Mental Health Services

The State of Arkansas Department of Transformation and Shared Services Office of State Procurement is seeking a contractor to provide comprehensive mental health referral and care coordination services for K-12 students statewide. The procurement targets a new program designed to support approximately 474,000 public school students from kindergarten through 12th grade, focusing on students with newly diagnosed mental illnesses or substance use disorders. The selected contractor must develop and maintain an online platform that enables mental health referrals, care coordination, and comprehensive reporting, with strict requirements for HIPAA and FERPA compliance, multilingual support, and detailed tracking of service utilization, student demographics, and treatment outcomes. The solicitation (S000000408) was released on March 10, 2025, with proposal submissions due by April 3, 2025, at 10:00 AM Central Time through the ARBuy eProcurement system. The evaluation will utilize a complex scoring methodology with a maximum of 1,000 points, considering technical proposal components including experience, solution, risk, and an interview, alongside cost considerations. The initial contract term will be one year, with potential renewals for up to six additional one-year terms, not exceeding a total of seven consecutive years, with an anticipated start date of June 1, 2025.

The procurement appears open to various organizations, with potential advantages for minority or women-owned businesses. The state encourages participation from diverse vendors and includes certification options for Arkansas-based businesses. Contractors must complete a Contract and Grant Disclosure form, revealing any potential conflicts of interest, including connections to state government entities or their family members. The pricing structure is tiered based on user levels, ranging from $12,000 to $22,000 monthly, with annual costs between $144,000 and $264,000, and an average first-year cost of approximately $209,142.86. Prospective bidders must submit comprehensive documentation, including an Equal Opportunity Policy, certifications regarding boycott restrictions, immigration compliance, and detailed technical and operational capabilities. While no incumbent vendor is specified, the program represents a new statewide initiative to address mental health service barriers for students by facilitating insurance navigation and connecting students with appropriate mental health and substance use treatment services.