Sobering Care and Withdrawal Management Services

Contracts Unit
1900 Embarcadero Cove, Suite 205
Oakland, Ca 94606
510-567-8296 / Fax 510-567-8290
ALAMEDA COUNTY BEHAVIORAL HEALTH DEPARTMENT (ACBHD)
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) 26-01
SPECIFICATIONS, TERMS & CONDITIONS
FOR
SOBERING CARE AND WITHDRAWAL MANAGEMENT SERVICES
INFORMATIONAL MEETING/ BIDDERS' CONFERENCES
Date Time Location
April 1, 2026 10:00 am - 11:30am Teams Invitation is in the
April 2, 2026 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm Calendar of Events
PROPOSALS DUE
by 2:00 pm on March 16, 2026
to
ACBHD Procurement
Email: procurement@acgov.org
Proposals received after this date/time will NOT be accepted

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SOBERING CARE & WITHDRAWAL MANAGEMENT SERVICES #26-01
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
I. STATEMENT OF WORK ........................................................................................................... 3
A. INTENT ................................................................................................................................ 3
B. BACKGROUND ................................................................................................................... 4
C. SCOPE/PURPOSE ............................................................................................................... 4
D. BIDDER MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS ................................................................................... 5
E. SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS .................................................................................................. 6
F. BIDDER EXPERIENCE, ABILITY AND PLAN ........................................................................... 8
II. INSTRUCTIONS TO BIDDERS ............................................................................................... 14
A. COUNTY CONTACTS ......................................................................................................... 14
B. CALENDAR OF EVENTS ..................................................................................................... 15
C. SMALL LOCAL EMERGING BUSINESS (SLEB) PREFERENCE POINTS .................................. 16
D. BIDDERS' CONFERENCES ................................................................................................ 17
E. SUBMITTAL OF PROPOSALS/BIDS ..................................................................................... 17
F. RESPONSE FORMAT/PROPOSAL RESPONSES................................................................... 19
G. EVALUATION CRITERIA/SELECTION COMMITTEE .............................................................. 21
Table 1 ..................................................................................................................................... 22
Table 2 ..................................................................................................................................... 23
H. CONTRACT EVALUATION AND ASSESSMENT .................................................................... 28
I. AWARD ............................................................................................................................. 28
J. PRICING ........................................................................................................................... 29
K. INVOICING ....................................................................................................................... 29
L. NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD ......................................................................................... 29
M. TERM/TERMINATION/RENEWAL ........................................................................................ 30
III. APPENDICES ....................................................................................................................... 31
A. GLOSSARY & ACRONYM LIST ............................................................................................ 31
B. BID RESPONSE PACKET .................................................................................................... 33
C. EXHIBIT C: INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS .......................................................................... 34
D. OTHER REQUIREMENTS .................................................................................................... 38
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SOBERING CARE & WITHDRAWAL MANAGEMENT SERVICES #26-01
I. STATEMENT OF WORK
A. INTENT
It is the intent of these specifications, terms, and conditions for Alameda County Behavioral
Health Department (hereafter ACBHD or County) to seek proposals to provide sobering care and
withdrawal management for individuals who are acutely intoxicated and who may be
experiencing co-occurring mental health and other medical issues. Program services and
supports shall focus on short-term, safe, and clinically monitored stabilization.
ACBHD intends to award one contract to the Bidder selected as the most responsible bidder
whose response conforms to the Request for Proposal (RFP) and meets the County
requirements. At this time, ACBHD has allocated $6,591,776 per contract year for this program
through Measure A, 2011 Realignment, and other State of California funding sources. Funding is
anticipated to be ongoing.
Any contract that results from this RFP process will be reimbursed, based on most recent
standards, on a rate basis per client bed day and/or for outpatient services (for withdrawal
management, this will be limited to services that are billed to Medi-Cal once the program is
operational). Other types of client supports will be reimbursed at cost. There will be a start-up
period equivalent to a three-month allocation for sobering care and withdrawal management,
also based on actual costs.
Proposals shall form the basis for any subsequent awarded contract. Staffing levels and
operating costs must accurately reflect the Bidder's costs for the program. ACBHD reserves the
right to dissolve a contract if/when awarded Contractor materially alters staff, budgets,
deliverables and/or outcomes any time after the contract award.
The County is not obligated to award any contract as a result of this RFP process. The County
may, but is not obligated to, renew any awarded contract. Any renewal of an awarded contract
shall be contingent on the availability of funds, awarded Contractor's performance, and
continued prioritization of the activities and priority populations as defined and determined by
ACBHD.
ACBHD does not discriminate against Bidders that serve high-risk populations or specialize in
conditions that require costly treatment. Further, the County does not discriminate in the
selection, reimbursement, or indemnification of any provider who is acting within the scope of
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SOBERING CARE & WITHDRAWAL MANAGEMENT SERVICES #26-01
his or her license or certification under applicable state law, solely on the basis of that license or
certification.1
B. BACKGROUND
Sobering care and American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) 3.2 clinically managed
withdrawal management residential services (withdrawal management) are essential
components of the substance use continuum of care. These services often serve as the initial
point of engagement for individuals entering substance use treatment and mental health
services, offering critical support, stability, and connection to ongoing treatment and supportive
services. Through sobering care and ASAM 3.2 withdrawal management, clients receive clinically
supervised monitoring and/or treatment, which is mandated by the California Department of
Healthcare Services (DHCS).
Sobering care and withdrawal management open the door for clients to new possibilities by
providing an opportunity for them to be assessed and connected to the appropriate level of care
based on their needs and individual goals. These services frequently serve as an entry point into
treatment and help clients begin their recovery journey.
By stabilizing individuals and linking them to ongoing support, these services promote long-term
engagement in the community, including access to stable housing, employment, and continued
care. These services will also support in decreasing incarceration and criminal justice recidivism
associated with substance use. Ultimately, the impact extends to improved continuity of care,
health outcomes and, overall, quality of life.
C. SCOPE/PURPOSE
The awarded Contractor will provide sobering care and withdrawal management at the County-
owned Cherry Hill facility in San Leandro.
Sobering care will provide an urgent level of care for individuals who are acutely intoxicated from
alcohol and/or other substances, including opioids, and may be experiencing co-occurring
mental health conditions or other complex medical needs. Cherry Hill serves as an essential safe
drop off location for law enforcement and crisis response teams, ultimately diverting individuals
from jail and the criminal justice system and ensuring stabilization and connection to overall
health care and supportive services. This program must be able to receive Emergency Medical
1 In compliance with 42 CFR 438.214 as a Prepaid Inpatient Health Plan (PIHP).
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SOBERING CARE & WITHDRAWAL MANAGEMENT SERVICES #26-01
Services (EMS) drop-offs to divert low acuity cases away from overburdened Emergency
Departments.
The program will offer a monitored environment for up to 23.99 hours to promote stabilization,
reduce immediate harm, and divert individuals from emergency departments, inpatient
hospitalization, or justice system involvement. The care team will monitor clients closely,
address basic needs (including various medical needs the client may present with) provide
comfort, conduct triage and screening for medical or behavioral health risks, and coordinate
transfers to hospital care when necessary. The awarded Contractor shall also have the ability to
assess for and write a 5150 hold, pursuant to Senate Bill 43.2
Withdrawal management will support individuals who are experiencing or are at risk for active
withdrawal from alcohol or other substances. Services will be delivered over a short-term
residential stay, typically lasting three to five days and up to about seven days, depending on
clinical need. Clients will receive 24/7 clinically monitored, individualized withdrawal
management that may include medication support (including both prescribing and observation
of medication), symptom monitoring, recovery support, and basic care needs.
Upon stabilization and discharge, both programs will provide case management and
coordinated discharge planning to ensure warm handoffs to ongoing treatment, the next
appropriate level of care, mental health services, primary medical care, housing resources,
transportation, employment, and other medical and supportive services.
The priority population for these services are individuals of all gender identities and
race/ethnicities, age 18 and above, who are residents of Alameda County and who are under the
influence of alcohol and other substances at admission. The awarded Contractor shall prioritize
serving residents of Alameda County who are:
* Pregnant women
* Intravenous drug users
* Involved with the criminal justice system; and
* Diagnosed with co-occurring mental health and/or other complex medical issues
D. BIDDER MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
To be eligible to participate in this RFP, Bidders must successfully demonstrate in their proposal
how they meet the following Bidder Minimum Qualifications:
2 https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB43
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SOBERING CARE & WITHDRAWAL MANAGEMENT SERVICES #26-01
* Have at least ten years of experience providing behavioral health and medical services to the
priority population within the last fifteen years;
* Have a minimum of three years demonstrated experience prescribing MAT (medication
assisted treatment) services and/or effectively connecting individuals to MAT services over
the past five years; and
* Have at least ten years of experience billing Drug Medi-Cal within the last fifteen years.
Program funding includes revenue from Medi-Cal; as such, ACBHD shall disqualify proposals
submitted with subcontractors performing any portion of the clinical services described in this
RFP.
See Section II. C. Small Local Emerging Business (SLEB) Preference Points for more information
on SLEB certification, exception and waiver.
Bidders are eligible to participate in the RFP process if they meet the Bidder Minimum
Qualifications. Please note, ACBHD will disqualify proposals that:
* Do not clearly demonstrate that Bidder meets each of the specified Bidder Minimum
Qualifications
* Exceed the contract maximum amount.
* Are unreasonable and/or unrealistic in terms of budget, as solely determined by ACBHD
* Exceed the maximum page limit as defined in the Bid Response Template
* Are received after the stated deadline
* Submitted with subcontractors performing any portion of the clinical services described in
the RFP.
Disqualified proposals will not be evaluated by the Evaluation Panel and will not be eligible for
contract award under this RFP. ACBHD has the right to accept all or part of the proposed program
model at its discretion.
E. SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS
The scope of work for awarded contracts from this RFP will include conformance with all of the
following throughout the program period:
* Provide sobering care and withdrawal management;
* Recruit, manage and retain qualified staffing team as indicated in Section F. 3. Planned
Staffing and Organizational Capacity;
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SOBERING CARE & WITHDRAWAL MANAGEMENT SERVICES #26-01
* Provide services that follow evidence-based practices including but not limited to:
motivational interviewing, trauma informed care, relapse prevention, and crisis de-
escalation.
* Conduct ongoing monitoring to ensure that staff who provide clinical services have a valid
license and have no restrictions;
* Plan for and implement continuous training and quality improvement, including but not
limited to cultural and linguistic responsiveness;
* Promote cultural responsiveness and multi-culturalism using Culturally and Linguistically
Appropriate Services (CLAS),3 which includes tracking and reporting to ACBHD any training
or activities that meet the CLAS requirements;
* Complete trainings required to access and conduct data entry in a timely manner into the
County's electronic information management and claiming system;
* Complete other trainings as required or requested by the County;
* Submit an attestation confirming employee validation against Office of the Inspector
General (OIG) and Other Exclusion Lists;
* Comply with ACBHD's contractual and administrative requirements, as listed in Exhibit A-1:
Substance Use Disorder Standard Requirements,4 ACBHD Policies and Procedures Manual5
and ACBHD QA Manual;6 and
* Adhere to the following Medi-Cal, state and federal requirements listed in Appendix D: Other
Requirements.
3 https://thinkculturalhealth.hhs.gov/clas/standards
4 https://bhcsproviders.acgov.org/providers/network/forms.htm#contract.
5 https://bhcsproviders.acgov.org/providers/PP/Policies.htm
6 https://bhcsproviders.acgov.org/providers/QA/qa_manual.htm
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SOBERING CARE & WITHDRAWAL MANAGEMENT SERVICES #26-01
F. BIDDER EXPERIENCE, ABILITY AND PLAN
1. Understanding of and Experience with Priority Population
The priority population is individuals who are acutely intoxicated, age 18 and older. These
individuals likely have alcohol and substance use and dependence and often face housing
instability and frequently have co-occurring medical and mental health conditions. Their
substance use can lead to social isolation, job loss, food insecurity, and significant disruption to
their social connections and daily routines. Given these vulnerabilities, it is essential that this
priority population be linked to treatment services as early as possible including through
sobering care and withdrawal management, to support stabilization and continued engagement
in substance use treatment.
The successful Bidder will demonstrate an understanding of the priority population's needs and
challenges and experience in providing urgent levels of care to individuals with substance
dependence.
2. Service Delivery Approach
The awarded Contractor will operate two teams: one for sobering care and one for withdrawal
management. Both teams will operate out of the county-owned Cherry Hill facility in San
Leandro.
Sobering Care Team will provide urgent level of care for individuals who are acutely intoxicated
and who may be experiencing co-occurring mental health and other medical issues, offering a
low barrier alternative to emergency departments. The Cherry Hill facility serves as a safe drop
off location for law enforcement and crisis services, helping divert individuals from jail and the
broader criminal justice system. The sobering care team will maintain strong partnerships with
crisis support services and law enforcement so that when they encounter individuals in acute
intoxication, they can connect them directly to sobering care.
Sobering care will offer a short-term, safe, medical, and clinically monitored environment to
stabilize individuals and manage intoxication. The average length of stay in sobering care is six
to 12 hours, with a maximum stay of 23.99 hours. This care will include medical screening and
monitoring, short term stabilization, case management for assessment and linkage to ongoing
care and treatment/other appropriate levels of care including mental health and medical care,
and discharge planning with connection to resources such as recovery support, peer support,
housing, legal, transportation, and employment.
The sobering care staff will be trained in evidence-based practices, including motivational
interviewing, trauma informed care, relapse prevention, and crisis de-escalation to more
effectively support clients. The medical team members that work within the sobering care team
shall provide comfort medications, intravenous fluids, and other basic medical care needs to
support client stabilization.
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SOBERING CARE & WITHDRAWAL MANAGEMENT SERVICES #26-01
The awarded Contractor must be familiar with National Sobering Collaborative7 initiatives that
aim to expand and promote best practices for sobering care and support agencies to implement
industry recognized standards.
The daily maximum should support services to an average of 43 individuals per day and be
aligned with the facility fire clearance.
Withdrawal Management Team will provide clinically managed residential withdrawal
management services for individuals experiencing acute intoxication or withdrawal from alcohol
and other substances. Services are short-term, typically ranging from three to five days with a
maximum stay of up to seven days in a residential setting.
Clients receive 24-hour monitoring, support, and withdrawal management symptoms
assessment from trained and certified professionals in a structured environment that ensures
safety, stabilization, and basic care needs. Services include on-site medical clearances,
prescribing withdrawal management medications as needed, medication administration per
protocol or prescriber orders, vital sign monitoring, clinical consultation, counseling, and case
management to assess care needs and coordinate referrals to the next appropriate level of care,
which may include mental health services, primary care, and MAT.
The awarded Contractor must be able to prescribe medication onsite and have established
relationships with local pharmacies for timely access to medication (no more than four hours)
and demonstrate competency in MAT prescribing.
Discharge planning includes case management and warm hand offs to ongoing social, recovery
and supportive services including housing, legal, transportation, employment resources, peer
support, and other community-based programs. Withdrawal management staff will be trained in
evidence-based practices, including motivational interviewing, trauma informed care, relapse
prevention, and crisis de-escalation to more effectively support clients.
The awarded Contractor must have DHCS license and ASAM 3.2 level of care designation and
provide and document services in alignment with requirements for ASAM 3.2 level of care. Staff
requiring state sanctions and certification must be in possession of license or certification as
required by DHCS.
This team shall serve an average of 27 clients at any point in time and shall maintain a 1:15 client
to staff ratio.
The awarded Contractor shall maintain the following hours:
* Office hours: Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
* Residential Detoxification Service: Seven days per week, 24 hours per day
* Sobering Station: Seven days per week, 24 hours per day
7 https://nationalsobering.org/
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* Transportation: Seven days per week, 24 hours per day as needed
The program will receive self-referrals and referrals from County entities, including hospitals, law
enforcement, Community Based Organizations (CBOs), Medi-Cal Managed Care Plans (MCPs),
and County programs such as Crisis Services, Full-Service Partnerships (FSPs), and Acute Crisis
Care and Evaluation for Systemwide Services (ACCESS). Depending on the results of the
screening and assessment, the clients will be placed in the sobering care, withdrawal
management, or referred to other appropriate services.
Bidders should describe their plan to provide sobering care and withdrawal management to
clients, including to individuals who may be reluctant to engage in treatment and individuals who
may present with various co-occurring mental health and medical issues. Bidders should also
include client supportive expenditures in their plan and budget.
3. Planned Staffing and Organizational Capacity
Bidders shall include a staffing structure that is well matched to program services and goals.
The minimum staff requirements by team are as follows:
Sobering Care:
* 20 Full Time Employee (FTE) sobering technicians (individuals with experience
working in crisis settings, lived experience preferred)
* 2 FTE Substance Use Navigator
* 3 FTE Registered Nurse (RN),
* 7 Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN), Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) or
Paramedic
* 0.5 FTE Prescriber
* 0.5 FTE Program Manager (medical education, training, and experience working in
acuity settings required)
Withdrawal Management:
* 12 FTE Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Counselor
* 4.7 FTE Medical Staff
* 2 FTE SUD Navigator
* 1 FTE Licensed Practitioner of the Healing Arts (LPHA)
* 0.5 FTE Prescriber
* 0.5 FTE Program Manager (medical education, training, and experience working in
acuity settings required)
Bidders may propose additional program staff, as appropriate, to provide program services,
account for potential gaps in staffing, and to support and/or supervise program staff.
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