RFP 2026-RE-0002 - Region 4 Crisis Call Center

The Richmond Behavioral Health Authority (RBHA) is requesting proposals to establish and operate a Crisis Call Center serving Region 4, a political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Virginia comprising six Community Services Boards and one Behavioral Health Authority across 24 localities and three cities (Richmond and Roanoke identified), under RFP 2026-RE-0002, with sealed proposals due July 21, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. EST. A preference for not-for-profit entities meeting federal subrecipient requirements under 2 CFR 200.1 applies.

Offerors must be accredited as a 988 suicide and crisis lifeline by the American Association of Suicidology or provide a signed letter of commitment from a certified 988 provider — a hard eligibility requirement. The scope is 24/7/365 clinically staffed crisis intervention services via telephone, text, and web chat, including suicide risk assessment, crisis de-escalation, supportive listening, hospitalization referrals, community resource linkages, and coordination with mobile crisis response teams. Key performance indicators include call answer rates exceeding 90%, answer times within 30 seconds for 80% of calls, call handle times under 20 minutes for 90% of calls, and in-state answer rates of at least 90%.

The initial contract period runs from award through October 31, 2028, with eight one-year renewal options at RBHA's sole discretion. All contractor staff and volunteers serving youth and vulnerable populations must complete criminal background checks through State Police and Child Protective Services within 45 days of hire, maintain tuberculosis screening certifications, and receive human rights and trauma-informed care training. The contractor must utilize the Virginia Crisis Connect data platform, submit mandatory monthly reports to DBHDS, and participate in DBHDS-sponsored statewide call center trainings.

Minimum insurance requirements include $1 million commercial general liability, $5 million cyber liability, and statutorily required workers' compensation, with RBHA named as additional insured. Evaluation weights: offeror qualifications and experience (25 points), technical approach to services (30 points), specialized qualifications including licenses and certifications (20 points), fees for services (15 points), and overall proposal quality (10 points). An optional pre-proposal conference is scheduled for June 24, 2026 at 1:00 p.m. via Microsoft Teams. Pricing terms are to be negotiated. RBHA reserves the right to conduct discussions with multiple qualified offerors and make multiple awards.