Depression & Bipolar Support Alliance

Depression & Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA), doing business as DBSA Davis Weber, is a Chicago-based nonprofit organization registered with SAM.gov since June 2006 and specializing in peer support services and mental health training programs. The organization provides established peer specialist certification training and related services to federal agencies, with a particular focus on supporting veterans and individuals affected by mood disorders. DBSA serves as a prime federal contractor and grantee, delivering evidence-based peer support curricula and certification programs that professionalize peer support capabilities across federal health systems.

Through federal contract awards, DBSA has consistently provided peer specialist certification training and certification services to the Department of Veterans Affairs, specifically supporting the VA Office of Peer Support Services within the Veterans Health Administration's Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention. The organization has received five separate Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) call orders under the VA Strategic Acquisition Center Frederick between August 2022 and December 2025, with individual contract values ranging from $10,000 to $50,000, totaling $180,800 in obligated amounts against a $750,000 ceiling. All work under these contracts has been performed in Chicago, Illinois, with no set-aside designations applied. The contracts are firm fixed-price awards with completion dates spanning from August 2023 through December 2026, and DBSA has consistently delivered peer support training services to VA-employed peer support staff. Additionally, DBSA received a $10,000 purchase order from the VA Technology Acquisition Center for peer support training services with a completion date of September 30, 2023.

DBSA has also demonstrated significant experience delivering federal grant programs focused on expanding peer support capacity and reducing stigma in underserved communities. In April 2021, DBSA received a prime project grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Center for Mental Health Services valued at approximately $180,000 (with completion in April 2024), titled "Enhancing Consumer Network Programs in Illinois Through Peer Support for Black Communities." Under this grant, DBSA developed a replicable 2.5-year peer support specialist apprenticeship curriculum that extended beyond classroom training to include on-the-job experience and mentorship, with a focus on serving Black individuals in Cook County, Illinois, on a career path toward Illinois Certified Recovery Support Specialist (CRSS) certification. The program objectives included enrolling up to 10 Black community members in peer support specialist training, providing 2,000 hours of mentorship to selected apprentices, and ensuring that participants met state certification requirements by the end of 2023. DBSA also served as a sub-awardee under a prime grant from Harvard College (President and Fellows of Harvard College) beginning June 8, 2023, where DBSA representatives, including individuals with lived experience of mental health conditions, participated as co-principal investigators, peer council members, and recruitment leaders in a research study examining mental health outcomes and service delivery.

DBSA holds a multiple-award Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) with the Department of Veterans Affairs, awarded by the VA Strategic Acquisition Center Frederick on July 11, 2022, with a ceiling value of $750,000 and an ultimate completion date of July 10, 2027. This IDV was established to provide established peer specialist certification training and post-graduation certification services for VA-employed peer support staff under the VA Office of Peer Support Services within the Veterans Health Administration's Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention. The BPA operates with no set-aside designation and supports the VA's broader mental health strategy aimed at leveraging peer support to enhance veteran outcomes and reduce suicide risk. Under this vehicle, the VA Strategic Acquisition Center Frederick has issued five task orders to DBSA between August 2022 and December 2025, demonstrating sustained federal demand for the contractor's specialized expertise in peer support training and certification services.