How to Contract
To contract with the Department of Human Services (DHS), providers must respond to a solicitation and be given a contract award. DHS uses multiple solicitation types, including invitation for bids (IFB), request for proposals (RFP) and request for statement of qualifications (RFSQ). All DHS solicitations are posted on the State of Utah’s e-procurement system, SciQuest. To narrow your search to DHS solicitations only, type “DHS” in the Keyword search box and click Search.
Step One
Register on SciQuest. There is no fee to register or to submit a solicitation response. When registering, you have the option to select commodity codes and be notified by SciQuest when solicitations that contain those commodity codes are published. Register here.
Step Two
Find a solicitation you are interested in and read all of the solicitation documents. Pay attention to the submission requirements. Some solicitations are time sensitive and have deadlines while others are open indefinitely. For some solicitations, all vendors that submit a response meeting the solicitation requirements will be given a contract award. Other solicitations are competitive, and only the highest scoring or lowest bid vendor may receive a contract award. The solicitation will state how awards will be made.
Step Three
Submit a response to the solicitation. Some responses are submitted through SciQuest while others are submitted via email. The solicitation instructions will state the required elements of a response and how to submit a response.
Step Four
Upon request by DHS, submit additional documents. After submitting a response to the solicitation, you will be notified of the outcome, which may include a contract award, a notice of rejection, or in some circumstances, a request for clarification or additional information. Upon receiving a contract award, you may be required to submit other documentation, such as proof of insurance documents or a current W-9. Once all documentation is in order, the contract will be sent for signatures via DocuSign.