Committee selects vendor for comprehensive needs assessment; seeks extra funds to cover bid shortfall

The Contract Review Committee said on July 18 that it has reached an agreement with the vendor selected through the procurement process to perform a comprehensive needs assessment of human services, and that preliminary data collection is slated to begin after the contract is signed. Jerica Malin-Cousin, Health and Human Services staff present at the meeting, summarized the timeline: initial work would begin roughly a month after contracts are finalized, with primary data collection and a community survey commencing around November; findings would be used to inform funding priorities for fiscal year 2028. “Following that, we’ll have shared terminology, sector identifications, and identification of gaps and needs,” she said. Staff told the committee that the bids came in above the original estimate and that the selected vendor was the highest-rated bid; CRC staff are working to secure additional funds to cover the difference between the estimate and the selected contract price. The committee noted the needs assessment will not be complete in time to materially change fiscal-year-2026 awards; instead the work should inform allocations for FY28. Committee members asked that the needs-assessment schedule account for the island’s shoulder season population and that stakeholder meetings include CHS, CRC, the Finance Committee and the Select Board as well as nonprofit and town staff. The committee also said it expects the study to yield sector-level recommendations and a shared data platform to guide annual prioritization of grant funds.