Opportunity Overview
Behavioral Health System Baltimore (BHSB), Baltimore City’s Local Behavioral Health Authority, is seeking one qualified communications firm to develop and implement a comprehensive grassroots advocacy campaign supporting BHSB’s legislative advocacy and behavioral-health policy and funding priorities during the 2027 Maryland legislative session. The selected consultant will provide strategic communications, grassroots and digital advocacy, media relations, paid advertising and campaign reporting.
Funding and Deadline
The total available award is $36,850. Proposals are due October 9, 2026 at 5:00 PM. The official RFP does not state a time zone, and Atlas does not infer one. A pre-proposal conference was scheduled for September 23, 2026 at 2:00 PM. BHSB anticipates award notification on October 26, 2026 and a contract start of November 1, 2026. The anticipated contract term runs through June 30, 2027, with renewal potential contingent on funding and performance.
Who Can Respond
BHSB is seeking communications firms with demonstrated experience in advocacy communications strategy and campaigns, issue-based advocacy, Maryland advocacy communications, the Maryland legislative and policy environment, media relations, digital advocacy and paid advertising. Universities, colleges and research institutions are not eligible. Applicants must submit a Maryland SDAT Certificate of Good Standing dated within one year. An out-of-state selected business must register in Maryland. Current and former BHSB grantees must also satisfy applicable audit, payment and corrective-action compliance requirements.
Scope and Required Submission
The selected firm will develop campaign messaging, a campaign webpage, communications tools and a social media toolkit, digital advertisements, media engagement and press events, statewide stories and a final campaign report. The proposal is submitted through BHSB’s online portal and includes organizational background and capacity, service-delivery approach, examples of comparable campaigns and results, staffing, behavioral-health advocacy and public-awareness experience, an implementation timeline and a line-item budget. Required supporting documents include an organizational chart, resumes or CVs, the Certificate of Good Standing, financial statements or audit materials, tax documentation, and a signed Organizational Capacity Assessment Form.
Atlas Analysis
Atlas Opportunity Score: 68/100. This is a legitimate Maryland behavioral-health procurement with a defined award, scored solicitation and statewide policy-advocacy impact. Its practical fit is narrower than a clinical, telehealth, school-health or direct-service opportunity because the contracted scope is communications and advocacy rather than healthcare delivery.
N9+ Fit Score: 0/100. The solicitation is for advocacy communications, media, digital outreach and paid advertising. The Nonagon N9+ is not a legitimate fit and should not be introduced or budgeted into this opportunity.
Dr. Miltie/QC direct-vendor status: NO BID on current records. The solicitation requires a qualified communications firm with documented advocacy-campaign, Maryland policy, media, digital-advertising and related experience, together with specific organizational, financial, tax and capacity documentation. Available Dr. Miltie/QC records do not establish those mandatory prime qualifications. Atlas should not fabricate or overstate them.
Required Next Steps
Qualified communications firms should register in BHSB’s online application portal, review the complete RFP, review or monitor any posted September 23 pre-proposal conference Q&A, prepare the scored narrative, implementation timeline and budget, and assemble all required organizational and financial documentation. Monitor BHSB’s official funding-opportunities page for amendments or clarifications before submission.
Official source: Behavioral Health System Baltimore — Behavioral Health Advocacy Campaign RFP.