Meridian Health Systems — Pursuit Brief

Opportunity Snapshot

Total Contract Value	$12M – $18M / 36 months
Buyer	Meridian Health Systems, Dallas TX
Revenue	$6.2B · ~42,000 FTE
Facilities	14 hospitals, 200+ clinics
IT Budget	$180M/yr (2.9% of revenue)

Primary Contact	Rachel Torres, VP Engineering
Primary EHR	Epic (migrated 2021–2023)
Cloud Target	Azure (EA in place, $3.2M/yr)
Incumbents	Accenture (ERP), Deloitte (BI)
Staffing Need	25–40 FTEs across 36 months

What They're Buying — Six Workstreams

1. Cloud Migration	340+ apps across 14 data centers → Azure. Phase 1 lift-and-shift (280 apps, 25/month velocity). Phase 2 re-platform 60 apps.
2. App Modernization	28 .NET Framework (3.5–4.8) apps → .NET 8 + containers. 4 Cobol/z/OS claims systems ($2.1B volume) → REST + GraphQL API wrappers. 6-month aggressive timeline.
3. Data Platform	Snowflake-based enterprise data platform. Real-time CDC from Epic + 23 ancillary systems. FHIR R4 mandatory (CMS 2027). Self-service analytics layer.
4. Staff Augmentation	25–40 named FTEs. Named leads required. 15% max annual turnover or contractual remedies.
5. PMO & Governance	Weekly status, monthly steering committee, phase gates, risk management. Must integrate with MHS EPMO + Jira.
6. Security & Compliance	HIPAA, HITRUST, SOC 2 Type II, PCI-DSS. Quarterly pen testing. Azure AD integration. Healthcare-specific credentials required.

Evaluation Criteria

Technical Approach (40%)	Architecture, methodology, tooling, innovation, risk mitigation
Pricing & Commercial (30%)	Total cost, rate structures, budget predictability. Fixed-fee preferred.
Experience & References (20%)	Healthcare engagements, similar scope, named credentials, case studies
Timeline & Continuity (10%)	Delivery schedule, retention commitments, knowledge transfer

T&C Fit Assessment

🔴

Not viable as prime bidder Requires 25–40 named FTEs, healthcare-specific credentials (HITRUST, SOC 2 Type II), case studies at this scale, and all six workstreams addressed. Partial bids explicitly rejected. The oral presentation round (top 3, Dallas, mid-June) will be against firms with thousands of consultants.

🟢

Strong fit as specialized sub-contractor T&C's strengths align precisely with the highest-risk, highest-value workstreams: application modernization (.NET containerization, API architecture) and modern data platform (Snowflake, FHIR, real-time pipelines). These are the workstreams where primes struggle to staff specialized talent and where generic "body shop" approaches fail.

🟡

Alternative: source the lead for referral positioning A warm intro to a qualified prime on a $12–18M deal has tangible value. Could yield a preferred sub position or referral arrangement.

Key Risk Flags for the Prime

High Cobol wrapping timeline: MHS acknowledges the 6-month timeline for API-wrapping 4 Cobol claims systems ($2.1B volume, undocumented rules, zero downtime tolerance) is "aggressive." This is the #1 delivery risk in the program. Any fixed-fee bid on this scope will either be inflated or underwater.
High Budget vs. scope mismatch: $12–18M for 340 app migrations + 28 modernizations + Cobol wrapping + enterprise data platform + 36 months of PMO + security is ambitious. At blended rates of $180–220/hr, the staffing envelope alone is $16–25M before tooling and licensing.
Medium Acquisition integration debt: Three acquisitions (2018–2022) with "partially integrated" tech stacks means the 340-app inventory likely understates true complexity. Discovery will surface surprises.
Medium Retention clause teeth: >15% annual turnover triggers contractual remedies. On a 36-month deal with 25–40 FTEs, this is a meaningful financial risk for the staffing provider.

Recommended Approach

Option A — Sub-contract to a mid-tier prime

Identify a firm already pursuing this RFP (or well-positioned to) that needs specialized capacity on Workstreams 2 and 3. T&C provides the technical depth on .NET modernization, API architecture for legacy system wrapping, and modern data platform — the areas where primes typically rely on subs anyway. This lets T&C participate in the deal without the credentials and scale gates.

Option B — Referral + preferred sub positioning

If the Meridian account relationship is strong, connect a qualified prime and negotiate a preferred sub position or referral arrangement. A warm intro on a deal this size has real value.

Option C — Watch for breakout scopes

Large transformation programs frequently spin off specialized workstreams — AI/ML clinical decision support, FHIR integration builds, specific app rebuilds — that get procured separately once the prime is in place. Position T&C for those future opportunities through the account relationship.

Talking Points for Pursuit Call

Lead with the Cobol risk: This is the detail that separates informed partners from generic bidders. Any prime who underestimates the Cobol wrapping complexity will lose the deal or lose money. T&C understands this — that's the credibility signal.
Frame T&C as de-risking the prime's bid: "We bring the specialized technical depth on the hardest workstreams so you can bid confidently on the full scope."
Budget math is tight: Help the prime understand the staffing economics. If they're bidding at the low end ($12M), they'll need to be creative on delivery model. T&C's efficiency (smaller team, higher leverage) makes the math work vs. pure body-shop approaches.
Incumbents are excluded: Accenture and Deloitte are explicitly out of scope. MHS wants a fresh partner — that's an opening for a mid-tier firm with the right sub-team.
Q&A responses publish today (April 18): Responses to bidder questions are being released today. Worth requesting them through the account team to refine positioning.
Timeline pressure is real: Proposals due May 28, shortlist June 6, orals mid-June, selection June 30. The prime needs to be identified and aligned quickly.

Procurement Timeline

Mar 15, 2026

RFP issued

Apr 11, 2026

Bidder questions due

Apr 18, 2026

Today — Q&A responses published to all invited bidders

May 28, 2026

Proposal submission deadline (5:00 PM CT)

Jun 6, 2026

Shortlist notification (top 3)

Jun 16–20

Oral presentations in Dallas (90 min + 60 min Q&A)

Jun 30, 2026

Selection & notification (pending Board approval)

Jul 31, 2026

Contract execution

Aug 11, 2026

Program kickoff — on-site at MHS Dallas HQ

Bottom line: This is a real, well-funded transformation program from a serious buyer. T&C shouldn't bid it as prime — but the opportunity to participate as a specialized sub on the highest-value workstreams is worth pursuing. The Cobol risk insight and budget analysis give the account team a reason to bring T&C to the table with a qualified prime.