Opportunity Overview
Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS), Division of Youth Services (DYS), is seeking a qualified vendor to serve as fiscal agent and formal employer for the 22nd Judicial District Colorado Youth Detention Continuum (CYDC) program under Solicitation 2027000040. The service area is Dolores and Montezuma counties. The anticipated initial contract term is January 1, 2027 through June 30, 2027, with four one-year renewal options at the State’s sole discretion and subject to appropriations and other contract requirements.
Deadline Control — Material Source Conflict
Atlas operational deadline: October 13, 2026 at 1:00 PM MDT unless the live ColoradoVSS record confirms otherwise. The CDHS-issued RFP published September 8, 2026 states October 14, 2026 at 1:00 PM Mountain Time and says all dates and times are subject to change. Current ColoradoVSS-derived procurement metadata from multiple live indexes reports the solicitation as open with a closing date of October 13, 2026 at 1:00 PM MDT. Because VSS is the State modification channel, Atlas is conservatively using the earlier date for pursuit control. Respondents must verify the live ColoradoVSS record and addenda before submission.
The issued RFP states written questions are due September 29, 2026 at 10:00 AM Mountain Time to Jamie Gott at jamie.gott@state.co.us. Any later VSS amendment controls.
Eligibility and Geography
The issued RFP states that anyone is eligible to apply. Practical competitiveness is narrower because the vendor must demonstrate fiscal-management and employer capabilities, juvenile-justice program experience, HR and staffing capacity, subcontract administration, accounting and cash-flow capability, and other solicitation requirements. The vendor must provide physical office space and a local presence in the 22nd Judicial District.
Funding and Budget
The RFP states that the exact amount of funds available for FY 2026-27 is $193,607.00. However, the same sentence itemizes $143,000.00 CYDC plus $20,907.00 MTR, which totals $163,907.00. A later budget section separately says the fiscal agent will manage approximately $150,536.00, itemized as $118,983.00 CYDC plus $29,553.00 MTR. Atlas is not reconciling or correcting these issuer-side figures; bidders should obtain written clarification from the Single Point of Contact and rely on any VSS amendment or Q&A.
This is a service procurement, so grant match/cost-share terminology is not applicable. The proposal must include detailed CYDC and MTR budgets for fiscal-management and employment-service costs, personnel, salaries/benefits and operating expenses in the required format.
Scope of Work
The selected vendor will contract with DYS to receive and manage CYDC funds; employ and supervise the local CYDC Coordinator and other authorized staff; administer recruitment, payroll, benefits, leave, discipline, performance management and training; maintain accounting and records; provide monthly budget and billing information; coordinate an independent annual audit; manage approved budget revisions; carry liability insurance; attend required JSPC meetings; and develop and monitor contracts or MOUs with local service providers.
CYDC supports community-based detention alternatives and related youth services, including detention screening and assessment, case management, tracking, electronic monitoring, multidisciplinary assessment/case planning, mentoring, restorative justice, mental-health and drug/alcohol services, and other locally approved programming. The prime scope here is fiscal and program administration, not a clinical-technology acquisition.
Qualifications and Compliance
Offerors must describe past juvenile-justice and fiscal-management experience, provide at least three references, include an example work product such as an Executive Summary, identify proposed staff and qualifications, describe accounting/fiscal safeguards and cash-flow capability for reimbursement timing, provide HR policies/procedures, explain subcontract-development and monitoring experience, and demonstrate ability to use the CYDC SAVIO budget/billing database. DYS also requires CBI, FBI and BIU background checks and urine screens for newly hired staff and contracted direct-care providers as applicable.
The RFP requires liability insurance covering corporate, staff and client exposure when appropriate. Work must also comply with applicable Colorado technology-accessibility requirements and Level AA of the current WCAG standard.
Proposal Format and Submission
The proposal should not exceed 30 pages and must follow the solicitation sequence. Required elements include the signed State RFP Signature Page, signed transmittal letter, technical/business response, demonstrated experience/capabilities, staffing, project budget and budget narrative, and other required materials.
The issued RFP directs vendors to place the proposal, Signature Page and all other required documents into one ZIP file and send only that ZIP file to JG_2027.csxf4gsglcxnhj7n@u.box.com. The Department cannot see message-body text sent to that upload address. The maximum accepted file size is 15 GB. Do not encrypt the submission. CDHS recommends submitting at least 30 minutes early and confirming the Box upload receipt.
Amendments and Contact
Single Point of Contact: Jamie Gott, jamie.gott@state.co.us. Unauthorized solicitation-related contact with other Department personnel may result in disqualification. CDHS states that modifications may be posted in ColoradoVSS and/or communicated directly by the Single Point of Contact, so the live VSS record and posted amendments control.
Atlas Analysis
Atlas Opportunity Score: 81/100. N9+ Fit Score: 0/100. QC Healthcare/other Dr. Miltie direct-vendor fit: 0/100. The opportunity is relevant to Atlas because CYDC includes youth behavioral-health, substance-use, assessment, case-management and correctional/community-health functions. The actual prime scope is fiscal-agent, employer, HR, accounting, subcontract-administration and juvenile-justice program management. Atlas is not forcing a telehealth, remote physical examination, RPM, medical-device or QC pathway and is not advancing Dr. Miltie as a direct bidder.
Potential Colorado Applicant Ecosystem
Realistic respondents are organizations with an established 22nd Judicial District presence plus demonstrated fiscal-agent/employer, juvenile-justice, accounting, HR and subcontract-management capabilities. Montezuma County and other established local juvenile-justice/service organizations are reasonable screening candidates, but Atlas is not representing that any specific organization satisfies all requirements or intends to bid. No applicant-specific outreach has been initiated.
Next Action
Prospective bidders should verify the live ColoradoVSS record, resolve the October 13 versus October 14 deadline discrepancy, confirm the current amendment/Q&A package, and obtain written clarification of the inconsistent funding figures before relying on those figures in a proposal.
Official control points: ColoradoVSS / AdvantageVSS; CDHS Procurement. Issued RFP document mirror: CDHS Solicitation 2027000040 PDF.