Addendum_1.pdf

City of Minneapolis – Procurement Office 505 Fourth Ave S, Room 310

Minneapolis, MN 55415

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Addendum # 1 Issued Date: October 2, 2026 Event # 0000004248 RFP Title: HR – Employee Mental Health and Healing Support

Change(s) to RFP

Change in Response Due Date Change in Terms and Conditions Change to Scope of Services

Responses to Questions Received Other

Please Note the Following Addition(s)/Change(s)/Clarification(s):

Please Note: In order for Procurement staff to assist you in case there is an issue with the submission of your proposal, please attempt to log in to the eSupplier portal at least two hours in advance of the 2:00 pm Minneapolis time deadline on October 19, 2026.

If you need assistance with your eSupplier login or registration, please contact eprocurement@minneapolismn.gov

The following questions were submitted to the RFP. Please see responses below.

mailto:eprocurement@minneapolismn.gov

Question 1: What is the contract dollar amount for the RFP?

The not to exceed amount of this contract is $1,000,000 split between multiple awards for a three

(3) year term.

Question 2: May consultants propose a dedicated clinical access/capacity model in which the City purchases a guaranteed number of weekly clinician availability hours that employees and eligible household members may use for scheduled individual therapy, while unbooked capacity remains available to employees for lower-barrier, non-clinical drop-in mental health support? Or does the City require Individual Therapy Services to be priced exclusively on a per-completed-session basis?

No. The City requires individual therapy services to be priced exclusively on a per-completed-session basis. We are not looking for Employee Assistance Program (EAP) services. We are looking for separate, supplemental support for mental health, healing, and trauma response added to the City's current mental health benefit offerings.

Question 3: Can you please confirm that Minneapolis has approximately 4.000 city employees that would be eligible for EAP services?

The City provides benefits for approximately 4,400 City and Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board employees. We are not looking for an EAP model in this contract.

Question 4: Can you please disclose the number of employees that used mental health EAP services for 2024 and/or 2025?

Fifty-seven (57) employees used our dedicated onsite EAP consultant for individual counseling sessions in 2025. To date, there have been fifty-five (55) sessions in 2026. There were fifty (50) calls/cases for the EAP 1-800 #. Q1 for 2026 had thirteen (13) calls/cases. Our dedicated onsite consultant is available ten (10) hours per week for thirty-minute and sixty-minute counseling sessions geared towards short term issues and as a referral resource.

Question 5: Can you please disclose the budget for mental health EAP from 2024 and/or 2025, or the final dollar amount the city used for mental health services for its employees?

The City’s current EAP system is contracted through the medical insurance provider and is not being replaced. The current contract for supplemental mental health and healing has a historical spend for individual therapy sessions as follows:

2024: $10,350 (69 people) 2025: $31,500 (210 people)

There is an estimated additional $18,000 spend each year for educational mental health and departmental mental health work. We cannot provide an exact dollar amount for a total since it is a combination of medical insurance mental health benefits, EAP benefits, and supplemental mental health and healing educational support and resources.

Question 6: Can the City provide the total number of benefits-eligible employees (and, separately, an estimate of household members covered under Individual Therapy Service)?

The City has approximately 4,400 employees with 10,000 eligible family members. Most employees and family members utilize mental health benefits with a medical provider covered under health insurance. Sessions within this contract would not be processed or run through the medical provider as insurance claims.

Question 7: Are you replacing an existing EAP vendor? If so, what utilization data from a current or prior employee mental health/EAP vendor can be provided to help consultants accurately size staffing and cost proposals?

We are not replacing an existing EAP provider. We are continuing a current model of additional mental health support that supplements beyond our medical insurance and current EAP support.

This contract would provide mental health education in order to normalize mental health conversations in the workplace, and foundationally support employees prior to or following traumatic events.

Question 8: What is the City's expected demand/utilization?

The City anticipates that the utilization would increase compared to 2024 and 2025, but awarding multiple Consultants would balance capacity.

Question 9: What is the budget range or historical reimbursement rate for individual therapy services?

Through the current contract, the charge is $150.00 per hour for individual therapy sessions.

Question 10: Are pre-licensed/intern clinicians working under a licensed supervisor permitted to provide services?

Yes.

Question 11: For Individual Therapy Service, are clinicians required to hold Minnesota licensure only, or licensure wherever an employee or household member actually resides?

This would follow the licensure laws. We are only expecting Minnesota licensure for clinicians.

Question 12: Approximately how many Specialized Department Requests should proposers plan for annually? Is there a target number, or is it fully based on requests as they come in (demand)

This is fully based on requests and there is no set target number. There has been a proven need for these services and the intention is for more individual therapy and department-specific use to take place by awarding multiple Consultants. The goal is to provide proactive mental health support to strengthen the workforce and workplace. Approximately ten (10) specialized department requests have been utilized within the last three (3) years, with a continued inquiry for more. However, the resource was not heavily promoted due to capacity constraints.

Question 13: For Small Group Processing Sessions, does the City have an estimated or historical annual number of sessions it expects to request under this contract?

There were two (2) sessions in 2026, with two (2) more pending requests. There is no way to provide an estimate but a guess could be ten (10) in a year. However, this would all depend on external and internal circumstances.

Question 14: For Specialized Department Requests, does the City have an estimated or historical annual volume, expected duration, or typical participant range for these requests?

The historical volume depends on the requesting department, team, and shifts. One department with three shifts needed the curriculum delivered three (3) separate times and ended after that.

A second department requested an initial session on vicarious trauma with quarterly follow up sessions. A third department requested a 90-minute processing session for a particular event, with interest in follow up, for 10-30 participants.

Question 15: Attachment A is titled “Terms and Conditions for Professional Services Contracts Over $175,000.” Because the RFP permits component-only awards to multiple consultants, should proposers assume all Attachment A requirements—including the stated insurance requirements—apply to a resulting component contract even if that individual contract is below $175,000, or will applicability depend on the value/scope of the resulting award?

All Attachment A requirements, including insurance requirements, would apply to all component-only contracts.

Question 16: What mental health services, session limits, and networks are currently provided through the City’s existing employee health insurance plans and Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and how are the services under this contract intended to interface with or complement those existing benefits?

The current mental health benefit network through the City’s insurance provider is Medica Behavioral Health. Employees and their covered dependents can access ten (10) fully-covered mental health visits per calendar year. Employees, regardless of insurance coverage, can access up to five (5) mental health counseling sessions through the EAP. The dedicated onsite consultant is available ten (10) hours per week through the EAP (Optum) as well. There will be no overlap with this contract and its services. This contract will be a stand-alone contract focusing on trauma response.

Question 17: What is the total headcount of eligible City employees, and the estimated total eligible population when including immediate household members?

See Answer 6.

Question 18: Do you have anticipated utilization numbers for therapy services in year 1?

See Answers 5, 13, and 14.

Question 19: Does the City have historical data on employee utilization rates for trauma-informed therapy, small group processing, or specialized department wellness trainings over the past 1–3 years?

See Answers 5, 13, and 14.

Question 20: Does the City have a preferred billing structure? For example: a fee-for-service rate per session/hour, a Per-Employee-Per-Month (PEPM) capitated rate, or a fixed monthly retainer for administrative and clinical availability.

The City is looking for a billing structure with rates broken out by specific services, such as:

• Individual therapy

• Group-processing session (defined by hourly time: 60-minute or 90-minute)

• 60-minute mental health education classes

• Specialized department requests o Hourly rate o Curriculum development for processing or baseline training

The City is not looking for a fixed monthly retainer nor a Per Employee Per Month (PEPM) model.

Question 21: Will the City compensate consultants for late-canceled or no-show therapy sessions, and do missed appointments count toward an employee's annual 10-session limit?

This is open to consideration and must be written into the proposal.

Question 22: Will the City provide space/venues for in-person large group sessions, small group processing, and department trainings, and are travel expenses directly reimbursable under the proposed contract?

The City will provide spaces or conference rooms in City facilities as needed for in-person sessions. It is preferred that Consultants provide their own virtual online platform for confidentiality for individual therapy sessions. Travel expenses to locations are not reimbursable.

Question 23: What was the annual budget allocation or total expenditure for the City's previous

Employee Mental Health and Healing Support contract, and what was the historical per-session reimbursement rate for individual therapy and group processing?

The previous contract charged $150.00 per hour for individual therapy sessions, $1,000 per 60-minute educational session, $1,000 per 60-minute healing circle/safe space, and $1,650 for 90-minute group processing. The prior contract had a not to exceed amount of $175,000.

Question 24: Is there an estimated annual volume or budget allocation for Section 4 ('Specialized Department Requests'), and what is the expected response/turnaround time when a department requests crisis or trauma-related support?

There is no estimate allocation for Specialized Department Requests. Requests could be as a direct result of a traumatic event in the community, and therefore, turnaround time could be urgent. Other requests could be looking for foundational mental health support that is proactive and specific to the work of the department.

Question 25: In Attachment A, Section 14, will the City accept HITRUST CSF certification or a SOC 2 Type II report in lieu of an SSAE 18 report for HIPAA-compliant EHR software used to store clinical notes?

In the model being utilized in the current contract, the City essentially partners with the clinician/Consultant. Our employees have the option to use therapy through the Consultant and the City covers the cost of individual therapy by invoice. The initial request from the Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) also involve utilizing clinicians that serve communities that have been historically marginalized, supporting our robust mental health supports.

These sessions are not run through insurance and are not medical claims through our behavioral health system, so no data would be shared in either direction. The City will not receive the names nor the data of employees that utilize the therapy. Whichever system the Consultant uses to hold electronic health data should suffice.

When virtual educational mental health sessions are held for employees, the City utilizes the platform held by the vendor, which allows for confidentiality versus using the City’s Microsoft Teams platform, which can be subject to a Public Data Request as we are a public entity.

Question 26: Does the WCAG 2.1 Level AA requirement in Section 4 apply to standard third-party SaaS telehealth/EHR platforms, or will an alternative accessible intake/session option for employees with disabilities satisfy compliance?

The Consultant must utilize their own platform for telehealth and data holding in regard to regulations supporting HIIPA guidelines. There will be no data sharing between the Consultant and the City regarding employee protected health information. For Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, please refer to the City’s Accessibility webpage.

https://www.minneapolismn.gov/about/accessibility/

Question 27: The scope of services includes provision of 10 therapy sessions per employee per year. Approximately how many employees are included in this?

The scope is for up to ten (10), meaning no more than ten (10) sessions per employee or immediate family member per calendar year. This is a supplemental mental health contract that has the individual therapy as a component but has more of a focus on group processing, healing, and proactive foundational mental health education as a support and resource to employees.

The goal is to educate and normalize the discussion of mental health in the workplace in order to support resiliency and positive coping skills to create and sustain positive work conditions. The majority of employees utilize the mental health benefits provided within the medical insurance for continuity of care. See previous answers for historical use.

Question 28: Is there an expectation for frequency of small group processing sessions?

There is no set expectation for frequency. Historically, there have been one or two processing sessions with a few follow-up sessions.

Question 29: Will any of the services be billed to insurance or does this function as an EAP?

This contract will not cross over with or be billed through the medical insurance. All services will be processed on monthly invoices with line items for each service for that particular month. This will not function as an EAP.

Question 30: As it is industry standard for pre-licensed clinicians to do this work, is this acceptable under this contract?

See Answer 10.

Question 31: For pricing and capacity planning, how many City employees are eligible for services, and are immediate household members also eligible? Could the City provide an employee census by department and work location or ZIP code, plus any available aggregate information on shift, language, or other access needs?

See Answer 6. The City cannot provide employee census information by department, zip code, or other aggregate information. However, a list of active City employees can be provided to the Consultants selected for award for verification of eligibility, which is public data on a determined cadence.

Question 32: Existing services and utilization: Does the City or any department currently provide or purchase employee mental health, EAP, counseling, training, or critical-incident support? If so, could the City identify the provider or internal team, describe the services, and share aggregate utilization for the last two years by service type and department, along with any known service gaps?

The City provides medical insurance through Medica and employees are able to elect their coverage. If they elect to have medical coverage, they have access to mental health benefits through Medica Behavioral Health. Employees have access to EAP benefits via Optum through Medica. Employees also have access to critical incident support through Optum. See previous answers for historical use.

Question 33: Priority groups and cultural alignment: The RFP notes Employee Resource Groups’ interest in culturally aligned care. Which departments, roles, or employee communities should the selected consultant prioritize, and what languages, cultural competencies, or provider-matching capabilities would be most valuable?

The City currently has eight (8) employee resource groups (ERGs):

• Minneapolis Asian Pacific Employees (MAPE)

• Minneapolis American Indian Network (MAIN)

• Minneapolis Black Employee Network (MBEN)

• Minneapolis Immigrant and Refugee Alliance (MIRA)

• Military Employee Recognition, Influence, Culture and Attitude (MERICA)

• Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity (SOGI)

• Latinx Employee Resource Group (¡SOMOS!)

• Women of Minneapolis Employee Network (WOMEN)

Requests for culturally inclusive mental health resources came from the groups in general and group programing is open and offered to all employees, strengthening the collective.

Question 34: Ten-session benefit: Attachment B provides up to ten therapy sessions per calendar year “per employee and members of their immediate household.” Is that limit ten sessions for each eligible person, or a shared limit for the employee and household? Does the limit apply per issue, and how does the City define “immediate household”?

See Answer 16. It would be for up to ten (10) sessions per calendar and not per issue. Immediate household would include family members at the same home address, such as the employee, spouse, children, or other dependents living at the same address.

Question 35: Access and delivery expectations: For individual therapy, does the City expect virtual care, in-person care, or both? If in-person care is expected, which City sites or geographic areas should be covered? Does the City have target timeframes for intake and first appointments?

Therapy can be provided virtually or in-person if the awarded Consultant has a physical space in the metropolitan area. The City would not provide a City space for individual therapy. There are no target timeframes for intake and/or first appointment. Allowing for multiple Consultants to be selected for award should broaden capacity. However, proposals that include individual therapy must also include at least one other component of the Scope of Services. No proposal should be for individual therapy services alone.

Question 36: Monthly large-group education: Does “monthly” mean one session each month, and what duration and attendance should vendors plan for? Would the City want sessions repeated across shifts, recorded for later viewing, or offered with captions or language support?

The cadence of educational sessions can be written into the proposal and can be repeated/recorded for use outside of traditional working hours to reach more employees.

Captions or language support for accessibility is a plus but is not required in a proposal. All items would be considered.

Question 37: Small-group processing: How many small-group sessions does the City anticipate annually, and which departments or employee groups are most likely to request them? How should requests be initiated, and are there expectations for in-person delivery, scheduling lead time, or post-session follow-up?

See Answer 13. Requests for mental health and healing resources and support for small group processing will originate and run through the Human Resources Department point of contact.

The department or Employee Resource Group (ERG) would contact Human Resources or the awarded Consultant, but the request would be approved by Human Resources to ensure it is within the scope of the contract.

Question 38: Specialized department requests and critical incidents: What volume and types of department-specific training or education should vendors anticipate, and which departments or topics are priorities? Does this component also include urgent or critical-incident support? If so, what response time and on-site coverage would the City expect, and how many activations has it handled in recent years?

The City has critical incident support through its Optum EAP. This contract will be secondary support around healing and trauma response in order to move forward. The City of Minneapolis has been an epicenter of many events since 2020 and continues to use a multi-faceted approach to mental health support for its employees, as an event that affects the community impacts the workforce and departments.

Question 39: Component awards and coordination: The RFP permits proposals for individual components and multiple awards. Does the City prefer one consultant to coordinate all selected services, or would it consider separate providers for different components? If there are multiple awards, what coordination or handoff responsibilities should vendors include?

The City is open to multiple proposals that would work independently of each other providing similar services but with no crossover. This allows for departments to choose the Consultant within the master contract based on the services provided. There would be no coordinated services or handoff needed. For example, a master contract could be awarded to three (3)

Consultants proposing various components of the scope. Based on the Scope of Services, a department may request a specific need and would be directed to the Consultant that can facilitate the request, and would then be able to reach out to that Consultant. Final approval comes from the Human Resources Department, coordinated by the department or group requesting the services, to ensure that the need falls within the scope.

Question 40: Pricing assumptions and budget: Can the City share a budget range, not-to-exceed amount, or target spend by service component? If not, should vendors provide unit prices for therapy sessions, group sessions, and department requests using stated assumptions, or propose an overall fixed price?

This will be a master contract with a not to exceed amount of $1,000,000 utilizing multiple Consultants. Consultants should provide unit prices for individual therapy sessions, group sessions, and department requests individually versus an overall fixed price.

Question 41: Cost schedule and contract years: The RFP requests a cost breakdown for each year, with services estimated to begin December 1, 2026 and end November 30, 2029. Should vendors price by contract year or calendar year, and should the first month be prorated? Should proposals include annual rate increases or hold rates level for the initial three-year term?

The rates should hold for the three (3) years of the contract. Invoices would be submitted monthly with services rendered for each month. For example, a January invoice may include the cost for fifteen (15) individual therapy sessions, the cost for two (2) group processing sessions for Department A, and the cost for one (1) educational mental health session. The Consultant may choose to submit a proposal for group processing sessions only. The invoices would be submitted only on months that sessions took place. The estimated date for services to begin was listed as December 2026 based on the current contract’s end date. However, because the new service model will require communication across the enterprise, volume may be slow to start. Proposals should not be set up as a yearly contracted fee.

Question 42: Success measures and reporting: Which outcomes or service measures matter most to the City—for example, access time, participation, employee satisfaction, or department feedback? What reporting cadence and aggregate data would the City expect, and are there limits on sharing or retaining employee-level information?

The City would measure success by employee attendance to classes or sessions, the number of therapy sessions utilized, department feedback, and quarterly or biannual reporting of utilization would be acceptable.

Question 43: Implementation timeline: The schedule estimates consultant selection on November 9 and service start on December 1. Is December 1 the required go-live date, and will the selected consultant have time to complete onboarding and communications before then?

What transition milestones, City contacts, or coordination with existing providers should vendors plan for?

The December 1 date is only an estimate. There will be no coordination of transition from the current contract. If multiple Consultants are selected for award, they will work independently with the Human Resources Department point of contact and have time for onboarding and a communication plan.

Question 44: Data, security, and contract requirements: Beyond Attachment A’s stated terms, are there specific security, privacy, accessibility, or data-handling requirements vendors should address in their proposals? Should requested exceptions to Attachment A be identified with the proposal, and what is the expected timeline for approving the required affirmative action plan?

Serving as licensed mental health practitioners following confidentiality and HIPPA regulations within your practice will suffice for privacy, accessibility or data handling. The services within this contract would not run through the City's insurance claims and cannot be double billed, with regard to individual therapy sessions. The sessions would be billed per session through monthly invoicing. No information about patients will be provided to the City's Human Resources Department. A list of active employees can be provided to the awarded Consultants for cross reference to qualify for services. Any exceptions to Attachment A should be identified in the proposal. Approval of the required Affirmative Action Plan would be coordinated through the City’s Civil Rights Department, and a timeline can be provided upon award.

City of Minneapolis – Procurement Office