DISASTER CASE MANAGEMENT SERVICES

SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE THIS IS NOT A FORMAL REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) AND DOES NOT COMMIT THE PROGRAM SUPPORT CENTER (PSC) TO AWARD A CONTRACT NOW OR IN THE FUTURE This is a SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE to determine the availability of small businesses (e.g., 8(a), service-disabled veteran owned small business, HUBZone small business, small disadvantaged business, veteran-owned small business, or women-owned small business) under NAICS code, 624230, that have the capability, capacity, experience, and expert knowledge of the disaster case management services operating in arduous conditions in support of disaster declared regions in the continental United States. The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) has a requirement for a follow-on contract which consist of a base plus four option years. ACF seeks a qualified provider (non profit, university, corporation, organization'etc) that can identify, assemble and deploy a three tiered system of national, regional and local Disaster Case Managers to a declared disaster area(s) within 72 hours upon notification. A three tiered system of National, Regional and local teams comprise the basic infrastructure of the DCM Model. The teams at all three levels allow for flexibility, speed, and scalability based upon the size and scope of the disaster and impacted area. Upon arrival the National team begins coordinating program implementation, serves as subject matter experts for disaster case management, works with the state to identify key points of contact and begins outreach to identify a network of local disaster case management agencies. The following are key positions included on the National team: - Disaster Case Management Team Leader (ACF role) - Healthcare Consultant (ACF) - Social Services Consultant (ACF) - State Coordinator - National Partner Lead Coordinator - Information Technology (IT) Coordinator - Training Coordinator - Community Coordinator - Compliance/Finance Coordinator - Regional Team Coordinator - Administrative and Logistics Coordinator Regional teams are comprised of volunteers (paid or unpaid) identified, trained, equipped, and coordinated by the National Partner. Multiple Regional Teams are necessary to meet needs in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. Regional Teams are comprised of the following: - Case Management Supervisors (Ratio of 1 to 5) - Nurses/Social Workers for consultation of Federal resources and provision of initial case management - Case Managers - Client Assistants - Client Navigators - Volunteer Coordinator (depending upon the scale of or type of disaster) - Administrative and logistics coordinator The Local Teams are comprised of individuals or affiliates from local communities with experience in disaster case management. Local agency case managers will be required to meet the same qualifications and screening process as the regional teams. Ideally, a pre-identified state or local system for providing disaster case management exists to which all cases can be referred when the regional team is no longer needed. PURPOSE: The purpose of disaster case management is to rapidly return individuals and families who have survived a disaster to a state of self-sufficiency. This is accomplished by ensuring that each individual has access to a case manager who will take information about the individual's situation and then serve as his or her advocate and help him or her organize and access the disaster related resources, human services, medical and mental health care that will help them achieve pre-disaster levels of functioning and equilibrium. The Federal government, to the extent possible, will endeavor to prepare for and reduce disaster impact on existing service delivery to their citizens by aiding in connecting disaster clients to services. More quickly linking disaster clients to appropriate assistance will reduce the likelihood that they will require more intensive healthcare and social service benefits and thus reduce the impact on States and existing systems. BACKROUND: Prior to Hurricane Katrina and Rita there was no federal authority to fund disaster case management as part of a Stafford Act declaration. Consequently, case management had to be provided through donated funds and by voluntary agencies. The case management that was provided connected individuals to disaster specific services based on disaster recovery plans. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita affected over 1 million people, causing extensive damage to existing infrastructure. Many of those affected were already depending on federal assistance programs or suddenly found themselves in need of human or medical services paid for or provided by the government. It became apparent that a case management system was needed for those kinds of large scale displacements. Specifically, any system should assess individual and family needs and assists with connecting them with the appropriate healthcare, mental health, human and disaster specific services to address immediate circumstances and long-term requirements. Congress passed the Post Katrina Emergency Reform Act of 2006 in recognition of this need. The Act recognized the need for comprehensive Disaster Case Management and authorized its development by stating, - the President may provide case management services, including financial assistance, to State or Local government agencies or qualified private organizations to provide such services to victims of major disasters to identify and address unmet needs. This program is specifically designed to integrate with existing state and local case management systems. The ultimate goal is to return citizens to their pre-disaster level of self-sufficiency, when appropriate. TASKS: To assist in the recovery efforts and to provide timely and needed human and disaster services to person impacted by a disaster, it is necessary to establish a contract for the provision of disaster case management services. This contract will enable OHSEPR to assist clients in need of disaster case management following a declared disaster. The contractor will abide by the ACF Disaster Case Management model and the accompanying DCM Implementation Guide. The following are steps and procedures the contractor must take during the delivery of DCM services: - Conduct a community-wide rapid needs assessment to identify available short- and long-term resources for disaster victims in conjunction with Federal, state, and local stakeholders. Coordinate with partners to ensure compliance with all relevant local, state and Federal. - Contact and coordinate with Federal, state and local relief and recovery agencies and organizations, including the long-term recovery committee or equivalent. - Arrange for a call center to triage and pre-qualify individuals for services. - Provide support and financial supplementation to local support entities that partner with the contractor for the provision of case management services consistent with this contract. - Provide on-site and ongoing training to the Disaster Case Management team members that includes instruction on the model and existing human services within the affected region. - Provide outreach and intake services to identify victims who need and qualify for disaster case management services; this service should be provided in conjunction with the Disaster Recovery Centers until permanent locations are identified. - To the extent possible, form a seamless program that integrates with voluntary agencies and state programs in order to avoid duplication of services. - Establish an organizational structure and implement staff supervision procedures for Regional and Local DCM teams to ensure that the team functions cohesively, effectively, in coordination with other Federal, state, and local responders and service providers, and with appropriate leadership and accountability; - Provide disaster case management and referral services to clients. Beginning by developing mutually agreed upon recovery plans for individuals to return to their pre-disaster status with the longer-term goal of economic self-sufficiency. Services should continue until clients have completed their recovery plan or are referred to other service providers. - Connect clients to existing services offered by Federal, state, and local agencies, as well as voluntary organizations. - Track the services provided and progress of individual clients using the to-be-specified client tracking system. - Develop a local network of providers that represents voluntary service agencies and other organizations that provide services to individuals with special needs. DELIVERABLES See attached Performance Work Statement for list of required deliverables. REQUIRED DEMONSTRATED KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE Any potential offeror must demonstrate the following: Demonstrated experience, knowledge and understanding of disaster case management and the problems faced by the human services, healthcare, and mental health communities as it relates to preparedness for disasters requiring case management. Experience should include knowledge and understanding of working with various levels of emergency management, including the local, state and Federal levels. Demonstrated knowledge and experience coordinating with state and Federal social services agencies and programs. Demonstrated ability to plan, prioritize, coordinate, manage, and support personnel, information, equipment, and resources to respond and recover from catastrophic events. Experience in effectively coordinating the use of volunteers and donations in support of domestic incident management. Demonstrated incident management and leadership in effectively managing National level teams, increasing surge capacity, and personnel of various professional backgrounds during a disaster. A demonstrated, existing nationwide and local network in place to provide case management services that includes, in part, the use of volunteers. A broad based knowledge, experience, and skill set in the areas of case management, counseling, large-scale data management, and victim services processes. Evidence of prior experience in providing consultation for or actual delivery of nationwide case management services, including services to special needs populations, children, and persons resettled due to a crisis situation. Experience with developing tools and data to evaluate the effectiveness and outcomes of programs. Along with the above, the following specific information is requested: (a) company descriptive literature; (b) specific related corporate experience; (c) experience with the type of performance expectations mentioned above; and (d) references (to include a point of contact and phone number) with first hand knowledge of the experience cited in (b), and (c) above; (e) Business information outlined below. Business information: a. DUNS b. Company Name c. Company Address (Company Point of Contact, phone number and email address) e. Type/Size of company, NAICS code, and Social Economic status, as validated via the Central Contractor Registration (CCR). All offerors must register on the CCR located at http://www.ccr.gov/index.asp. Additional information on NAICS codes can be found at www.sba.gov. f. Current GSA Schedule or Contract No., if applicable, appropriate to this Sources Sought g. Point of Contact, phone number and email address of individuals who can verify the demonstrated capabilities identified in the responses. The synopsis is for information and planning purposes and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government. This is not a solicitation announcement for proposals and no contract will be awarded from this announcement. No reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with providing information in response to this announcement and any follow-up information requests. Respondents will not be notified of the results of the evaluation. All information submitted in response to this announcement must arrive on or before the closing date. All capability statements can be submitted via e-mail or regular mail to the point of contact listed below. Responses must be submitted not later than January 21, 2009, 4 PM, EST. Responses shall be limited to 20 pages. Resumes of key people are limited to 2 pages and may be submitted as an attachment, which will not count towards the page limit. Documentation should be sent to: Program Support Center Attn: William N. Li, Contracting Officer 5600 Fishers Lane, Room 5-101 Rockville, MD 20857 Point of Contact: Name: William Li, Contract Officer Phone: 301-443-2475 Email: William.Li@psc.hhs.gov