Exhibit E Previously Asked Questions and Responses.pdf

Exhibit E

COLORADO DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT

PREVIOUSLY ASKED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Solicitation Name: PATH4EMS Peer Assistance

Vendor Question #1: (§V.B.2) Is the requirement to be "licensed or otherwise permitted by the State of Colorado to provide mental health evaluations, counseling and monitoring" satisfied by employing Colorado-licensed clinicians (LCSW, LPC, LMFT, LP, LAC, psychiatrist/APRN), or must the Offeror organization separately hold a credential such as a Colorado Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) license or a DORA Mental Health Corporation registration?

CDPHE Answer #1: Individual clinicians providing program services must hold appropriate licensure in the State of Colorado.

Vendor Question #2: (§V.B.2) If an organizational credential is required, which specific Colorado credentials will CDPHE accept, and must it be held at proposal submission, at award, or by the 8/1/2026 contract start?

CDPHE Answer #2: No organizational requirements or credentials for behavioral or mental health.

Organization must be able to qualify as a vendor for the State of Colorado.

Vendor Question #3: (§V.B.1) Is the experience requirement (5 years mental health services / 1 year first responders or similar, including family members) measured at the organizational level, or may it be met through the combined experience of named key personnel?

CDPHE Answer #3: Based on individual provider experience, not combined.

Vendor Question #4: (§V.B) Is a physical office inside Colorado required for any portion of services (intake, evaluation, counseling, monitoring, or crisis response), or may an Offeror deliver the full scope via a statewide telehealth model?

CDPHE Answer #4: All clinical services may be provided via a statewide telehealth model.

Vendor Question #5: (§IX.B.13) For an Offeror whose clinicians and operations are based outside Colorado, please confirm what must be disclosed in the pre-contracting written statement regarding performance outside the State, and whether such a model is consistent with the "statewide reach" expectation in §V.B.5.

CDPHE Answer #5: Based on the nature of the program, preference will be given to organizations based in Colorado.

Vendor Question #6: (§V.B.5) The phrase "all certified EMS providers, as defined by the Department" — please define the Department's expectation. Specifically, does it require physical presence in multiple regions of Colorado, or is statewide telehealth coverage sufficient?

CDPHE Answer #6: Please refer to question #4.

Vendor Question #7: (§IV.B) Are there required technology standards or approved telehealth platforms, and any language-access expectations (e.g., Spanish-speaking clinicians, interpreter services)?

CDPHE Answer #7: Any applicable standards will be found in the Standards and Requirements section of Exhibit D Draft Statement of Work.

Vendor Question #8: (§IV.B) Are there after-hours, weekend, or 24/7 crisis-response expectations? If so, are those hours reimbursable at the §V.C $125/hr cap?

CDPHE Answer #8:Regular business hours are defined as 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except state holidays defined by the Colorado Secretary of State. There is no requirement to provide services outside of these hours.

Vendor Question #9: (§IV.B) What is the expected maximum turnaround time between a CDPHE referral and first participant contact / first clinical appointment?

CDPHE Answer #9: Not specified by program. Participant may decide which provider best meets their needs.

Vendor Question #10: (§I.A, §VII.A) What has been the historical annual utilization of the Path4EMS program — number of unique EMS-provider participants, number of family-member participants, and average billable hours per participant per year?

CDPHE Answer #10: Program is experiencing year-over-year growth in participation. Average number of hours billed per participant each year is approximately 10.

Vendor Question #11: §VII.A) When multiple Offerors are pre-qualified, how are referrals allocated among vendors (participant choice, geographic assignment, rotation, specialty match, other)? Is there a guaranteed minimum referral volume or minimum annual spend per pre-qualified vendor?

CDPHE Answer #11: Determined by participant preference. No guaranteed or required minimums.

Vendor Question #12: (§VII.A) How many Offerors have historically been pre-qualified simultaneously on the Path4EMS list, and do you anticipate a similar number for the 2026–2027 term?

CDPHE Answer #12: There are currently more than 70 vendors qualified to provide Path4EMS services.

We expect this number to grow a small amount each year as dictated by participant needs.

Vendor Question #13: (§V.C.2) Is "Participant" defined as the EMS provider only, or does it include family members receiving services under §V.B.9? If family is covered, do family members share the EMS provider's $1,875 cap or have a separate per-person cap?

CDPHE Answer #13: Participant includes the EMS provider and their qualifying family members. Annual funding maximum is shared.

Vendor Question #14: (§V.C.2) Does the $1,875 cap reset on the state fiscal year (July 1), the calendar year, the contract anniversary, or a participant-specific 12-month window from first service?

CDPHE Answer #14: Funding resets based on a 12-month utilization window that starts on the participants first billable session.

Vendor Question #15: (§V.C) Does the $125/hr maximum apply uniformly across intake, evaluation, individual counseling, family counseling, monitoring, education, and care coordination, or may Offerors propose different rates for different service types within the $125/hr ceiling?

CDPHE Answer #15:Offerors may choose to bill less than the $125 maximum for an hour of allowable services.

Vendor Question #16: (§V.C) Please confirm which of the following are reimbursable: (a) participant no-shows or late cancellations; (b) care-coordination and onward-referral time under §V.B.7; (c) documentation and records time; (d) travel time for any in-person services; (e) group or family sessions, and if reimbursable, how is the per-hour rate applied across multiple participants.

CDPHE Answer #16: a. The program cannot reimburse for no-shows or cancellations.

b. Reimbursement is only for clinical program services provided.

c. Reimbursement is only for clinical program services provided.

d. No reimbursement for travel.

e. Maximum rate per session is $125, even if family member and EMS provider are present.

Vendor Question #17: (§V.C) What is the billing cadence and what supporting documentation (session notes, attestations, CPT codes, participant identifiers) must accompany each invoice? Are any costs reimbursed outside the $1,875/participant cap (onboarding, education-program development, outreach materials, reporting infrastructure)?

CDPHE Answer #17: Utilization reporting and reimbursement requests are required each month and include a participant identifier, number of hours provided, hourly rate requested and other pertinent details. No additional costs are reimbursable.

Vendor Question #18: (§IV.C, Exhibit D) Please confirm the exact location of Exhibit D (Draft Statement of Work) on VSS and BidNet. Under §IV.B.4 (monitoring), what data must be reported back to CDPHE, in what format, at what cadence, and for what duration per participant?

CDPHE Answer #18: I have confirmed that Exhibit D Draft Statement of Work is included in the documentation available in both VSS and BidNet. Part 2 - participant identifier, number of hours provided, hourly rate requested, and participant program status for duration of reimbursable service provision.

Vendor Question #19: (§V.B.8) For the educational component, is CDPHE providing a standardized curriculum, or does the Offeror develop its own? If Offeror-developed, what approval process applies?

CDPHE Answer #19: The education component will be related to a specific participant’s needs, for example recognizing and responding to emotional triggers. No department standards or approval, based on best practices for the profession.

Vendor Question #20: (§V.A, §IX.B.2.c) What are the required privacy and data-handling standards for the contract (HIPAA BAA, specific EHR/telehealth platforms, HITRUST or SOC 2, PHI transmission, record retention)?

CDPHE Answer #20: Please refer to question #7.

Vendor Question #21: (§VIII.B.3, §IX.B.10.a) Please clarify the inconsistency: §VIII.B.3 lists Exhibit C as the Colorado Personal Services Contract Template and Exhibit D as the Draft Statement of Work, while §IX.B.10.a states that a draft Contract is included in Exhibit D. Which Exhibit contains the controlling draft contract that Offerors should redline?

CDPHE Answer #21: Section IX.B.10.a should read “A draft Contract is included in Exhibit C to this solicitation.”

Vendor Question 22: (§IX.B.10) For Exhibit C / contract redlines submitted with the proposal, is there a preferred format (tracked-changes Word, redline memo, side-by-side)? Are substantive redlines on liability, indemnification, IP, termination, or data-handling likely to be treated as non-responsive, negotiable, or scored?

CDPHE Answer #22: Tracked-changes in Word or redline memo are both acceptable. Any requested redlines will not impact the evaluation of the proposal. However, most terms requests will need to be approved by the State Controller and may impact the ability of CDPHE to issue an encumbrance document for services.

Vendor Question #23: (§VI.B.3) Are past-performance references (client lists or reference letters) expected or favorably viewed within the Experience and Qualifications Summary, even though not expressly required?

CDPHE Answer #23: Reference letters will be reviewed and considered.

Vendor Question #24: (§VI.A, Exhibit A) Is there a page limit, word limit, or file-size limit on the proposal, and what file formats and naming conventions does Exhibit A require?

CDPHE Answer #24: There are no limits or size or naming requirements for the documents that are to be submitted. Proposals are to be submitted electronically in BidNet and there are no limitations that we are aware of.

Vendor Question #25: (§VI, §IX.B) Are subcontracting or joint-delivery arrangements (e.g., prime plus a Colorado-based partner) permitted? If so, how should the prime/subcontractor relationship be documented in the proposal, and must each subcontractor independently meet the §V.B qualifications?

CDPHE Answer #25: No subcontracting arrangements permitted.

Vendor Question #26: Health Solutions (based in Pueblo) and Health Solutions West (serving multiple Western Slope locations) are related organizations with distinct service regions. We seek clarification on whether CDPHE prefers affiliated organizations to apply separately or collaboratively as a single, joint submission for this RFP.

CDPHE Answer #26: Whichever way would most accurately track utilization of services and reimbursement requests, will also be based on the business itself (i.e., same W-9)

Vendor Question #27: Can CDPHE clarify whether services funded through this program may be delivered virtually by telehealth or remote support, in person, or through a combination of both?

CDPHE Answer #27: Program does permit in-person, telehealth sessions, or a combination of both.

Telehealth is defined in the Statement of Work as -- A HIPAA compliant video/telephone service used to deliver Path4EMS services that include counseling and wellness sessions, intake, evaluation, and case management and monitoring.