OhioMHAS Recovery Housing Residences - Accreditation and Expansion

In an MBE set-aside solicitation, only those bidders/suppliers with an active MBE certification at the time the solicitation closes can submit a response

SRC0000034008

10/2/2025 2:00:00 PM

1. MISSION & GUIDING PRINCIPLES

The mission of the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) is to provide statewide leadership of a high-quality mental health and addiction prevention, treatment and recovery system that is effective and valued by all Ohioans. OhioMHAS strives to be a national leader in implementing a comprehensive, accessible, and quality-focused system of addiction and mental health care and wellness for all Ohio citizens.

1. PURPOSE

The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services ( Ohio MHAS) is seeking proposals from qualified contractors to

1. BACKGROUND

The Department seeks proposals from organizations that accredit, or its equivalent, “recovery housing residences” as that term is defined in Ohio Revised Code (R.C.) 5119.01. Any reference to “accreditation” in this RFP means accreditation or its equivalent.

Under this RFP, the Department will select a single contractor to fulfill two sets of deliverables:
(1) Be an accepted accrediting organization for purposes of Ohio Revised Code (R.C.) 5119.39(A) and fulfill duties associated with that role; and
(2) Establish and monitor 12 to 15 new peer-run recovery housing residences throughout Ohio not later than September 29, 2026.

1. SCOPE OF WORK AND DELIVERABLES

(1) Deliverables Set 1 - Accreditation of recovery housing residences

A. Accreditation Standards . Contractor must offer an accreditation that is for recovery housing residences as the term, “recovery housing residences,” is defined in R.C. 5119.01. The accreditation for recovery housing residences must be recognized by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and must be specifically and exclusively designed for recovery housing residences and may not include other types of structures such as transitional housing residences, homeless shelters, or domestic violence shelters as part of the accreditation. Contractor is to submit a copy of its accreditation standards to the Department when responding to this RFP.

B. Accreditation Process . Contractor must have a process for recovery housing residences to apply for and attain the offered accreditation described in A., above. Contractor must submit a document explaining this process when responding to this RFP.

C. Complaints . Contractor must have a step-by-step procedure for the receipt, investigation, and resolution of complaints received by Contractor about a recovery housing residence accredited by Contractor or actively engaged in the process of attaining Contractor’s accreditation. The procedure must include a step that offers boards of alcohol, drug addiction, and mental health services (ADAMHS boards) the option of accompanying Contractor’s staff on investigations. The procedure must be posted on Contractor’s web site. Contractor must submit a copy of the procedure when responding to this RFP.

D. Complaint Referrals – Complaint Management Contractor . Contractor must receive and evaluate complaints sent to it from the contractor selected under sourcing project SRC0000034011, entitled, “Recovery Housing Residences – Accreditation and Complaint Management,” known as the Complaint Management Contractor for purposes of this RFP.

E. Investigations . Contractor must investigate the complaints described in C., above, using its own employees or contractors located in Ohio. Contractor must submit a list of each of its employees and contractors who conduct investigations, along with their cities and zip codes of residence, when responding to this RFP.

F. Reports .  Contractor must submit complaint investigation status reports and adverse action reports to the Complaint Management Contractor through the means that the Complaint Management Contractor designates for this purpose. Such reports must comply with the following:
1. Complaint investigation status reports

A complaint investigation status report must be submitted to the Complaint Management Contractor regarding each complaint investigation that is pending or was completed since the immediately prior report was prepared. A report must be submitted twice per month on a date established by the Complaint Management Contractor and contain the following information:

--The name and address, if known, of the property that is the subject of the complaint;
--The name and contact information, if known, for the person responsible for the property’s accreditation;
--A description of the complaint;
--The status of the complaint (i.e., whether the complaint was recently received, whether it is still under active investigation, or whether it was completed since the prior report was prepared);
--If the investigation was competed since the prior report was prepared, the outcome of the investigation; and
--Any other information the accrediting organization determines pertinent.

2. Adverse action reports

An adverse action report must be submitted to the Complaint Management Contractor not later than three business days after the adverse action was taken. An “adverse action” means a decision to deny, revoke, suspend, place on probation, or otherwise restrict accreditation.

An adverse action report must include all of the following information:
--The name and address of the property that is the subject of the adverse action;
--The name and contact information, if known, for the person responsible for the property’s accreditation--A description of the adverse action;
--The rationale for the adverse action;
--The date the adverse action was made; and
--A copy of any correspondence sent to the person responsible for the property’s accreditation regarding the decision to take the adverse action.

G. Response to Inquiries . Contractor must expeditiously respond to inquiries pertaining to the accreditation of recovery housing residences or complaints and complaint investigations concerning recovery housing residences made by Department staff or, at the direction of Department staff, staff of the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, or other parties.

H. Technical Assistance . Contractor must provide technical assistance to recovery housing residences seeking to attain or maintain Contractor’s accreditation.
Technical assistance shall include, but shall not be limited to, answering questions from community members and other parties pertaining to Contractor’s accreditation process, and providing guidance to prospective applicants for accreditation regarding the application process, standards for accreditation, and/or timeline for accreditation.
I. Training . Contractor must provide in-person and virtual training sessions, not less than quarterly, on the process for attaining and maintaining Contractor’s accreditation and other topics relevant to the operation of recovery housing residences.

J. Record Retention . Contractor must have a system for maintaining complaint and investigative records for the longer of one year or the period of time it takes to close a complaint. Such system must be designed in a way to facilitate compliance with R.C. 5119.393(C).

K. Confidentiality . Contractor must affirm that, beginning September 30, 2025, R.C. 5119.393(C) applies with respect to complaints received by the Department or Contractor and that information and records received, collected, or generated by the Department or Contractor pursuant to an investigation, and reports described in R.C. 5119.393(B), are generally confidential, not public records under R.C. 149.43, and may only be disclosed as specified in R.C. 5119.393(C)(2).

L. Annual Conference . Contractor must participate in, and present at, an annual recovery housing residence conference sponsored by the Complaint Management Contractor.

M. Report Submission Requirements (other than report submissions to the Complaint Management Contractor as outlined in Deliverables Set 1, F, above)
1. Reporting to the Department
a. Monthly reports

Not later than the fifth day of each month, Contractor must submit to the Department via the email address the Department has designated for this purpose a report with all the following:

i. The name and address of each recovery housing residence accredited by Contractor as of the date of the report’s submission.

ii. The name and address of each recovery housing residence actively engaged in the process of attaining Contractor’s accreditation as of the date of the report’s submission that has not been operating for more than 18 months. For purposes of identifying the 18-month time frame, a recovery housing residence is considered to be operating on the date that the first resident occupies the residence as specified on the form filed in accordance with R.C. 5119.391.

iii. A list of training sessions Contractor held for currently accredited recovery housing residences and those interested in becoming accredited recovery housing residences since the last monthly report was made, including all of the following information about each training session:

--Sponsor;
--Date;
--Content and curriculum;
--Instructor names;
--Whether the session was held in-person, by virtual means, or both;
--Number of attendees; and
--Direct costs associated with holding the training session, including venue, equipment, supplies, food/beverages, and instruction materials

b. Annual reports

Not later than September 1 of each year, Contractor must submit a report to the Department, via the email address the Department has designated for this purpose, an annual report summarizing Contractor’s outcomes data collected during the immediately preceding year.

c. Registry reporting

Every ten days, Contractor must share data, specified by the Department, to the registry required by R.C. 5119.394.

2. Reporting to ADAMHS Boards
a. Contractor will send a notice to the ADAMHS board with jurisdiction over the location of any recovery housing residence accredited by Contractor that is no longer open. The notice must be sent not later than three business days after Contractor becomes aware of the closure. Contractor must also send within that time frame a copy of the notice to the Department via the email address the Department has designated for this purpose.
b. Contractor will send a notice to the ADAMHS board with jurisdiction over the location of any recovery housing residence that fails to submit a renewal application for accreditation to Contractor by the deadline Contractor has established for such application. Contractor must also send within that time frame a copy of the notice to the Department via the email address the Department has designated for this purpose.
3. Reporting to Complainants

For each complaint investigated by Contractor, Contractor will inform the complainant, if the complainant’s contact information is available, about the outcome of the investigation using the disposition form developed by the Department. The form must be completed and sent to the complainant not later than ten business days after the conclusion of the investigation. Contractor must also send within that time frame a copy of the completed form to the Department via the email address the Department has designated for this purpose.

(2) Deliverables Set 2 – Establishment and monitoring of new peer-run recovery housing residences throughout Ohio

Not later than September 29, 2026, Contractor will do both of the following:

A. Establish 12 to 15 new peer-run recovery housing residences throughout Ohio. Contractor must work with the Department to determine areas of the state in need of expansion.

B. Monitor the operation of the 12 to 15 new peer-run recovery housing residences that have been established as described in A., above.

PART FOUR: EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS

1. Evaluation Process

OhioMHAS’s evaluation process of responses submitted to this request may consist of up to four distinct phases:

1. OhioMHAS’s initial review of all proposals for timely submission;
2. An evaluation committee review of the proposals for defects and scoring;
3. OhioMHAS’s request for more information (clarifications, interviews, presentations, and/or demonstrations); and,
4. Negotiations or best offer requests.

At its sole discretion, OhioMHAS will determine whether phases three and/or four are necessary under this RFP, reserving for itself the ability to eliminate or add phases three or four at any time during the evaluation process. OhioMHAS may add or remove sub-phases to phases 2 through 4 at any time if MHAS believes doing so will improve the evaluation process.

1. Proposal Evaluation Criteria

In the proposal evaluation phase, OhioMHAS staff or reviewers selected by OhioMHAS (the committee) will rate the proposals submitted in response to this RFP based on the following criteria and weight assigned to each criterion.