[Durham INC] County Publishes Request for Proposals for DCo Thrives Guaranteed Income Pilot Program

Jones, Henry R. hrjones at dconc.gov
Fri Dec 8 13:32:55 EST 2023 

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NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release                                          Date: 12/08/2023
Contact: Public Information Office                   Phone: (919) 560-0000/Fax: (919) 560-0020
E-mail: publicinformationoffice at dconc.gov<mailto:publicinformationoffice at dconc.gov>

County Publishes Request for Proposals for DCo Thrives Guaranteed Income Pilot Program
Deadline to submit proposals is Jan. 9, 2024; Virtual information session on Dec. 13

Durham, N.C. - The Durham Board of County Commissioners approved DCo Thrives<http://www.dconc.gov/dcothrives>, a guaranteed income pilot program, in August of 2023. This pilot program seeks to determine the effectiveness of providing no-strings-attached cash assistance, or "guaranteed income," to low-income families in Durham County with the goal of increasing their economic security and well-being.

On Friday, November 24, 2023, Durham County Government issued a Request for Proposals (RFP)<https://dconc-ebid.ionwave.net/PublicDetail.aspx?bidID=591&ret=OPEN> from qualified firms to act as a third-party program administrator in carrying out the goals of the DCo Thrives guaranteed income pilot program.

This pilot's cash assistance payments are intended to supplement, not replace, existing supports and move Durham families from just surviving to thriving. Providing guaranteed income instead of targeted housing, food, or medical assistance allows families to take ownership in meeting their needs and improving their own economic outlook.

The DCo Thrives pilot represents part of Durham County's efforts to respond to the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic by using American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding in an attempt to address the ongoing impacts of poverty exposure on children through cash-assistance to eligible families. DCo Thrives aligns with Goal 1 of Durham County's Strategic Plan by "empowering citizens to choose pathways for their own success," and with the County's Early Childhood Action Plan recommendation to "ensure families with young children have economic security and opportunities for wealth-building and long-term economic prosperity."

The pilot will target low-income families with at least one child under the age of 18 and will distribute $750 per month to 125 families for one year. There will also be a
control group of 125 families who do not receive $750 payments each month. Both the control group and the group receiving the monthly $750, also known as the treatment group, will be offered the opportunity to complete a monthly survey, for which they will be compensated $100. The survey responses will help the County evaluate the impact that the $750 cash assistance has on participants. Durham County's BOCC approved $1.69 million in ARPA funding for this 1-year pilot program.  The county expects to award $1,575,000 of this funding to the third-party program administrator selected through this RFP process.

Durham County will receive sealed proposals for the DCo Thrives pilot program until January 9, 2024, at 2 p.m., Eastern Standard Time in the Durham County Purchasing Division, 201 East Main Street, 7th Floor, Durham, North Carolina 27701. No proposals will be accepted after the official time and date.

An electronic copy of this RFP can be obtained from Durham County's eBid System located under Bid Opportunities at https://dconc-ebid.ionwave.net/PublicDetail.aspx?bidID=591&ret=OPEN. Proposers can download a copy of the solicitation and all addenda without registering in the system. However, in order to automatically receive email notifications of solicitations and addenda issued by the Purchasing Division, Proposers must register in the eBid<https://dconc-ebid.ionwave.net/Login.aspx> system.

There will be an information session for potential proposers held virtually on Wednesday, December 13, 2023, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. To join the meeting click here<https://bit.ly/DCoTPA1213>.

Proposals are encouraged and welcome from historically underutilized businesses (HUBs).

Full details of the scope of work are included on pages 14-18 of the RFP. A brief overview of the expected duties are below:


  *   Attend post-award kickoff meeting;
  *   Attend trainings required by collaborating organizations;
  *   Track and communicate progress towards goals;
  *   Advertise and recruit applicants;
  *   Administer application and onboard participants;
  *   Determine eligibility and selecting participants;
  *   Provide benefits counseling;
  *   Collect qualitative and quantitative data and report anonymized data to County;
  *   Create and implement storytelling strategy;
  *   Distribute payments and incentives to participants;
  *   Manage DCo Thrives Program; and
  *   Quarterly reporting.

The RFP for the DCo Thrives guaranteed income pilot program can be found on the Durham County eBid system here<https://dconc-ebid.ionwave.net/PublicDetail.aspx?bidID=591&ret=OPEN>. A detailed description of the goals and required activities under the program can be found there.

All inquiries concerning the scope of services, proposal submission requirements or
procurement procedures should be directed to Jonathan Hawley, Interim Procurement Manager Purchasing Division of Finance Department via email: purchasinggroup at dconc.gov<mailto:purchasinggroup at dconc.gov> or telephone 919-560-0054.

The County anticipates issuing a Notice of Intent of Award to the selected firm in January 2025, depending on the volume of applications received.

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