REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FOR INDIVIDUAL ACADEMIC TUTORING SERVICES

Transcription

1 REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FOR INDIVIDUAL ACADEMIC TUTORING SERVICES County of Orange Social Services Agency October 16, 2014 RFP #FY Page 1 of 62

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND DEFINITIONS ANTICIPATED TERM AND FUNDING AVAILABILITY ELIGIBILITY TO SUBMIT PROPOSALS COUNTY S RIGHT OF ACCEPTANCE AND/OR REJECTION COUNTY S RIGHT TO CANCELLATION COUNTY S RESPONSIBILITY OUTSTANDING DEBT WITH SSA RFP CHANGES AND MODIFICATIONS GENERAL CONTRACT PROVISIONS INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS PROPONENT INFORMATION QUESTIONS ONLINE PRE-BID CONFERENCE NEWS RELEASES EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS PROPOSAL EVALUATION PANEL PROPONENT INTERVIEW ON-SITE FISCAL AND PROGRAM REVIEW PROPOSAL SCORING FINAL SELECTION AWARD BOARD APPROVAL PROTEST PROCEDURE INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS CONFIDENTIALITY DUE DATE PROPOSAL PACKAGE EVALUATION CRITERIA TARGET POPULATION SERVICE AREAS SERVICES TO BE PROVIDED ATTACHMENTS A. Required Documents Checklist B. Agency Summary C. Related Direct Service Experience D. Prior Program Management Experience D-1. Staffing Prior Program Management Experience i Page 2 of 62

3 E. Planned Program Management of Direct Services To Be Provided E-1. Staffing Planned Program Management of Direct Services To Be Provided F. Direct Services to Be Provided G. Statement of References H. Agency Litigation Involvement I. General Contract Provisions EXHIBITS Exhibit 1 Monthly Invoice Exhibit 2 Monthly Service Log Exhibit 3 Written Plan Exhibit 4 Monthly Progress Report / Sign-In Sheet Exhibit 5 Final Evaluation Report Exhibit 6 Satisfaction Survey Exhibit 7 Annual Statistical Report DATES TO REMEMBER DATE PAGE # Written Questions Due October 22, Online Pre-Bid Conference October 23, Proposals Due November 6, Tentative Interviews December 1-4, ii Page 3 of 62

4 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 BACKGROUND The County of Orange Social Services Agency (SSA) is currently requesting proposals from organizations to provide Individual Academic Tutoring Services to Orange County dependent children and non-minor dependents (NMD) in grades kindergarten (K) through twelve (12) who reside in Orange, Los Angeles, San Diego, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties. During the period of July 1, 2013 through June 30, 2014, 52 children/nmds collectively completed a total of 1,360 tutoring hours. Approximately 95% of services were provided in Orange County with the remaining 5% being provided in the contiguous counties. 1.2 DEFINITIONS Assembly Bill (AB) 12: AB Chapter 559, statutes of 2010, amendment to section of the Family Code, provides transitional support to qualifying foster youth until age twenty-one (21). Children and Family Services (CFS): A division of SSA responsible for providing child welfare services. Child s or non-minor dependent s assigned Social Workers are CFS employees. Contiguous County: A California county that shares a border with Orange County (i.e., Los Angeles, San Diego, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties). Dependent: A child or non-minor dependent who is under the jurisdiction of the Orange County Juvenile Court as a result of abuse and/or neglect and is under the supervision of the Social Services Agency. Individual Academic Tutoring Services: One-on-one instruction and academic coaching in one (1) or more academic subjects. Non-Minor Dependent (NMD): Pursuant to California Welfare and Institutions Code (WIC) Section 11400(v), a foster child who has attained the age of eighteen (18) years while under an order of foster care placement by the juvenile court and is less than twenty-one (21) years old. The NMD must meet at least one (1) of the AB12 participation requirements and must participate in a Transitional Independent Living Plan under the responsibility of County. 1.3 ANTICIPATED TERM AND FUNDING AVAILABILITY Contingent upon approval by the Orange County Board of Supervisors, the County intends to award one three (3) year contract to the responsible Proponent whose proposal is determined to be the most responsive to the requirements of this Request for Proposal (RFP). The term of the resulting contract will begin on July 1, 2015 and terminate on June 30, The estimated amount of funding available for the three (3) year period is $360,000. The County reserves the right to award two (2) additional one-year contracts through this RFP, which may be renegotiated and/or renewed, subject to contractor performance and continued funding, for two (2) additional one-year terms without a competitive bid process, at the sole discretion of the County. In the event of two (2) additional one-year contract awards, the estimated amount of available funding for each additional one-year term is $120,000. The funding or portions of the funding for the contract resulting from this RFP may be contingent upon the State budget; receipt of funds from and/or obligation of funds by the Federal government to the State and from the State to the County; and inclusion of sufficient funding for the services hereunder in the budget approved by the County s Board of Supervisors for each fiscal year Page 1 Page 4 of 62

5 covered by said contract. If such approval, funding, or appropriations are not forthcoming, or are otherwise limited, the contract may be immediately terminated, reduced or modified without penalty. 1.4 ELIGIBILITY TO SUBMIT PROPOSALS Eligible Proponents Only private nonprofit, nonprofit corporations, private for-profit, and educational institutions of higher learning located within Orange County or with means to establish an office in Orange County with the ability to provide direct services in accordance with the scope of work detailed in this RFP are eligible to submit a proposal. Ineligible Proponents Individuals, governments, and organizations/agencies not listed as Eligible Proponents above and/or listed on either the Cumulative Sanction List or the excluded parties list, explained below, are ineligible to submit a proposal. Proponents must not be listed on the current Cumulative Sanction List of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services/Office of the Inspector General ( or the System for Award Management (SAM) s list of parties excluded from federal programs SSA will be required to reject a proposal submitted by an individual or entity on either list. It will be the responsibility of each Proponent to verify that it is not on either list prior to preparing a proposal to submit in response to this RFP. Correction of any errors found on either sanction list is the sole responsibility of the Proponent and must be made prior to the day the proposal is submitted. All potential individuals and/or contract entities must self-disclose any pending charges or convictions for violation of criminal law and/or any sanction or disciplinary action by any federal or state law enforcement, regulatory or licensing agency or licensing body. During the term of a contract resulting from this RFP, between the Proponent and SSA, and in accordance with its existing provisions, if a Proponent becomes ineligible, the Proponent will be removed from any responsibility and/or involvement with SSA contracted obligations related to any direct and/or indirect federal or state social services programs and any other federal and state funds. Ineligible Proponent is defined as any individual or entity who is currently excluded, suspended, debarred or otherwise ineligible to participate in the federal social services programs; or has been convicted of a criminal offense related to the provision of social services and has not been reinstated in the federal social services programs after a period of exclusion, suspension, debarment, or ineligibility. Disqualification SSA reserves the right to disqualify any Proponent on the basis of any real or apparent conflict of interest that is disclosed by the proposal submitted or any other data available to SSA. This disqualification is at the sole discretion of SSA. Any Proponent submitting a proposal herein waives any right to object to SSA s exercise of this right, now or at any future time, before any body or agency, including but not limited to, the County of Orange Board of Supervisors, or any court. Page 2 Page 5 of 62

6 Causes for Disqualification SSA, in its sole, absolute, and unfettered discretion, will determine whether a Proponent is qualified and responsible to deliver the services requested in this RFP. This determination may be based on one or more of the following: Evidence of collusion amongst Proponents. Lack of business skills or financial resources necessary to operate this business successfully, as revealed by either financial statements or experience statement. Lack of responsibility as shown by past work, references, or other factors. Proponent is in arrears or in default to the County on any debt or agreement or defaults upon any obligation to the County, or has failed to faithfully perform any previous agreement with County at SSA s sole determination. Submission of a proposal that is late, conditional, incomplete, ambiguous, obscure, or which contains alterations not called for, or irregularities of any kind, except as those determined by SSA as minor irregularity or a defect or variation in the proposal that is immaterial or inconsequential. Other causes as SSA deems appropriate in its sole and absolute discretion. SSA s determination as to whether a Proponent is qualified and responsible will be based on the information provided by Proponent in response to this RFP, interviews with Proponent (if applicable), as well as from other sources determined to be valid by SSA. Award will not be made until after such investigations, as are deemed necessary, are made by SSA regarding the experience and financial responsibility of Proponent which each Proponent agrees to permit by submitting a proposal. 1.5 COUNTY S RIGHT OF ACCEPTANCE AND/OR REJECTION Any proposal may be rejected if it is conditional, incomplete, or deviates from specifications in this RFP. By submitting a proposal, the Proponent agrees to meet all the requirements set forth in the RFP, unless specific exceptions are noted in Attachment B Agency Summary. The County reserves the right to accept any part of the proposal and not be obligated in any way to accept those parts that do not meet with the approval of the County. The County reserves the right to waive, at its discretion, any procedural irregularity, immaterial defect or other impropriety not warranting rejection of the proposal. Any waiver will not excuse a Proponent from full compliance if awarded a contract. Reasons for rejecting any proposal will be provided to the Proponent. The County reserves the right to accept any proposal as offered, to reject any or all proposals, or, based upon the County s needs or availability of funding at the time of selection of a provider or during contract negotiations, to modify the scope of service. The County, at its sole discretion, reserves the right to contract for all or some of the stated services and to cancel this RFP in whole or in part. The County reserves the right to seek additional proposals beyond the final submission date, if, in the County's sole discretion, the proposals received do not meet with the approval of the County. Proposals must be valid for a minimum of one hundred twenty (120) days from the due date of this RFP. Proposals received after the stipulated due date and time will not be considered. Page 3 Page 6 of 62

7 1.6 COUNTY S RIGHT TO CANCELLATION The County, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to cancel this RFP in whole or in part when such cancellation is determined to be in its best interest, pursuant to California Department of Social Services (CDSS) Manual of Policies and Procedures, Regulations All Proponents will be notified in writing of the specific reasons for such cancellation. 1.7 COUNTY S RESPONSIBILITY The County will adhere to its established procurement policy and guidelines in order to assure fair and competitive access to governmental procurement. 1.8 OUTSTANDING DEBT WITH SSA Selected Proponents may not have any outstanding debt with SSA, or will be in the process of resolving outstanding debt to SSA s satisfaction, prior to entering into and during the term of resulting contract. 1.9 RFP CHANGES AND MODIFICATIONS SSA reserves the sole right to interpret or change any provision of the RFP at any time prior to the proposal submission date. Any and all interpretations or changes will be in the form of a written addendum, which will be posted through BidSync. Addendums will become part of the RFP and resultant agreement. Proponents will be responsible for ensuring they have reviewed all changes and modifications to the RFP as published in BidSync. Further, Proponents will be responsible for registering with BidSync and for keeping their address current. While reasonable efforts will be made to post notices on BidSync in a timely manner, the County cannot guarantee delivery or the delivery date of any announcements sent via BidSync. Should any addendum require information not previously requested, SSA, at its sole discretion, may determine a time extension is required for the submission of proposals, in which case an addendum will indicate the revised proposal submission due date. SSA will not be responsible for any spoken instructions given by any employees of SSA in regard to the proposal instructions specifications or proposal documents as described in this RFP GENERAL CONTRACT PROVISIONS Attachment I General Contract Provisions, contains all requirements that will be included in the resulting contract(s) awarded through this RFP. Proponent will be responsible for reading the General Contract Provisions in their entirety and providing signature concurrence on the last page of Attachment I. SSA reserves the right to clarify any contractual terms; however, any substantial non-conformity in the proposal determined by SSA to be non-responsive will result in the proposal being rejected INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS Proponent must submit evidence with the proposal that it has or can obtain all required insurance, as indicated in Paragraph 11 of Attachment I, with certificates of insurance evidencing the required coverage. Prior to the provision of services under any and all contracts resulting from this RFP, Proponent agrees to purchase all required insurance at no expense to the County and to deposit with the County, certificates of insurance, including all endorsements necessary to verify compliance to the County s satisfaction. Page 4 Page 7 of 62

8 2. PROPONENT INFORMATION 2.1 QUESTIONS The County has attempted to provide all information available with regard to the services described in this RFP. It is the responsibility of each Proponent to review, evaluate, and where necessary, request clarification of information. Questions must be submitted through BidSync, no later than 4:00 p.m. (Pacific Daylight Time) on October 22, 2014 or submitted during the Online Pre-Bid Conference. Written responses to questions submitted through BidSync and deemed material will be posted daily throughout the open question submission period. A transcript, including all questions and answers will be available on BidSync following the Pre-Bid Conference. The County reserves the right to decline to respond to any question if, in the County's assessment, the information cannot be obtained and shared with all potential Proponents in a timely manner. Proponents are directed to submit questions only as instructed above. Proponents may not contact any SSA staff directly in regards to this RFP. 2.2 ONLINE PRE-BID CONFERENCE An online Pre-Bid Conference will be conducted on October 23, 2014, at 2:00p.m. (Pacific Daylight Time), on the BidSync website. Representatives of SSA will be available to respond to questions in a live chat until 3:30p.m. (Pacific Daylight Time). A transcript of the conference will be posted on BidSync. No questions will be answered after the Pre-Bid Conference. 2.3 NEWS RELEASES Proponents will not issue any news releases or public announcements of any type pertaining to this RFP without prior written approval of the County, which may be withheld at the County s sole discretion. A minimum of two (2) business days notice is required for approval. 3. EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS Proposals will be evaluated and selected through a competitive process. The County will consider the submittal of a proposal to constitute an agreement by the Proponent to all provisions and conditions included in this RFP. Proponents are to submit any and all questions pertaining to this RFP as instructed in Subparagraph 2.1 above. The County of Orange does not require, and neither encourages nor discourages, the use of lobbyists or other consultants for the purpose of securing business. 3.1 PROPOSAL EVALUATION PANEL The County will establish a proposal evaluation panel consisting of representatives of SSA, other County agencies/departments, and/or members of the community with community-based service delivery expertise. Panel members will demonstrate no conflict of interest with any Proponent. The evaluation process will consist of a thorough review of the Proponents proposals and qualifications. 3.2 PROPONENT INTERVIEW After written proposals have been received, selected Proponent(s) may be invited to participate in oral interviews in order to clarify aspects of the proposal. Interviews may be held with one or Page 5 Page 8 of 62

9 more Proponents, as deemed necessary by the proposal evaluation panel and are tentatively scheduled for December 1-4, ON-SITE FISCAL AND PROGRAM REVIEW Proponents accepted for consideration after the initial panel evaluation of proposals may, at SSA s discretion, be required to participate in an on-site fiscal and program review lead by SSA. If onsite fiscal and program reviews are determined to be necessary, SSA will provide participating Proponents with the evaluation criteria in advance. 3.4 PROPOSAL SCORING Each member of the proposal evaluation panel will individually evaluate and assign ratings, based on the rating criteria listed in Paragraph 5, Evaluation Criteria, with a maximum of one hundred (100) points signifying excellence. The scores will then be compiled for an average score. 3.5 FINAL SELECTION Following a review of proposals by evaluation panel members, SSA s Executive Management will review and approve a recommendation regarding the selection of service provider(s). 3.6 AWARD SSA may negotiate contract terms with the selected Proponent(s) prior to award and expressly reserves the right to negotiate with several Proponents simultaneously and, thereafter, to award a contract to the Proponent(s) offering the most favorable terms to SSA. Negotiations may or may not be conducted with Proponents; therefore, proposal must contain Proponent s most favorable terms and conditions. The selection and award may, at County s sole discretion, be made without discussion with any Proponent(s). 3.7 BOARD APPROVAL Recommendations for contract award will be presented for approval to the County of Orange Board of Supervisors. A contract will be awarded contingent upon such approval. 3.8 PROTEST PROCEDURE Any actual or prospective Proponent or Contractor who alleges a grievance by the solicitation or award of a contract may submit a protest to the Contract Services Manager. All protests shall be typed under the protester s letterhead and submitted in accordance with the provisions stated herein. All protests shall include, at a minimum, the following information: Name, address and telephone number of the protester; Signature of the protester or the protester s representative; RFP solicitation title/number, or the contract number; Detailed statement of the legal and/or factual grounds for the protest; and The form of relief requested. Written protests must be sent to: Page 6 Page 9 of 62

10 County of Orange Social Services Agency Contract Services Manager 888 N. Main Street Santa Ana, CA Protest of RFP Specifications: All protests related to the RFP specifications must be submitted to the Contract Services Manager no later than 5:00 PM (Pacific Daylight Time), five (5) business days prior to the proposal due date. Protests received after the deadline will not be considered by the County. In the event the protest of specifications is denied and the protester wishes to continue in the solicitation process, protester must still submit a proposal prior to the close of the solicitation in accordance with the proposal submittal procedures provided in this RFP Protest of Award of Contract: In protests related to the award of a contract, the protest must be submitted no later than 5:00 PM, of the fifth (5 th ) business day after notice of the proposed contract award is given by the Contract Services Manager. Any protests relating to a proposed contract award received after the five (5) business day deadline will not be considered by the County Protest Process: In the event of a timely protest, the County shall not proceed with the solicitation or award of the contract until the Contract Services Manager, the County Purchasing Agent or the Procurement Appeals Board renders a decision on the protest. Upon receipt of a timely protest, the Contract Services Manager will, within ten (10) business days, issue a decision in writing which shall state the reasons for the actions taken. The County may, after providing written justification to be included in the procurement file, make the determination that an immediate award of the contract is necessary to protect the substantial interests of the County. The award of a contract shall in no way compromise the protester s right to the protest procedures outlined herein. If the protester disagrees with the decision of the Contract Services Manager, the protester may submit a written notice to the Office of the County Purchasing Agent requesting an appeal to the Procurement Appeals Board, in accordance with the process stated below Appeal Process: If the protester wishes to appeal the decision of the Contract Services Manager, the protester must submit, within three (3) business days from receipt of the Contract Services Manager s decision, a written appeal to the Office of the County Purchasing Agent. Within fifteen (15) business days, the County Purchasing Agent will review all materials in connection with the protest, assess the merits of the protest and provide a written determination that shall contain his or her decision on whether the protest shall be forwarded to the Procurement Appeals Board. The decision of the County Purchasing Agent on whether to allow the appeal to go forward will be final and there shall be no right to any administrative appeals of this decision. Page 7 Page 10 of 62

11 4. INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMISSION 4.1 REQUIREMENTS Responses to this RFP must be prepared according to the format, content, and sequence set forth in Subparagraph 4.4 of this RFP. Proposals must be signed by an authorized representative of the Proponent. Proposals without an original, authorized signature will be rejected. This RFP does not commit the County to award a contract or to pay any associated cost. The proposal preparation cost is solely the responsibility of the Proponent. 4.2 CONFIDENTIALITY Proposals are not to be marked as confidential or proprietary. Proposals submitted in response to this RFP are subject to public disclosure as permitted by the California Public Records Act and State regulations. Additionally, all proposals will become the property of the County of Orange. The County reserves the right to make use of any information or ideas from the proposals submitted. Regardless of any identification otherwise, including marking some or all of the pages as confidential or proprietary, information in proposals will become part of the public record and subject to disclosure without further notice to the Proponent. Proposals should not include personal identifier information such as social security numbers, dates of birth, criminal clearance documents, etc., in resumes or other documents. The County shall not in any way be liable or responsible for the disclosure of any such records. 4.3 DUE DATE The proposal package, described in Subparagraph 4.4 below, must be received on or before 4:00 p.m. (Pacific Daylight Time), on November 6, NO PROPOSAL WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER THIS DATE AND TIME Proposals must be delivered to: County of Orange Social Services Agency Contract Services Attn: Karen Vu, Contract Administrator 888 N. Main Street Santa Ana, CA PROPOSAL PACKAGE The proposal must clearly meet all of the requirements of this RFP. The Proponent is solely responsible for reviewing all requirements and instructions to ensure that each is clearly addressed in the proposal. The proposal should be written with the reviewer in mind, should be carefully proofread, and must include the following: Complete table of contents (indicating page numbers); Reference(s) to any appendices; Page 8 Page 11 of 62

12 Required documents placed in the order listed in Attachment A Required Documents Checklist. one; All requested information in the sequence and format specified in the RFP; All pages of the proposal sequentially numbered beginning with Attachment A as page Attachments D, E, and F typed on single-sided, 8.5- by 11-inch, plain white paper with at least one-inch margins on all sides, using black print, in 12-point size Times New Roman font, and one- and one-half line spacing. Proponents that deviate from format requirements risk having deviating pages removed from their proposal. SSA may reject any proposal that is conditional, incomplete, or deviates from the specifications in this RFP. SSA reserves the right to waive, at its sole discretion, any procedural irregularity, immaterial defect, or other impropriety deemed reasonably correctable or not warranting rejection of the proposal. Proposal package will consist of two (2) originals and seven (7) copies of the proposal, [nine (9) in total]. All proposals must be submitted in separate three-ring binders. Proponents must complete Attachment A Required Documents Checklist as a guide for verification and order of materials to be submitted. Required documents must be submitted in the order listed. Refer to Attachment A for the documents to be included in the two (2) original proposals and those to be included in the seven (7) copies. All originals and copies of the proposal must be sequentially page-numbered throughout. In the seven (7) copies, placeholders noting the same page numbers as found in the original proposal may be inserted for the documents that are required to be submitted in the two (2) original proposals only. Failure to submit documents in the order listed on Attachment A, or to complete all required attachments fully, may result in rejection of the proposal. 5. EVALUATION CRITERIA 5.1 Evaluation Criteria The evaluation categories and maximum number of points to be assigned are as follows: Related Direct Service Experience (Attachment C) Maximum...20 points In reviewing related direct service experience, consideration will be given to the extent to which: Proponent demonstrated history of successfully providing same or similar tutoring services to the target population through contracts with the County of Orange. Proponent demonstrated history of successfully providing same or similar tutoring services to the target population through contracts with other than the County of Orange. If applicable, Proponent justified failed or incomplete contracts. Page 9 Page 12 of 62

13 If applicable, Proponent provided history of same or similar tutoring services to the target population aside from services indicated on Table One and/or Two Prior Program Management Experience (Attachments D and D 1) Maximum...20 points In reviewing prior program management of related direct service experience, consideration will be given for the extent to which: Proponent demonstrated history of relevant experience and expertise with administration, development, implementation, management, and evaluation of individual academic tutoring services. Proponent demonstrated an understanding of potential challenges and barriers that may be encountered in the delivery of tutoring services for the target population. Project director and key staff demonstrated sufficient relevant knowledge, experience, and capabilities to effectively institute and manage related direct service experience. Proponent demonstrated organizational experience with child welfare systems or other government agencies. Proponent demonstrated a sound method to recruit and retain qualified tutors. Proponent described how it effectively monitored tutoring services and appropriately addressed performance issues Planned Program Management of Direct Services to be Provided (Attachments E and E 1) Maximum...25 points In reviewing planned program management of direct service to be provided, consideration will be given for the extent to which: Proponent makes evident it can apply relevant experience and expertise to successfully administer, develop, implement, manage, and evaluate tutoring services to be provided in accordance to this RFP. Proponent demonstrated it possesses the organizational capability to fulfill its proposed roles and functions effectively and successfully implement and sustain tutoring services to be provided in accordance to this RFP. Proposed project director and key staff demonstrated sufficient relevant knowledge, experience, and capabilities to effectively institute and manage tutoring services that are similar to the County s scope and magnitude. The role, responsibilities, and time commitments of each proposed management staff position are clearly defined and appropriate to the successful implementation of the proposed tutoring services. Proponent demonstrated insight into potential challenges and barriers and provides a detailed resolution action plan. Proponent provided a management plan for achieving the objection/goals of tutoring services that includes effectively monitoring tutor s performance and service delivery. Page 10 Page 13 of 62

14 5.1.4 Direct Services to be Provided (Attachment F) Maximum...35 points In reviewing services to be provided, consideration will be given to the extent to which: Proponent presents a comprehensive description of how tutoring services will be administered, including organizational structure and clearly defined positions. Proponent demonstrated it possesses a sufficient number of qualified tutors to meet the tutoring needs of the target population, included its plan for recruitment and retention, and described its process for ensuring tutors credentials/certifications are current. Proponent provided a detailed description of their methodology and process for assessing a child/nmd s understanding and mastery of a particular subject. Details included the academic assessments tools to be used to identify pre- and post-academic levels. Proponent described how they will deliver tutoring services in a manner that ensures cultural sensitivity. Proponent described its plan to engage the children, their parents/caregivers and NMDs; included their process for communicating with school personnel and/or teachers to coordinate efforts; and described steps taken to ensure children/nmds obtain maximum benefits from tutoring services. Proponent described how they plan to track and monitor services requested by County and included protocols to be utilized to ensure no services gaps in service delivery. Proponent described their process or methods for recording data to fulfill reporting requirements referenced in Subparagraph TARGET POPULATION The target population is children and NMD in grades kindergarten (K) through twelve (12) who meet the following criteria: 6.1 Have been adjudicated as a dependent of the Orange County Juvenile Court pursuant to Welfare and Institutions Code (WIC) Section 300, and who reside in Orange County or one of the contiguous counties; i.e., Los Angeles, San Diego, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties; and 6.2 Are failing and/or below average in one or more academic subjects and/or lack the necessary credits to graduate from an accredited California high school; or 6.3 Have been ordered by the Juvenile Court to receive individual academic tutoring services. Failing grade and/or below average criteria may be modified at the sole discretion of the County. 7. SERVICE AREAS Provider will be required to provide individual academic tutoring services to Orange County dependent children/nmds and dependents in grades kindergarten (K) through twelve (12) who reside in Orange, Los Angeles, San Diego, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties. Page 11 Page 14 of 62

15 8. SERVICES TO BE PROVIDED CFS will refer children/nmds for individual academic tutoring services to the Provider (also referred to as Contractor in Attachment I, General Contract Provisions, of this document) and will provide written authorization to the Provider prior to initiation of tutoring services. The County does not guarantee a minimum number of referrals for services or a minimum amount to be paid under any agreement resulting from this RFP. 8.1 General Requirements Provider s staff shall be qualified for the subject(s) in which they are tutoring Provider shall have bilingual staff available if necessary to communicate with child, NMD, and parents/caregivers Provider shall be required to provide criminal and child abuse background clearances for all staff working with children/ NMDs and/or accessing confidential information in accordance with Paragraph 27 Confidentiality of Attachment I Provider s staff shall have their own transportation with proof of at least the California minimum amount of insurance and a current/valid driver s license Provider s staff shall not transport child (ren) and/or child s family or NMDs Provider must provide proof of their tutor s qualifications within five (5) business days if requested by County Provider s services must be outcome driven and reflect progress towards stated performance outcomes as referenced in Subparagraph Tutoring services will be authorized for a specified time period in each referral. Services provided beyond the specified time period described in Subparagraph below without written authorization from County to extend services, shall not be eligible for compensation. It shall be the Provider s responsibility to document and keep track of the beginning and ending dates of tutoring services for each child or NMD Provider must receive written approval from the CFS Tutoring Services Coordinator for any extension of tutoring services. An extension request must be submitted in writing at least thirty (30) calendar days in advance of the authorized service period expiring Provider must complete a Special Incident Report (SIR), in the event there is any incident of unusual, aggressive, or high-risk behavior by a child/nmd, and/or the child s parent/caregiver or other family member, or if there are any injuries suffered by any party during service delivery. Provider must use the SIR form provided by County Services shall be provided in a culturally responsive manner. 8.2 Services to be Provided Provider shall tutor each referred child/nmd individually, in the subject(s) and in the frequency requested by the CFS Tutoring Services Coordinator Tutoring services shall be provided in an agreed upon location recommended by the child s/nmd s assigned Social Worker, such as the child s/nmd s home, school, or local library Tutoring services are to be provided only after receipt of an approved referral from the CFS Tutoring Services Coordinator. Page 12 Page 15 of 62

16 8.2.4 The assigned tutor shall contact the child s parent/caregiver or NMD within five (5) business days of receipt of referral and make arrangements for an initial meeting Tutor shall conduct initial meeting with child and child s parent/caregiver or NMD within eight (8) business days of receipt of referral Tutor shall administer electronic academic assessment tools (i.e., Scantron Performance and Achievement Series) to identify child s/nmd s pre- and post-tutoring academic levels. If a post-test is not completed, an explanation is required in the Final Evaluation Report, referenced in Subparagraph Tutor shall meet with child or NMD as scheduled. Tutor shall notify the child s parent/caregiver or NMD, by verbally providing twenty-four (24) hours advance notice, when a change in scheduling or cancellation is unavoidable. Tutor shall also provide written justification, in a format approved by County, to the CFS Tutoring Services Coordinator within three (3) business days of such change or cancellation Tutor shall immediately notify the CFS Tutoring Services Coordinator via telephone when a child or NMD is a No Show for a tutoring session. A No Show is defined as the tutor reporting to the service location at the scheduled date/time but the child/nmd did not report for the same tutoring service session. Within one (1) business day of a No Show, the Provider shall contact the child s parent/caregiver (in the parent/caregiver s native language) or NMD by telephone and shall send a written No Show letter (in the parent/caregiver s native language) to the child s parent/caregiver or NMD. A copy of each No Show letter shall be provided to the CFS Tutoring Services Coordinator with the invoice packet for the month in which the No Show(s) occurred Provider shall notify CFS Tutoring Services Coordinator of scheduling issues with a client after three (3) scheduling attempts (verbal and/or written or any combination thereof), to schedule tutoring services In collaboration with the child s parent/caregiver or NMD, Provider shall develop a process for communicating with child s or NMD s school and/or teacher for coordination of efforts Tutoring services are typically provided for a minimum of two (2) hours per week, twice a month, for a period of three (3) to five (5) months for each child or NMD referred by the CFS Tutoring Services Coordinator. County may, in its sole discretion, modify the number of hours and service period to best meet the needs of the referred client Extension of services shall be limited to one (1) extension of twenty-five (25) hours. County may, in its sole discretion, approve more than one (1) extension and modify the hours per extension to best meet the needs of the referred client. 8.3 Minimum Staffing Requirements Provider shall assign tutors who possess all the following: A Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree from an accredited college or university. A current multiple subjects teaching credential (grades K-6) or single subject teaching credential (grades 7-12) is desirable A minimum of one (1) year of experience tutoring children in kindergarten (K) through twelfth (12th) grade. Page 13 Page 16 of 62

17 A current/valid driver s license with proof of at least the California minimum amount of insurance. 8.4 Compensation Contingent upon approval by the Orange County Board of Supervisors, the Provider awarded an agreement as a result of this RFP will be paid at the rate of $58.00 per hour for actual time providing tutoring services and/or assessments for the three (3) year term of the resulting agreement and any subsequent renewal options. Compensation has been established at a rate that includes all administrative costs (overhead/indirect, hiring costs, standard agency training, staff supervision, record keeping, etc.) in addition to the required service delivery, documentation, reporting, report requirements, etc. Tutoring services and/or assessments shall be charged to the nearest quarter hour Proponent shall charge $58.00 per hour regardless of service location (child/ NMD s home, school, library, in Orange County, in a contiguous county, etc.) or whether tutoring services are court or non-court ordered. Non-court ordered services shall be paid with the anticipated funding available (approximately $120,000) for the resulting contract. Services provided as a result of a court order shall be paid with funds other than the funding established for the resulting contract The following shall not be reimbursed: Tutoring services provided to the child/nmd prior to receipt of a written referral from the CFS Tutoring Services Coordinator; Tutoring services provided after the authorized service period expiration date without an approved written extension of services from the CFS Tutoring Services Coordinator; Cancellation of tutoring session by either the tutor, the child or the child s parent/caregiver, or NMD, regardless of reason; No Shows; and 8.5 Hours of Operation Mileage, travel time, or parking costs Provider shall provide services during hours that are responsive to the needs of the child/nmd and the parent/caregiver Provider shall maintain a holiday schedule consistent with County s holiday schedule: New Year s Day, Martin Luther King Day, President Lincoln s Birthday, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, Friday after Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day. Provider shall obtain prior, written approval from County for holiday(s) in excess of those listed above. Failure of Provider to obtain such approval shall result in Provider incurring upon itself all fiscal obligations related to non-county holiday(s) and shall be deemed in material breach of Agreement for services not provided by Provider during unapproved holiday(s). 8.6 Goals, Strategies, and Performance Outcomes Provider must maintain performance standards set for quality and quantity of service. Qualitative and quantitative evaluations of services will be conducted by representatives Page 14 Page 17 of 62

18 of the Children and Family Services Division of SSA throughout the duration of the contract period; however, regular program monitoring will be conducted on an annual basis or as needed The following Performance Outcomes have been identified for this tutoring program: To enable referred children/nmds to receive tutoring services from qualified tutors within the time period and frequencies specified in this RFP, or as stated on each referral, and to receive services that are managed and administered in a professional manner To enable children/nmds to improve their understanding and mastery of the subject matter for which they are receiving tutoring services and to increase their academic performance as evidenced by a measureable increase in post-assessment test scores A pre-assessment shall be administered by the tutor to each referred child or NMD during the first meeting between the child/nmd and the assigned tutor A post-assessment shall be administered by the tutor to each child during the last meeting between the child/nmd and the tutor County shall evaluate the effectiveness of Provider s service delivery based on, but not limited to, the following criteria: Provider s ongoing service delivery to child or NMD until the authorized service period expires; Provider s ability to meet agreed upon schedule of appointments and number of times Provider fails to keep appointment regardless of reason; Improvement in child s/nmd s academic performance as measured by assessments referenced in Subparagraphs and ; and Results from the Satisfaction Survey, Exhibit SSA is committed to ensuring services provided to clients adhere to a Strengthening Families Approach and are in accordance with following Five Protective Factors identified by the Center of Study of Social Policy as preventing child abuse and neglect: Provide Concrete Support in Times of Need Increase Parental Resilience Increase Knowledge of Parenting and Child Development Support the Social and Emotional Competence of Children Build Parents Social Connections Because tutoring has been identified as a Protective Factor that supports the social and emotional competence of children, the Provider shall: Participate as requested by County in research and/or evaluation studies designed to show the effectiveness of their tutoring program Collaborate with County to establish and provide outcome measures as they become necessary to meet program goals and objectives. Outcome measures may include, but are not be limited to: satisfaction surveys, tracking logs, pre- and post-test results, and evaluation tools. Page 15 Page 18 of 62

19 8.6.6 County measurement tools are subject to change based on program and evaluation needs as defined by the County. 8.7 Quality Assurance The CFS Tutoring Services Coordinator and Contract Administrator will conduct Utilization Reviews (URs) to evaluate the Provider s compliance with required documentation, record-keeping, and service delivery performance. The Contract Administrator will determine the frequency of the URs and provide advance notification to the Provider to ensure that specified staff are in attendance. The Provider will receive oral and written feedback regarding UR findings. 8.8 Invoicing and Reporting Requirements Monthly Invoice (reference Exhibit 1) Provider shall submit a separate monthly invoice for court-ordered and non-court-ordered services provided during the previous month. Invoices shall be submitted by the twentieth (20th) calendar day of each month on a form approved by the County Monthly invoices for Individual Academic Tutoring Services shall include the following: Month of service Total Court or Total Non-Court Hours Total Assessment Hours Hourly rate Total amount due A copy of any No Show letter(s), if applicable A copy of any pre- and post-test results Monthly Service Log (reference Exhibit 2) Provider shall provide a separate Monthly Service Log for court-ordered and non-court-ordered services provided during the previous month. The log shall accompany the Monthly Invoice as supporting documentation for total hours claimed. The Monthly Service Log shall be prepared in a format approved by the County and shall include the following information: Month of service; Provider s name and address; First and last name of each child/nmd served; and Service language, service description, service date, service hours, hourly rate, subtotal amount(s), and grand total amount Written Plan (reference Exhibit 3) After the initial meeting with child and child s parent/caregiver or NMD, tutor shall prepare a brief Written Plan, in a format approved by County, which shall include, but not be limited to: Subjects to be covered, tutoring hours and times, and location where tutoring will be provided; and Page 16 Page 19 of 62

20 One (1) to three (3) goals based on the needs of the child or NMD as identified by the County or as indicated in pre-assessment test results Tutor shall provide a copy of the Written Plan to child s parent/caregiver or NMD and CFS Tutoring Services Coordinator within five (5) business days of initial meeting Monthly Progress Report/Sign-In Sheet (reference Exhibit 4) Provider shall submit a Monthly Progress Report/Sign-In Sheet for each child/nmd who received services during that month. Tutor shall complete the Monthly Progress Report/Sign-In Sheet to provide a monthly written update to the CFS Tutoring Services Coordinator documenting what services were provided to each child/nmd, including their overall progress. A copy of the Monthly Progress Report/Sign-In Sheet shall be provided by the CFS Tutoring Services Coordinator to the child s/nmd s assigned Social Worker. The Monthly Progress Report/Sign-In Sheet shall include the following: hour First and last name of child/nmd Tutor s name Date(s) of tutoring service Start/end time of each tutoring session to the nearest quarter Total number of hours for each date of service Signature(s) of child s parent/caregiver or NMD confirming tutoring services were provided A progress summary noting the subject being tutored and the child s/nmd s overall progress or lack thereof Final Evaluation Report (reference Exhibit 5) Upon conclusion of services, Tutor shall prepare a brief Final Evaluation Report, in a format approved by County, which shall include, but not be limited to the following: child/nmd; A description of the tutoring services provided to the Child s/nmd s success and/or failure in attaining the goals referenced in Subparagraph and applicable outcomes; Pre- and post-test scores; and Recommendation(s) regarding follow-up action, if any The Final Evaluation Report shall be provided to the CFS Tutoring Services Coordinator and to the child s parent/caregiver or NMD within five (5) business days of termination of services Satisfaction Survey (reference Exhibit 6) Upon conclusion of services, tutor shall also provide NMD or child s parent/caregiver with the Satisfaction Survey to evaluate tutoring services received. The content and format of the Satisfaction Survey shall be approved by the County. Provider shall submit all completed and signed Satisfaction Surveys with the monthly invoice. Page 17 Page 20 of 62