Psychological evaluation services -FPB

The South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice (SCDJJ) is procuring psychological evaluation services through a Fixed Price Bid solicitation for Richland County and other regions statewide. The contract seeks qualified providers to deliver two primary types of evaluations: Pre-Dispositional Evaluations and General Sessions Waiver Evaluations for juvenile offenders, which will include potential court testimony. Providers must be licensed clinical or counseling psychologists in South Carolina, with master's degree holders permitted to conduct Pre-Dispositional Evaluations under doctoral-level supervision. The solicitation allows for multiple awards, creating a Qualified Provider List (QPL) with specific pricing limits: Pre-Dispositional Evaluations by licensed psychologists cannot exceed $1,200, evaluations by non-licensed psychologists cannot exceed $720, General Sessions Waiver Evaluations cannot exceed $4,000, and court testimony is limited to $100 per hour. The original bid was issued on January 15, 2020, with a submission deadline of February 6, 2020, at 2:00 PM, and questions were due by January 24, 2020, at 5:00 PM. Award notification was scheduled for February 12, 2020, with an initial contract period running through February 11, 2023, and potential automatic one-year renewals.

The solicitation does not specify any specific set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises. Bidders must meet mandatory qualifications, including current professional liability insurance with minimum coverage of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $3,000,000 annual aggregate, submission of evaluating psychologists' resumes, proof of licensure and good standing with the South Carolina Board of Psychology, and identification of SCDJJ regions where services will be provided. No incumbent vendor information was disclosed in the documents. Providers will be required to complete evaluations within 30 days of referral, with draft reports reviewed by supervising psychologists within five business days and final corrected versions submitted within an additional five business days. The contract emerged from increased referral volume following the implementation of Raise the Age legislation on July 1, 2019, which expanded DJJ jurisdiction. While placement on the Qualified Provider List does not guarantee service usage or specific funding levels, providers may accept or decline individual referrals, providing flexibility in service delivery.