G--Supportive Services for Veterans Families (SSVF)

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans Staffing Support for Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) February 14, 2013 PART I: A. PURPOSE This notification is to identify Small Business Entites that are interested in providing services described in this notification. It is the desire of the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide maximum opportunity to Small Disabled Veteran Owned/Veteran Owned Small business. In keeping with that desire, it is imperative that perspective SDVOSB/VOSB vendors reply to this notification. Please include your NAICS code in your response. B. OVERVIEW. The SSVF program's purpose is to provide supportive services grants to private non-profit organizations and consumer cooperatives to coordinate or provide supportive services to very low income Veteran families. Two critical foci of SSVF include: A) the provision of homelessness prevention assistance to assist those at imminent risk for homelessness to maintain their housing, and B) the provision of rapid re-housing assistance for those who are homeless or exiting temporary or transitional housing to quickly reconnect to permanent housing. Within SSVF, service provision is designed to be flexible and tailored to meet the immediate needs of the Veteran and his or her family members; regardless, services must include case management. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans (heretofore referred to as the National Center) is seeking a Contractor to provide staffing assistance and support needed to assist VA staff in conducting on-site monitoring visits of SSVF grantees to assess their performance and compliance with program regulations, the relevant Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA), and signed grant services agreement between the grantee and the VA. Grantees are required to assist eligible homeless Veterans and Veterans at-risk for homelessness through the delivery of a variety of services. To assess compliance with SSVF requirements Contractor will: 1. Conduct on-site monitoring visits of designated SSVF grantees based on the attached Uniform Monitoring Plan (UMP). 2. Meet twice weekly with SSVF staff to coordinate site visit plans and coordinate monitoring efforts. 3. Report twice monthly on completed visits and plans for scheduled visits 4. Complete UMP report for each site visit within 2 weeks after site visit. 5. Develop recommendations for improvements based on national trends and themes identified in facility surveys. National report should be completed within 60 days of final year 1 site visit. PART II: REQUIRMENTS A. TASKS AND ASSOCIATED DELIVERABLES. Successful monitoring depends both on effective use of time and knowledgeable reviewers. Contractor must have experience working with rapid re-housing and prevention initiatives at a national level. Experience must be comprehensive, including all aspects of either program design and/or operations. For purposes of the SSVF Program, monitoring visits must be carefully planned and require pre-monitoring preparation strategies that include: 1) Individual Monitoring Strategy. Monitoring is conducted through a combination of remote preparation and document reviews and on-site review and interviews. The development of an individual, written monitoring strategy is needed to define the scope and focus the monitoring efforts. It identifies: a. the programs/areas/functions to be reviewed; b. data or information to be submitted by the grantee prior to monitoring (if any); c. the names of any participant staff members who will need to be consulted during the monitoring; d. anticipated staff who will conduct the monitoring; e. clearly defined areas of responsibilities for each reviewer (to avoid duplication) if more than one staff person will be conducting the monitoring; f. a schedule for carrying out the monitoring tasks and the anticipated time frames; g. The individual monitoring strategy (IMS) should take place prior to beginning the monitoring. Timely and concise written documentation is an important tool for management use in assessing planned actions against accomplishments; h. IMS must be approved by the program office prior to conducting the monitoring visit. 2) Pre-Monitoring Preparation. Reviewers are responsible for being thoroughly familiar with VA Homeless Prevention initiatives, specifically the SSVF Program, and for being knowledgeable of the entity or entities to be monitored. Such comprehension is crucial for making the most of scarce time and resources and effectively determining compliance and accomplishments, especially given program complexities. It also enables the reviewer to make observations, provide or connect the grantee to technical assistance opportunities, or develop recommendations to improve program performance. This preparation process involves: a. understanding the governing statutes, regulations and official guidance; b. reviewing and analyzing grantee reports, available data, Program Office files, audits and financial information, previous monitoring reports and issues; and c. obtaining other relevant information from knowledgeable Program Office staff. d. This preparatory work may result in revisions to the individual monitoring strategy, either with respect to areas to be covered, estimated time frames, and/or staff resources needed/participant staff to be consulted. . Task 1: Conduct on-site monitoring visits of designated SSVF grantees based on the attached Uniform Monitoring Plan (UMP). Task 1 Deliverable: Contractor shall conduct 300 monitoring visits per year. On-site visits last 1 day and are conducted by 1 staff person. In addition, it is expected that 1 day off-site will be spent on document reviews (as described in the UMP and involving areas such as policies and procedures, staff communications, compliance with VA documentation requirements). Task 2: Meet twice weekly with SSVF staff to coordinate site visit plans and coordinate monitoring efforts. Task 2 Deliverables: Contractor shall participate in calls, in conjunction with other VA staff to identify potential barriers to the delivery of services. In addition, Contractor will work with site specific VA staff and participate on grantee monitoring review calls to provide feedback to grantees. Task 3: Report twice monthly on completed visits and plans for scheduled visits Task 3 Deliverables: Reports including: all sites visited in month; budget costs (travel, per diem etc); compliance level of programs (including an analysis of any trends); site visit planning activities. All plans and schedules for site visits are subject to VA approval. Task 4: Complete UMP report for each site visit. Task 4 Deliverables: 1. UMP is completed for each monitoring visit within 2 weeks after completion of visit. 2. Participate in call with grantee reviewing UMP. Task 5: Develop recommendations for improvements based on national trends and themes identified in facility surveys. National report should be completed within 60 days of final year 1 site visit. Task 5 Deliverables: Contractor will help develop recommendations for program changes based results of monitoring efforts and on grantee feedback. Recommendations will be made in writing and cite identified program needs and/or deficiencies. In the report the Contractor shall address feedback from VA staff and stakeholders for ongoing improvement in program design and execution; document ability to meet program goals and milestones, indicating barriers to implementation; and determine utility of existing technical assistance. B. DELIVERABLE TIMETABLE. Deliverables Due Dates* Task 1 Deliverables: On-site monitoring visits 3 months after contract award. Task 2 Deliverables: Twice weekly meetings with SSVF staff. Begin 1 week after award. Task 3 Deliverables: Twice monthly reports on completed and planned visits 6 months after contract award. Task 4 Deliverables: Complete UMP for each visit 2 weeks after each completed visit Task 5 Deliverables: Develop recommendations for program improvement The first day of the final month of each contract year. C. TRAVEL. Official overnight travel trips are limited to trips to Philadelphia, PA for coordination with the National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans and designated sites to conduct monitoring visits to SSVF grantees. Grantee reviews are expected to be completed through both face-to-face visits, supplemented by "virtual" means such as conference calling and video technologies. The Government anticipates travel under this PWS to attend program-related meetings or conferences through each year of the period of performance as follows. Location # of Trips Duration Year Purpose of Trips Philadelphia, PA 4 1 day Each year of contract Planning meeting with Program and Project Managers SSVF Grantee Locations (various) 300 1 day Each year of contract Monitoring Visit A. KEY PERSONNEL. The Contractor shall assign to this contract personnel that by education and training (and, when required, certification or licensure) are qualified to provide the services as denoted herein. 1. During the first ninety (90) calendar days of performance, The Contractor shall make NO substitutions of key personnel unless the substitution is necessitated by illness, death, or termination of employment. The Contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer, in writing, within 15 calendar days after the occurrence of any of these events and provide the information required by paragraph (3) below. After the initial ninety (90) calendar day period of the contract, the Contractor shall submit the information required by paragraph (3) to the Contracting Officer at least fifteen (15) calendar days prior to making any permanent substitutions. 2. The Contractor shall provide a detailed explanation of the circumstances necessitating the proposed substitutions, complete resumes for the proposed substitutes, and any additional information requested by the Contracting Officer. Proposed substitutes shall have comparable qualifications to those of the persons being replaced. The Contracting Officer shall notify the Contractor within fifteen (15) calendar days after receipt of all required information of the decisions on the proposed substitutes. The contract shall be modified to reflect any approved changes of key personnel. 3. For temporary substitutions where the key person will not be reporting to work for three (3) consecutive work days or more, the Contractor shall provide a qualified replacement for the key person. This substitute shall have comparable qualifications to the key person. 4. Contractor is to have a contingency plan in place to be utilized if personnel leave Contractor's employment or are unable to continue performance in accordance with the terms and conditions of the resulting contract. B. QUALIFICATIONS. 1. The Contractor shall assign to this contract personnel that by education and training (and, when required, certification or licensure) are qualified to provide services listed herein. 2. The qualifications of such personnel shall also be subject to review by the Program Office. C. MANAGEMENT, SUPERVISION AND TRAINING. 1. Contracted agency shall be responsible for supervising the daily services provided under this contract. 2. The contracted agency shall have written policies and procedures regarding staff credentials. D. HIPPA COMPLIANCE. Contractor and any subcontractors must adhere to the provisions of Public Law 104-191, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996. This includes both Privacy and Security Rules published by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). As required by HIPAA, HHS has promulgated rules governing the use and disclosure of protected health information by covered entities. The covered entity component of VA is the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). In accordance with HIPAA, the Contractor may be required to enter into a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) with VHA. E. TRAVEL. Costs incurred by Contractor personnel or official company business are allowable, subject to the limitations contained in FAR Part 31.205-46. Travel expenses shall be reimbursed in accordance with the Federal Travel Regulation. Reimbursement of travel costs, to include per diem, shall not exceed the rates and conditions of reimbursement set forth in the Federal Travel Regulation. Government per diem rates can be found on the website at www.gsa.gov. F. CONFIDENTIALITY. 1. To the extent permitted by federal privacy statutes, rules and regulations, VA shall provide the Contract with access to pertinent medical information for the purpose of providing coordinated comprehensive health care to Veterans. 2. The Contractor acknowledges that all records are subject to the Privacy Act and that VA is the sole entity authorized to release such information and implementing regulations. 3. VA acknowledges that in receiving, storing, processing or otherwise dealing with any patient information received from the Contractor, VA is fully bound by federal confidentiality statutes and implementing regulations. 4. Records created by the Contractor in the course of performing under this agreement are the property of VA and shall not be accessed, released, transferred or destroyed except in accordance with applicable federal law and regulations. Upon expiration of this contract or termination of the contract, the Contractor will promptly provide VA with individually identified VA patient treatment records. VA has unrestricted access to the records generated by the Contractor pursuant to this contract.