After Hours Answering Services

The vendor is required to provide after-hours answering services is estimated not to exceed $50,000 per year for a total contract amount not to exceed $250,000 for the entire contract term.
- Call center service provider to answer and manage incoming phone calls remotely for office outside of its regular operating hours. 
- Examples of typical duties are: handling inquiries, taking messages, and forwarding them to the appropriate DAAS-PG staff.
- Provide timely and effective answering and messaging services for individuals, conservatives or organizations who are calling the office after business hours on weekdays, weekends, and county holidays.
- Provide the above services during the following after-business hours:
•    Weekday coverage – Monday through Thursday, 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. and Friday until 8:00 a.m.
•    Weekend coverage – 24-hour coverage starting Friday 5:00 p.m. through Monday 7:30 a.m.
- Answer all after-hours calls promptly with the following phrase:
•    “Thank you for calling the county of the public guardian. 
•    You have reached the after-hours answering service. how may I help you?”.
- Ensure that services are provided in a culturally competent manner and meet the language needs of the communities. 
- The contractor shall ensure that effective bilingual and interpretative services are provided to serve the non-English and limited english proficient (LEP) population and individuals with disabilities. 
- The provision of bilingual and interpretive services shall be without undue delays. 
- Contractor will also maintain interpreter services for all relevant languages spoken within county geographic boundaries.
- Provide staff trained in the use of the state relay services and teletypewriter (TTY) relay services to assist the hearing impaired. 
- Provide all non-emergency call and non-transferred calls messages via a secured messaging system that can be accessed by the office. 
- The ability to provide historical call data to the county in the form of: reports, an online portal, and csv digital downloadable data accessible to the office.
- Provide staff training to be able to properly identify urgent and emergency telephone calls vs. nonemergency telephone calls to direct appropriately within office guidelines.
- Urgent and emergency telephone calls:
1. Immediately call the after-hours on-call deputy with all urgent and emergency call messages regarding conservatives, including, but not limited to, any of the following:
•    Absent and missing,
•    Report of death or imminent death,
•    Hospital admission and discharge (medical and behavioral health),
•    Medication consent,
•    Medical treatment consent,
•    Emergency medical procedures and placements,
•    Contact with law enforcement and
•    Reports of actual and alleged assault (e.g., physical altercation, rape).
2. Make initial attempt to contact the on-call deputy. 
3. If initial attempt is unsuccessful, make second attempt to the on-call deputy after twenty (20) minutes.
•    Supervising deputy public guardian; if unable to make contact, then call:
•    Mental health program manager i; if unable to make contact, then call:
•    Mental health program manager ii; if unable to make contact, then call:
•    Deputy director and chief deputy public guardian.
- Budget of an amount not to exceed $50,000 per year, for a total contract amount not to exceed $250,000 to be allocated for completion of this work.

- Contract Period/Term: 5 years
- Mandatory Proposal Conference Date: September 3, 2025
- Questions/Inquires Deadline: September 11, 2025