Emergency Housing Request for Information VA69D-13-I-1324 This Request for Information (RFI) supersedes RFI #VA69D-13-I-0331. All contractors who responded to RFI # VA69D-13-I-0331 do NOT need to respond to this RFI. The Great Lakes Acquisition Center is seeking information from housing facilities in the vicinity of Chicago, Hines, and North Chicago, IL; Milwaukee, Tomah, and Madison, WI; and Upper Michigan (Iron Mountain) to assist the local VA facility and the Federal Health Care Center (FHCC) with the provision of residential placement and supportive services under the Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) program. This program has been developed by the Department of Veterans Affairs in an effort to end veteran homelessness and is authorized by Public Law 112-37 (and previously Public Law 100-6) and 38 U.S.C 2031(b). The Great Lakes Acquisition Center, FHCC, and VISN 12 VA desire to implement this program by obtaining Emergency Housing Services for homeless or near homeless Veterans preparing them for independent living, so that they eventually find their way to permanent housing located within the community. Community housing facility(s) must be physically located within 200 miles of any of the following seven facilities: Jesse Brown VAMC (Chicago), Clement J. Zablocki VAMC (Milwaukee), Tomah VAMC, Iron Mountain VAMC, Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center (FHCC-North Chicago), William S. Middleton Memorial Hospital (Madison), and the Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital (Hines). Community housing facility(s) must be real property and conform to the requirements for all applicable local and state licensing standards for residential "board and care" type occupancies or for the type of setting designated by local fire safety officials. The VA will not consider developmental properties. The physical building must conform to the standards in the general chapters of the latest edition of the Life Safety Code and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standard No. 101 http://www.docstoc.com/docs/72503184/NFPA-101-2009-Life-Safety-Code, in effect on the date the agreement was established. All applicable fire laws must be complied with and there must not be any recommendations from the fire officials that have not been resolved. Facilities with automatic sprinkler systems are preferred, but not required. Facilities must be compliant with the American Disabilities Act (ADA). Contractor may have segregated facilities based on gender (male/female) and family status (children/spouse); however, contractor is not allowed to maintain or provide dual or segregated patient facilities that are segregated on the basis of race, creed, color, or national origin. Contractor also may not require such segregated use by written or oral policies or tolerate such use by local custom. The term facilities shall include, but not be limited to: rooms, wards, sections, eating areas, drinking fountains, entrances, etc. Community housing facilities must be an institution licensed by the State in which it is located to provide on a regular basis, limited case management services and social rehabilitation to individuals who require above the level of room and board, but do not require skilled nursing services as provided by a skilled nursing facility. Contractor must possess a current occupancy permit issued by the authority having jurisdiction over the facility. Accreditation by Joint Commission or Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) is evidence of contractor's internal quality assurance mechanisms and is desirable, but not required. Emergency Housing services will be furnished to veterans for whom such care is specifically authorized by the Department of Veterans Affairs and FHCC. Contractors shall have experience and be able to demonstrate ongoing capacity in successfully working with residents recovering from co-morbid conditions such as serious mental illnesses, substance abuse, disorders, and other serious medical conditions within a community setting. Contractor is required to provide the following or have arrangements/relationships with subcontractors or community organizations in place to provide the following: a. Limited Case Management: to provide oversight on the whereabouts of the veteran and be able to provide status of the veteran in any contractor treatment program which the veteran is participating. Monitors physical and psychiatric health and substance use status and stability. b. Room and Board: for the veteran to reside in a room that has a bed and other furnishings such as a dresser, locked storage, and linens for the bed. Contractor shall provide accommodations, which will allow homeless Veterans to reside at the facility on a 24/7 basis. Contractor must have policies and procedures implemented to ensure an alcohol and drug free environment (breathalyzer or urine drop). The typical length of stay (1 admission) per veteran under Emergency Housing Services shall not exceed 60 days per placement. The veteran is generally allowed 3 admissions per fiscal year which is from October 1st, through September 30th, of each year. c. Meals including dietetic services: to include at least three (3) nutritionally adequate meals per day, 7 days a week and access to nutritious snacks between meals and at or before bedtime for those requiring or desiring additional food, when it is not medically contraindicated. Meals must at a minimum meet adult nutrition needs as outlined in United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) or USDA Food Group Menu Plan with no more than a 14 hour span between the evening meal and breakfast the following day. Snacks shall also be available at all times during the day between scheduled meals and before bedtime. If the facility does not provide nutritious snacks between meals or bedtime, it must provide appropriate access and storage for participant purchased snacks. When given ample notice, the facility will provide nutritionally adequate bag meals to participants who work or have appointments off site during the facility's posted meal service times. At no time will food past the "use by / best by" date or food that is more than 5 days past the "sell by" date be used or served to the veterans under any resultant BPA. Contractor shall allow for resident participation in menu planning and food preparation activities. The Contractor shall follow the standards established by the Department of Veterans Affairs Nutrition Service in providing nutritionally adequate meals. Note: Contractor must be able to show evidence that food is prepared, served, and stored under sanitary conditions. Sanitary procedures shall be established and maintained for washing dishes, cleaning equipment, and work areas and for proper waste disposal. Contractor personnel responsible for food preparation, serving and storing food shall have either a license or other comparable certification to perform these duties. d. Laundry facilities: for veterans to do their own laundry free of charge. e. Health and personal hygiene products: including wash cloths, soap, feminine products, deodorant, toothpaste, and tooth brush shall be made accessible to veterans. f. Medications: locked drawers or cabinets for storage of medication shall be provided. Medications must be accessible at all times to the veteran. Veterans will be capable of self managing and taking their own medications. g. Social services and community support services including: 1) Actively involving the veteran in the development and upkeep of an integrated interdisciplinary recovery-oriented treatment plan with explicit goals and objectives, including long-range discharge goals. 2) Referring and connecting veterans with VA medical facilities, VA Regional Offices, and community-based agencies for a variety of services that may include health care, entitlements, vocational assistance, education, recreation, and any other needed assistance. 3) Providing crisis management services needed to maintain the veteran safely in the program. For example, contractor shall have an established process for knowing how to handle medical and psychiatric emergencies such as a heart attack, a psychotic episode, or physical encounter between residents or between resident and staff personnel. 4) Assisting veteran with arranging transportation for necessary clinical and social service appointments at the VA Medical facility/FHCC or providing transportation with prior written VA/FHCC approval. Contractor may arrange transportation through the Beneficiary Travel Program, the VA Volunteer Transportation Network or may provide information to the veteran on using public transportation. Note: Contractor shall not provide any transportation services to a veteran without prior VA/FHCC approval and must have proper insurance coverage. The policy shall provide for bodily injury and property damage liability covering the operation of all automobiles used in connection with performing this agreement. Policies covering automobiles operated in the United States shall provide coverage of at least $1,000,000.00. The amount of liability coverage on other policies shall be commensurate with any legal requirements of the locality and sufficient to meet normal and customary claims. h. Support for the individual desire for recovery: i.e. including sobriety (alcohol/drug abuse-free lifestyle). Contractor shall have sufficient staff in numbers and position qualifications (i.e. administrative, licensed counselors, social workers, case managers, dieticians, etc.) to carry out the policies, responsibilities, and programs of the facility. At a minimum, there must be a full-time administrative staff member or his/her staff designee on duty, on the premises or residing at the house and available for admits and discharges outside normal business hours. In addition, there must be sufficient full or part-time staff members at the facility who are trained to handle veteran emergencies at all times, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. These staff members must be certified in CPR and First Aid and know how to use an Automated External Defibrillator (AED). Community Housing facility(s) must have a First Aid Kit and AED on-site accessible to staff and/or other residents. Contractor will maintain veteran records that comply with the Privacy Act, HIPAA, and all other applicable confidentiality requirements. Contractor must ensure the physical security of records and prevent the unauthorized disclosure of the records, reports, or other private information regarding veterans, except with the veteran's informed written consent. Contractor may be required to sign a Business Associate Agreement with the VA/FHCC. Veterans served through VA/FHCC's HCHV Emergency Housing program must be entered into the local community Continuum of Care's (CoC) Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) by the contractor. Data entered must include, at a minimum, the Universal Data Elements from the 2010 HMIS Data Standards found at: http://www.hmis.info/classicasp/documents/final%20hmis%20data%20standards-revised%20_3.pdf The Federal Supply Code for Emergency Housing Services is G099 - Other Social Services and the North American Industry Classification System Code is 624229 - Other Community Housing Services, with a small business size standard of $7.0 million. This requirement is open to all interested vendors. The Government anticipates establishing multiple Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPAs) with community vendors. If any vendor believes they can satisfy the needs of the Government, they are encouraged to respond to this Request for Information. Responses shall include the following: a. Company Background Information - Number of years in business, number of years providing Emergency Housing and/or related social services, type of population served (ie. veterans, women, men, children, families), facility location/physical building address including a map of the area, indication if facility is accredited by Joint Commission or CARF, if facility considers themselves healthcare providers and complies with HIPAA requirements as normal business practice. b. Facility Photographs - Color pictures of all major areas including outside of building, entrance, bedrooms and furnishings, medication and food storage areas, kitchen, bathrooms, common areas, etc. c. Community Partner Organizations/Providers (subcontractors) - Listing of these partners/providers who will be assisting in the provision of the Emergency Housing Services as noted above and their roles/responsibilities. d. Copies of licenses, certifications, and permits - Examples are: Safe Serve, Occupancy Permit, First Aid/CPR for staff, Counselor Licenses or Certifications, etc. e. Copies of ALL state agency reports/inspection results - within the last two years. A facility inspection by VA/FHCC personnel is required and must be passed in order to be eligible for establishment of a Blanket Purchase Agreement. The contractor will be notified of the findings of the inspection team. A BPA may not be established until noted deficiencies are corrected. VA/FHCC will not incur any costs associated with correcting deficiencies. This is an open and continuous RFI through April 1, 2014. Responses may be, and are encouraged to be, submitted prior to the response date. All responses will be reviewed upon receipt and the vendor will be notified of acceptability or next course of action. Questions and responses to this Request for Information shall be sent via email to
[email protected] and
[email protected]. Facsimile responses will not be accepted. Interested parties are reminded to register in the System for Award Management (SAM) database at www.sam.gov in order to be eligible to do business with the Government. If a contractor is wishing to receive Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB) or Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) credit, registration in VetBiz at www.vetbiz.gov is required. A solicitation document is not available at this time. DISCLAIMER This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation. All information received in response to this RFI that is marked as proprietary will be handled accordingly. In accordance with FAR 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI.