Mental Health Evaluations_Request for Information_DCSA.pdf

SOURCES SOUGHT / REQUEST FOR INFORMATION NOTICE

Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency

Mental Health Evaluations

Section I: Disclaimer and General Information

Introduction

This is a Sources Sought and Request for Information (RFI) Notice issued by the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) for Market Research purposes only. As permitted by Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 10 Market Research, and FAR 15.101(c)(2), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. This Notice is issued solely for information and planning purposes; it does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP), Request for Quote (RFQ), or a promise to issue an RFP or RFQ. Only U.S. Companies and U.S. Persons may view and respond to this request. DCSA is looking for authorized industry partners to meet this potential need and will accept responses from businesses of all sizes.

DCSA is responsible for making final security eligibility decisions on over 85% of cleared personnel in the Federal Government and 96% of Department of Defense (DoD) personnel. It is not a rare occurrence that applicants and cleared individuals will either endorse Question 21 of SF86 (the mental health question) or who have an incident report (IR), pertinent to psychological conditions arise during the vetting process. As such, psychological evaluations are needed at times to determine if cleared individuals and applicants are reliable, stable and trustworthy in light of their reported mental status.

The objective is to establish an IDIQ contract for DCSA and other DoD entities (4th Estate and Military Services) to issue task orders against with a vendor that can efficiently and cost effectively identify and obtain mental health professionals to provide mental health evaluations and detailed written reports, including, but not limited to evaluations related to substance abuse, in support of adjudicating clearance eligibility for current and potential employees. The qualified mental health professionals (clinical psychologist and/or psychiatrist) identified must be acceptable to and approved by the Government staff.

Disclaimer:

This Notice is issued solely for informational and planning purposes only. This is not a Request for Proposal (RFP) or Request for Quote (RFQ). It does not constitute a Solicitation and shall not be construed as a commitment by the Government. Responses in any form are not offers and the Government is under no obligation to award a contract as a result of this announcement. No funds are available to pay for preparation of responses to this announcement and all costs associated with responding to this Notice will be solely at the responding party’s expense. Any information submitted by respondents to this Notice is strictly voluntary, will not be returned, and becomes property of the Federal Government. Not responding to this Notice does not preclude participation in any future Solicitation, if any is issued.

Section II: Background

Previous Contract/Program Background:

IDIQ Number: HS002122D0001

Contract Type: Non-Personal Services IDIQ with Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) Unit Price task orders Incumbent: Thomas & Reed, LLC Method of previous acquisition: 100% 8(a) Set-Aside

The current IDIQ performance work statement (PWS) requires the vendor to perform mental health evaluations including, but not limited to substance abuse, as defined in the PWS. The vendor accomplishes the identification and obtaining of licensed mental health professionals who have a track record of providing mental health evaluations and detailed written reports, including, but not limited to evaluations related to substance abuse.

The IDIQ contract has a five-year ordering period. Task orders awarded under this IDIQ contract are permitted to have up to a 12-month base period plus four (4), 12-month option periods. Any task orders awarded in the last year of the ordering period are permitted to have up to a 12-month base period plus two (2), 12-month option periods.

Work to be performed under this contract is to be performed at the vendor’s physical location(s).

Whenever possible, mental health evaluations are performed at the business location of the mental health professional. Evaluation of an individual must be done in a suitable, professional setting with due regard to the subject's privacy and the gravity of the evaluation process. Only if a mental health professional cannot be obtained in the city/state location of the individual requiring said evaluation shall the Contractor obtain mental health professional services in another city/state, not to exceed a 150-mile radius from the desired location. There are occasions when a mental health professional will be asked to testify at a hearing. Testimony for administrative hearings are held at the location and time specified by the Notice of Hearing or Notice of Personal Appearance issued by the Defense Office of Hearings and Appeals (DOHA).

Section III: Summary of Performance Work Statement (PWS) Requirements

Overview of Requirements

DCSA is seeking information from vendors who can provide and perform the following non-personal services:

The vendor shall provide licensed qualified mental health professionals to diagnose and determine subjects’ mental health conditions upon examining patient. It is highly desirable for evaluating mental health professionals to have experience or familiarity with the personnel security process; however, it is acceptable if the mental health professional does not have previous experience with evaluations of this sort, as long as they are provided training and are qualified as noted in the PWS. Services may be required anywhere in the continental United States (CONUS) or outside the continental United States

(OCONUS).

The mental health evaluations must include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Review of pertinent clinical/background investigative records in preparation for the evaluation;

2. Face-to-face clinical interview with the subject regarding the subject’s mental health history and current status, including but not limited to potentially derogatory information or concern(s) which may or may not be related to substance abuse. Evaluations may be conducted via telehealth, with the approval of DCSA Psychology Staff’;

3. Mental health testing as appropriate/clinically indicated;

4. Creation of a report with the following essential elements:

a. Identifying information

b. Informed Consent

c. Materials considered/methods used

d. History of relevant issues

e. Findings

f. Diagnosis/Prognosis

g. Conclusions

5. Post-evaluation discussion and/or testimony with DCSA psychology and adjudication staff or employees of the Defense Office of Hearings and Appeals (DOHA) to clarify the findings, the conclusions, or any other aspect of the report.

Work to be performed under this contract will be performed at the vendor’s physical location(s). When possible, mental health evaluations will be performed in-person at the business location of the mental health professional; however, evaluations may be done via Telehealth, in accordance with the standards prescribed by the APA Guidelines for the Practice of Telepsychology. Evaluation of an individual must be done in a suitable, professional setting with due regard to the subject's privacy and the gravity of the evaluation process. The location of the evaluation must hereafter be explicitly stated in the evaluation report. If a telehealth evaluation is deemed to be impracticable, the contractor may obtain mental health professional services in another city/state not to exceed (NTE) a 150-mile radius from the individual being evaluated. There are occasions where a mental health professional is asked to testify at a hearing.

Testimony for administrative hearings will be at the location and time specified in the Notice of Hearing or Notice of Personal Appearance issued by DOHA.

Section IV: Administrative and NAICS Specifications

Proposed NAICS Code: 621330 - Offices of Mental Health Practitioners

Proposed PSC Code: Q519 Medical - Behavioral and Mental Health

In order to make a determination for a small business set-aside, two or more qualified and capable small businesses must submit responses that demonstrate their qualifications. Responses must demonstrate the company’s ability to perform in accordance with the Limitations on Subcontracting clause (RFO 52.219- 14).

Section V: Specific Capability and Market Research Questions

Respondents are requested to address the following questions directly within their capabilities narrative to assist DCSA in refining its potential acquisition strategy.

1. Briefly describe your firm’s internal clinical quality control (QC) process. Specifically, how does your firm ensure that psychological evaluation reports are legally defensible and adjudicatively sufficient upon first submission, minimizing the need for subsequent clarifications or rewrites?

2. What specific training or onboarding do you provide to your provider network regarding federal security clearance adjudicative guidelines?

3. Briefly describe your firm’s methodology and capability to establish, credential, and scale a network of licensed clinical psychologists and psychiatrists to meet DCSA’s geographic requirements.

4. Supplemental Reviews: In your industry experience, what pricing structure is effective for evaluating supplemental medical/clinical records received after a report has already been accepted? Please comment on the viability of a fractional unit-pricing table (e.g., billing 25%, 50%, or 100% of a slot price based on supplemental page counts and re-interview requirements).

5. Hearing Testimony: Under a Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) contract, how does your firm price psychologist preparation and participation in administrative or judicial hearings (such as DOHA)?

6. Does your firm currently hold a GSA Professional Services Schedule (MAS) or other Best-in-Class (BIC) contract vehicle under NAICS 621330 or similar? If so, please provide the contract number and scheduled categories.

Section VI: Response Instructions

Interested vendors are requested to respond to this Notice no later than 1300 EST on 20 July 2026 by emailing Tara Lusaitis at tara.l.lusaitis.civ@mail.mil and Heather Grod at heather.r.grod.civ@mail.mil.

Proprietary information and trade secrets, if any, must be clearly marked on all materials. All information received that is marked Proprietary will be handled accordingly. Please be advised that all submissions become Government property and will not be returned. All Government and Contractor personnel reviewing responses to this Notice will have signed non-disclosure agreements and understand their responsibility for proper use and protection from unauthorized disclosure of proprietary information as described 41 USC 423. The Government shall not be held liable for any damages incurred if proprietary information is not properly identified.

Responses shall include the following information, at a minimum:

1. Entity Information

a) Vendor Name

b) Primary Point of Contact

c) Address

d) Phone Number

e) Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)

f) CAGE

g) Point of Contact email

h) Business Website

2. Business Type

Provide the economic business classifications you would potentially solicit under along with an updated capability sheet.

3. Contract Vehicles

Provide any contracting vehicles a future DCSA contract award may be placed against.

4. NAICS Code Recommendations

Provide either confirmation of the existing/recommended NAICS and PSC codes as sufficient or recommend alternative codes.

5. Requirements Response

Interested vendors are requested to provide white paper responses including a capabilities narrative, possible technical solutions, capabilities, and cost/schedules, existing contracts where this service is available (e.g. GSA Schedule contract) related to the above-mentioned requirements

All correspondences should include the subject line: “DCSA_RFI _26_Mental Health Evaluations

- (Vendor name)”

6. Formatting

Please provide all responses in a searchable .PDF format. The cover page of the response shall include the company name, UEI, CAGE, address, point of contact including phone number and email address, as well as the business size status of the responding company. There is no specified format for the white papers but they shall be limited to no greater than 25 pages.

Vendor follow-on meetings: DCSA representatives may or may not choose to meet with interested vendors. Such meetings would only be intended to have further meaningful exchanges of potential capabilities to meet the requirements.

Summary: This Sources Sought / RFI Notice is to identify sources which can provide non-personal services pertaining to the subject requirement. The information provided in this Notice is subject to change and is not binding on the Government. DCSA has not made a commitment to procure any of the non-personal services discussed, and release of this Notice should not be construed as such a commitment or as authorization to incur costs for which reimbursement would be required or sought. All submissions become Government property and will not be returned.