Item:
Title
Approval of Contract with Durham Children’s Initiative in the Amount of $1,591,000 to Serve as the Third-Party Administrator for DCo Thrives, Durham County’s Guaranteed Income Pilot Program.
Body
Date of BOCC Meeting: April 29, 2024
Request for Board Action:
Agenda Text
The Board is requested to approve the contract with Durham Children’s Initiative in the amount of $1,591,000 to serve as the third-party administrator for DCo Thrives, Durham County’s guaranteed income pilot program.
On Monday, August 14th the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) unanimously approved the DCo Thrives program, a guaranteed income pilot program for Durham County. This followed a presentation at the BOCC’s August 7th work session, in which Durham County Chief of Staff, Shannon Trapp, gave a detailed accounting of the proposed guaranteed income pilot’s goals, processes, and strategies. The pilot will target low-income families with at least one child under the age of 18 and will distribute $750 per month to 125 families for one year. There will also be a control group of 125 families who do not receive $750 payments each month. Both the control group and the group receiving the monthly $750, also known as the treatment group, will be offered the opportunity to complete a monthly survey, for which they will be compensated $100. The survey responses will help the County evaluate the impact that the $750 cash assistance has on participants. Durham County’s BOCC approved $1.69 million in ARPA funding for this 1-year pilot program.
Durham County posted a Request for Proposals, RFP 24-024, for a third-party administrator for the DCo Thrives guaranteed income pilot program on Friday, November 24, 2023. This RFP was posted for 45 days to allow all interested parties enough time to submit sealed bids over the holiday period, and closed on January 9, 2024, at 2 p.m. RFP 24-024 received six responsive bids. The top 4 respondents were invited for interviews that took place on Tuesday, February 6, 2024. The top respondent was selected due to their strong history working with Durham families, their demonstrated flexibility, their community outreach plan, and their proposed budget and timeline.
In addition to this contract for a service provider to administer the DCo Thrives pilot program, the County will also be partnering with a technical assistance provider, Counties for Guaranteed Income, to facilitate design and implementation of the program, and with the Family Economic Policy Lab as a research partner to assist in analyzing program data and evaluating program outcomes at no additional cost to the county. The Family Economic Policy Lab of the Blue Cross NC Institute for Health and Human Services operates out of Appalachian State University in Boone, NC and has experience evaluating guaranteed/basic income programs across the US.
Alignment with Strategic Plan: This item aligns with all strategic priorities of Durham County.
Resource Persons: Samantha Smith, Special Projects Coordinator, Shannon Trapp, Chief of Staff
County Manager’s Recommendation: The County Manager recommends that the Board approve the contract with DCI to serve as administrator of DCo Thrives.
Signature
County Manager: ____________________________