G -- Employment Networks for the Ticket-to-Work and Self-Sufficiency Program

On December 17, 1999, the President signed legislation (P.L. 106-170) establishing the Ticket-to-Work and Self-Sufficiency Program. Under the Program, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has a requirement to contract with vendors to become employment networks (ENs), with responsibility for the coordination and delivery of services necessary to prepare and place beneficiaries in employment. The purpose of the Ticket Program is to provide disability beneficiaries more choices for receiving employment services and increase provider incentives to serve these individuals. Under the program, SSA will provide disability beneficiaries with a Ticket they may use to obtain employment services, Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) services or other support services from an EN of their choice. The Ticket-to-Work and Self-Sufficiency Program has been phased-in nationally (including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico) over a three-year period. Implementation of the Ticket Program has been accomplished in phases. Phase 1 began in 2001 and Tickets were distributed beginning in February 2002 in 13 States: Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Vermont, and Wisconsin. Phase 2 began in 2002 and Tickets were distributed beginning in November 2002 in 20 States (and the District of Columbia): Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. Phase 3 began in 2003 and Tickets were distributed beginning in November 2003 in 17 States (and U.S. territories and possessions): Alabama, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. As SSA continues to release Tickets based on new accretions to the disability roles, this solicitation will remain open continuously until further notice. Contractors serving as ENs will be responsible for an array of duties including, but not limited to: (1) providing appropriate employment services, VR services or other support services consistent with the successful attainment of a clients employment goal(s), either directly or by entering into contracts or agreements with other providers of such services; (2) providing the client with a comprehensive explanation of the service offered, as well as the ENs responsibilities to its clients; (3) developing jointly with the client an Individual Work Plan (IWP) that defines the clients employment goals(s) and outlines the services and supports necessary to achieve and maintain that goal; and (4) reporting data to SSA on specific client outcomes achieved through the provision of services, a statement of finances, and other management information data. Offerors will be evaluated in accordance with the Statement of Work, accompanying Response Pages, and required documentation. It is anticipated that each contract will be for a 5-year term, with one 5-year option period. The Request for Proposal (RFP), SSA-RFP-05-0010D, will be available for downloading on March 7, 2005 from the Federal Procurement website at www.fedbizopps.gov. HARD COPIES WILL NOT BE MAILED. IF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IS REQUIRED, PLEASE CONTACT THE SSA PROGRAM MANAGER CONTRACTOR, MAXIMUS, AT 1-866-968-7842. FOR THE HEARING-SPEECH IMPAIRED, CALL 1-866-833-2967. [These are toll-free numbers].