Mental Health Assessment for Young Children Workforce Collaborative

The Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) is soliciting bids through Request for Qualifications (RFQ) 2026HCA5 for a Mental Health Assessment for Young Children Workforce Collaborative to provide professional development services across Franklin County, Grant County, Grays Harbor County, Chelan County, and Yakima County. The procurement seeks a single contractor to deliver training and related administrative activities supporting the implementation of RCW 74.09.520, which mandates the use of the Diagnostic Classification of Mental Health and Developmental Disorders of Infants and Early Childhood (DC:0-5) framework for approximately 650 Apple Health mental health professionals and 500 allied providers. Key deliverables include four DC:0-5 clinical trainings (20-40 participants each), three DC:0-5 overview trainings (20-50 participants each), four DC:0-5 technical assistance clinical office hours, four Communities of Practice cohorts with six monthly meetings each, four MHAYC-WC workshops, two Washington State Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) Referral Trainings, development and operation of a MHAYC-WC Resource Hub and website, establishment of a Regional Advisors Steering Committee, and coordination with Tribal communities. All training will be provided virtually at no cost to participants, and the contractor must maintain an online registration system, provide certificates and continuing education units, develop marketing and outreach strategies targeting underrepresented provider populations, and submit detailed monthly, quarterly, and annual reports with quantitative and qualitative evaluation data. Minimum qualifications require bidders to be licensed to conduct business in Washington, possess four years of experience incorporating IECMH principles while managing marketing and outreach efforts and facilitating professional development in IECMH, demonstrate four years of supporting mental health clinicians in an infant-early childhood mental health system of care, and directly employ or subcontract with at least one Zero to Three (ZTT) certified DC:0-5 trainer. Evaluation will be based on a weighted scoring system of 800 points: 650 points for qualifications, 30 points for Executive Order 18-03 worker's rights compliance, 110 points for Washington Small Business or Certified Veteran-Owned Business status, and 10 points for professional references. The pre-bid conference is scheduled for April 30, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time; bidder questions are due by May 4, 2026 at 2:00 p.m.; and bids are due May 27, 2026 by 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time, with HCA announcing the apparent successful bidder on June 10, 2026.

The RFQ includes set-asides and evaluation preferences encouraging participation by Washington State Certified Minority Businesses, Women Businesses, Veteran Businesses, and Small Businesses, with bidders required to disclose anticipated diverse business inclusion percentages and compliance with Executive Order 18-03 regarding worker's rights and individual arbitration clauses. No incumbent vendors or current contractors are identified in the procurement materials. The contract will commence July 1, 2026 and conclude June 30, 2027, with HCA retaining the option to extend for up to two additional one-year periods through June 30, 2029 at equal or equivalent funding amounts at the agency's sole discretion. The total maximum contract value is $350,000 for the initial fiscal year, consisting of $305,000 in direct project costs and up to $45,000 in indirect costs not exceeding 15 percent of direct costs, with total maximum compensation over three years estimated at $1,050,000. The contractor must maintain commercial general liability insurance of $1 million per occurrence/$2 million aggregate, professional liability errors and omissions insurance of $1 million per claim/$2 million aggregate, and business automobile liability insurance of $1 million per occurrence, and must comply with all nondiscrimination, pay equity, and record-keeping requirements. Interested organizations must register with the Statewide Payee Desk and submit bids exceeding $350,000 will be deemed non-responsive.