RFP 26-02 Employee Assistance Program

The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District (hereinafter referred to as “Metro Fire” or the “District”) is soliciting proposals from qualified firms (Contractors) to provide an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for District employees, their qualified dependents, and qualified retirees and their qualified dependents (collectively, Members). The EAP must support sworn and civilian Members. The District desires to enter into an agreement for professional services with a Contractor that demonstrates competency and experience in providing a high-quality, confidential, and responsive program with specialized experience working with members of the fire service and public safety. The awarded Contractor, shall provide the requested services in accordance with the requirements specified in this RFP. Prior to submitting a proposal, Contractors are advised to carefully read this RFP in its entirety.

Background

Metro Fire is an independent special district formed in 2000 through a Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO)-approved consolidation of 16 local fire agencies. Governed by a nine-member Board of Directors (Board), the District is the largest fire and EMS agency in Sacramento County and one of the largest fire districts in the State of California. Metro Fire provides services to a population of more than 738,000 residents within its 359-square-mile jurisdiction, which includes the cities of Citrus Heights and Rancho Cordova, unincorporated areas of Sacramento County, and a small portion of Placer County.. The District currently provides all-hazard services, including fire protection, building safety regulation and inspection, hazardous materials response, technical rescue, arson investigation, and emergency medical response and transport.

Due to the nature of their work, first responders face unique physical and mental demands and health risks. Metro Fire members regularly encounter traumatic events, high-stress conditions, shift-work challenges, and cumulative stress loads. In an effort to take proactive strides to protect the health and safety of its personnel, Metro Fire has established a Wellness, Health & Safety Division, which includes an active Peer Support Team. The Peer Support Team is available to support employees after traumatic events, perform defusings, and assist Members in locating behavioral health resources, such as getting in touch with District vetted clinicians and navigating the EAP process.

The purpose of this RFP is to select a Contractor that will provide a comprehensive, confidential, and high-quality EAP; one that will support the behavioral health, emotional well-being, and overall resilience of the District’s sworn and civilian personnel, as well as their eligible family members. The selected Contractor will be expected to collaborate closely with the District’s Wellness, Health & Safety Division and District Peer Support coordinators to ensure all services align with best practices in clinical care and reflect a deep understanding of fire-service culture and operational demands.   

Project Details

• Department: Procurement
• Department Head: Courtney Moore (Purchasing Agent)

Important Dates

• Questions Due: 2026-04-03T19:00:00.000Z
• Answers Posted By: 2026-04-10T23:00:00.000Z

Addenda

• Official Notice #1: 2026 Health Benefit Summary (released 2026-04-06T20:18:53.879Z) —

  The 2026 CalPERS Health Benefit Summary is attached in response to the following question that was submitted during the Question Submission period:

  "As we put together our proposal we need a few things: What health plan is being used? Thanks!" 

Evaluation Criteria

• Experience & Qualifications (20 pts)
• Methodology and Proposed Approach to Services - General (10 pts)
• Methodology and Proposed Approach to Services - Network Clinicians (10 pts)
• Methodology and Proposed Approach to Services - Clinical Services (10 pts)
• Methodology and Proposed Approach to Services - Additional Services (5 pts)
• Technology, Reporting, and Security (10 pts)
• Past Performance (10 pts)
• Cost Proposal (25 pts)

Submission Requirements

• Authorized Person(s) (required) —

  Please provide the following information for the primary point of contact(s) during the RFP process.

  Name

  Title

  Phone Number

  Email Address

• Proposal Response (required) —

  Please upload your Proposal Response here. This shall include all information requested in Section 10.0, Parts A. - J. of the RFP document. The response shall be formatted in the order outlined in Section 10.0. PLEASE DO NOT INCLUDE ANY CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION HERE.

• Confidential Sections of Proposal (if applicable) —

  Each proposal will become public record after the award of a contract unless the proposal or specific parts of the proposal can be shown to be exempt by law. Each Contractor may clearly label part of a proposal as "CONFIDENTIAL" if the Contractor thereby agrees to indemnify and defend the District for honoring such a designation. The failure to so label any information that is released by the District will constitute a complete waiver of all claims for damages caused by any release of the information. Proposal contents you consider to be confidential shall be uploaded here, and not appear in the Proposal Response (Question 2 above).

• Contractor Certification (required) —

  The Contractor certifies that the Sample Agreement for the RFP has been reviewed and understood. If awarded, the Contractor agrees to execute the final written agreement within fourteen (14) calendar days following the notification of contract award.

• Contractor Attestation (required) —

  The Contractor hereby certifies that they have read and understand the terms, conditions, and requirements of the RFP, including all appendices, attachments, agreements, addenda, amendments, and forms. The Contractor further attests that they are authorized to bind the Contractor to such terms and conditions. The Contractor acknowledges acceptance of these terms and conditions, and waives all claims, rights, demands, and the benefit of any provisions of any statute, rule of law, or regulation that might affect the rights of the District under this RFP.

Questions & Answers