Tex. Family Code § 264.183

(a) To enter into a contract with the department to serve as a lead entity to provide services under this subchapter, an entity must be:

(1) a nonprofit entity that has a board of directors composed entirely of residents of the catchment area; or

(2) a local government entity.

(b) In selecting a lead entity, the department shall consider whether a prospective contractor has:

(1) strong community support and partnerships;

(2) demonstrated experience leading collaborative initiatives in the region; and

(3) the capacity to coordinate with local community organizations to serve children and families.

(c) The department shall request local stakeholders in an eligible rural region to provide any necessary information about the region that will assist the department in:

(1) preparing the department's request for bids, proposals, or other applicable expressions of interest to provide community-based care in the eligible rural region; and

(2) selecting a lead entity to provide community-based care in the eligible rural region.

(d) The department's request for bids, proposals, or other applicable expressions of interest to provide community-based care in the eligible rural region may include, in a single request, services to develop the pilot program model and implement the pilot program.

(e) Notwithstanding any other law and to address the unique challenges of providing community-based care to rural areas of this state in an efficient manner the department may:

(1) procure, as a single procurement, services to develop a pilot program model under Section 264.184(a) and implement the pilot program under Section 264.184(b); and

(2) separately procure the services of the independent evaluator under Section 264.194.