410 - Clinical Pastoral EducationBid Documents

The Indiana State Psychiatric Hospital Network (ISPHN) is conducting a Request for Quotation (RFQ 004100000085450) to secure a qualified educational institution or training provider to sponsor student chaplains for clinical pastoral education across its six state psychiatric facilities, including Evansville Psychiatric Children's Center, Evansville State Hospital, Madison State Hospital, Logansport State Hospital, Richmond State Hospital, and NeuroDiagnostic Institute. The primary objective is to establish a partnership where the selected vendor will pay ISPHN a per-student fee in exchange for supervised, standards-based training provided by a nationally board-certified Chaplain Educator from the Institute of Clinical Pastoral Training (ICPT). Bidders must be qualified to train students according to ICPT standards and submit two key deliverables: a per-student sponsorship fee amount and the maximum number of students to be sponsored during the contract term. The RFQ requires potential vendors to ensure students meet specific requirements, including current physical exams, tuberculosis screening, vaccinations, criminal background checks, HIPAA training, and professional liability insurance coverage. Bids are due on October 27, 2025, at 7:00 AM and can be submitted via email to amber.schwipps@fssa.in.gov or through the bidder portal, with questions also directed to this email address.

The solicitation includes specific procurement preferences and diversity requirements, with goals for minority and women's business enterprise (MWBE) participation, including 8% minority and 11% women participation, as well as a 3% goal for veteran-owned small businesses. Vendors must complete detailed commitment forms and provide documentation to claim various state-level procurement preferences, such as U.S. manufactured product preference, Indiana business preference, and small business preference. The state reserves the right to terminate the contract for convenience or lack of funding appropriation, and pricing must remain firm throughout the contract period. While specific award values are not explicitly stated, the procurement involves a per-student sponsorship model where the vendor will pay ISPHN for each student placed in the clinical pastoral education program. The contract appears to be structured to provide educational institutions with a unique opportunity to place student chaplains in a state psychiatric hospital setting while meeting their program's educational and accreditation requirements, with the added benefit of generating revenue through the per-student sponsorship fee.