Council seeks potential bidders for Jail Diversion pilot program

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services will soon release a Request for Proposals on Buy4Michigan for the Mental Health Diversion Council’s Jail Diversion Pilot Program. The pilot program would begin in January 2016 and run for the course of two years. MDHHS expects to award one to two grants totaling approximately $1.2 million.

Through the Jail Diversion Pilot Program, the Mental Health Diversion Council is aiming to address the number of developmentally disabled and mentally ill inmates in Michigan jails and prisons. This pilot program seeks to initiate and eventually replicate jail diversion models that have come up with innovative ways to divert the mentally ill and developmentally disabled at different points of intercept within the criminal justice system.   

MDHHS recognizes that all communities have strengths and weaknesses and should make efforts to utilize strengths in their resources to bolster gaps in diversion within their communities. Potential agencies for consideration of this grant include those that currently deal extensively with the mentally ill and developmentally disabled populations.  Such agencies may include, but are not limited to, Community Mental Health agencies, CMH providers, law enforcement, courts, jails and jail providers.

Consideration will be given to those agencies that come up with innovative, sustainable, and replicable diversion regimens that could be implemented statewide if deemed a “best practice” based on data evaluation of the pilot. Points of intercept would include, but not be limited to, pre-arrest, pre-booking, post booking, pre-sentencing, post sentencing and pre and post release from incarceration.

All bid responses with related materials must be submitted electronically using the Buy4Michigan system, located at www.buy4michigan.com. Agencies interested in bidding on this solicitation must be registered as vendors in the Buy4Michigan system by Friday, September 11.  The Buy4Michigan webpage contains links to resources that can assist with vendor registration, including instructions on completing registration, quick reference guides and other helpful materials.

For technical assistance when completing registration or entering bid responses, contact the State Budget Office, Office of Financial Management Helpdesk at 888-734-9749 or email the Helpdesk at dmb-vendor@michigan.gov.