GRATIOT COUNTY — The county published a request for proposals for opioid remediation services on Sept. 14, beginning a process that could lead to a future service contract.
The official posting identifies the solicitation as Project No. 12-26 and lists the Gratiot County administrator as the bid recipient. Responses are due by 11 a.m. Oct. 16; the posting says late responses will be disqualified.
The 26-page request for proposals says the money comes from national opioid settlements with drug distributors, manufacturers and pharmacy chains. It estimates Michigan's total at about $1.6 billion, split between the state and local governments, and says Gratiot County expects to have roughly $121,000 a year on average, an amount that will change from year to year.
Organizations working in prevention, harm reduction, treatment or recovery may apply. Among the conditions: the money must serve people in Gratiot County, must add to existing funding and not replace it, and no more than 15% may go to indirect costs. Recipients must meet with the county's Opioids Settlement Advisory Committee and join the Gratiot County Substance and Suicide Prevention Program.
Allowed uses listed in the document include naloxone and other overdose-reversal drugs, medication-assisted treatment, services for pregnant and postpartum women, treatment for people in jail, prevention programs, syringe services and support for first responders.
The advisory committee will score proposals. Project description and scope of work each count for 25% of the score; measures of success and sustainability count for 10% each. Under the published timetable, selected organizations present to the committee Nov. 13, and the Board of Commissioners awards contracts Dec. 1. Funding would run at least from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2027.
The document contains date errors that applicants should confirm with the county. Its timetable gives the question deadline and the answer date as Oct. 7 and Oct. 9, 2025, and another passage calls the Oct. 16, 2026, due date a Wednesday. That date falls on a Friday.
The request says the number of awards will depend on the money available. It does not establish how much any one organization will receive, which will be selected or whether a contract ultimately will be approved.