Outreach Safety Response (OSR) Team Program

Valley Metro Rail, Inc. is soliciting offers for solicitation 2026-RFP-091 to establish and operate an Outreach Safety Response (OSR) Team Program for its regional light rail transit system and associated facilities. The program utilizes a Transit-First outreach model featuring multidisciplinary teams of certified peer support specialists and licensed behavioral health professionals to provide trauma-informed, community-based outreach. Primary objectives include engaging individuals experiencing homelessness or behavioral health challenges, providing crisis de-escalation and welfare checks, and reducing unnecessary law enforcement involvement for low-level quality-of-life issues. The contract is intended to commence on November 30, 2026, or the date of award, for a five-year term. The contract will be awarded based on best value, using a points-based evaluation focusing on staffing and operational plans, organizational experience, price schedule, technical approach, and data collection and reporting capabilities. Selected contractors must operate as unarmed responders under licensed clinical oversight and utilize their own incident management software for reporting. Administrative requirements include electronic submission via the OpenGov portal by October 29, 2026, and compliance with various certifications, including debarment, lobbying, and non-collusion affidavits. Payment is generally remitted within 30 days of receipt of a compliant invoice, provided the contractor is registered in the CORE system and has a valid W-9 on file.