Supplemental Online Mental Health Services

The University at Buffalo ("UB") intends to make an award under our discretionary authority, pursuant to NYS Education Law §355 (5) (a), which is up to $125,000, for the above noted service. A sealed bid will not be held. If you are interested in providing a proposal for the above service, you must contact the appropriately designated Campus contact in this advertisement within fifteen (15) business days of Advertisement Notice. A proposal should be inclusive of all fees associated with the purchase of approximately three hundred (300) counseling sessions, each session approximately fifty (50) minutes in length, during a one (1) year term.

UB is seeking a mental health services provider with a secure technology platform that connects students to a vetted network of independently licensed mental health counselors, increasing accessibility to mental health resources for its students. Such platform must comply with all applicable data privacy laws, including applicable state and federal laws related to healthcare and education data security and privacy. Provider shall comply with applicable provisions under HIPAA and FERPA as well as all other New York law and regulations, to protect and securely store any and all treatment records and personal health information.

Counselors must have a professional license to conduct mental health services in the state in which a student is located, have malpractice insurance, and have experience working with college-age students. Students would be able to choose the counselor they engage with and be responsible for selecting and scheduling appointments that are available and convenient for them.

All counselors who are made available to students would be responsible for using their own professional judgement to assess whether or not a student is fit for the services and counselors will adhere to ethical and legal standards, as well as reference UB’s established protocols, in the case that a student is in crisis or may be in danger of harming themselves or others. All counselors shall be located within the United States. In no event shall any student or UB data, records, etc. be created, maintained, processed or stored outside of the United States.