NERC/ 702 - Catholic Diocese

The contract with the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (DRC) seeks a Catholic Services provider to deliver religious and pastoral support within the Northeast Reintegration Center. The scope of work includes conducting weekly worship services, offering religious education classes, and providing comprehensive pastoral care to incarcerated individuals. This care encompasses consultation on religious issues, grief and crisis counseling, pastoral visits, and referrals to appropriate services. The provider will also distribute religious literature, facilitate religious programs, and assist the chaplain with various duties such as program coordination, report writing, and responding to inmate requests. Ensuring security is a key component, requiring volunteers to be supervised, security checks every thirty minutes, and securing all doors and locks during religious activities. Monthly reports on religious services are to be submitted to designated prison officials, including the Warden’s Assistant and the Religious Service Administrator. The contract, valued between $50,000 and $150,000, is part of a solicitation process posted on August 28, 2025, with a response deadline of September 16, 2025. It emphasizes compliance with state and federal regulations, including affirmations regarding offshore service restrictions and data location prohibitions, particularly concerning Russian entities. Contractors must disclose their principal business locations, service performance sites, and data storage locations for both themselves and any subcontractors, with an obligation to inform the state of any changes. The contract incorporates these affirmations and disclosures, granting the state the right to terminate if services are performed outside the United States without proper waivers. The overarching goal is to ensure that religious services are delivered securely, ethically, and in accordance with applicable legal and regulatory standards.