The California Children’s Hospital Association is seeking proposals for State Advocacy Services for the 2026 contract year.

Click here to download the Request for Proposals.

For 25 years, the California Children’s Hospital Association (CCHA) has been advocating with state and federal policymakers on behalf of the State’s eight, private, freestanding children’s hospitals and the patients and families that they serve. 

CCHA is seeking proposals from qualified lobbying firms to provide comprehensive state advocacy services beginning in April of 2026. Partnerships of 2 or more lobbyists or firms applying jointly are welcome. This work will occur in a period of sustained fiscal and political pressure. California faces several years of constrained budgets, significant stress on the Medi-Cal program, and increasing scrutiny of health care spending. At the same time, an unsettled federal environment presents ongoing risks to key state funding streams and programs that directly support children’s hospitals and children’s health.

Our goal is to ensure an advocacy structure that can navigate these conditions through consistent monitoring, timely analysis, proactive issue identification, and effective representation in a fast-moving health policy environment.

A. Legislative and Regulatory Advocacy

• Represent CCHA before the Legislature, the Administration, and relevant agencies.
• Maintain strong working relationships with staff and policymakers in key policy and budget committees.
• Support CCHA’s work with DHCS, HCAI, DMHC, and CDI, including occasional testimony and notetaking at regulatory meetings and hearings.
• Provide strategic guidance, contextual analysis, and recommendations on emerging issues.
• Proactively identify risks and opportunities relevant to children’s hospitals and Medi-Cal.

B. Monitoring, Tracking, and Written Output

Hearing Coverage

• Informational Hearings
  • Monitor all relevant informational hearings held by Assembly Health, Senate Health, and other committees with jurisdiction over health care, Medi-Cal, insurance regulation, hospital financing, and pediatric healthcare policy.
  • Attend or watch hearings and provide timely written summaries including key themes, testimony, member comments, potential bill activity, and implications for CCHA.
• Budget Hearings
  • Attend or watch all health-related budget hearings (Budget Subcommittees and full committee).
  • Provide timely written summaries outlining major proposals, stakeholder positions, Administration involvement, and potential impacts on pediatric services and Medi-Cal. Highlight early signals related to funding opportunities or risks.
• Bill Hearings
  • Attend legislative bill hearings as needed based on the relevance of the bills, CCHA’s planned engagement, or strategic importance.
  • Provide written notes when strategically necessary or when requested by CCHA.
• Hearing Coordination
  • Flag key hearings for CCHA staff as they are scheduled, including expected witnesses, political context, and relevance to CCHA’s priorities.
  • Describe your approach to covering multiple hearings occurring at the same time, including staffing and division of responsibilities.
• Timeliness: Written hearing summaries should generally be provided within 24–48 hours, unless otherwise agreed.

Bill and Amendment Tracking

• Track priority bills and amendments in real time.
• Provide written summaries and analysis of amendments, identifying potential impacts and recommended next steps.
• Maintain a continuously updated bill/amendment tracking log accessible to CCHA staff.
• Flag relevant legislative hearings when they are noticed.

Budget Monitoring

• Monitor all health-related budget activities and proposals affecting CCHA’s priorities.
• Provide written updates at key points in the budget cycle: January proposals, May Revision, Subcommittee hearings, Conference Committee, and final actions.
• Demonstrate a track record of securing budget asks or funding items for clients (examples required in proposal).

Written Deliverables

• Provide written summaries for hearings, amendments, and budget actions as described above.
• Forward key documents without prompting, including:
  • leadership changes
  • updated legislative deadlines
  • committee assignments
  • Floor vote schedules

Collaboration and Check-Ins

• Participate in weekly or biweekly check-ins, as determined by CCHA.
• Check-ins should focus on:
  • upcoming hearings and coverage needs
  • issues requiring follow-up
  • emerging intel or political developments
  • strategic analysis and recommended actions
  • coordination on written deliverables
• Maintain timely responsiveness during peak legislative periods.

C. Relationship Development and Visibility

• Identify legislators and staff who are strategically important for CCHA’s long-term goals.
• Recommend and flag non-contribution opportunities (CCHA does not have a PAC) for engagement, including:
  • district office visits
  • open houses
  • Capitol receptions
  • community events
  • other Sacramento activities
• Provide guidance on how CCHA can build and maintain relationships with priority members.

D. Lobby Day and Strategic Meetings

• Coordinate CCHA Lobby Day, including scheduling legislative meetings and creating individualized schedules for each hospital team.
• Assist CCHA staff with preparing briefing materials.
• Schedule meetings with the Governor’s Office, legislative leadership, key committee chairs, and other high-priority offices as needed.

E. In-Person Attendance Requirements

• Annual advocacy day (spring)
• Annual Leadership Retreat (Southern California, fall).
• Annual in-person Government Relations planning meeting (November/December).
• In election years, a summer government relations meeting to talk about key races.
  
   

F. Conflicts of Interest

• Proposals must include a list of potential conflicts of interest, a description of how such conflicts would be managed, and confirmation of the firm’s ability to represent CCHA without limitation.

• Proposals should include:
  • Firm Overview
  • Size, structure, areas of specialization, and relevant experience.
  • Assigned Team
  • Primary lobbyist(s) with bios, background, and client history in health, Medi-Cal, and hospital advocacy, if any.

Approach to Scope of Work

• Description of systems and processes for:
  • hearing coverage
  • amendment tracking
  • proactive intel gathering
  • written deliverables
  • relationship development
• Explanation of how simultaneous hearings are covered.
• Writing Samples - at least two examples (hearing summaries, amendment analyses, landscape memos, or issue briefs).
• Describe your approach to supporting client relationship-building with legislators and agency staff.
• Relevant Experience, including demonstrated success with budget asks or funding proposals.
• Fee Structure
  • Include your monthly retainer amount for the full scope of work, billed as part of an annual contract (9 months for 2026).
  • Identify any additional reimbursable expenses you believe would fall outside of the monthly retainer, if any.
  • Confirm that no additional fees (hourly charges, project surcharges, overhead fees, or administrative costs) will be billed beyond the agreed-upon retainer and reimbursable travel.

• Identify potential conflicts and provide a plan for addressing them.

   

Evaluation Criteria

• Demonstrated health care policy expertise, with priority given to Medi-Cal financing, hospital payment systems, and children’s health policy.
• Relationships and credibility with key policymakers, committee staff, and state agencies (DHCS, HCAI, DMHC, CDI).
• Capacity and infrastructure, including analyst or staff support sufficient for hearing coverage, tracking, and written output.
• Quality, clarity, and timeliness of written deliverables, including the ability to provide insight, not just summaries.
• Proactive communication and early issue identification, including second-layer strategic analysis (“what this means and what we should do next”).
• Systems for tracking fast-moving issues, including amendments, hearings, and budget actions.
• Approach to relationship development for clients (CCHA + children’s hospitals).
• Ability to manage simultaneous hearings with adequate staffing.
• Experience securing budget asks or similar funding proposals for clients.
• Cost relative to value, considering scope, staffing depth, and infrastructure.

Deadlines

• RFP Release: December 23, 2026
• Proposals Due: January 30, 2026
• Interviews: February-March
• Targeted Selection Date: March 20, 2026
• Preferred Contract Start: April 1, 2026

Proposals should be submitted electronically to adonahey@ccha.org by the stated deadline, and questions regarding this Request for Proposals may also be directed to that address.

Click here to download the Request for Proposals.