MH263029 - Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities for Children and Adolescents

Capital for New or Expansion of Psychiatric
Residential Treatment Facilities for Children and
Adolescents
Request for Proposals
Grant Procurements
(On-Line Submission Required)
Statewide Financial System (SFS) Identifier - MH263029
July 2026

New York State Office of Mental Health
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND ........................................................................ 1
1.1 Purpose of the Request for Proposal ...................................................................1
1.2 Target Population/Eligibility Criteria .....................................................................2
1.3 Bidders Conference .............................................................................................2
2. PROPOSAL SUBMISSIONS ......................................................................................... 3
2.1 Designated Contact/Issuing Officer ......................................................................3
2.2 Key Events/Timeline ............................................................................................3
2.3 Disposition of Proposals.......................................................................................4
2.4 Eligible Agencies..................................................................................................4
2.5 RFP Questions and Clarifications ........................................................................5
2.6 Addenda to Request for Proposals ......................................................................5
2.7 Disqualification Factors........................................................................................5
2.8 SFS Prequalification Requirement .......................................................................6
2.9 Vendor Registration, Prequalification and Training Resources for Not-for-Profits.6
3. ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION ............................................................................... 9
3.1 Reserved Rights ..................................................................................................9
3.2 Debriefing ..........................................................................................................10
3.3 Protests Related to the Solicitation Process.......................................................10
3.4 Term of Contracts ..............................................................................................10
3.5 Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprises............................................11
3.6 Participation Opportunities for New York State Certified Service-Disabled
Veteran Owned Business...................................................................................12
3.7 Equal Opportunity Employment..........................................................................13
3.8 Sexual Harassment Prevention Certification ......................................................14
3.9 Gender-Based Violence and the Workplace Certification ...................................14
3.10 Bid Response ....................................................................................................14
3.11 Acceptance of Terms and Conditions.................................................................14
3.12 Freedom of Information Requirements...............................................................14
3.13 NYS and OMH Policies ......................................................................................15
4. EVALUATION FACTORS AND AWARDS....................................................................15
4.1 Evaluation Criteria..............................................................................................15
4.2 Method for Evaluating Proposals .......................................................................15
4.3 Process for Awarding Contracts.........................................................................16
4.4 Initial Awards and Allocations ............................................................................17
4.5 Contract Termination and Reassignment ...........................................................18
4.6 Award Notification ..............................................................................................19
5. SCOPE OF WORK........................................................................................................19
5.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................19
5.2 Objectives and Responsibilities..........................................................................20
5.3 Capital Funding..................................................................................................23
5.4 Operating Funding .............................................................................................23
6. PROPOSAL NARRATIVE.............................................................................................24
6.1 Notification of LGUs ...........................................................................................25
6.2 Population..........................................................................................................25
6.3 Description of Program ......................................................................................26
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New York State Office of Mental Health
6.4 Implementation ..................................................................................................27
6.5 Capital Funding..................................................................................................28
6.6 Agency Performance .........................................................................................28
6.7 Utilization Review, Reporting, and Quality Improvement ....................................29
6.8 Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Peer Support Language ....................................29
6.9 Financial Assessment ........................................................................................31
Appendix A: Prospective Residential Treatment Facility Program Requirements...........33
Appendix B: Prospective Residential Treatment Facility Staffing Requirements ............37
Appendix D: Prospective Residential Treatment Facility Physical Plant Requirements..41
Appendix E: RTF Reimbursement Methodology and Payment Standards .....................42
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New York State Office of Mental Health
Capital for New or Expansion of Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities
for Children and Adolescents
RFP#MH263029
Applicant Checklist
Frequent Issues/Questions:
- Please begin working on your application in SFS no later than 5 business days before the
application due date and submit no later than 48 hours before the due date. This will allow you
time to troubleshoot any issues that arise that may prevent you from submitting. Exceptions will not be
considered or made for an applicant who cannot complete their proposal/application by the due date
and time of the RFP.
- All required forms/templates are available in the "Event Comments and Attachments" section of SFS.
Please note that there are restrictions to the type, size and naming conventions of the files and
attachments uploaded in SFS. For more information, please review the SFS Attachment Guide here.
Failure to comply with these guidelines may result in attachments not being viewable to reviewers.
- No workplan is required at this time, if awarded, a workplan will be developed during the contract
development phase.
- The "Bid Amount" box is required to be filled out in SFS. Please enter the total amount of funding your
organization is requesting from NYS OMH in this box.
- New York State reserves 5-10 business days from the receipt of complete Prequalification Applications
to conduct its review. If supplementary information or updates are required, review times will be longer.
Due to the length of time this process could take to complete, it is advised that nonprofits prequalify as
soon as possible. Failure to successfully complete the prequalification process early enough will
prohibit the submission of the application in SFS.
____________________________________________________________________________
Please complete the following checklist prior to submission of your proposal. This checklist SHOULD NOT
be submitted; it is for your use only.
Confirm the following:
Your organization has met the eligibility requirements outlined in Section 2.4 Eligible Agencies

Your organization is prequalified in SFS. SFS will prevent submission if your organization is a not-for-

profit and not prequalified (see Section 2.8 and 2.9 of the RFP document for more information on
Registration, Prequalification and Training Resources for SFS)
Updates to the RFP can happen at any time, per Section 2.6, check the OMH website for any updates

to the RFP posted by OMH.
Notification of intent to apply was sent to local government unit and proof has been uploaded in SFS.

A list of County Local Mental Hygiene Directors can be found here.
Provider Contact form completed and uploaded in SFS

Sexual Harassment Prevention Certification Completed and uploaded in SFS

Gender Based Violence and the Workplace Certification completed and uploaded in SFS.

Proposal Template completed and any applicable attachments labeled with question numbers

(example: question 6.2a calls for a sample assessment tool, the assessment tool should be labeled as
6.2a and added at the end of the Proposal Template)
Proposal Template and attachments (except Appendix C Staffing Plan, see next checkbox) combined

into one PDF and uploaded in SFS under Q1
Appendix C Staffing Plan completed (left in Excel) and uploaded in SFS under Q2

Application submitted in SFS prior to the due date and time listed in Section 2.2 Key Events/Timeline

(OMH strongly advises that applicants do not wait until the last day/last few hours to complete and
submit applications/proposals to Grant RFPs. Exceptions will not be considered or made for an
applicant who cannot complete their proposal/application by the due date and time of the RFP.)
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New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH)
1. Introduction And Background
1.1 Purpose of the Request for Proposal
The Office of Mental Health announces the availability of capital and program
development grant (PDG) (also known as start-up funds) for the acquisition of new
property, construction of new facilities or rehabilitation of existing buildings for the
expansion of existing or development of new Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities
(PRTF), also known as Residential Treatment Facilities (RTFs), within four distinct
regions in New York State. Throughout the remainder of this RFP, "RTF" will be used
as an inclusive term encompassing both PRTF and RTF. As a part of a historic
investment to expand mental health services for children, adolescents and adults, the
Office of Mental Health is seeking to increase RTF accessibility in areas of the State that
in need of additional capacity by opening new RTF programs or beds in existing
programs to serve children and adolescents based on regional and statewide need for
RTF beds in Central, Hudson River, New York City and Long Island. Applicants from the
OMH Regions Hudson River and New York City will be prioritized for award allocation
as they have the greatest regional need. To be responsive to the specific needs of Long
Island, OMH will be issuing another RFP to establish an RTF in Long Island. RTFs are
voluntary sub-acute inpatient psychiatric programs and are statewide resources that
serve children and youth with primary mental health diagnoses from all regions,
regardless of region of origin.
The purpose of the RFP is to solicit proposals from qualified organizations to provide
high-quality, trauma sensitive, youth and family oriented, and evidence-based RTF
program services. Successful applicants will demonstrate in their proposal a direct
relationship between the proposed capital project and the clinical capacity to meet RTF
eligible population needs.
For all OMH regions: Existing RTF programs may propose to expand bed capacity by a
minimum of 2 beds for a maximum of 40 beds per licensed facility with no more than 8
beds in each facility's living units.
For the Hudson River, Long Island and Central New York regions: New RTF programs
may propose a minimum of 8 and a maximum of 24 beds per site with no more than 8
beds in a unit. For the New York City region: New RTF programs must propose a
minimum of 14 and a maximum of 24 beds per site with no more than 8 beds in a unit.
Successful applicants will demonstrate in their proposal an understanding of NYS and
federal requirements for operating an RTF and the commitment and capacity to meet
these requirements.
By submitting this application, the applicant commits to complying with and obtaining
licensure through the OMH Regulation 14 NYCRR Part 583 & 584, accreditation by an
approved accrediting organization, Medicaid Provider enrollment as an institutional
provider, compliance with Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services PRTF conditions
of participation, and certification as a RTF in New York according Department of Health
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New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH)
(DOH) Division of Hospitals and Diagnostic & Treatment Centers, Bureau of CON,
Licensure and Federal Certification policies and guidance. The provider is also
committing to executing an affiliation agreement with an approved NYS private special
education program that has an approved New York State School-Age Approved Private
School Modification request application OR establish a new private school-age (5-21)
special education program pursuant to Article 89 of the Education Law on the same
campus or in close proximity (youth would not need to be transported to the educational
program) to the proposed RTF.
Notice: Notification of intent to apply should be made to the Local Governmental Unit (LGU)
(county director of community services) for each county to be served under the program
application, as defined in Section 41 of the New York State Mental Hygiene Law.
1.2 Target Population/Eligibility Criteria
RTFs are therapeutic programs that provide sub-acute inpatient psychiatric treatment
under the direction of a physician to youth with complex mental health needs and
support to their families. These programs are for youth who present with severe
functional impairments and significant risks to their well-being across settings due to
their mental health condition. The youth have challenges that need around-the-clock
supervision, structure, and clinical treatment. The programs require voluntary
participation.
The purpose of RTF care is to reduce symptoms and improve management of emotional
and behavioral challenges. RTF care is intended to provide person centered care to
support a youth's return to their home and community as early as possible, typically
within 4-6 months. RTFs provide an array of medical and psychiatric services and
coordinate with nearby educational programs to meet the youth's needs. RTF programs
operate 24 hours, seven days a week. Each existing RTF campus varies in size from 14
to 40 beds. There is a ratio of at least one staff to five youth at all times for supervision.
Most RTFs are not locked secure facilities.
RTF programs serve as a critical intermediate level of care for youth who no longer need
acute care but require more intensive support than outpatient services can offer.
Throughout a youth's admission they develop new strategies and skills to manage
symptoms. Caregivers also learn new skills and strategies for supporting their youth.
RTFs incorporate family therapy and time spent at home into treatment. This provides
the space and support for youth and caregivers to practice the tools and skills learned
during the youth's admission to the RTF. RTF staff are available to support a youth or
family during this time at home. Further information surrounding eligibility criteria can be
referenced in Appendix A.
1.3 Bidders Conference
A Bidders' Conference webinar will be held on 07/28/2026, to provide an overview of the
RFP components. This webinar will be recorded and made available on OMH's website
www.omh.ny.gov.
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New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH)
Please Note: to access the recording, you must have a Webex account.
Below is the information necessary to access the webinar:
Bidder's Conference Date and time: Tuesday, July 28, 2026, 11:00am-12:00pm
Webinar link: https://meetny-gov.webex.com/meetny-
gov/j.php?MTID=ma6d3162f7841863856ac03da87fcfa17
Webinar Call-in Number:
+1-929-251-9612 United States Toll (New York City)
+1-415-527-5035 United States Toll
Webinar number (access code): 2829 803 6578
Webinar password: 8qmJYXKrY62
2. Proposal Submissions
2.1 Designated Contact/Issuing Officer
OMH has assigned an Issuing Officer for this project. The Issuing Officer or a designee
shall be the sole point of contact regarding the RFP from the date of issuance of the
RFP until the issuance of the Notice of Conditional Award. To avoid being deemed non-
responsive, an applicant is restricted from making contact with any other personnel of
OMH regarding the RFP. Certain findings of non-responsibility can result in rejection for
a contract award. The Issuing Officer for this RFP is:
Amanda Szczepkowski
New York State Office of Mental Health
Contracts and Claims
44 Holland Avenue, 7th Floor
Albany, NY 12229
OMHLocalProcurement@omh.ny.gov
2.2 Key Events/Timeline
RFP Release Date 7/14/2026
Bidders Conference 7/28/2026
Questions Due 8/4/2026
Questions and Answers Posted on Website 8/21/2026
Proposals Due by 2:00 PM EST* 9/15/2026
Anticipated Award Notification 11/5/2026
Anticipated Contract Start Date 7/1/2027
*OMH strongly advises that applicants do not wait until the last day/last few hours to
complete and submit applications/proposals to Grant RFPs. Exceptions will not be
considered or made for an applicant who cannot complete their proposal/application by
the due date and time of the RFP. Please note that there are restrictions to the type,
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New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH)
size and naming conventions of the files and attachments uploaded in SFS. For
more information, please review the SFS Attachment Guide here. Failure to
comply with these guidelines may result in attachments not being viewable to
reviewers.
2.3 Disposition of Proposals
All proposals submitted by the due date and time become the property of OMH. Any
proposals not received by the due date and time do not get reviewed and are excluded
from consideration.
2.4 Eligible Agencies
Eligible applicants must be not-for-profit agencies with 501(c) (3) incorporation.
Eligible applicants must currently operate an OMH-licensed psychiatric inpatient,
residential, or community-based service programs for children, adolescents and/or
transition age youth (ages 18-21) with diagnosed mental health conditions or operate
residential programs for children, adolescents, or transition age youth (ages 18-21)
under another State Authority.
For applicants proposing to expanding beds in an existing OMH licensed RTF, the
applicant must also be up to date with their Consolidated Fiscal Report (CFR)
submissions including the Agency's Consolidated Fiscal Report (CFR) for the period July
1, 2024 to June 30, 2025 (NYC RTFs) or January 1, 2025 to December 31 2025
(Upstate RTFs) and the applicant must demonstrate that the RTF program site for the
proposed expansion operated at a minimum of 90% of the program's licensed capacity.
Applicants proposing new or expanded RTFs must propose capital projects located in
the following OMH regions based on regional RTF bed need: Central, Hudson River,
New York City, and Long Island. See the table below to see which counties are eligible
locations for proposing a new or expanded RTF.
Region Counties Served
Central NY Broome, Cayuga, Chenango, Clinton, Cortland, Delaware, Essex,
Franklin, Hamilton, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Oneida,
Onondaga, Oswego, Otsego, St. Lawrence, Tioga, Tompkins
Hudson River Albany, Columbia, Dutchess, Fulton, Greene, Montgomery, Orange,
Valley Putnam, Rensselaer, Rockland, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie,
Sullivan, Ulster, Warren, Washington, Westchester
New York City Bronx, Kings, New York, Queens, Richmond
Long Island Nassau, Suffolk
Prequalification is required for all not-for-profit organizations seeking grant funding from
New York State. Please see Section 2.8 and Section 2.9 for additional Prequalification
Information.
Please be advised that all questions regarding Eligibility will be responded to through the
official posting of the Questions and Answers pursuant to Section 2.5. No questions
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New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH)
about Eligibility will be responded to either individually or prior to the posting of the
Q&As.
2.5 RFP Questions and Clarifications
All questions or requests for clarification concerning the RFP shall be submitted in
writing to the Issuing Officer by e-mail to OMHLocalProcurement@omh.ny.gov by the
"Questions Due" date indicated in section 2.2 and will be limited to addressing only those
questions submitted by the deadline. No questions can be submitted or will be answered
after this date. No questions will be answered by telephone or in person. Please enter
"Capital for RTF RFP" in the subject line of the email.
The questions and official answers will be posted on the OMH website by the date listed
in the timeline section 2.2.
2.6 Addenda to Request for Proposals
In the event that it becomes necessary to revise any part of the RFP during the
application submission period, an addendum will be posted on the OMH website and the
NYS Contract Reporter.
It is the applicant's responsibility to periodically review the OMH Procurement website
and the NYS Contract Reporter to learn of revisions or addendums to this RFP. No other
notification will be given.
2.7 Disqualification Factors
Following the opening of bids, a preliminary review of all proposals will be conducted by
the Issuing Officer or a designee to review each proposal's submission for completeness
and verify that all eligibility criteria have been met. Additionally, during the proposal
evaluation process, evaluators will also be reviewing eligibility criteria and confirming
that they have been met. During the course of either of these review processes,
proposals that do not meet basic participation standards will be disqualified, specifically:
* Proposals from applicants that do not meet the eligibility criteria as outlined in
2.4; or
* Proposals that do not comply with bid submission and/or required format
instructions as specified in 2.9 or
* Proposals from eligible not-for-profit applicants who have not completed Vendor
Prequalification, as described in 2.8, by 2:00 PM EST on the Proposal Due Date
posted in section 2.2.
Each application must identify a single, distinct project proposal per project site. If an
Applicant submits a single proposal for multiple RTF sites, the proposal will be
disqualified. Agencies proposing to establish multiple RTFs may request funding for
more than one RTF site. However, a separate, unique and distinct project proposal must
be submitted for each program site. An agency may not submit more than two
applications in total in response to this RFP.
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New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH)
2.8 SFS Prequalification Requirement
Pursuant to the New York State Division of Budget Bulletin H-1032, dated June 7, 2013,
New York State has instituted key reform initiatives to the grant contract process which
require not-for-profits to be Prequalified in order for proposals to be evaluated and any
resulting contracts executed.
Proposals received from eligible not-for-profit applicants who have not been Prequalified
by the proposal due date of 2:00 PM EST on the Proposal Due Date posted in section
2.2 will not be able to submit their bid response through SFS.
Please do not delay in beginning and completing the prequalification process. The
State reserves five (5) days to review submitted prequalification applications.
Prequalification applications submitted to the State for review less than 5 days
prior to the RFP due date and time may not be considered. Applicants should not
assume their prequalification information will be reviewed if they do not adhere to
this timeframe.
2.9 Vendor Registration, Prequalification and Training Resources for Not-for-Profits
NOTE: All applications must be submitted through the Statewide Financial System
(SFS). No applications will be accepted electronically, US Postal Service, express
mail delivery service or hand delivered.
For any application that does not contain all of the required documentation and/or
"See Attached" responses that were to be uploaded, please be advised that the
application will be reviewed and scored as submitted. For any incomplete
response or missing and/or inappropriately submitted documentation, points will
be deducted. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure, prior to
submission, that the application is appropriate and complete. A workplan is not
required for this RFP.
Each proposal submission through SFS is required to contain:
* Staffing Plan Template (Appendix C)
* All applicants must be registered with the New York State Statewide
Financial System (SFS) and all Not-for-Profit agencies must be prequalified
prior to proposal submission.
Not-for-profit organizations must Register as a vendor with the Statewide Financial
System and successfully Prequalify to be considered for an award.
This grant opportunity is being conducted as an SFS bid event. Not-for-profit vendors
that are not prequalified can initiate and complete bid responses. However, not-for-profit
vendors that are not prequalified will NOT be allowed to submit their bid response for
consideration.
Information on Registration and Prequalification are available on the Grants
Management Website. A high-level synopsis is provided below.
Registering as an SFS Vendor
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