Recovery community operators expression of interest

Overview

Alberta’s government is seeking qualified service providers to apply to operate the Edmonton and Grande Prairie recovery communities.

As part of the Alberta Recovery Model, 11 recovery communities are being established throughout the province. Also known as therapeutic communities, recovery communities are a form of holistic bed-based addiction treatment that focuses on the whole person and overall lifestyle changes. They provide opportunities for people to enhance their life skills and social competencies to help them transition to full community living. Recovery is seen as a gradual, ongoing process of cognitive change through clinical and peer interventions.

Treatment at recovery communities is fully funded by the provincial government. Any Albertan seeking recovery can access the life-saving treatment services for free.

Recovery communities are currently in the design and planning stage for Edmonton and Grande Prairie. Anticipated opening is in 2027.

While this competition is specifically for operators for the Grande Prairie and Edmonton recovery communities, this competition may be used to help select operators for other Alberta recovery communities as needed.

Deadlines

Interested service providers were originally asked to signal their interest by submitting a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) by August 30, 2024, at 12 pm Mountain Daylight Time (MDT).

• This deadline has been extended to September 10, 2024, at 12:00 pm MDT.
• References to this deadline in the guide and other materials have not been updated.

Interested service providers who submitted an NDA can send questions about this competition and requirements to [email protected].

• The deadline to submit questions has been extended to September 12, 2024, at 4:30 pm MDT.
• References to this deadline in the guide and other materials have not been updated.

Service providers who submitted an NDA still have until September 16, 2024, at 4:30 pm MDT to submit an application.

• Late applications will not be evaluated for this competition but may be considered for future opportunities. 

Ministry responsible

Mental Health and Addiction

Funding

As part of the expression of interest, the Ministry of Mental Health and Addiction is looking for applicants to provide budget estimates for a recovery community program for a 50-bed facility in Grande Prairie and a 75-bed facility in Edmonton.

Applicants must refer to the scope of services laid out in the Recovery Community Provincial Manual as a foundation for their proposed programs for the recovery community and consider a benchmark per diem of $170 to $200 per bed.

Applicants will not need to include building operations and maintenance or lease rates in their proposals, as the facilities are government owned, and these costs will be funded by the Government of Alberta.

The successful applicant(s) will enter into a grant agreement with the ministry to fund the provision of recovery community services. Final grant funding amounts and project scope will be subject to negotiation upon identification of a preferred application.

Eligibility

Priority will be given to applicants that:

• have operated bed-based addiction treatment facilities with at least 30 beds in the past 2 years (either as an organization, or key members of the organization’s leadership)
• have experience managing a bed-based addiction treatment facility with an annual operating budget of at least $2 million
• are willing and able to achieve the requirements for licensure as a residential addiction treatment service provider under the Mental Health Services Protection Act
• have demonstrated experience in providing the evidence-based practices outlined in the Recovery Community Provincial Manual, which include but are not limited to:
  • community as method
  • concept of ‘Prosocial Living’
  • work as therapy
  • community safety, inclusion and acceptance
• are able to obtain $5 million per claim general liability insurance and $5 million per claim in medical malpractice or professional liability insurance or both

Note: the Ministry of Mental Health and Addiction will provide the Recovery Community Provincial Manual to applicants upon receipt of a completed non-disclosure agreement (NDA). The Recovery Community Provincial Manual will explain to applicants these practices and inform their applications.

Applicants will be required to provide a detailed description of their proposed approach to operating the recovery community(ies) in a way that meets the standards outlined in the Recovery Community Provincial Manual. The manual will be provided as part of the application package.

Alberta is looking to leverage innovative practices (such as social enterprise) at recovery communities and build local capacity for recovery and treatment operations. Therefore, applications from partnerships (including with local communities) or consortia of operators are welcomed.

How to apply

Step 1. Download and read guide

Download the:

• Competitive Expression of Interest Guide: Operators for Edmonton and Grande Prairie Recovery Communities
• Non-disclosure agreement (NDA)

Step 2. Submit NDA

Submit the completed NDA as soon as possible.

Revised deadline: September 10, 2024, 12 pm MDT.

Step 3. Submit application package

Service providers who submitted an NDA can send a completed application package to [email protected] by September 16, 2024, 4:30 pm MDT.

Use the subject: ‘Recovery Community Operator Competitive Expression of Interest.’

The package must include:

• a completed application template
• a completed financial template
• reference letters from partners and stakeholders, as per the application template
• other documentary evidence to support the application. We will not consider or review promotional material as a standalone part of the application without further details or specific rationale provided.

Refer to the Competitive Expression of Interest Guide: Operators for Edmonton and Grande Prairie Recovery Communities for detailed application information.

Service providers who submitted an NDA can send questions about this competition and requirements to [email protected], with the subject: ‘Recovery Community Operator Competitive Expression of Interest.'

• The deadline to submit questions is September 12, 2024, at 4:30 pm MDT.
• To ensure fairness, Mental Health and Addiction will share anonymized answers with all providers who submitted an NDA for this competition. 

After you apply

Successful applicants will be notified by October 14, 2024.

Contact

Connect with Mental Health and Addiction:

Email: [email protected] – use the subject: 'Recovery Community Operator Expression of Interest Grant'