1.01Introduction and Program Description

The Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS/Department), Office of Children's Services (OCS), is requesting proposals from eligible applicants to provide Rural Child Welfare services for the State of Alaska in FY2018 thru FY2020. Program Services are authorized under 7 AAC 78 Grant Programs and AS 47.05.010-15 (Duties of Department), AS 47.10 (Children in Need of Aid), AS 47.14.100 (Powers and duties of Department Over Care of Child), 47.17 (Child Protection), ACC 78 Department of Health & Social Services Grant Programs, US Code Title 25 Chapter 21 1901-1963 (Indian Child Welfare Act). 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.

The Rural Child Welfare (RCW) Services Program is designed to aid Office of Children's Services (OCS) Protective Service Specialists in the provision of case management services to families with an open OCS child protection case. Service provision may be provided to children and families when the child is in the parent's home or out of the home and the child may or may not be in legal custody. Services include but are not limited to: service coordination, monthly (or more frequent) quality case worker visits with children to monitor safety, transportation, safety plan monitoring, family meetings, individualized parenting and healthy living skills education, preliminary relatives searches, and family contact supervision.

Alaska has a disproportionate number of Alaskan Native children in the foster care system, and these cases require more intensive support and case management oversight in order to meet the legal mandates required by the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). Travel difficulties related to weather delays or other barriers including the lack of a stable workforce make providing timely, sufficient, case management services to families in many areas of Alaska extremely challenging for OCS. Recognizing these challenges and the limitations in the availability of services in some rural areas, OCS is committed to promoting local services to assist Alaskan Native families and other families involved in the child welfare system in the rural areas of Alaska. OCS is seeking service providers with a demonstrated understanding of the ICWA, and an existing infrastructure in remote/local settings to provide culturally relevant child welfare services to a caseload of primarily Alaskan Native families.

1.02Program Goals and Anticipated Outcomes

The proposed project must demonstrate a thorough understanding and must be clearly supportive of the grant program goals and outcomes anticipated by the Department. Rural Child Welfare Services are aligned with Department Results Based Accountability framework.

Program Goals:  The goal of this program is to aid OCS case workers in providing quality case management services to families involved in the child welfare system in rural and hard to serve communities in order to prevent removal of children from their homes and to promote reunification with their families.

Anticipated Outcomes: Services provided through this grant must result in measurable and achievable outcomes. These are changes that occur or differences made for individuals, groups, families, organizations, or communities during or after receiving Rural Child Welfare Services. Applicants must describe how the proposed program outcomes are aligned with these OCS outcomes:

1. Increased protective factors. Refer to Strengthening Families Protective Factors Framework below.
2. Children are safely reunified with their families whenever possible and appropriate.
3. The continuity of family relationships and cultural connections is preserved for children.

Strengthening Families Protective Factors Framework: Certain factors have been identified to reduce risks, build family capacity and foster resilience. One role of the RCW programs is to work with families to increase their protective factors to reduce occurrences of child maltreatment. Understanding risk and protective factors for children, families, and communities will better equip programs to help families 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, and
5. Social and emotional competence of children.

Research studies support the notion that when these protective factors are well established in a family, the likelihood of child abuse/neglect diminishes. Research also shows that protective factors are “promotive" and build family strengths and an environment that promotes optimal child and youth development.

Program Philosophy:  Services delivered by OCS Grant programs will be:

• Individualized and Strength-Based: Identifying strengths of individuals and family relationships as well as challenges, and building on those strengths in service planning, is critical to optimal outcomes for children and their families.
• Culturally Sensitive/Competent: “Cultural competence is defined as a set of congruent behaviors, attitudes, and policies that come together in a system, agency, or among professionals and enables that system, agency, or those professionals to work effectively in cross-cultural situations“ (Cross, Bazron, Dennis, & Isaacs, 1989). Cultural Sensitivity broadens our knowledge and understanding of individuals and communities that we work with. Programs will ensure continued education for workers in the area of cultural awareness and history of the people being served. In addition, educational and recreational opportunities for families served should be reflective of the culture and incorporate cultural activities whenever possible.
• Trauma Informed: Trauma-informed care is an approach to engaging people with histories of trauma that recognizes the presence of trauma symptoms, acknowledges the role that trauma has played in their lives, and designs services accordingly (http://www.samhsa.gov/nctic/). Decades of research has taught us that effects of trauma on the developing brain is one, if not the most important, of the causes of many issues, including behavioral health problems, substance abuse, health issues, and a myriad of social ills-including but not limited to child abuse, generational poverty, domestic violence, criminal behavior, and incarceration.

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

1.03Program Services/Activities

Applicants must describe the proposed activities that support the goals and outcomes to be employed in the project. The applicant must also upload a timeline for initiating services and project activities as an attachment to their proposal.

Applicants agree to comply with all of the following additional program requirements and service standards. Rural Child Welfare Services are aimed at assisting the primary OCS case worker in ensuring that families in rural or hard to serve areas with an open case with OCS receive intensive/ICWA compliant case management services. Services include serving families with children who may be placed in the home or out of the home (with or without legal custody). Grantee rural child welfare workers are expected to work in close collaboration with the OCS primary caseworker in performing and documenting agreed upon safety and case plan coordination tasks. This may include quality caseworker visits with children, on behalf of the primary OCS worker, who may be managing the case remotely. Grantees will use the approved OCS form to delineate the case tasks and make it clear what the OCS case worker and RCW caseworker are doing to prevent duplication and to ensure that the necessary services are being provided.

The applicant must describe how they plan to provide the following services for each family referred for RCW services:

1. Monthly Quality Caseworker visits with Children;
2. Case Plan Support and Service Coordination;
3. Relative Searches and locating other ICWA preference placements; and
4. Documentation of services provided.

Monthly Quality Child Caseworker Visits: This service includes scheduling and conducting a monthly quality case worker visit with each child in an open OCS case. Documentation of the visit must be forwarded to OCS within 7 calendar days of the completed visit using the approved OCS form. Grantee training will be provided on how to facilitate and document a quality caseworker visit with a child. Grantees must budget transportation costs to pay for the monthly case worker visit if air or water travel is necessary on a commercial carrier.

Case Plan Support and Service Coordination: This is an active, ongoing process that involves assisting parents and caregivers to access the services identified in case plans and providing assistance with active efforts toward reunification, as required by the ICWA. Active efforts mean taking the parent or guardian through the steps of the case plan rather than requiring them to perform the steps on their own. The grantee will help the parent or guardian develop and access the resources necessary to address the issues which led to the child's removal. Active efforts, continue to be made until the child is released from custody or parental rights are terminated

Case Plan Support and Service Coordination includes but is not limited to:

1. Assist parents with applying for services;
2. Transportation to support case plan activities and family contact;
3. Family contact/visitation services;
4. Assisting caregivers in accessing the services and supports in the children's case plans such as accessing medical, mental health, or educational services/appointments, and cultural activities;
5. Coordination of Family Meetings;
6. Individualized parent coaching, education and support.

Relative Searches and Location of ICWA Placement Preferences: OCS has an ongoing need for assistance with locating children's relatives and ICWA preference placements. When a child’s removal is necessary, a relative placement is first preference priority. To increase the availability of relative placement resources or family supports, rural Child Welfare workers will be requested to assist with relative searches which requires contacting/interviewing all known relatives for assistance in identifying additional relatives and/or members of the child's Tribe or Alaska Native families who may be available for foster placement.  OCS staff approves any placement decision or placement change.

Documentation of services provided: Grantee case workers must document all activities in progress notes related to client service coordination, service provision, including face to face meetings with clients, service providers and phone calls.  These notes must be provided to the caseworker by the first business day of the month after the services have been provided. The assigned OCS case worker will enter the grantees case notes in the OCS database (ORCA). The OCS Grant Manager will review ORCA case notes to ensure the documentation of the services for each case in the quarterly reporting forms.

Referral Process: In the applicant's description of proposed activities they must demonstrate an understanding of the expected referral process from OCS.

• OCS must have an open Family Services case and provide an ORCA case number and child ID number on the referral (children may be in the home or out of the home). OCS makes the referral after they have completed the Initial Assessment and the case has been approved as an open for services case. The referral must clearly articulate the primary OCS Family Services worker and supervisor. At a minimum, the OCS Initial Assessment Summary must accompany the approved OCS referral form. Family contact plans, Case plans and (Safety Plans – when applicable) must be forwarded when they are completed or within 30 days of the referral.
• Within five business days of the accepted referral, the primary OCS case worker and the grantee rural child welfare worker (including respective supervisors when appropriate) must meet to clearly delineate expected case tasks for the grantee case worker and the OCS case worker. The delineated case tasks must be described and documented on the approved OCS form, to serve as a written agreement which specifies the case specific services and communication (frequency and type) expected by the grantee and OCS case workers. 

Definitions:

“Rural Child Welfare Worker” – a worker performing the services under the RCW grant who has partial or limited assigned responsibilities for a case. RCWS workers do not have the legal responsibilities of the case; therefore they are not primarily responsible for preparing petitions or court reports, case plans or safety plans, or making final decisions regarding placements. They may be asked to collaborate with the primary OCS case worker in these tasks.

“Quality Case Worker Visit” – is defined as a planned, purposeful meeting, preferably in a home setting, between a caseworker or RCW worker who has been assigned or delegated case support responsibilities for a case participant, and the case participant. Rapport and relationship building are essential to the meeting. The visit should include a discussion regarding the individual’s case plan or safety plan requirements; progress made or barriers towards accomplishing case plan goals. The visit will also include an ongoing assessment of need for each of the case participants addressing whether or not there are new issues to be added to the case plan, and issues which have been resolved and can be removed. If the visit is with a child, safety, permanency, and well-being will be addressed in an age appropriate manner. Furthermore, each age appropriate child will be seen privately for a portion of the visit.

1.04Program Evaluation Requirements and Reporting

The applicant must use the RCW Evaluation Plan form to create and upload an evaluation plan that addresses the performance measures listed below in the description of Results Based Budgeting, and that the applicant will use to evaluate the progress of the grant project. 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 outcomes.

Results Based Budgeting Framework

Grant programs will be required to align with the Department’s priorities and core services. Utilizing a results-based 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 Objectives

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

Performance Measures

• 1.2.1.a Effectiveness: % of children reunified with their family of origin
• 1.2.1.b Efficiency: number of case worker visits
• 3.2.1.a Effectiveness: % of children served with no subsequent substantiated reports of harm
• 3.2.1.b Efficiency: cost per child served

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.

1.05Target Population and Service Area

Applicants 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 solicitation.

Target Population: The target population for the services includes Alaskan Native families and other families who have an open case with OCS in rural and hard-to-serve communities where travel and workforce instability create barriers for OCS to provide consistent services. 

Service Areas and Communities: Funding will be allocated within four designated OCS regions with rural catchment and hard-to-serve areas. The OCS Service Regions are Northern, Southcentral, Western and Southeast. For a list of communities located in these regions and the region boundary lines, refer to the attached Rural Regions and Communities and the DHSS OCS Service Regions documents. Proposals must list the communities which will be served by the grant if awarded. The applicant must have an office or facility located in the OCS Service Region they propose to serve (see section 2.03).

1.06Program Funding

The total amount of funds available for this program is anticipated to total $1,131,900 per year in State General Funds. This funding is allocated among the four regions listed below based on the amount of native children in each region. The minimum amount available for a single award is $50,000. It is the intent of OCS to award at least two grants per region; however, if all available funding is not requested or there are no successful applicants in a region, OCS may reallocate funds to another region that has demonstrated need for services. The funding allocated per region is as follows:

• Northern Region: $339,570
• Southcentral Region: $339,570
• Western Region: $226,380
• Southeast Region: $226,380

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 applicant must submit 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

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: DHSS is the payer of last resort. If applicable to the services provided under this agreement, the grantee will have a Medicaid Provider Number, or apply to obtain one, and will make reasonable effort to bill all eligible services to Medicaid or any other available sources of payment before seeking payment through this grant agreement.

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, and 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.

The applicant must describe 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

The applicant must describe the program staff needed for the proposed project. 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 uploaded for key project personnel.

2.03Administrative, Management and Facility Requirements

The applicant must demonstrate the agency'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) Applicants must describe the administrative staffing needed for the proposed project. 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 2 CFR 200.

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 2 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 should describe how access is provided to clients and how that will enhance the success of the project.

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).

4) The applicant must describe the facilities and location(s) where services will be provided within their proposed OCS Service Region. The applicant must have an office or facility located within the OCS Service Region they propose to serve.

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 applicants must describe and upload tangible evidence of the following:

1. Community support where services are being proposed;
2. Partnerships and collaborations specific to the proposed project.

Examples of tangible evidence for partnerships and collaborations include Memorandums of Agreement or Understanding (MOA/MOU). Examples of tangible evidence of community support include letters of support.

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. 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 valid State of Alaska business license and 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 herein; 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 RFP). This will allow issuance of any necessary amendments to all prospective applicants. (Please note: Technical assistance will not be available after 4:00 PM AKST the day of the proposal deadline.)

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 one-year period, beginning 7/1/2017, through 6/30/6018 (Fiscal Year 2018). At the discretion of the Department, a project funded under this RFP may be considered for continued funding in subsequent program Fiscal Years 2019, 2020. 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.

Applicants will submit 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.
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. Scores will be assigned based on the applicant's response to each individual question and the associated criteria. Applicants will not earn points for a given question based on a response to another question in the RFP. DHSS staff will also review 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. Scores will be assigned based on the applicant's response to each individual question and the associated criteria. Applicants will not earn points for a given question based on a response to another question in the RFP. 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