Active — closes September 15, 2027Atlas Opportunity Score 84/100
Texas HHSC Medical Transportation Services — Demand Response Transportation Services Open Enrollment (HHS0016482)
Texas HHSC is accepting applications through September 15, 2027 at 5:00 PM CDT for regional Demand Response Transportation Services. Addendum 6 extends the deadline by one year and increases per-leg reimbursement rates effective September 1, 2026.
FundingNo fixed award ceiling or guaranteed contract value. HHSC may award one or more contracts, but the solicitation expressly guarantees no volume, usage, or compensation; resulting contracts are subject to appropriations and availability of funds.
DeadlineSeptember 15, 2027 at 5:00 PM CDT
Last verifiedSeptember 21, 2026
Required next actionReview the current Open Enrollment and all six posted addenda, including Addendum 6 dated September 14, 2026, which extends the deadline to September 15, 2027 at 5:00 PM CDT and updates per-leg reimbursement rates effective September 1, 2026. Select only service areas the organization can reliably support, confirm contractor qualifications, assemble the required references, personnel, permits, certifications, signed forms and addenda, and submit the complete application to HHSC before the revised deadline.
Broad Eligibility
Applicants must meet the Open Enrollment's contractor qualifications for statewide or regional Demand Response Transportation Services. The solicitation requires at least one year directly overseeing and managing non-emergency medical transportation or qualifying comparable transportation experience, demonstrated leadership, Medicaid NEMT or comparable transportation knowledge, project-management experience, and at least three recent references for similar services. Applicants and relevant personnel must maintain required permits, licenses and certifications. Contractors must be registered to do business in Texas, enrolled with the Texas Medicaid & Healthcare Partnership claims administrator, and remain in good financial standing.
Atlas Analysis
This is a healthcare-access procurement rather than a traditional grant. HHSC is building a regional contractor network to provide demand-response transportation for Medicaid fee-for-service clients, children with special healthcare needs and transportation for indigent cancer patients. Addendum 6 dated September 14, 2026 extends the submission deadline from September 15, 2026 to September 15, 2027 at 5:00 PM CDT and raises the per-leg reimbursement rates effective September 1, 2026 to $33.83 metro, $79.63 rural, and $62.31 micro/suburban, calculated by authorized seats per one-way leg. HHSC does not guarantee trip volume, utilization or compensation. Atlas should treat the current HHSC opportunity page and all posted addenda as controlling.
Opportunity Overview
Texas HHSC Open Enrollment HHS0016482 is building a statewide network of contractors to provide Demand Response Transportation Services on a regional basis. The program serves Medicaid fee-for-service clients, children with special healthcare needs, and transportation needs for indigent cancer patients.
Deadline
Addendum 6, dated September 14, 2026, extends the open enrollment deadline to September 15, 2027 at 5:00 PM CDT. HHSC’s current opportunity page now lists the original Open Enrollment package plus six addenda, so applicants should treat the current posted package and all addenda as controlling.
Contract Structure and Value
HHSC may award one or more regional contracts, but the solicitation does not guarantee trip volume, utilization, compensation, or a minimum contract value. Resulting contracts are subject to appropriations and availability of funds. Atlas therefore does not publish an invented award amount or implied revenue estimate. Addendum 6 also raises the per-leg reimbursement rates effective September 1, 2026 to $33.83 for metro trips, $79.63 for rural trips, and $62.31 for micro/suburban trips, calculated by the number of seats authorized by HHSC for each one-way leg.
Who Should Apply
This is a procurement for qualified transportation operators, not a conventional healthcare grant. Applicants must satisfy HHSC’s contractor qualifications, including relevant non-emergency medical transportation or comparable transportation management experience, demonstrated leadership and project-management capability, required permits, licenses and certifications, Texas business registration, and enrollment with the Texas Medicaid & Healthcare Partnership claims administrator.
Operational Readiness
Competitive applicants should be ready to document regional coverage capacity, compliant vehicles and drivers, scheduling and dispatch operations, GPS and digital-signature capability, backup capacity, reporting controls, and recent comparable references. Organizations should choose only the service areas they can reliably cover and build staffing and fleet assumptions around the actual regional operating model.
Healthcare Access Importance
Although this is transportation procurement, it has direct healthcare-access value because reliable medical transportation can determine whether Medicaid beneficiaries and other covered populations reach appointments, treatment and follow-up care. N9+ Direct Vendor Fit: 0/100. The verified scope is transportation operations, not clinical examination, telehealth equipment, RPM, or medical-device purchasing.
Next Action
Qualified operators should review the Open Enrollment and all six addenda, confirm geographic and credentialing eligibility, assemble recent references and key-personnel documentation, validate vehicles, dispatch, GPS, digital-signature and backup-capacity requirements, complete all signed forms, and submit the full application by September 15, 2027 at 5:00 PM CDT.
Verified source: Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Open Enrollment HHS0016482.
Source verificationOfficial government source · resources.hhs.texas.govAtlas last verified this record September 21, 2026. Always use the funder's current application materials, amendments and portal instructions as the controlling source.View source and application materials ↗
