Addiction Treatment Services - Public Health

Rowan County, North Carolina has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) seeking qualified organizations to provide evidence-based addiction treatment services to address the opioid overdose epidemic in the county. The procurement targets outpatient addiction treatment programs that must include clinical assessments, medication-assisted treatment (MAT) using FDA-approved medications, and transportation support for individuals with opioid use disorder. Applicants must demonstrate at least two years of experience providing the proposed services and align their programs with the American Society of Addiction Medicine's National Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder. Key requirements include maintaining comprehensive general liability insurance of $1,000,000 per occurrence/$2,000,000 aggregate, workers' compensation insurance of $500,000 employer's liability, and comprehensive automobile liability of $1,000,000 combined single limit. Proposals are due by Monday, April 6, 2026, at 10:00 AM ET in PDF format to the Rowan County Purchasing Department, with written questions required by Wednesday, March 18, 2026, at 5:00 PM ET. Interviews and site visits are scheduled for April 7-13, 2026, with an anticipated award date of Monday, April 20, 2026. Evaluation criteria include proposal summary, assessment of need, project description and sustainability, organizational readiness, collaborations and partnerships, performance measures and evaluation, and budget appropriateness.

Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations, governmental agencies, hospital systems, behavioral health and mental health providers, Federally Qualified Health Centers, colleges and universities, K-12 schools, and community-based organizations licensed to conduct business in North Carolina; there are no specific set-asides for disadvantaged enterprises noted in the RFP. Rowan County will distribute a maximum of $300,000 over the three-year contract period, or up to $100,000 per year per contractor, distributed on a reimbursement basis for actual expenses with no advance or startup funds provided. Allowable costs include program implementation, transportation services such as bus vouchers, rideshare services, cab gift cards, and gas cards, and FDA-approved medications for medication-assisted treatment. Unallowable costs include indirect and overhead administrative costs, vehicle purchases, capital expenses, research, lobbying activities, and pre-award cost reimbursements. Funding is derived from the National Opioid Settlement Agreement, which provides Rowan County $28,195,968 over an 18-year period specifically designated for opioid mitigation strategies. Funded agencies must attend quarterly meetings of the Opioid Response Taskforce and participate in coordinated meetings with other funded agencies to ensure collaborative service delivery.