Notice End Date: August 11, 2023

Vendor Name: Open Hearts Healthcare, LLC

Contract Amount: 800,000

Agency Procurement Manager: Yolanda Hudley

Agency Procurement Manager Email: Yolanda.K.Hudley@dss.sc.gov

Agency Procurement Manager Telephone#: 803-898-7877

The Agency hereby provides notice that it entered into an emergency contract per S.C. Code Ann. §11-35-1570 with Vendor for the following supplies, services, information technology, or construction:

SCDSS entered into an Emergency Procurement contract with Open Hearts Healthcare LLC on 4/1/23. Term dates of the contract are 4/1/23 to 3/31/24. The contract had a potential total value of $200,000. Following the issuance of the contract, SCDSS’s service needs from Open Hearts Healthcare LLC drastically increased. Open Hearts Healthcare began providing ongoing CNA services at the Coastal Autism Academy Group Care 3 facility. They are providing 24/7 staffing support to ensure placement stability of a population of very high needs youth in this residential setting, while the facility addresses staffing shortages. This has rapidly depleted the funds in the Emergency contract. A Fixed Price Bid Solicitation will be issued in calendar year 2023 and it is expected that Open Hearts will enter into this contract. However, additional funds are needed in this emergency contract to cover the length of time that it may take until they are contracting with SCDSS under the Fixed Price contract. The Permanency Management Division requested $800,000, additional funding for this contract to ensure DSS can continue to have access to this provider’s services.

Agency's justification for this emergency procurement may be viewed or obtained at: Agency Procurement Manager (Listed Above)

PROTESTS:
Any actual or prospective bidder, offeror, contractor, or subcontractor aggrieved in connection with the intended award or award of this emergency contract, shall notify the appropriate chief Procurement officer in writing of its intent to protest within five (5) business days of the date this notice is posted. Any actual or prospective bidder, offeror, contractor, or subcontractor who is aggrieved in connection with the intended award or award of this emergency contract and has timely notified the appropriate chief procurement officer of its intent to protest, may protest to the appropriate chief procurement officer in the manner set forth below within fifteen days of the date this notice is posted; except that a matter that could have been raised as a protest of the solicitation may not be raised as a protest of the award or intended award of a contract.
A protest must be in writing, filed with the appropriate chief procurement officer, and set forth the grounds of the protest and the relief requested with enough particularity to give notice of the issues to be decided. The protest must be received by the appropriate chief procurement officer within the time provided above. Days are calculated as provided in S.C. Code Ann. § 11-35-310(13).

Any Notice Of Intent To Protest And Protest Must Be Addressed To: Materials Management Officer