BCW Mediation Services

The Georgia Department of Public Health issued an eRFQ on October 12, 2021, to establish a contract with trained and experienced mediators to provide mediation services for families enrolled in the Babies Can't Wait (BCW) Program, with quotes due November 15, 2021.

The BCW Program serves infants and toddlers with special needs from birth through two years of age. The contractor must mediate cases statewide between local BCW agencies in the 18 Public Health Districts and dissatisfied families upon request of DPH. The solicitation was issued under the State Purchasing Act (OCGA 50-5-50 et seq.) and was anticipated to involve multiple awards on an open contract basis.

The Notice of Award, posted June 14, 2022, identified two successful awardees: AMANI Services and Consensus Mediation Services of Central GA LLC, each receiving an estimated contract award of $2,500 (noted as estimates only due to the open contract structure). Three offerors were rejected as non-responsive: Bruner Mediation Inc., Deborah Chandler Mediation Services, and Pacific ADR, LLC.

A protest filed by Deborah Chandler Mediation Services prompted review by the Georgia Department of Administrative Services State Purchasing Division. DOAS determined that DPH had committed numerous deficiencies in communication regarding bid submission and procurement status. As a corrective action, DPH agreed to extend a contract to the protesting business, rendering the protest moot. DOAS noted that no individual contract was expected to exceed the competitive bid threshold of $24,999, and indicated that contracts had been executed prior to issuance of a Notice of Intent to Award, constituting a deviation from standard procurement procedures.