PO26-685 Diligent Search

The State of Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) is soliciting bids under solicitation number 27-418DCFS-PROCU-B-53016 to staff the Diligent Search Services Center (DSSC). The primary objective is to provide diligent search consultation and extensive electronic searches to locate missing persons, such as parents of youth in care, in compliance with the Kinship in Demand (KIND) Act. The selected vendor will manage a Search Portal available 24/7 and must adhere to strict turnaround times: two business hours for Quick Searches and 24 business hours for Standard, Relative/Other, and Family Finding searches. Emergency after-hours requests require a response within one hour. The contract includes a transition period of at least 30 calendar days of parallel operations with the incumbent system to ensure successful data migration and functionality. The contract will be awarded to the responsive and responsible bidder offering the lowest overall total price. Evaluation factors include financial resources, past performance, and compliance with the Illinois Prevailing Wage Act and equal opportunity laws. Bidders must submit responses electronically via the BidBuy portal, including a BEP Utilization Plan to meet a 3% goal for minority, women, and disabled-owned businesses. Required insurance includes $1,000,000 per occurrence for General Commercial Liability and Auto Liability. Additionally, the vendor must provide SOC 2 Type 1 and Type 2 reports to ensure cybersecurity compliance. Payment is processed monthly within 60 days of verification, contingent upon the acceptance of a Monthly Activity Report.