Utah Health Information Network - Rural Health Transformation Program

The Utah Department of Health and Human Services is publishing a Notice of Intent to Award a Contract Without Engaging in a Standard Procurement Process to the Utah Health Information Network for rural health interoperability and health information exchange services under the Rural Health Transformation Program, with a public challenge period closing August 7, 2026.

This is a sole-source procurement. The state has determined that UHIN, established by the state legislature in 1993 and designated as Utah's Health Information Exchange and Regional Health Information Organization, is the only source capable of performing the work. UHIN owns the infrastructure required to execute the mandate, possesses pre-existing legal frameworks, multi-state reach, and native HL7 FHIR API capabilities necessary to immediately conduct rural needs assessments, administer sub-grant funding, and track clinical metrics. Standard procurement is deemed impractical and not in the state's best interest under R33-108-101c.

The scope encompasses a 26-month engagement (July 20, 2026, through September 30, 2028) to increase rural providers' access to patient health records by improving site connectivity to and data quality of the State's Health Information Exchange. Key deliverables include conducting a comprehensive rural interoperability needs assessment identifying technical gaps, readiness barriers, and data quality deficiencies; releasing and managing non-competitive funding and technical assistance opportunities; providing EHR optimization and training to onboard rural sites to recognized data exchange networks; and monitoring clinical utilization metrics. The contractor must serve rural healthcare providers and those serving majority rural populations, with particular attention to tribal and high-needs populations.

The estimated contract value is $3 million over an anticipated two-year term with renewal options extending to five years total. Funding is distributed across two budget periods determined by annual CMS rescoring. The contractor must obligate Budget Period 1 funds by December 31, 2026, and Budget Period 2 funds by June 30 of the respective budget period. Monthly invoices are due within 30 days of month-end. Subrecipients must maintain commercial general liability insurance of at least $1 million per occurrence and $3 million aggregate, and must comply with Uniform Guidance regarding federal awards and maintain all records for six years from final expenditure report submission.

Interested vendors may submit documented challenges demonstrating comparable capabilities during the public notice period.