RFP for an Alternative 9-1-1 Emergency Response Pilot

Agency:	County of Allegheny
State:	Pennsylvania
Type of Government:	State & Local
Category:	71 - Furniture
Posted:	May 22, 2023
Due:	Jun 28, 2023
Publication URL:	To access bid details, please log in.

RFP for an Alternative 9-1-1 Emergency Response Pilot
Release Date: Thursday, May 11, 2023
Due Date: 3: p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, June 28, 2023

The Allegheny County Department of Human Services (DHS), on behalf of Allegheny County, is seeking one or more Successful Proposer(s) to staff and run an Alternative 9-1-1 Emergency Response (A9ER) Program pilot in one or both of two pilot locations (McKees Rocks and Monroeville/Penn Hills). In this A9ER Program pilot, trauma-informed, client-directed and compassionate Alternative Response Teams will respond to non-violent 9-1-1 calls related to quality of life, wellbeing, or a mental health or substance use crisis, either instead of law enforcement, with law enforcement or after law enforcement. Follow-Up Teams will help residents seen by the Alternative Response Teams to identify and access needed resources. A program manager and supervisor will ensure overall and day-to-day quality at the program and direct service level, respectively.

Appendix B: Building a Crisis System

Join us for a virtual information session to learn more about the RFP on Wednesday, May 31 from 2-3 p.m. Eastern. Please see the RFP for more details.

Proposals must be submitted electronically on DHS’s Bonfire Portal . Please see the RFP for more details.

Response Form: Alt Response and Follow-Up Team
Updated May 15, 2023
Response Form: Alternative Response Team
Updated May 15, 2023
Response Form: Follow-Up Team
Updated May 15, 2023

Q&A
Updated May 22, 2023

Attachment Preview

Alternative 9-1-1 Emergency

Response Pilot

RFP Posting:

Thursday, May 11, 2023

Information Session:

2 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, May 31, 2023

Office Hours:

11:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, June 8, 2023

Deadline for Questions:

3 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday, June 16, 2023

Submission Deadline:

3 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, June 28, 2023

Estimated Award Decision/Notification:

August 2023

Allegheny County Department of Human Services

One Smithfield Street Pittsburgh, PA 15222

Contents

Acronyms and Definitions

The RFP at a Glance

Section 1: Why We Are Issuing this RFP

Section 2: What We Are Looking For

Section 3: Proposal Requirements and Evaluation Criteria

Section 4: How to Submit a Proposal

Section 5: How We Will Evaluate Your Proposal

Section 6: Contract Requirements for Successful Proposers

Appendices A and C are at the end of this RFP. Appendix B can be found on the RFP

Opportunity Page and on the solicitations webpage.

Appendix A: Alternative 9-1-1 Emergency Response Planning Process

Appendix B: Building a Crisis System

Appendix C: Map of A9ER Pilot Sites, as of 4/1/2023

Acronyms and Definitions

Unless the context indicates otherwise, the following capitalized words are defined as follows for

purposes of this RFP:

1. Agreement: A contract negotiated between Allegheny County and the Successful

Proposer to provide the Contract Services

2. Allegheny County: A home rule county and political subdivision of the Commonwealth

of Pennsylvania

3. Allegheny County Emergency Services (ACES): Allegheny County Emergency Services

is a County agency whose mission is to support the citizens and first responders of

Allegheny County through prevention, preparation, protection, response and recovery

from manmade and natural all-hazard emergencies and acts of terrorism. ACES oversees

9-1-1, Emergency Management, the Fire Academy and the Fire Marshall’s Office.

4. Alternative 9-1-1 Emergency Response (A9ER): A model in which behavioral health and

human service professionals can respond to certain 9-1-1 calls without police, when those

calls are deemed to not require a law enforcement response based on criteria developed in

partnership with local public safety officials, DHS, community members and national

experts. Alternative 9-1-1 Emergency Response Programs recognize that a traditional law

enforcement or EMS response may not be the best way to resolve calls or address the

behavioral health and human service needs of the subject of the 9-1-1 call.

5. Bonfire: The County’s online procurement software. Proposers must have a Bonfire

account to submit a Response to this RFP.

6. Alternative Response Team: Alternative Response Teams are two-person, trauma-

informed, client-directed and compassionate teams that respond to non-violent 9-1-1 calls

related to quality of life, wellbeing, mental health and substance use instead of, with

and/or after law enforcement.

7. ClientView: DHS’s IT application for client-level data

8. Contract Services: The specific services that the Successful Proposer agrees to provide to

the County in response to this RFP as more particularly described in the Scope of

Services

9. County 9-1-1: The County 9-1-1 Call Center run by Allegheny County Emergency

Services that receives all 9-1-1 calls in Allegheny County and dispatches almost all the

County’s first responder agencies. There are a handful of municipalities, like

Monroeville, which run their own dispatch centers. Calls that come to County 9-1-1 for

those municipalities are transferred to that community’s dispatch center.

10. Crisis: An instance in which someone is presenting with circumstances that require an

immediate outside response, including, but not limited, to acute mental health, substance

use-related and human service events.

11. Crisis Response System: A comprehensive continuum of behavioral health crisis care

comprised of core services and best practices and informed by collaboration with law

enforcement and emergency medical services. Allegheny County's current continuum of

behavioral health services includes: a 24/7 mental health crisis call center, walk-in center,

mobile teams and residential center; a 24/7 substance use walk-in and referral center; a

short-term overnight program for individuals waiting for an inpatient treatment bed; and a

variety of peer-focused services and programs.

12. Crisis Response Stakeholder Group (CRSG): A workgroup convened in September 2020

to address both the overreliance in Allegheny County on emergency services for people

with behavioral health and other human service crises and the racial inequities that persist

throughout the crisis system

13. DHS: [Allegheny County] Department of Human Service

14. DHS Bonfire Portal: A Bonfire webpage specific to the Allegheny County Department of

Human Services where Proposers can view open, past and awarded solicitations released

through Bonfire.

15. EMS: Emergency Medical Services

16. EMT: Emergency Medical Technicians

17. Follow-Up Teams: Follow-Up Teams will receive resident referrals from the Alternative

Response Team and will help these residents identify and access needed resources.

18. Involuntary Commitment Petition: An involuntary commitment petition is an application

for emergency evaluation and treatment for people who are "dangerous" to themselves or

others due to a mental illness.

19. Information, Referral and Emergency Services (IRES): IRES is an office of the

Allegheny County Department of Human Services. IRES staff include mental health

delegates, who have the responsibility of authorizing or denying an Involuntary

Commitment Petition (301).

20. Monroeville 9-1-1: The Monroeville 9-1-1 Call Center is a “ringdown” center that

receives all Monroeville-based calls from County 9-1-1. Monroeville 9-1-1 dispatches its

own police, fire and EMS agencies and has separate radio channels.

21. Peer: In the context of behavioral health, a peer is a person in recovery who provides

support to another person with whom they share the experience of living with a mental

health and/or substance use disorder.

22. Proposal: A completed Response Form, with specified attachments, submitted in

response to this RFP

23. Proposer: The individual, non-profit organization, or for-profit organization or business

submitting a Proposal in response to this RFP

24. Response Form: The Word document in which Proposers respond to requested

information about this RFP

25. RFP: Request for Proposal

26. RFP Opportunity Page: The Bonfire webpage where the RFP and all supporting

documents are listed and where the RFP submission documents must be uploaded for a

Proposal to be considered for review

27. Successful Proposer: The Proposer(s) selected by the County to provide the Contract

Services

28. Trauma-Informed: An organizational structure and treatment framework that involves

understanding, recognizing and responding to the effects of all types of trauma

The RFP at a Glance

Purpose

The Allegheny County Department of Human Services (DHS), on behalf of Allegheny County,

is seeking one or more Successful Proposer(s) to staff and run an Alternative 9-1-1 Emergency

Response (A9ER) Program pilot in one or both of two pilot locations (McKees Rocks and

Monroeville/Penn Hills). In this A9ER Program pilot, trauma-informed, client-directed and

compassionate Alternative Response Teams will respond to non-violent 9-1-1 calls related to

quality of life, wellbeing, or a mental health or substance use crisis, either instead of law

enforcement, with law enforcement or after law enforcement. Follow-Up Teams will help

residents seen by the Alternative Response Teams to identify and access needed resources. A

program manager and supervisor will ensure overall and day-to-day quality at the program and

direct service level, respectively.

Proposers may propose to serve one or both pilot areas, however, the Successful Proposer(s)

must have the ability to expand to nearby communities or across a region of the county if the

program is successful. Proposers may propose to operate the Alternative Response Team, the

Follow-Up Team or both. However, if a Proposer is proposing to operate just one of the teams,

they must be prepared to provide the service for both pilot areas. In other words, Proposers may

propose to:

• Provide all A9ER program needs (Alternative Response and Follow-Up Teams Program

operation, management and supervision) in pilot areas 1 and/or 2, with interest in and

capability of expanding to more municipalities or the entire county.

• Provide only the A9ER Program team operation, management and supervision function

in both pilot areas 1 and 2, with interest in and capability of expanding to more

municipalities or the entire county.

• Provide only Follow-Up Team operation, supervision and program management

functions in both pilot areas 1 and 2, with interest in and capability of expanding to more

municipalities or the entire county.

We expect that this A9ER Program will be an important part of DHS’s crisis prevention and

response system improvements and will help achieve the goals of this improved system,

preventing crises where possible and ensuring those who are in crisis have a place to go and a

person to help them. DHS, public safety officials and community members hope to achieve

progress towards several other goals with this program, including:

• Responding to human service and behavioral health crises with a human service and

behavioral health response.

• Creating more opportunities to offer and support connections to care.

• De-escalating crises in the community.

• Reducing the number of unnecessary ambulance rides and emergency room visits.

• Reducing the time that law enforcement spends on behavioral health-type calls,

especially repeated calls for the same individual.

This is the opportunity summary page. You are currently viewing an overview of this opportunity and a preview of the attached documentation. For more information, please visit the Publication URL Web page.

Daily notification on new contract opportunities

With GovernmentContracts, you can:

Find more opportunities and win more business
Receive daily alerts for all new bid opportunities
Get contract opportunities matched to your business

ONE WEEK FREE TRIAL

RFP for an Alternative 9-1-1 Emergency Response Pilot

Attachment Preview

See also