CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Medical Cannabis Banking Request for Proposal has been canceled and reissued by the West Virginia State Treasurer’s Office.
The announcement came late Friday afternoon in a news release. The office said the decision “was as a result of no one vendor meeting all mandatory requirements in response to the original RFP released April 25 with submissions opened for evaluation June 5, 2019.”
After reviews of five submissions from the original RFP, an internal evaluation committee recommended cancellation.
The release by the state Treasurer’s Office said no submitting vendor met all mandatory requirements and some vendors did not meet several requirements.
State Treasurer John Perdue and his office modified the original RFP for the reissue with modifications including a reduction of mandatory requirements.
“While not ideal, reducing and clarifying mandatory requirements in the RFP is necessary to move forward and select a viable vendor,” Perdue said in a statement.
“Implementing a medical cannabis banking solution is a top priority, and my staff and I want to make sure it is done properly. Therefore, our office is committed to making the revisions necessary to ensure a qualified and capable vendor is selected and a contract is awarded.”
July 31 is the date when the proposed submissions are due now.
The state Treasurer’s Office said because potential vendors are already familiar with this solicitation, the timeline between Friday’s solicitation release and the submission deadline will be condensed from the original six weeks to four and a half weeks in an effort to expedite the process.
Information on the new RFP can be found HERE.
As of Friday, the treasurer’s office enters a blackout period and will unavailable for comment on the RFP until it has been awarded.
The medical marijuana banking bill was signed by Gov. Jim Justice in late March.