26-0600-RFP Behavioral Health Coordinated Access Model

Pinellas County is requesting proposals for a vendor to operate Care About Me, the Coordinated Access Model (CAM) for behavioral health intake and assessment services, with proposals due June 16, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. via OpenGov. This is a non-competitive procurement, meaning the county has determined that competitive bidding is not required; vendors must be aware of this context when evaluating pursuit decision.

The vendor must maintain a local presence in Pinellas or surrounding counties and staff the CAM Team with one full-time Manager (LCSW, LMHC, or LMFT), three to four full-time CAM Specialists (MSW or counseling-related degree with appropriate experience), and 0.5 FTE administrative support. The vendor will operate a multichannel contact center handling approximately 1,000 inquiries monthly through phone (727-333-CARE), text, chat, and email; conduct intake, screening, and assessment using standardized tools (LOCUS, CAGE, PHQ-9, ASAM, Columbia Risk Assessment); and integrate with the county's Appian/HS Connects CAM Platform for data entry, scheduling, and information sharing. The program operates weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and condensed weekend hours.

Priority is given to vendors willing to onboard eligible clinical staff from the current CAM pilot program to ensure continuity. The vendor must demonstrate five years of multichannel contact center experience, maintain HIPAA compliance and Business Associate Agreements, and develop a Continuity of Operations Plan within 30 days of award. Pricing is submitted as a lump sum on a provided Excel template; unit prices must remain firm for the contract duration.

The initial contract term is thirty-six months with two optional twenty-four-month renewal periods. Proposals are scored on Qualifications (300 points/30%), Statement of Work/Project Approach (400 points/40%), Compensation and Budget Detail (150 points/15%), Fee Schedule Total Lump Sum Price (100 points/10%), and No Exceptions to RFP (50 points/5%). The vendor must provide a Certificate of Insurance including Commercial General Liability ($1 million combined single limit), Professional Liability ($2 million), Cyber Risk Liability ($1 million), and Workers' Compensation per Florida statutory requirements, and comply with all Pinellas County Standard Terms and Conditions. Required compliance attestations include a Common Carrier Attestation, Human Trafficking Affidavit, and Foreign Country of Concern Affidavit, all notarized.