Dental Services at Wilder Youth Development Center (WYDC) - UPDATED

The State of Tennessee Department of Children's Services is seeking a qualified contractor through a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to provide comprehensive dental services at John S. Wilder Youth Development Center (WYDC) located in Somerville, Fayette County. The contractor must deliver eight hours per week of on-site dental services staffed by a licensed dentist, licensed dental hygienist, and dental assistant. Required deliverables include initial dental assessments within seven working days of youth admission, prophylaxis services within fourteen working days, examinations and prophylaxis at six-month intervals, restorative and palliative treatment, customized dental hygiene plans, and patient education on dental prevention, along with twenty-four-hour, seven-day-per-week on-call emergency services. Qualified contractors must maintain current Tennessee Board of Dentistry licensure, Drug Enforcement Administration registration, and professional liability insurance. The RFQ was posted April 20, 2026, with responses due by May 19, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. central time. Technical evaluations will be completed by May 26, 2026, with a Notice of Intent to Award released by May 28, 2026. The contract term runs from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2031, with compensation provided on an hourly basis at $200.00 per hour for the dentist, $90.00 per hour for the hygienist, and $50.00 per hour for the dental assistant, with no reimbursement for travel time or expenses.

All contractor personnel with direct contact with children must comply with DCS Policy 4.1 regarding employee background checks and submit fingerprints for criminal history review conducted by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, with contractors bearing all fingerprinting fees. The contractor must maintain extensive insurance coverage including cyber liability ($2,000,000), commercial general liability ($1,000,000), workers' compensation, automobile liability ($1,000,000), professional liability ($1,000,000 per claim, $2,000,000 aggregate), and sexual abuse and molestation coverage ($1,000,000 per occurrence, $2,000,000 aggregate). The State will provide workspace, dental equipment, and supplies on-site unless otherwise necessitated by treatment needs. The RFQ does not reference any set-aside designations, incumbent vendors, or current contractors. The contract is subject to appropriation and availability of state funds and may be terminated for convenience with thirty days' written notice.