RFP - Telepsychiatry Services for Harris County Community Supervision & Corrections Department

Harris County Community Supervision & Corrections Department (HCCSCD) is issuing a Request for Proposal (RFP) to procure comprehensive telepsychiatry services for its Dual Diagnosis Residential Program, which serves approximately 138 dual diagnosis clients (90 men and 48 women) with co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders. The procurement seeks a qualified healthcare entity to deliver three primary service components: scheduled telepsychiatry clinical services (approximately 20-30 hours weekly), on-demand crisis evaluations available 24/7/365, and on-demand telephone consultations for staff support, all delivered through a HIPAA-compliant, fee-for-service hybrid model. Proposed psychiatrists must hold current unrestricted Texas Medical Board licenses, be board-certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, maintain current DEA registration, possess a minimum of two years post-residency clinical experience, and demonstrate experience treating justice-involved populations with co-occurring disorders; vendors must demonstrate a minimum of four years of experience providing telepsychiatry services to adult criminal justice populations. The contract will commence October 1, 2026, with an initial one-year term and four optional one-year renewals, contingent upon state and county fund appropriation and following TDCJ-CJAD contract standards. The RFP deadline is February 16, 2026, with a pre-proposal conference scheduled for January 29, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. CST via Microsoft Teams; written questions must be submitted through Bonfire prior to the posted deadline. The evaluation committee will assess proposals based on scope of service and narrative (40%), organizational qualifications (30%), pricing (25%), and presentations (5%), with IT infrastructure and cybersecurity requirements evaluated on a pass/fail basis; selected vendors may be required to provide presentations and demonstrations, and site visits to vendor client locations may be conducted.

Harris County does not specify set-aside designations or restrictions limiting eligible respondents to disadvantaged enterprises or particular organization types; however, all contractors must comply with Harris County's Minimum Wage Policy requiring payment of $21.65 per hour (adjusted annually) to all staff assigned to County contracts, and this requirement applies to the initial contract term unless exempted under specified circumstances such as professional consulting services or contracts under $50,000 annually. Vendors must be currently registered with the State of Texas, possess a current Franchise Tax Identification Number, and maintain professional liability insurance with minimum limits of one million dollars per occurrence and three million dollars in aggregate per physician, along with comprehensive general liability, workers compensation, and umbrella coverage; Harris County must be named as an Additional Insured on a primary/non-contributory basis. All proposed fees must be all-inclusive of practitioner salaries, benefits, administrative overhead, technology platform costs, insurance, and profit, with HCCSCD serving as the sole and exclusive payer and vendors prohibited from billing clients, families, or third-party payers such as Medicaid or private insurance. The vendor must supply HIPAA-compliant cloud-based teleconferencing software at no additional cost and interface its IT systems with HCCSCD's existing CorEMR system; the Department will provide telemedicine equipment including internet connectivity at 3.0Mb and Microsoft Surface Tablets or equivalent devices, with the Department responsible for all maintenance, repairs, and operational costs. Performance measures include 100% psychiatrist availability during scheduled clinic hours (with a 10% reimbursement reduction for each day of non-compliance), 80% response time to crisis evaluations and phone calls within one hour, and immediate documentation with 48-hour closeout requirements. The RFP documents do not specify a total contract award value or budget range, though compensation will be provided monthly on a milestone or progress-payment basis with detailed invoicing requirements; if subcontractors are used and the total contract amount exceeds $25,000, vendors must obtain and maintain a payment bond equal to 100% of the proposal amount.