Single Source Procurement: WIC Online Nutrition Education

Pursuant to New York State Finance Law § 163.10(b), The New York State Department of Health is presenting the following summary of relevant circumstances, and material and substantial reasons why a competitive procurement was not feasible. The New York State Department of Health, WIC Online Nutrition Education Program has made a determination to issue a Single Source Procurement to one eligible grantee to support ongoing currently funded projects.

Nutrition education is a Federally mandated benefit of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC). The availability of nutrition education through an online platform is expected to increase participation in NYS WIC by reducing barriers to physical presence, improve efficiency by reducing in-person contacts for certification, and increase safety by reducing the spread of communicable diseases.

WIChealth.org has been the nation’s leading WIC internet-based nutrition education system since its inception in 2003 and employs the patented Behavioral Intelligence Framework (BIF) to tailor the delivery of education and behavior change links to participants. Through WIChealth.org participants will have access to 50 participant-centered interactive lessons in English and Spanish languages on current health and nutrition topics as well as related videos and resources 24/7, 365 days a year. WIChealth.org generates certificates for lesson completion that can be printed, emailed to clinics, or automatically uploaded to NYS WIC’s MIS system (NYWIC) for data reporting. Participants will also have the option to provide feedback on lesson content and educational resources which provides statistical data to NYS WIC to inform future programming needs.

Procurement / Program Name WIC Online Nutrition Education
Contractor Name(s) Board of Trustees of Western Michigan University
Contract Period 10/1/2021 – 9/30/2026
Contract Number(s) C36873GG