Pennsylvania DHS Must Release Proposals for Cancelled HealthChoices Solicitation

On November 9, 2026, the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records (OOR) ruled that proposals submitted for the Community HealthChoices Request for Applications No. 31-22 are no longer protected from disclosure under the procurement exemption in Pennsylvania’s Right-to-Know Law. The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) must release the proposals within 30 days, while redacting material that qualifies as a trade secret or confidential proprietary information. As of November 10, the disclosure period is underway, making this an immediate records-management issue for the affected bidders and the agency.

The solicitation was cancelled in April 2026. The OOR’s determination, as described in the source, turns on that cancellation: proposals lost the protection associated with an active procurement once DHS cancelled the solicitation. A plan or intention to rebid does not by itself extend the exemption. The procurement must actually be reissued for the status of the process to change; anticipated future activity is not equivalent to a live solicitation for purposes of the cited exemption.

For contractors, the ruling underscores that proposal confidentiality can depend on procurement status, not only on the content of a submission or an agency’s expectations about future buying plans. Bidders responding to public-sector solicitations should consider how cancellation, delay, or recompetition may affect disclosure exposure. They should identify specific portions that may qualify for trade-secret or confidential proprietary treatment, preserve the basis for those claims, and be prepared to support appropriate redactions when a public-records request is processed. The source does not specify which proposal sections will be released or what redactions each bidder may receive.

The decision also presents an operational deadline for DHS: the agency must meet the 30-day release requirement while applying the permitted redactions. For procurement and legal teams, coordination among contracting staff, records officers, and counsel can help ensure that disclosure is timely and that any claimed confidential information is reviewed against the applicable standard. For bidders, the affected companies are Aetna Better Health, Health Partners Plans, PA Health & Wellness, UPMC for You, and Vista Health Plan. The ruling is a state procurement and transparency development, rather than an announcement of an award or a new solicitation.

• OOR ruling date: November 9, 2026; the disclosure period was underway as of November 10.
• Affected procurement: Community HealthChoices Request for Applications No. 31-22.
• Required action: Pennsylvania DHS must release the proposals within 30 days.
• Permitted redactions: Trade secrets and confidential proprietary information may be redacted.
• Solicitation status: The RFA was cancelled in April 2026.
• Rebid implication: An intended rebid does not preserve the procurement exemption unless the solicitation is actually reissued.
• Affected bidders: Aetna Better Health, Health Partners Plans, PA Health & Wellness, UPMC for You, and Vista Health Plan.
• Contractor action: Review submitted proposal materials and substantiate claims for eligible confidential treatment.
• Agency action: Coordinate records, procurement, and legal review to meet the release deadline and apply appropriate redactions.