Answering Service

The contract seeks a 24/7 Answering Service on behalf of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, managed through the Office of Management and Enterprise Services' Central Purchasing Division. The purpose is to establish a reliable communication system for death notifications, ensuring prompt relay of information within five minutes of initial contact to designated investigators or offices across specific coverage areas in Oklahoma, including Oklahoma City and Tulsa regions. The service must operate continuously, covering evenings, weekends, and holidays, with occasional coverage during regular business hours in emergencies or adverse conditions. The contract size is estimated between $50,000 and $200,000, and it may be designated as a statewide contract for broader use. The service provider will be responsible for staffing a call center that adheres to strict privacy and confidentiality protocols, including signing non-disclosure agreements and following Privacy Act procedures. They must deliver comprehensive training to call center personnel and develop scripts to efficiently gather critical information such as caller contact details, location of death, and notification of the appropriate investigator. Call records, including notification details and timestamps, must be logged and transmitted to the Central Office at the end of each shift. The contract emphasizes contingency planning, requiring an alternate action plan in case of system failures or communication disruptions. The specifications also include detailed operational requirements, coverage maps, and compliance with the state's IT and contractual terms, ensuring a secure, efficient, and compliant answering service tailored to the needs of Oklahoma’s medicolegal investigations.