Clallam County RFP review recommends $400,000 in developmental-disability funding for 2026–27

Clallam County Health and Human Services staff told the Board of County Commissioners at a work session on Oct. 20, 2025, that a nine-member RFP review committee recommended distributing $400,000 in designated millage funds to support programs for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities for the 2026–27 biennium.

The committee reviewed eight proposals and recommended full or partial funding for six projects, including early-intervention outreach, parenting supports, emergency-preparedness training, a pilot multimedia profile project, and a county fair accessibility initiative. Staff said the total recommended awards equal the full $400,000 available and that contracts and statements of work will be prepared for Board approval.

Kelly (last name not specified), who presented the review for Clallam County Health and Human Services Developmental Disabilities, said the county’s Developmental Disability Advisory Committee set priorities for the RFP process — parent support services, early intervention services, and training and education — following a Feb. 11, 2025 DDAC meeting and an internal subcommittee process. The RFP covered services from Jan. 1, 2026, through Dec. 31, 2027.

The RFP review committee received proposals from eight applicants and recommended the following awards (score, requested, recommended):

- Clallam County Parks, Fairs & Facilities — “Clallam County Fair Accommodative Initiative” (score 43.33). Requested $91,000; recommended partial funding of $86,069. Staff said the in-person interview clarified program elements, including a proposed partnership/enlistment with culturecity.org and mobile sensory supports for events.

- Concerned Citizens — “Bridging School to Work” (score 43). Requested $140,360; recommended not funded. Staff said the proposal and interview did not sufficiently describe program plans.

- Concerned Citizens — “Enhancing Birth to 3” (score 44). Requested $60,200; recommended fully funded. The proposal funds an outreach specialist, screenings, and monthly playgroups on east and west ends of the county to identify infants and toddlers for early intervention.

- First Step Family Support Center — “Supported Parenting Program” (score 89). Requested $101,216; recommended fully funded. The program targets families in which at least one parent experiences intellectual or developmental disability and provides parenting supports to promote child well-being.

- Monica Meyer Consulting Inc. — “Bridging Services Gap in Clallam County” (pilot). Proposal requested $105,000 but contained a budget error; staff adjusted the request to $72,273 and recommended full funding. The pilot would produce four person-centered multimedia video profiles (45–75 minutes each) intended to reduce repeated retelling and duplicate assessments across agencies for high-acuity individuals.

- Morningside — “Eye on Empowerment Workshop” (score 71). Requested $49,483.78; not funded. Staff cited very low attendance during the prior two-year funding cycle and insufficient plan to increase participation.

- PAVE — “Training on Healthy Relationships, Personal Safety, Guardianship and Supported Decision Making” (score 81.67). Requested $132,349; not funded. Staff said Clallam County HHS is already developing equivalent trainings and had informed PAVE earlier in the summer; HHS concluded that the county would deliver similar trainings internally.

- Pierce Jones & Associates — “Emergency Preparedness” (score 92.67). Requested $80,242; recommended fully funded. The in-person program focuses on emergency kits, task analysis, sheltering-in-place, evacuation, and includes presentations by the American Red Cross, the fire department and county emergency management.

Kelly said the RFP Review Committee met Oct. 8, 2025, for proposers’ presentations and interviews; committee members reviewed proposals, financial records, and audit materials in advance. The committee members declared no financial interest in any proposer. If the Board approves the recommendations, Clallam County HHS will draft statements of work and contracts and return them to the Board for final approval.

Commissioners asked how the county will measure success for funded programs. Kelly said application proposals must include specific outcome measures and those will be incorporated into contracts; HHS staff will monitor performance against contract metrics. Commissioners also questioned program overlap, noting that PAVE’s proposed trainings duplicate county-developed offerings; Kelly said HHS had communicated to a PAVE representative in the summer that the county was developing similar trainings and that the internal communication at PAVE may not have been complete.

Commissioners asked about the Parks/Fairs proposal’s low written score and why it received partial funding; Kelly said the proposer’s interview added substantive details, including sensory-calming spaces, a mobile unit and adult changing stations, which increased confidence in the program’s value for accessibility at county events. Commissioners also raised practical concerns about the Monica Meyer video pilot — whether agencies would use 45–75 minute profiles and how long the videos’ utility would last. Staff described the project as a pilot aimed at reducing duplicate assessments caused by high staff turnover and said durability and uptake would be evaluated in contract and monitoring.

Next steps: the RFP review committee’s funding recommendations will be placed on the Board of County Commissioners agenda the week after the Oct. 20 work session. Contracts and statements of work will return to the Board for final action; until then the awards are recommendations rather than final approvals.