LOCAL CHILD CARE MARKET RATE SURVEY AND COST OF CARE ANALYSIS

This Section describes what DSS is procuring and what the CONTRACTOR must deliver. • Part A gives background on the Department, the Purchase of Care program, and the policy environment. • Part B defines the terms used throughout; capitalized terms have the meanings given there. • Part C states the objectives. • Part D lists the twelve tasks and their deliverables. • Part E sets the statistical standards the work must meet, with plain-language explanations of the technical terms. • Parts F through K cover the schedule, acceptance, DSS responsibilities, contractor qualifications, data ownership, and contract term. • Federal requirements are cited once, in Part A, and referenced by task number elsewhere. In brief, the CONTRACTOR will survey every eligible child care provider in Delaware to learn what providers charge families who pay privately (the market rate survey), separately estimate what it actually costs providers to operate at basic and higher levels of quality (the cost of care analysis), collect the additional provider information federal rules require, compare cost and price against what Delaware pays, and deliver one public report, a cost estimation tool DSS can use on its own, and the underlying data. Please refer to Appendix B for full detail of the Scope of Service and requirements. Project closes Nov 20, 2026 1:00 PM EST.