Maryland Department of Human Services: opportunity roundup with near-term deadlines (BidPulsar)

Executive takeaway

These Maryland Department of Human Services postings span consulting (a fast-turn review of child support guidelines), client transportation, a case management/tracking system (amendment-driven schedule change), unarmed guard services (IFB), respite care services (grant-style solicitation with a pre-proposal conference), state disbursement unit services, leadership development training, and a legal services program RFI. Several notices show either no files available or key requirements embedded in attachments—so treat attachment review as the gating item before you commit bid-and-proposal resources.

What the buyer is trying to do

Review of Maryland Child Support Guidelines

The buyer is seeking a review of Maryland child support guidelines on a very short turnaround window (issued May 18, 2012; due May 24, 2012), identified internally as CSEA/Guide/12-001.

Customer Job Transportation

The buyer appears to be procuring transportation support tied to employment ("Customer Job Transportation"), with multiple solicitation attachments including a price sheet, bidder minimum qualifications, and referral/map artifacts. The control number shown is SSA/KC-12-001-S, with a due date/time of August 22, 2012 at 3:00 PM.

RFP 60 (Case management and tracking system for the Office of the Attorney General)

The buyer is running an RFP for a case management and tracking system, and the snippet provided is specifically an amendment changing the closing date (from November 9 to December 10, 2012 at 3:00 PM) and reiterating a two-volume submission with an original plus five copies.

IFB 259 (Unarmed Guard Services)

The buyer is soliciting bids for unarmed guard services (issued January 18, 2013; due March 1, 2013 at 4:00 PM EST), with a bid form and standard contract forms attached.

7551 (Respite Care Services pre-proposal conference materials)

This posting includes a pre-proposal conference agenda for a request for grant proposals for respite care services (SSA/RCP/14-001-S). The agenda highlights submission structure (two volumes), administrative requirements (e.g., corporate registration, minority business enterprises), and that conference transcript/Q&A/amendments would be posted on DHR’s website.

State Disbursement Unit Services

The buyer issued a request for proposal for state disbursement unit services (control number CSEA/SDU/14-001-S), due August 7, 2013 at 4:00 PM EST. The BidPulsar record indicates no files displayed.

RFP 316 (Leadership Development Program)

The buyer is procuring a leadership development program (issued November 25, 2014; due December 17, 2014 at 3:00 PM EST). Attachments include the RFP, a pre-proposal item, attendee list, and Q&R.

Maryland Legal Services Program (RFI)

The buyer issued an RFI for the Maryland Legal Services Program (issued January 7, 2015; due January 22, 2015 at 10:00 AM EST), with an RFI document, cover letter, and a client-served chart attachment.

What work is implied (bullets)

• Produce a structured review deliverable for child support guidelines (scope details: verify in attachments; no files shown on the notice record).
• Operate a job-related transportation service, including intake/referral handling and geographic coverage planning (referral form and a map are referenced in attachments).
• Provide pricing using a formal price sheet (Attachment A is labeled as a revised price sheet for the transportation solicitation).
• Meet stated bidder minimum qualifications for transportation services (Attachment G indicates minimum qualifications).
• Prepare required affidavits/standard contract forms and a certification regarding lobbying for the transportation procurement (attachments listed).
• For the case management/tracking system RFP: manage amendment acknowledgments and produce a two-volume proposal submitted as an original plus five copies.
• For unarmed guard services: complete the bid form and include required standard contract forms.
• For respite care services (grant proposal): follow a two-volume submission format with transmittal letter and required forms; be prepared for MBE and corporate registration requirements mentioned in the agenda.
• For leadership development: follow the RFP and leverage posted questions/responses and conference materials to align your approach.
• For the legal services program RFI: respond in the format requested in the RFI document and reference the provided client-served chart as relevant.

Who should bid / who should pass (bullets)

• Bid if you can mobilize quickly for short-fuse analytical/consulting work (child support guideline review) and can meet the submission timing shown in the notice.
• Bid if you are a transportation provider with experience meeting minimum qualification thresholds and can price cleanly on an agency-provided price sheet (customer job transportation).
• Bid if you deliver case management/tracking systems and are comfortable with formal state RFP mechanics (two-volume, multiple hard copies, amendment management).
• Bid if you provide unarmed guard services and can comply with the IFB bid form/contract forms process.
• Bid if you operate respite care services and are prepared for grant-style proposal structure and stated administrative requirements (e.g., corporate registration/MBE noted in the agenda).
• Bid if you provide leadership development programming and can directly align with the buyer’s RFP and Q&R (RFP 316 attachments are present).
• Pass if you cannot access full requirements (several records show “No files to display”) and cannot validate scope, submission instructions, or mandatory forms in time.
• Pass if you cannot meet hard-copy submission logistics (where specified) or cannot meet minimum qualifications (transportation) once verified in attachments.

Response package checklist (bullets; if unknown say “verify in attachments”)

• Completed proposal/bid with required submission format and quantities (RFP 60 amendment indicates an original plus five (5) copies and a two-volume submission).
• Acknowledgment of amendments where applicable (RFP 60 amendment explicitly reminds offerors to acknowledge receipt in the transmittal letter).
• Transmittal letter (explicitly referenced for the respite care grant agenda; also relevant for RFP 60).
• Technical proposal volume (verify in attachments).
• Financial proposal volume / price sheet (transportation Attachment A – Price Sheet; verify other solicitations in attachments).
• Affidavits / standard contract forms (transportation Attachment B to E; guard services includes standard contract forms).
• Certification regarding lobbying (listed as Attachment F for transportation).
• Minimum qualifications documentation (transportation Attachment G – Bidder Minimum Qualifications).
• Any program-specific forms referenced (e.g., transportation referral form; compliance checklist) (verify in attachments).
• For RFI responses (Maryland Legal Services Program): follow the RFI document instructions (verify in attachments).

Pricing & strategy notes (how to research pricing; do not invent pricing numbers)

Pricing approach should start with what the buyer has already structured:

• Transportation: use the provided revised price sheet (Attachment A) as your baseline. Build internal assumptions around demand variability and service geography using the referral form and map attachment references, then pressure-test whether your pricing format matches the sheet exactly (units, line items, and any required totals: verify in attachments).
• Unarmed guard services (IFB): IFBs typically turn on responsiveness to the bid form and compliance with standard contract forms. Use the attached bid form as the pricing schema, then confirm any required staffing patterns or hours (verify in the IFB attachment).
• Case management/tracking system (RFP): the amendment emphasizes process (closing date/time, copies, two-volume). Before you price, confirm what the financial proposal requires (license vs. services vs. maintenance) and whether pricing must be separated from technical volume (verify in the RFP).
• Leadership development / respite care: use the RFP and the posted questions/responses (where provided) to identify what cost elements the evaluator expects. If the solicitation is grant-style (respite care), verify whether there are budget templates or caps (verify in attachments and any posted amendments).

Subcontracting / teaming ideas (bullets)

• Pair a transportation prime with a local overflow transportation provider to cover peak referral periods (scope and geography: use the map/referral form references; verify in attachments).
• For the case management/tracking system, team a platform implementer with a reporting/data specialist to strengthen tracking and operational visibility (specific requirements: verify in RFP).
• For unarmed guard services, consider a teaming partner for surge coverage to protect continuity of staffing (staffing requirements: verify in IFB).
• For leadership development, team facilitation capacity with curriculum development support if the RFP emphasizes a structured program (details: verify in RFP 316 attachments).
• For respite care services, consider partnerships that expand service availability while maintaining compliance with proposal forms and administrative requirements mentioned in the pre-proposal agenda.

Risks & watch-outs (bullets)

• Missing attachments on some notices: several postings show “No files to display,” which creates a high risk of bidding blind. Do not proceed without verifying full requirements.
• Amendment-driven date changes: RFP 60’s amendment changes the closing date/time; confirm you are using the latest amendment set and that your transmittal letter acknowledges receipt.
• Hard-copy logistics: RFP 60 requires an original plus five copies; if other solicitations have similar requirements, plan printing/shipping and receipt timing accordingly (verify in attachments).
• Qualification gates: transportation includes “Bidder Minimum Qualifications” as a discrete attachment; treat this as a pass/fail gate until proven otherwise.
• Compliance paperwork volume: transportation and guard services both reference standard contract forms; incomplete forms can sink an otherwise strong response.
• Conference/Q&A dependency: respite care and leadership development both reference pre-proposal materials and/or questions/responses—make sure your solution aligns to what was clarified post-release.

Related opportunities

• Customer Job Transportation
• Review of Maryland Child Support Guidelines
• RFP 60 (Case Management and Tracking System)
• IFB 259 (Unarmed Guard Services)
• Respite Care Services (pre-proposal conference materials)
• State Disbursement Unit Services
• RFP 316 (Leadership Development Program)
• Maryland Legal Services Program (RFI)

How to act on this

1. Open the BidPulsar notice and immediately confirm whether attachments are available; if not, treat scope as unverified until you obtain the full package.
2. For any solicitation with attachments listed (e.g., transportation, IFB 259, RFP 316), download and build your compliance matrix around the named forms (price sheet, minimum qualifications, standard contract forms, certifications).
3. Confirm the closing date/time from the latest amendment or Q&A materials (RFP 60 is explicitly amendment-sensitive).
4. Decide bid/no-bid based on (a) attachment-verified requirements, (b) ability to comply with submission format (two-volume, copies), and (c) any minimum qualification gates.

If you want hands-on help turning the attachments into a bid-ready compliance checklist and response outline, contact Federal Bid Partners LLC through BidPulsar.