RFI 2023HCA15 Q&A Round 2.pdf

Washington State Health Care Authority

Page 1 of 7 RFI 2023HCA15 988 NSPL Crisis Call Center and Behavioral

Health Integrated Referral Systems Amendment 3 – Q&A Round 2

DATE: May 17, 2023

TO: RFI 2023HCA15 Organizations 988 NSPL Crisis Call Center and Behavioral Health Integrated Referral Systems

FROM: Jack Kent, RFI Coordinator HCA Contracts

SUBJECT: HCA Answers to Responder’s Questions – Round 2

HCA amends RFI 2023HCA15 with HCA’s answers to the vendors’ round 2 questions. The received questions and HCA’s corresponding answers are included on the pages below. For reference purposes, the “Vendor’s Question” column is organized to provide the related RFI text where applicable prior to listing the actual question received.

Q&A on the Following Page

Page 2 of 7 RFI 2023HCA15 988 NSPL Crisis Call Center and Behavioral Health

Integrated Referral Systems

No. RFI Section Vendor’s Question HCA/DOH Response

1. 4. Technology Requirements

RFI Questions Section II:

SaaS/COTS solutions

RFI Text: Describe how your system(s) leverage SaaS technology and shared resources.

Vendor Question: What is meant by shared resources?

Technical – HCA (and DOH)

Shared resources for SaaS Technology include:

1 - Compute resources - Business logic, workflows, and custom code

2 - User Management - Managing user access controls and user permissions

3 - Security Features - Encryption authentication and data record auditing

4 - Data Storage -Data storage limits on SaaS Platform

5 - Networking resources for DNS, load balancing and firewalls

System should be able to leverage existing technologies that the state already has rather than procuring another technology that serves that purpose.

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2. 4. Technology

Section VIII. Call Center Platform

RFI Text: Crisis Alerts: The platform must have the capacity to create and share crisis alerts.

Vendor Question: Please, further expand on the requirement related to crisis alerts?

Technical – DOH (and HCA)

The system must be able to quickly call to attention critical information, risk factors, or other critical incidents about the caller that the call taker may need to address, take action, and/or be able to initiate emergency protocols.

This information may include alerts information such as: incidents (violence, suicide attempts, etc.) happening in other locations, as well as risk factors and warning signs associated with the caller). Crisis Alerts can also include relevant information that the call taker would need right away (i.e., They have a dog that helps calm them or they will be calling for follow up)

3. 4. Technology

Section XV. Bed Registry

Vendor Question: Is use of Bed Registry mandated in State of WA or is it on a voluntary basis?

Functional – HCA

The bed registry system creation has been mandated but the use requirements have not yet been established by law.

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4. 7. Administrative Terms and Conditions

3C: Public Records and Proprietary Information

RFI Text: If a request is made to view your proprietary information, HCA and DOH will notify you of the request and of the date that the records will be released to the requester, unless you obtain a court order enjoining that disclosure.

Vendor Question: Will the State consider delaying the release of the RFI responses for FOIA or Public Information Requests until or if there is an RFX that results in a contract award?

Functional

The State is unable to delay responding to records requests, but we will redact those specific portions identified by the vendor as confidential/proprietary.

5. N/A Vendor Question: Is NENA i3 data transfer expected when communicating with 911 OR is an API to send the required information acceptable?

Technical – DOH

Data transfer such as ANI and associated caller information is expected while communicating with 911. Further work with the PSAPs is needed to confirm requirements for data transfer, including use of APIs to support information transfer.

6. N/A Vendor Question: Do you currently have your call centers and Crisis Response Teams staffed, or is the vendor expected to bring professionals to fill those roles.?

Functional – DOH and HCA

The vendor is not expected to bring in professionals for the call centers. As call volume in our 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Centers grows, our centers will add staff to meet the level of need. Similarly, all Regional Crisis Lines and crisis response teams are operated by licensed providers who hire their own staff.

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7. N/A Vendor Question: Is the vendor expected to set up call center facilities or does Washington have these facilities?

Functional – DOH and HCA

No, the vendor is not expected to set up call center facilities in Washington. Each of our three 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Centers operates their own facilities with the physical infrastructure needed to answer calls/texts/chats to 988.

8. N/A Vendor Question: Is the vendor expected to staff mobile crisis teams?

Functional – HCA

No, teams are operated by licensed providers who hire their own staff.

9. N/A Vendor Question: Is the vendor expected to provide mobile crisis vehicles and other equipment?

Functional – HCA

No, the vendor is not expected to provide mobile crisis vehicles.

Crisis teams operate their own vehicles and provide their staff with their own equipment.

We are open to suggestions from the vendor about communication or technical equipment that will work with the proposed platform.

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10. N/A Vendor Question: If the vendor is expected to staff call center facilities, may the vendor staff these centers remotely?

Functional – DOH

The vendor will not be expected to staff the call center facilities. The Department of Health contracts with three 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Centers to adequately staff for the services they provide.

11. N/A Vendor Question: Is Washington open to considering the technology and telephoning components and the crisis center staffing components as two separate procurements?

Functional – DOH and HCA

The vendor will not be expected to staff call center facilities. Procurement of staffing is not relevant.

12.

N/A Vendor Question: How many users outside of NSPL call centers would need access to the system?

Functional – DOH/HCA

The types and volume of outside users have yet to be determined but it is expected that the system will need a mechanism to provision a variety of access rights to a high volume (500- 1000) of external users outside the contact hubs based on our current assumptions.

Currently, we assume that BH-ASO staff, RCL staff, mobile rapid response crisis and community crisis teams and other types of providers would have access to certain data elements or system access.

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13. N/A Vendor Question: What additional programs are included other than 988?

Functional – DOH and HCA

The scope of work is 988, though several bodies of work are housed within 988.

Other programs outside of the direct 988 call center can include regional crisis lines, provider crisis lines, mobile crisis response teams, crisis facilities, and hospitals.

14. N/A Vendor Question: How many NSPL call center users are expected to use the new system? These would include NSPL Crisis Call Operators, and users dispatching crisis responders.

Functional – DOH and HCA

DOH - Our 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Centers currently staff about 100 Crisis Call Operators in total, though this number will grow as the volume of contacts to 988 grows.

15. N/A Vendor Question: How many Crisis Contact Center users/agents are there?

Functional – DOH

We have three crisis centers currently answering 988 calls, texts, and chats and there are about 100 FTE employed to do this work across all three crisis centers.

16. N/A Vendor Question: How many Mobile Crisis Response workers are there?

Functional – HCA

Our current best estimates are between 500-550 crisis response staff.