City of Chicago

Department of Family and Support Services

Legal Advertisement Request Form

DESCRIPTION:  Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS),

Human Services: The Chicago Legal Protection Fund for Unaccompanied Immigrant Children

The Chicago Legal Protection Fund for Unaccompanied Immigrant Children (UIC) aims to serve children or adolescents who travel to Chicago without a legal guardian and without legal immigration documents with legal services to maintain and obtain legal residency. Legal Services include supporting applications for immigration status, access to protections available under law, upholding residents' due process rights in the wake of immigration enforcement actions, overall legal screenings, legal representation, including courtroom representation, and tracking laws impacting this population in the city of Chicago.

The ideal Respondent will identify highly qualified immigration attorneys and paralegals under the supervision of attorneys to provide in-depth legal screenings and information to help unaccompanied immigrant children determine their eligibility for legal relief and provide direct representation for eligible participants. The selected Respondent must be able to provide legal screenings (minimum 30 per year) for unaccompanied immigrant children and open a minimum of 20 new cases per year. The Respondent is responsible for recruiting, training, and mentoring pro bono attorneys to represent unaccompanied immigrant children.

The term of contract executed under this RFP will be from January 1, 2024 – December 31, 2025. Based on need, availability of funds, and contractor performance, DFSS may extend this term for up to two additional years with each extension not to exceed one year. We anticipate one award up to $150,000.

For more information, please refer to the application posted on the City of Chicago’s eProcurement page: https://eprocurement.cityofchicago.org/OA_HTML/OA.jsp?OAFunc=PON_ABSTRACT_PAGE&PON_NEGOTIATION_STATUS=ACTIVE

A note about the City’s eProcurement System:

For those who have not done business with the City of Chicago before, registration in iSupplier is the first step to ensuring your agency’s ability to conduct business with the City of Chicago and DFSS. Please allow five to seven days for your registration to be processed.

Current contractors need only to start an application via their existing iSupplier/eProcurement account. 

All vendors must have a Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN) and an IRS W9 for registration and confirmation of vendor business information.

RFP DUE DATE/SUBMISSION LOCATION:

September 19, 2023

 12:00, NOON CST

Proposals must be submitted via on-line application.

E-mailed or faxed proposals will not be accepted.

PRE-PROPOSAL WEBINAR

A Pre-Proposal Webinar will be held on August 16, 2023, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., noon Attendance is not mandatory but is advised.

Please register prior to the webinar’s start using this link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_G7-_Toh2SJagwosBa_JBEg

A link to the completed Webinar will be available on-line at the DFSS website after the time and date listed above for those who cannot attend at the live scheduled time. Please register prior to the Webinar’s start. The purpose of this pre-submittal event is to clarify the RFP process and the scope of the required services. Attendance is not mandatory, but it is strongly suggested that interested applicants attend.