30-25005 dsdhh TRS RFP

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, specifically the Division of Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, is seeking a single vendor to provide comprehensive Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS) through Request for Proposal #30-25005-DSDHH. The primary objective is to establish a high-quality, intrastate TRS system that operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, enabling deaf, hard of hearing, deafblind, and speech-disabled individuals to communicate by telephone with functional equivalency. Proposed services must be FCC certified and will be evaluated based on the ability to meet specific performance standards, including answering 85% of calls within 10 seconds and maintaining efficient complaint resolution processes. The procurement timeline indicates that proposals are due January 15, 2025, at 2:00 PM ET, with a contract award anticipated by April 30, 2025. The initial contract term will be one year, beginning July 1, 2025, with potential for two additional one-year renewals, and vendors must be prepared to commence services by 12:01 AM EST on July 1, 2025.

The RFP does not explicitly mention specific set-aside designations or restrictions on respondent types, but vendors must be FCC certified to provide TRS services in North Carolina. Pricing must be submitted on a per-session-minute basis, with an estimated annual volume of 122,000 billable minutes, and vendors may propose optional services like Relay Conference Captioning (RCC) with separate pricing structures. The procurement includes provisions for liquidated damages, such as $100 per calendar day for failing to meet call answering standards and $100 per complaint for exceeding resolution timeframes. Funding for these services is established under North Carolina General Statute 62-157, suggesting a state-mandated program with dedicated financial support. While specific budget ranges are not explicitly detailed, the estimated annual minute volume and potential for additional services indicate a substantial contract opportunity for qualified telecommunications service providers specializing in accessibility solutions.