South Dakota Opioid Needs Assessment

The South Dakota Department of Social Services, Division of Behavioral Health (DBH) is seeking proposals for a comprehensive statewide opioid needs assessment and gap analysis, specifically targeting Beadle County and other regions within the state. This Request for Proposal (RFP13180) aims to evaluate components related to opioid treatment, prevention, recovery programming, and strategies aligned with the South Dakota Opioid Settlement Memorandum of Agreement. The primary deliverables include a first draft Executive Summary due December 5, 2025, a virtual presentation in December 2025, a final draft by January 30, 2026, and a final presentation to the Opioid Advisory Committee in March 2026. Proposers must submit detailed assessments covering three main categories: Treatment, Prevention, and Other Strategies, with a required regional analysis using the state's five established behavioral health regions. The evaluation must provide a thorough understanding of the state's opioid abatement and remediation needs to help the Opioid Advisory Committee and local entities prioritize approved uses. Proposals are due by March 6, 2025, at 5 PM CST, with a required Letter of Intent due by February 6, 2025. Interested parties must submit proposals as PDFs via Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) and may email inquiries to Kirsten.Blachford@state.sd.us.

The DBH anticipates selecting multiple vendors based on qualifications and ability to execute their proposed evaluation approach, with no specific set-aside designations mentioned for disadvantaged enterprises. The total available budget for all contracts is $350,000, with organizations encouraged to propose assessment of one or more topic areas rather than all areas. The budget template requires detailed financial planning across treatment, prevention, and other strategies, including specific cost breakdowns for personnel (with a mandatory Principal Evaluator position), benefits, travel, supplies, and indirect costs. Proposers can use either a 10% de minimis rate or justify an alternative indirect cost rate. The contract period will run from April 1, 2025, through May 31, 2026. Funds are derived from the opioid settlement agreement with pharmaceutical companies, with 70% allocated to the statewide share and 30% to participating local governments. The assessment will inform the prioritization of opioid settlement funds and build upon existing surveillance and monitoring efforts by the Department of Social Services and Department of Health. No incumbent vendors are specifically identified in the provided documentation.