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988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline RFP Questions and Answers
Questions and answers regarding the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Grant will be posted below.
Q: I am looking for more information on this grant and for learning more about the Agreement. Is there someone that can share or explain?
A: All information regarding eligibility and requirements for this Request for Proposal can be found on the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline RFP.
MDH will also host a virtual one-hour webinar on Wednesday January 31, 2024, from 1:00 – 2:00 PM Central Time to assist applicants in preparing an application for this RFP.
Click here to join the Q&A meeting
Q: The above RFP states “preference will be given to 988 Lifeline Centers that are based in Minnesota and are able to provide 24/7 call, chat, and/or text support for the state.” Does this rule out an award to any out of state provider?
A: No, it does not rule out an award to out of state providers.
Q: The above RFP states that applicants are required to have an existing network agreement contract with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Administrator at the time of applying for this grant. What is the process to obtain a network agreement contract?
A: Applicant organizations interested in joining the 988 network will need to contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Administrator, Vibrant Emotional Health, for information on current application and requirements. For more information on the 988 Lifeline Administrator, you can visit their webpage at 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Q: In Section 1.3, the estimated start date is identified as July 1, 2024 or when the grant agreement is negotiated and fully executed. Is this the start date when the build out would begin or when a call center is expected to begin answering calls?
A: No work on grant activities can begin until a fully executed grant agreement is in place. Applicants are required to be existing members of the 988 Network and should have the capacity to answer 988 contacts as soon as the grant agreement is fully executed.
Q: In Section 3.3, there are requirements for letters of support from local agencies. If an applicant is outside of Minnesota, do they submit local letters of support from their other location(s) that match the requirements- Mobile Crisis Team, PSAP, and Tribal nation?
A: Letters of Support should reflect local agencies in Minnesota.
Q: What is the current volume for calls, texts, and chats per county?
A: MDH does not collect volume for texts and chat per county. The volume of calls per county and volume of chats and texts per month can be seen at Volume of Contacts to Minnesota 988 Lifeline Centers, 2023 (PDF)
Q: Is this agreement limited to 988 calls, or are there additional local crisis lines that must be answered as well? If there are local crisis numbers, what counties do they serve, and what is their volume?
A: This grant is only limited to 988 calls, chats, and texts.
Q: Regarding crisis mobile team dispatch:
- a. How many mobile crisis team providers are there per county?
- b. What is the current process for how crisis centers notify mobile teams that they are being dispatched? (Phone call, data integration/system, other?)
- c. Is the state looking to implement a dispatch system by awardee to integrate crisis calls and mobile team dispatch?
A: Each county is served by one Mobile Crisis Team. When a 988 Lifeline Center determines that a Mobile Crisis Team response is needed, the center provides a warm handoff, by phone call, to the local mobile crisis team. The local mobile crisis will further assess and dispatch a team, if needed. The state is not looking to implement a dispatch system to integrate crisis calls and mobile team dispatch.
Q: Does the 90% answer rate exclude short abandons? (Calls that are unanswerable due to short ring times)
A: Currently, MDH does not specify short abandons in our answer rate metric.
Q: Is this a fixed amount or reimbursement contract?
A: Reimbursement is the method for making grant payments.
Q: Can implementation costs be included in the budget?
A: The budget should reflect expenses that support the grant deliverables, expectations, and tasks on page 8-9 of the RFP and the work plan in the application form (Attachment A).
Q: In Section D of Attachment A, is the center required to submit a full five-year budget or only an initial year budget?
A: Applicants should only submit a budget for the first year of the grant cycle. If awarded, grantees will submit an annual budget for subsequent years.
Q: If awarded this funding, our Agency would be a sub awardee of federal funding, correct?
A: No, this is State Funding, not Federal Funding.
Q: Would Minnesota consider allowing a provider to bill for services (xxx/month) and be considered a vendor?
A: This is a reimbursement grant.
Q: What process or parameters should an out of state entity follow in securing letters of support?
A: Applicants should seek a letter of support from Mobile Crisis Teams and Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) in the region they are proposing to provide coverage. Applicants will need to build relationships with mobile crisis teams and PSAPs throughout the grant period.
Q: The application asks the applicant to describe "the organization’s capabilities to implement new technology upgrades that may be necessary to be interoperable with other relevant services in Minnesota." Can you talk about how that could be documented?
A: Applicants should have the infrastructure to adopt new technology or upgrades that may be necessary. It would be important to identify potential barriers to implementing new technology here or any foreseeable challenges that may hinder the ability to upgrade or use new technology.
Q: Under "Evaluation and Work Plan," it asks for staff lead and partners -- can you give an example of what a "partner" would be here?
A: Partners may include organizations that the applicant is proposing to subcontract with.
Q: The budget for this opportunity was listed at $9M, with the max award being $3.5M - is this an annual amount or over the course of the six year contract?
A: This is an annual amount, per year, for the five year grant period. This award is contingent on availability of funding and performance of awarded applicants.
Q: In regard to a 1.0 FTE data coordinator, in addition to regular reporting requirements, are there specific duties/responsibilities MDH would like to see the data coordinator take on?
A: In addition to reporting requirements, a data coordinator may also participate in additional activities related to evaluation, periodic qualitative data collection by MDH, and virtual meetings with MDH. A full list of deliverables, expectations, and tasks are included on page 8 and 9 in the RFP.
Q: Does this grant ever go to smaller agencies?
A: Applicants will be scored based on their capacity to meet grant requirements, deliverables, and expectations of this RFP.
Q: What type of accreditation is required?
A: The 988 Lifeline Administrator provides some examples of accreditation that would be acceptable. These are typically national required certifications. Applicants are required to provide an accreditation certificate from one of the following: American Association of Suicidology (AAS), International Council for Helplines (formerly CONTACT USA), Alliance of Information and Referral Systems (AIRS), The Joint Commission, Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), Council on Accreditation (COA), Utilization Review Accreditation Commission (URAC), State/county licensure, as approved by the Administrator.
Q: Are there existing degree/credential requirements for any of the specified positions?
A: No, there are no specific requirements.
Q: For the requirement of a log form, does a screenshot suffice, or is there other documentation that would be preferred?
A: A screenshot of the log form will be acceptable as long as MDH is able to identify the fields your organization is using to capture information from a 988 interaction.
Q: The agencies that are currently providing services to 988, do they still have active grants or are they also applying for a new grant to continue their current operations?
A: Agencies that are currently providing 988 services do have an active grant.
Q: Current 988 service providers have to apply if they want to continue as grantees, correct?
A: This is correct. If a current 988 center grantee wishes to continue providing 988 services in Minnesota, they will need to apply for this grant.
Q: So current agencies are competing for this grant?
A: Yes. Current agencies providing 988 services in Minnesota are competing for this grant.
Q: Are decisions made based on the location of the agency?
A: All applicants will be considered for funding if they meet all grant requirements and demonstrate capacity to fulfill grant deliverables, expectations, and tasks. Preference will be given to applicants located in Minnesota.
Q: Is there a software program that is used to record calls?
A: MDH does not specify or require a software program that an applicant should use. Applicants can propose to use a software program that allows them to adequately respond to 988 contacts.
Q: Do staff have to be on-site or can they work from home?
A: This is up to the discretion of the applicant organization. MDH requests that organizations are able to provide 988 service 24/7 and continue to meet all of the requirements of the 988 Lifeline Administrator and this grant.
Q: The RFP makes reference to documenting 911 patch back to 988, is there a requirement for this?
A: This is happening in some parts of the state but is not occurring statewide.
Q: For the purpose of this RFP, that would be inclusive of that (transfers from 911 to 988)? So would there be the requirement to have that [transfers from 911 to 988] tied-in?
A: This is not a current requirement for this RFP.
Q: How many agencies are currently operating 988 in Minnesota?
A: There are currently five organizations that provide 988 support in Minnesota. Four organizations are in Minnesota and one is located out-of-state.
Q: We are putting together our RFP now, but are there rough volume metrics (calls, text, chat, etc.) for Minnesota that we could use so we could better forecast our personnel?
A: The following were the statewide average monthly calls, texts, and chats volume in 2023 (January 1 – December 31). This data is based on reports MDH receives from the 988 Lifeline Administrator. The average monthly volume was calculated by summing the total volume of calls/texts/chats per month divided by 12.
- Calls: 3,959
- Texts: 1,379
- Chats: 807
Q: The minimum and maximum reward is listed at $100K-$3.5M. Would that be over the life of the contract? For example, $3.5M over five years, or would that be $3.5M annually?
A: These are annual amounts. The maximum award amount an applicant can request is $3.5 million per year in the grant period. The minimum award amount an applicant can request is $100,000 per year.
Q: Can you provide a listing of Minnesota Mobile Crisis Units and Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) along with their phone numbers?
A: A list of Mobile Crisis Teams can be found by following this link to DHS Mobile Crisis Service Areas in Minnesota. A list of Public Safety Answering Points can be found by following this link to the PSAPS Directory.
Q: Our call center currently does not answer incoming 988 calls 24/7. Will our inability to cover 988 calls 24/7 disqualify us from receiving a MDH 988 grant award?
A: It is not a mandatory requirement that a center operates 24/7. However, preference will be given to applicants who proposes and demonstrates the capacity to provide 24/7 988 services in Minnesota.
Q: Do we need a letter of support from a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) and a Mobile Crisis Unit, or one letter of support from either of the two?
A: Applicants need a letter of support from one PSAP and one Mobile Crisis Unit.
Q: Would it possible to get the template of the monthly performance indicator and data metric report that is submitted to MDH through the REDCap reporting form?
A: A sample list of the data metrics that call centers will be required to report to MDH are listed on page 8 and 9 of the RFP. The REDCap template will be shared after applicants are selected for award.