PURPOSE/BACKGROUND.
Behavioral health is defined as the connection between behaviors and health and well-being of the body, mind, and spirit. Behavioral health disorders, which include substance use and mental health disorders, affect millions of individuals each year and contribute heavily to the burden of disease. These disorders can arise at any point in an individual’s life and can have a profound influence on an individual’s positive health trajectory. Screening and referral to treatment are vital for minimizing the impacts and assuring each individual is set on a path of recovery and good health.
Boulder County, Colorado is located northwest of Denver and is comprised of more than 320,000 residents living in a variety of topographies including plains and mountains. The county is well educated as almost two-thirds of the residents 25 years of age and older have a Bachelor’s degree or higher. The poverty rate is lower compared to the state of Colorado and the median family income is almost $100,000. Although Boulder County has many strong community assets, the community is not immune to state and national issues associated with coordinating systems of care for behavioral health disorders. Many people receive initial support for behavioral health disorders through their interaction with first responders or law enforcement, which is often both inadequate and very costly. Discussions among community members and partners in healthcare, government, law enforcement and criminal justice have all identified the need for a coordinated system to link patients to treatment providers.
Boulder County’s objective is to engage the services of a qualified professional or firm to assist with developing a comprehensive plan to assist people of all age groups with behavioral health disorders connect to and access the proper level of care regardless of the starting agency (e.g. jail, district attorney’s office, law enforcement, education institutions (including schools, colleges, and universities), hospitals and clinics including federally qualified health systems, and syringe access programs). The selected contractor or firm will work with a variety of community partners working with individuals with behavioral health disorders and is expected to report progress to the Boulder County Behavioral Health Task Force and the Boulder County Maternal Child Coordinated Services System Workgroup. The end result will be the identification of gaps and clear set of recommendations that identify opportunities to improve the linkage of individuals and families with behavioral health disorders to quality care.
WRITTEN INQUIRIES.
If you have any questions regarding this RFP, you must submit them via email to the Boulder County Purchasing Office (purchasing@bouldercounty.org) on or before 2:00 p.m., 1/18/19. A response from Boulder County on all inquiries received will be subsequently posted on
https://www.bouldercounty.org/government/bids-and-purchasing/bid-opportunities/ and on the Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System and sent out via email no later than 1/23/19.
Please do not contact any other Boulder County department or personnel with questions or to request any information regarding this RFP solicitation. Inquiries will NOT be forwarded to the Purchasing Office.
SUBMITTAL INSTRUCTIONS.
a. Submittal Requirements: In order for RFP submittals to be accepted for consideration by Boulder County: a. All bids must be submitted using one of the two methods outlined below in "Submission Instructions."
b. All bids must be received, and time/date recorded by authorized Boulder County staff prior to the established RFP due date and time.
c. NO LATE SUBMITTALS WILL BE ACCEPTED. If your RFP bid is received after the established RFP due date and time for any reason, your proposal will be automatically rejected and returned to you – NO EXCEPTIONS. Boulder County does not accept responsibility under any circumstance for delayed or failed RFP submittals.
d. You must include all required documents with your RFP bid, including but not limited to: • RFP Submittal Checklist (included in RFP package)
• RFP Signature Page (included in RFP package)
• Certificates of insurance, if applicable
• W-9
e. It is the sole responsibility of RFP bidders to ensure that your RFP submittals are received by Boulder County before the deadline, as detailed in "Submission Instructions" below.
f. The Board of County Commissioners ("Board") reserves the right to reject any and all RFP bids; to waive any informalities or irregularities therein; and to accept the proposal that, in the opinion of the Board, is in the best interest of the Board and of Boulder County, Colorado.
Submission Instructions: All RFP submittals must be received by Boulder County for time and date recording on or before 2:00 p.m., MST, on 02/05/19, by one of the following two methods: