After issuing a Request for Proposals in October of 2019, DBHDS entered a contract with G4S Secure Solutions to develop a statewide system of alternative transportation for individuals under a Temporary Detention Order (TDO) in May of 2019. This service was designed to be a less restrictive alternative to a law enforcement transport and to provide trauma informed and recover oriented support to individuals experiencing a mental health crisis. DBHDS staff worked closely with stakeholders and G4S in the first year of operation to build infrastructure, develop ongoing training for transport staff and make this service available to adults and children across the Commonwealth. The full rollout was completed in March of 2021.

In October of 2021, G4S was purchased by Allied Universal (AUS) who became the DBHDS Contractor for the service via a Novation Agreement signed in November of 2021. While the service has completed over 5,000 successful transports since the beginning, there has been an overall decline in the percentage of TDO transports since AUS acquired the contract in fiscal year 2022. The reasons for this decline are multifaceted including staff recruitment and retention challenges, budget constraints, and the overall shortage of available TDO beds. DBHDS issued a Letter to Cure to AUS at the end of April 2022 to engage AUS executive management in a discussion around their failure to meet the contract’s minimum standards for TDO transport percentages and determine if their response was adequate to ensure a continued contract prior to the renewal deadline in July of 2022. To date, the current terms of the contract have been extended through September 30, 2022, to allow time for agreed upon terms of corrective action to take effect and to allow time for the SB 202 Workgroup to make recommendations for a possible expansion of services for alternative custody.