Hennepin County Human Services and Public Health Department Eligibility and Work Services Request for Proposals (RFP) For Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) Employment Services - Hub Model RFP release date:
RFP RELEASE DATE: December 9, 2013 An electronic version of this proposal can be downloaded by visiting http://www.hennepin.us/business/work-with-henn-co/contracts-humanservices-public-health
Hennepin Tim Hastings County contact person:
[email protected] Questions & Clarifications:
A pre-submission meeting for potential responders will be held on December 19, 2013 at 9:00 AM. The meeting will be held at the Hennepin County Government Center, Room A0304 (Auditorium), 300 South Sixth Street, Minneapolis, MN 55487.
Proposal submission deadline: Submit proposals to:
Notes from the pre-submission meeting and any Question and Answer materials will also be posted at http://www.hennepin.us/business/work-withhenn-co/contracts-human-services-public-health The proposal due date is January 30, 2014. Proposals must be received by 3:00 PM (CST) Tim Hastings Hennepin County Human Services and Public Health Department 300 South Sixth Street, MC 106 Minneapolis, MN 55487 Ten paper copies of each proposal are required. In addition to the paper copies, please submit a single PDF file of the entire proposal.
Table of Contents
Page
I.
Introduction……………………………………………………………………. 3
II. A. B. C. D. E. F.
Scope of service……………………………………………………………… Target population……………………………………………………………… Project description………………………………………………….…………. Expected outcomes…..…………………………………….…………………. Agency qualification and experience.…………………………….…………. Contracts……………….…………………………………………….…………. Reimbursement……….…………………………………………….………….
4 4 5 11 11 12 12
III. A. B. C.
Proposal submission timeline…………………….……………….………. Timeline………………..……………………………………………….…….…. Proposal submission………………………………………………….….……. Requests for additional information……………………………….………….
13 13 13 14
IV. A. B.
Proposal contents……...……………………….……………………………. 15 Contents of proposal ….………………………………………………………. 15 Format………………..…………………………………………………………. 18
V.
Contract Requirements………..…………………………………………….
19
VI. A. B. C. D. E.
Conditions of proposal submission...………....…………………………. Proposal status………..………………………………………….……………. Public record………….……………………………………………..…………. Ownership of materials submitted.………………………………..…………. Agency’s costs……………………………………...…………….……………. Use of proposal ideas...………………………………………….…………….
19 19 19 20 20 20
VII.
Evaluation and selection...…………….……………………………………. 20
RFP Exhibits: EXHIBIT 1: Contract Requirements Note: Exhibit 1 is an exhibit to this Request for Proposals document and does not need to be submitted as part of a proposal. To obtain this document in an alternative format, please notify the county by fax at (612) 466-9887, by email at
[email protected], or TTY (612) 348-6915. Please allow a reasonable amount of time for special needs accommodation.
2 MFIP Employment Services (Hub Model) RFP
I. Introduction A.
The following items make up Hennepin County’s value statement for the Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP): 1. Participant Experience. Hennepin County will work to integrate the process of applying for MFIP, for Child Care Assistance, and the initial introduction to an Employment Service Provider into an initial meeting with the participant. Ideally, this entire process would be seamless and would be accomplished in two hours or less during a single visit to one of the regional hub sites. 2. Activity Engagement. Employment Service Providers will strive to enroll participants in the MFIP program within four business days after receiving a Workforce One (WF1) referral and have participants engaged in activities leading to work immediately thereafter. 3. Livable Wage / Education. Employment Service Providers will provide resources, including education, to improve the employment skills of their participants, such that those participants can attain positions that pay livable wages and provide health care coverage. 4. Job Retention. Employment Service Providers will cultivate job retention and career-advancement opportunities for their employed participants via follow-up activities, thus increasing the likelihood that participants retain or advance in their positions.
B.
Hennepin County Human Services and Public Health Department (HSPHD), through its Eligibility and Work Services Area, is seeking proposals from qualified responders to provide MFIP employment services under a hub model that will result in positive outcomes for public assistance recipients, leading to economic stability. The MFIP program emphasizes connecting MFIP participants to the labor force by establishing paid work (i.e., unsubsidized employment, on-the-job training, unpaid work experience, and community service) as primary MFIP employment and training activities. The hub model is a means to provide initial employment services, eligibility services, and child care assistance in one setting. Three regions have been selected for this pilot. Three agencies will be selected as lead agencies—one lead agency for each regional hub that is involved in this RFP. The lead agency that is selected for each regional hub will be required to have at least two (2) partner agencies working with it in its region 3
MFIP Employment Services (Hub Model) RFP
The Hennepin County MFIP program goals encourage agencies to: 1.
Increase the number of participants working per month;
2.
Increase the number of participant work hours per month toward and beyond 130 hours per month;
3.
Increase the number of participants leaving MFIP due to an increase in earned income;
4.
Reduce racial disparities in employment;
5.
Increase participation in education and skill-certification levels;
6.
Provide effective career guidance services; and
7.
Provide effective MFIP employment services within the guidelines of MFIP rules.
Note: this RFP is only for the provision of employment services at three of Hennepin County Human Services and Public Health Department’s regional hub sites. A separate Request for Proposals (RFP) and/or other vendor selection process will be posted for current employment services. Agencies may respond to this RFP, the current employment services posting, or both. However, an agency must submit both a hub model proposal and a current model proposal to be considered in both vendor selection processes. A single agency may only apply for up to two lead agency roles in the three pilot hub regions. However, this does not preclude the agency from being a partner agency in the third pilot hub region.
II. Scope of service A.
Target population Adult caretakers who are enrolled in MFIP and who are referred to do job search or who volunteer to do so, make up the target population for this RFP. Service is also provided to individuals who have had their MFIP eligibility extended beyond 60 months. Eligibility for MFIP is determined at an initial screening with Hennepin County. Any person that does not qualify following an initial screening is ineligible to receive MFIP services. Ineligibility for MFIP services does not disqualify an individual from potential eligibility for other Hennepin County services.
4 MFIP Employment Services (Hub Model) RFP
B.
Project description Hennepin County Services and Public Health Department will be contracting with agencies as part of this RFP process to deliver MFIP employment and training services to qualified participants. Eligibility for MFIP is determined at an initial screening with Hennepin County. Any person that does not qualify following an initial screening is ineligible to receive MFIP services. Ineligibility for MFIP services does not disqualify an individual from potential eligibility for other Hennepin County services. Hennepin County Human Services and Public Health Department has chosen to deliver its services in six (6) regions: • • • • • •
Northwest Suburban North Minneapolis West Suburban South Suburban South Minneapolis and Central and Northeast Minneapolis
Hennepin County is piloting the MFIP employment services hub model in three of the six regions beginning July 1, 2014. The three regions that will utilize the hub model are: • • •
Northwest Family Service Center, 7051 Brooklyn Boulevard, Brooklyn Center; West Suburban, 1011 First Street South, Hopkins; and South Suburban, VEAP building, 9600 Aldrich Avenue, Bloomington.
Over the next several years, Hennepin County Human Services and Public Health Department will be delivering eligibility services and a variety of other human services primarily from six regional hub sites. One hub site is presently open, and at least three others are expected to open within the next six to nine months (South Suburban, West, and North Minneapolis). The Century Plaza location is expected to close by the end of 2014 or early 2015. The contract period will be July 1, 2014, through June 30, 2016. The three remaining regions North Minneapolis, South Minneapolis, and Central and Northeast Minneapolis will utilize the current model for the same time period. It is the intention of Hennepin County to learn from implementation of the new model, make appropriate adjustments, and transition the remaining three regions from the current model to the hub model as part of an RFP that is slated for release in 2016. The next page shows a map of the geographic boundaries of the six regions:
5 MFIP Employment Services (Hub Model) RFP
6 MFIP Employment Services (Hub Model) RFP
The three hub regions will be allocated specific dollar amounts, based on the proportion of participants historically receiving services in those regions. The funding allocations for the first year of the contract term (July 1, 2014 – June 30, 2015) will be as follows: The Northwest Suburban region will be allocated $1,699,000. The West Suburban region will be allocated $424,000. The South Suburban region will be allocated $737,000. The dollar amounts per participant per region will be consistent for each region. At the end of the first year of the contract, the allocation per region will be adjusted, based on the actual first year experience. Hub Model Regions - Anticipated Annual Participants to be Served: Northwest Suburban South Suburban West Suburban
2,133 925 533
Approximately 75% of the annual number of participants will be served at any given time. The participant figures shown above are neither guarantees of a minimum nor a maximum limit on the number of clients to be served. Providers must serve all clients in the region within the allocated amount. The dollar amount and number of participants for each region will be determined by dividing the total Hennepin County MFIP dollar allocation by the percentage of participants projected to be served in each region. Each contract awarded will reflect the projected dollar amount and estimated number of participants. As noted above, the number of participants and contract funding amounts will be adjusted annually to reflect actual service delivered. Hennepin County intends to contract with one lead agency per region. Up to three agencies will be selected as lead agencies—one lead agency for each regional hub that is involved in this RFP. The lead agency that is selected for each regional hub will be required to utilize at least two (2) partner agencies in its region. A single agency may only apply for up to two lead agency roles in the three pilot hub regions. However, this does not preclude the agency from being a partner agency in the third pilot hub region. The lead agency shall manage all employment services delivered within its region, taking responsibility for the delivery of sub-contracted services, outcomes performance, financial reporting, invoicing, data reporting, etc. of all of its partner agencies. Hennepin County will directly reimburse the lead agency only. 7 MFIP Employment Services (Hub Model) RFP
At the hub, participants will be referred to the lead or partner agencies according to a method that is agreed upon by the partners. While the hub-model RFP will lead to some agencies being selected by the county as lead or partner agencies in the hub regions, MFIP participants will still be given the opportunity to choose among ESPs, even if the ESPs that are chosen are neither lead nor partner agencies in the hub region in which the participants live. In order to meet the county’s value of an integrated participant experience, the lead agency, or one of its partners, will be required to have at least one person present at the hub during normal operating hours for participants to meet with an ESP. The county will not resolve disputes between lead agencies and their partner agencies or manage issues between partner agencies. Should a lead agency fail to appropriately distribute funds, provide required reporting, or meet participant performance standards, Hennepin County will terminate the contract with the lead agency. Given the extra responsibilities that a lead agency must undertake to manage its region, each lead agency may be entitled to a greater proportion of the 7.5% administrative fee. The final allocation of that amount will be negotiated between the lead and its partner agencies. MFIP services are to be provided by selected agencies in a manner they see fit. The requirement to have one ESP person at the hub does not mean that ESP services will be performed at the hub. Agencies that are chosen as MFIP ESPs will be required to provide the following services, as appropriate: 1. MFIP Work Participation Rate (“WPR”) and Family Stabilization Services (“FSS”) Employment Services, including but not limited to: a. Assessment; b. Participation in MFIP work requirement activities as defined in the MFIP manual; c. Development of employment plans including incremental steps-toemployment goal setting; d. Job search including access to resource room, additional resources, trainings, and tool building (resumes, online applications, establishing an online on-line presence, social media strategies, etc.); e. Structured job search as defined by agency,
8 MFIP Employment Services (Hub Model) RFP
f. Document collection and recording by the agency; g. Job skills training directly related to employment; h. Job placement and agency connection with employers; i. Links to education, English as a second language training, and preemployment skills training; j. Referrals to, and working closely with, other service providers involved with a participant, including social services, crisis counseling, health care, mental health, child care resources, housing, domestic violence advocacy services, fathers programs, and transportation services; k. Sanction outreach to those individuals who are not complying with the employment plan and who have had their benefits sanctioned. 2. Career planning and coaching (compatible with MFIP job search activity definitions) including: a. Engagement of all (MFIP and FSS) participants into those processes, supports, and specific activities that are aimed at identifying, seeking, and achieving job and career goals; b. Assessment (strength, interest, values, etc.); c. Assisting the participant in making educational and vocational choices; d. Setting goals; e. Expanding skills; f. Planning and taking action for acquisition of stackable credentials; g. Strategic use of labor market information; h. Applying the resources to assist the participant; i. Strengthening self-marketing capacity. 3. “Pipeline” services, systematically administered, that assist employed participants to incrementally and progressively increase work hours (e.g., increasing step-by-step to 87 hours, then to 130 hours, then off MFIP). 4. Development of distinct education pathways for:
9 MFIP Employment Services (Hub Model) RFP
a. Participants without GED or high school diploma; b. Participants with a GED or high school diploma but no post-secondary education (within TANF/MFIP education activity rules); c. Participants with some post-secondary education, a post-secondary education certificate, bachelor’s degree, or master’s degree (within TANF/MFIP education activity rules). 5. Retention services for employed participants still on MFIP and for the 90 days that follow a participant’s separation from MFIP, focusing on: a. Retaining employment; b. Increasing work hours and increasing salary; c. Job counseling and coaching in support of advancement strategy development; d. Retention services including staff assistance with participants with problems that occur during the first three months of employment; e. Retention support, which may include help with transportation, funds for work clothing, crisis counseling, job support group, or later office hours to accommodate working participants. 6. Workshops for skill enhancement. 7. Community work experience for skill enhancement. 8. Culturally informed services-providing services that accommodate all cultures and ethnic groups in the MFIP population. 9. Racial disparities reduction strategies-especially in job retention and length of time on MFIP. 10. Support services including transportation, clothing, child-care transmittals, and any specific additional supports to employed participants. 11. Partnership with financial workers, child care workers, medical providers, employers, other service providers, and community resources. 12. Motivational interviewing used as a tool throughout delivery of all services. 13. Workshops for managing household budgeting and finances.
10 MFIP Employment Services (Hub Model) RFP
The goal is for the participant to meet with Hennepin County intake, Hennepin County child care, and a regional ESP representative at the hub on their first visit. C.
Expected outcomes 1. Measure job retention at 3 months. Goal: 90% of participants, who were working and have left MFIP for 3 months, are still employed at any level 3 months later or, 90% of participants working and still on MFIP, are employed at any level 3 months later. 2. Measure 3 Year Self-Support Index. Goal: 77% of participants will be off MFIP or working full-time 3 years later. 3. Measure Work Participation Rate. Goal: Meet federal and DHS statutory TANF requirements of at least a 50% rate. 4. Measure participants exiting MFIP (Unsubsidized Employment). Goal: Of participants exiting MFIP, at least 40% of cases are off MFIP due to unsubsidized employment. 5. New participants quickly start activities. Goal: at least 65% of new participants are in a new activity within 30 days of enrollment; 90% of new participants are in a new activity within 60 days of enrollment. 6. Participants with open employment plan and engaged in activities. Goal: at least 80% of all participants have an open employment plan and are engaged in activities within 90 days of enrollment; 100% of all participants have an employment plan and are engaged in activities within 120 days of enrollment. 7. Education for adults without a diploma. Goal: at least 30% of adult participants without a HS diploma or GED are engaged in documented education activities (GED or adult diploma completion) each month (20 hours minimum).
D.
Agency qualifications and experience To be eligible to function as a lead agency Employment Service Provider or a partner agency Employment Service Provider, an organization must fall into one of the following categories: • • •
A public, private, or non-profit agency certified by the Department of Employment and Economic Development A public, private, or non-profit agency that is not certified A county agency that chooses to provide services.
All agencies selected during this RFP will work with Hennepin County Human Services and Public Health Department's Contract Management Area in the 11 MFIP Employment Services (Hub Model) RFP
development of a contract. Responders must meet all standard contract requirements, including insurance requirements of Hennepin County. Given that the providers of MFIP employment services contracts are reimbursed for actual costs incurred, in order to be chosen as a lead agency, an organization must demonstrate the ability to maintain cash reserves on hand that equals or exceeds three (3) months of their annual contracted NTE. E.
Contracts Contracts for lead agency Employment Service Provider roles will be awarded to up to three (3) successful responders, corresponding to the three designated regions in Hennepin County, for a term anticipated to commence on July 1, 2014. It is anticipated that the contract would be for a 24-month term. However, the actual contract terms may vary at the discretion of the county. Lead agencies shall subcontract at their discretion a portion of the service components with two or more partner agency ESPs. Within the proposal, lead agencies must describe the specific services and/or activities that will be provided by their partner agencies. Hennepin County will contract solely with the organizations that are selected as lead agencies. The lead agencies will be required to assume responsibility for all obligations under the contract. Any proposed subcontractors will be subject to the county's approval and must be monitored for contract compliance by the lead agency. Lead agencies shall support strategies for increasing high school graduation rates and enhancing attendance and learning opportunities for children of all ages and all cultures. The county is committed to including participant input as a critical part of defining and managing the employment services. The county will survey participants using a county-approved customer-input survey.
F.
Reimbursement Reimbursement for ESP services will be on a cost reimbursement basis. The cost reimbursement portion of the ESP contracts will cover actual expenses within an approved budget, after deducting other revenues received.
12 MFIP Employment Services (Hub Model) RFP
III. Proposal submission timeline A.
Timeline Date:
Process Milestone:
December 9, 2013
Release of vendor selection request
December 19, 2013
A pre-submission meeting for potential responders will be held on December 19, 2013 at 9:00 AM. The meeting will be held at the Hennepin County Government Center, Room A0304 (Auditorium), 300 South Sixth Street, Minneapolis, MN 55487.
December 23, 2013
January 30, 2014
B.
Minutes and questions from pre-proposal conference posted on the Hennepin County Internet site at http://www.hennepin.us/business/work-withhenn-co/contracts-human-services-public-health This is the proposal due date. Proposals must be received by 3:00 PM (CST)
January – March 2014
Review, selection and notification of accepted proposals
June 2014
Contract process and submission to Hennepin County Board
July 1, 2014
Anticipated effective date of contracts and start of services
Proposal submission Ten paper copies of each proposal and attachments should be mailed or delivered to: Tim Hastings Government Center-Administrative Tower MC 106 300 South Sixth Street Minneapolis, MN 55487 13
MFIP Employment Services (Hub Model) RFP
In addition to the requested paper copies, agencies are required to submit an electronic copy of their proposal document in a single (preferably PDF) file on a disk, in a flash drive, or attached to an email. Proposals may be submitted in person prior to the proposal deadline. On days prior to the deadline, in-person deliveries are accepted only during the normal business hours. If you intend to hand deliver a proposal, please go to the Hennepin County Government Center, Administrative side, 10th floor. A telephone is available to allow you to contact the Contract Management Area support staff. Please be aware that you will need to go through the security checkpoint, so please leave yourself enough time to proceed through the checkpoint. All copies of the proposal should be submitted in a condition that allows them to be shared with proposal evaluators as they are submitted. The County is not responsible to collate, staple, or in any way adjust proposal packets that have come unbound or have lost their fasteners. The county is not responsible for delays caused by mail or delivery service. The late submission of a proposal can be used as grounds for rejection of that proposal. The County reserves the right to accept proposals that are submitted after the proposal submission deadline that is included in this document. C.
Requests for additional information Questions and inquiries concerning any aspect of the vendor selection process should be sent by email to Tim Hastings, Hennepin County HSPHD, Contract Management Area. The email address to use is:
[email protected] Hennepin County will convene a pre-proposal conference to respond to questions related to this vendor selection process. All prospective applicants are invited to attend. While attendance at the pre-proposal conference is not mandatory, it is strongly encouraged as this will be the only opportunity to ask questions directly to county staff. To register for the conference, please contact Tim Hastings at
[email protected] Those questions that are submitted via email prior to the pre-proposal conference will be addressed at the pre-proposal conference and will be posted on the Hennepin County website along with any other questions and answers from the pre-proposal conference itself. To access the minutes on the Hennepin County website, see the minutes at: http://www.hennepin.us/business/work-with-henn-co/contracts-human-services-publichealth 14
MFIP Employment Services (Hub Model) RFP
IV. Proposal contents A.
Contents of proposal 1. Narrative a. Organization overview The organization overview portion of the narrative should contain the following items: • •
Proposer and Staff History/Qualifications/Capacity Profile of the proposer, including size and organizational structure, organizational chart, description of an employee training and procedure manual, past history, and the status and outcome of any civil or criminal lawsuits brought against the proposer related to the type of services identified in this RFP in the past five years.
b. Agency mission and values Please include the following items in the agency mission and values section: • • • •
Briefly describe the agency’s mission and values as it relates to the services you offer. Describe the agency’s qualifications as they relate to the education and experience of staff employed. Include your mission statement and values. Include any standardized curriculum currently used by the staff. Provide examples of the agency’s ability to support the program requirements.
c. Elements of program plan Elements of the program plan should consist of at least the following: •
•
•
Three professional references that the County may contact regarding the agency’s professional capabilities and services when completing projects of similar scope and complexity; A description of the key partnerships that the agency currently uses or will develop in order to provide services. Description of how the proposer plans to work collaboratively with: o county human services representatives o county child care assistance workers o medical providers o and other service providers in the community as part of the provision of MFIP services. A description of the agency’s key partnerships with employers and the proposer’s/partner’s approach to connecting MFIP participants with employers; 15
MFIP Employment Services (Hub Model) RFP
•
•
• •
A description of MFIP-related data management experience and capacity. Include the job title(s) of the staff person(s) who will manage the data for the MFIP program and that person’s MFIP related data management experience; confirmation that at least one (1) FTE is dedicated as a data specialist; and description of any additional number of FTEs to be devoted to MFIP related data management and interpretation for this project; The identification of partners/subcontractor(s), including full legal name, key contact name and telephone information, and a description of the services proposed to be provided and a letter from each partner noting their support for the lead agency’s proposal and intent to participate if the lead agency is awarded a contract; A description of the method to be used to refer participants to the lead or partner agencies; A description of the proposer’s plan for delivering the services identified in this RFP in a manner consistent with the program description and scope of services.
d. Capacity to serve participants and ability to achieve RFP Outcomes Projection of the number of participants that the proposer will be able to serve and an explanation of the projected capacity. Hennepin County HSPHD reserves the right to determine the number of participants to be served by agencies chosen through the RFP process. Plan for achieving and/or exceeding the performance indicators. If the proposer has had previous experience managing MFIP programs, a description of past challenges and successes, performance outcome strategies, and data management and interpretation experience may be included. Proposers with no previous experience may describe their results while engaging in similar experiences, particularly those mandated by federal, state and local regulations. e. Ability to serve non-English speaking participants The following elements should be addressed in this section of the narrative: •
•
Briefly describe the agency’s ability to provide appropriate culturally specific services and to provide services to non-English speaking families; Describe how the agency provides culturally specific training to staff
f. Exceptions to the county’s contractual terms Exceptions to any requirements of the county’s contract (Exhibit 1) must be clearly identified. The stated exceptions and any alternatives offered must be included in the proposer’s response. If no exceptions are documented in the proposal, it shall be deemed by the county that the proposer has accepted all of the provisions of the contract, and that the proposer has waived the right and intent to take exceptions as of the proposal 16 MFIP Employment Services (Hub Model) RFP
submission. The county may decide to accept or reject any of the exceptions and/or alternatives, or the listed alternatives may be the subject of negotiations prior to drafting the final wording of the contract. 2.
Attachments a. Attachment A: Work Plan With Timeline (please refer to electronic template) Timeline for full program implementation; location(s) where services will be provided and reason for choosing location(s). b. Attachment B: Staffing Pattern Form (please refer to electronic template) While completing the staffing pattern form, please be sure to include the following: •
•
A complete representation of the staffing pattern. Be sure that the position titles and FTE’s (full time equivalents) match the staff information listed elsewhere in the proposal. Identification of: o Full Time Equivalent (FTE) commitment for each person involved in the project; o A list of key project staff to be involved and their roles/responsibilities. o Submit resumes of key project staff, including descriptions of prior projects of similar size and scope for which the proposed key staff played the same or a similar role as proposed for the County’s project, and the status and outcome of any civil or criminal lawsuits brought against the key staff in the past five years related to the type of services identified in this RFP. o Also provide three professional references for each key project staff person for projects of similar scope and complexity for whom the proposed key project staff is proposed to provide for the County’s project.
c. Attachment C: Budget Workbook (please refer to electronic template) A detailed budget must be submitted including a salary schedule, an allocated agency budget (by program), an administrative cost allocation schedule, and budget substantiation notes. Please ensure to clearly state the following: • • •
Hourly rates for staff; Completed MFIP Budget Form and completed MFIP Budget Narrative, copies of which are attached to and made part of this RFP; The proposer’s accounting and financial reporting system including a cost allocation system to categorize costs and charges to the proper account; agency signature requirements for large checks issued by the proposer; description of the job title(s) and qualifications of the staff person(s) completing the accounting, payroll, and financial reporting; 17
MFIP Employment Services (Hub Model) RFP
and the number of FTE’s to be devoted to MFIP related accounting, payroll and financial reporting functions. d. Attachment D: Letters of Commitment One letter of commitment from the agency’s governing body must accompany the proposal. Optional letters of support may be attached as additional pages, but should be limited to two. A Letter of Commitment from each partner agency must be included. e. Attachment E: Financial Capacity (Please submit only a single copy of this information.) To demonstrate that the agency meets the cash reserve requirement, one or more of the following must be submitted: 1. The agency’s most recent audited financial statement, showing cash and/or cash equivalents of at least 25% of the proposed contract amount. (Financial statement must be less than 12 months old.) 2. An original certified letter from an independent certified public accountant stating that the agency has cash and/or cash equivalents of at least 25% of the proposed contract amount. 3. Certified copies of the agencies’ three (3) most recent bank and/or other financial institution statements showing cash and/or cash equivalents of at least 25% of the proposed contract amount. (Statement must be less than 150 days old.) f. Attachment F: RFP Proposal Checklist Please submit a single copy of Attachment F with the electronic copy of your proposal. Do not submit the elements listed on the RFP Proposal Checklist with the paper copies of your proposal. Please refer to the RFP Proposal Checklist for the list of the required forms and paperwork. g. Provider Fact Sheet (Please refer to electronic template) Complete the Provider Fact Sheet. Name and telephone number of the key contact person must be clearly indicated. Include this form as page 2 of Attachment F. B.
Format Applicants are instructed to use the following format in preparing all proposals. Failure to do so may result in a reduced rating by the proposal review committee. • • •
Use 10-point, Arial font, one-inch margins, and single spaced lines on 8½ X 11-inch paper. Consecutively number all pages including any attachments. Do not exceed the proposal narrative page limit set forth below. Pages exceeding the maximum will be removed prior to evaluation. 18
MFIP Employment Services (Hub Model) RFP
Proposal narratives are to be 5 - 7 pages in length.
V.
Contract Requirements Hennepin County HSPHD has specific contract requirements for contracted agencies, including insurance requirements. Exhibit 1: Contract Requirements contains the current insurance requirements for contracted agencies. Please review the insurance and other language in Exhibit 1.
VI. Conditions of proposal submission A.
Proposal status The issuance of this vendor selection request constitutes only an invitation to submit proposals to the county. It is not to be construed as an official request for bids, but as a means by which the county can acquire information related to the purchase of services. Any proposal submitted as provided herein constitutes a suggestion to negotiate and is not a bid. It is understood that any proposal received and evaluated by the county can be used as a basis for direct negotiation of the terms of a contract between the county and the agency submitting such a proposal. The county reserves the right to negotiate pertinent contract terms concurrently with any number of agencies as it deems in its best interest, whether or not such agency has submitted a proposal. The county is not obligated to respond to any proposal submitted nor is it legally bound in any manner whatsoever by the submission of a proposal. It is the intention of the county to enter into a contract with an agency with which the county can make the most satisfactory arrangements for its needs.
B.
Public record It is the expectation that all proposers will understand and abide by the provisions of the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act, Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 13, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and implementing regulations, if applicable, and all other applicable state and federal laws, rules, regulations and orders relating to data privacy or confidentiality. The county will not consider any cost information or references submitted by the proposer to be non-public, private, confidential, or trade secret material. Simply stating that the document is confidential or making a blanket claim of confidentiality 19
MFIP Employment Services (Hub Model) RFP
without proper supporting justification is also not a valid reason to declare the document confidential. There are laws defining information that is public and private when doing business with a government agency. Minnesota Statue, Section 13.591. Data submitted by a business to a government entity in response to a request for proposal, as defined in section 16C.02, subdivision 12, are private or nonpublic until the responses are opened. Once the responses are opened, the name of the responder is read and becomes public. All other data in a responder's response to a request for proposal are private or nonpublic data until completion of the evaluation process. For purposes of this section, "completion of the evaluation process" means that the government entity has completed negotiating the contract with the selected agency. After a government entity has completed the evaluation process, all remaining data submitted by all responders are public with the exception of trade secret data as defined and classified in section 13.37. A statement by a responder that submitted data are copyrighted or otherwise protected does not prevent public access to the data contained in the response. C.
Ownership of materials submitted All material submitted becomes the property of the county and will not be returned.
D.
Agency’s costs The county shall not be responsible for any costs incurred by the proposers in connection with this RFP process. Proposers shall bear all costs associated with proposal preparation, submission and attendance at presentation interviews, or any other activity associated with this RFP process.
E.
Use of proposal ideas The county reserves the right to use any or all proposer service ideas presented. Selection or rejection of the proposal does not affect this right.
VII. Evaluation and selection A selection committee will review proposals and make a recommendation regarding the proposals. Recommendations are advisory only. Such evaluations are for the sole benefit of the county and may not be relied upon by any proposer. Evaluation factors shall include, but are not limited to, the following: • • • • • •
Agency/Individual Qualifications Hub Collaboration Plan Ability to Meet RFP Outcomes Budget Narrative Service Description Ability to address racial disparity, to assist with job retention,
20 points 30 points 20 points 10 points 10 points 10 points 20
MFIP Employment Services (Hub Model) RFP
and to serve non- English speaking / culturally diverse participants Proposers will be notified in writing of the selection decisions by certified US mail. Any awarding of final contracts is subject to final approval by the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners.
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21 MFIP Employment Services (Hub Model) RFP
