Alcohol and drug testing services

The Texas Department of Public Safety is soliciting bids under IFB 27R0004100 for alcohol and drug testing services covering both DOT and non-DOT programs statewide, with written questions due November 16, 2026 and bids due December 4, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. Central Time. Bidders rated below a C or "Legacy Unsatisfactory" in the Vendor Performance Tracking System, those under a Comptroller Corrective Action Plan, and those with purchase orders cancelled for non-performance in the previous twelve months may be disqualified.

Qualification requirements are demanding. The contractor must demonstrate seven years administering DOT-compliant drug and alcohol testing, three years serving statewide or nationwide client locations, and five years under FMCSA regulations, and must be registered in the FMCSA Commercial Driver's License Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse. Staffing requires at least two Certified Substance Abuse Program Administrators in good standing, an account representative with three years of DOT regulatory experience, and certified Breath Alcohol Test collectors. Laboratories must be DHHS- and SAMHSA-certified and hold Texas DPS accreditation and Drug Enforcement Agency licensure.

Scope covers pre-employment, reasonable suspicion, random, post-accident, return-to-duty, and follow-up testing under 49 CFR Part 40, FMCSA, and FAA requirements, plus non-DOT testing under DPS policy. The contractor must maintain at least one collection site in each DPS region and offer on-site, after-hours, and mobile collection 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with emergency response within 20 minutes after hours. Results are due within 24 hours for negatives and 72 hours for positives, and records are retained for five years.

The IT exhibit adds infrastructure obligations. Hosting follows one of three models: vendor-hosted, DPS-hosted, or DPS-provided cloud. Requirements include 99% monthly uptime, daily backups, and annually tested disaster recovery plans. Cloud implementations must use Infrastructure as Code built on CJIS or NIST 800-53 Rev. 5 standards as appropriate. The cyber exhibit requires TX-RAMP and/or FedRAMP certification as applicable, continental U.S. data residency, FIPS 140-2 or 140-3 encryption, and notice to DPS within four hours of a security incident. Systems must integrate with DPS Case Management Systems, CJIS, and Business Intelligence Platforms, and AI models require DPS review before deployment.

The contract has no guaranteed minimum compensation or testing volume, and DPS pays only after the Contract Monitor accepts services in writing. The IFB runs through August 31, 2028, with a six-month extension option for re-advertising or transition, while the mandatory pricing schedule lists performance years through August 31, 2031. The pricing schedule shows one line item with a $200,000 extended total across five years, with remaining line items at $0.00 for bidder completion. Unit prices must include all labor, laboratory work, collections, MRO services, training, and fuel surcharges. Evaluation uses a best-value standard, and DPS may conduct reference checks. Bidders must provide audited financial statements for the last two years or alternative solvency documentation.

DPS answers questions by November 20, 2026 and anticipates award on December 11, 2026. Submissions go to DPS_Solicit_Response@dps.texas.gov or through the DPS Online Bid Room, where registration can take up to two business days. Contract Administrator Ricardo Montalvo (512-424-7548) manages the solicitation, and Contract Monitor Heather Hinojosa oversees performance.