The cost of care analysis,
including the 45 CFR 98.45(f)(1)(ii)
elements, priced as one line.
Evaluation criteria and weights are stated in Section IV, Proposal Selection Criteria, and
total 100 points.
IV. Professional Services RFP Administrative Information
A. RFP Issuance
1. Public Notice
Public notice has been provided in accordance with 29 Del. C. 6981.
2. Obtaining Copies of the RFP
This RFP is available in electronic form through the State of Delaware Procurement
website at https://mmp.delaware.gov/Bids/ and on Euna Procurement (formerly
Bonfire) at https://dhss.bonfirehub.com.
Paper copies of this RFP will not be available.
3. Assistance to Vendors with a Disability
Vendors with a disability may receive accommodation regarding the means of
communicating this RFP or participating in the procurement process. For more
information, contact the Designated Contact no later than ten days prior to the deadline
for receipt of proposals.
4. RFP Designated Contact
All requests, questions, or other communications about this RFP shall be made
through Euna Procurement (formerly Bonfire) at https://dhss.bonfirehub.com.
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STATE OF DELAWARE
DIVISON OF SOCIAL SERVICES
Communications made to other State of Delaware personnel or attempting to ask
questions by phone or in person will not be allowed or recognized as valid and may
disqualify the vendor.
Vendors should rely only on written statements issued by the RFP designated
Contracts, Management and Procurement contact.
The RFP designated contact is:
FAITH M. MWAURA, DEPUTY JACQUELINE BENSEL, SENIOR
DIRECTOR ADMINISTRATOR
Delaware Department of Health and Social Delaware Department of Health and
Services Social Services
Division of Social Services Division of Social Services
Herman M. Holloway Sr. Health and Social Herman M. Holloway Sr. Health and
Services Campus Social Services Campus
1901 N. DuPont Highway, New Castle, DE 1901 N. DuPont Highway, New
19720 Castle, DE 19720
Office: (302) 255-9695 (302) 255-9611, or (302) 875-8334
Faith.Mwaura@delaware.gov Jacqueline.Bensel@delaware.gov
Contracts, Management and Procurement Contact:
Eddie Mui
Management Analyst III
DHSS_DMS_dmsprocure@delaware.gov
5. Consultants and Legal Counsel
The State of Delaware may retain consultants or legal counsel to assist in the review
and evaluation of this RFP and the vendors' responses. Bidders shall not contact the
State's consultant or legal counsel on any matter related to the RFP.
6. Contact with State Employees
Direct contact with State of Delaware employees other than the State of Delaware
Designated Contact regarding this RFP is expressly prohibited without prior consent.
Vendors directly contacting State of Delaware employees risk elimination of their
proposal from further consideration. Exceptions exist only for organizations currently
doing business in the State who require contact in the normal course of doing that
business.
7. Organizations Ineligible to Bid
Any individual, business, organization, corporation, consortium, partnership, joint
venture, or any other entity including subcontractors currently debarred or suspended
is ineligible to bid. Any entity ineligible to conduct business in the State of Delaware
for any reason is ineligible to respond to the RFP.
8. Exclusions
The Proposal Evaluation Team reserves the right to refuse to consider any proposal
from a vendor who:
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STATE OF DELAWARE
DIVISON OF SOCIAL SERVICES
a. Has been convicted for commission of a criminal offense as an incident to
obtaining or attempting to obtain a public or private contract or subcontract, or in
the performance of the contract or subcontract:
b. Has been convicted under State or Federal statutes of embezzlement, theft,
forgery, bribery, falsification or destruction of records, receiving stolen property, or
other offense indicating a lack of business integrity or business honesty that
currently and seriously affects responsibility as a State contractor:
c. Has been convicted or has had a civil judgment entered for a violation under State
or Federal antitrust statutes:
d. Has violated contract provisions such as:
1) Known failure without good cause to perform in accordance with the
specifications or within the time limit provided in the contract; or
2) Failure to perform or unsatisfactory performance in accordance with terms of
one or more contracts;
e. Has violated ethical standards set out in law or regulation; and
f. Any other cause listed in regulations of the State of Delaware determined to be
serious and compelling as to affect responsibility as a State contractor, including
suspension or debarment by another governmental entity for a cause listed in the
regulations.
B. RFP Submissions
1. Acknowledgement of Understanding of Terms
By submitting a bid, each vendor shall be deemed to acknowledge that it has carefully
read all sections of this RFP, including all forms, schedules and exhibits hereto, and
has fully informed itself as to all existing conditions and limitations.
2. Proposals
To be considered, all proposals must be submitted in through Euna
Procurement (formerly Bonfire) at https://dhss.bonfirehub.com/ and respond
to the items outlined in this RFP.
The State reserves the right to reject any non-responsive or non-conforming
proposals.
Responses submitted by hard copy, mail, facsimile, or e-mail will not be
accepted.
All proposals must be submitted prior to 1:00 PM EDT on November 20,
2026.
PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS
a. Proposals must be received before the Proposal Due Date and Time, as
identified in the Procurement Schedule for this RFP.
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STATE OF DELAWARE
DIVISON OF SOCIAL SERVICES
Responses received after the Proposal Due Date and Time will not be
accepted.
b. Upload your submission at: https://dhss.bonfirehub.com/
Important Notes:
* Logging in and/or uploading the file(s) does not mean the response is
submitted. Users must successfully upload all the file(s) and MUST click
the submit button before the proposal due date and time.
* Users will receive an email confirmation receipt with a unique
confirmation number once the submission has been finalized. This will
confirm that the proposal has been submitted successfully.
* Each submitted item of Requested Information will only become visible
to DHSS after the proposal due date and time.
* If the file is mandatory, you will not be able to complete your submission
until the requirement is met.
* Uploading large documents may take significant time depending on the
size of the file(s) and your Internet connection speed. The maximum
upload file size is 1000 MB.
* Minimum system requirements: Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, or
Mozilla Firefox. Java Script must be enabled.
* Notarizations are no longer required.
Need Help? Please contact Euna Procurement (formerly Bonfire) directly at
Bonfire Hub, email to support.bonfire@eunasolutions.com, or call 1- 844-
226- EUNA (3862) press 1 for customer support/technical questions or issues
related to your submission. You can also visit their help forum at
https://customer.eunasolutions.com/public/s/contactsupport.
Any proposal submitted after the Deadline for Receipt of Proposals date will
not be accepted. The contents of any proposal shall not be disclosed as to be
made available to competing entities during the negotiation process.
Upon receipt of vendor proposals, each vendor shall be presumed to be
thoroughly familiar with all specifications and requirements of this RFP. The
failure or omission to examine any form, instrument or document shall in no
way relieve vendors from any obligation in respect to this RFP.
3. Proposal Modifications
Any changes, amendments or modifications to a proposal must be submitted through
Euna Procurement (formerly Bonfire) prior to the proposal due date. Changes,
amendments, or modifications to proposals shall not be accepted or considered after
the hour and date specified as the deadline for submission of proposals.
4. Proposal Costs and Expenses
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STATE OF DELAWARE
DIVISON OF SOCIAL SERVICES
The State of Delaware will not pay any costs incurred by any Vendor associated with
any aspect of responding to this solicitation, including proposal preparation, printing or
delivery, attendance at vendor's conference, system demonstrations or negotiation
process.
5. Proposal Expiration Date
Prices quoted in the proposal shall remain fixed and binding on the bidder at least
through January 31, 2028. The State of Delaware reserves the right to ask for an
extension of time if needed.
6. Late Proposals
Proposals submitted after the specified date and time will not be accepted by
the Euna Procurement (formerly Bonfire) Portal. Evaluation of the proposals is
expected to begin shortly after the proposal due date. To document
compliance with the deadline, the proposal will be date and time stamped upon
receipt by Euna Procurement (formerly Bonfire).
7. Proposal Opening
The State of Delaware will receive proposals via Euna Procurement (formerly
Bonfire) until the date and time shown in this RFP. Proposals will be opened in the
presence of State of Delaware personnel.
There will be no public opening of proposals, but a public log will be kept of the
names of all vendor organizations that submitted proposals. The contents of
any proposal shall not be disclosed in accordance with 29 Del. C. 10001, et
seq. ("FOIA").
8. Non-Conforming Proposals
Non-conforming proposals will not be considered. Non-conforming proposals are
defined as those that do not meet the requirements of this RFP. The determination of
whether an RFP requirement is substantive, or a mere formality shall reside solely
within the State of Delaware.
9. Concise Proposals
The State of Delaware discourages overly lengthy and costly proposals. It is the desire
that proposals be prepared in a straightforward and concise manner. Unnecessarily
elaborate brochures or other promotional materials beyond those sufficient to present
a complete and effective proposal are not desired. The State of Delaware's interest is
in the quality and responsiveness of the proposal.
10. Realistic Proposals
It is the expectation of the State of Delaware that vendors can fully satisfy the
obligations of the proposal in the manner and timeframe defined within the proposal.
Proposals must be realistic and must represent the best estimate of time, materials
and other costs including the impact of inflation and any economic or other factors that
are reasonably predictable.
The State of Delaware shall bear no responsibility or increase obligation for a vendor's
failure to accurately estimate the costs or resources required to meet the obligations
defined in the proposal.
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STATE OF DELAWARE
DIVISON OF SOCIAL SERVICES
11. Confidentiality of Documents
The State of Delaware and its constituent agencies are required to comply with the
State of Delaware Freedom of Information Act, 29 Del. C. 10001, et seq. ("FOIA").
FOIA requires that the State of Delaware's records are public records (unless
otherwise declared by FOIA or other law to be exempt from disclosure) and are subject
to inspection and copying by any person upon a written request. All proposals are
subject to FOIA's public disclosure obligations.
(Note: A FOIA request can be made via this link https://dhss.delaware.gov/foia/.
DHSS will comply with the request after the RFP has been awarded..)
The State of Delaware wishes to create a business-friendly environment and
procurement process. As such, the State respects the vendor community's desire to
protect its intellectual property, trade secrets, and confidential business information
(collectively referred to herein as "confidential business information"). Proposals must
contain sufficient information to be evaluated. If a vendor feels that they cannot submit
their proposal without including confidential business information, they must adhere to
the following procedure, or their proposal may be deemed unresponsive, may not be
recommended for selection, and any applicable protection for the vendor's confidential
business information may be lost.
In order to allow the State to assess its ability to protect a vendor's confidential
business information, vendors will be permitted to designate appropriate portions of
their proposal as confidential business information.
Vendor(s) may submit portions of a proposal considered to be confidential
business information in separate file(s) identified as "Confidential Business
Information" and include the specific RFP number. The file must contain a letter
from the vendor's legal counsel describing the documents in the file,
representing in good faith that the information in each document is not "public
record" as defined by 29 Del. C. 10002, and briefly stating the reasons that
each document meets the said definitions.
Upon receipt of a proposal accompanied by such separate file(s), the State of
Delaware will open the file to determine whether the procedure described
above has been followed. A vendor's allegation as to its confidential business
information shall not be binding on the State. The State shall independently
determine the validity of any vendor designation as set forth in this section. Any
vendor submitting a proposal or using the procedures discussed herein
expressly accepts the State's absolute right and duty to independently assess
the legal and factual validity of any information designated as confidential
business information. Accordingly, vendor(s) assume the risk that confidential
business information included in a proposal may enter the public domain.
12. Multi-Vendor Solutions (Joint Ventures)
Multi-vendor solutions (joint ventures) will be allowed only if one of the venture partners
is designated as the "prime contractor". The "prime contractor" must be the joint
venture's contact point for the State of Delaware and be responsible for the joint
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