24x7x365 Toll-Free Crisis Hotline and Educational Comprehensive Services

The Texas Department of Agriculture is seeking a vendor to operate a twenty-four-hour, seven-days-a-week, toll-free crisis hotline and provide comprehensive mental health education and resources. The agency is trying to solve the problem of mental health crises and suicide risk within the agricultural industry by ensuring agricultural workers and producers have immediate access to support. The selected vendor must staff the hotline with trained behavioral health specialists who can assist callers directly and refer them to further mental health counseling. The scope of work covers the continuous operation of the toll-free hotline and the delivery of educational services. The vendor must conduct at least four Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) or similar trainings annually, lasting a minimum of 1.5 hours each, for pre-approved Texas organizations and community groups. Instructors must hold a QPR Gatekeeper Trainer Certification and have completed Farm Response training on agricultural stress. Additionally, the vendor must provide Farm Response or similar training to healthcare and mental health providers to improve their understanding of stressors impacting agricultural communities. Eligibility is restricted to onshore vendors operating within the United States. The performance of all contracted work will take place offsite. Bidders must submit their proposals digitally via email or through the online portal, and the agency is looking for proposal submissions to establish the budget. The agency will hold a pre-bid meeting on July 1, 2026. Bidders must submit all questions regarding the opportunity no later than July 7, 2026. The resulting contract period will be for one year.