NOI_W27022

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Bureau of Substance Addiction Services (BSAS) is issuing a Notice of Intent to apply for federal grant funding under the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's FY 2026 First Responders – Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (FR-CARA) program, with a deadline of August 7, 2026 at 4:00 PM for competing organizations to submit qualifications.

BSAS intends to contract with Social Science Research and Evaluation (SSRE) as the evaluation partner. Organizations with qualifications equal to SSRE and interest in partnering on this grant must submit written qualifications to Ryan H. Naismith at ryan.h.naismith@mass.gov with subject line "MA FR-CARA-W27022" by the August 7 deadline.

The proposed project focuses on reducing opioid overdose deaths through strengthening first responder capacity using evidence-based practices, expanding community-based overdose prevention and post-overdose engagement, increasing access to medications for opioid use disorder through rapid referral pathways, and enhancing partnerships among first responders and healthcare providers. The evaluation component includes developing and implementing a project evaluation plan, coordinating data collection across project partners, monitoring data quality, supporting performance measurement and continuous quality improvement, analyzing program outcomes, and preparing required evaluation reports for BSAS and SAMHSA.

SSRE is the incumbent consideration, drawing on 40 years of experience as a research and evaluation firm and current service as the evaluator for Massachusetts' Bureau of Justice Assistance Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Program (BJA COSSUP) and SAMHSA Prescription Drug Overdose (PDO) initiatives, with significant experience evaluating post-overdose outreach and response teams across the state. SAMHSA anticipates awarding 44 to 118 state and local awardees under the broader FR-CARA program.