The Toolkit for Writing an RFP to Contract for Healthcare Services in a Correctional or Detention Institution (Correctional Healthcare RFP Toolkit) is designed to help correctional and detention facilities—along with local governments—create effective, outcome-focused requests for proposals (RFPs) for healthcare services.

The Toolkit guides you through every step of the process, including the following:

  • Preparing to draft an RFP
  • Drafting the RFP using the provided template
  • Issuing the RFP
  • Evaluating vendor responses
  • Negotiating a contract based on the RFP

This Toolkit promotes collaboration between agency heads, procurement officials, and vested partners involved in the vendor contracting process.

Note: If you prefer to read this website as a single Word document, you can click the black “Download the Toolkit” button to the left

How to use this Correctional Healthcare RFP Toolkit

Agencies can use this Correctional Healthcare Toolkit and RFP template as a comprehensive guide, following each step closely, or as a reference to improve their existing processes by comparing them against the Toolkit’s suggestions.

Which agencies will benefit from the Toolkit

While focused on state prison and local jail contracts, the Toolkit may also benefit other institutions.

*Note: for juvenile settings, the Toolkit may not fully address youth-specific healthcare issues.

Background

Correctional and detention facilities provide health care to over 10 million people annually. This population has significantly higher rates of infections, chronic diseases, mental illness, and substance use disorders than the public.

This medically complex group relies entirely on the correctional and detention facilities for their healthcare. Providing health care in these facilities is a challenge, which is exacerbated by provider and staff shortages, security issues, and brief lengths of stay.

Incarcerated individuals are also more likely to have low incomes and low health literacy, and are disproportionately Black, Native American, Hispanic, and LGBTQ.

Due to these complexities, most facilities outsource health care delivery to external entities, most commonly for-profit companies, universities, or nonprofits, governed by contracts based on formal RFP*.

*Note: some agencies use other terms to describe the RFP process, such as “request for quotes,” “invitation to bid,” and “invitation to negotiate.”

Creating an effective RFP requires in-depth knowledge of healthcare systems, which many facility leaders lack. As the RFP becomes the blueprint for the final contract and shapes the actual health care provided, the quality and accuracy of the RFP are critical to the long-term success of the healthcare program. Insufficient RFPs can lead to inadequate contracts and substandard care.

Some facilities utilize existing contract language from neighboring jurisdictions, which isn’t tailored enough to the facility’s specific population and needs. Facility leaders may also understandably assume that it is sufficient if their RFPs require providers to maintain accreditation under national standards, such as those of the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC). Such standards are beneficial and necessary, but by themselves do not detail the terms of a contract for a highly complex healthcare services program.

We created this Toolkit to address that gap. The Correctional Healthcare RFP Toolkit helps correctional leaders and procurement managers navigate the complexities of crafting RFPs, ensuring they result in effective healthcare contracts.

Developed by a team of experts, the Toolkit includes a customizable RFP Template based on real-world experience and is regularly updated to reflect best practices.

Acknowledgments

The Correctional Healthcare RFP Toolkit was conceptualized and written by:

  • Marc Stern, MD, MPH, Assistant Affiliate Professor, Department of Health Systems and Population Health, University of Washington; Consultant in Correctional Health Care
  • Regina Huerter, MA, Senior Project Associate, Policy Research Associates, Inc.
  • Ashley Krider, MS, Senior Project Associate, Policy Research Associates, Inc.
  • Lisa Maye, MSW, Senior Project Associate, Policy Research Associates, Inc.
  • David Howard Sinkman, JD, formerly served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and the Opioid Coordinator and Civil Rights Coordinator for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana
  • Barry Zack, MPH, CEO, Corrections and Health, The Bridging Group

The development of this Toolkit would not have been possible without the participation of the following experts. Their dedication to this project was evidenced in their generous contributions and their thoughtful commentary and feedback.

  • Sharen Barboza, PhD, Clinical Psychologist
  • Lewis Bossing, JD, Senior Staff Attorney, Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law
  • Broward County, Florida Sheriff’s Office
  • Ashley Goldon, DSW, Founder and CEO, Impact(FUL) Consulting LLC
  • Mariel Marlow, PhD, MPH, Health Scientist, Correctional Health Coordinator, Office of Health Equity, CDC National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention
  • Robert L. May, Program Director, Integrated Justice Information Systems Institute
  • Robert W. May, MS, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Centurion Health
  • Richard D. Russell, MM, RN, Correctional Health Systems Specialist
  • Tracey Titus, RN, CCHP-RN, CCHP-A, Correctional Health Care Consultant

The authors are deeply grateful to Jaime Shimkus’s expert “red editing pen” for meticulous and thoughtful copy editing.

The first attempt to address this knowledge gap was undertaken in 1994 by Steadman, Veysey, and Morris of Policy Research Associates, Inc., for the National Institute of Justice (“Blueprint for Contracting for Mental Health Services for Jail Detainees with Mental Illness”). Much has changed since that time, and the blueprint was limited to mental health services. To the authors’ knowledge, no other such blueprint or template has been written.

The Toolkit for Writing an RFP to Contract for Healthcare Services in a Correctional or Detention Institution was created with support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Recognizing Organizations

We appreciate the following organizations for their recognition of the importance of the Toolkit and its potential impact: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Jail Association, the National Sheriffs’ Association, Community Oriented Correctional Health Services, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the University of Texas Austin Prison and Jail Innovation Lab, The Corrections Lab at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and The Bridging Group.

American Jails Association
MacArthur Foundation
The Bridging Group

Suggested citation

Policy Research Associates, Inc. (2025). Toolkit for writing an RFP to contract for healthcare services in a correctional or detention institution. prainc.com/resource-library/correctional-healthcare-rfp-toolkit

To send us any questions, suggested revisions, or to request assistance with the Toolkit, please contact: Ashley Krider, Policy Research Associates, Inc., akrider@prainc.com

A summary of running updates to the RFP Template will be posted here.

Disclaimer

This Toolkit is provided for educational purposes. An express condition for using the Toolkit is a complete waiver by the Users, and all related parties, of all liabilities against the Authors related to all uses of and reliance on the Toolkit, direct or indirect. To restate this express waiver, the Authors are not liable for any costs incurred, litigation brought, or opportunities lost related to or involving the Toolkit. The Users, including all related parties, disclaim and voluntarily and knowingly waive any and all rights to reimbursement for any and all related costs, expenses, settlements, verdicts, and any other claimed damages.

Toolkit Users shall indemnify and hold the Authors harmless from and against the full amount of any and all claims and liabilities, including legal fees, costs, settlements, and verdicts, which may be made, filed, or assessed against the Users, including all related parties, or brought by the Users, including all related parties, at any time based on, or arising out of, any information or terms in the Toolkit, or anything that was not included in the Toolkit and which was relied upon by the Users. The Authors will not be liable for any costs associated with the preparation and submission of any RFP. The Authors are not responsible or liable for any of those costs, regardless of the conduct or outcome of any selection process.

Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of Policy Research Associates, Inc.