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 Circles of Support services for the State of Alaska in FY2017 thru FY2019 in the OCS Southeast Region. Program Services are authorized under 7 AAC 78 Grant Programs. 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 OCS provides family services to children in their own home for two categories of clients based upon the safety and level of risk in the household:

• Category 1: families whose children are currently safe, but at high risk of future maltreatment.
• Category 2: families whose children are currently unsafe and remain in their home with a safety plan,

Under the Circles of Support grant program, the OCS intends to close their case and refer Category 1 clients to the successful applicant (grantee) for services. For Category 2 clients, the OCS case will remain open and OCS and grantee will work together to provide services. Services for Category 2 clients often involve intensive intervention, involuntary service provision, and court involvement and the child may be maintained in the home with a safety plan which is managed by the OCS.

Grantee's will provide the following categories of service during the specified time frame:

• Fiscal Year 2017 (1/1/2017 through 6/30/17): Services will be provided to Category 1 clients only.
  • Services to Category 1 clients are new.
    
• Fiscal Year 2018 and 2019 (continuing years): Services will be provided to Category 1 and Category 2 clients.
  • Services to Category 2 clients are not new:
    • In FY17, services to Category 2 clients are provided by grantees under the Community Based Support Services grant program.
    • Starting in FY18, services to Category 2 clients will be provided by the successful applicants under this Circles of Support grant program.

When the OCS safety assessment (aka investigation) is conducted and it is determined that the child can remain safely in the home, but that the child is at high risk of future maltreatment, a plan will be developed with the family for services to be delivered. To ensure the success of in-home plan; the family often requires a variety of individual and family services as well as close supervision and frequent monitoring. The needs identified in the initial assessment are then used in conjunction with the parent(s) to formulate the items needing to be addressed via their case plan.

In many cases there is a need for immediate services, such as substance abuse assessment or urinalysis testing, support for the parents to eliminate any health or safety hazards in the child’s physical surroundings, assistance with seeking a protective order if domestic violence is a factor and mental health evaluation or stabilization. Therefore a component of these in-home services will require significant case coordination to other available services. Federal requirements outline that the caseworker needs to be visiting the home on a frequent basis, reassessing the safety of the child at every contact, working with providers and ensuring the children’s needs are also being met while the parent is addressing their identified areas of need.

In-home services are designed to be short term in nature, approximately 90-days, but some services resolve sooner or may last longer depending on the need and complexity of the familial issues. If safety threats are identified or the parent becomes unwilling to engage, it would be incumbent on the grantee to refer the family back to OCS and OCS would proceed in determining if there were grounds for filing a petition for custody.

It is expected that these programs serve 10 to 50 families at any given time depending on location. In-home services provided will assist families with safely maintaining their children in the home and prevent an out-of-home placement in foster care.

1.02Program Goals and Anticipated Outcomes

The Circles of Support program aligns with the DHSS Results Based Accountability framework outlined in section 1.04. The proposed project and required logic model must demonstrate a thorough understanding and must be clearly supportive of the grant program goals and outcomes anticipated by the Department. Refer to section 1.04 for more information regarding the logic model.

PROGRAM GOALS:  The goal of this program is to provide Circles of Support services for families with children who have been determined by OCS to be at high risk of future maltreatment, to decrease the likelihood that those children will be placed in an out-of-home setting and to help strengthen the family.

ANTICIPATED OUTCOMES: Services provided through this grant must result in measurable outcomes.  Outcomes are results that a program intends to achieve by implementing a service.  They are changes that occur or differences made for individuals, groups, families, organizations, or communities during or after receiving services.  OCS has determined specific outcomes linked to this funding.

Applicants must describe how the proposed services and project outcomes would support the outcomes of the grant program:

• Increased Protective Factors
• Increased Supports for Families
• Reduced need for Out-of-Home Placements

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 grantee 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 diminishes. Research shows that these Protective Factors are factors that build family strengths and a family environment that promotes optimal child and youth development.

Any outcomes of service delivery should aim to increase the protective factors of families served by the proposed program.

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.

The services delivered through the  Circles of Support program are anchored around the philosophy that services will be:

1. individualized and strength-based;
2. culturally sensitive/competent; and
3. trauma informed.

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

Individualized and Strength-Based: Recognition of the strengths of family relationships and building upon those strengths in service planning is critical to achieve 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.  Cultural sensitivity begins with recognition that there are differences between cultures. Cultural sensitivity does not mean, however, that a person need only be aware of the differences to interact effectively with people from other cultures. If providers and their clients are to interact effectively, they must move beyond both cultural sensitivity and cultural biases that create barriers.

Developing this kind of culturally competent attitude is an ongoing process. Applicants must 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 Services: Research of the last 20 years has taught us that previously unrecognized effects of trauma on the developing brain is one, if not the most important, of the prevalent 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.

The grantee will be responsible for providing the following services:

1. Family Service Coordination
2. Service plan implementation and monitoring
3. Assessment of family progress
4. Parent Education and Support
5. Transportation Services

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

Family 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 describe how they will work with individual family members to coordinate and actively support involvement in early childhood services, medical services, substance abuse services, education/employment and behavioral health services as needed. Each member of the family should be considered when coordinating services. 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 services is to help families recover and learn to access and utilize their own or the community’s 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. To adequately meet the needs of the priority population served by this RFP, the majority of staff time should be spent coordinating services and identifying the community resources available and/or accessed by families.  This focus will ensure all families are effectively linked to the right services and supports.

Service plan implementation and monitoring: Referrals to the program from OCS will include an in-person meeting with the grantee, the family, Tribal representative, if applicable, and the OCS worker to discuss the OCS initial assessment, and to begin the development of the service plan for the family. These meetings should occur in the family home whenever possible. This effort will support parent empowerment and provide a warm hand off of the services which will likely result in better program participation.

The service plan must be reviewed by the grantee at least once per month with the family, to review the service plan and to identify if any changes need to be made. Referrals must include a release of information (ROI) signed by the family for communication between OCS and the grantee to allow for the referral and reporting the outcome of the offered services to OCS. Proposals must outline the intake process which should involve a meeting with the family, Tribal representative (if applicable) and the assigned OCS case worker making the referral. If an applicant is recommended for award, the applicant will be required to provide their proposed service plan format as a condition of award.

In Fiscal Year 2018, service plan implementation and monitoring will expand to include safety plan support and monitoring for Category 2 children who may be in their home with a safety plan where the OCS case remains open and OCS remains responsible for ensuring the safety of the child.

Assessments of Family Progress: 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.  Assessment will take place during frequent face to face contact with both the child and caregivers, in their own home and other appropriate community settings such as playgrounds, libraries or other places where services are being provided to the family or child.  Minimum standards for contact with children in the open in-home cases are monthly and in the child's home, but will likely be weekly or more often when service provision begins. The grantee will utilize the Protective Factors survey before providing services and at the conclusion of services. See Attachments for the Protective Factors Survey and user manual. The survey results are designed to help agencies measure changes in protective factors and identify areas where workers can focus on increasing individual family protective factors. Any assessment made regarding immediate or impending threats to the child's safety must be reported to OCS. The applicant's proposal must describe how they will utilize and implement the Protective Factor's survey for their proposed program.

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. The parenting component of these services may be offered one-on-one, in a group setting or may take place through a parent support group method. Parent support groups have 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. 

For agency-based parenting groups/classes to be funded through this program, there must be a coaching and 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. 

The applicant must include a clear outline of the curricula or models chosen. Include an outline of any curricula used with the proposal as well as a description of the evaluation tool which will be used to determine whether the parenting group or curriculum delivered is effective, i.e. survey or other evaluation tool.  If employee training is needed to implement this component, funds must be allocated and outlined in the proposed budget.

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. The applicant may also have a company vehicle that 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. The applicant must describe how transportation services will be provided to parents and children under this program.

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 must be in your proposal.

Documentation: The applicant must describe how they will document the number of hours spent on each of the five services listed above for each family. Grant reporting will require quarterly reporting of the number of unduplicated hours of each of the services provided for the family.  For example, time spent transporting a client cannot also be counted as time spent assessing progress or providing parenting education or support.

1.04Program Evaluation Requirements and Reporting

The applicant must provide an evaluation plan using the Circles of Support Indicators worksheet attached to this RFP and outcomes from the applicant's completed Logic Model. 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. The evaluation plan must also address the performance measures listed below in the description of the Results Based Budgeting.

Logic Model Development: The applicant must provide a Logic Model using the sample Logic Model instructions attached to this RFP. The Logic Model must include goal(s), outcomes, outputs, resources and activities applicable to the proposed project and compliant with program intent.

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 and Wellness Across the Life Span
• 3 Safe and Responsible Individuals, Families and 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

• Effectiveness: % of parents demonstrating enhanced protective factors
• Efficiency: Cost per family served

More information about the DHSS priorities can be found at http://dhss.alaska.gov/Documents/Publications/priorities.PDF

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), an agency power user must complete a FFATA form in the GEMS Agency Administration tab. 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). For Fiscal Year 2017, funding is anticipated to be general funds and the FFATA form and Federal Assurances and Certifications are not required with the applicant's response to this solicitation. In continuing years, funding is anticipated to be a combination of general and federal funds and grantees would be expected to complete the necessary federal forms when they respond to the continuation solicitations.

1.05Target Population and Service Area

Applicants must clearly describe the population targeted by the project, including the communities that will be served in the OCS Southeast Region.  Proposals will be evaluated for compatibility with the intended target population identified in this solicitation.

Target Population:  The target population for the services requested in this solicitation includes children under 18 who:

• Category 1: are currently safe, but at high risk of future maltreatment.
• Category 2: are currently unsafe and remain in their home with a safety plan.

Please refer to section 1.01 for a description of the specified time frame for service provision of the two categories.

Service Areas and Communities:  Services are sought in communities located in the Office of Children's Services Southeast Region. A map of the OCS service regions is provided as an attachment to this RFP.

1.06Program Funding

The intent is to fund at least one award in the OCS Southeast Service Region which did not have any successful applicants during the recent procurement.

• For Fiscal Year 2017, grantees will only provide services to Category 1 clients for a six-month period. Funds available under this program for the OCS Southeast Region will not exceed $30,000 in general funds per award for Fiscal Year 2017.
  
• For continuing years, grantees will provide services to Category 1 and Category 2 clients. Funds available under this program for the OCS Southeast Region will not exceed $68,760 in a combination of general and federal funds per award for Fiscal Year 2018. Refer to subsection 3.05 for additional information regarding grant duration and continued funding.

Anticipated funding amounts are based on the percentage of children currently in out of home care in each region. If there are no successful applicants in a region, OCS may consider reallocating funds among the remaining regions.

Match Requirements: The budget must include matching funds to equal no less than 15.00% 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 six months of service to Category 1 clients in Fiscal Year 2017. The proposal must also contain both a detailed and narrative budget for the first continuation year of the grant program (Fiscal Year 2018) when grantees will provide services to both Category 1 and Category 2 clients. Refer to subsection 3.05 for additional information regarding grant duration and continued funding.

The budgets must include 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: 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, 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

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)  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 2CFR 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 must 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).

2.04Support/Coordination of Services

Applicants must be able to demonstrate the proposed project has the necessary support for the successful delivery of services.  The applicant must upload evidence of community support where services are being proposed.

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 six month period in Fiscal Year 2017, beginning 1/1/2017 through 6/30/2017. During that time, grantees will only provide services to Category 1 families under this grant program. At the discretion of the Department, a project funded under this RFP may be considered for continued funding in subsequent program years Fiscal Year 2018 and Fiscal Year 2019. In the continuing years, grantees would provide services to Category 1 and Category 2 families. The decision to continue funding for the subsequent years of the two-year and six month 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 the six month period of FY17 and submit a full year budget for FY18.  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 contents of 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 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