Early Childhood System Transition and Capacity-Building Support

The Maryland State Department of Education is seeking a specialized contractor to provide short-term capacity-building support for the transition of the Division of Early Childhood into the Office of Early Childhood. This initiative aims to create a unified birth-to-five system by focusing on four strategic domains: strategic communications, internal continuous quality improvement, a comprehensive program landscape review, and a fiscal ecosystem analysis. The period of performance is scheduled from November 10, 2026, to December 31, 2026, with a total contract value not to exceed 100,000 dollars. All deliverables, including a fiscal ecosystem map and a CQI framework prototype, must be completed by December 31, 2026. Award will be granted to the lowest price offer that meets all mandatory technical requirements. Qualified vendors must demonstrate a track record of completing at least three statewide early childhood transformation projects in the last decade and provide a team of at least four key personnel with eight years of experience, including two former state-level leaders. Additionally, the contractor must prove experience in aligning mixed-delivery systems across at least two states and conducting statewide fiscal analyses. All digital deliverables must adhere to WCAG 2.1 Level AA accessibility standards. Bids are due by November 5, 2026, via the eMaryland Marketplace Advantage portal and must include a letter of interest, qualifying resumes, and a signed bid form.