Training and Technical Assistance for Detection & Mitigation of COVID-19 in Confinement Facilities

This Request for Information (RFI) is the initiation of market research under Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 10. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. This announcement does not constitute an Invitation for Bids (IFB), Request for Quote (RFQ), or a Request for Proposal (RFP), and it should not be construed as a commitment of any kind by the Government to issue a formal solicitation or ultimately award a contract. Responses to this notice may not be accepted as offers. The Government anticipates the applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code assigned to these services to be 541611 – Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services. The anticipated contract type is Time & Material. The anticipated period of performance is a base period of 12-months, commencing February 3, 2022, and two 12-month option periods. Contractors should ensure that they are properly registered in the Government System for Award Management at SAM.gov. Background The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in partnership with the Department of Justice, is providing funding to the Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for Prevention and Control of Emerging Infectious Diseases (ELC) recipients to detect and respond to COVID-19 in confinement facilities within their jurisdictions. A total of $700,000,000, made available through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, P.L. 117-2, under the Detection & Mitigation of COVID-19 in Confinement Facilities, will be awarded to the current 64 ELC recipients according to a formula based on percent of the total population in custody. (The 64 ELC recipients include the public health authorities in the states, territories, District of Columbia, and the eight local jurisdictions with the largest populations.) The term ‘confinement facilities’ includes adult prisons and jails, juvenile confinement facilities, police lock-ups, and community confinement facilities as defined by 28 CFR § 115.5. ELC state recipients must support units of local government within their jurisdiction to reach the fullest complement of all confinement facilities in the state. According to the March 2021 Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Justice Programs (OJP) Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report, Impact of COVID-19 on the Local Jail Population, January-June 2020, “… from March to June 2020, jails conducted 215,360 inmate COVID-19 tests. More than 11% of these tests were positive. Jails in counties with confirmed residential COVID-19 infection rates of 1% or more tested nearly 21% of persons admitted to their jails from March to June 2020.” In addition, The Marshall Project: COVID Cases in Prisons found that, “by mid-December [2020], one in five state and federal prisoners in the United States had tested positive for the coronavirus -- a rate more than four times higher than the general population.” Additionally, COVID-19 infections in confinement facility staff have significantly hampered operations of the facilities and services to residents/detainees/inmates. Finally, as states begin to reopen their facilities for visitors and service/care providers, mitigation of new transmission of COVID-19 must be addressed. Objective and Scope The objective of this contract is for the vendor to provide training and technical assistance (TTA) to the ELC recipients and their jurisdictional corrections authorities regarding implementation of public health COVID-19 detection and mitigation efforts within confinement facilities. This TTA will focus primarily on helping the health departments connect with their corrections counterparts to implement COVID-19 detection and mitigation strategies in the unique confinement facility setting and consistent with criminal justice standards and practices. Anticipated Services The following are concurrent tasks that the contractor is anticipated to perform: Assist ELC recipient health departments and their jurisdictional corrections authorities establish working relationships for mitigating COVID-19 in confinement facilities. Assist OJP in providing general and targeted guidance to ELC recipients to help them understand the needs, constraints, opportunities, etc., regarding COVID-19 detection and mitigation that are germane to the correctional environment. Assist OJP in providing subject matter expertise and technical assistance, as needed, to ELC recipients in: Reviewing workplans that are submitted as a condition of the award. Reviewing budgets that are submitted as a condition of the award. Conducting quarterly workplan progress monitoring calls with recipients and helping address barriers to activity progress. Please note: Typically, ELC waives quarter 4 workplan monitoring given the timing around new awards being issued for the upcoming budget period. Collecting performance measure data that are associated with workplan activities to assist in monitoring and evaluating recipient progress. Conducting quarterly performance measure reporting by recipients and providing necessary follow-up, as needed. Assist OJP in providing assistance, including guidance and training, to ELC recipients to ensure activities in confinement facilities comport with relevant state and local laws and evidence-based corrections practices. Assist ELC recipient health departments and correctional authorities in implementing the following detection and mitigation activities in confinement facilities. Examples of the activities the contractor may be expected to provide technical assistance on include: Establishing and implementing diagnostic and screening testing programs for residents/detainees/inmates, staff, and visitors. Testing and contact tracing for COVID-19 within confinement facilities. Planning and implementing recommended isolation and quarantine strategies including for confirmed and suspected cases and close contacts. Implementing distancing policies and support staff training to maintain distancing practices. Supporting staffing strategies that reduce the risk of virus transmission (e.g., organize staff assignments so that the same staff are assigned to the same areas of the facility over time). Supporting transportation policies and practices consistent with recommendations to reduce transmission. Implementing visitor policies consistent with recommendations to reduce virus risk. Implementing infection control practices inside facilities. Developing and implementing procedures and systems to improve confinement facility preparedness and response efforts. Coordinating preparedness and response efforts with state, local, tribal, and territorial public health departments to prevent, prepare for, and respond to COVID-19 within confinement facilities. Enhancing/improving confinement facilities to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, and to reduce the risk of virus transmission and exposure to environmental health hazards. Sanitizing and cleaning confinement facilities. Educating and training confinement facility staff and residents/detainees/inmates on sanitation and minimizing the spread of infectious diseases. Implementing COVID-19 mitigation practices to ensure safe and humane living environments including video conferencing technology and other measures for attorney/client purposes, court appearances, family visiting, and programming. Based on state and local laws and regulations, and training and technical assistance provided by the Department of Justice, reviewing and analyzing policies and practices and implementing policy and practice changes to safely reduce populations in confinement facilities to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. This could include creating policies and practices that may divert individuals from confinement, determine the optimal population for the facility given physical plant/structure and public health guidelines, and the revision of release practices. Contractor Capabilities The objectives and tasks of this requirement must be met by personnel who are highly skilled and experienced in delivering technical assistance (TTA) to recipients and their jurisdictional corrections authorities regarding implementation of public health mitigation efforts. To this end, the OJP is seeking the following information from interested companies, with respect to the following items: Experience in performing ongoing evaluation of service quality, making process improvements when necessary, and providing recommendations to the government regarding improvement or enhancement of processes or services. Experience managing projects, preferably with health and/or correctional organizations, and hands on experience delivering TTA on a national level. Experience with providing day-to-day oversight on project finances and cost implications for intake of new TTA engagements, and coordinating with subject matter expert consultants. Information Submission Instructions In addition to addressing the items above, the response should also include the following information: Vendor’s name, address, points of contact information, website, DUNS, and cage code Vendor’s current business designation and socioeconomic status Vendor’s government-wide contracting vehicles (i.e. GSA Schedule Contract, OASIS, etc.) Vendor’s tailored capability statements explaining the complexity and amount of effort expected of this task, an addressing the tasking areas of this requirement, with appropriate documentation supporting claims of organizational and staff capability. Vendor’s Past Performance – Provide a list of previous contracts where similar services were provided. Provide customer/Government Agency contact information where these services were provided including: contact name and organization, telephone number, and email address. All responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically (via e-mail) to Mr. Debashis (Dave) Nag, Contract Specialist, at [email protected]. The response to this notice is limited to 10 single sided pages (including all attachments, charts, etc.). Telephone inquiries will not be accepted or acknowledged, and no feedback or evaluations will be provided to companies regarding their submissions. Interested vendors should monitor a government point of entry site for further information. Your firm’s response to this RFI is appreciated. Submission Time and Date Responses to the information provided above are due no later than Wednesday, September 1, 2021, at 12:00 PM Eastern Time. Responses received after this date and time may not be considered. Disclaimer and Important Notes This RFI is for information and planning purposes only and shall NOT be construed as a solicitation or as an obligation on the part of the Government. This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in the response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any concern responding to this notice should ensure that their response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the concern’s qualifications to perform the work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After a review of the responses received, a pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation MAY be published. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation. The Government will NOT accept requests for meetings or briefings, and may not answer any questions posed. No phone solicitations or email with regards to the status of a solicitation will be accepted prior to its release. Information and materials submitted in response to this notice WILL NOT be returned. The Government will not pay for the preparation of any information submitted. As a result of this notice, the Government MAY issue a solicitation. There is no solicitation available at this time. However, should such a requirement materialize, no basis for claims against the Government shall arise as a result of a response to this RFI or the Government’s use of such information as either part of our evaluation process or in developing specifications for any subsequent requirement. Confidentiality No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s). Primary Point of Contact Please address any questions via email to Mr. Dave Nag, Contracts Specialist, at [email protected].