1.01Introduction and Program Description

The Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS/Department), Office of Children's Services (OCS/Division), is requesting proposals from eligible applicants to provide Strong and Caring Family Circles of Support services for the State of Alaska in FY2016 thru FY2018.  Program Services are authorized under 7 AAC 78 Grant Programs and AS 47.10 Children in Need of Aid; AS 47.17 Child Protection; AS 47.05.010 Administration. Access State of Alaska statutes and regulations at http://www.law.state.ak.us/doclibrary/doclib.html or through the contact person listed on the cover page of this RFP.

Strong and Caring Family Circles of Support services are community-based intensive preventative or post-placement services designed to promote safety and well being.  Services are targeted to families who have a child or children with significant behavioral concerns which could result in placement outside the home as well as potential difficulties or significant concerns related to the functioning of the family and care and safety of the children.

1.02Program Goals and Anticipated Outcomes

The Strong and Caring Family Circles of Support program aligns with two DHSS priorities:  Priority One - Health and Wellness Across the Lifespan and Priority Three - Safe and Responsible Individuals, Families and Communities. SCFCS services align with the department's core services to provide quality of life in a safe living environment for Alaskans and the core service to strengthen Alaska Families. More information about the DHSS priorities can be found at http://dhss.alaska.gov/Documents/Publications/priorities.PDF

Proposed projects must meet or exceed anticipated minimums described in this Request for Proposals (RFP).

PROGRAM GOALS The goal of this program is to provide Strong and Caring Family Circles of Support services (SCFCS) to families with children who have behavioral health needs to decrease the likelihood that those children will be placed in an out-of-home setting and increase stability for children returning home from an out-of-home setting.

ANTICIPATED OUTCOMES Services provided through this grant will result in measurable outcomes.  These are changes that occur or differences made for individuals, groups, families, organizations, or communities during or after receiving Strong and Caring Family Circles of Support services. (SCFCS) 

Programs are expected to produce a progression of outcomes beginning with short term outcomes (engagement and learning), that lead to intermediate outcomes (behavior change), which eventually result in long term outcomes (population wide impact such as  reduced risk and children who remain safely in their homes.) 

OCS has determined specific outcomes linked to this funding.

• Improved Family Functioning
• Improved Family/Child Protective Capacities
• Increased Supports for Families
• Reduced need for Out-of-Home Placements
• Increased stability for children returning home from an out-of-home placement

Strengthening Families Protective Factors Framework
Certain protective factors have been identified to reduce risks, build family capacity and foster resilience. It is the role of the community-based programs to work with families to increase their protective factors to reduce the occurrence of child abuse and neglect. By understanding risk and protective factors for children, families, and communities, programs will be better equipped to enhance protective factors and minimize risk factors for children and families. Five Protective Factors are the foundation of the Strengthening Families Approach:

1. Parental resilience.
2. Social connections.
3. Concrete support in times of need.
4. Knowledge of parenting and child development.
5. Social and emotional competence of children.

Research studies support the common-sense notion that when these Protective Factors are well established in a family, the likelihood of child abuse and neglect is diminished. These Protective Factors are also “promotive” factors that build family strengths and a family environment that promotes optimal child and youth development.

Service delivery should aim to increase the protective factors of families.  The proposal and required Logic Model must demonstrate a thorough understanding of the grant program goals and outcomes in the development and presentation of their project goals. Project goals must be be achievable, measurable, and compatible with program goals.

A sample of the required Logic Model Instructions and Evaluation Plan is attached to this document. See requirement #6 in subsection 4.04.

1.03Program Services/Activities

Proposals must include a description of proposed activities that support the goals and outcomes to be employed in the project. Proposed activities must be well developed, reasonable and support program intent.

The successful applicant will be responsible for providing the following core services:

1. Service Coordination
2. Ongoing Assessment
3. Developing Family Support Teams
4. Parent Education and Support
5. Transportation Services

In order to ensure success for children at risk of an out-of-home placement or being treated in an out-of-home setting, services will involve families and work to enhance their ability to respond to the complex needs of their children. Aftercare services may be provided to support  the family and increase their ability to provide a stable, safe and nurturing environment.

Proposals must outline how each of these services will be provided.

Service Coordination: Service coordination is an active, ongoing process that involves assisting families by helping them identify the array of services they are already engaged in, compiling information about those services, and facilitating access to services needed but not yet utilized. Applicants must to work with individual family members to coordinate and actively support involvement in early childhood services, medical services, education/employment and behavioral health services as needed. Each member of the family should be considered when coordinating services.

Ongoing Family Assessments: Assessment is to be an ongoing process through the duration of service delivery.  Assessment should look at progress and client achievement, as well as account for changes in family circumstances and need.  Applicants must describe how frequently assessments will be done, the tool(s) used, and how it will inform services. Proposals must outline the intake process including a needs and service inventory.

Developing Family Support Teams: In some cases, families lose their connection to their supports through their families or through the community, often due to abuse, violence, stress, or addiction.  Part of the job of SCFCS services is to help families recover and again learn to access their own or the community's informal resources. A primary focus of these services is the development of support systems for individual families with children at risk of out-of-home placement.

Families receiving services will be offered assistance to identify both formal and informal natural supports as resources, and to coordinate these supports. The successful applicant will develop partnerships among families, neighbors, community members and leaders, and public agencies that nurture and safeguard children and other family members. This approach builds on the strengths of the family by working as equal partners with community and natural supports to make decisions and develop plans that protect and nurture their children and support the needs of the family.

This approach to service delivery inherently fosters cooperation, collaboration, and communication between professionals and families.  Applicants must propose a family conferencing model that includes the identification, coordination and facilitation of family teams to support referred families. While several variations of the model are available, applicants should clearly outline in their proposal the process to be implemented. (Examples include but are not limited to Family Group Conferencing, Family Team Conferencing, Family Team Wraparound, etc). If employee training is needed to implement this component, funds must be allocated and outlined in the proposed budget.

Parent Education and Support: The purpose of the parent education component is to allow families to learn parenting techniques and gain skills that help to increase parental capacity by providing hands-on education to caregivers in a home environment. Parent support groups have also been identified as an evidence-based practice for parents to gain both support and education, and to have long range positive effects in family wellness. Include a clear outline of the curricula and/or model chosen.

For agency-based parenting groups/classes to be funded through this program, there must be a coaching/mentoring element to the proposed curricula or model.  As well as parenting training, a family centered approach recognizes the usefulness of a broader range of subjects-- which may include financial literacy; leadership skills; goal setting; self-esteem; stress reduction; systems navigation; tradition and cultural practices; and other skill-builders that promote resilience.  Include an outline of any curricula used with the proposal. 

Transportation Services:  Applicants must be able to provide transportation for parents and children to service activities. One option is by facilitating access to public transportation through taxi vouchers, community shuttle services and/or bus tokens. It is preferred that the applicant has a company vehicle that is dedicated to this program and can provide transportation directly to clients. Proposals may include costs for leasing a vehicle for program activities. Applicants requesting funds to lease a vehicle to support program activities should include an estimate of the annual costs for leasing a vehicle and explore multiple leasing options. No funds for leasing a vehicle shared agency-wide or for vehicle purchase will be approved.

For applicants offering both options for client transportation, provide a specific cost breakdown in the submitted budget narrative. Applicants who are able to provide direct transportation to clients will receive a higher score during the proposal evaluation process than those who will provide access to public transportation. 

Proposals must address the following elements of provision of services:

Program Philosophy: Services delivered through the Strong and Caring Circles of Support program are anchored around the philosophy that services will be:

• Individualized and strength-based;
• Demonstrative of cultural humility;
• Trauma informed. 

Applicants must describe how providers of the proposed services will ensure adherence to these philosophies through provision of services. Any training or professional development provided should also be outlined.

Time Intensive Services:  To adequately meet the needs of the priority population served by this RFP, the majority of staff time must be spent coordinating services and identifying the community resources available and/or accessed by families.  Each proposal must offer a minimum of 50% direct coordination of services provided under the grant. This focus will ensure all families are effectively linked to the right team throughout the Family Team Development process.

Availability and Flexibility: Applicants must explain how they will demonstrate flexibility and the ability to provide services when they are most convenient for the family.  If your agency has a crisis line or works extended hours, this information should be in your proposal.

Referral and Initial Intake: Referrals for this program may come from the Office of Children’s Services (OCS) or from other services, such as Juvenile Justice, children's behavioral health agencies, schools or early education programs; disability services; medical services; other community agencies; or they may self-refer .  Provide an explanation and examples of how the agency will provide outreach and marketing of their services to the community.

Documentation: Proposals must describe how providers will document activities related to all service planning, provision and coordination; standards, requirements and assessment including the relevant releases, assessments, referral and service plan documents.

Back-up: Agencies are cautioned that referral refusal (or breaks in service for on-going clients), based solely on no available employee backup coverage may be considered a violation of terms or conditions of this grant and may lead to a reduction in the grant award or possible termination of the grant. 

1.04Program Evaluation Requirements and Reporting

Logic Model Development:  As part of the logic model submitted with this proposal, the applicant must submit an evaluation plan that demonstrates understanding of program goals and outcomes in development and presentation.  The Logic Model must include goal(s), outcomes, outputs, resources and activities applicable to the proposed project and compliant with program intent.  The applicant’s evaluation plan must include indicators and data gathering strategies that will be used to evaluate the progress of the grant project toward achieving the program goals and desired outcomes. Valuable information and guidance on how to measure progress related to outcomes can be found at the Child Welfare Information Gateway in their logic model builder. Visit https://toolkit.childwelfare.gov/toolkit/home.do for more information.

Quality Assurance: Applicants must outline a structure to ensure quality programs and staff, as part of your evaluation plan. Quality Assurance refers to the systematic evaluation activities implemented so that quality requirements for a product or service are designated and monitored. It is the systematic measurement and monitoring of processes with an associated feedback loop that helps to decrease errors and increase effectiveness

Timeline: Applicants must also include a timeline for activities as an attachment to their proposal. The proposed timeline for project implementation must be both reasonable and compliant with grant program timelines. The timeline should contain a detailed plan of services for the first year of grant, as well as a brief outline of subsequent years if funded.

Grant Reporting

Required reporting for this grant will include:

1)  Cumulative Fiscal Report (overall grant and match expenditures are reported quarterly by budget line item);

2)  Program Reports in the format prescribed by the grantor;

3)  FFATA: If funding for this program includes federal funds with reporting requirements that include those imposed under the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA).  Federal reporting requirements are not limited to prime awardees (such as the State) but include awards with federal funds that the State grants out (sub awardee). 

Results Based Accountability Framework

Grant programs will be required to align with the department’s priorities and core services. Utilizing a results-based management/budgeting framework, grantees will use performance measures to evaluate progress in order to meet meaningful outcomes and initiate data collection and reporting consistent with department priorities.  Below are the Department Priorities, Core Services, Objectives, and Effective and Efficiency Performance Measures for this program.

Department Priorities

• 1 Health & Wellness Across the Life Span
• 3 Safe & Responsible Individuals, Families & Communities

Department Core Services

• 1.2 Provide Quality of Life in a Safe Living Environment for Alaskans
• 3.2 Protect Vulnerable Alaskans

Department Core Objectives

• 1.2.1 Improve the Safety of Children Receiving Department Services
• 3.2.1 Decrease the Rate of Maltreatment in Children

Division Core Service

• Safety

Performance Measures

• 1.2.1a Effectiveness: Percentage of families demonstrating enhanced protective capacity.
• 1.2.1b Efficiency: Cost per family served.
• 1.2.1c Effectiveness: Percentage of children who remain in their home.
• 3.2.1a Effectiveness: Percentage of children with no substantiated reports of maltreatment.
• 3.2.1b Efficiency: Percentage of direct contact hours received.

These measures may be included in the logic model indicators.

1.05Target Population and Service Area

Proposals must clearly describe the population targeted by the project, including the area or communities that will be served.  Proposals will be evaluated for compatibility with the intended target population identified in this document.

Target Population:   Strong and Caring Family Circles of Support services are pre- or post-placement preventative services targeted to families within a community who have a child or children with significant behavioral issues as well as potential difficulties and concerns related to the functioning of the family and care and safety of the children

Service Areas and Communities:  Potential service areas and communities addressed by this solicitation are statewide. Each proposal must indicate the area where services will be delivered and provide a brief summary of the current demographics of the service area.  Proposals must also outline any characteristics unique to the service area and address possible barriers to service delivery or client access to services.

1.06Program Funding

Funds available for this program are anticipated to total $200,000 in General Funds each year for a total of $600,000 over a three year duration.  The intent is to fund projects statewide.  Individual grants may not be less than $50,000 and may not exceed $100,000.

Match Requirements: The budget must include matching funds to equal no less than 15% of the proposed project.  To calculate proper match use the following formula.

Total Grant Award Amount x Percentage of Match = Total Proposed Match

Restrictions to allowable matching funds are as follows:

1) Federal grant funds may not be used to match federal funds awarded through this grant program.

2) State grant funds may not be used to match funds awarded through this grant program.

3) Grant Income, Medicaid, and other third party receipts may be used as a match.

4) Local match may include in-kind contributions from volunteers, as well as donations of supplies, equipment, and space, and other items of value for which the applicant does not incur a cost.

5) Local cash match may include local tax receipts, municipal revenue sharing, cash donations, and other local sources of cash receipts.)

Proposed Budget:  The proposal must contain both a detailed and narrative budget for the first fiscal year of the grant, including any required match, which is fully compliant with the limitations described in 7 AAC 78.160 (Costs), and supports program staffing and service delivery requirements stated in this RFP.  The GEMS portal provides applicants instructions and the ability to enter budget details and narrative for the project budget.  More detailed instructions can be accessed in the DHSS Budget Guidelines available online at https://gems.dhss.alaska.gov/Home/Documents.

Successful applicants will be required to participate in the statewide grantee meeting in Anchorage, with date to be announced.   Applicants needing to travel to Anchorage must budget travel costs (airfare/mileage, hotel, per diem) for up to two program staff participants and a recipient of services to attend this 3-day event. Budget must include funding for this trip in the travel section.

Indirect Costs: If the proposed budget includes indirect costs, 7 AAC 78.160(p) requires a copy of the agency’s current federally approved Indirect Cost Rate Agreement.  Agencies with current DHSS grant agreements can review the Indirect Cost Rate Agreement information in GEMS.  Agencies without current grant agreements with the Department must upload a copy of the Indirect Cost Rate Agreement in the "Agency Administration" tab of the GEMS portal. Help instructions are available in the portal to upload and review such documents.

Grant Income: Applicants providing Medicaid reimbursable services must also have a Medicaid Provider Number, or apply to obtain one, and seek Medicaid reimbursement for all eligible services.

In the applicant’s proposed budget, both anticipated receipts and expenditures for all grant income must be clearly evident in both the detailed and narrative budgets and actual receipts and expenditures must be reported on a quarterly basis.

2.01Required Experience

Proposal evaluation will include consideration of the applicant’s history of compliance with service and grant requirements; previous experience in providing the same or similar services, which may include evaluation of site reviews/program audits and the successful resolution of any findings. 

Describe the previous experience providing same or similar services to those being proposed.   The description must clearly identify the time period over which services were provided and the target population that was served. 

2.02Program Staffing Experience

Program staffing levels must be commensurate with meeting the program goals, anticipated outcomes, and activities/strategies for service delivery appropriate to the proposed project.

Resumes, job descriptions and professional credentials must be submitted for key project personnel (see Requirement #2 in subsection 4.05).

Only staff who are directly responsible for the supervision or delivery of services to families should be included in the personal services line of the proposed budget.  Applicants who include staff not directly responsible for the supervision or delivery of services will be required to include those staff in their baseline calculations for the 50% face-to-face client contact requirement associated with any grant agreements awarded through this program. Inclusion of non-service staff will impact the applicant’s ability to maintain compliance under this grant program.

2.03Administrative, Management and Facility Requirements

The proposal must demonstrate applicant’s ability to responsibly administer the grant, including both sustainable fiscal and administrative capability necessary to support the project. 

1) The applicant will ensure procedures are in place to protect client confidentiality. These procedures must meet State and Federal standards. 

2) The applicant will ensure their most recent financial audit has been submitted to the appropriate state office (see audit section below) and any audit findings identified in that audit have been resolved. 

3)  Executive administrative and financial staff must be qualified, as indicated by their professional and educational experience detailed in attached resumes.

Successful grant applicants will be required to submit additional agency information with submission of their signed grant agreement, if that information is not current and already on file with DHSS, Grants and Contracts.

Audit Requirements:

Federal Requirements:  Effective immediately, if you expend $750,000 or more total Federal Financial Assistance in your fiscal year, you may be required to comply with conditions of the Single Audit Act of 1984, P.L. 98-502, as amended by the Single Audit Act Amendments of 1996, P.L. 104-156, and defined in OMB Circular A-133.

State Requirements Chapter 045 Grant Administration:   For audit periods that begin or continue on after March 31, 2008, if you expend $500,000 or more total State Financial Assistance in your agency’s fiscal year, you are required to comply with the conditions of Alaska Administrative Code, 2 AAC 45.010-090.  The current regulations may be viewed at the State of Alaska, Department of Law website, http://www.law.state.ak.us/doclibrary/doclib.html, or copies may be obtained from the State agency issuing the solicitation to which this statement is attached.

Information on compliance with the State and Federal Single Audit Acts may be obtained from, and audits completed in compliance with the Acts must be submitted to:

State Single Audit Coordinator
Department of Administration
Division of Finance
P.O. Box 110204
Juneau, AK   99811-0204
Telephone:  (907) 465-4666
Fax: (907) 465-2169

DHSS Program Audit Requirements:  All DHSS grantees are subject to the requirements of 7 AAC 78.230, and if an audit under 7 AAC 45.010 has not been conducted and submitted to the State Single Audit Coordinator, the grantee must ensure that a fiscal audit of the grantee’s operations under the grant program is performed by an independent certified public accountant at least once every two years and submitted to:

State of Alaska
Department of Health and Social Services
Finance and Management Services
Audit Section
P.O. Box 110602
Juneau, AK  99811-0602
Telephone:  (907) 465-3120

Facility(ies)/Safety and Service Access:

1)   The applicant must address potential safety concerns for both clients and staff in the management of services proposed in response to this RFP.

2)   The applicant must describe how facilities proposed for safe and appropriate to the purpose of the program; and provide adequate physical access to the proposed target population.

3)   All applicants for DHSS grants should have an emergency response and recovery plan for the safe evacuation of clients and staff, and that provides for other potential safety concerns.  This plan is mandatory for grantees providing residential and/or critical care services (see DHSS Grant Assurances).

2.04Support/Coordination of Services

Applicants must be able to demonstrate the proposed project has the necessary support and coordination for the successful delivery of services.  The proposal must address the following:

1. Community support where services are being proposed;
2. Involvement of potential recipients and the public in the planning process;
3. Partnerships and collaborations specific to the proposed project; and
4. Necessary referral agencies and a description of their roles.

3.01Eligibility (Who May Apply)

Applicants must be eligible to apply under 7 AAC 78.030 (Eligible Applicants).  They include nonprofit organizations; municipalities and Regional Educational Attendance Areas or other political subdivisions of the state; other State agencies; and Alaska Native Tribes.  See subsection 1.05 of this RFP for additional eligibility information specific to the program and this solicitation.  The following documentation of eligibility is required for Nonprofit Corporations or Alaska Native Tribal applicants:

1. A Nonprofit Corporation or a Nonprofit Subsidiary of a Nonprofit Corporation.  The agency must be listed on the United States Internal Revenue Service’s most recent register of Tax-exempt organizations, or provide a copy of the organization’s current State of Alaska Certificate of Incorporation clearly establishing nonprofit status.  Nonprofit subsidiaries must also submit a letter from the parent organization confirming nonprofit status;
2. An Alaska Native entity as defined in 7 AAC 78.950(1).  The entity must submit with their application a legally binding resolution waiving the entity’s sovereign immunity to suit, using the template provided. This form is designed to encompass the multi-year grant duration period identified in subsection 3.05.  To be eligible for consideration, the resolution must include authorization compliant with the tribe’s constitution:
   1. Federally recognized tribes for which the tribal constitution grants authority to the tribal council to waive sovereign immunity and enter into a grant agreement on behalf of the tribe.
   2. Federally recognized tribes for which the tribal constitution requires a majority vote of the tribal membership to waive sovereign immunity and enter into a grant agreement.

Applicants must also submit in GEMS, or have on file with DHSS, a current governing board member list with titles, contact information, and terms of office.  The list must include emergency contact information outside the applicant agency for one or more responsible officers of the governing board.

Applicants who have a previous contract or grant to help write this current RFP will be precluded from submitting a proposal unless a written statement of refusal of the contract or grant funds is attached.  Proposals submitted without this statement shall be deemed non-responsive.

3.02Acceptance of Terms

By submitting a proposal, an applicant accepts all terms and conditions of this Request for Proposals including all attachments and guidelines identified in this RFP; 7 AAC 78 and any other applicable statutes and regulations. Copies of these may be accessed through the contact person listed on the cover page, or through the web address(es) identified in this RFP.

If a grant is awarded, this RFP and the applicant’s proposal become part of the grant agreement. The applicant will be bound by the provisions contained in their proposal, unless the Department agrees that specific parts of the proposal are not part of the agreement.

Proposals and other materials submitted in response to this RFP become the property of the State and may be returned only if the State allows. Proposals are public documents and may be inspected or copied by anyone after grants have been awarded.

3.03Inquiries

Applicants should immediately review this Request for Proposals for defects and questionable or confusing content. Questions about the RFP that can be answered by directing the applicant to a specific section in the RFP may be answered verbally by the Contact Person in the cover page. Questions that cannot be answered by directing an applicant to a specific section of the RFP may be declared to be of a substantive nature. The applicant will be directed to state the question in writing. Questions of a substantive nature must be received, in writing, at the email address listed on the cover page of this RFP, no less than ten days before the deadline for receipt of proposals (see the Deadline for written inquiries on the cover page of this RPF). This will allow issuance of any necessary amendments to all prospective applicants.

Applicants are responsible for monitoring the State’s Online Public Notice website located at: http://aws.state.ak.us/OnlinePublicNotices/ for any subsequent clarifications or amendments that may be issued regarding this solicitation.

3.04Proposal Costs and Content

The Department will not be responsible for any expenses incurred by the grantee prior to the authorized grant performance period. All costs of responding to this RFP are the responsibility of the applicant.

The applicant is responsible for the content of the proposal.

3.05Duration of Grant

This RFP is for a three-year period, beginning 7/1/2015 , through 6/30/2018 . At the discretion of the Department, a project funded under this RFP may be considered for continued funding in subsequent program year(s). The decision to continue funding for the subsequent year(s) of the three-year grant cycle is based on the following general conditions:

1. the Department’s judgment that there is a continued need for the grant project service;
2. the grantee’s satisfactory performance during the previous grant year;
3. the availability of sufficient grant program funds, and whether continuation of the financing is consistent with public health and welfare; and
4. the ability of the grantee and the Department to agree on any adjustments in payments or service.

Proposals submitted in response to this RFP must contain a detailed plan for services in the first year of the grant, and should include a brief outline of services planned in subsequent years.  This includes a budget for year one of the grant only.  Funding in the subsequent year(s) will require submission and approval of documents needed to update service plans, evaluation measures and budgets.  Grantees will be notified by Grants and Contracts of specific submission requirements necessary to qualify for consideration of continued funding.

3.06Proposal Review

Following the deadline for receipt of proposals, DHSS staff will verify all submission requirements have been met.  No amendments or corrections will be accepted after the deadline unless they are in response to a request from the contact person named in this RFP.  Proposals will be reviewed as follows: 

1. Proposals will be evaluated in a manner that will avoid disclosure of contents to competing offerors before notice of grant award has been issued.
2. DHSS staff will evaluate each grant proposal for minimum responsiveness and other technical requirements, and eliminate nonresponsive proposals from consideration by a PEC.
3. Using the criteria set out in this RFP and 7 AAC 78.100 (Criteria for Review of Proposals), DHSS staff will evaluate each responsive proposal based on the contents of the proposal as well as relevant documentation and information regarding the applicant that is available to the Department.  Recommendations regarding whether each proposal should be financed, and at what level, will include consideration of the following:
   1. a history of the applicant’s compliance with grant requirements, to include records of program performance, on-site program reviews, and prior year audits;
   2. priorities in applicable State health and social services plans;
   3. requirements of applicable State and federal statutes; and
   4. municipal ordinances or regulations applicable to the grant program.

If there are multiple responsive proposals for which there is insufficient money to fully fund, or supplementary expertise is deemed necessary to the review of proposed services, the Department may appoint a Proposal Evaluation Committee (PEC) as an additional advisory body.  PEC members will initially evaluate proposals, independently of other committee members.  Then as a committee, they will meet in a closed session (7 AAC 78.090 Review of Proposals) to further review proposals and develop recommendations.  The PEC will include in their review discussion of each proposal’s merits. Recommendations will include approval or disapproval for award, modifications to the proposed project, special compliance conditions, and ranking proposals in priority order.

All advisory recommendations, including staff recommendations, and if applicable the recommendations of the Proposal Evaluation Committee, as well as all other review materials will be submitted for consideration by the Director of the Division, who will make recommendations to the Commissioner of the Department of Health and Social Services or the Commissioner’s designee.

3.07Final Decision Authority

Recommendations, including those from any PEC that may be held, are advisory only, the final decision whether to approve or disapprove grant award, the amount of each award, and whether to impose special conditions or modifications rests with the Commissioner or Commissioner’s designee.

PLEASE NOTE:  The final decision may include additional considerations, such as the lack of or duplication of services in certain locations, or alternative services that may be available; a critical need for services by vulnerable populations; and matters of health, life and safety.  The Department has the responsibility to ensure public monies are utilized in a manner that protects the interests of the people of the State and retains the right to make final awards that ensure responsible distribution of grant funds.

3.08Notification of Grant Award and Appeals

Within fifteen (15) days after the decision regarding grant awards, the applicant will be notified of the final funding decision, and any conditions of award or modifications. Following any necessary negotiations for revisions to the proposed budget and scope of services, applicants will be issued a grant agreement. This formal agreement will contain specific performance and reporting requirements consistent with Department policy and procedure and 7 AAC 78.

Per 7 AAC 78.305 (Request for Appeal), an applicant may appeal a final grant award decision. Requests for hearing must be addressed to the Commissioner, and received in writing at the address below, within 15 days after the applicant receives notification of the decision. The request must contain the reasons for the appeal and must cite the law, regulation, or terms of the grant upon which the appeal is based.

Send appeal to:

Valerie Davidson, Commissioner
Department of Health & Social Services
P.O. Box 110601
Juneau, AK 99811-0601

with a copy to the Grants Administrator named on the cover page.

3.09Cancellation of the RFP/Termination of Award

Contingent upon funding appropriations and the Governor’s approval, the Department may fund proposals from eligible applicants. DHSS may withdraw this competitive Request for Proposals at any time and reserves the right to refrain from making an award when such action is deemed to be in the best interest of the State. Funds awarded for a grant as a result of this RFP may be withheld and the grant terminated by written notice from the grantor to the grantee at any time for violation by the grantee of any terms or conditions of the grant award, or when such action is deemed by the grantor to be in the best interest of the State.

4.01Minimum Responsiveness Criteria per 78.100(2)(a)

Proposals that fail to meet the minimum responsiveness requirements below will be eliminated from consideration per 7 AAC 78.090(b)(2).

4.02Other Technical Requirements per 7 AAC 78.060, 78.090(b) and 78.100

Response & Organizational Documentation

4.03History of Compliance with Grant Requirements per 7 AAC 78.100(2)(B)

4.04Questions and Criteria related to Program Policy, Goals, Outcomes, and Activities

4.05Applicant Qualifications - Criteria Relating to Personnel, Management and Facilities

4.06Demonstration of Support/Involvement of Service