Career Pathway Programs for Clinical Support Roles

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
CAREER PATHWAY PROGRAMS FOR CLINICAL SUPPORT ROLES
ISSUED BY
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES
OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY
DELAWARE HEALTH CARE COMMISSION
CONTRACT NUMBER HSS-26-075
Contents:
I. Overview
II. Scope of Services
III. Required Information
IV. Professional Services RFP Administrative Information
V. Contract Terms and Conditions
VI. RFP Miscellaneous Information
VII. Attachments
Appendix A - Minimum Mandatory Submission Requirements
Appendix B - Scope of Work and Tenhnical Requirements
Appendix C - Vendor Forms
Attachment 2 - Vendor Information Form
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Attachment 3 - Non-Collusion Statement
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Attachment 4 - Exception Form
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Attachment 5 - Confidentiality Form
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Attachment 6 - Business References
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Attachment 7 - Subcontractor Form - if applicable
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Appendix D - Templates/Sample Agreements
Professional Services Agreement
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Business Associate Agreement
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DTI Terms & Conditions
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Appendix E - Project Cost Template
Appendix F - Domain(s) and Permissible Uses Selection
Appendix G - Delaware Data Usage Terms & Conditions Agreement
** Ctrl + Click on the headings above will take you directly to the section.
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STATE OF DELAWARE
DIVISON OF PUBLIC HEALTH
I. Overview
The State of Delaware Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS), Office of the
Secretary, Delaware Health Care Commission (DHCC), seeks proposals from qualified health
systems, facilities, educational institutions, and community organizations to expand and
develop clinical healthcare workforce training programs in rural Delaware and other
underserved communities served by federally qualified health centers. This request for
proposals ("RFP") is issued pursuant to 29 Del. C. 6981 and 6982.
The proposed schedule of events subject to the RFP is outlined below:
Public Notice March 25, 2026
Deadline for Questions April 8, 2026 at 4:30 PM EST
Pre-Bid Meeting - Non-Mandatory April 16, 2026 at 11:00 AM EDT
Response to Questions Posted by: April 29, 2026
Deadline for Receipt of Proposals May 13, 2026 at 1:00 PM EDT
Estimated Notification of Award July 8, 2026
Each proposal must be accompanied by a transmittal letter which briefly summarizes the
proposing firm's interest in providing the required professional services.
The transmittal letter must also clearly state and justify any exceptions to the requirements of
the RFP which the applicant may have taken in presenting the proposal. (Applicant exceptions
must also be recorded on Attachment 4).
Furthermore, the transmittal letter must attest to the fact, at a minimum, that the Vendor shall
not store or transfer non-public State of Delaware data outside of the United States.
For technology related solicitations, Vendors may refer to the Delaware Department of
Technology and Information identified terms and conditions included in this solicitation.
The State of Delaware reserves the right to deny any and all exceptions taken to the RFP
requirements.
NON-MANDATORY PREBID MEETING SCHEDULED
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STATE OF DELAWARE
DIVISON OF PUBLIC HEALTH
This is a non-mandatory meeting scheduled to be held on April 16th, 2026 at 11:00 AM
EDT. The information for the pre-bid meeting can be found below
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________________________________________________________________________________
Questions may be submitted no later than April 8, 2026 @ 4:30 PM EDT.
All inquiries must be submitted in the Q/A section of the project listing in the Euna
Procurement (formerly Bonfire) Portal (https://dhss.bonfirehub.com).
The Department's response to questions will be posted, according to the
procurement schedule, under the project listing in Euna Procurement
(formerly Bonfire) and to the State of Delaware Bid Solicitation Directory
Website: http://www.bids.delaware.gov/ by April 29, 2026.
II. Scope of Services
A. Overview
This RFP is issued under the Delaware Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP), a
federally funded initiative approved by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Through this solicitation, the State seeks to build a comprehensive healthcare workforce
pipeline for rural Delaware, one that develops and strengthens training opportunities and
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STATE OF DELAWARE
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capacity while also removing the financial barriers that prevent qualified people from entering
or advancing in healthcare careers.
This RFP focuses exclusively on training programs for non-physician roles, including nurse
practitioners, physician assistants, community health workers, dental professionals,
paramedics, and other clinical support staff.
Vendors may address any combination of eligible training program development, expansion,
and student support that creates a sustainable pipeline from training through rural workforce
placement.
All awards are subject to CMS requirements, federal cost principles, and the terms of
Delaware's approved RHTP application.
Multiple Awards. The State anticipates issuing several awards under this RFP and
recognizes that funded projects may look very different from one another. Some awards may
be small, focused efforts while others may be large, multi-year programs that span the full
award period. The State welcomes this diversity and will evaluate each proposal on its own
merits relative to its scope and the Domain(s) it addresses.
Award Period. The award period for contracts issued under this RFP may extend through
September 30th, 2031, consistent with the RHTP program period. Under federal rules, funding
awarded in a given budget period may be spent through the end of the following federal fiscal
year. Funding beyond the Initial Term (to be spent by September 30th, 2027) is contingent on
the continued availability of federal funds for this initiative and on satisfactory Contractor
performance, as assessed annually by DHSS and DHCC. Vendors should describe their
proposed project timeline and indicate whether they are seeking funding for one-year, multiple
years, or the full award period as part of their proposals.
Please refer to Appendix B - Scope of Work and Technical Requirements for additional
details.
B. Background
Rural communities in Kent and Sussex Counties face persistent barriers to healthcare access.
Both counties are designated in their entirety as Medically Underserved Areas and Health
Professional Shortage Areas for primary care, dental care, and mental health services.
Staffing shortages extend across every level of the non-physician clinical workforce, from
nurse practitioners and physician assistants to community health workers, dental hygienists,
paramedics, and skilled long-term care staff. The limited supply of training programs and
challenge of clinical rotations, combined with the cost of obtaining credentials, makes it difficult
to recruit and retain the workforce these communities need.
These challenges will only intensify. More than 26% of Sussex County's population is 65 or
older, well above the national average, and the county continues to grow rapidly. Without
deliberate investment in the pipeline of trained healthcare professionals, Delaware's rural and
underserved communities will continue to face widening gaps in healthcare access and
outcomes.
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This RFP funds initiatives to expand existing healthcare training programs, to develop new
programs where critical gaps exist, and to build long-term workforce pipelines that connect
people at every stage of their career journey to credentialed healthcare roles.
C. Project Goals
Through this RFP, DHCC aims to create a sustainable pipeline of qualified non-physician
practitioners, community health workers, dental professionals, and clinical support staff ready
to serve rural communities in Kent and Sussex Counties. Aligned with the CMS Rural Health
Transformation Program and the strategic goal of "Make Rural America Healthy Again," this
RFP addresses critical workforce gaps to strengthen prevention, early detection, and chronic
disease management in underserved areas.
Goal 1: Expand and develop clinical training capacity in rural Delaware. Fund health systems,
educational institutions, facilities, and community organizations to create new training
programs, expand existing programs, and build career pathways for healthcare professionals
serving rural communities.
Goal 2: Reduce financial barriers to healthcare workforce participation. Provide education
awards and tuition support to students enrolled in funded training programs who commit to
practicing in rural Delaware for at least five years.
Goal 3: Build a sustainable workforce pipeline from education through rural employment.
Create structured pathways from career exploration through certification and employment,
including K-12 pipeline programs, apprenticeships, and career ladders with advancing
credentials.
Goal 4: Address critical clinical service gaps in rural communities. Target training programs
to priority areas including dementia care, substance use disorder treatment, emergency
medical services, preventive oral health, maternal and child health, behavioral health, and
chronic disease management.
Goal 5: Strengthen institutional and community partnerships for workforce development. Build
partnerships between academic and training institutions, federally qualified health centers
(FQHC's), and rural healthcare facilities to ensure trainees gain hands-on clinical experience
in Delaware's underserved communities
Please refer to Appendix B for full details of the Scope of Work and Requirements.
III. Required Information
The following information shall be provided in each proposal in the order listed below. Failure
to respond to any request for information within this proposal may result in rejection of the
proposal at the sole discretion of the State.
A. Minimum Requirements
1. Provide Delaware license(s) and/or certification(s) necessary to perform services as
identified in the scope of work.
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Prior to the execution of an award document, the successful Vendor shall either furnish
the Agency with proof of State of Delaware Business Licensure or initiate the process
of application where required.
2. Vendor shall provide responses to the Request for Proposal (RFP) scope of work and
clearly identify capabilities as presented in the General Evaluation Requirements
below.
3. Complete all appropriate attachments and forms as identified within the RFP.
4. Proof of insurance and amount of insurance shall be furnished to the Agency prior to
the start of the contract period and shall be no less than as identified in the bid
solicitation, Section V, Item G, subsection 8 (Insurance).
B. General Evaluation Requirements
1. Administrative Oversight
2. Relevant Experience
3. Quality Assurance and Continuous Improvement
4. Organizational Resources and Partnerships
5. Alignment with RFP Goals and Requirements
6. Quality of Workplan and Timeline
7. Integration with Existing State Initiatives
8. Completeness of Response
9. Feasibility of Proposed Strategies
10. Rural Integration and Coordination
11. Sustainability Planning
12. Staffing Structure and Qualifications
13. Training Design and Curriculum
14. Budget Transparency and Justification
15. Cost Effectiveness
See RFP section IV.C.2 Proposal Selection Criteria for more information on evaluation
requirements and scoring.
IV. Professional Services RFP Administrative Information
A. RFP Issuance
1. Public Notice
Public notice has been provided in accordance with 29 Del. C. 6981.
2. Obtaining Copies of the RFP
This RFP is available in electronic form through the State of Delaware Procurement
website at https://mmp.delaware.gov/Bids/ and on Euna Procurement (formerly
Bonfire) at https://dhss.bonfirehub.com.
Paper copies of this RFP will not be available.
3. Assistance to Vendors with a Disability
Vendors with a disability may receive accommodation regarding the means of
communicating this RFP or participating in the procurement process. For more
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information, contact the Designated Contact no later than ten days prior to the deadline
for receipt of proposals.
4. RFP Designated Contact
All requests, questions, or other communications about this RFP shall be made
through Euna Procurement (formerly Bonfire) at https://dhss.bonfirehub.com.
Communications made to other State of Delaware personnel or attempting to ask
questions by phone or in person will not be allowed or recognized as valid and may
disqualify the vendor.
Vendors should rely only on written statements issued by the RFP designated
Contracts, Management and Procurement contact.
The RFP designated contact is:
Kaitlyn Arthur
Delaware Department of Health and Social Services Delaware Health Care
Commission
1901 N. DuPont Highway
Main Administration Building, 1st Floor New Castle, Delaware 19702
kaitlyn.arthur@delaware.gov
Contracts, Management and Procurement Contact:
Eddie Mui
Management Analyst III
DHSS_DMS_dmsprocure@delaware.gov
5. Consultants and Legal Counsel
The State of Delaware may retain consultants or legal counsel to assist in the review
and evaluation of this RFP and the vendors' responses. Bidders shall not contact the
State's consultant or legal counsel on any matter related to the RFP.
6. Contact with State Employees
Direct contact with State of Delaware employees other than the State of Delaware
Designated Contact regarding this RFP is expressly prohibited without prior consent.
Vendors directly contacting State of Delaware employees risk elimination of their
proposal from further consideration. Exceptions exist only for organizations currently
doing business in the State who require contact in the normal course of doing that
business.
7. Organizations Ineligible to Bid
Any individual, business, organization, corporation, consortium, partnership, joint
venture, or any other entity including subcontractors currently debarred or suspended
is ineligible to bid. Any entity ineligible to conduct business in the State of Delaware
for any reason is ineligible to respond to the RFP.
8. Exclusions
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STATE OF DELAWARE
DIVISON OF PUBLIC HEALTH
The Proposal Evaluation Team reserves the right to refuse to consider any proposal
from a vendor who:
a. Has been convicted for commission of a criminal offense as an incident to
obtaining or attempting to obtain a public or private contract or subcontract, or in
the performance of the contract or subcontract:
b. Has been convicted under State or Federal statutes of embezzlement, theft,
forgery, bribery, falsification or destruction of records, receiving stolen property, or
other offense indicating a lack of business integrity or business honesty that
currently and seriously affects responsibility as a State contractor:
c. Has been convicted or has had a civil judgment entered for a violation under State
or Federal antitrust statutes:
d. Has violated contract provisions such as:
1) Known failure without good cause to perform in accordance with the
specifications or within the time limit provided in the contract; or
2) Failure to perform or unsatisfactory performance in accordance with terms of
one or more contracts;
e. Has violated ethical standards set out in law or regulation; and
f. Any other cause listed in regulations of the State of Delaware determined to be
serious and compelling as to affect responsibility as a State contractor, including
suspension or debarment by another governmental entity for a cause listed in the
regulations.
B. RFP Submissions
1. Acknowledgement of Understanding of Terms
By submitting a bid, each vendor shall be deemed to acknowledge that it has carefully
read all sections of this RFP, including all forms, schedules and exhibits hereto, and
has fully informed itself as to all existing conditions and limitations.
2. Proposals
To be considered, all proposals must be submitted in through Euna
Procurement (formerly Bonfire) at https://dhss.bonfirehub.com/ and respond
to the items outlined in this RFP.
The State reserves the right to reject any non-responsive or non-conforming
proposals.
Responses submitted by hard copy, mail, facsimile, or e-mail will not be
accepted.
All proposals must be submitted prior to 1:00 PM EDT on May 13, 2026.
PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS
a. Proposals must be received before the Proposal Due Date and Time, as
identified in the Procurement Schedule for this RFP.
Responses received after the Proposal Due Date and Time will not be
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accepted.
b. Upload your submission at: https://dhss.bonfirehub.com/
Important Notes:
* Logging in and/or uploading the file(s) does not mean the response is
submitted. Users must successfully upload all the file(s) and MUST click
the submit button before the proposal due date and time.
* Users will receive an email confirmation receipt with a unique
confirmation number once the submission has been finalized. This will
confirm that the proposal has been submitted successfully.
* Each submitted item of Requested Information will only become visible
to DHSS after the proposal due date and time.
* If the file is mandatory, you will not be able to complete your submission
until the requirement is met.
* Uploading large documents may take significant time depending on the
size of the file(s) and your Internet connection speed. The maximum
upload file size is 1000 MB.
* Minimum system requirements: Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, or
Mozilla Firefox. Java Script must be enabled.
* Notarizations are no longer required.
Need Help? Please contact Euna Procurement (formerly Bonfire) directly at
Bonfire Hub, email to support.bonfire@eunasolutions.com, or call 1- 844-
226- EUNA (3862) press 1 for customer support/technical questions or issues
related to your submission. You can also visit their help forum at
https://customer.eunasolutions.com/public/s/contactsupport.
Any proposal submitted after the Deadline for Receipt of Proposals date will
not be accepted. The contents of any proposal shall not be disclosed as to be
made available to competing entities during the negotiation process.
Upon receipt of vendor proposals, each vendor shall be presumed to be
thoroughly familiar with all specifications and requirements of this RFP. The
failure or omission to examine any form, instrument or document shall in no
way relieve vendors from any obligation in respect to this RFP.
3. Proposal Modifications
Any changes, amendments or modifications to a proposal must be submitted through
Euna Procurement (formerly Bonfire) prior to the proposal due date. Changes,
amendments, or modifications to proposals shall not be accepted or considered after
the hour and date specified as the deadline for submission of proposals.
4. Proposal Costs and Expenses
The State of Delaware will not pay any costs incurred by any Vendor associated with
any aspect of responding to this solicitation, including proposal preparation, printing or
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DIVISON OF PUBLIC HEALTH
delivery, attendance at vendor's conference, system demonstrations or negotiation
process.
5. Proposal Expiration Date
Prices quoted in the proposal shall remain fixed and binding on the bidder at least
through September 30, 2026. The State of Delaware reserves the right to ask for an
extension of time if needed.
6. Late Proposals
Proposals submitted after the specified date and time will not be accepted by
the Euna Procurement (formerly Bonfire) Portal. Evaluation of the proposals is
expected to begin shortly after the proposal due date. To document
compliance with the deadline, the proposal will be date and time stamped upon
receipt by Euna Procurement (formerly Bonfire).
7. Proposal Opening
The State of Delaware will receive proposals via Euna Procurement (formerly
Bonfire) until the date and time shown in this RFP. Proposals will be opened in the
presence of State of Delaware personnel.
There will be no public opening of proposals, but a public log will be kept of the
names of all vendor organizations that submitted proposals. The contents of
any proposal shall not be disclosed in accordance with 29 Del. C. 10001, et
seq. ("FOIA").
8. Non-Conforming Proposals
Non-conforming proposals will not be considered. Non-conforming proposals are
defined as those that do not meet the requirements of this RFP. The determination of
whether an RFP requirement is substantive, or a mere formality shall reside solely
within the State of Delaware.
9. Concise Proposals
The State of Delaware discourages overly lengthy and costly proposals. It is the desire
that proposals be prepared in a straightforward and concise manner. Unnecessarily
elaborate brochures or other promotional materials beyond those sufficient to present
a complete and effective proposal are not desired. The State of Delaware's interest is
in the quality and responsiveness of the proposal.
10. Realistic Proposals
It is the expectation of the State of Delaware that vendors can fully satisfy the
obligations of the proposal in the manner and timeframe defined within the proposal.
Proposals must be realistic and must represent the best estimate of time, materials
and other costs including the impact of inflation and any economic or other factors that
are reasonably predictable.
The State of Delaware shall bear no responsibility or increase obligation for a vendor's
failure to accurately estimate the costs or resources required to meet the obligations
defined in the proposal.
11. Confidentiality of Documents
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