Assistant County Manager Heather Skeens updated the board on procurement for temporary emergency shelter services and an unhoused support center operator.

An earlier request for information produced 12 responses; an RFP issued Sept. 29 produced four formal proposals. Staff described proposals as follows: Family Endeavors (no facility; strong operations experience; annual budget roughly $2.7 million; could take six to 12 months to be operational), PHP Foundation (no facility; lower cost proposal), Responsive Deployment (modular/trailer approach with rapid deployment but high two‑year cost), and Salvation Army (has an existing facility but had prior environmental‑health findings and past debt that staff asked them to address).

A scoring panel found insufficiently viable options to award a contract immediately. Staff recommended reengaging Salvation Army on inspection and financial documentation while continuing to evaluate Family Endeavors' proposed budget and operational assumptions. Skeens said Family Endeavors' pre‑operational consulting fee in its response was $32,500 and that annual operating cost estimates were included in the submitted proposal; staff will dissect and normalize those budgets for commissioner review.

Commissioners pressed for more detail: line‑item breakdowns, provider experience in running large shelters, assumptions about county support (maintenance, landscaping) and timing to become operational. The board asked staff to return with detailed budgets and clarifications before authorizing contract awards; staff also flagged that some vendors lacked facilities and would require land acquisition or lease commitments.