Criminal Background Check Services - UPDATED

The Tennessee Department of Human Services has issued Request for Proposals (RFP #34501-14725) for Criminal Background Check Services targeting two primary service categories: background checks for child care provider employees and background checks for state employees/contractors with access to Federal Tax Information (FTI). The procurement seeks a contractor capable of conducting comprehensive background checks, including criminal history searches, Sex Offender Registry checks, and county-specific criminal investigations across all 50 states and U.S. territories. The successful vendor must maintain a secure online portal for submitting and tracking background check requests, provide results within specified timeframes (5 business days for childcare checks, 2 business days for FTI checks), and ensure all data remains within the continental United States. The RFP requires the contractor to operate as a consumer reporting agency with strict data security and confidentiality protocols. Evaluation criteria include general qualifications (15 points), technical qualifications (45 points), oral presentation (10 points), and cost proposal (30 points). Key procurement dates include a January 10, 2025 deadline for written questions, a January 31, 2025 response deadline, oral presentations for top 5 ranked respondents on February 20-21, 2025, and an anticipated contract award notice on February 27, 2025.

The procurement does not specify explicit set-aside designations or restrictions on respondent types. Current vendors include Truescreen, Inc. for Child Care Checks and Backgrounds Online for FTI Checks, both of whom will be replaced through this RFP process. The contract term will span 60 months (5 years) with an estimated annual budget of $50,000 for childcare background checks and $5,100 for FTI access checks. The contractor must maintain comprehensive insurance coverage, including Commercial General Liability, Workers' Compensation, Technology Professional Liability/Cyber Liability (with $2 million per occurrence), and Crime Insurance. Pricing structures from incumbent vendors reveal tiered background check packages ranging from $19.50 to $65.50, with additional fees for specific background check components such as Social Security Number Trace ($2.50), County Criminal Court Search ($8.00), and Federal Criminal Court Search ($8.00). The state will require copies of court documents for evidentiary purposes and will not accept alternate contract terms or separate Master Service Agreements.