The County of San Diego’s plans for a Migrant Transition Day Center are on hold after two failed negotiations with separate organizations that submitted proposals to run it.
In May, the county posted an RFP — or request for proposal — on its BuyNet platform seeking firms to run a semi-permanent migrant center. The initial documents were uploaded on May 24 and said, “The County intends to award one (1) contract with an initial (base) period of eighteen (18) months anticipated to begin July 15, 2024, with four (4) one-year options."
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The estimated cost of the initial period is expected to be between $17,500,000 and $18,850,000, according to the same document. Tammy Glenn, the director of communications for the county, clarified that the county has not received money for this.
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“The process requires the County to spend the dollars, make a claim to FEMA, and then get reimbursed," Glenn said.
Days after the RFP was posted, a pre-proposal conference was held, and, according to a list of attendees that was publicly posted, there were several representatives from Jewish Family Service of San Diego (JFS).
On July 5, a Notice of Intent to Award was posted by the county that said “subject to successful negotiations” a contract would be awarded to JFS. However, months later in mid-September, the intent was rescinded, meaning JFS did not secure the contract. Six days after that, a second Notice of Intent to Award was posted and said the same message, but this time, the contract was set to be given to The Providencia Group, LLC (TPG).
TPG is a Virginia-based company, according to its website, that delivers “human services solutions with compassion and innovation.” However, in mid-November, the county posted that it rescinded its intent to award TPG. In that most-recent update, the county also revealed, “No award will be made as there were no additional proposals received to evaluate.”
"Over the summer, Jewish Family Service of San Diego (JFS), in partnership with Al Otro Lado, Haitian Bridge Alliance, Immigrant Defenders Law Center, International Rescue Committee and the Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans, submitted an application for the County of San Diego’s Migrant Transition Day Center," Michael Hopkins, the CEO of JFS, shared with NBC 7 in a written statement.
Hopkins continued to explain that "the coalition was honored" by the intent to be selected, but that they were "unable to develop a plan to meet the scope of work required to address the needs of migrants in the region based on federal funding criteria." He added that the "county and JFS mutually agreed to end negotiations."
Glenn told NBC 7 in an emailed statement that “the work is paused to consider options and an evaluation is expected to be shared with the Board of Supervisors in early 2025.”
Chairwoman of the Board of Supervisors Nora Vargas shared a statement with NBC 7 that read, in part, “I have always supported providing humane and dignified support for asylum seekers at our southern border as they are processed through our immigration system, which is why I’ve fought so hard over the years to secure federal funding and resources at the Migrant Transition Center.”
NBC 7 also reached out to Supervisor Jim Desmond, who has been outspoken about not wanting to put county resources toward the issue, for an interview but he was unavailable and has yet to share a written response.
