Title
City of Phoenix Early Childhood Education Services Qualified Vendor List (Ordinance S-50769)
Description
Request to authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to approve a Qualified Vendor List (QVL) and enter into contracts with eligible contractors to provide Early Childhood Education Services for the Head Start Birth to Five Program. Further request to authorize the City Controller to disburse all funds related to this item. The aggregate value of the contracts will not exceed $160,068,806.45 over the life of the QVL. Funding is authorized through Ordinance S-50622, approved on March 6, 2024.
Report
Summary
Head Start programs prepare America’s most vulnerable young children to succeed in school and in life beyond school. To achieve this, Head Start programs deliver services to children and families in core areas of early learning, health, and family well-being while engaging parents as partners. The City of Phoenix (City) Head Start Birth to Five Program provides education and social services through two programs: Early Head Start for children ages birth to three years and Head Start Preschool for children ages three to five years. The goal is to increase the social competence and school readiness of low-income children and their families and tiered case working supports that stabilize families.
There are up to 488 slots for infants and toddlers in Early Head Start and up to 2,963 Head Start Preschool slots.
Procurement Information
A Request for Qualifications, RFQu-23-EDU-78, was processed in accordance with City of Phoenix Administrative Regulation 3.10 to establish a QVL.
The Human Services Department received 10 offers on Dec. 8, 2023. Six of the offers were deemed to be responsive and responsible. An evaluation committee of internal and external stakeholders evaluated those offers based on the following criteria with a maximum possible point total of 1000:
- Program Operations - Program Structure
- Curricula
- Enrollment and Attendance
- Child Screening and Assessment
- Inclusion
- Parent and Family Engagement
- Father Engagement
- Safety Practices
- Health Practices
- Nutrition
- Mental Health
- Transitions for Children Birth Through Age Two
- Kindergarten Transitions
- Human Resources Management
- Program Management and Continuous Quality Improvement
- Budget
- Program Organizational Chart
- Fiscal Infrastructure
- Fiscal Capacity
- Financial Management Systems
- Facilities
- Personnel Matters
After reaching consensus, the evaluation committee recommends award to the following offerors:
- Deer Valley Unified School District No. 97: 799.8 points.
- Alhambra Elementary School District No. 68: 771.6 points.
- Fowler Elementary School District No. 45: 753.4 points.
- Greater Phoenix Urban League, Inc.: 736 points.
- Booker T. Washington Child Development Center, Inc.: 727.6 points.
- Washington Elementary School District No. 6: 678.2 points.
Contract Term
The contracts will begin on or about July 1, 2024, for a one-year term with four one-year options to extend.
Financial Impact
The aggregate value of all contracts will not exceed $160,068,806.45. Funding is available from the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Administration of Children, Youth and Families. There is no impact to the General Fund.
Location
Citywide
Council Districts: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8.
Concurrence/Previous Council Action
On March 6, 2024, the City Council authorized staff to annually submit the Head Start Birth to Five Refunding applications, for a five-year grant term beginning on or about July 1, 2024 and accept grant funding. A portion of the grant funding will fund the QVL.
This item is scheduled for review by the Head Start Policy Council on April 8, 2024.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager Gina Montes and the Human Services Department.