REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FOR 

Jail Healthcare Services

Story County, Iowa

Story County, Iowa (“County”) seeks proposals from qualified medical service providers to deliver comprehensive healthcare services to inmates at the Story County Jail. The selected contractor will be responsible for providing and/or coordinating all medical, mental health, dental and pharmacy services in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local regulations as described in this Request for Proposal (“RFP”).

The consultant selected from the RFP will be engaged after competitive evaluation by a qualified committee based on the "Selection Criteria" set forth in this request.

This request invites consultants to submit proposals for accomplishment of the items of work specified below under Scope of Work. Proposals should be prepared and submitted in accordance with the guidelines and requirements set forth in this request.

Sealed proposals: Vendor will deliver one (1) hard copy and one digital format (CD or flash drive) to the following address:

Story County Sheriff’s Office

Attn: Detention Supervisor Cory Davis

1315 South B Avenue

Nevada, Iowa 50201

The envelope must be clearly marked “SEALED RFP”.  The name of the firm and contact person must be listed on the outside of the envelope. Any restrictions on the use of data within proposals must be clearly stated in the proposal itself.  Non-disclosure cannot be guaranteed after the selection stage of this procurement due to public record laws.

Proposal Deadline: 12:00 PM CST on March 27^th, 2026.

Proposals received after the proposal deadline will be considered late and will not be accepted.   Proposals may be withdrawn and/or modified in writing prior to the submission deadline. Request for withdrawal must be in writing by the contact person named on the outside of the envelope. Proposals that are resubmitted must be sealed and received prior to the submission deadline. Each Vendor may submit only one proposal.

Scope of Services

Introduction and General Information

Story County is seeking proposals for the provision of healthcare for individuals held at the Story County Jail.  An overview of the Story County Jail is provided below:

1. Facility Overview
   1. Facility Name: Story County Jail
   2. Location: 1315 South B Avenue, Nevada IA, 50201  
   3. Capacity: 122 beds  
   4. Security Levels: Minimum, Medium, Maximum.
   5. Population Demographics: The Story County Jail holds both pretrial and sentenced (365 day sentence or less) male and female adult offenders.
   6. Medical Office is approximately 290 square feet.
   7. Exam Room is approximately 105 square feet.
   8. Medication Storage room is approximately 82 square feet.

The selected contractor will be responsible for providing or coordinating the healthcare for all persons held at the Story County Jail.   A non-exhaustive list of the types of services expected is shown below:

2. Scope of Services
   1. Medical Services
      1. Reviewing health screenings conducted by booking staff
      2. Completing Comprehensive Health Assessments
      3. Sick Call Services
      4. Management of chronic and acute care
      5. Medication prescription, administration and management
      6. Management of communicable diseases
      7. Women’s health service including prenatal care
      8. Physical examinations
      9. Providing referrals for specialty care
      10. Medical transfer/discharge planning
      11. Medication Assisted Treatment for substance use disorders
      12. Limited Laboratory and Diagnostic services (CLIA waived)
      13. Responding to medical emergencies and providing appropriate care
      14. Mortality review
   2. Mental Health Services including
      1. Mental Health screening and assessment
      2. Prescribing of mental health medications
      3. Suicide prevention and monitoring
      4. Discharge planning and community referrals
   3. Dental Services
      9. Making referrals to community dental provider.
   4. Pharmaceutical Services
      1. Work with community pharmacy to ensure patients receive prescriptions and OTC medications
      2. County bears costs of Medications
   5. Off-site Emergency and Specialty Care
      1. Coordination of off-site laboratory and diagnostic care
      2. Referral to community specialty clinics
      3. County bears costs of off-site care
   6. Recordkeeping
      1. Vendor to keep accurate records according to established standards.
      2. Story County Jail does not have an Electronic Health Record system
      3. Vendor to include an Electronic Health Records solution in its proposal, with pricing separate from Medical Services.
      4. All records to remain the property of the Story County Jail.

General Scope of Work Includes:

Conceptual Plan

The Vendor shall provide a Conceptual Plan, including a detailed statement of work for the product/services believed to be appropriate for Story County, addressing the Scope of Services detailed in this RFP as well as Capabilities and Warranty and Maintenance, as applicable. 

1. Staffing Requirements
2. Vendor is expected to provide sufficient staffing to provide appropriate and timely medical care for all inmates.  Minimum staffing expectations are outlined below.
   1. Medical provider (Licensed Physician, Licensed Osteopathic Physician, or Physician Assistant) on-site at least weekly and available by phone 24/7
   2. Nursing-Minimum 8 hours per day 7 days per week
   3. Licensed mental health professional-Minimum 2 days per week
   4. Additional staffing as vendor deems necessary to support clinical operations (RN, LPN, CNA, CMA, Clerical, etc.)
3. Vendor to provide proposed staffing plan including positions, hours of coverage and credentials.
4. All personnel will be required to pass background investigation conducted by the Story County Sheriff’s Office
5. All personnel will be required to comply with security procedures of the Story County Jail.
6. Insurance Requirements
7. Vendor to provide Medical Professional Liability Insurance with policy limits of $1,500,000 per occurrence and $3,000,000 in the aggregate at a minimum.
8. Vendor to provide Comprehensive General Liability Insurance with policy limits of $3,000,000 per occurrence and $6,000,000 in the aggregate at a minimum.
9. Vendor to provide Workers compensation insurance for its employees and staff.
10. Vendor to provide auto liability insurance for vehicle use by its employees and staff.
11. Performance Standards
12. Initial screening reviews
13. Staffing levels
14. Response to medical emergencies
15. Sick Call review
16. Medication administration accuracy
17. Mental Health Crisis response
18. Suicide precaution review
19. Quality Improvement program implementation and statistical review
20. Failure to meet performance standards will result in reduction in compensation by county at a rate to be negotiated.

Submittal Process and Details

All proposals must be submitted as detailed in the manner described herein.  Exceptions nor extensions to established deadlines will not be granted.

1. Proposal Requirements
2. Executive Summary- Overview of Contractors organization and proposed approach
3. Qualifications- Company history and experience, references, financial stability documentation, certifications and accreditations
4. Litigation history
5. Insurance Coverage
6. Staffing plan
   1. Organizational Chart
   2. Positions, FTEs and hours of coverage
   3. Qualifications and Credentials of proposed positions
7. Service Delivery Plan
   1. Detailed description of how services will be delivered
   2. Policies and procedures
   3. Response Protocols
   4. Recordkeeping
   5. Quality assurance and Improvement Programs
8. Transition Plan
   1. Implementation Timeline
   2. Staff transition plan
   3. Medical records transfer/conversion plan
   4. Continuity of care plan
9. Cost Proposal
   1. The County desires a fixed monthly fee for services delivered by the Contractor over a variable per-capita cost.
   2. Payment terms
   3. The County cannot currently submit payment via Automated Clearinghouse (ACH)
10. Contract Terms
11. The County desires a 3-year contract with renewal options
12. Contract Start Date: July 1^st 2026

Story County will not meet individually in person or via other means with potential contractors. 

Story County will be accepting questions from the date of publishing this RFP, through 12:00PM, March 6^th, 2026, regarding this RFP. 

Please submit questions via email to Detention Supervisor Cory Davis. 

. 

Written responses will be published on the County’s website www.storycountyiowa.gov on or before March 13^th, 2026, and distributed to those who submitted questions.

Estimated Timeline

• Release RFP February 20^th, 2026
• Questions due to Story County March 6^th, 2026 12:00PM CST
• Story County Responses published March 13^th 2026 
• RFPs Due March 27^th, 2026, 12:00 PM CDT
• RFPs Reviewed March 30^th through April 3^rd, 2026
• Recommendation to Board of Supervisors April 7^th, 2026
• Board of Supervisors consultant selection
• Contract development
• Board of Supervisors action on contract
• Effective start of contract July 1^st 2026

The above dates are subject to change at the discretion of Story County.  

Please monitor the Story County website for additions or modifications to this RFP.

Selection Procedures

A selection committee will analyze and evaluate all properly submitted proposals in response to this request. The selection committee using the “Evaluation Criteria” listed in this RFP will rank all vendors. Top scoring vendors will be chosen for further evaluation, which may include interviews by our selection committee with those firms.  Each proposal will be evaluated based on the Evaluation Criteria listed below. Proposals will be ranked in order of the highest numerical score first. Story County may select as many of the top ranked vendors as it deems necessary for inclusion within the negotiating list.

Evaluation Criteria

1. Cost for services
2. Staffing plan and capability of staff.
3. Experience, expertise and qualifications
4. Proposed operations plan.

Story County reserves the right to reject any and all proposals received because of this Request for Proposal. If a proposal is selected, it will be the most advantageous in terms of quality of service, the Vendor’s qualifications, and capabilities to provide the specified service, and other factors that Story County may consider.  Story County reserves the right, at its discretion, to waive informalities or irregularities in proposals or proposal procedures, and to accept or further negotiate cost, terms, or conditions of any proposal determined by Story County to be in the best interests of Story County even though not the lowest bid. 

The price quotations stated in the Vendor’s proposal will not be subject to any price increase from the date on which the proposal is opened by Story County to the mutually agreed-to date of bid. Proposals must be signed by an official authorized to bind the provider to its provisions for at least a period of 90 days. Failure of the successful Vendor to accept the obligation of the bid may result in the cancellation of any award. A service contract will be executed between Story County and the awarded Vendor.

The selected Vendor may not subcontract any of the work specified in this RFP without prior written consent of Story County. 

Insurance

Vendor shall take out and maintain during service to the County under a contract such public liability and property damage insurance as shall protect Vendor, its subcontractors, and the County from claims for damages for personal injury, including accidental death, as well as for claims for property damage, which might arise from operations under its contract with the County, whether such operations be by Vendor or its subcontractor, or by anyone directly or indirectly employed by either of them.   All insurance policies shall be issued by responsible companies who are acceptable to the County.  The Vendor shall not cause any insurance to be canceled nor permit any insurance to lapse during the life of the contract with the County.  Vendor shall indemnify and hold County harmless from any damages, cost, claims or expenses which may arise as a result of any failure on the part of the Vendor to provide accurate and/or complete data and information to the County as outlined and required by the terms and conditions of its contract with the County.   

Confidentiality

Documents submitted in response to this request for proposal become public records upon receipt. Story County’s release of public records is governed by Iowa Code Chapter 22. Story County will produce public records upon request as required to comply with Chapter 22 and will treat all information submitted by your organization as non-confidential unless your organization requests specific parts of the proposal be treated as confidential and identifies the specific grounds in Iowa Code Chapter 22 or other applicable law which supports treatment of the material as confidential, and the information is confidential under Iowa or other applicable law.