Call Center

Maryland Health Benefit Exchange is soliciting proposals under RFP BPM057936 for an integrated Consolidated Service Center providing call center operations, with a pre-proposal conference on November 20, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. EST, questions due December 7, 2026, and proposals due December 17, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. EST. The RFP sets a Minority Business Enterprise subcontract participation goal of 20% of total contract dollars, including renewal terms, and makes a single award by Competitive Sealed Proposals.

Scope covers inbound and outbound call management, live chat, Interactive Voice Response provision and management, quality assurance, training, workforce management, and reporting. The contractor must supply all facilities, equipment, technology infrastructure, telephony systems, and workforce management support at a primary place of performance that is a turn-key facility within Maryland. Minimum qualifications include at least three years within the past ten in government entitlement program eligibility and enrollment (preferably Medicaid), experience with a third-party CRM such as Salesforce, experience operating and maintaining a telephony system, and three references on customer letterhead. Required staff include a Project Director, Account Manager, Operations Manager, Training Manager, Quality Assurance Manager, Workforce Manager, and Security Specialist, plus sufficient Customer Service Representatives, including a minimum of 60 bilingual Spanish-speaking CSRs maintained year-round. CSRs start at a minimum of $18.00 per hour, with at least a $3.00 per hour differential for Spanish-speaking bilingual representatives.

The attached Non-Exchange Entity Agreement requires cloud systems to meet FedRAMP at a moderate or greater impact level, and non-cloud systems to meet ARC-AMPE Volume II with annual SOC 2 Type 2 audits. Electronic PII must be encrypted at rest and in transit using FIPS 140-2/3 mechanisms, with suspected or confirmed PII loss reported within one hour of discovery. The agreement also incorporates an Artificial Intelligence Addendum.

Pricing is a firm fixed price on the Attachment B Financial Proposal Form, submitted in Excel and PDF, with fully-loaded rates, rounded to the nearest cent, and prices must be firm and non-contingent. Evaluation uses estimated monthly volumes of 75,248 non-producer/application counselor calls, 17,237 chats, and 6,500 secure messages, which the solicitation states are for evaluation only and not guaranteed. Historical monthly call volume ranges from approximately 74,800 to 156,662 calls offered, with significant swings during open enrollment. Federal Medicaid funding (CFDA 93.778) supports the contract, and liquidated damages for service level noncompliance are not assessed during the first 120 days of performance.

The base performance period runs from approximately July 1, 2027 through June 30, 2030. The RFP summary cites one optional two-year renewal, while the price form references two option years. Submissions must include the offeror's FEIN, eMM number, and contact information. The procurement officer is Shirelle Green, reachable at 410-547-8151 or Shirelle.green1@maryland.gov.