Support to address immediate public education needs arising from H. R. 1-related medicaid work requirement and noncitizen eligibility changes.

The New Mexico Health Care Authority is executing an emergency procurement with Windlark Studios, Inc. for multilingual public education communications support addressing H.R. 1-related Medicaid work requirement and noncitizen eligibility changes, with a proposal due date of October 1, 2026 — though the emergency determination form indicates the contract commenced August 25, 2026 and runs through November 25, 2026 (90 days maximum).

This is a sole-source, noncompetitive emergency procurement justified by compressed federal and state implementation timelines. The federally mandated member outreach window ran June 30 through August 31, 2026, and the July 31, 2026 effective date of the CMS Interim Final Rule did not allow time for a standard three- to six-month competitive process.

The scope is narrowly limited to plain-language, HCA-branded digital and customer-support materials explaining the revised medical frailty exemption standard and work-requirement compliance obligations (following the June 1, 2026 CMS rule), and the October 1, 2026 loss of federal Medicaid eligibility for certain noncitizens and transition to a newly established state-funded coverage program. Deliverables include web content, creative assets, FAQs, and customer-support scripts in multiple languages and accelerated timelines.

The contract value is $500,000. Windlark Studios was selected based on demonstrated capacity to begin work immediately and deliver time-sensitive multilingual communications within compressed implementation deadlines.

The HCA commits to initiating and completing a competitive procurement during the 90-day emergency period for any continuing services needed thereafter, with progress milestones at 30, 45, and 90 days. The emergency procurement is structured as a bridge only and does not establish a continuing noncompetitive relationship.