ADMINISTRATION OF CHILD CARE BENEFITS

The purpose of this modification is to is provide guidance to vendors submitting responses to this Sources Sought Notice. This is a Sources Sought Notice in support of a market survey being conducted by the Corporation for National & Community Service to determine interest and capabilities of potential sources with the ability to administer payments to child care providers for those members of AmeriCorps that require child care services and are eligible for this benefit. This notice is for informational and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation or a commitment by the Government to later publish a solicitation. The Government will not reimburse the costs of preparing or submitting a response to this Sources Sought Notice. Any information submitted in response to this Sources Sought is strictly voluntary. Any questions should be submitted to the point of contact listed below. Any potential contract would be a single fixed price (FFP) Contract Award. Work to be performed within the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code 624410. The Government requests interested sources to submit one copy of their capability responses, no later than 3:00pm EST on Monday, February 28, 2011. For 1st Class or Overnight mail submissions, the address is: Corporation for National & Community Service Attn: Cynthia Vass-Lassiter, Contracting Officer Reference Number: CNSHQ-11-0001, 1201 New York Avenue, NW 8th Floor Washington, DC 20525. Responses may be emailed to [email protected]. Please include Reference Number CNSHQ-11-0001 on all correspondence. The response should be a profile normally provided to the general public. All respondents must supply the following: 1) Company Name 2) Company Address 3) CAGE Code 4) DUNS & Bradstreet Number 5) Federal Tax ID Number 6) Point of Contact 7) Business Size 8) Relevant experience in relationship to the requirements stated. This is a Sources Sought only. Funds are not currently available. Qualified sources that provide responses to this Sources Sought Notice, might be afforded an opportunity to provide a proposal in the future, if deemed necessary by the Government. Please direct any questions on this announcement to Cynthia Vass-Lassiter at 202-606-6988 or e-mail at [email protected]. INTRODUCTION: The Corporation for National and Community Service is seeking sources with the ability to administer payments to child care providers for those members of AmeriCorps that require child care services and are eligible for this benefit. The contractor will disburse payments to those child care providers that have satisfied the criteria for receiving payment. The criteria for determining the eligibility of members for this benefit will be the criteria that is used by the individual states and territories for determining eligibility of an individual receiving the benefit from the state, in accordance with the Department of Health & Human Service's Child Care and Development Fund Block Grant program. A description of the Child Care and Development Fund Block Grant program can be found at: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ccb/ccdf/index.htm . The amount of the benefit will not exceed that which the states and territories have determined to be the prevailing rate that they have reported to the Health and Human Services Child Care Bureau. The rate approved by the contractor will the lower between this prevailing rate or a rate that may have been negotiated by the contractor to achieve the best rate for the government. BACKGROUND You will find information on the background of AmeriCorps and the Corporation for National and Community Service at the following website: http://www.americorps.gov/ The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) is the federal agency responsible for domestic volunteer programs. Those CNCS programs that offer a child care benefit are AmeriCorps State & National, AmeriCorps*VISTA and AmeriCorps*NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps). AmeriCorps State & National The largest of AmeriCorps programs, AmeriCorps State and National provides funds to local and national organizations and agencies committed to using national service to address critical community needs in education, public safety, health and the environment. Each of these organizations and agencies, in turn, uses their AmeriCorps funding to recruit, place, and supervise AmeriCorps members. The legislation creating AmeriCorps State & National does not preclude using the living allowance to calculate household income for the purposes of a child care subsidy. For those members enrolled in the State & National program a state may, or may not use the living allowance in the calculation for household income. AmeriCorps*VISTA AmeriCorps VISTA is the national service program designed specifically to fight poverty. Founded as Volunteers in Service to America in 1965 and incorporated into the AmeriCorps network of programs in 1993, VISTA has been on the front lines in the fight against poverty in America for more than 40 years. VISTA members commit to serve full-time for a year at a nonprofit organization or local government agency, working to fight illiteracy, improve health services, create businesses, strengthen community groups, and much more. With passion, commitment, and hard work, you'll create or expand programs designed to bring individuals and communities out of poverty AmeriCorps*NCCC AmeriCorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps) is a full-time, team-based residential program for men and women age 18-24. Members live on one of five campuses, located in Denver, Colorado; Sacramento, California; Perry Point, Maryland; Vicksburg, MS; and Vinton, Iowa. The mission of AmeriCorps NCCC is to strengthen communities and develop leaders through direct, team-based national and community service. In partnership with nonprofit organizations, state and local agencies, and faith-based and other community organizations, members complete service projects throughout the region they are assigned. Drawn from the successful models of the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930s and the U.S. military, AmeriCorps NCCC is built on the belief that civic responsibility is an inherent duty of all citizens and that national service programs work effectively with local communities to address pressing needs. CHILD CARE BENEFITS The vendor will use the following guidelines unless requested by the Contracting Officer in writing via modification. A*NCCC Historically AmeriCorps*NCCC has never had more than 2 members approved for the benefit in a year; most years there are none. To qualify, a member must satisfy the following: 1. Household income must be the income used by the state for determining eligibility for the child care subsidy under the Department of Health & Human Service's Child Care and Development Fund Block Grant program 2. Must be the custodial parent or legal guardian of a child under the age of 13 3. Must not be receiving a child care subsidy from any other source at the time of acceptance into the program 4. Maximum benefit to be paid is $400 per month per child. 5. Child will not be living with the member. The legal guardian or family member with whom the child is living should also be the child care provider. A*VISTA Historically AmeriCorps*VISTA has had about 200 to 220 members per month for which the approved benefit was provided. It is likely that the number of VISTAs will increase in the next five years. To qualify a member must satisfy the following: 2. Must be a parent or guardian of a child under the age of 13. 3. Child must reside with the member . 4. Must not be receiving a child care subsidy from any other source at the time of acceptance into the program for the same child. 5. Maximum benefit to be paid is $400 per month per child. 6. The living allowance of a VISTA CANNOT be considered as part of the household income. A*State & National Historically AmeriCorps*State & National has had an average of about 500 to 550 members per month for which the approved benefit was provided. It is likely that the number of members will increase in the next five years. Household income must be the income used by the state for determining eligibility for the child care subsidy under the Department of Health & Human Service's Child Care and Development Fund Block Grant program Must be a custodial parent or legal guardian of a child under the age of 13 Child must reside with the member Must not be receiving a child care subsidy from any other source at the time of acceptance into the program Maximum benefit to be paid is the prevailing rate for the area in which the care is provided as determined by the state in accordance with the Child Care and Development Block Grant Program. The living allowance CAN be considered as part of the household income. This will be determined by the rules of the state in which the care is provided. ADMINISTRATION OF PROGRAM CUSTOMER SERVICE Members of AmeriCorps are volunteers. The Corporation considers customer service very important. Our members typically serve one year which means that each year throughout the year members leave and new members begin service. This also means that each new member must complete an application with which they are unfamiliar and each new member chooses a child care provider that is not familiar with AmeriCorps, the applications and the requirements for verifying attendance of the child. Our members and the providers they choose will require patience and careful handling. Phone calls and emails from members, from providers, from sponsors and from family members will be frequent and the Corporation expects that they will be answered promptly, politely and thoroughly with information sufficient for the member or provider to understand what is required of them. Some of this education can be achieved by a website that includes instructions and online applications, invoices, attendance sheets the data from which are captured in a database. The use of a fully automated system will reduce delays in communicating to members and providers information that is missing from the forms. CHILD CARE BENEFITS 1.Member Access to Information a. Telephone: Members shall be able to speak with customer service representatives specifically trained in the program by using a toll-free phone number. There will phone access and email address for the hearing impaired. The telephone system used should be equipped with an Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) system. Phone access will be available to members from 8am to 6pm EST. b. Email: Customer service representatives will make their email addresses available to applicants. c. Internet: A web site shall also be available to members and providers. The web site should allow members and child care providers to complete and submit applications electronically online. The web site must be operational within 60 days after the signing of the contract. 2. Application Processing a. The Corporation will make available to the contractor within 30 days of the signing of the contract: •1. A data file containing the names of all eligible members that will include the name, DOB, SSN, address, gender, NSPID (National Service Personal Identification Number), member start date and member termination date. The data file will be sent regularly and the contractor will use this file to verify that the member is eligible. (the file will be sent on a schedule to be determined. Currently the file is sent twice a month to coincide with the distribution of the living allowance for VISTAs.) •2. Data file or email that will notify the contractor when a member has terminated their service and no longer eligible for the benefit within 2 days. b. The contractor will verify the eligibility of the member: 1. Member of: AmeriCorps State & National AmeriCorps*VISTA AmeriCorps*NCCC 2. Parent or legal guardian of the child. 3. Child is less than 13 years old & resides with the member or authorized family member. 4. Member satisfies the income eligibility requirement for the Child Care & Development Fund Block Grant program in the state in which the care is provided. c. The contractor will confirm that there are no adults who are considered part of the household and living in the household and who can provide care for the child. (There would be no need for child care if this were the case) d. The contractor will confirm the credentials of the child care provider using each state's eligibility and credentialing requirements. e. The contractor will confirm the attendance of the child or children for the period covered by the payment and capture the verification provided by the member and provider before paying the invoice. f. Within 3 working days of the receipt of an application, the contractor will communicate the status of the application to the member and to other parties identified below: a. VISTA - email to the VISTA Member Support Unit (VMSU) and to the program (if the contractor has an email for the program) b. NCCC - email the campus Member Support Specialist c. State & National - email the state commission and the project sponsor or supervisor. g. Once the application submitted by the member and the application submitted by the child care provider are complete and all required information has been verified the contractor will communicate within 3 working days the status of the application to the member, to the child care provider, to the VMSU for VISTA members, to the campus for NCCC members and to the state commission, the sponsor or supervisor for the State & National members; what steps remain in the process for approval or denial; final approval or denial and the reason for the denial. h. The contractor will retain in the member's file all communications related to the process of approval or denial, including notes of phones calls, emails, and correspondence. i. The contractor will determine the amount of the payment to be paid to the child care provider. For VISTA and NCCC this payment will be the lesser of either 1) the prevailing rate as determined by the state in accordance with the Department of Health & Human Service's Child Care & Development Fund Block Grant program OR 2)the maximum allowable for AmeriCorps*VISTA ($400 per child per month) or the maximum allowable for AmeriCorps*NCCC ($400 per child per month). For State & National this payment will be the lesser of the prevailing rate established by the state or the rate charged by the; the rate approved by the contractor will not be greater than the prevailing rate established by the state. j. The contractor will pay no more than the maximum benefit determined by the state as the prevailing rate. k. The contractor will notify the member that any difference between what the child care provider charges and what the contractor pays is the responsibility of the member. l.. Within 30 days after the signing of the contract the contractor will provide online information that explains the child care program and the steps required by all parties for the receipt of this benefit. Contractor is not required to provide this information in a written format.. In the event that a member has no access to a PC the contractor will print and mail this information to the member upon request. m. The contractor will maintain all files, hard copy or electronic, used to approve applications and pay vendors for five years beyond the end of the contract. n. The contractor will respond to customer service inquiries within 1 working day and inform the caller at the time of the call when the caller's question or problem will be answered. 3. Approval or denial of the application. It is important that the member is not the only one notified of decisions and it is important that the dates of these notifications be retained for purposes of verifying communications. The contractor will notify the member, sponsor, provider, state commission, VMSU and state office of the denial and the reason for the denial within 2 working days of the decision. Some denials will be due to a lack of information and/or a lack of response to a request for further information. One month after the last attempt to solicit the necessary information, the contractor will notify the member, provider, and state office of this denial. TRAINING AND MATERIALS The contractor will attend the Corporation's annual conference, which is usually held during the summer months. The contractor will travel to state commissions, the VMSU or to conferences and meetings at the direction of the COTR. Travel expenses will be reimbursed at cost. At a minimum the contractor will be required to provide 1 training session not to exceed 4 to CNCS personnel, sponsors and members assuming the following scenario for each session. 30 people Instructor(s) Course material. . Any travel associated with training will be reimbursable. Training will at a minimum, consist of: •· Orientation to the child care benefit - member eligibility •· How to apply - information necessary to process the application •· Process used to validate applications and credentials of child care providers •· How the Child Care & Development Fund Block Grant program is relevant to the benefit DELIVERABLES REPORTING REQUIREMENTS Quarterly Reports - due not later than 15 th of the month following the end of the FY quarter (April 15, July 15, Sept 15, Nov 15).The reports will be in Excel. The reports will be by program (NCCC, VISTA, State & National) and will contain the following information. The number of members eligible for the benefit during that month. The number of members for whose child an invoice has been submitted during that month. Full name of provider, email address, address, ph #, member name, # of children, amount paid for the member, total amount paid to that provider top 20 providers by cost within cluster Member usage Full name of member, NSPID, # of children, address, email, ph # Program (State & National, VISTA or NCCC) usage # of members, # of children, avg age of children, # of member months per member (# of children x # of months), avg age of children in program, avg cost per child per month per member, avg income per recipient Avg cost per state, high & low states, use pattern by program (urban, rural, etc), Annual reports Annual reports due 60 days after the end of the contract year A narrative summarizing accomplishments, problems, significant issues encountered, changes, suggested improvements, and anything the contractor thinks significant. A fiscal report summarizing all expenditures for each state and territory, listing providers within the state Annual report to include all information that is in all quarterly reports Total cost of benefit by program Ad Hoc reports The contractor will provide ad hoc reports when asked to do so by the COTR. Reports - The contractor will submit 1 copy in electronic format (Excel and Word). MEETINGS The contractor will be available to meet once a month with the COTR to review reports, problems and general program operation either in person or by phone. FISMA COMPLIANCE Develop, implement and maintain document and information security and privacy controls, in accordance with Federal Information Security and Management Act (FISMA). Contractor must comply with the information security policies established by the Corporation and shall comply with the Privacy Act of 1974.