Request for Information (RFI) to conduct market research and identify external organizations

ROBERT G. ANDERSON
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)
ProFathering15
RFx 3150006991
Issue Date: September 18, 2026
AGENCY LOCATION
Mississippi Department of Human Services
200 South Lamar Street
Jackson, Mississippi 39201
CONTACT:
Leigh Liao, Attorney
(601) 359-4500
Procurement.Services@mdhs.ms.gov
SUBMISSION DATE & TIME
Responses must be received by Monday, October 19, 2026, by 2:00 PM, Central Time
MDHS WELCOMES PARTICIPATION OF MINORITY BUSINESSES

1. Introduction
1.1 Purpose
The Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS) is issuing this Request for
Information (RFI) to conduct market research and identify external organizations qualified
to partner with the agency in a statewide delivery of the ProFathering15 curriculum. This RFI
will help MDHS better understand current market capabilities, provider interest, and best
practices for delivering fatherhood-focused programming to Mississippi families.
MDHS offers services and support to Mississippians to help them achieve self-sufficiency.
Consistent with this mission, MDHS seeks to expand access to ProFathering15, a virtual
program designed to strengthen the family dynamic by providing fathers with information
across fifteen (15) essential fatherhood topics. These topics are structured to assist parents in
areas such as co-parenting, handling emotions, and managing money. Topics covered in
ProFathering15 include the following:
* Family History
* Being a Man and Dad
* Handling Emotions
* Grief and Loss
* Your Health
* You and Mom
* Talking with Mom
* Co-Parenting
* Fathering Skills
* Child Development
* Child Discipline
* Sexuality
* Intimacy
* Work-Family Balance
* Managing Money
The program is flexible, practical, and accessible on any device, making it simple for fathers
to learn at their own pace. Participants must complete all fifteen (15) topics, along with the
evaluation and impact questions at the end of the program, to receive a Certificate of
Completion.
Through this RFI, MDHS aims to identify father-serving organizations, with interest in
potentially offering the ProFathering15 curriculum to their participants or referring their
participants to the Mississippi Access and Visitation Program to complete the course at no
cost.
1.2 Overview of the RFI Process
THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. This RFI is issued solely for
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informational purposes - it does not constitute a competitive procurement or a promise to
issue a competitive procurement in the future. This request for information does not commit
MDHS to contract for any supply or service whatsoever. Further, MDHS is not at this time
seeking proposals, bids, or qualifications and will not accept unsolicited proposals, bids, or
qualifications. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future
procurement, if any is issued. If a solicitation is released, it will be available on the MDHS
website (http://www.mdhs.ms.gov/) and the Contract/Procurement Opportunity Search
Portal. It is the responsibility of the potential offerors to monitor these sites for additional
information pertaining to this requirement. Information gathered may or may not be used
by MDHS to develop a competitive procurement.
1.3 Timeline
Request for Information Issue Date: Friday, September 18, 2026
Questions and Requests for Clarification to Wednesday, September 30, 2026
MDHS Deadline:
Anticipated Written Answers to Questions: Wednesday, October 7, 2026
Response Submission Deadline: Monday, October 19, 2026, by 2:00 p.m.,
CT
Note: MDHS reserves the right to adjust this schedule as it deems necessary.
1.4 Official Issuing Officer
Ms. Leigh Liao, Attorney
Mississippi Department of Human Services
200 South Lamar Street
Jackson, MS 39201
procurement.services@mdhs.ms.gov
2. Instruction to Offerors
By submitting a response to the RFI, the Offeror is acknowledging that the Offeror:
1. Has read the information and instructions,
2. Agrees to comply with the information and instructions contained herein.
2.1 General Information and Instructions
2.1.1 Submitting Questions
Questions regarding this RFI shall be submitted in writing by e-mail to Leigh Liao,
Procurement Coordinator at procurement.services@mdhs.ms.gov. Verbal
questions will NOT be accepted. Questions will be answered via response email to
all firms/companies that provide questions by the above required date, and responses
will also be posted on the MDHS solicitation page as an amendment. Accordingly,
questions shall NOT contain proprietary or classified information. MDHS does not
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guarantee that questions received after the deadline reflected in Section 1.3 will be
answered.
2.1.2 Right to Request Clarification
MDHS reserves the right to meet (or hold conference calls) with RFI respondents.
Such discussions will be conducted for the sole purpose of obtaining additional
clarification of provided responses and gathering supplementary details when
necessary.
These clarification discussions are not negotiations and do not indicate any
commitment or decision by MDHS. All respondents may be asked to clarify their
submissions, and participation in such clarification discussions is voluntary.
2.1.3 Right to Amend and/or Cancel the RFI
The MDHS reserves the right to amend and/or cancel this RFI at any time. Any
revisions must be made in writing prior to the RFI closing date and time. By
submitting a response, the Offeror shall be deemed to have accepted all terms and
agreed to all requirements of the RFI (including any revisions/additions made in
writing prior to the close of the RFI whether or not such revision occurred prior to
the time the Offeror submitted its response) unless expressly stated otherwise in the
offeror's response. THEREFORE, EACH OFFEROR IS INDIVIDUALLY
RESPONSIBLE FOR REVIEWING THE REVISED RFI AND MAKING ANY
NECESSARY OR APPROPRIATE CHANGES AND/OR ADDITIONS TO THE
OFFEROR'S RESPONSE PRIOR TO THE CLOSE OF THE RFI. Offerors are
encouraged to frequently check the RFI for additional information.
2.1.4 Costs for Preparing Responses
Each response should be prepared simply and economically, avoiding the use of
elaborate promotional materials beyond those sufficient to provide a complete
response. The cost for developing the response and participating in this RFI process
is the sole responsibility of the offeror. The MDHS will not provide reimbursement
for such costs.
2.1.5 Public Access to Procurement Records
Solicitation opportunities will be publicly advertised as required by law and the
provisions of the Public Procurement Review Board/Office of Personal Service
Contract Review Rules and Regulations Manual.
This RFI, including any accompanying exhibits, attachments, and appendices, is
subject to the "Mississippi Public Records Act of 1983", codified as Section 25-61-
1 et seq., Mississippi Code Annotated and exceptions found in Section 79-23-1 of
the Mississippi Code Annotated (1972, as amended). In addition, this RFI is subject
to the provisions of the Mississippi Accountability and Transparency Act of 2008
(MATA) codified as Section 31-7-13 of the Mississippi Code Annotated (1972, as
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amended).
PLEASE NOTE: Even though information (financial or other information)
submitted by an offeror may be marked as "confidential", "proprietary", etc., the
MDHS will make its own determination regarding what information may or may
not be withheld from disclosure.
For any contract resulting from subsequent procurement processes, unless
exempted from disclosure due to a court-issued protective order, the contract will
be required to be posted to the Department of Finance and Administration's
independent agency contract website for public access. Prior to posting the
Agreement to the website, any information identified by the Independent
Contractor as trade secrets, or other proprietary information including confidential
vendor information, or any other information which is required confidential by state
or federal law or outside the applicable freedom of information statutes will be
redacted. However, the provisions of the contract which contain the personal or
professional services provided, the unit prices, the overall price to be paid, and the
term of the contract shall not be deemed to be a trade secret or confidential
commercial or financial information pursuant to Mississippi Code Annotated 25-
61-9(7).
3. Submission Requirements
3.1 Responses may be submitted electronically by email to
Procurement.Services@mdhs.ms.gov in either PDF, Word, or Excel file types. Responses
may also be mailed or hand delivered. If sent by mail or hand delivery, the original response
shall be signed using Attachment B only and submitted in a sealed envelope or package
addressed as required by Section 3.7. All responses must be received no later than the
deadline in Section 1.3.
3.2 Firms must answer all questions in Attachment A and complete Attachment B of this
request and return with your submission.
3.3 Timely submission of the response is the responsibility of the firm. Responses received
after the specified time may not be considered by MDHS.
3.4 The time and date of receipt will be indicated on the envelope or package by the MDHS
staff.
3.5 Any firm claiming that its response contains information exempt from the Mississippi
Public Records Act (Mississippi Code Annotated 25-61-1, et. seq., and 79-23-1), shall
segregate and CLEARLY mark the information as confidential and provide the specific
statutory authority for the exemption.
3.6 Reponses submitted via facsimile (faxes) will not be accepted.
3.7 IF submitting a hard copy, sealed responses should be mailed or hand-delivered to and
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labeled as follows:
RFI No. 315000991
Mississippi Department of Human Services
Attention: Leigh Liao
200 South Lamar Street
Jackson, Mississippi 39201
THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY to identify father - serving organizations that
can partner with MDHS in the statewide delivery of the ProFathering15 curriculum. The information
provided in the RFI is subject to change and is not binding on MDHS. MDHS has not made a commitment
to procure any of the items/services discussed, and release of this RFI should not be construed as such a
commitment or as authorization to incur cost for which reimbursement would be required or sought. All
submissions become MDHS property and will not be returned.
RFx 3150006991 Page 6 of 9

ATTACHMENT A
Respondents are requested to provide complete and detailed responses to each of the following
questions. Responses will assist MDHS in gathering information about organizational capacity,
experience, and interest for partnering in the statewide delivery of the ProFathering15 curriculum.
Please respond to each question in the order presented, and reference the corresponding question
number in your response. All questions are mandatory except Question 25, which is optional.
MDHS requests that responses to Attachment A be provided in Microsoft Word document. Please
include the organization's name in the document header or title. Responses must be submitted in
accordance with the Submission Requirements outlined in Section 3 of this RFI.
ProFathering15 Questionnaire
1. Does your organization serve 3-50 men between the ages of 16-65?
2. Please provide a brief overview and/or mission statement of your organization.
3. What part of the state does your organization serve?
4. How long has your organization been operating?
5. What types of services does your organization generally provide?
6. What types of services does your organization provide to fathers?
7. What is your organization's general target population?
8. Does your organization have any paid employees? If yes, then how many?
9. Please provide an organizational chart or description of positions within your organization.
10. Does your organization host regular meetings? If yes, then for each meeting please describe the regular
meeting time, the target population and purpose of the meeting, and the typical number of attendees at
the meeting.
11. Have you ever provided any co-parenting courses? If yes, then please list a few for reference.
12. Are you a 501 (c)(3) organization? If yes, are you in good standing?
13. Has your organization ever been a subgrantee of MDHS or any other government agency?
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14. If the answer to Question #13 is "yes," then for each subgrant, please provide the name of the grantor
government agency, the time period your organization was a subgrantee, and a description of your
organization's subgrantee responsibilities.
15. Has your organization ever been a subgrantee of a nonprofit organization?
16. If the answer to Question #15 is "yes," then for each subgrant, please provide the name of the grantor
nonprofit organization, the time period your organization was a subgrantee, and a description of your
organization's subgrantee responsibilities.
17. Has your organization ever worked with MDHS or any other government agency?
18. If the answer to Question #17 is "yes," then for each collaboration, please provide the name of the
government agency, the time period of the collaboration, and a description of the purpose and outcome
of the collaboration.
19. Has your organization ever worked with another nonprofit organization?
20. If the answer to Question #19 is "yes," then for each collaboration, please provide the name of the
nonprofit organization, the time period of the collaboration, and a description of the purpose and
outcome of the collaboration.
21. What benefits do you think ProFathering15 can bring to your organization?
22. Describe your organization's capacity to meet the purposes of this RFI set forth in the Introduction
Section 1.1.
23. Does your organization have available computers and internet access for participants?
24. Are you willing to post flyers and/or make announcements about ProFathering15?
25. (Optional) Please provide 3 references with contact information of other organizations that currently
work with your organization or have worked with your organization in the past.
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ATTACHMENT B
Firm's Organization Information
Name of Organization:
Physical Address:
Mailing Address:
Website:
Contact Person for Firm's Organization:
Authorized Representative:
Authorized Representative's Title:
Authorized Representative's Signature:
Mailing Address:
Phone: ( )
Email:
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