Hearing Aid & Language & Communication Video Loan Bank

The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) is requesting quotations for a hearing aid and language & communication video loan bank consultant under RFQ #R00B6600248, with quotations due August 27, 2026 at 5 p.m. through the eMaryland Marketplace Advantage (eMMA) portal. WCAG 2.1 Level AA digital accessibility compliance is a mandatory requirement, with unlimited liability for accessibility failures.

The scope encompasses managing the state's loan bank program, which provides hearing aids to infants, toddlers, and children up to age 21 (not graduated from high school) with diagnosed hearing loss whose families face financial difficulties. Primary responsibilities include processing hearing aid requests, maintaining inventory with current technology, processing video and resource requests for families of deaf or hard of hearing children, collaborating with audiologists and families, coordinating with the Division of Special Education on outreach and annual reporting to the state superintendent and General Assembly. The position requires approximately eight hours per week, performed at MSDE's Baltimore office (200 West Baltimore Street).

Mandatory qualifications include a minimum of five years' experience providing hearing aid services to children in Maryland, a current audiology license from Maryland or a comparable state with Maryland eligibility, a Master's or Doctoral degree in Audiology from an accredited institution, knowledge of state and federal early intervention and special education laws, and proficiency with Microsoft Word and Gmail. Applicants must submit a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) demonstrating WCAG 2.1 Level AA compliance.

The total contract budget is $29,700 for a 12-month term running September 1, 2026 through August 31, 2027. Award will be made to the responsive and responsible bidder offering the lowest price after meeting all mandatory requirements. The solicitation encourages Small, Minority, and Veteran-owned businesses to respond. Questions are due August 25, 2026 at 2 p.m. Invoices are paid on a net 30 schedule; contractors must submit a consultant log with each invoice and conduct annual accessibility compliance audits with results provided to the Contract Monitor within 120 days of contract start and annually thereafter.