Denver Opioid Abatement Council (DOAC)

2026 Request for Proposal (RFP)

Prepared by the DOAC RFP Workgroup and DDPHE Opioid Abatement Funds (OAF) Program Team January – June 2026. | Approved by the DOAC July 9, 2026.

(Updated 7/27/26) Please see bottom of this page or RFP document for submitted Questions & Answers: 

Full RFP Document can be found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bE2CIfoT5I3bsji9K0xeM4LabRKfoeuN/edit?usp=drive_link&ouid=112279524372532125845&rtpof=true&sd=true

Full Recording of Info Session can be found here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zKbL7MTWM2nJuOX4p09rOiccgJ4KJIaG/view 

Additional RFP reference materials can be found here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1TxDJELTLFF6fEoHsygYlGQi_Ne_iunSP?usp=drive_link

Competitive Request for Proposal (Regional Share)

Introduction 

The Denver Department of Public Health & Environment (DDPHE), in partnership with the Denver Opioid Abatement Council (DOAC), is seeking proposals to help reduce the harms of the opioid crisis and improve access to prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and recovery services across Denver. DOAC receives Denver’s regional share of statewide Opioid Settlement Funds and is responsible for allocating these dollars to strategies that meet the requirements of the Colorado MOU and the needs identified by Denver communities.

For the 2027–2028 funding cycle, DOAC will allocate up to $7.5 million from the Regional Share toward projects mitigate the impacts of the opioid crisis within three priority areas (exact amounts per priority area are subject to change):

Priority Area 1: Coordinated Systems of Care (Approximately $3.5 million)

• Addressing fragmentation, strengthening care navigation, and improving real time connections to services.

Priority Area 2: Harm Reduction and Overdose Prevention (Approximately $2 million)

• Expanding evidence-based  harm reduction supports and increasing access for marginalized populations.

Priority Area 3: Access to Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) (Approximately $2 million)

• Reducing barriers to timely treatment and expanding wrap around care options.

Priority consideration will be given to projects that support the following populations:

Priority Population 1: Justice-Involved Population

• Supporting people involved in the justice system by reducing care disruptions and enhancing wraparound services during incarceration and reentry.

Priority Population 2: Youth (Focused on Connection and Belonging)

• Strengthening youth connection and belonging by providing timely and culturally responsive prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery supports to reduce substance use risk.

These priorities were shaped through a multi-year strategic planning process that included community engagement sessions, an in depth fiscal landscape analysis, and an environmental scan of Denver’s opioid response ecosystem. This process identified specific gaps in services, opportunities for system improvement, and areas where targeted investments can most effectively reduce opioid-related harms.

The priority areas and associated best practices reflect Denver’s most urgent needs — including reducing fragmentation across care settings, improving access to harm reduction services, expanding MOUD availability, and addressing disparities affecting marginalized and underserved communities. Collectively, these strategies support the DOAC’s overarching goals of reducing fatal and non fatal overdoses, improving treatment engagement and retention, and ensuring that people can access the services they need when they need them most.

Awards will be made for projects up to $2 million for a two year  funding period.

Only one application per priority area will be accepted from each applying organization. Eligible applicants include  non-profit entities; local government agencies; college, university, or other educational institution; medical care facility; and for-profit entities. 

Tentative Schedule (all dates subject to change): 

July 13, 2026 RFP released 

July 20, 2026 @ 12:00 pm MTN time Virtual Information Session:

https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/254636155320504?p=wdTQk11yN9r0wdq0Nt

July 21, 2026 Questions Due in by 5:00 p.m. 

July 24, 2026 Q/A posted online 

August 10, 2026 Proposals due by 11:59 p.m. MST 

Week of August 17, 2026 Application Reviews Start

September 10, 2026 Anticipated announcement of funding 

Contacts: 

Contact Info for RFP Admin/Contract Admin/General inquiries: 

Jason Smith, Opioid Abatement Fund Contract & Fiscal Administrator jason.smith1@denvergov.org 

All communication regarding this proposal shall only be through the designated Denver official listed above. No communication is to be directed to any other City personnel. Please be advised that only general inquiries and confirmation of receipt requests may be answered. No questions or insight into the RFP process will be answered to remain fair and compliant during the open proposal period. Any attempt to gain additional information that may be used to garner a competitive advantage may result in a rejection or disqualification of the proposal. 

Question & Answer:

Q1. Org wants to submit a proposal to continue currently funded position plus an expansion for an additional FTE. Would it be best to submit one proposal with position plus the expansion or submit two separate proposals (one with current position alone and one with current position plus the expanded position)? We'd like to avoid the idea that approval of continued funding for our current program is contingent on approval of funding for the expansion, so not sure the best way to go about our submissions from that lens.

A1. We are only allowing orgs to submit one application per priority area, so on question 15 you should select expansion if you want to go the route of requesting an additional FTE. You could also select both continuation and expansion and make a note in question 31 that you would also accept a smaller amount if available to continue at current levels of funding.

Q2. Are letters of recommendation / support accepted? 

A2. No, we are not accepting letters of recommendation / support for this RFP.

Q3. What is the cap on indirect costs?

A3. 10%

Q4. Does “one application per priority area” mean an organization may submit up to three applications total, one under each priority area? 

A4. One application can be submitted under each, a total of three. 

Q5. Can the same organization participate as the lead applicant on one proposal and a subcontractor or partner on another proposal within the same priority area?

A5. Yes

Q6. Is there a minimum request amount, or only the maximum of $2 million over two years? 

A6. There is no minimum request amount.

Q7. Is the $2 million maximum per application, per priority area, or per organization across all applications?

A7. Per application and priority area. 

Q8. Are awards expected to begin January 1, 2027, or on another date? Is the two-year period fixed?

A8. All contracts will have a start date of 1/1/2027.

Q9. Are applicants required to serve only Denver residents, or can funds support individuals who are incarcerated, housed, or receiving services outside Denver but are returning to Denver?

A9. The organization will need to demonstrate that they serve primarily Denver residents.

Q10. How should applicants document Denver residency for people experiencing homelessness, leaving incarceration, or lacking identification? 

A10. You are not required to document Denver residency in your application. The organization will need to demonstrate that they serve primarily Denver residents.

Q11. Does the justice-involved priority include people on probation, parole, diversion, pretrial supervision, recently released individuals, and people at risk of incarceration?

A11. Please refer to the one-pager for more information on this priority population. 

Q12. Must a justice-involved project provide services inside jails, or may it focus entirely on release planning, community reentry, and continuity of care after release? 

A12. Please refer to the one-pager for more information on the types of activities the DOAC is looking to fund.

Q13. Can an organization apply under Coordinated Systems of Care with a project that includes MOUD navigation and harm reduction, or must every activity remain exclusively within the selected priority area? 

A13. The applicant will be required to select a primary priority area but will have the opportunity to identify work being done under other priority areas as well.

Q14. Are capital expenses, vehicles, renovations, technology systems, data integration, and equipment eligible? Are there dollar limits or prior-approval requirements? 

A14. The expenses noted above are allowable. There are no limits outside of the $2 million dollar cap on individual application requests. 

Q15. Is there a required match, leveraged-funding commitment, or sustainability plan? 

A15. There is not a required match or leveraged-funding commitment. There are financial consideration questions in the application that ask about a sustainability plan.  

Q16. What indirect-cost rate is allowed? May organizations use a federally negotiated indirect cost rate or the de minimis rate? 

A16. The indirect rate allowed is up to 10%. 

Q17. What happens if the requested project crosses multiple priority areas? Should the applicant select one primary area, divide the project into separate applications, or limit the scope?

A17. The applicant will be required to select a primary priority area but will have the opportunity to identify work being done under other priority areas as well. 

Q18. Can current programs be expanded, or must the proposal create a new service or materially different approach?

A18. Current programs can be expanded