BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The mission of the New York State Unified Court System (“UCS”) is to deliver equal justice under the law and to achieve the just, fair and timely resolution of all matters that come before our courts. In the service of our mission, the UCS is committed to operating with integrity and transparency, and to ensuring that all who enter or serve in our courts are treated with respect, dignity, and professionalism. We affirm our responsibility to promote a court system free from any and all forms of bias and discrimination and to promote a judiciary and workforce that reflect the rich diversity of New York State. More information about the UCS is available at https://www.nycourts.gov.
The UCS Office of Court Administration’s (“OCA”) Division of Grants, Contracts & Procurement (“DGCP”) is soliciting proposals via this Request for Proposals (“RFP”) for the purpose of providing technical assistance for the courts in the six (6) counties participating in the New York State Overdose Intervention Initiative: Fulton and Clinton in the 4th Judicial District; Herkimer in the 5th Judicial District; Monroe and Wayne in the 7th Judicial District; and Cattaraugus in the 8th Judicial District. Specific courts within each of the participating counties, which may include criminal, family and civil courts, will be identified through the planning process and with technical assistance guidance.
The widespread misuse of drugs, including opioids and stimulants, has led to a historic surge in overdose deaths in New York, and this crisis demands urgent and comprehensive action across systems to provide effective prevention, treatment, and recovery support. The UCS’s Office for Justice Initiatives has worked to address this crisis through the development of innovative treatment courts and by regularly assisting judges and court staff in addressing the needs of vulnerable individuals involved in our criminal and family justice systems. The UCS currently operates 93 adult drug treatment courts and 31 opioid intervention courts to help address these complex issues and prevent overdoses. Independent evaluations have shown that New York’s treatment courts reduce reoffending, promote long-term recovery, and reduce system costs. The UCS now seeks to meet the needs of a broader population of justice-involved individuals who are at high risk of overdose but may not be eligible for treatment diversion. Through the Overdose Intervention Initiative, the UCS will enhance the ability of communities to address the high risk of overdose by rapidly connecting court users at high risk of overdose to critical, lifesaving treatment and recovery support services.
PROJECT INFORMATION
UCS is the recipient of a grant (the “Grant Award”) by the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance (“BJA” or the “Grantor”) to provide technical assistance for the courts in six (6) counties in New York State identified as high priority jurisdictions that demonstrated an annual increase in overdose death rates exceeding 50%: Cattaraugus, Clinton, Fulton, Herkimer, Monroe, and Wayne Counties (the “Project”). Pursuant to the terms of the Grant Award, $348,398 is the maximum available funding for Project Services (as set forth in Article V below) performed during July 1, 2025 – September 30, 2027, provided, however, that such period may be extended upon mutual agreement of Grantor and UCS (the “Project Term”). UCS reserves the right to request a no-cost extension of the Project Term from the Grantor.
UCS anticipates that the selected applicant will be designated a “contractor” rather than a “subrecipient” for purposes of federal requirements of the Grant Award.
AWARD
UCS intends to award one contract for a term commencing on or about July 1, 2025, and terminating on or about September 30, 2027 (“Contract Term”).
Awarded contractor shall be contractually obligated to provide the Project Services (as described below) for the Project Term, as it may be amended or extended. UCS and awarded contractor shall communicate regularly concerning the remaining amount of grant funds and the approximate timing of complete expenditure.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Proposals will be considered only from applicants who meet the following minimum qualifications:
• Individuals or organizations with at least three (3) years of experience performing services relevant to those described herein.
• Qualified applicants must have the capacity to provide Project Services (as set forth in Article V,
• Individuals or organizations currently under contract with the Grantor to provide technical assistance for the Grant Award (15PBJA-24-GG-04472-COAP) are not eligible to apply for this RFP.
PROJECT SERVICES
UCS seeks proposals describing how the applicant will provide the services listed below (“Project Services”). The selected applicant shall be required to:
1. Provide targeted intensive technical assistance, training, and evaluation through an action research approach in the courts across the six participating counties (Fulton, Herkimer, Cattaraugus, Monroe, Wayne and Clinton) engaged in opioid intervention efforts.
2. Work with stakeholder teams, including pretrial services, prosecution, defense, judicial partners, recovery community organizations, and behavioral health agencies (collectively, the “Stakeholder Teams”), to provide technical assistance in developing navigation strategies that appropriately divert cases to a therapeutic approach.
3. Facilitate the development, expansion and strengthening of Stakeholder Teams through virtual and in-person meetings to increase access to resources and mitigate overdose risk for those appearing before the court.
4. Engage with Stakeholder Teams to understand how overdoses are impacting their community and facilitate resource mapping to identify gaps in services.
5. Facilitate strategic planning sessions for the Stakeholder Teams to develop a detailed action plan.
6. Conduct an in-person convening of the Stakeholder Teams to provide subject matter expert presentations on readiness for change, systems mapping, facilitate cross-site learning, and action planning.
7. Facilitate quarterly virtual learning collaboratives to review progress, troubleshoot challenges, present data, and discuss promising practices.
8. Conduct site visits at one location within each of the six (6) participating counties to review program operations and provide coaching and targeted technical assistance to all team members with a focus on capacity building and overcoming implementation challenges.
9. Provide coaching and support to assist the courts in the six (6) participating counties in the development of an individualized sustainability plan focusing on the long-term viability of their overdose intervention program.
10. Support the development of data points and guide the collection and tracking of inputs to align practice and outcomes.
11. Assist in collecting and maintaining all data as required by the Grantor.
12. Maintain documentation (such as project logs, reports and records) in appropriate files and database(s).
13. Provide feedback to the Project team on an ongoing basis to promote continuous quality improvement and make recommendations for data-informed policy changes.
14. Provide a written report for each of the six (6) counties summarizing their implementation strategies and sustainability plans. Also, provide one final overall report synthesizing the implementation and sustainability across the participating counties, and address statewide rollout and/or replication.
15. Provide appropriate supervision and oversight of any staff included on this Project.
RFP Issue Date April 30, 2025
Deadline to Submit Written Questions May 21, 2025 at 2:00PM EDT
Deadline to Submit Proposal June 13, 2025 at 2:00PM EDT
Estimated Contract Start Date July 1, 2025
The UCS looks forward to your response.
Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Set Aside: No
Due date:06/13/2025 2:00 PM
Contract term: On or about July 1, 2025 thru September 30, 2027
County(ies): Cattaraugus, Clinton, Fulton, Herkimer, Monroe, Wayne
Business entities awarded an identical or substantially similar procurement contract within the past five years: N/A
