SLCo Enhancements , Maintenance and Hosting of UWITS System - RFI

2026-11-03

Please note : This is a Sole Source Notification . FEI has served as the developer and vendor for the UWITS / WITS platform since 2004 , during which time they have continually supported , enhanced , hosted , and maintained WITS implementations nationwide . Today , FEI provides WITS services for 35 state and county entities , each benefiting from FEI ’ s role as the original architect and sole maintainer of the WITS codebase . Because FEI designed and wrote the system , they remain the only vendor with complete knowledge of all technical components , integrations , and architectural structures necessary to support ongoing development . FEI also established the WITS Collaborative Partnership ( WCP ), now known as the Behavioral Health Client Council . This public ‑ private partnership provides strategic direction for current and future WITS development and ensures that all participating jurisdictions can access and adopt enhancements across the full WITS module suite . The BHCC model enables FEI to : • Manage each customer ’ s instance individually while maintaining a shared base code . • Maintain expert insight into system operations across all jurisdictions . • Recommend existing functionality that meets partner needs without duplicative development . • Design new functionality aligned with system architecture and beneficial to the broader collaborative . • Maintain robust quality control and code integrity . • Facilitate cost ‑ sharing opportunities by distributing development benefits ; and • Coordinate system updates related to federal regulations , reporting standards , and SAMHSA requirements . The collaborative model significantly reduces costs for partners such as Salt Lake County Behavioral Health Services ( SLCoBHS ) by allowing them to adopt enhancements developed by other jurisdictions at a fraction of the cost of independent development . Because FEI is the only entity with complete access to and responsibility for the WITS base code , they are uniquely positioned to deliver enhancements , bug fixes , and system improvements quickly and accurately . Their deep familiarity ensures that all changes remain stable , compliant , and compatible with the shared codebase . Transitioning to another vendor , whether for development , maintenance , support , or hosting , would incur substantial cost and risk . Under the shared code agreement , all jurisdictions must return enhancements to the collaborative , requiring continued coordination with FEI to avoid code divergence . Additionally , infrastructure modifications involving hosting , security , connectivity , backup processes , restoration protocols , testing , and federal compliance would require reinvestment and introduce operational risk . For these reasons , FEI Systems is the only vendor capable of providing the services necessary to maintain , enhance , and support the UWITS / WITS platform without jeopardizing functionality , compliance , interoperability , or collaborative cost ‑ sharing structures .

Utah

2026-05-02