The State and Territory Child Care Capacity Building Center (STCBC)

Sources Sought Notice

This notice is for market research to determine acquisition strategies and identify qualified small businesses capable of providing technical assistance (TA) for the State and Territory Child Care Capacity Building Center (STCBC) for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Children & Families (ACF), Office of Child Care (OCC). Responses will not be considered proposals or quotes, and no award will be made from this notice.

The anticipated requirement involves providing technical assistance to CCDF state and territory grantees to support the implementation and administration of the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG). Key tasks include:

• Providing subject matter expertise and content technical assistance related to CCDF program requirements (e.g., business practices, emergency preparedness, consumer education, childcare.gov, health/safety/licensing, workforce support).

• Coordinating work with State and Territory Systems Specialists, conducting TA assessment and evaluation, and supporting the triennial CCDF Plan.

• Supporting OCC websites and IT systems, including the TA Tracker, TA resources website, and ChildCare.gov.

• Anticipated Period of Performance: 12-month base period with four 12-month option periods.

• Anticipated NAICS Code: 541611 – Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services.

• Interested small businesses should submit a tailored capability statement.

• Responses are due by Wednesday, May 6 at 5:00 PM ET.

• Submissions must be emailed to jan.welsh@hhs.gov with the subject line: "The State and Territory Child Care Capacity Building Center (STCBC)".

• Capability statements must be single-spaced, Times New Roman or Arial font (11 pt. minimum), formatted as PDF or Word document, and not exceed 15 pages (including cover page and attachments).

• The capability statement must include:

  • Expertise and capability to staff, recruit, and retain.
  • Current in-house capability and capacity.
  • Description of up to 3 relevant projects (including customer name, POC email, total contract value, period of performance, services provided, and CPARS availability).
  • Government contract vehicles, if applicable.

• A completed table provided in the notice must also be submitted.

This notice is specifically seeking information from qualified small business organizations.

• No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included.
• The government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in future solicitations.

Statement of Work (SOW) / Performance Work Statement (PWS)

To provide and coordinate technical assistance (TA) for Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) state and territory grantees, enabling successful implementation and continued administration of the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act of 2014.

The contractor will provide comprehensive TA services to the State and Territory Child Care Capacity Building Center (STCBC). Key components include:

• Coordinating and evaluating TA services to ensure they are responsive and non-duplicative for CCDF lead agencies.

• Providing TA and resources through subject matter experts on CCDBG Act requirements, including business support for providers, emergency preparedness, consumer education, quality improvement, and health/safety/licensing.

• Operating and maintaining websites and web systems that support CCDF administration, including ChildCare.gov, the OCC website, and a CCDF TA resources website.

• TA delivery will be tracked and reported using the Technical Assistance Tracker (TAT).

• Performance will be measured against Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for operations, defect resolution, and incident reporting.

• Regular updates and reporting to the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) are required, including monthly status reports and an annual report.

• Period of Performance: 12-month base period (September 30, 2026 - September 29, 2027), four option years, and a potential 6-month extension.

• Place of Performance: Anywhere within the United States; home offices are encouraged.

• The contractor must provide trained and experienced staff with expertise in the CCDBG Act, CCDF program requirements, and early childhood systems.

• Key personnel, including a Project Director and Applications Development Lead, are required.

• The contract type is Time and Materials.

• Other Direct Costs (ODCs) for software licenses and hosting are anticipated.

• The contractor must adhere to agile, human-centered design principles for website development and maintenance.

• Compliance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act is required for remediated documents.