RFI1404_Idaho Crisis Suicide Hotline.pdf

BRAD LITTLE - Governor JULIET CHARRON - Director

Staci Phelan, Administrator Division of Management Services

Bureau of Compliance 450 West State Street, 9th Floor

PO Box 83720 Boise, Idaho 83720-0036

PHONE 208-334-5578

FAX 208-334-5694

Issue date: August 26, 2026 Closing date: September 30, 2026

Subject: Request for Information (RFI) for Idaho Crisis & Suicide Hotline Services

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, Division of Behavioral Health (Department) has a Request for Information (RFI) concerning the furnishing of services for the Idaho Crisis & Suicide Hotline.

Information obtained from the responses to this RFI may be used to refine the requirements for a formal Request for Proposal (RFP) which may be released at a later date, assist the Department in projecting a budget for acquiring the services, and also to identify potential vendors who may be interested in providing a competitive proposal.

I. Introduction and Background The Department is issuing this RFI to gather information from organizations capable of providing statewide crisis and suicide hotline services for Idaho residents.

The Department currently supports operation of the Idaho Crisis & Suicide Hotline as Idaho's designated member of the national 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline network. The hotline serves as a critical component of Idaho's behavioral health crisis continuum by providing twenty-four (24) hours per day, seven (7) days per week, three hundred sixty-five (365) days per year access to trained crisis responders through voice, text, and chat services. In addition to serving as Idaho's 988 center, the hotline coordinates with community crisis resources and supports statewide behavioral health response efforts.

The Department has contracted with the current provider for over ten (10) years. As the behavioral health crisis system continues to evolve, and in response to legislative interest in evaluating the marketplace, the Department is seeking information from qualified organizations regarding their capabilities, experience, operational models, and innovative approaches to delivering statewide crisis hotline services.

This RFI is for planning and information-gathering purposes only. It does not constitute a solicitation, or commitment by the Department to procure services. Information received may be used to assist the Department in evaluating the current marketplace, refining future procurement requirements, and determining the most effective approach for ensuring high-quality crisis services for Idaho residents.

No award will be made based upon the information received.

II. Description of Items or Service Required The Department is seeking information from organizations that have the experience, organizational capacity, staffing, technology, and infrastructure necessary to operate a statewide crisis hotline serving all Idaho residents.

The Department is seeking responses from organizations capable of providing services that include, but are not limited to:

1. Operating a statewide crisis hotline twenty-four (24) hours per day, seven (7) days per week, three hundred sixty-five (365) days per year.

2. Maintaining membership and compliance with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline network and all applicable national standards.

3. Providing crisis intervention services through voice, text, and chat modalities.

4. Employing appropriately trained crisis responders with access to qualified, licensed clinical supervision and ongoing quality assurance.

5. Coordinating with Idaho's behavioral health crisis continuum, including mobile crisis response teams, crisis stabilization services, emergency departments, law enforcement, and other community partners.

6. Utilizing secure technology platforms capable of supporting call routing, data collection, reporting, quality monitoring, and interoperability with state and national systems.

7. Collecting and reporting operational, clinical, and demographic performance measures.

8. Maintaining accreditation through nationally recognized crisis hotline accrediting organizations or demonstrating the ability to obtain and maintain such accreditation.

9. Implementing continuous quality improvement processes and evidence-based practices for suicide prevention and crisis intervention.

10. Supporting statewide outreach, collaboration, and system planning with the Department and other behavioral health stakeholders.

The Department requests information to gain insight into respondents' organizational experience operating statewide or regional crisis centers, experience within the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline network, implementation timelines, staffing models, technology platforms, quality assurance methodologies, reporting capabilities, and approaches to ensuring continuity of services during implementation and ongoing operations.

III. Requested information

It is requested that interested vendors provide the following information:

1. Briefly describe your company, services, history, ownership, financial information, partnerships with mobile crisis, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), law enforcement, or community providers, and other information you deem relevant. Provide a contact person’s name and telephone number for any clarifications.

2. Describe your staffing model, recruitment practices, retention practices, and clinical oversight.

3. Describe your technology platform (telephone, chat, text, Customer Relationship Management [CRM], reporting, cybersecurity, etc.).

4. Is your organization capable of, or interested in furnishing the items or services described in this RFI? Please describe both your history of operating within the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline network or other statewide crisis lines, and your capabilities for furnishing 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline network services.

5. Describe your transition or implementation approach and anticipated timeframe.

6. What issues or barriers do you feel need to be addressed in order to ensure a successful acquisition of these services or in preparation of an RFP?

7. From your experience in providing these services, what lessons learned can you share with the Department?

8. Cost estimate (This is a cost estimate only. Any information provided will be used to assist the Department in developing a budget for the acquisition. You will not be held to any information or prices provided):

a. What items or services need to be provided on a one (1)-time basis? What is the estimated cost of each?

b. What items or services need to be provided on an on-going basis? What is the frequency and estimated cost of each?

c. Are there any other items or services which will affect pricing? What is the estimated cost of each?

d. Are there any volume discounts or payment options which may affect pricing? What are they, and what are the estimated cost saving of each?

e. How long do you estimate that it will take to provide each of the items or services described in this RFI? What issues may affect service delivery or need to be addressed in the preparation of an RFP?

IV. Terms and Conditions

A. All material submitted in response to this RFI becomes the property of the Department and will not be returned to the responding vendor.

B. At the sole discretion of the Department, the information provided may be used for the following purposes:

1. Identifying issues and refining the requirements for a solicitation which may be released at a later date.

2. Assisting in projecting a budget for acquiring the services.

3. Identifying potential vendors who may be interested in providing a proposal to a future competitive procurement.

C. The Idaho Public Records Act, Idaho Code Title 74, allows the open inspection and copying of public records. Public records include any writing containing information relating to the conduct or administration of the public's business prepared, owned, used, or retained by a state or local agency regardless of the physical form or character. All, or most, of the information contained in your response will be a public record and as such will be subject to disclosure under the public records law. Certain exemptions from disclosure can apply, one (1) of which may be for “trade secrets” as defined in the Idaho Public Records Act, Idaho Code Section 9-340D(1), a copy of which is available for viewing on-line at:

https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/Title74/T74CH1/SECT74-107/.

https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/Title74/T74CH1/SECT74-107/

1. Trade secrets include a formula, pattern, compilation, program, computer program, device, method, technique or process that derives economic value, actual or potential, from not being generally known to, and not being readily ascertainable by proper means by other persons and is subject to the efforts that are reasonable under the circumstances to maintain its secrecy.

2. If you consider any element of your response to be a trade secret, or otherwise protected from disclosure, you must indicate by marking each page of the pertinent document.

Include the specific basis for your position that it be treated as exempt from disclosure.

3. Marking your entire response as exempt is not acceptable or in accordance with the Public

Records Act and will not be honored. In addition, a legend or statement on one (1) page that all or substantially all of the response is exempt from disclosure is not acceptable or in accordance with the Public Records Act and will not be honored. Prices quoted in your response are not a trade secret.

4. The Department, to the extent allowed by law and in accordance with these terms and conditions, will honor a designation of nondisclosure. You will be required to defend any claim of trade secret or other basis for nondisclosure in the event of an administrative or judicial challenge to the Department’s nondisclosure. Any questions regarding the applicability of the Public Records Law should be addressed to the Department or should be presented to your own legal counsel - prior to submission.

D. THIS IS NOT A BID, NO AWARD WILL BE MADE.

V. Address for Responses

If you are interested in providing any of the information requested in this RFI, please submit your written response by 5:00 p.m. Mountain Time on September 30, 2026, to:

*Responses will only be accepted by e-mail. *

**Do Not Submit Your Response Through IPRO- the e-procurement system.**

Idaho Dept of Health and Welfare Attention: RFI 1404 Idaho Crisis & Suicide Hotline Services Signe Jensen Email: signe.jensen@dhw.idaho.gov