1-Warm Hand Off (WHO) for DA.pdf

RFP # 42 OF 2026

WARM HAND OFF (WHO) SUPPORT & CARE COORDINATION FOR ERIE COUNTY HOSPITALS FOR

THE ERIE COUNTY OFFICE OF DRUG & ALCOHOL

RFP RECEIPT

CONFIRMATION

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BY SIGNING AND FAXING THIS PAGE TO

(814) 451-6065 YOU ARE CONFIRMING RECEIPT OF THE

ATTACHED RFP

YOU MAY ALSO EMAIL TO JWAGNER@ERIECOUNTYPA.GOV

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RESPONDING OR NOT

IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, PLEASE CALL

(814) 451-6244

COMPANY: __________________________

RECEIVED BY: __________________________

DATE: __________________________

CONTACT NAME: __________________________

PHONE: __________________________

FAX: __________________________

E-MAIL: __________________________

mailto:JWAGNER@ERIECOUNTYPA.GOV

COUNTY OF ERIE

DEPARTMENT OF PURCHASING

RFP DOCUMENTS

FOR

WARM HAND OFF (WHO) SUPPORT & CARE COORDINATION

FOR ERIE COUNTY HOSPITALS

FOR THE

ERIE COUNTY OFFICE OF DRUG & ALCOHOL

ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA

DUE DATE: AUGUST 10TH, 2026

LEGAL NOTICE

The County of Erie Manager of Procurement, Erie County Courthouse, 140 West 6th Street, Room #106, Erie, PA 16501, will receive RFPs electronically via PennBid and open sealed RFPs on August 10th, 2026 at 10:30 AM, at the Office of the County Controller, Room #107, Erie County Courthouse, 140 West 6th St., Erie PA, 16501 for Warm Hand Off (WHO) Support and Care Coordination for Erie County Hospitals for the Erie County Office of Drug and Alcohol.

Specifications and RFP requirements are available at no cost on PennBid at https://pennbid.bonfirehub.com.

Erica Coe Manager of Procurement

Advertise: July 9th, 2026 July 13th, 2026

Please charge to Account #L0960556 – Thank you!

https://pennbid.bonfirehub.com/

Warm Hand Off (WHO) Support & Care Coordination for the Erie County Hospitals for the Erie County Office of Drug & Alcohol

GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS

FAILURE TO ADHERE TO THESE GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS WILL

RESULT IN YOUR RFP BEING REJECTED!

1. It is the intent of the County to RFP – Warm Hand Off (WHO) Support & Care Coordination for Erie County Hospitals for the Erie County Office of Drug & Alcohol.

2. All RFPs must be submitted electronically via PennBid at https://pennbid.bonfirehub.com, on or before August 10th, 2026 at 10:30 AM. RFPs will be opened at that time.

*If you would like to attend the opening via Zoom, please contact Marie Lewis, County Controller’s Office, at least one business day prior to opening at (814) 451-6365 or mlewis@eriecountypa.gov.

3. The County of Erie reserves the right to accept or reject any or all RFPs, to waive any defects in form or technicalities or to advertise for new RFPs where acceptance, rejection, waiving or advertising of such would be in accordance with the best interest of the County; also, to sit and act as the sole judge of the merit and qualifications of the equipment, supplies or services offered.

Any interpretation of equivalency shall be determined finally and conclusively by the County of Erie.

4. RFPs hand delivered, faxed or emailed will not be accepted under any circumstances.

5. The contract will be awarded at the time of opening of the RFPs or at a subsequent time and place to be announced at the time of opening.

6. The RFP shall disclose any conflict of interest that arises or may arise with regard to the potential contract. Conflict of interest arises if any County official or employee has any financial interest, direct or indirect, in the potential contract.

7. The successful bidder will be required to sign a contract containing the following provision: Equal Employment Opportunity Clause. (a) (1) The contractor shall not discriminate mailto:mlewis@eriecountypa.gov against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, disability of the person, religious creed, ancestry, age, familial status, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, criminal history or source of income. The contractor shall take affirmative action to insure that applicants are employed and that employees are treated during employment, without regard to their race, color, disability of the person, religious creed, ancestry, age, familial status, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, criminal history or source of income.

As used herein, “treated” means and includes, without limitation, the following: recruited, whether advertising or other means;

compensated, whether in the form of rates of pay or other forms of compensation; selected for training, including apprenticeship;

promoted; upgraded; demoted; downgraded; transferred; laid off;

and terminated. The contractor agrees to and shall post in conspicuous places, available to employees and applicants for employment, notices to be provided by the contracting officers setting forth the provisions, of this nondiscrimination clause. (2) The contractor shall in all solicitations or advertisements for employees place by or on behalf of the contractor, state that all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, disability of the person, religious creed, ancestry, age, familial status, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, natural origin, criminal history or source of income.

(3) The contractor shall send to each labor union or representative of workers with which he has a collective bargaining agreement or other contract or understanding, a notice advising the labor union or worker’s representative of the contractor’s commitment under the Equal Employment Opportunity Clause of the County, and shall post copies of the notice in conspicuous places available to employees and applicants for employment. (4) The contractor shall furnish all information and reports requested by the County Executive or the County Council to ascertain compliance with the program. (5) The contractor shall take such action with respect to any subcontractor as the County may direct as a means of enforcing the provisions of subsections (a)(1) to (8) hereof, including penalties and sanctions for noncompliance, provided, however, that in the event the contractor becomes involved in or is threatened with litigation as the result of such direction by the County, the County shall enter into such litigation as is necessary to protect the interests of the County to effectuate the County’s Equal Employment Opportunity Program, and in the case of contracts receiving federal assistance, the contractor or the County may request the United States to enter into such litigation to protect the interests of the United States. (6) The contractor shall file and shall cause his subcontractors, if any, to file compliance reports with the County. Compliance reports filed at such times as directed shall contain information as to the employment practices, policies, programs, and statistics of the contractor and his subcontractor’s. (7) The contractor shall include the provisions of subsections (a) (1) through (8) of the Equal Employment Opportunity Clause in every subcontract or purchase order so that such provisions will be binding upon each subcontractor or vendor. (8) Refusal by the contractor or subcontractor to comply with any portion of this program as herein stated and described will subject the offending party to any and all of the following penalties: (a) Withholding of all future payments under the involved public contract to the contractor in violation until it is determined that the contractor or subcontractor is in compliance with the provisions of the contract; (b) Refusal of all future bids for any public contract with the County or any of its departments or divisions until such time as the contractor or subcontractor demonstrates that he has established and shall carry out the policies of the program as herein outlined. (c) Cancellation of the public contract ad declaration of forfeiture of the performance bond; (d) In cases in which there is substantial or material violation or the threat of substantial or material violation of the compliance procedure of as may be provided for by contract, appropriate proceedings may be brought to enforce those provisions, including the enjoining, within applicable law, of contractors, subcontractors, or other organizations, individuals, or groups who prevent directly, indirectly, or seek to prevent directly or indirectly, compliance with the policy, as herein outlined.

8. The vendor shall not be allowed to take advantage of any errors, inconsistencies, irregularities or omissions in the specifications.

Where errors, inconsistencies, irregularities or omissions appear in the specification, the vendor will promptly notify the County of same prior to the time set for the RFP opening.

9. All RFPs must be made on the RFP Form furnished by the

County. No RFP will be considered unless the RFP Form is complete.

10. THE RFP PACKAGE MUST INCLUDE THE ORIGINAL RFP FORM

AND NON-COLLUSION AFFIDAVIT.

11. The County is not liable for non-receipt of RFPs if submitted in any other manner than required or submitted after the due date and time.

12. The County will not be responsible for any costs incurred by the vendors in responding to this RFP Form or any costs incurred in responding to any demonstrations or samples required.

13. Any discounts or terms must be shown on the RFP Form. Such discounts, if any, may be computed and considered in tabulating of the RFPs.

14. All freight and other costs shall be included in the RFP price.

15. In consideration of furnishing the equipment and/or performing the services called for herein, the supplier will be paid within thirty (30) days of invoice receipt.

16. Any questions with respect to the General Specifications contained in this RFP should be submitted via the “Ask a Question” feature in PennBid at https://pennbid.bonfirehub.com.

17. Any questions with respect to the Technical Specifications contained in this RFP should be “Ask a Question” feature in PennBid at https://pennbid.bonfirehub.com.

18. The County is exempt from all State of PA sales tax by State law.

19. The Non-Collusion Affidavit attached to these specifications must be completed and submitted with the RFP Form. Failure to do this will result in disqualification of the RFP. Instructions are as follows:

a. This Non-Collusion Affidavit must be executed by the member, officer or employee of the vendor who makes the final decision on prices and the amount quoted in the RFP.

b. RFP rigging and other efforts to restrain competition and the making of false sworn statements in connection with the submission of RFPs are unlawful and may be subject to criminal prosecution. The person who signs the Affidavit should examine it carefully before signing and assure himself or herself that each statement is true and accurate, making diligent inquiry, necessary, of all other persons employed or associated with the vendor with responsibilities associated with the vendor with responsibilities for the preparation, approval or submission of the RFP.

c. In the case of a RFP submitted by a joint venture, each party to the venture must be identified in the RFP documents and an Affidavit must be submitted separately on behalf of each party.

d. The term “complementary RFP” as used in the Affidavit has the meaning commonly associated with that term in the RFP process and includes the knowing submission of RFPs higher than the RFP of another firm, any intentionally high or non-competitive RFP and any other form of RFP submitted for the purpose of giving a false appearance of competition.

20. The County reserves the right to purchase additional RFP items at the RFP price, within 90-days of delivery and installation.

21. The vendor shall include in the RFP all costs of labor, materials, equipment, allowances, fees, permits, applicable taxes, insurance and contingencies with overhead and profit necessary to produce those portions of work covered by the specifications without further cost to the owner.

22. RFPs shall include the complete fabrication, finishing, delivery and setting in place ready for use of the equipment herein specified, all in accordance with these specifications. Any part or accessory not specifically mentioned herein, which is normally part of the equipment or necessary to complete installation of same, shall be included in the RFP price.

23. The vendor may include with the RFP a brochure containing photographs, technical specifications and any other features of the RFP equipment to completely inform the County of Erie concerning the equipment the vendor proposes to furnish and install.

24. RFPs may be held by the County for a reasonable amount of time, to be determined by the County, for the purpose of reviewing the RFPs and investing the qualifications of vendor prior to awarding the contracting.

25. The awarding of the contract shall be contingent upon the approval of funds by the County of Erie or any other governmental agencies or any other necessary source.

26. Successful vendor will be required to obtain the appropriate security clearances, at their own costs, for each individual who will be working for the vendor in any County building. Those clearances are as follows:

•PA Child Abuse Clearance Form •PA Criminal History Clearance •FBI Fingerprint Clearance

FAILURE TO ADHERE TO THESE GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS WILL

RESULT IN YOUR BID BEING REJECTED!

1. RIGHT-TO-KNOW LAW

1.1 The Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law (RTKL), 65 P.S.§ 67.101-67.3104, applies to this agreement.

1.2 Unless the Vendor provides the County, in writing, with the name and contact information of another person, the County will notify the provider using the Vendor information provided by the Vendor in this Agreement if the County needs the Vendor’s assistance in any matter arising out of the

RTKL. The Vendor must notify the County in wiring of any change in the name or the contact information within a reasonable time prior to the change.

1.3 Upon notification to the Vendor that the County has received a request for records under the RTKL related to this Agreement that may be in the

Vendor’s possession, constituting or alleged to constitute a public record in accordance with the RTKL (“Requested Information”), the Vendor must

1.3.1 provide the County, within five business days after receipt of the

County’s written notification, access to, and copies of, any document or information in the Vendor’s possession arising out of this Agreement that the County reasonably believes is Requested Information and may be a public record under the RTKL; and

1.3.2 provide other assistance that the County may reasonably request, in order to comply with the RTKL with respect to this Agreement.

1.4 If the Vendor considers the Requested Information to include a request for a Trade Secret or Confidential Proprietary Information, as those terms are defined by the RTKL, or information that the Vendor considers exempt from production under the RTKL, the Vendor must notify the County and provide, within five business days of receiving the County’s written notification, a written statement signed by a representative of the Vendor explaining why the requested material is exempt from public disclosure under the RTKL.

1.5 The County will rely upon the written statement from the Vendor in denying an RTKL request for the Requested Information unless the

County determines that the Requested Information is clearly not protected from disclosure under the RTKL.

1.6 If the Vendor fails to provide the Requested Information within the time period required by these provisions, the Vendor must indemnify and hold the County harmless for any damages, including any statutory damages assessed against the County, penalties, costs, detriment, or harm that the

County may incur as a result of the Vendor’s failure to perform any actions as required in this section, which may include the public release of

Requested Information.

1.7 The County will reimburse the Vendor for any costs associated with complying with these provisions only to the extent allowed under the fee schedule established by the Office of Open Records or as otherwise provided by the RTKL if the fee schedule is inapplicable.

1.8 The Vendor may file a legal challenge to a decision by the County to release a record to the public in Pennsylvania courts, however, the Vendor must indemnify the County for any legal expenses incurred by the County as a result of such a challenge and must hold the County harmless for any damages, penalties, costs, detriment, or harm that the County may incur as a result of the Vendor’s failure, including any statutory damages assessed against the County, regardless of the outcome of such legal challenge. As between the parties, the Vendor agrees to waive all rights or remedies that may be available to it as a result of the County’s disclosure if Requested Information pursuant to the RTKL.

1.9 In the event that an appeal is filed with an Appeals Officer designated under 65 P.S. § 67.503(a) or a court, the County will notify Vendor of the appeal and inform Vendor of its ability to participate in the appeal pursuant to 65 P.S § 67.1101(c). To the extent that a request involves the confidential proprietary information or trade secrets of Vendor, County and

Vendor agree that County has no obligation to take any steps, other than notifying Vendor of the appeal, with respect to defending the release of such records.

1.10 The Vendor’s duties relating to the RTKL are continuing duties that survive the expiration of the Agreement and will continue as long as the

Vendor as Requested Information in its possession.

NON-COLLUSION AFFIDAVIT

Warm Hand Off (WHO) Support & Care Coordination for Erie County Hospitals

For the Erie County Office of Drug & Alcohol

State of ___________________________:

: s.s.

County of _________________________:

I state that I am ______________________ of ___________________________ and

(TITLE) (NAME OF FIRM)

that I am authorized to make this affidavit on behalf of my firm and its owner, directors and officers. I am the person responsible in my firm for price (s) and the amount of this RFP.

I state that:

1. The price (s) and amount of RFP have been arrived at independently and without consolation, communication or agreement with any other contractor, vendor or potential vendor.

2. Neither the price (s) nor the amount of this RFP and neither the approximate price (s) nor approximate amount of this RFP, have been disclosed to any other firm or person who is vendor or potential vendor and they will not be disclosed before RFP opening.

3. No attempt has been made or will be made to induce any firm or person to refrain from responding on this contract or to submit a RFP higher than this RFP or to submit any intentionally high or noncompetitive or other form of complementary RFP.

4. The RFP of my firm is made in good faith and not pursuant to any agreement or discussion with or inducement from any firm or person to submit a complementary or other noncompetitive RFP.

5. __________________________, its affiliates, subsidiaries, officers, directors

(NAME OF FIRM)

and employees are not currently under investigation by any governmental agency and have not in the law four years been convicted or found liable for any act prohibited by State or Federal Law in jurisdiction, involving conspiracy or collusion with respect to responding on any public contract except as follows:

I state that ______________________________ understands and acknowledges that

(NAME OF FIRM)

the above representations are material and important and will be relied on by the County of Erie in awarding the contract (s) for which this RFP is submitted. I understand and my firm understands that misstatement in this affidavit is and shall be treated as fraudulent concealment from the County of Erie of the true facts relating to the submission of RFPs for this contract.

NAME

COMPANY POSITION

SWORN TO AND SUBSCRIBED

BEFORE ME THIS __________DAY

OF _______________, 20__________

Notary Public

My commission expires:___________

WARM HAND OFF (WHO) SUPPORT & CARE COORDINATION FOR ERIE

COUNTY HOSPITALS FOR THE ERIE COUNTY OFFICE OF DRUG &

ALCOHOL

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

BACKGROUND

Erie County Drug and Alcohol (ECDA) previously issued a Request for Information (RFI) regarding Warm Hand-Off and hospital-based Certified Recovery Specialist (CRS) service models. Information obtained through the RFI process, including feedback from hospitals, treatment providers, and recovery support organizations, was utilized to inform the development of this Request for Proposals (RFP) and the operational expectations contained herein.

For purposes of this RFP, a WHO shall include direct engagement with the patient by CRS personnel, assessment of recovery support needs, referral and care coordination activities, and documented efforts to facilitate linkages to level of care assessments and appropriate treatment and recovery services.

This RFP is intended to embed CRS staff in Erie County hospitals to work with clients with substance use disorders (SUD), opioid use disorders (OUD) and/or co-occurring disorders who are being served in the Emergency Department (ED), any substance use disorder units, and any other acute care units located in the hospital. The CRS staff will provide a “warm hand off” of care navigation and coordination of services for patients of the hospital who require SUD/OUD services in the community once discharged from the hospital.

The goal of this RFP is to strengthen WHO service delivery within Erie County hospitals by embedding CRS and enhancing timely engagement, care coordination, and linkage to SUD/OUD treatment and recovery support services for individuals presenting with SUD-related needs in hospital settings. ECDA anticipates that funded programs will improve continuity of care, reduce barriers to treatment engagement, strengthen collaboration among hospitals and community providers, and support improved engagement in appropriate community-based SUD services following hospital discharge.

Funded programs are expected to support the following activities and outcomes (when applicable):

• Rapid bedside engagement of individuals presenting with SUD-related needs

• Coordination of referrals to appropriate community-based SUD treatment and recovery support services

• Assistance with linkage to Level of Care (LOC) assessments

• Coordination with hospitals, ECDA, COE’s, and community providers to support continuity of care

• Applicants must make reasonable attempts to provide follow-up outreach and engagement for up to 30 days following hospital discharge for individuals who are not successfully connected to appropriate SUD/OUD treatment, recovery support services, or other identified community-based resources prior to discharge. These efforts must be documented and should be intended to encourage continued recovery engagement and support linkage to needed services

• Assistance in reducing barriers to treatment engagement, including transportation and other recovery-related needs

• Increased engagement in Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT), when clinically appropriate

• Increased connection and linkage to community-based support and resources, including Medicaid eligibility assistance, housing, transportation, employment, recovery support services, and other services that promote long-term recovery and stability

• Reduced repeat emergency department utilization related to substance use concerns

PROGRAM SPECIFICS

Proposals must include the following elements:

Program Design:

• Description of care navigation/coordination model, including integration of CRS staff and, where proposed, other peer recovery support staff. This should include standardized screening for SUD, notifications to CRS staff for immediate engagement, continuity of care pathways, coordination with ED and acute care workflows including coordinating (when applicable) directly with medical, social work, Centers of Excellence (COE’s), case management teams, and the ECDA. Applicants proposing other peer recovery support staff must clearly identify their functions, qualifications, supervision, and the direct WHO functions that will be performed by CRS staff.

• Demonstrate the ability to facilitate and coordinate timely access to Level of Care (LOC) assessments, which may be conducted by ECDA, participating treatment providers, or other designated assessment entities utilizing in-person and/or secure virtual assessment methods, as appropriate. Applicants shall describe procedures for initiating referrals, exchanging information, coordinating with assessment providers, and ensuring timely access to assessment, treatment, and recovery support services. ECDA acknowledges that stakeholder feedback received through the WHO RFI process identified the importance of timely bedside engagement, transportation coordination, access to LOC assessments, hospital workflow integration, post-discharge follow-up, and systemwide coordination. Applicants should demonstrate how proposed services address these priorities.

• Demonstrate the ability to coordinate treatment admission logistics, transportation needs, and follow-up communication with assessment providers, treatment providers, and recovery support organizations to support successful door to door linkage to care.

• Demonstrate ability to obtain and maintain all hospital credentialing, onboarding, security clearance, training, confidentiality, and electronic access requirements necessary to perform services within hospital settings.

• Describe proposed mechanisms for information sharing, consent management, HIPAA compliance, 42 CFR Part 2 compliance, and communication between hospital personnel, CRS staff, ECDA, and community providers.

• Describe the proposed model for embedding CRS/peer recovery support services within hospital operations. Proposals should demonstrate how services will be integrated into hospital workflows, including timely bedside response, participation in discharge planning, coordination with medical, social work, and case management staff, involvement in interdisciplinary communication processes, and utilization of hospital referral, notification, and care coordination systems.

• Understanding that:

o ECDA retains responsibility for countywide oversight and coordination of the Warm Hand Off (WHO) system and may establish standardized workflows, reporting requirements, performance measures, referral processes, data collection methodologies, and other operational expectations necessary to support consistent program implementation and evaluation across participating entities.

o Awarded entities shall participate in quarterly countywide WHO coordination meetings convened by ECDA for purposes of performance review, program coordination, best-practice sharing, identification and resolution of operational challenges, and continuous quality improvement.

o Awarded entities shall cooperate with and implement reasonable countywide standardization efforts established by ECDA, including but not limited to reporting formats, referral procedures, performance metrics, workflow protocols, and data collection requirements.

If a non-hospital agency is submitting a response to this RFP, the response must include a signed Letter of Commitment or equivalent attestation from the hospital’s Chief Executive Officer or authorized designee. The documentation must confirm the hospital’s agreement to partner with the non-hospital agency, support the proposed WHO service model and operational plan, and participate in required onboarding, workflow integration, referral, and communication processes. Prior to contract execution, the successful non-hospital applicant must execute a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) or equivalent written agreement with each participating hospital.

Coverage Plan:

• Describe the proposed coverage model for CRS services within emergency departments and other relevant hospital units, including staffing schedules, expected response times, and procedures for patient engagement. Coverage may be provided through a combination of in-person coverage and/or on-call staffing models. Applicants should clearly describe bedside response expectations, escalation procedures, and methods for ensuring timely engagement when staff are not physically present onsite.

• Participating hospitals must identify a designated operational liaison and demonstrate willingness to coordinate onboarding procedures, workflow integration, referral processes, communication protocols, and other operational requirements necessary to support embedded CRS services.

• Preference may be given to applicants proposing expanded service availability, including evenings, weekends, holidays, and other periods associated with increased hospital utilization or patient demand.

Performance Indicator and Reporting Methodologies:

• ECDA anticipates that key performance indicators (KPIs) may include, but are not limited to:

o Bedside response time and timeliness of CRS engagement o Percentage of referred individuals successfully engaged prior to hospital discharge o Percentage of individuals not successfully connected to appropriate

SUD/OUD treatment, recovery support services, or other identified resources prior to discharge for whom documented follow-up outreach was attempted within 3 days following discharge o Percentage of individuals successfully connected to community-based SUD services within 30 days o LOC assessments o Treatment initiation and referral engagement rates o Seven-day and thirty-day follow-up outreach attempts and successful contacts for individuals not successfully connected to appropriate SUD/OUD treatment, recovery support services, or other identified resources prior to discharge o MAT referral and linkage rates o Transportation coordination and barrier-reduction activities o Repeat emergency department utilization and/or hospital readmission rates, to the extent that such data are available to the applicant and may be lawfully shared under applicable privacy requirements o Participation in ongoing recovery support services following referral

• Applicants are encouraged to utilize continuous quality improvement (CQI) processes and data-informed program evaluation strategies to support ongoing program development and operational effectiveness.

Coordination & Compliance Plan:

• A clear plan for coordination, communication, and reporting with the ECDA and adherence to the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) guidance, best practices, and applicable requirements related to warm hand-off and recovery support services. Compliance with these requirements will be a prerequisite for funding and contracting

Staffing Plan:

• Roles, FTEs, qualifications, supervision of staff.

• At a minimum, the proposed staffing plan must include CRS staff who maintain Pennsylvania Certification Board certification or, where applicable, meet certification eligibility requirements and work under an approved supervision plan pending certification. Applicants proposing other peer recovery support staff must clearly delineate their roles and ensure appropriate supervision, training, and hospital onboarding. All proposed staff must receive ongoing training in trauma-informed care, cultural responsiveness, ethics, motivational interviewing, confidentiality, and hospital workflow integration.

Timetable for implementation:

• Including the hiring of staff, training, and initiation of WHO CRS services.

• Applicants must provide site-specific implementation plans for each proposed hospital location, including staffing structure, proposed hours of coverage, escalation procedures, referral workflows, projected response volumes, supervision plans, and anticipated coordination requirements.

Evaluation & Reporting Plan:

• Commitment to monthly reporting of key indicators (e.g., number of patients engaged, percentage linked to treatment within 72 hours, number of MAT initiations, percentage follow-up appointments kept, average response time).

• Describe proposed data collection methodologies, continuous quality improvement (CQI) processes, and ability to track client-level engagement and outcome metrics.

Budget:

• Submit a detailed project budget. Funding requests may not exceed $200,000 per hospital location per fiscal year. Applicants are strongly encouraged to leverage braided funding strategies and identify any matching, in-kind, or complementary funding sources that will support project sustainability or budgetary limitations.

• Initial awards are anticipated to cover the period from September 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, subject to execution of a written agreement.

Continuation funding beyond the initial award period is contingent upon the availability of funds, satisfactory program performance, achievement of project objectives, and compliance with reporting requirements, as determined by ECDA.

• This project is supported through opioid settlement funds and must comply with all applicable opioid settlement funding requirements. Funds must be used to support new or expanded services, staffing, or programmatic enhancements and may not be used to supplant existing funding sources or activities.

• Applicants must certify that any awarded funds will supplement, and not supplant, other available federal, state, local, private, or organizational funding sources.

Sustainability Plan:

• Narrative on sustaining services if future opioid settlement funds are unavailable.

Equity & Access Plan:

• Plan for culturally responsive, equitable care including language access.

• Demonstrate culturally responsive service delivery practices, ADA compliance, language access capacity, and strategies to address disparities among underserved populations.

ELIGIBILITY

Applicants may submit proposals for one or more Erie County hospital locations.

Applicants proposing services at multiple hospital locations must provide a separate budget and site-specific implementation plan for each proposed location. ECDA reserves the right to fund all, part, or none of a proposal and may make separate awards for individual hospital locations.

Eligible applicants may include Erie County hospitals and/or qualified behavioral health, recovery support, or SUD treatment organizations partnering formally with Erie County hospitals. All non-hospital applicants must submit the hospital Letter of Commitment or equivalent attestation described above with their proposal.

Before contracting, successful non-hospital applicants must execute an MOU or equivalent written agreement with each participating hospital.

Application must comply with all compliance and legal requirements including:

• All federal and state regulations including HIPAA and 42 CFR Part 2.

• Erie County contracting requirements (insurance, audit, record-keeping, conflict of interest, debarment certifications).

• Reporting and monitoring requirements established by ECDA.

• Adherence to applicable DDAP guidance, requirements, and best practices related to Warm Hand Off and recovery support services, as coordinated with ECDA.

• Non-supplantation requirements of the Pennsylvania Opioid Misuse and Addiction Abatement Trust

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

• Proposal narrative not to exceed 10 pages (excluding budget forms)

• Clear identification of all participating hospital locations and operational partners

• Completed budget template

SCORING CRITERIA

5 Points Evaluation of hospital integration and operational readiness, including workflow integration, bedside response capability, implementation readiness, hospital coordination capacity, and operational feasibility.

5 Points Agency’s background, experience and present activity, philosophy of the organization for successful development of innovative services.

20 Points Description of care navigation/coordination model, including employment, contracting, or integration of CRS staff within hospital operations. This should include standardized screening for SUD/OUD, notifications to CRS staff for immediate engagement, continuity of care pathways, facilitation and coordination of LOC assessments, initiating referrals, exchanging information, coordinating treatment admission logistics, transportation needs, and ensuring timely access to assessment, treatment, and recovery support services, follow-up communication with assessment providers, treatment providers, and recovery support organizations to support successful linkage to care, and coordination with ED and acute care workflows including coordinating directly with medical, social work, and case management teams, and coordination with ECDA.

10 Points Proposed coverage and response model for Emergency Departments (ED) and other relevant hospital units, including staffing schedules, bedside response capability, and extended-hours, evening, weekend, holiday, and/or 24/7 availability where proposed; identification of a designated operational liaison; and demonstrated willingness to coordinate onboarding procedures, workflow integration, referral processes, communication expectations, and applicable access requirements necessary for embedded CRS operations.

10 Points Clear plan for coordination, communication, and reporting with the ECDA and adherence to applicable DDAP guidance, requirements, and best practices related to Warm Hand Off services.

10 Points Staffing, roles, FTEs, qualifications, supervision of staff.

10 Points Specific timetable for implementation including the hiring of staff, training, and initiation of WHO CRS services, including providing site-specific implementation plans for each proposed hospital location, including staffing structure, proposed hours of coverage, escalation procedures, referral workflows, projected response volumes, supervision plans, and anticipated coordination requirements.

5 Points Commitment to monthly reporting of key indicators (e.g., number of patients engaged, percentage linked to treatment within 72 hours, number of MAT initiations, percentage of follow-up appointments kept, average response time) and participation in quarterly ECDA countywide WHO coordination and performance-review meetings.

15 Points Detailed budget (not to exceed $200,000 per hospital location per fiscal year).

Braided funding mechanisms are strongly recommended. The initial award period will be identified in the resulting agreement. Continuation funding beyond the initial award period is contingent upon the availability of funds and satisfactory program performance, as determined by ECDA through review of monthly reports and quarterly coordination/performance meetings. Opioid settlement funding will be used to fund this project and, by mandate, may not be used to supplant other funding sources; funds must support new staffing and/or enhanced programming. The proposer must certify that, if awarded, the funds will not supplant other available funding.

5 Points Narrative on sustaining services if future opioid settlement funds are unavailable.

5 Points Plan for culturally responsive, equitable care including language access.

RFP Process Timeline

1. RFP Issued: July 9th, 2026

2. Request for Clarifications: Any questions or requests for clarifications shall be submitted via the “Ask a Question” feature in PennBid at https://pennbid.bonfirehub.com by 4:00 pm on July 17th, 2026.

3. Clarification Responses: All responses to questions and requests for clarifications will be made public through an addendum and posted on PennBid by 4:00 pm July 24th, 2026. Notification via a Public Notice will be sent to Bidders who have registered with and downloaded documents from PennBid.

4. RFP Opening/Proposal Due Date: 8/10/26 @ 10:30 am

*No deadline extensions will be granted.

*Incomplete proposal submissions will not be reviewed or considered.

5. Anticipated Program Proposal Award: End of August, 2026

Erie County Office of Drug & Alcohol (ECDA) reserves the right to make a single award, multiple awards, or no award. Further, ECDA reserves the right to make awards on a hospital-by-hospital basis and may approve different operational models at different hospital locations based on operational capacity, hospital preference, staffing availability, prior WHO experience, and implementation feasibility.

RFP FORM

Having carefully studied the preceding specifications and being thoroughly familiar with all requirements set forth herein, all attendant conditions, the undersigned agrees to supply all services and materials required therein for the following sum (s):

The undersigned further agrees to sign the contract within seven (7) days of the date of the Purchase Order issued by the County of Erie. The undersigned acknowledges the right of the County of Erie to reject any or all RFPs and to waive any defects in form.

I (we) certify that this RFP was prepared independently and without collusion with any known vendors.

Company Name: __________________________________________

Contact Name: __________________________________________

Address: __________________________________________

Phone: __________________________________________

Fax: __________________________________________

Email: ____________________________________________

Enclosed: Bid Bond __________*

Certified Check __________*

The undersigned acknowledges receipt of the addenda, if any:

Addendum No. __________, dated __________

Addendum No. __________, dated __________