Service Dog Training and Vocational Care

The Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) has issued a Request for Information (RFI) # 32901-31424 seeking potential vendors to expand its service dog training and vocational care program across multiple correction facilities. The RFI aims to gather comprehensive information from programs capable of providing education in canine care, training, and grooming, with a primary objective of reducing recidivism rates and offering continuing education and job training for inmates. Vendors will be responsible for creating a comprehensive training curriculum, providing program facilitators and support staff, supplying dog care equipment and supplies, arranging community placements and transportation for canines, and delivering rehabilitative counseling services using an evidence-based therapeutic community model. The counseling services must be facilitated by a licensed behavioral health specialist with active credentials from the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. Respondents are required to submit their responses by 08/09/2025 at 2 p.m. Central Time, completing technical and cost informational forms that detail their experience, professional accreditations, pricing models, and potential alternative approaches.

The RFI emphasizes that responding does not guarantee future solicitation opportunities and will not create any contract rights, with all response costs to be borne by the respondents. While no specific set-aside designations or restrictions on responding organizations are explicitly mentioned, the complex requirements suggest that vendors will need significant expertise in dog training, vocational education, and therapeutic counseling. The document does not specify an exact budget range or potential award value for the program. Interested parties must provide comprehensive documentation of their capabilities, including detailed information about their professional background, experience with similar programs, and ability to meet the specific requirements outlined in the RFI. The state's primary evaluation criteria appear to focus on the vendor's capacity to deliver a holistic program that simultaneously addresses inmate rehabilitation, vocational training, and service dog development.