Baltimore’s Promise is seeking an external partner (preferably a data engineering consulting company) to support the development of the Baltimore City Youth Data Hub. This integrated data system has these core components: data transfer and ingestion, database design and maintenance, record linkage, and compliance. We are issuing a request for qualifications (RFQ) from companies able to support this work, with a preference for organizations based in Baltimore City.

Established through state legislation in 2022, the Youth Data Hub allows public and youth-serving nonprofits—including Baltimore City, Baltimore City Public Schools, and Baltimore’s Promise—to share data for the first time through an inclusive, youth- and community-centered process that protects and secures data while ensuring it is accurate and accessible. With this integrated data system, partners and policymakers will use this data to help identify the most pressing issues facing Baltimore youth, shine new light on youth outcomes, and inform decisions about policies and resources.

The Youth Data Hub is managed by Baltimore’s Promise, a data-driven collective impact nonprofit that has an audacious vision: all young adults in Baltimore City will have what they need to be healthy, and on a path to achieve economic self-sufficiency. They do this by spurring collective action, disrupting racist systemic barriers, building civic infrastructure, and accelerating positive outcomes for youth. Baltimore’s Promise cares about the well-being and opportunities available for all children from birth to career, and focuses on Black, Latinx, and other intersectionalities of youth ages 14-24, who are historically, and currently, discriminated against.

• Cloud environment

  • Establish a secure, HIPAA-compliant cloud infrastructure for data storage, processing, access, sharing, and analysis

  • Configure cloud services and roles to ensure secure data transfer methods

• Secure file transfer setup for data providers

  • Create and implement a secure and reliable system/processes for data sending. Data providers (e.g., youth-serving organizations in the city of Baltimore) should be able to easily and securely transfer data to the Youth Data Hub

  • Define protocols and tools for secure data transmission and storage, addressing encryption in transit and at rest

• SPLINK implementation

  • Implement SPLINK algorithm to match and link data from different sources

• Delivery of matched youth data to Baltimore’s Promise researcher:

  • Provide the matched and de-identified youth data to the designated researcher at Baltimore’s Promise in a secure and accessible format

• Ensure data is available for analysis to improve outcomes for young people and their families in Baltimore City

To complete this RFQ, you will be asked for the following, via a questionnaire on Formstack (linked above and below).

1. Full Name

2. Company Name

3. Email

4. Is all or part of your team Baltimore-based?

5. Which of the services does your company provide? (Check all that apply)

6. Provide a link to a portfolio of projects/relevant projects

7. Anything else you’d like to share?

If you have any questions about this RFQ, please contact Alejandro Perez, Director of Data Infrastructure and Integration at Baltimore’s Promise, at alejandro@baltimorespromise.org.