Community Based Peer Support Services

The contract seeks to award services for community-based peer support in mental health prevention and treatment across Utah, specifically targeting areas designated by the Health Resources and Services Administration as having provider shortages, with at least 60% of clients receiving mental health prevention, treatment, or recovery services. Only emerging organizations with no more than 10 full-time employees are eligible, and proposals must align with four allowable activities, including hiring full-time peer support specialists, delivering direct services in underserved areas, training supervisors, or establishing a family-run organization—each carrying escalating point values that significantly impact scoring. The evaluation is based on a trade-off approach that prioritizes technical merit over cost, with the most weighted criteria being the plan for implementing the selected activity (20 points), followed by budget justification (10 points), and additional points for peer specialist engagement in state advisory bodies, access to national technical assistance, and data tracking systems. The contract is administered by the Utah Department of Health and Human Services, with services to be delivered statewide within designated shortage areas, and funding is capped at an estimated $50,000 annually, though no multi-year or option periods are specified. Contractors must comply with stringent operational standards, including HIPAA and 42 C.F.R. Part 2 confidentiality rules, maintain a quality management system, adhere to federal cost principles, and submit detailed monthly invoices through an unspecified electronic system. Insurance requirements include $1 million per claim and $3 million aggregate for professional, general, and auto liability, with indemnification obligations extending to subcontractors. Record retention mandates are strict, requiring client records to be preserved for six years or until a minor turns 22, and all financial and operational data must be audit-ready for up to six years. Submission is restricted to the Utah Public Procurement Place portal, with mandatory forms including a W-9, conflict of interest disclosures, and a one-page budget justification, and proposals must be structured in narrative form with no other page limits beyond a 250-word abstract. No Unique Entity ID or CAGE code is required, but the offeror must certify absence of debarment, tax liens, and conflicts of interest, with post-submission changes triggering mandatory disclosure.