2025-01 School-Based Mental and Behavioral Health Services

Douglas Education Service District (Douglas ESD) is seeking qualified mental and behavioral health providers through a Request for Qualification (RFQ) to deliver embedded clinical services across partner school districts. The procurement aims to support students with Tier I-III mental health needs using licensed Qualified Mental Health Professionals (QMHPs) or Licensed Professional Counselor Associates (LPC-As), aligned with Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) and Positive Behavioral Interventions & Support (PBIS) frameworks. Required services include trauma-informed care, skill-building groups, individual therapy, clinical oversight, and crisis response protocols. Providers must comply with HIPAA, FERPA, and Oregon School-Based Health Services Medicaid billing guidelines. The RFQ evaluation will assess providers across five key areas: experience and qualifications (0-25 points), service delivery model (0-20 points), billing and compliance capability (0-20 points), implementation capacity (0-15 points), and references and fit (0-20 points). Critical procurement dates include a December 2, 2025 deadline for bidder questions, December 11, 2025 proposal submission deadline, and contract commencement on February 1, 2026, with an initial nineteen-month term ending June 30, 2027.

The contract is structured to be cost-neutral to school districts, with providers responsible for billing through Medicaid and eligible insurance sources under Oregon's School-Based Health Services program. Douglas ESD may contract with multiple providers and has the potential to deploy up to thirteen licensed therapists across designated school sites. Providers must demonstrate relevant experience with school-based mental health services, appropriate staff licensure, capacity to manage Medicaid and third-party billing, implementation readiness, and positive references from K-12 organizations. Proposal submissions must include an executive summary, organization profile, on-site service delivery model description, billing and compliance details, implementation timeline, references, and proof of liability insurance and professional licensure. While no specific set-aside designations are mentioned, the procurement emphasizes comprehensive qualifications and proven capabilities in school-based mental health service delivery. The contract allows for potential extensions of up to three additional one-year periods by mutual consent, providing potential long-term engagement opportunities for successful providers.