Project Information

Bid Title

After-Hours Mental Health Coverage.

Issuing Agency

Mississippi State University

Location

Mississippi

Published Date

Dec 2, 2025

Closing Date

Dec 10, 2025

Government Level

State & Local

Status

Closed

Ref. #

Bid MSU2025034 26-17 Q&A

Original Source

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Bid Documents

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Project Description

Submission Deadline Wed December 10th, 2025 at 2:00 pm

Bid MSU2025034 26-17 Q&A

After-Hours Mental Health Coverage.

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Mississippi State University

Request for Proposals (RFP) 26-17

After-Hours Mental Health Coverage

ISSUE DATE: November 13, 2025

ISSUING AGENCY: Office of Procurement and Contracts

Mississippi State University

610 McArthur Hall

245 Barr Avenue

Mississippi State, MS 39762

Sealed Proposals, subject to the conditions made a part hereof, will be received December 10,

2025, at 2:00 PM in the MSU Office of Procurement and Contracts, same address above,

for furnishing services and potentially, optional services as described herein.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Indicate firm name, and RFP number on the front of each sealed

proposal envelope or package.

All inquiries concerning this RFP should be directed at:

Jennifer Mayfield

Office of Procurement and Contracts, (Same address above)

jmayfield@procurement.msstate.edu

662-325-2550

Any addendum associated with this RFP will be posted at

http://www.procurement.msstate.edu/procurement/bids/index.php located under RFP 26-17. It

is the respondent’s responsibility to assure that all addenda have been reviewed and if

applicable, signed and returned.

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1. UNIVERSITY OVERVIEW

Mississippi State University (MSU) is a comprehensive land grant university of 21,500+

students and approximately 5,000 faculty and staff. The main campus is located adjacent to the

community of Starkville in northeast Mississippi, with a remote campus located in Meridian

with an enrollment of around 700 students. Additionally, the university operates several remote

agricultural experiment stations and has an Extension office located in each of the eighty-two

Mississippi counties.

Additional information about MSU can be found on our website www.msstate.edu.

2. INVITATION TO SUBMIT PROPOSAL ON RFP

The Mississippi State University Student Counseling Services (SCS) department seeks a

solution that will enable all MSU students to receive mental health services from licensed,

qualified providers, during periods when the SCS is closed (i.e., 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 a.m. M-F, all

day Saturday, all day Sunday, and designated holidays when the SCS is otherwise closed).

Vendors are encouraged to provide solution options that are app-based, telephone-based, and

combined app-and-telephone functionality, to the extent such options are available within their

product offerings.

The solution should be flexible and customizable in a way that allows the SCS to monitor visit

volume and should provide reporting capabilities to appropriate SCS staff.

The solution should improve coordination and collaboration among both the SCS and its

partners by storing and monitoring all data and requests submitted through the system. The

solution should also contain the ability/functionality to refer to other provider-resources if/when

necessary.

3. SCOPE OF SERVICES REQUIRED

a) Technical Requirements

Students should have the ability to receive services via telephone.

Platform/System/Solution minimum requirements for app or computer-based solutions

• Accessible from app or website (via smartphone, laptop, or desktop)

• Apps must be compatible with Android and IOS operating systems.

• The system must support single sign-on (CAS, Shibboleth, or SAML) and DUO two-

factor authentication.

• Must be compliant with WCAG 2.0 AA accessibility standards.

• Must provide a VPAT.

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• Must provide a completed Higher Education Cloud Vendor Assessment Tool

(HECVAT) (lite version available at: https://www.ren-isac.net/public-

resources/hecvat.html).

• System must be secure and meet all local, state, and federal data security standards,

including FERPA.

• Provide a statement stating your company is compliant with FERPA.

• Must provide integration with Adobe Sign electronic signature software

b) Users

There should be no restrictions on the number of users regardless of the option selected.

MSU or Vendor User permissions and access to various system functions should be role-

based, with users allowed in multiple roles. Role-based permissions govern each user’s

rights to add, edit, and view information within the system. There should be the capability

to accommodate tiered access based on roles.

c) Reporting/Forms, Custom Fields, Files

• Reports should be provided in multiple formats. Most reports, if not all, should be

viewable on screen with options to download in Excel, PDF, CSV, Word (.doc/.rtf), or

API access. Reports should include students’ MSU 9-digit ID and phone number.

• Meaningful mental health KPIs should be tracked and presented to SCS in such a way

that they provide meaningful insight and actionable intelligence that can drive overall

student mental health improvements.

• The bidder should explain in detail the reporting function of the system.

d) Functions

The solution should allow a user to log in, submit a query for assistance, be screened, and

subsequently be connected with a counseling provider via text or video chat (preferences to

be added later). Providers being utilized for Counseling Services will be professionally

licensed in the requisite states. Required App or computer-based options will be able to

connect students with appropriate geographically located counselors.

REQUIRED functional elements:

• Crisis and real-time multilingual support available in multiple modalities to meet

student needs, including after-hours crisis assessments

• Ability to offer both language and cultural matching within clinical network.

• Provide support in all states, globally (minimum of 150 countries), and in multiple

languages to meet the students we serve.

• Ability to fully integrate with university protocols and campus resources.

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• Appropriate triage

• Describe escalation and crisis protocols

• Inform students about how to connect with SCS services

• Provide MSU branded app with option for school specific resource integration and

social media feed.

• On-demand content library of mental wellness resources, including options for

health assessments and virtual fitness.

• Collect and provide student case data reports with EMR integration opportunity to

reinforce circle of care.

• Health assessments

• Ongoing support for students engaged in their process

• Staff and faculty consultations

• With proper consent, information is shared with SCS

• Student case data report access

• Coordinate care with existing campus resources – Office of Survivor Support,

Longest Student Health Center (psychiatric nurse practitioner), and Dean of

Students office

• Community resource referrals for off-campus referrals

• Multiple language requirement – (English, Spanish, French, Farsi, etc. ---- TBD)

o Linguistically matched

• Ability for students to receive services via telephone (smartphone or non-

smartphone), or virtually via the app or website.

o App

o Website

o Telephone

• ADA functionality

e) System Maintenance and Support

The SCS requests the winning bidder to provide installation, setup, configuration training,

and end-user training to SCS staff.

f) Options

Aside from the minimum requirements for which SCS has stipulated, what additional

options does Bidder provide? SCS reserves the right to not select any options, select

options during the RFP process, or select options at some point in the future after the RFP

has been awarded.

4

The SCS anticipates the initial award will cover a one (1) year period of time with the

option to renew for up to two additional one-year periods. Under no circumstances shall the

total three (3) year lifecycle cost equal or exceed $250,000.

Bidders shall provide all information related to licensing requirements, pertinent details,

maintenance and support costs, and any other associated expenses which MSU may incur as

a result of Bidder winning this award.

REQUIRED criteria:

• Company must have at least 10 years’ experience in the field of mental health

• All clinicians – educated at master’s or PhD level, with at least a provisional license in

Counseling or Social Work. Full licensure is preferred.

• Provide short term solution focused counseling with the opportunity for community

referrals for longer term, specialized treatment.

• Provide Staff and faculty consultations and training, marketing, and integration support.

• Maximum of six (6) session offerings per student

• Implementation and go-live based on the agreed-upon date following contract signing.

DESIRABLE criteria:

• Student option to retain the same health professional for the course of treatment and over

multiple sessions

4. INQUIRIES ABOUT RFP

Prospective respondents may make written inquiries concerning this request for proposal to

obtain clarification of requirements. Questions should be submitted either via a Word

document or plainly typed in the email itself. Responses to these inquiries may be made by

addendum to the Request for Proposal (RFP). Please send your inquiries to Jennifer Mayfield

via electronic mail at jmayfield@procurement.msstate.edu.

All inquiries should be marked “URGENT INQUIRY. MSU RFP 26-17”

5. ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

a) Issuing Office

This RFP is issued by the following office:

Office of Procurement and Contracts

Mississippi State University

245 Barr Avenue, 610 McArthur Hall

Mississippi State, MS 39762

5

Commodity Codes

• NAICS 621330Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians)

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