ATLAS (Access, Treatment, Linkage, and Stabilization): Integrated Children's Specialty Mental Health Services

Sacramento County Department of Health Services (DHS), Behavioral Health Services (BHS), is soliciting applications from qualified providers to deliver ATLAS (Access, Treatment, Linkage, and Stabilization), an integrated, community-based outpatient behavioral health service model for children and youth under age 21.

The County is procuring multiple integrated ATLAS programs to be delivered by qualified providers across Sacramento County. Each Successful Applicant will be responsible for delivering the full ATLAS model as a single integrated program. The County will not award separate contracts for individual components or permit partial implementation of the ATLAS model.

Applicants must demonstrate the capacity to deliver all five components as a coordinated program for a five-year period.  The five service components are as follows:

Components A through E will not be awarded separately. Each Successful Applicant will be required to implement all five components as a single integrated ATLAS program under one (1) contract. Applications proposing delivery of only a subset of components will be deemed non-responsive.

Sacramento County, Department of Health Services, Behavioral Health Services’ Vision, Mission, and Values

The following vision, mission statements and core values define BHS’s mental health system of care objectives.  They also provide direction and guiding principles for how all services are delivered through the mental health system of care:

BHS Vision - We envision a community where people from diverse backgrounds across the life continuum have the opportunity to experience optimum wellness.

BHS Mission - To provide a culturally competent system of care that promotes holistic recovery, optimum health, and resiliency.

Values - These values are the essential and enduring tenets​ of the County of Sacramento. These guiding principles govern the way we make and carry out our decisions.

Our Values for Sacramento County are:

• Principled, by that we mean we act with honesty and integrity, earning and maintaining trust.
• Respect, by that we mean we listen and give voice to others and treat them with compassion, empathy and dignity.
• Innovation, by that we mean we encourage creativity, look for and implement improvements, stretching our comfort zones.
• Diversity and Inclusion, by that we mean we are committed to having a diverse workforce reflective of our community; we embrace differences in people, skills, knowledge, experiences and opinions and practice inclusive decision-making, collaboration and teamwork.
• Excellence, by that we mean we are committed to investing in employees, being transparent, delivering high quality, responsive services.

Project Details

• Reference ID: MHC/039
• Department: Health Services
• Department Head: Tim Lutz (Director)

Important Dates

• Questions Due: 2026-06-05T00:00:00.000Z
• Pre-Proposal Meeting: 2026-05-21T17:00:00.000Z — Virtual Meeting

Meetings & Milestones

Evaluation Criteria

• Financial Statement —

  Independent Audited Financial Statement: Applicants must submit their latest complete audited financial statement with accompanying notes, completed by an independent Certified Public Accountant, for a fiscal period not more than 24 months old at the time of submission.

• Certificate(s) of Insurance (1 pts) —

  Current coverage must be documented:

  • General Liability: $2,000,000
  • Automobile Liability: $1,000,000
  • Worker’s Compensation/Employers Liability: Statutory/$1,000,000
  • Professional Liability or Errors and Omissions Liability: $1,000,000
  • Sexual Molestation & Abuse: $250,000/$1,000,000 (per person or occurrence/annual aggregate)
  • Cyber Liability including Identity Theft, Information Security and Privacy Injury: $1,000,000 per claim or incident and $1,000,000 aggregate.
    --OR--
  • Insurance Broker’s Letter Demonstrating Ability to Meet County Requirements
• Behavioral Health Services and Supports Programs (20 pts) —
  1. Describe your approach to implementing Outreach and Engagement activities that reach unserved and underserved populations in alignment with BH Connect and BHSA guidelines and are distinct from Medi-Cal billable services.
  2. Describe how your program will implement Early Intervention services that are distinct from Mental Health Medi-Cal Administrative Activities (MH MAA),
  3. Share your vision for this program and how it will build community trust, reduce disparities, and ensure cultural humility.
• II. Program (50 pts) —

  Describe specific strategies your organization will use to meet service requirements as defined in the RFA scope of work.

  1. Describe how you envision a family’s experience from the point of outreach in the community until discharge.
  2. Describe the process by which flex funds shall be utilized and clients will be entered into HMIS most efficiently using best practices for problem solving needs to support mental health across collaborative lines with another organization.
  3. Describe your plan to co-locate behavioral health services in the ZIP codes prioritized by BHS (include specific addresses or neighborhoods).
  4. Describe how you will partner with trusted Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) in those areas, including roles, responsibilities, and service flow.
  5. Describe anticipated barriers with integrating this model within an existing Community Based Organization or in supporting Community Based Organizations to deliver services themselves and the strategies to overcoming those barriers. 
  6. Describe how your organization will support partners that haven’t provided Medi-Cal services or documentation.
  7. Describe how TBS will be operationalized within this model including referral pathways, documentation, and coordination with primary mental health providers.
  8. Explain how the team will work collaboratively across partner organizations to ensure timely access to TBS and support for youth with high-intensity needs.
  9. Identify how you will maintain TBS compliance, including clinical necessity and authorization requirements.
   
• Staffing (20 pts) —
  1. Describe your organization’s process of developing a staffing model and what you envision your partner organization’s role in this process will be such as job descriptions, staff types and who will hire and manage the staff.
  2. Describe threats and strategies to address team morale unique to partnering with other organizations and having several managers from different organizations.
  3. Describe how your organization will coordinate effectively with the co-located partner relative to training and supervision.
• Program Hub Siting (10 pts) —
  1. Describe your plan for siting a hub site in one of the zip codes as identified in the map in Section I.
  2. Please provide 3 non-binding potential hub site location real estate report samples and your vision of what services would be offered at the hub site.
  3. Identify potential partners and their locations with whom your organization intends to co-locate and collaborate to provide deeper penetration into the underserved population in target zip codes and why the partner(s) were chosen. Include a map of all intended sites.
• Start-Up Work Plan (20 pts) —

  The Exhibit L: Start-Up Work Plan is a formatted Word document and will be included in an email sent to the Mandatory Applicants’ Conference attendees. Applicants are required to complete and include the Exhibit L: Start-Up Work Plan in your application packet.

  Instructions for completing: Identify the action steps for the development and implementation of the Foster Urgent Lifeline program. Proposers will be rated on clarity, quality, comprehensiveness, organization, completeness and feasibility of the Start-Up Work Plan; understanding of principles of wellness and recovery and culturally responsive care as it relates to all aspects of organization culture; understanding of program operations, creative hiring strategies, and community/neighbor collaborations as it relates to good neighbor practices and Sacramento County’s Good Neighbor Policy; demonstration of the ability to deliver services within a three (3) to six (6) month time frame upon contract execution; demonstrates understanding of potential barriers to all implementation steps, and effectiveness of solutions to address barriers.

Submission Requirements

• General Information —

  As part of the application, Applicants must complete and submit all certifications and disclosures in this section. All items marked with an asterisk (*) are required.

• Organization Information (required) —
  • Legal name and address of organization, years in operation under current legal name, and any DBAs*
  • Federal Tax ID#*
  • Point of Contact name and email address*
  • Person/Title Authorized to sign on organization’s behalf and email address*
• List active contracts or other commitments (e.g., consulting arrangements). (required) —

  Applicants should provide a list of all active contracts and commitments held by the organization throughout California, in Sacramento County and outside of Sacramento County. A listing of national or international contracts is not required.

  This information helps the County assess organizational capacity, workload, and readiness to implement the program. You do not need to provide contract details beyond what is requested; a concise list of active California contracts is sufficient for the County’s assessment of organizational capacity. Please include contract term, legal contract name, service description, fund source(s), and contract value.

• Litigation Disclosure (required) —

  Describe any litigation involving the organization and/or principal officers thereof. Please include details about resolution/conclusion.

• Financial Interest Disclosure (required) —

  State whether the organization holds a financial interest in any other business. If yes, list all entities.

• Controlling Interest Disclosure (required) —

  State whether the organization holds controlling interest in any other entity. If yes, list all entities.

• Ownership Disclosure (required) —

  State whether the organization is owned or controlled by another entity or individual. If yes, list all relevant parties.

• Minimum Qualification – Organizational Experience (required) —

  The Applicant certifies that it meets all minimum qualifications described in Section 6.1, including experience providing behavioral health services to children, youth, and families as described in Section 6.1, and has uploaded all required documentation demonstrating compliance.

• Under penalty of perjury, the undersigned states that the foregoing statements are true and correct. The undersigned also acknowledges that any person, firm, corporation or entity intentionally submitting false information to the County in an attempt to qualify for local preference shall be prohibited from bidding on Sacramento County products and services for a period of one (1) year. (required)
• County of Sacramento Contractor Certification of Compliance with Child, Family and Spousal Support (required) —

  WHEREAS it is in the best interest of Sacramento County that those entities with whom the County does business demonstrate financial responsibility, integrity and lawfulness, it is inequitable for those entities with whom the County does business to receive County funds while failing to pay court-ordered child, family and spousal support which shifts the support of their dependents onto the public treasury.

  Therefore, in order to assist the Sacramento County Department of Child Support Services in its efforts to collect unpaid court-ordered child, family and spousal support orders, the following certification must be provided by all entities with whom the County does business:

  CONTRACTOR hereby certifies that either, choose below.

  New CONTRACTOR shall certify that each of the following statements is true:

  a.         CONTRACTOR has fully complied with all applicable state and federal reporting requirements relating to employment reporting for its employees; and    

  b.         CONTRACTOR has fully complied with all lawfully served wage and earnings assignment orders and notices of assignment and will continue to maintain compliance.

  NOTE:  Failure to comply with state and federal reporting requirements regarding a contractor's employees or failure to implement lawfully served wage and earnings assignment orders or notices of assignment constitutes a default under the contract; and failure to cure the default within 90 days of notice by the County shall be grounds for termination of the contract.  Principal Owners can contact the Sacramento Department of Child Support Services at 1-866-901-3212, by writing to P.O. Box 269112, Sacramento, 95826-9112, or via the Customer Connect website at www.childsupport.ca.gov .

• Certification Regarding Debarment and Suspension (required) —

  CONTRACTOR agrees to comply with 45 CFR Part 76.100 (Code of Federal Regulations), which provides that federal funds may not be used for any contracted services, if CONTRACTOR is debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from covered transactions by any federal department or agency.

  I (We) certify to the best of my (our) knowledge and belief, that CONTRACTOR named below and its principals:

  1. Are not presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from covered transactions by any federal department or agency;
  2. Have not within a three (3)-year period preceding this application been convicted of or had a civil judgment rendered against them for commission of fraud or a criminal offense in connection with obtaining, attempting to obtain, or performing a public (federal, state, or local) transaction or contract under a public transaction; violation of federal or state antitrust statutes or commission of embezzlement, theft, forgery, bribery, falsification or destruction of records, making false statements, or receiving stolen property;
  3. Are not presently indicted or otherwise criminally or civilly charged by a governmental entity (federal, state, or local) with commission of any of the offenses enumerated in paragraph (2) of this certification; and
  4. Have not within a three (3)-year period preceding this Application/agreement had one or more public transactions (Federal, State, or local) terminated for cause or default.
  5. Shall notify COUNTY within ten (10) days of receipt of notification that CONTRACTOR is subject to any proposed or pending debarment, suspension, indictments or termination of a public transaction.
  6. Shall obtain a certification regarding debarment and suspension from all its subcontractors that will be funded through this Agreement.
  7. Hereby agree to terminate immediately, any subcontractor’s services that will be/are funded through this Agreement, upon discovery that the subcontractor is ineligible or voluntarily excluded from covered transactions by any federal department or agency.
• Statement of Compliance with Sacramento County Good Neighbor Policy (required) —
  1. CONTRACTOR shall comply with COUNTY’s Good Neighbor Policy.  CONTRACTOR shall establish good neighbor practices for its facilities that include, but are not limited to, the following:
  1. 1. Provision of parking adequate for the needs of its employees and service population;
     2. Provision of adequate waiting and visiting areas;
     3. Provision of adequate restroom facilities located inside the facility;
     4. Implementation of litter control services;
     5. Removal of graffiti within seventy-two (72) hours;
     6. Provision for control of loitering and management of crowds;
     7. Maintenance of facility grounds, including landscaping, in a manner that is consistent with the neighborhood in which the facility is located;
     8. Participation in area crime prevention and nuisance abatement efforts; and
     9. Undertake such other good neighbor practices as determined appropriate by COUNTY, based on COUNTY’s individualized assessment of CONTRACTOR’s facility, services, and actual impacts on the neighborhood in which such facility is located.
  2. CONTRACTOR shall identify, either by sign or other method as approved by DIRECTOR, a named representative who shall be responsible for responding to any complaints relating to CONTRACTOR’s compliance with the required good neighbor practices specified in this Section.  CONTRACTOR shall post the name and telephone number of such contact person on the outside of the facility, unless otherwise advised by DIRECTOR.
  3. CONTRACTOR shall comply with all applicable public nuisance ordinances.
  4. CONTRACTOR shall establish an ongoing relationship with the surrounding businesses, law enforcement, and neighborhood groups and shall be an active member of the neighborhood in which CONTRACTOR’s site is located.
  5. If COUNTY finds that CONTRACTOR has failed to comply with the Good Neighbor Policy, COUNTY shall notify CONTRACTOR in writing that corrective action must be taken by CONTRACTOR within a specified time frame.  If CONTRACTOR fails to take such corrective action, COUNTY shall take such actions as are necessary to implement the necessary corrective action.  COUNTY shall deduct any actual costs incurred by COUNTY when implementing such corrective action from any amounts payable to CONTRACTOR under this Agreement.

  Contractor’s continued non-compliance with the Good Neighbor Policy shall be grounds for termination of this Agreement and may also result in ineligibility for additional or future contracts with COUNTY.

• Statement of Compliance Quality Management and Compliance (required) —

  IF AWARDED THE CONTRACT, the applicant will be required to comply with all applicable items below in conformity with the program being implemented: 

  Quality Management and Compliance policies and procedures and internal administrative controls are critical to prevent fraud, abuse and ensure appropriate quality of care, billing accuracy and fiscal integrity.  

  QUALITY MANAGEMENT:

  Demonstrate ability to:

  1. Meet site certification standards for State/County and funding sources for delivering services.
  2. Analyze, resolve and respond to consumer grievances and complaints and County time sensitive requests for corrective actions.
  3. Establish and track selected benchmarks and work plans meaningful to County Quality Management, agency and program quality improvement goals.
  4. Conduct internal utilization review and participate in county utilization review/peer review processes.
  5. Participate in system wide or community Quality Improvement Committees and other quality improvement studies and system-wide activities.
  6. Monitor quality or client care in all elements of program design.
  7. Establish internal protocols for reporting and responding to critical incidents, conducting appropriate follow-up investigations and plans of correction.
  8. Designate qualified individuals to manage and prepare internal and external clinical reviews, audits and follow-up actions.

  COMPLIANCE:

  1. Demonstrate evidence of a Compliance Program to meet federal, state or regulatory requirements depending on the funding source. 
  2. Designate qualified individuals to manage key elements of agency Compliance Program and interface with County Compliance Program and complete follow-up actions.
  3. Initiate and conduct agency level reporting, training, and education plan to meet federal, State and County Compliance Program requirements.
  4. Develop and oversight procedures to monitor clinical documentation and billing accuracy.
  5. Delineate designated internal controls to validate, crosscheck and correct staff billing and clinical privileges and service authorization accuracy.
  6. Develop administrative systems and controls to monitor staff qualifications, enroll and disenroll staff in accordance with privileges and professional regulatory bodies (Office of the Inspector General (OIG), National Practitioners Database (NPDB).
  7. Ensure site certification standards are continuously maintained in accordance with State / County and funding source requirements.  

  By my confirmation I certify that my agency is able to comply with Quality Management and Compliance reference listed above.

• Attachments —

  The following attachments are incorporated by reference into this RFA. Attachments F, G, H, I, and J contain the governing operational definitions for each ATLAS service component. Applicants are responsible for reviewing all attachments relevant to the service components they are proposing. Inclusion of reference materials does not supersede County, State, or federal requirements and does not create additional contractual obligations beyond those expressly stated in this RFA and the resulting agreement.

  Attachment	Title
  A	Certificates of Insurance (applicant-submitted)
  B	Application Narrative (applicant-submitted)
  C	Collaborative Partnership Documentation (applicant-submitted)
  D	Collaborative Partnership Map (applicant-submitted)
  E	Independent Audited Financial Statement (applicant-submitted)
  F	Children's Outpatient Specialty Mental Health Services Program Requirements
  G	Therapeutic Behavioral Services Program Requirements
  H	Sacramento County BHS Early Intervention Program Activities
  I	Sacramento County BHS Youth and Family Outreach and Engagement Requirements
  J	Flexible Stabilization Supports Program Requirements
  K	Determination of Medical Necessity and Access to SMHS, PP BHS QM 01-07
  L	EPSDT Medi-Cal Services Overview
  M	Therapeutic Behavioral Services, BHIN 08-38
  N	Behavioral Health Services Act County Policy Manual, Version 1.3.0 (June 2025)
  O	Mental Health Medi-Cal Administrative Activities Implementation Guidance
  P	Continuing the Transformation of Medi-Cal Concept Paper (July 2025)
  Q	Staff Registration and Credentialing, PP BHS QM 03-07
  R	Medicaid Managed Care Final Rule Network Adequacy Standards
  S	SMHS Billing Manual SFY 2025-26, Relevant Excerpts (pp. 24-27, 69)
  T	Adult and Youth Screening and Transition of Care Tools for Medi-Cal Mental Health Services
  U	CANS Alignment and Information Sharing, ACL 25-71 / BHIN 25-035
  V	Coverage of BH-CONNECT Evidence-Based Practices, BHIN 25-009
  W	BH-CONNECT Evidence-Based Practice Policy Guide
  X	No Wrong Door for Mental Health Services, BHIN 22-011
  Y	Transitional Rent Payment Methodology (October 2025)
  Z	Medi-Cal Transitional Rent Eligibility and Access Guide (December 2025)
  AA	Sample Exhibit D to Agreement, Additional Provisions
  BB	Sample Agreement Boilerplate
  CC	PP-BHS-QM-20-05-Timely-Access

• Attachment A- Certificate(s) of Insurance, documenting current coverage (required) —

  Please upload Certificate(s) of Insurance or insurance letter from broker as outlined in Insurance Screening.

       General Liability:  $2,000,000

       Automobile Liability:  $1,000,000

       Worker’s Compensation/Employers Liability:  Statutory/$1,000,000

       Professional Liability or Errors and Omissions Liability:  $2,000,000

       Sexual Molestation & Abuse: $250,000/$1,000,000 (per person or occurrence/annual aggregate)

       Cyber Liability including Identity Theft, Information Security and Privacy Injury:  $2,000,000 per claim or incident and $2,000,000 aggregate.

  --OR--

       Insurance Broker’s Letter Demonstrating Ability to Meet County Requirements.

• Attachment B - Application Narrative (required) —

  Complete narrative responses to all seven sections as described in Section 10. 

• Attachment C - Collaborative Partnership Documentation (required) —

  Signed Letter of Agreement (LOA), Letter of Intent (LOI), Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), or equivalent, executed on or after November 1, 2025. Must identify partner, define roles, and describe how collaboration enhances ATLAS service delivery. Generic endorsement letters are insufficient.

• Attachment D- Collaborative Partnership Map (required) —

  Map identifying the proposed hub location and all co-located or partner service sites. Must clearly distinguish primary hub from satellite/partner locations.

• Attachment E- Independent Audited Financial Statement —

  Independent Audited Financial Statement Instructions: Applicants must submit their latest complete audited financial statement with accompanying notes, completed by an independent Certified Public Accountant (CPA), for a fiscal period not more than 24 months old at the time of submission.

  If the submitted audit is for a parent organization, the parent organization must be identified and must agree to be a party to the resulting contract or provide a financial guarantee acceptable to the County.

  Submitted audited financial statements will be reviewed by the Department’s Accounting Manager to assess financial stability and organizational capacity. The review will result in a Pass or Fail determination.

  At minimum, the review will consider:

  1. • No adverse auditor opinion.
     • No disclaimer of auditor opinion.
     • No unresolved going concern or material financial viability issues.

  In addition, financial stability may be evaluated using the following indicators:

  A. Liquidity ratios

  1. Current ratio (current assets divided by current liabilities)

  2. Quick ratio (cash plus government securities plus accounts receivable divided by total current liabilities)

  B.     Leverage ratio

  1. Debt ratio (total liabilities divided by total assets)

  C.     Working capital

  1. Total current assets minus total current liabilities

  The County may request clarification, additional documentation, or follow-up information from the Applicant and/or the independent CPA who prepared the audit. Such information may be considered in the County’s determination.

  Failure to submit an audited financial statement meeting the requirements of this section may result in the application being deemed non-responsive.

  *Response required

   

• Show scoring/weights for the evaluation criteria in RFP? (required)
• Will this procurement require onsite services or goods to be delivered by the supplier? (required)
• Are services involved in this project? (required)
• Include HIPPAA form? (required)
• Include Good Neighbor Policy? (required) —

  Applies to contract when vendor provides a direct service to County constituents and has a potential impact on neighborhoods

• Is this project going to exceed $1m? (required) —

  If project is in excess of $1M, this will Include the Iran Contracting Act Disclosure Form and exclude the local/micro business preferences.

• Include Web Accessibility Policy? (required) —

  Applies contracts with web content

• Is this project Federally funded? (required)
• Will this project include software (any type)? (required)
• Include Prevailing Wage? (required)
• Do you want to include a question for respondents to confirm that they will accept all County contract terms & Conditions? (required) —

  If "YES" Buyer must attach the associated contract or contract language in the Attachments section.

• Basis for Award (Calendar Days) (required) —

  Proposal responses will be considered valid for a period of [##] calendar days after RFP closing date above (Enter a number value only such as "90" or "120").