EXHIBIT A

STANDARD GRANT AGREEMENT (SGA)

REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS (RFA)

(COMPETITIVE)

SOLICITATION NUMBER – BPM058186

Issue Date: 7-29-2026

Maryland Healthcare Workforce Data Clearinghouse: Phase 1 Requirements Analysis and Future Planning

NOTICE

A Prospective Applicant that has received this document from the Maryland Department of Health, or that has received this document from a source other than the Procurement Officer, and that wishes to assure receipt of any changes or additional materials related to this RFA, should log into eMaryland Marketplace Advantage (eMMA) and add the solicitation to their eMMA profile. Please visit www.emma.maryland.gov for instructions or to register.

http://www.emma.maryland.gov/

STATE OF MARYLAND

MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

RFA KEY INFORMATION SUMMARY SHEET

Request for Applications: Maryland Healthcare Workforce Data Clearinghouse: Phase 1 Requirements Analysis and Future Planning

Solicitation Number: BPM058186

RFA Issue Date: July 29, 2026

RFA Issuing Office: Maryland Department of Health Office of Population Health Improvement

Procurement Officer: Tiffanie D. Powell, CMPO Office of Population Health Improvement 201 W. Preston Street Baltimore, MD 21201 Phone: 410-591-0108 Tiffanie.powell@maryland.gov

Contract Monitor Elizabeth Vaidya Health Care Access and Workforce Development Office of Population Health Improvement (OPHI) 201 W. Preston Street, 4th floor Baltimore, MD 21201

Applications are to be: Submitted via the State's eMaryland Marketplace Advantage (eMMA)

Pre-Proposal Conference: August 5, 2026 · 2:30 – 3:30 pm

Google Meet joining info Video call link: https://meet.google.com/omd-zzzd-jan Or dial: 5024-416-(US) +1 484 PIN: 640 497 537#

Closing Date and Time: August 26, 2026, at 4 PM

Agreement Duration: Approximately eleven (7) months; to commence on October 1, 2026 and terminate on April 30, 2027.

mailto:Tiffanie.powell@maryland.gov https://meet.google.com/omd-zzzd-jan

SECTION 1 - GENERAL INFORMATION

1.1 Summary Statement

1.1.1 The Office of Population Health Improvement (OPHI), housed within the Public Health Services Administration at the Maryland Department of Health (MDH or Department) has a long-term vision for a Healthcare Workforce Data Clearinghouse (Clearinghouse).

OPHI is seeking an Applicant to conduct a requirements analysis and develop future plans as the first phase in Maryland’s development of the Clearinghouse.

The Clearinghouse will serve as a centralized digital repository for the collection, validation, and standardization of healthcare workforce data. It will draw from multiple sources and distribute outputs to various credentialed users or organizations through online reporting and visualizations. The Clearinghouse will enable the State and other authorized entities to evaluate access to healthcare across Maryland rural areas and other geographic locations, by practitioner and service type among other characteristics.

MDH is deploying Maryland Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) immediate impact funds for the first phase of the Clearinghouse. The Department allocates RHTP immediate impact funds for “shovel-ready” activities serving rural Maryland. See 1.1.2 for more information on RHTP. In phase one under this RFA, the selected Applicant will work closely with users to conduct a detailed requirements analysis and create plans for the Clearinghouse’s future. The selected Applicant will leverage existing Maryland resources to achieve these objectives. Under this RFA, the selected Applicant will conduct the following:

Activity 1: Orient to Current State

Activity 2: Develop Use Case for Analysis of Underserved Areas

Activity 3: Develop Use Case for Churn and Trend Analysis

Activity 4: Develop Use Case for Service Commitment Tracking

Activity 5: Create Future State Clearinghouse Roadmap

The Clearinghouse build will occur outside of the scope of this RFA in one or more subsequent phases.

1.1.2 This agreement is funded through the Maryland RHTP and financially supported by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award to MDH totaling $168,180,837.61 and 100 percent funded by CMS/HHS. The contents of this RFA are those of the State and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CMS/HHS, or the U.S. Government.

Maryland’s RHTP defines rural Maryland to include the following counties in their entirety: Allegany, Calvert, Caroline, Carroll, Cecil, Charles, Dorchester, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Kent, Queen Anne’s, Somerset, St. Mary’s, Talbot, Washington, Wicomico, and Worcester. These are the jurisdictions noted as rural in the CMS-approved Maryland RHTP Plan.

It is the State’s intention to obtain services, as specified in this RFA, from an Agreement between the selected Applicant and the State. The anticipated duration of services to be provided under this Agreement is October 1, 2026 and terminate on April 30, 2027. As this is a short timeframe, the State intends for Activities 1 through 5 in this RFA to run in parallel, not sequentially.

1.1.3 The Department intends to make one award for this agreement for a maximum to not exceed $649,385 for the award period October 1, 2026 through April 30, 2027. The State is able to award RHTP Budget Period 1 funding under this RFA. While there is no guarantee of future federal RHTP funding, the State anticipates additional federal RHTP awards for subsequent periods. The State may issue one or more subsequent RFAs or RFPs to support continued and evolving Clearinghouse phases. The selected Applicant for this RFA may be precluded for bidding on one or more subsequent phases of Clearinghouse work.

1.1.4 An Applicant, either directly or through their subcontractor(s), must be able to provide all services and meet all of the requirements requested in this solicitation and the successful Applicant shall remain responsible for performance regardless of subcontractor participation in the work.

1.2 Contract Type

The Agreement resulting from this solicitation shall be reimbursable up to the award amount.

1.3 Procurement Officer

The sole point of contact in the State for purposes of this solicitation prior to the award of any Agreement is the Procurement Officer at the address listed below:

Procurement Officer: Tiffanie D. Powell, CMPO Office of Population Health Improvement

201 W. Preston Street Baltimore, MD 21201

Mobile: 410-591-0108 E-mail: tiffanie.powell@maryland.gov

The Department may change the Procurement Officer at any time by written notice.

1.4 Grant Monitor

Grant Monitor: Elizabeth Vaidya Program Manager II Health Care Access and Workforce Development (HAWD) Office of Population Health Improvement (OPHI)

Maryland Department of Health (MDH) 201 West Preston Street Baltimore, MD 21201 https://health.maryland.gov/pophealth/Documents/Rural%20Health/MDRH-Plan-2018.pdf mailto:Tiffanie.powell@maryland.gov

The Department may change the Grant Monitor at any time by written notice.

1.5 eMaryland Marketplace Advantage

Each Applicant is requested to indicate its eMaryland Marketplace Advantage (eMMA) vendor number in the Transmittal Letter (cover letter) submitted at the time of its Application submission to this RFA.

eMMA is an electronic commerce system administered by the Maryland Department of General Services. The RFA and associated materials, the solicitation and summary of the Pre-Proposal Conference, Applicant questions and the Procurement Officer’s responses, addenda, and other solicitation-related information will be provided via eMMA.

In order to receive a contract award, a vendor must be registered on eMMA. Registration is free. Go to https://procurement.maryland.gov/, click on “Register” to begin the process, and then follow the prompts.

1.6 Questions

Written questions from prospective Applicants will be accepted by the Procurement Officer.

Questions to the Procurement Officer shall be submitted via e-mail to the following e-mail address: tiffanie.powell@maryland.gov. Please identify in the subject line the Solicitation Number and Title.

Questions are requested to be submitted at least seven (7) days prior to the Application due date. The Procurement Officer, based on the availability of time to research and communicate an answer, shall decide whether an answer can be given before the Application due date. All vendor questions with answers will be compiled in a Q&A document and attached to the solicitation five (5) days prior to the Application deadline.

1.7 Pre-Proposal Conference

All prospective Offerors are encouraged to attend in order to facilitate better preparation of their Proposals.

As promptly as is feasible after the Conference, a summary of the Conference and all questions and answers known at that time will be attached to the Solicitation on eMaryland Marketplace Advantage.

If there is a need for sign language interpretation and/or other special accommodations due to a disability, please notify the Procurement Officer at least five (5) Business Days prior to the Pre-Proposal Conference date. The Department will make a reasonable effort to provide such special accommodation.

1.8 Application Due (Closing) Date and Time

Applications, in the number and form set forth in Section 4.2 must be posted to eMMA no later than 4:00 PM EST on August 26, 2026 in order to be considered. Applications submitted via any other means will not be accepted for this solicitation. Requests for extension of this time or date will not be granted.

https://procurement.maryland.gov/ mailto:tiffanie.powell@maryland.gov

Questions regarding this solicitation should be directed (by e-mail only, no phone calls will be accepted) to the PROCUREMENT OFFICER.

Applications may be modified or withdrawn by written notice received by the Procurement Officer before the time and date set forth in this section for receipt of Application. Multiple and/or alternate Applications will not be accepted.

1.9 Award Basis

The Grant shall be awarded to a single responsible Applicant submitting an Application that is determined to be the most advantageous to the State, considering price and evaluation factors set forth in this RFA, for providing the activities as specified in this RFA. See RFA Section 5 for further award information.

1.10 Revisions to the RFA

If it becomes necessary to revise this RFA before the due date for Applications, the Department shall endeavor to provide addenda to all prospective Applicants that were sent this RFA or which are otherwise known by the Procurement Officer to have obtained this RFA. Addenda made after the due date for Applications will be sent only to those Applicants that submitted a timely Application and that remain under award consideration as of the issuance date of the addenda.

Acknowledgment of the receipt of all addenda to this RFA issued before the Application due date shall be included in the Transmittal Letter accompanying the Applicant’s Project Narrative.

Acknowledgement of the receipt of addenda to the RFA issued after the Application due date shall be in the manner specified in the addendum notice. Failure to acknowledge receipt of an addendum does not relieve the Applicant from complying with the terms, additions, deletions, or corrections set forth in the addendum.

1.11 Cancellations

The State reserves the right to cancel this RFA, accept or reject any and all Applications, in whole or in part, received in response to this RFA, waive or permit the cure of minor irregularities, and conduct discussions with all qualified or potentially qualified Offerors in any manner necessary to serve the best interests of the State. The State reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to award a Grant based upon the written Applications received without discussions or negotiations. In the event a government entity proposes and receives the recommendation for award, the procurement may be canceled and the award processed in accordance with COMAR 21.01.03.01.A(4). If the services that are the subject of the RFA are currently being provided under an interagency agreement with a public institution of higher education and the State determines that the services can be provided more cost effectively by the public institution of higher education, then the RFA may be canceled in accordance with Md. Code Ann., State Finance and Procurement Art., § 3- 207(b)(2).

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SECTION 2 – MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS

2.1 Applicant Mandatory Requirements

The Applicant must provide proof with its Application that the following Mandatory Requirements have been met:

2.1.1 An Applicant may propose the use of subcontractor(s) in their Technical Response and Proposed Work Plan. However, the Applicant is encouraged to perform at least 51% of the work. If subcontractor(s) will be utilized, clearly describe what services they will provide and the total percentage of work to be completed by each [the Applicant and subcontractor(s)] in the Technical Response. Academic institutions who propose to perform less than 51% of the work will be required to obtain a waiver with the Maryland Department of Health.

2.1.2 The Applicant shall be a Social organization as defined per Section 7-402 of the State Finance and Procurement Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland or a local, state government agency, public college or state university. The Applicant may use subcontractors that are not defined as a social organization and could be for profit organizations.

2.1.3 For social organization Applicants (not local, state government agency, public college, or state university), the Applicant must be a nonprofit organization, classified by the IRS as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Applications must include attachments of the following documentation from the applicant:

2.1.3.1 Documentation of tax-exempt status of the Applicant or the Applicant’s fiscal sponsor (i.e. IRS tax exempt status determination letter)

2.1.4 Applicants must maintain an operational office within Maryland. All official records must be maintained at this location and accessible for site visits and audits. Applicants must be a 501(c3) or institute of higher education.

2.1.5 A recommended awardee must be registered and in good standing with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT). A certificate of status can be obtained from https://egov.maryland.gov/businessexpress.

2.1.6 Applicants must be registered on eMMA (see https://procurement.maryland.gov/ for more information).

2.1.7 Applicants shall demonstrate (1) substantial organizational capacity and capability in data management, integrations, analytics, visualization, and decision support; (2) experience and expertise of the proposed team to support technical requirements gathering and long-term planning; and (3) prior experience working in Maryland and with MDH and its stakeholders.

https://egov.maryland.gov/businessexpress

SECTION 3 – SCOPE OF WORK

3.1 Background and Purpose

This solicitation is part of Maryland’s CMS-approved RHTP. A pillar of Maryland’s RHTP is transforming the rural health workforce, given the State’s well-documented rural provider shortages. The central repository of healthcare workforce data to be developed under this RFA is foundational to reducing provider shortages in rural Maryland. The Clearinghouse will give the State insight into the capacity and characteristics of its healthcare workforce across provider types, disciplines, and settings to:

3.1.1. Understand current and predict future State and local healthcare workforce shortages and gaps;

3.1.2. Better use policy and program levers to address healthcare workforce needs;

3.1.3. Predict and prevent threats to healthcare access; and

3.1.4. Improve poor health outcomes exacerbated by healthcare workforce gaps.

Healthcare workforce licensure data is available from a wide variety of sources. However, there are limitations in the availability, quantity, and quality of data. A formal, robust, and real-time system of data collection and collation is vital to develop an appropriately-distributed and resilient healthcare workforce, particularly in advance of healthcare supply and demand changes such as those caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The first phase of achieving OPHI’s long-term Clearinghouse vision will build on Maryland’s prior planning work. In 2024, the Office of Population Health Improvement convened stakeholders including the MDH Office of the Secretary, Maryland Longitudinal Data System Center, CRISP (the Chesapeake Regional Information System for our Patients), MDH Office of Advanced Primary Care, Maryland Health Care Commission, and others. The workshop was informed by an analysis of other states’ models for healthcare workforce data repositories:

Preparing for a Maryland Statewide Healthcare Workforce Data Clearinghouse: State and National Landscape Findings. Workshop attendees discussed an immediate implementation timeline, but activity did not advance due to a lack of immediate funding.

OPHI will provide internal documents, including those related to the workshop, to the selected Applicant. These include include a 2022 “blueprint” with recommended options for establishing a healthcare workforce data repository, its governance, and structure, and a 2024 “vision document” that articulates a vision for the Clearinghouse, including preliminary use cases, potential data sources, proposed infrastructure and governance, and an actionable path forward for implementation. These recommendations should be revisited in light of progress in some areas and new needs.

This RFA will advance the Clearinghouse vision by leveraging existing Maryland data infrastructure to develop three immediate use cases and create a plan for furthering Maryland’s long-term Clearinghouse vision in subsequent phases of work under one or more separate RFAs.

Data currently available through OPHI and CRISP lay the foundation for Maryland to move from labor-intensive, manual rural provider analyses to a near-real-time, auditable, protected health https://health.maryland.gov/pophealth/Documents/Rural%20Health/MD-Statewide-HC-Workforce-Data-Clearinghouse-State-and-National-Landscape-Findings.pdf https://health.maryland.gov/pophealth/Documents/Rural%20Health/MD-Statewide-HC-Workforce-Data-Clearinghouse-State-and-National-Landscape-Findings.pdf information-safe (PHI-safe), and action-oriented workforce-intelligence platform. Aspects of the needed infrastructure, methodology, and partnerships are already in place to know, in detail and in near-real-time, who is delivering care to rural Marylanders and where gaps remain. The selected Applicant will leverage Maryland’s work underway.

In recent years, CRISP has advanced its management of provider data to support care coordination efforts at the point of care and ensure regulatory compliance related to the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program. A natural evolution of this was to support Medicaid’s publicly facing provider directory and CMS interoperability rule compliance. These efforts resulted in a capability to ingest, normalize, and reconcile records from Maryland's licensure boards (physicians, nursing, dental, podiatry, social work, and others), Medicaid fee-for-service and managed care organization network files, PDMP registration data, the Office of Controlled Substances Administration file, National Plan and Provider Enumeration System, Drug Enforcement Administration, CMS PhysicianCompare, and United States Postal Service address verification. This produces provider-and-location "golden records" with unique identifiers and a standardized data model aligned to the HL7 FHIR PlanNet implementation guide.

Most recently, CRISP is using this data to understand how to focus and prioritize its RHTP connectivity initiative. To support this, CRISP is marrying the provider data and other CRISP data feeds with reporting and analytics capabilities to support these planning activities. This work is ongoing and expected to result in new reporting capabilities by the end of 2026.

There has been additional progress in State data availability in recent years. Examples include the Maryland Longitudinal Data System Center’s work with the State’s health professional licensing boards, and information from MCO network adequacy analyses. The selected Applicant will leverage these capabilities to support some of the needs of the immediate use cases described in this RFA.

3.2 Scope of Work - Requirements

3.2.1. General Requirements

3.2.1.1. The Americans with Disabilities Act: The Americans with Disabilities Act (https:www.ada.gov/) protects qualified individuals with disabilities from discrimination on the basis of disability in services, programs, and activities.

Accessibility and inclusion of diverse populations are essential to reduce health disparities for vulnerable populations. Contractors must comply with all ADA requirements in their work to ensure the needs of persons with disabilities and other vulnerable populations are met. This includes, but is not limited to:

3.2.1.1.1. facilities and any venues used for meetings/conferences are accessible;

3.2.1.1.2. requested accommodations are provided in a timely manner; and

3.2.1.1.3. written and printed materials developed in accessible formats (easy to read, large print, etc.), or providing access to alternative formats.

For contracts which include direct patient care or service delivery through a program, the ADA requires entities provide full and equal access for people with disabilities. This includes, but is not limited to:

3.2.1.1.4. reasonable modifications of policies, practices, and procedures;

3.2.1.1.5. effective communication; and

3.2.1.1.6. accessible facilities.

3.2.1.2. The Applicant shall provide in their technical proposal:

3.2.1.2.1. Transmittal letter

3.2.1.2.2. A project narrative including:

3.2.1.2.2.1. Description of processes to complete the scope of work;

3.2.1.2.2.2. Describe experience in completing the tasks and objectives found in the Scope of Work with at least 5 years experience in: data management, integrations, analytics, visualization, and decision support; working with MDH and its stakeholders; and stakeholder engagement processes.

3.2.1.2.2.3. Include the names of organizations that you previously worked with to provide similar services;

3.2.1.2.2.4. Organizational capacity to complete the scope of work including staff resumes or required qualifications;

3.2.1.2.2.5. Program management and partnerships;

3.2.1.2.2.6. Project narratives should be a maximum of 10 pages, not including attachments, with 12-point font and single spaced. All other attachments do not apply to the page count.

3.2.1.2.3. A Work Plan (Attachment C) to accomplish all deliverables in the scope of work.

3.2.1.3. The proposal shall demonstrate:

3.2.1.3.1. Capacity to complete the requirements and an appropriate timeline;

3.2.1.3.2. The capacity and qualifications of staff who will participate in the project.

3.2.1.4. The Applicant shall provide their financial proposal (separate from the technical proposal):

3.2.1.4.1. Budget forms (Exhibit B) to accomplish all deliverables in the scope of work;

and

3.2.1.4.2. Budget narrative (Exhibit C) to accomplish all deliverables in the scope of work.

3.2.1.5. The proposal shall include a commitment to meet virtually with the OPHI Team and stakeholders

3.2.1.5.1. With OPHI within two (2) weeks of the grant award for an initial planning meeting and every two (2) weeks for progress updates.

3.2.1.5.2. As needed with stakeholders to meet the goals of the project.

3.2.2. Scope of Work

3.2.2.1. Activity 1: Orient to Current State

As described above in 3.1, Maryland has considerable existing resources and has conducted prior work to envision the Clearinghouse. OPHI currently relies on substantial manual effort to combine available data from multiple sources to produce healthcare workforce reporting.

CRISP, in partnership with its provider data management vendor, has stood up an identity layer for Maryland's healthcare workforce. Given this, CRISP will serve as the data repository and will master all data sources for the three initial use cases (Activities 2 through 4). Future use cases and ongoing data management will be defined as the project evolves and builds on initial findings

As a foundational first step, the selected Applicant will conduct a high-level review of the current state of Maryland’s healthcare workforce data resources to orient to what already exists and how different resources fit together. The selected Applicant shall review OPHI-provided background resources. To inform use case development, the selected Applicant shall interview OPHI staff, CRISP staff, MD Labor staff, and other MDH staff and stakeholders as needed. The interviews will introduce the selected Applicant to existing resources for a high-level understanding of data sources, their methods of data collection, and whether data resides at OPHI, at CRISP, or elsewhere (e.g. health professional licensing boards; Maryland Health Care Commission; Maryland Longitudinal Data System Center; Hilltop Institute (Medicaid), National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), Core Service Agencies, etc.). The selected Applicant shall continue to tailor information collection to each of the three initial use cases under 3.2.2.2.

3.2.2.2. Develop Three Initial Use Cases for Activities 2 through 4 This RFA defines three initial use cases to describe how users will interact with the Clearinghouse to achieve specific objectives. This will enable OPHI to bridge the gap between business needs and system design for Clearinghouse functionality that solves real problems.

The use cases shall:

3.2.2.2.1. Ensure the Clearinghouse meets user needs;

3.2.2.2.2. Facilitate communication among stakeholders;

3.2.2.2.3. Reveal gaps and exceptions early to be addressed prior to implementation;

and

3.2.2.2.4. Help prioritize work to deliver the greatest value.

Maryland envisions the development of use cases and their requirements analysis to be very detailed work. The selected Applicant shall work with OPHI users, MD Labor users, and CRISP to understand user needs–including how users want to receive data and what data visualizations should look like–and how user needs can be met by existing infrastructure.

The selected Applicant will conduct the following tasks for all three initial use cases:

3.2.2.3. Conduct requirements analysis to determine, e.g.:

3.2.2.3.1. What information OPHI will send CRISP for ingestion and data mastering to unify, standardize, and deduplicate data to create a single, authoritative, trusted master record?

3.2.2.3.2. What is the process for OPHI to send data to CRISP for ingestion and data mastering?

3.2.2.3.3. What integrations are required?

3.2.2.3.4. What outputs are expected?

3.2.2.4. Develop specifications for the following:

3.2.2.4.1. User interfaces

3.2.2.4.2. Data requirements (e.g., data fields and types)

3.2.2.4.3. Business rules

3.2.2.4.4. Data mapping

3.2.2.4.5. Integration needs

3.2.2.4.6. Specifications for end products, analytic tools, data visualizations, reporting,

3.2.2.4.7. and notifications.

3.2.2.5. Identify needed business agreements, data use agreements, and payment plans as applicable.

Activity 2: Develop Use Case for Analysis of Underserved Areas

For Activity 2, the selected Applicant will develop a use case for analysis of rural and underserved healthcare areas. This will provide Maryland with better insight into the capacity and characteristics of the current primary care and specialty care health workforce (Dentists, Pediatricians, General Practitioners, Family Practitioners, Internal Medicine, Obstetrician-gynecologists, Nurse mid-wives, Nurse practitioners, Physician Assistants, Psychiatrists, Clinical Psychologists, Clinical Social Workers, Psychiatric Nurse Specialists, and Marriage and Family Therapists). There are significant gaps between active licensure and actual provision of healthcare services.

Maryland seeks to determine who clinicians are, what services they provide, in what geographies and settings they practice, hours worked per week, and number of hours providing clinical care versus performing administrative, teaching, or managerial responsibilities. To the extent possible, the use case will automate aggregation and analysis of existing data sources to create a robust underserved analysis with minimal reliance on surveys and manual processes.

The use case will focus on provider types for whom care delivery transaction information is currently available (e.g., non-CDS prescription dispenses, orders, and encounters). The selected Applicant will work closely with OPHI as the user to conduct requirements analysis and develop specifications for the end products, data visualizations, and reporting to be accessible to credentialed users.

Activity 3: Develop Use Case for Churn and Trend Analysis

For activity 3, the selected Applicant will develop a use case for analysis of churn and trend among the primary and specialty care healthcare workforce. This aligns closely with Activity 2, and seeks to provide information on entrants to and exists from the healthcare workforce in addition to the total number of primary and specialty care clinicians. As for Activity 2, this use case will focus on provider types for whom care delivery transaction information is currently available (e.g., non-CDS prescription dispenses, orders, and encounters). This use case will help Maryland predict future need for healthcare workers, for example by matching results of this analysis to job posting data.

The selected Applicant will work closely with the Maryland Department of Labor (MD Labor) and OPHI as the users to conduct requirements analysis and develop specifications for the end products, data visualizations, and reporting to be accessible to credentialed users.

Activity 4: Develop Use Case for Service Commitment Tracking

For Activity 4, the selected Applicant will develop a use case for service commitment tracking.

As part of the RHTP funding opportunity, MD Labor announced four workforce development initiatives intended to deploy resources to projects dedicated to the transformation of Maryland’s rural communities by establishing a sustainable workforce ecosystem, with a framework to bolster and retain allied health, mid-level, and advanced practice professionals currently residing in rural Maryland. Participants who receive direct financial support and/or training that leads to a certificate, credential, or degree with Maryland RHTP funding must commit to a 5-year service commitment in rural Maryland. MD Labor grantees will be responsible for tracking the fulfillment of the service commitment for participants and provide the names and contact information of individuals trained to MD Labor for monitoring. MDH may enforce further requirements for tracking the fulfillment of the service commitment.

Grantees must update procedures accordingly.

The selected Applicant will develop the Clearinghouse use case for tracking of healthcare workforce participants’ fulfillment of service commitments. The selected Applicant will work closely with MD Labor as the user to conduct requirements analysis and develop specifications for the end products, data visualizations, and reporting to be accessible to credentialed users.

The selected Applicant will interview MD Labor staff on tracking and reporting needs. The selected Applicant will identify how to leverage available data inputs (e.g., providing billing or prescribing activity and location). For example, MD Labor may need to provide spreadsheets via SFTP to CRISP for integration with claims and HSCRC case mix data.

3.2.2.6. Create Roadmap for Clearinghouse (Activity 5)

For activity 5, the selected Applicant shall create a longer term plan for Maryland to build a robust Clearinghouse, fulfilling the vision identified in the 2024 vision document and its evolution based on stakeholder input gathered under this RFA. The selected Applicant shall deliver the draft roadmap to OPHI in March 2027 and the final roadmap to OPHI by April 2027.

To meet the required timeframes, the State intends for the selected Applicant to begin work on Activity 5 in parallel with use case development (Activities 2 through 4). The roadmap shall include recommendations for:

3.2.2.6.1. Incremental next steps in future use case development and their sequencing

3.2.2.6.2. Clearinghouse data model including:

3.3.2.6.1.1. Datasets to fill identified data gaps

3.3.2.6.1.2. Technical infrastructure, including mapping and integrations

3.2.2.6.3. Clearinghouse governance model

3.2.2.6.4. Hosting/data mastering entity

3.2.2.6.5. Needed data agreements

3.2.2.6.6. Qualifications of an entity capable of building the Clearinghouse

3.2.2.6.7. Estimated time and cost to complete Clearinghouse build

3.2.2.6.8. Approach to future competitive procurement(s) to build Clearinghouse technical infrastructure

3.2.2.6.9. Potential funding streams for Clearinghouse sustainability

The selected Applicant shall work with OPHI to identify the incremental next steps and future use cases. As described above, Maryland currently has rich data on prescribing, encounters, and claims. Use cases related to allied and other health workers may require additional types of data. Once available, these additional datasets will be mastered into the Clearinghouse.

The selected Applicant shall work with OPHI – including two dedicated staff members – engage stakeholders (both internal and external to the State government), conduct interviews, and facilitate discussions to inform this activity. This includes re-engaging the entities involved developing the 2024 vision document. The selected Applicant shall provide support to OPHI for administrative aspects of the stakeholder engagement process as needed, potentially including:

3.3.2.6.1.3. Scheduling meetings

3.3.2.6.1.4. Developing meeting agendas and background materials

3.3.2.6.1.5. Hosting webinars

3.3.2.6.1.6. Coordinating and facilitating in-person or hybrid meetings

3.3.2.6.1.7. Drafting meeting summaries

3.2.2.7. OPHI shall monitor the work of the selected Applicant, including approving deliverables.

3.2.3. Deliverable Requirements

3.2.3.1. Deliverable Submission:

3.2.3.1.1. Unless specified otherwise, written deliverables shall be compatible with

Microsoft Office or some other equally accessible and mutually agreed-upon program.

3.2.3.1.2. A standard deliverable review cycle will be elaborated and agreed upon between the State and the selected Applicant.

3.2.3.1.3. The table below shows the deliverables under this RFA and their submission schedule.

Activity Deliverable Submission Date

Project Kickoff Work Plan revised from proposal as needed

Two weeks from project kickoff

Activity 1: Orient to Current State

Memo of high-level updates to existing resources (landscape, blueprint, vision document)

October 31, 2027

Activity 2: Develop Use Case for Analysis of Underserved Areas

Requirements analysis and specifications

March 31, 2027

Support for implementation Ongoing - April 30, Activity 3: Develop Use Case for Churn and Trend Analysis

Requirements analysis and specifications

March 31, 2027

Support for implementation Ongoing

Activity 4: Develop Use Case for Service Commitment Tracking

Requirements analysis and specifications

March 31, 2027

Support for implementation Ongoing - April 30, Activity 5: Create Future State Clearinghouse Roadmap

Draft Roadmap March 31, 2027

Final Roadmap revised to reflect OPHI feedback

April 30, 2027

3.2.3.2. Deliverable Acceptance:

3.2.3.1.4. The selected Applicant’s work shall satisfy the scope and requirements of this contract or the deliverable.

3.2.3.3. The Contract Monitor shall review that the contractor is meeting the tasks and responsibilities as outlined in the Scope of work section 3.2.2 to determine compliance with the acceptance criteria as defined for that deliverable. The Contract Monitor is responsible for coordinating comments and input from various team members and stakeholders. The Contract Monitor is responsible for providing clear guidance and direction to the Contractor in the event of divergent feedback from various team members.

3.2.3.4. In the event of rejection, the Contract Monitor will formally communicate in writing any deliverable deficiencies or non‐conformities to the selected Applicant, describing in those deficiencies what shall be corrected prior to acceptance of the deliverable in sufficient detail for the selected Applicant to address the deficiencies. The selected Applicant shall correct deficiencies and resubmit the corrected deliverable for acceptance within the agreed-upon time period for correction.

3.2.3.5. Minimum Deliverable Quality - The selected Applicant shall subject each deliverable to its internal quality‐control process prior to submitting the deliverable to the State. Each deliverable shall meet the following minimum acceptance criteria:

3.2.3.1.5. Be presented in a format appropriate for the subject matter and depth of discussion;

3.2.3.1.6. Be organized in a manner that presents a logical flow of the deliverable’s content;

3.2.3.1.7. Represent factual information reasonably expected to have been known at the time of submittal;

3.2.3.1.8. Include only information relevant to each section of the deliverable;

3.2.3.1.9. Contain content and presentation consistent with industry best practices in terms of deliverable completeness, clarity, and quality;

3.2.3.1.10. Meet the acceptance criteria applicable to that deliverable, including any

State policies, functional or non‐functional requirements, or industry standards. These include being presented in a format editable by the Department and containing the Department logo/branding;

3.2.3.1.11. Does not contain structural errors such as poor grammar, misspellings or incorrect punctuation;

3.2.3.1.12. Contain the date and page numbers. When applicable for a deliverable, a revision table must be included;

3.2.3.1.13. A draft written deliverable may contain limited structural errors such as incorrect punctuation and shall represent a significant level of completeness toward the associated final written deliverable. The draft written deliverable shall otherwise comply with minimum deliverable quality criteria above; and

3.2.3.1.14. Printed materials should be of adequate paper weight, finish, and print quality consistent with high-quality presentation documents.

3.2.3.6. Other measures as agreed upon by the selected Applicant and MDH OPHI.

3.2.4. Fiscal Requirements

3.2.4.1. It is the State’s intention to obtain services, as specified in this RFA, from an Agreement between the selected Applicant and the State. The anticipated duration of services to be provided under this Agreement is October 1, 2026 - April 30, 2027.

3.2.4.2. All Applicants must propose an initiative and budget that outlines how the Scope of Work and Deliverables will be successfully completed by the end of this agreement, June 30, 2027.

3.2.4.3. The selected Applicant will submit quarterly expenditure reports for this agreement on December 31, 2026 and April 30, 2027 per the invoice schedule detailed below in 3.3.2.2.

3.2.4.4. There is an 8.5% administrative cap, inclusive of any salary and fringe dedicated to administrative tasks and indirect costs.

3.2.4.5. Applicants must acknowledge acceptance of CMS requirements, terms, and conditions. All partners and subawardees of Maryland’s RHTP cooperative agreement with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) must agree to and comply with RHTP terms and conditions included in:

3.2.4.5.1. CMS Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), https://grants.gov/search-results-detail/360442

3.2.4.5.2. CMS NOFO - Frequently Asked Questions, https://www.cms.gov/files/document/rural-health-transformation-frequently-asked-questions.pdf

3.2.4.5.3. Maryland Notice of Award Terms and Conditions, https://health.maryland.gov/pophealth/Documents/Rural%20Health/RHTP/ Maryland-RHTP-Terms-and-Conditions-from-CMS-12-2025.pdf

3.2.4.5.4. CMS RHTP Frequently Asked Questions - April 2026, https://www.cms.gov/files/document/frequently-asked-questions-april- 2026.pdf https://grants.gov/search-results-detail/360442 https://grants.gov/search-results-detail/360442 https://www.cms.gov/files/document/rural-health-transformation-frequently-asked-questions.pdf https://www.cms.gov/files/document/rural-health-transformation-frequently-asked-questions.pdf https://health.maryland.gov/pophealth/Documents/Rural%20Health/RHTP/Maryland-RHTP-Terms-and-Conditions-from-CMS-12-2025.pdf https://health.maryland.gov/pophealth/Documents/Rural%20Health/RHTP/Maryland-RHTP-Terms-and-Conditions-from-CMS-12-2025.pdf https://www.cms.gov/files/document/frequently-asked-questions-april-2026.pdf https://www.cms.gov/files/document/frequently-asked-questions-april-2026.pdf

3.3 Invoicing

3.3.1. General

3.3.1.1. All invoices for services shall be signed by the selected Applicant and submitted to the Contract Monitor. All invoices shall include the following information:

3.3.1.1.1. Selected Applicant name;

3.3.1.1.2. Remittance address;

3.3.1.1.3. Federal taxpayer identification number (or if sole proprietorship, the individual’s social security number);

3.3.1.1.4. Invoice period;

3.3.1.1.5. Invoice date;

3.3.1.1.6. Invoice number;

3.3.1.1.7. State assigned Contract number;

3.3.1.1.8. State assigned (Blanket) Purchase Order number(s);

3.3.1.1.9. Goods or services provided; and

3.3.1.1.10. Amount due.

Invoices submitted without the required information cannot be processed for payment until the selected Applicant provides the required information.

3.3.1.2. The Department reserves the right to reduce or withhold Grant payment in the event the selected Applicant does not provide the Department with all required deliverables within the time frame specified in the Grant or in the event that the Grantee otherwise materially breaches the terms and conditions of the Grant until such time as the selected Applicant brings itself into full compliance with the Grant.

3.3.2. Invoice Submission Schedule

3.3.2.1. The selected Applicant shall submit quarterly invoices and expenditure reports as listed in 3.2.4.3 and in accordance with the following schedule below:

Dates (Year and Approximate Quarter)

State Fiscal Year (SFY), Quarter (Q)

Quarterly Expenditure Reports Date

October 1, 2026 - December 31, 2026 SFY 2027, Q1 December 31, 2026

January 1, 2027 - April 30, 2027 SFY 2027, Q2 April 30, 2027

SECTION 4 – APPLICATION FORMAT

4.1 Proposals

Applications must be submitted via eMMA. The Procurement Officer will not accept submission after the date and exact time stated in the RFA Key Information Summary Sheet. Offerors shall submit Proposals in separate volumes:

4.1.1. Volume I – Project Narrative (See Section 4.2)

4.1.2. Volume II – Budget Justification/Narrative (See Section 4.3)

4.2 Volume I – Project Narrative

Note: No pricing information is to be included in the Project Narrative (Volume 1). Pricing information is to be included only in the Budget Justification/Narrative (Volume II).

4.2.1. The Technical Proposal shall include and be limited to the following documents and information in the order specified as follows:

4.2.1.1. Transmittal Letter:

4.2.1.1.1. Applicant;

4.2.1.1.2. Solicitation Title and Solicitation Number that the Proposal is in response to;

4.2.1.1.3. Signature, typed name, title, phone number, and email address of an individual authorized to commit the Applicant to its Proposal;

4.2.1.1.4. Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN) of the Applicant, or if a single individual, that individual’s Social Security Number (SSN);

4.2.1.1.5. Applicant’s eMMA number;

4.2.1.1.6. Applicant’s MBE certification number (if applicable);

4.2.1.1.7. Applicant’s SBR number (if applicable) – please contact eMMA at 410-767-

1492 if you don’t know your number.

4.2.1.2. The Project Narrative shall follow the outline below and not be more than ten (10) pages (standard letter size, 12 pt. font, single spaced).

4.2.1.2.1. A description of the process to complete the scope of work requirements listed in Section 3.2 including the goals, key tasks/activities, person(s) responsible, begin date and end date for the proposed project. Discuss any barriers you anticipate encountering and approaches you will use to overcome these barriers.

4.2.1.2.2. Program management – Describe the roles and responsibilities of all program staff, such as leadership, service providers, and fiscal staff.

4.2.1.3. The Application will include the following attachments. Each attachment should have a title page with the attachment title and organization name. All attachments must be submitted as separate pdf files.

4.2.1.3.1. Work Plan - Work Plan to complete the scope of work requirements. (See Attachment H).

4.2.1.3.2. Resumes - Resumes for key staff listed in the project narrative. If key staff have not been identified, then the required qualifications listed in the project narrative for key staff is sufficient.

4.2.1.3.3. Attachment D: Funding Assessment.

4.2.1.3.4. Attachment E: Certification Regarding Environment Tobacco Smoke.

4.2.1.3.5. Attachment F: Certification Regarding Lobbying.

4.2.1.3.6. Attachment G: Debarment Affirmations.

4.2.1.4. Mandatory Requirements Documentation (see Section 2.1).

4.2.1.5. Applicant Technical Response to RFA Requirements and Proposed Work Plan:

4.2.1.5.1. The Applicant shall address each Scope of Work requirement (Section 3.2) in its Project Narrative and describe how its proposed services, including the services of any proposed subcontractor(s), will meet or exceed the requirement(s). Any paragraph in the Project Narrative that responds to a Scope of Work (Section 3.2) requirement shall include an explanation of how the work will be done. Any exception to a requirement, term, or condition may result in having the Application classified as not reasonably susceptible of being selected for award or the Applicant deemed non-responsive.

4.2.1.5.2. Applicant shall acknowledge they have read the American with Disabilities Act Statement in Section 3.2 and will meet all requirements.

4.2.1.5.3. Signed W-9 with Contact Person Names and Phone Number

4.2.1.5.4. Current (within 3 months) Maryland Certificate of Status. A certificate of status can be obtained from https://egov.maryland.gov/businessexpress.

4.3 Volume II – Budget Narrative

4.3.1. In a separate file from the Project Narrative, upload to eMMA:

4.3.1.1. The Budget Narrative as listed in Section 4.1. The Budget Narrative shall contain all price information in the format specified in Exhibit C. The Applicant shall complete the Budget Narrative Form only as provided in the Budget Narrative Form.

4.3.1.1.1. The Applicant shall include the Budget Form, Exhibit B, information that details the total cost of the proposed activities. The budget categories are:

personnel salary, personnel fringe), travel, equipment, supplies, contractual, other, and indirect costs.

SECTION 5 – EVALUATION COMMITTEE, EVALUATION CRITERIA, AND SELECTION

PROCEDURE

5.1 Evaluation Committee

Evaluation of Applications will be performed by a committee established for that purpose and based on the evaluation criteria set forth below. The Evaluation Committee will review Applications, participate in Applicant oral presentations and discussions, and provide input to the Procurement Officer. The Department reserves the right to utilize the services of individuals outside of the established Evaluation Committee for advice and assistance, as deemed appropriate.

5.2 Project Narrative Evaluation Criteria

The criteria to be used to evaluate each Project Narrative are listed below:

5.2.1. To what extent did the Applicant demonstrate the ability to meet the Scope of Work - Requirements and Deliverables in Section 3.2?

5.2.2. To what extent did the Applicant provide a complete Technical Proposal that included the required documents and information in Section 4.2.1?

5.2.3. To what extent is the application organized, of high quality, clearly written, and complete?

5.2.4. To what extent does the Applicant’s proposal demonstrate:

5.2.4.1. Understanding of the Scope of Work;

5.2.4.2. Organizational experience, expertise, systems, and capacity to manage the Scope of Work;

5.2.4.3. Experience and expertise of the proposed team members to support technical requirements gathering, including data management, integrations, analytic tools and methods, decision support, data governance frameworks, master data management, privacy regulations, and data sharing agreements.

5.2.4.4. Experience and expertise of the proposed team members to facilitate long-term planning, including stakeholder engagement processes, strong communication skills, organizational skills, and skills facilitating large committees.

5.2.4.5. Prior experience working in Maryland; and

5.2.4.6. Prior experience working with MDH and its stakeholders.

5.3 Budget Narrative Evaluation Criteria

All Qualified Applicants will be ranked from the lowest (most advantageous) to the highest (least advantageous) based on the rating of the Project Narratives. The Budget Narrative (including the Budget Form and Budget Narrative) will be evaluated based on reasonable cost given the time and effort described in the Project Narrative. The budget line items must be within the stated guidelines set forth in this RFA and as submitted on Exhibit C – Budget Narrative.

5.3.1. The criteria to be used to evaluate each Budget Narrative are listed below:

5.3.1.1. To what extent does the Applicant demonstrate that funds will be effectively used to implement the scope of work?

5.4 Selection Procedures

5.4.1 General

The Grant will be awarded in accordance with the Standard Grant Agreement method outlined in the Announcement. The State may determine an Applicant to be non-responsive and/or an Applicant’s Application to be not reasonably susceptible of being selected for award at any time after the initial closing date for receipt of Applications and prior to Grant award.