Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) - RFA MHTC/011

Sacramento County Department of Health Services (DHS), Division of Behavioral Health Services (BHS), is issuing this Request for Applications (RFA) to solicit qualified providers to deliver Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) as part of the County’s specialty mental health service array for Medi‑Cal beneficiaries ages 15 and older with Serious Mental Illness (SMI). Sacramento County is one of the largest and most diverse counties in California, with an estimated population of 1.6 million residents, including more than 500,000 living in unincorporated areas. The County serves a multicultural community and supports seven threshold languages (Arabic, Cantonese, Farsi, Hmong, Russian, Spanish, and Vietnamese), requiring behavioral health services that are culturally responsive and linguistically accessible.

As the Mental Health Plan (MHP) under California’s 1915(b) waiver, BHS is responsible for ensuring access to medically necessary specialty mental health services for more than 645,000 Medi‑Cal beneficiaries. The County’s behavioral health continuum includes prevention and early intervention, outpatient treatment, crisis services, intensive community‑based programs, acute residential care, and inpatient psychiatric hospitalization. These services support individuals across the lifespan, including those transitioning from or at risk of entering acute care settings.

Through this RFA, Sacramento County seeks to expand access to evidence‑based psychiatrist services by integrating TMS into its specialty mental health service offerings for eligible beneficiaries ages 15 and up. TMS is an FDA‑approved, non‑invasive, neuroscience‑based treatment shown to reduce depressive symptoms and improve functioning for individuals with treatment‑resistant Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Incorporating TMS into the County’s system of care is intended to increase treatment options, reduce reliance on higher‑level services, and support long‑term recovery and wellness.

Applicants must demonstrate the organizational capacity, clinical expertise, and cultural and linguistic competence necessary to deliver TMS services consistent with Sacramento County BHS’ system of care.

Background

County of Sacramento Background

Introduction to Sacramento County

Sacramento County is one of eighteen counties located in the Central Mental Health Region of the State of California. In January 2025, the State of California, Department of Finance estimates the population of Sacramento County to be approximately 1.6 million. With more than a half million residents living in unincorporated Sacramento County, it makes our unincorporated county population the fifth largest in the state. As such, Sacramento is considered a large County, especially in comparison with the populations of surrounding counties.

Sacramento is one of the most ethnically and racially diverse communities in California. While the Wilton Rancheria Tribe is the only Federally Recognized Tribe in Sacramento County, Native Americans from local and out of state tribes currently reside in Sacramento. Historically, Sacramento County has been one of three counties with the highest number of newly arriving refugees in California. However, in recent years, Sacramento County has resettled the most Refugees and Special Immigrant Visa holders (SIVs) as compared to any other County in California. We welcome these new residents and continue to work towards meeting the unique needs of these emerging communities.

Specialty Mental Health Services

Since 1998, Sacramento County, through the DHS, BHS, has been the MHP responsible for the provision of specialty mental health services to Medi-Cal eligible Sacramento County residents. In August 2025, 645,289 individuals enrolled in Medi-Cal, with 26,854 unduplicated adults receiving services through the MHP and 5,792 beneficiaries in Substance Use Prevention and Treatment.

Specialty mental health services are provided in accordance with California’s 1915(b) Medi-Cal waiver. These services may be provided through the County or through contract providers. Specialty mental health services include mental health treatment as well as treatment of co-occurring substance use disorders, which include, but are not limited to: assessment, plan development, individual and group therapy, individual and group rehabilitation, collateral services (inclusion of family members or significant support persons in services provided to individuals), case management, intensive care coordination, intensive home-based services, medication support services, crisis intervention and crisis stabilization. Medi-Cal beneficiaries may receive specialty mental health services if it is medically necessary in order to address a particular mental health condition (diagnosis). A specialty mental health service is medically necessary if the interventions focus on addressing functional impairment resulting from a diagnosed mental disorder.

The mental health services system provides community-based mental health services for individuals being released from acute care settings or who are at risk of entering acute care settings and are not linked to on-going mental health services. 

Sacramento County, Department of Health Services, Behavioral Health Services

In Sacramento County, BHS encompasses an array of services at all levels of care to adults and children of all ages.  These services are provided along a continuum of prevention and early intervention services, outpatient, crisis continuum including stabilization, intensive outpatient, acute residential services, and inpatient psychiatric hospitalizations. 

Sacramento County BHS’ Vision, Mission and Values

The following vision and mission statements define BHS' 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 persons 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.

BHS Values:

• Principled
• Respect
• Innovation
• Diversity and Inclusion
• Excellence

Project Details

• Reference ID: RFA MHTC/011
• Department: Health Services
• Department Head: Tim Lutz (Director)

Important Dates

• Questions Due: 2026-05-21T00:00:36.994Z
• Pre-Proposal Meeting: 2026-05-13T21:00:00.000Z — 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 —

  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
• I. Experience (20 pts) —

  Describe your organization’s experience:
  A. In lifting youth voice or providing advocacy services.
  B. With specialty mental health services through either providing services, partnerships, or policy development.
  C. With providing crisis services to foster youth, former foster youth, and their caregivers.
  D. With barriers in serving this target population and solutions your organization made to address these barriers.

• II. Program (50 pts) —

  Describe specific strategies your organization will use to meet service requirements as defined in this RFA scope of work.
  A. Describe how you envision the Foster Urgent Lifeline program.
  B. Describe your strategy for increasing community awareness of the Foster Urgent Lifeline program.
  C. Describe your organization’s plan for online presence. Include social media platforms to be utilized and unique and helpful features (e.g., videos, links to useful information, posts, community resources, mental health support tools, etc.) that will be included.

• III. Partnering and Maintaining Partnerships with Existing Community Providers (30 pts) —

  A. List relevant community partnerships you would seek to regularly collaborate with and why.
  B. Describe how you will maintain partnerships.

• 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

• Business Legal Name and Physical Address (required) —

  Enter the following information:

  1. Legal Name of Business
  2. Physical Street Address, City, State, & Zip Code
  3. Mailing Address (if different from physical address)
  4. Federal Tax ID#:
• Point of Contact Name and Title (required) —

  Enter the name and title of the person to contact regarding this RFA. 

• Point of Contact Email Address (required)
• Person/Title Authorized to sign on organization’s behalf (required) —

  Enter the authorized signers name, title and email address

• Application/Certification of Intent to Meet RFA Requirements (Exhibit A) (required) —

  Please download the below Exhibit A document, complete, and upload.

• Insurance Requirements (Exhibit B) (required) —

  Please upload Certificate(s) of Insurance or insurance letter from broker as outlined in Section 8.1 Exhibit B.

• County of Sacramento Contractor Certification of Compliance with Child, Family and Adult Services (Exhibit C) (required) —

  Please download the below Exhibit C document, complete, and upload.

• Certification Regarding Debarment and Suspension (Exhibit D) (required) —

  Please download the below Exhibit D document, complete, and upload.

• Statement of Compliance with Sacramento County Good Neighbor Policy (Exhibit E) (required) —

  Please download the below Exhibit E document, complete, and upload.

• Assurance of Cultural Competence Compliance (Exhibit F) (required) —

  Please download the below Exhibit F document, complete, and upload.

• Statement of Compliance with Quality Management and Compliance (Exhibit G) (required) —

  Please download the below Exhibit G document, complete, and upload.

• Rate Information Sheet (Exhibit H) (required) —

  Please download the below Exhibit H document, complete, and upload.

• Start-Up Work Plan (Exhibit I) (required) —

  Please download the below Exhibit I document, complete, and upload.

• Organizational Chart (Exhibit J) (required) —

  Please download the below Exhibit J document, complete, and upload.

• Narrative Questions Submission (required) —

  Please upload your response to the Narrative Questions (Section 9).

• Certification Regarding Debarment and Suspension (required) —

  CONTRACTOR agrees to comply with 5 U.S.C. 1501-1508, 31 U.S.C. §1352 and 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 proposal 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/proposal/agreement had one or more public transactions (Federal, State, or local) terminated for cause or default.
  5. Shall notify COUNTY OF SACRAMENTO, CONTRACT & PURCHASING SERVICES DIVISION 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.
• SAM.gov (required) —

  Please enter your legal entity name for SAM.gov verification.

• 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").