Cannabis Clinical Care Line Pilot
Closed State & local contract opportunity Posted
- Solicitation number
- BPM057037
- State
- Maryland
- Responses due
Opportunity facts
- NIGP code
- UNSPSC code
Opportunity details come from emma.maryland.gov. Updated .
About this opportunity
The Maryland Cannabis Administration (MCA) is issuing a Request for Information (RFI) numbered MCA260003, posted May 14, 2026, with responses due by May 28, 2026, at 5:00 pm Eastern Time via eMaryland Marketplace Advantage. This RFI is market research in nature and does not constitute a commitment to award; rather, it will inform a future competitive sealed proposal solicitation for operating a Cannabis Clinical Care Line (CCL) pilot program. The MCA seeks to procure services to establish and operate a free-to-caller cannabis helpline that provides professional clinical information on medicinal cannabis and health-related cannabis use questions to Maryland consumers. Deliverables and key requirements include recruiting and training qualified call center staff to provide a minimum of 12 hours of weekly coverage with evening and weekend availability, developing intake protocols for managing concurrent calls, establishing comprehensive standard operating procedures, providing necessary software and equipment compatible with existing Genesys infrastructure, and collecting and reporting aggregate call data with detailed record maintenance. The pilot program's objectives are to determine caller demographics and volume, identify optimal hours of operation, understand common inquiry topics, and assess the extent to which the helpline supports MCA's goal of enhancing the medical cannabis program to meet patient needs. Clinical staff must possess either an active Maryland license as a physician, physician assistant, podiatrist, dentist, nurse practitioner, nurse-midwife, or pharmacist, or credentials as a registered nurse or licensed naturopathic doctor with at least eighty hours of medical cannabis training within the past five years. Respondents must demonstrate a minimum of two years of call center operations experience within the past five years and provide capability statements, documentation of organizational and staff qualifications, and evidence of prior similar-scope project experience. The RFI explicitly instructs respondents not to submit quotes or bids.
The MCA is actively pursuing opportunities to designate portions of the requirement for Small Business Preference (SBP) procurement and is committed to maximizing Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and Veteran Small Business Enterprise (VSBE) utilization at both prime and subcontracting levels. Prospective respondents must demonstrate willingness and capability to integrate MCA's existing Lumen/Genesys call center infrastructure into their operations. The procurement officer for this opportunity is Merricka Brown, who can be contacted at 410-487-8079 or Merricka.Brown1@maryland.gov; the MCA office is located at 849 International Drive, Linthicum, Maryland 21090. No incumbent vendor or current contractor information has been identified in the available documentation. While specific budget or award values are not disclosed in the RFI materials provided, the future competitive sealed proposal solicitation that emerges from this market research phase will establish pricing parameters and contract value details for the selected vendor.
Opportunity text
The Maryland Cannabis Administration (MCA) is the state government agency responsible for regulating the cultivation, manufacture, testing, and distribution of medical and adult-use cannabis in Maryland, as well as registration for medical cannabis patients and certifying healthcare providers. As the cannabis landscape rapidly evolves, MCA continues to prioritize its medical cannabis program and ensure the program meets the needs of new and existing medical patients. Through surveys and listening sessions, MCA has heard that patients would value additional tools to obtain professional information on medical cannabis topics. A cannabis helpline (hereafter, 'cannabis care line' or CCL) could enhance clinical access, while retaining existing program partners including certifying providers and Clinical Directors, as additional touchpoints will be needed with the state's growing cannabis marketplace. Furthermore, the CCL helps ensure clinical access for social equity licensees, namely 70+ recipients of conditional dispensary licensees in 2024, who are not required to have a Clinical Director for two (2) years after becoming operational (micro dispensaries are not required to offer Clinical Director services at any time; see Cannabis Reform Act legislation). The CCL could also offer basic screening and referrals for problem use, filling a current gap and area of concern for many stakeholders, offering another access point for information on problem use for patients and caregivers as well as certifying providers and Clinical Directors. MCA is approaching the CCL as a 'pilot' to enhance current offerings and gain insight into caller type, volume of calls, timing of calls (optimal hours of operation), and common topics/inquiries. The desired outcome of the pilot is to determine the extent to which it supports MCA's goals to enhance the medical cannabis program to optimally meet patients' needs as well as an understanding of the resources needed to support a cannabis care line long term.
Files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| CCL_RFI.pdf |
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