Appendix_7_12_Written_Questions_and_Comments_template.pdf

This document is a written questions and comments template issued by the State of Tennessee, Department of Finance and Administration, for the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and Behavioral Health Organization (BHO) Services procurement. The template provides a structured format for bidders to submit inquiries and comments organized into three categories: General Questions (rows 1-10), RFP Questions covering the Introduction through the Score Summary Matrix (rows 11-20), and Contract Questions addressing Section A Scope through the HIPAA Business Associate Agreement (rows 21-30). The template accommodates additional rows as needed and allows respondents to reference specific RFP sections when posing questions. Written questions were due October 22, 2025, and November 19, 2025, with the overall proposal response deadline set for December 19, 2025. The contract covers a total period of 86 months, including eight months of implementation and 60 months of service delivery from January 1, 2027 through December 31, 2031, followed by an 18-month claims runout period.

The procurement involves providing integrated behavioral health services for approximately 300,000 covered lives across three self-funded public sector plans: the State Plan (147,000 lives), Local Education Plan (128,000 lives), and Local Government Plan (26,000 lives). Successful vendors must maintain NCQA accreditation as a Managed Behavioral Healthcare Organization and URAC accreditation for utilization management, with performance guarantees backed by liquidated damages ranging from $1,000 to $75,000 per incident. The state utilizes a per-employee-per-month (PEPM) administrative fee model for compensation and requires contractors to carry $5 million in cyber liability insurance while meeting HIPAA, HITECH, and state security requirements, including annual SOC 2 Type 2 examinations and penetration testing. Technical evaluations were anticipated to be completed by January 29, 2026, with cost proposal scoring on January 30, 2026, and negotiations scheduled for February 9-11, 2026.