Cannabis Care Line (CCL) Pilot Program

The Maryland Cannabis Administration is soliciting proposals for staffing a Cannabis Care Line (CCL) pilot program to provide free professional information on medical cannabis use and health-related cannabis questions, with proposals due July 16, 2026, by 5:00 PM and questions due July 9, 2026, by 5:00 PM. This is a Small Business Reserve set-aside limited to businesses certified by the Governor's Office of Small, Minority & Women Business Affairs (GOSBA), with an MBE subcontracting goal of 25 percent and a requirement for active and current Small Business Reserve self-certification in eMMA at proposal submission.

CCL staff must include only individuals meeting COMAR 14.17.04.07 requirements: physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, registered nurses, or licensed naturopathic doctors with substantive medical cannabis training documented within the past five years. Offerors must demonstrate at least two years of call center operations experience within the past five years and integration capability with MCA's existing Lumen/Genesys call center infrastructure. Remote work-from-home staffing is permitted provided contractor personnel securely access the Administration's systems. The program requires a minimum of 12 hours of weekly live coverage, with MCA proposing 3–6 PM Wednesday–Friday and 11 AM–2 PM Saturday, though alternative hours may be proposed. Service is limited to phone-based live call handling, voicemail, and callbacks; SMS, chat, webforms, and email are out of scope. All inbound calls should be answered live or receive a callback within 15 minutes. Call recording occurs automatically through the Lumen/Genesys platform.

The contract includes a nine-month base period (approximately September 1, 2026 through May 31, 2027) and a single nine-month option period (estimated June through February 2028), for a total of up to 18 months. The fixed-price contract is not to exceed $200,000 total, with payment structured as 50 percent upon award, 25 percent at midpoint with MCA acceptance of an interim report, and 25 percent at contract end with MCA acceptance of a final report. No federal funding is involved. The contractor must maintain Commercial General Liability insurance of $1 million per occurrence and $3 million annual aggregate, plus Workers' Compensation insurance of at least $1 million per occurrence. Maryland-based registration with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation is required; nonprofit organizations may register as Maryland Tax-Exempt Nonstock Corporations. The contractor shall not have conflicts of interest, including current employment by cannabis licensees or active status as a certifying provider. Living wage requirements apply (Tier 2 classification); contractors must pay covered employees the applicable living wage rate or State or County minimum wage, whichever is higher. The contractor must be ready to launch within 4–6 weeks of award. Amendment No. 1 removed bid/proposal bond, SOC 2 Type II audit, and economic benefit factor narrative requirements. AI-operated models are not permissible; licensed healthcare professionals must directly provide information and respond to callers.