Mortality Resources and Services

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) is requesting bids on mortality resources and services for public health emergencies and disasters under IFB No. HHS0017352, with responses due July 17, 2026 and a questions deadline of June 29, 2026. The contractor must demonstrate a minimum of two years' relevant experience and provide three verifiable references for similar contracts within the past ten years.

The scope requires establishing and maintaining a minimum of four strike teams, each with four personnel including at least two licensed funeral directors and two non-licensed professionals trained in funeral services. Strike teams must deploy within 48 hours of notification with competencies in mortuary operations, body processing, remains transport, human remains identification, embalming, cremation, and family interface. The contractor must provide storage within a 125-mile radius of Waco in a major metropolitan city for four DSHS-owned 32-foot mortuary trailers currently held in Royse City, Texas; furnish quarterly maintenance reporting on trailers; participate in preparedness and training exercises with 10 to 14 days' advance notice; and support the Texas Mass Fatality Operations Response Team (TMORT) if deployed. Pricing is firm and fixed for the contract life and must include all labor, equipment, materials, supplies, and expenses. Strike team personnel compensation is capped at Federal Pay Scale rates not exceeding GS-12-Step 10 for licensed funeral directors and GS-8-Step 10 for non-licensed personnel.

The initial contract term runs September 1, 2026 through August 31, 2027, with three optional one-year renewals available through August 31, 2030 and a potential one-year extension. Historical spend for similar services was $269,485.68 from October 2022 through June 2026; no volume guarantee is provided. Price adjustments are permitted only at HHSC's discretion based on Bureau of Labor Statistics indices or federal minimum wage increases. The contractor must maintain workers' compensation ($1 million employer's liability per occurrence), commercial general liability ($1 million per occurrence/$2 million aggregate), commercial automobile liability ($1 million combined single limit), professional liability ($1 million), and umbrella liability ($1 million). A Form 1295 Certificate of Interested Parties must be submitted prior to award if the award value exceeds $1 million. Bids must be submitted in person at 1100 W. 49th Street, Austin, Texas, during office hours (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) or through the optional HHS Online Bid Room; technical difficulties with electronic submission do not constitute grounds for protest.