eMMA COVER Letter- 26-MULTI-CS-BH-001.pdf

This is a cover letter for an Invitation for Bids issued by the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services to procure behavioral health evaluation contractors serving three geographic regions (Eastern, Capital South, and Western) across the state. The Department seeks to award up to three contracts, one per region, requiring bidders to cover all counties within their selected region. Services encompass psychological evaluations, psychiatric evaluations, Certificate of Need evaluations, psychosexual evaluations, consultations, and court appearances for adjudicated and pre-adjudicated delinquent youth ages 12-20. Estimated annual volumes include 150 psychological evaluations, 20-50 updated evaluations by region, 15 consultations each for psychological and psychiatric services, 5 court appearances, 5 CON psychiatric evaluations, 3 updated CON evaluations, 50 psychosexual evaluations, and 100 missed appointments. A virtual pre-bid conference is scheduled for March 18, 2026 at 11:00 a.m., with written questions due by March 25, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. Bids are due April 1, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. via eMMA. The contract term extends five years from June 1, 2026 through May 31, 2031 with no renewal options.

Pricing is fixed-price, with virtual evaluations billed at a 20% reduction from the set fee and in-person evaluations at full rate. A 5% Minority Business Enterprise subcontracting participation goal has been established; MBE-certified prime contractors may self-perform 2.5% with the remaining 2.5% fulfilled by subcontractors. Bidders must demonstrate two years of experience within the past five years providing community-based mental health evaluations to court-involved youth and must provide three reference letters. Staff must hold current Maryland licenses with minimum experience requirements: psychologists require at least two years post-doctoral experience evaluating adolescents, and psychiatrists require at least two years post-fellowship experience. Insurance requirements include Commercial General Liability ($1 million per occurrence / $3 million aggregate), Professional Liability ($1 million per claim / $3 million aggregate), Cyber Security/Data Breach ($5 million per occurrence), and Workers' Compensation. Contractor personnel must complete CJIS criminal background checks prior to assignment, with prohibitions on individuals with convictions for crimes against property, theft, fraud, crimes against public administration, or violence. No federal funding is involved, and travel is not reimbursed.