Crisis Intervention Teams and System Programs

The New York State Office of Mental Health, through its Diversion Center, is making funding available for the administration of Crisis Intervention Team programs and adjacent system transformation work throughout New York State. Crisis Intervention Team programs bring together law enforcement, mental health and addiction professionals, individuals with lived experience of mental illness or substance use disorders, families, and other community partners to improve responses to behavioral health crises. The program seeks to create a more informed, empathic, effective, and minimally intrusive crisis response system while helping people experiencing emotional crises access appropriate treatment and avoid unnecessary criminal or juvenile justice system involvement. The RFP will select one qualified contractor to administer and support the statewide initiative. The selected contractor will manage the selection of CIT sites, coordinate and facilitate training, and provide ongoing technical assistance to selected localities. Required program elements include local steering or advisory committees, system mapping workshops, CIT training for law enforcement, CIT Train the Trainer courses, methods and metrics for program evaluation, and exploration and support of adjacent systems transformation activities. The contractor must develop and issue a CIT Request for Applications and work with OMH and approved stakeholders to score applications and select localities, with a target of five CIT localities per year during the three year contract. The contractor will conduct one day crisis response system mapping exercises and coordinate week long, 40 hour in person CIT courses. Additional responsibilities include statewide CIT activities, 911 Diversion Training, CIT for Youth, Mental Health First Aid Public Safety, training for non police first responders, additional Train the Trainer opportunities, and collaboration with the Mobile Access Program. The total funding available is $2,242,080, with one award of $747,360 annually for three years. The operating funding section identifies the funded period as beginning January 1, 2027 and ending December 31, 2029, although the procurement timeline separately lists an anticipated contract start date of July 1, 2027. Funding is contingent on the continued availability of federal funding, and payments will be made as quarterly advances following contract execution. The budget must cover the responsibilities described in the RFP, including training administration, consultants, curriculum development and review, training materials, travel, training space, and specified reimbursements to police departments. Police departments may be reimbursed $1,500 for each participating officer, for up to 25 officers per class, with a stated maximum of $187,500 per year and $562,500 over the contract period. Indirect costs are capped at the applicable federal de minimis rate of 15 percent unless the organization has an active Federal Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement, in which case OMH must use that rate. Travel costs must conform to applicable U.S. General Services Administration reimbursement rates. No applicant cost share or matching requirement is stated. Eligible applicants are not for profit agencies with 501(c) incorporation. Not for profit applicants must be registered as vendors in the New York State Statewide Financial System and successfully prequalified before they can submit their bid response. The program operates statewide in New York. The populations ultimately served through the training and technical assistance include law enforcement professionals with at least two years of job experience who are screened for suitability for crisis response work, as well as professionally adjacent groups such as correctional professionals, Fire and EMS personnel, dispatchers, Mobile Crisis staff, mental health service providers, and substance use disorder service providers. Applications must be submitted through the Statewide Financial System. Mailed, delivered, or emailed applications are not accepted. Applicants must use the proposal template provided in the Event Comments and Attachments section of SFS. Required proposal materials and supporting attachments, other than the budget, must be combined into one continuous PDF and clearly labeled for the applicable question. The budget must remain in Excel format and be uploaded separately. Required materials identified in the applicant checklist include the Provider Contact form, Sexual Harassment Prevention Certification, Gender Based Violence and the Workplace Certification, completed Proposal Template and applicable attachments, and completed Budget Template. A workplan is not required at application. The proposal narrative addresses Population, Program Description, Program Implementation, Agency Performance, Utilization Review Reporting and Quality Improvement, and Financial Assessment. Proposals are evaluated for completeness and eligibility before scoring. The evaluation totals 100 points, consisting of 28 points for Population, 20 for Program Description, 22 for Program Implementation, 5 for Agency Performance, 5 for Utilization Review Reporting and Quality Improvement, and 20 for Financial Assessment. Proposals receiving less than 70 points are eliminated. If proposals are tied, the proposal with the higher Population section score ranks higher. One award will be made to the highest scoring applicant. The designated contact is Carol Swiderski, Contract Management Specialist 3, New York State Office of Mental Health, at OMHLocalProcurement@omh.ny.gov. The RFP was released August 12, 2026. Written questions are due September 2, 2026 and must be submitted to the designated contact, with Crisis Intervention Teams in the email subject line. Official questions and answers are scheduled for posting September 23, 2026. Proposals are due October 14, 2026 at 2:00 PM EST, and late proposals will not be reviewed. OMH advises applicants to begin their SFS application at least five business days before the deadline and submit no later than 48 hours before the deadline to allow time to resolve technical problems. Anticipated award notification is November 12, 2026. The solicitation does not state that this opportunity recurs annually or on another regular cycle.

20-30 hours