Emergency Notice IACAA Technical Assistance

The Federal Department of Health and Human Services mandates outreach activities, education, and training and technical assistance funding across the state to support the Illinois Home Weatherization Assistance Program (IHWAP), the Percentage of Income Payment (PIPP) program, the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), and the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) program. This emergency purchase is required to maintain the statewide data, compliance, and ROMA infrastructure that Illinois Community Action Agencies (CAAs) rely on to assess community needs, plan anti-poverty strategies, document compliance with CSBG Organizational Standards, and measure program outcomes.

Maintain the statewide data, compliance, and ROMA infrastructure that Illinois CAAs use to assess community needs, plan anti-poverty strategies, document the CSBG Organizational Standards, and measure results. Including:

• 1.1 Illinois Data Hub Maintenance. IACAA will maintain the Illinois Data Hub, an enterprise-level data platform that supplies CAAs with current poverty, demographic, housing, health, and economic data for the Community Needs Assessment, grant applications, and results reporting. [...] 90-day deliverables: Continuous Data Hub access and platform support for all Illinois CAAs and DCEO. User support for CAA staff completing CNA data collection. One Data Hub orientation for CAA staff.
• 1.2 Organizational Standards, CNA and CAP Support, and Resource Hub. IACAA will deliver tailored technical assistance to help CAAs meet and document the CSBG Organizational Standards in IM 138, support use of the statewide CNA and Community Action Plan templates, and maintain the online resource hub that houses standards guidance, templates, sample documentation, and learning resources. [...] 90-day deliverables: Individualized Organizational Standards TA to CAAs on request or DCEO referral. Updated CNA and CAP template guidance posted to the resource hub. Continuous resource hub maintenance and content updates. Update Organizational Standards resource page to provide CAAs with information on how to exceed expectations when complying with Organizational Standards.
• 1.3 Annual Training Compliance Delivery and Tracking. IACAA will deliver, track, and document required annual trainings for the network of Community Action Agencies and the other Local Administering Agencies (C/LAAs), including Anti-Harassment (aligned with Illinois Department of Human Rights standards), IT and PII/Data Protection, and Fraud, Waste, Abuse, and Ethics, differentiated for employee and supervisor roles when required. [...] 90-day deliverables: Required trainings available on demand to all C/LAA staff. Completion status report by agency delivered to DCEO at the end of the term. Follow-up outreach to agencies with incomplete trainings.
• 1.4 ROMA Training and Implementation Support by IACAA ROMA Trainers. IACAA's nationally certified ROMA Trainers will train CAA staff, leadership, and board members in the ROMA cycle, the Community Action Theory of Change, the National Performance Indicators, outcome-based planning, and the use of data for continuous improvement. IACAA ROMA Trainers will also consult with individual CAAs implementing the full ROMA cycle across the CNA, CAP, and strategic plan. [...] 90-day deliverables: ROMA-certified trainer consultation to individual CAAs on request.

The current contract (P-86749) with the Illinois Association of Community Action Agencies (IACAA) ended 10-22-2026. The Agency's attempt to procure via Sole Source resulted in denial and the need to perform a competitive solicitation. The Agency has R-338174 in place to procure and competitively solicited vendor as soon as possible.

The estimated amount of this expenditure is **$140,000.00**.

Historically these services were procured as a sole source, however the most recent sole source was denied and the Agency is actively working on a competitive solicitation.