Prescription glasses (lenses, frames, materials)

The State of Minnesota's Administration and State Procurement Office is requesting proposals for prescription eyeglasses (lenses, frames, and associated materials) to serve the Minnesota Health Care Programs (MHCP), including Medical Assistance and MinnesotaCare, other state agencies, participants in the State of Minnesota's Cooperative Purchasing Venture (CPV) program, and potentially other states, with proposals due July 31, 2026, at 3:00 PM Central Time through the SWIFT Supplier Portal.

The solicitation encourages responses from Minnesota-based small businesses, businesses majority-owned and operated by racial minorities, women, persons with substantial physical disabilities, veterans or service-disabled veterans, or businesses located in or owned by residents of economically disadvantaged counties; eligible small businesses may qualify for certification through the State's Small Business Procurement Program. An additional 120 preference points are available for targeted group, economically disadvantaged, or veteran-owned businesses in the evaluation phase.

The scope requires a frame chart with a minimum of 200 frame styles from at least four different manufacturers covering adult, child, infant, toddler, and specialty frames, plus comprehensive pricing across single vision, bifocal, trifocal, and variable asphericity lenses with detailed pricing for associated materials and services. The contractor must establish a toll-free customer service line, maintain a HIPAA-compliant web-based ordering portal, process 97 percent of properly submitted orders within five calendar days and 99 percent within ten calendar days, maintain inventory with no more than 5 percent back-order status monthly, and comply with third-party liability requirements including Medicare and vision insurance plan billing. The contractor must be established for at least three years with prior experience serving similarly-sized populations and government health care programs and maintain a valid National Provider Identification number.

The estimated total annual contract value is $750,000 for Minnesota and $900,000 for Wisconsin, though these are not binding minimums or maximums. The contract term begins September 1, 2026, or upon contract execution (whichever is later), through August 31, 2027, with options to extend up to 48 months upon mutual agreement. The actual program start date for order receipt and invoicing begins November 1, 2026. Historical utilization data shows approximately 24,000 frame orders annually in Minnesota and 34,500–35,800 in Wisconsin. Evaluation occurs in three phases: Phase 1 assesses responsiveness and mandatory requirements; Phase 2 evaluates responses on 1,000 points across acceptance of state terms (50 points), vendor capabilities (200 points), scope of work (100 points), frame selection (100 points), claims and billing procedures (100 points), accessibility (50 points), and cost (400 points); Phase 3 selects finalists based on best value. Questions must be submitted by July 20, 2026, to Jeffrey Combs at jeffrey.combs@state.mn.us. The incumbent contract expires August 31, 2026. Responders must be registered in the SWIFT Supplier Portal and submit all required attachments, including Exhibit D: Price Schedule, with failure to do so resulting in disqualification.