Project Information

Bid Title

Qualified Providers for Comprehensive Child Welfare and Family Support Services

Issuing Agency

County of Burke

Location

North Carolina

Published Date

Jan 28, 2026

Closing Date

Feb 24, 2026

Government Level

State & Local

Status

Closed

Ref. #

2026-0224

Original Source

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Bid Inquiries

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Bid Documents

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Project Description

Bid Number:	2026-0224
Bid Title:	Qualified Providers for Comprehensive Child Welfare and Family Support Services
Category:	Social Services
Status:	Open
Bid Recipient:	Brian Nieft - Purchasing Agent

Description: Burke County is soliciting information from experienced providers and provider networks capable of delivering a broad array of evidence-based clinical, therapeutic, and supportive services to children, youth, and families involved with child welfare. See attached documents for complete details. Publication Date/Time: 1/28/2026 12:00 PM Closing Date/Time: 2/24/2026 2:00 PM Submittal Information: Bids emailed to purchasing@burkenc.org Bid Opening Information: No Public Opening Pre-bid Meeting: None Related Documents: RFI for Qualified Providers for Comprehensive Support

Attachment Preview

Request for Information

Qualified Providers for Comprehensive

Child Welfare and Family Support Services

RFI-2026-0224

January 28, 2026

Contact

Brian Nieft

Purchasing Agent

Burke County

200 Avery Avenue

Morganton, NC 28655

828-764-9058

purchasing@burkenc.org

RFI-2026-0224

Qualified Providers for Comprehensive Services

January 28, 2026

Table of Contents

1. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................ 3

2. OVERVIEW ................................................................................................ 3

3. PREFERRED SERVICE ARRAY ............................................................... 3

4. PREFERENCE CRITERIA ......................................................................... 4

5. KEY PERFORMANCE EXPECTATIONS AND GOALS............................. 5

6. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS ............................................................... 5

7. EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS ............................................................... 7

8. TERMS, CONDITIONS, AND CERTIFICATION ......................................... 7

9. CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS............................................................... 8

10. DISPUTES.................................................................................................. 8

11. NONDISCRIMINATION & EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER .............. 8

Page | 2

RFI-2026-0224

Qualified Providers for Comprehensive Services

January 28, 2026

1. INTRODUCTION

Burke County is soliciting information from experienced providers and provider networks capable

of delivering a broad array of evidence-based clinical, therapeutic, and supportive services to

children, youth, and families involved with child welfare.

Submittal deadline is February 24, 2026, at 2:00pm.

Submissions should be emailed to purchasing@burkenc.org

Questions can be emailed to purchasing@burkenc.org no later than 5pm, on Tuesday, February 10,

2025. Answers to all submitted questions will be posted on the website below.

Please visit www.burkenc.org/Bids.aspx to download this information and any updates on the

project.

2. OVERVIEW

Burke County (the County) is soliciting information from experienced providers and provider

networks capable of delivering a broad array of evidence-based clinical, therapeutic, and

supportive services to children, youth, and families involved with child welfare. Services should, at

minimum, include prevention, intervention, family support, foster care support, and reunification

support. The primary goal is to establish a pool of pre-qualified providers who can rapidly respond

to referrals and help the agency meet federal and state measures related to safety, permanency,

and well-being.

Subcontracting is permitted; however, the prime respondent will remain fully responsible and

accountable for the performance of any subcontractor. The County intends to establish a pre-

qualified provider pool valid for up to three (3) years with option to extend. Being selected for the

pool does not guarantee any volume of referrals. As specific needs arise, the County may issue

solicitations, direct referrals, or secondary competitions limited to identified vendors.

This Request for Information (RFI) is for information-gathering but one or more vendors may be

chosen based on responses received for consideration.

3. PREFERRED SERVICE ARRAY

Respondents should clearly identify which of the following services they can directly provide or

coordinate through qualified subcontractors in a timely manner, including the anticipated

turnaround time to complete the service at the point of referral

1. Comprehensive Clinical Assessments (CCA)

2. Substance Use Assessments (list the type of assessment your providers have experience or

training to administer, including SUD-specific tools)

Page | 3

RFI-2026-0224

Qualified Providers for Comprehensive Services

January 28, 2026

3. Drug Screening (list the type(s): urine, hair, oral, sweat patch, instant and lab-based)

4. Substance Use Disorder and Opioid Use Disorder Treatment (outpatient, intensive

outpatient, medication-assisted treatment, peer support, harm reduction, etc.)

5. Parenting Education

6. Parenting Capacity Evaluations/Screenings

7. Individual, Family, and Group Counseling (list all the modality types utilized, including

evidence-based/informed, or promising practice models)

8. Domestic Violence/Intimate Partner Violence Assessments and Interventions (including

perpetrator interventions)

9. Intensive In-Home Services (e.g. Multisystemic Therapy, Functional Family Therapy, Parent-

Child Interaction Therapy (In-home Adaption), High Fidelity Wraparound)

10. Medication Management (psychiatric)

11. Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) or ACT-like services

12. Forensic Child Medical Examinations (CME) / Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) services

for children

13. Foster Parent Recruitment, Training (including MAPP/GPS, TIPS-MAPP, Deciding Together,

Caring for Children Who Have Experienced Trauma), Licensing, and Retention Support

14. Partnerships with faith-based organizations who help with local recruitment of foster

homes

15. Other value-added or best-in-practice services not listed above that the applicant offers

that would benefit Burke County children and families (e.g., trauma-focused interventions,

evidence based/informed interventions, social drivers of health services)

4. PREFERENCE CRITERIA

1. Ability to bill all North Carolina Medicaid plans (all types) and third-party insurance (the

expectation will be that the provider first bill Medicaid and other insurance sources before

utilizing county dollars)

2. Ability to provide timely access to services with no (or minimal wait lists)

3. Ability to provide services onsite or within the County (to minimize travel burden on

families and staff)

4. Ability to provide services within X miles or less of Morganton, NC when services are not

readily available within the County (extreme circumstances only)

5. Respondent’s ability to meet each of the service categories listed above

6. Demonstrated outcomes in reducing child welfare recidivism (for child protective services

and foster care) and expediting permanency for foster youth

7. The capacity to increase localized service array inside the boundaries of the County during

the life of a contractual arrangement (three years)

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RFI-2026-0224

Qualified Providers for Comprehensive Services

January 28, 2026

5. KEY PERFORMANCE EXPECTATIONS AND GOALS

Successful providers will be expected to collaborate with the County to achieve:

1. Referral to first service appointment within X calendar days (follow-up service-specific

targets will be negotiated)

2. Continuity of care (measuring follow-up compliance vs no shows)

3. Increase in licensed foster homes with the County

4. Joint care planning with assigned social workers

5. Reduction in repeat maltreatment and new DSS reports

6. Placement stability for youth in foster care

7. Time to permanence (reunification, guardianship, or adoption) for children in foster care

6. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Responses must be organized in the following order and include numbered tabs/dividers:

1. Format

a. PDF file

b. Maximum 20 pages (excluding the cover letter, table of contents, and attachments)

c. 11-point font minimum

d. Single spaced

e. Must include table of contents and page numbers

2. Cover Letter (1 page maximum)

3. Executive Summary (2 pages maximum)

4. Organization Overview & Experience

a. Legal name and address

b. Years in operation, licensure, accreditation (CARF, COA, etc.)

c. Description of services offered

d. Experience serving child welfare-involved children and families in North Carolina

e. Current service areas and counties served

f. Subcontractors that may be utilized (by name)

5. Service Matrix

a. In a chart of your choosing, clearly indicate which services from Section II you can

provide directly or via subcontractor

b. Please list your capacity range (meaning how many anticipated individuals and families

you could serve for each intervention)

c. Please list the credentials qualifications of staff needed, what evidence-based/informed

or best practice models are used, if Medicaid is billed, and if these services will be

provided onsite within the County

Page | 5

Commodity Codes

• NAICS 541611Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services
• NAICS 624190Other Individual and Family Services

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