G003--Equine Therapy Sources Sought | 562

Equine-Assisted Services for Psychosocial Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program (PRRTP) Veteran Residents at the Erie VA Medical Center (VAMC) Sources Sought THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION ANNOUNCEMENT. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. This Request for Information (RFI) is intended for information and planning purposes only at this time and shall not be construed as a solicitation or as an obligation on the part of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Because this is a Request for Information announcement, no evaluation letters and/or results will be issued to the respondents. No solicitation exists. Therefore, do not request a copy of a solicitation. The Erie VAMC, located at 135 E. 38th Street Erie, PA 16504, has a Psychosocial Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program (PRRTP) that is required to offer a variety of psychotherapeutic services to Veterans with mental health and/or substance use disorder diagnoses. Clinical services must be targeted to co-occurring psychosocial needs. Individualized programming must be delivered using a model of care that facilitates the Veteran being able to participate in core evidenced-based psychotherapeutic groups as well as psychoeducational groups, complementary therapies, self-help, and other activities that meet individual needs and interests. Requirements: This requirement is dictated by VHA Directive 1162.02 Mental Health Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program (MHRRTP). Per VHA Directive 1162.02, the primary goal of the program is to provide treatment and rehabilitation services to Veterans who have mental health and substance use disorders that are often complex and co-occur with medical concerns and psychosocial needs, such as employment and housing. This is accomplished through the provision of services designed for improving functional status, sustaining treatment and rehabilitation gains, recovery, community integration, and breaking the cycle of recidivism. Services provided in the PRRTP are to be recovery-oriented, which refers to programming that is person-centered (versus program-centered), focused on functioning and community participation (versus symptoms), and strengths-based (a growth model versus a maintenance model). The Directive also tasks MH RRTPs to develop partnerships with internal and external stakeholders to facilitate outreach, access, and discharge planning. The addition of equine-assisted therapy would allow the PRRTP to further expand its treatment offerings in a way that honors the spirit of its guiding directive. The contractor shall provide 2-hour weekly equine-assisted group sessions to up to eight (8) Veterans admitted to the PRRTP at the Erie VAMC. Veterans recently discharged from the PRRTP may continue sessions as space allows them to complete a protocol but must arrange their own transportation. A PRRTP staff member at the VA will be the responsible party in deciding which Veterans shall attend the group session at the Contractor s facility and will provide transportation to the facility. The Contractor shall agree to provide all the requirements listed within the statement of work. Contractor must own or lease a facility within 30 miles of the Erie VA Medical Center, which provides all necessary resources and equipment to safely offer equine-assisted services . The contractor shall provide a signed copy of VA Privacy Training within 30 calendar days after receipt of award and annually thereafter for each employee who will have access to any Veteran s information. At a minimum, contractor will offer equine-assisted sessions using a rotating 8-week schedule. The sessions will include but are not limited to the following: horse familiarization, trust, and health relationships, positive vs. negative thoughts, working through temptations, overcoming obstacles, communication skills, and mindfulness. Session schedules and content may be modified to suit the needs of the participating Veterans and with the concurrence of PRRTP staff. Any planned deviation from the session scheduled will be reviewed verbally with staff present at the start of the session. Contractor must provide a designee to serve as the direct liaison between the contractor and the Erie VAMC upon award and within 15 days if replaced. Contractor shall ensure that learning sessions are attended by a fully certified and trained Equine Assisted Psychotherapy Facilitator, a herd of at least 8 trained horses, and full use of a private equine facility, including an indoor heated arena. Contractor will provide evidence of certification upon request. Contractor will ensure participating Veterans are provided all necessary safety instructions and provide oversight regarding safe behavior in the presence of the horses. VA staff trained in Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and the use of Automated External Defibrillation (AED) devices will be present during all sessions. Contractor shall provide the types of all certifications held by the staff, along with the quantity for each if requested by a VA Representative at any time during the period-of-performance . Contractor is fully responsible for any claims of damage to personal property or personal injury due the Contractor s gross negligence to any participant while participating in any of the activities. Contractor shall refrain from photographing Veterans and if applicable, their children for website, social media, and other marketing materials. Responses to this RFI should include company name, address, point of contact, phone number, and point of contact e-mail, UEI Number, Cage Code, size of business pursuant to North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) 624190 (size standard of $16.0 million). Please answer the following questions: Please indicate the size status and representations of your business, such as but not limited to: Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB), Hubzone, Woman Owned Small Business (WOSB), Large Business, etc.)? Is your company considered small under the NAICS code identified under this RFI? If you intend to subcontract any work on this contract, what portion of the total cost will be self-performed/will be performed by your organization? Please provide estimated detailed percentage breakdowns related to subcontracted work and completion of job. Does your company have an FSS contract with GSA or the NAC or are you a contract holder with any other federal contract? If so, please provide the contract number. If you are an FSS GSA/NAC contract holder or other federal contract holder, are the items/solution you are providing information for available on your schedule/contract? General pricing of your solution is encouraged. Pricing will be used for the purpose of market research only. It will not be used to evaluate for any type of award. Please submit your capabilities regarding the salient characteristics detailed above to establish capabilities for planning purposes. Please review salient characteristics/statement of work (if applicable) and provide feedback or suggestions. If none, please reply as N/A. Please provide your UEI number. This RFI will be conducted in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 13. Telephone responses will not be accepted. Responses must be received via e-mail to contact@example.gov no later than, 10:00 AM Eastern Standard Time (EST) on January 16, 2024. This notice will help the VA in determining available potential sources only. Do not contact VA Medical Center staff regarding this requirement, as they are not authorized to discuss this matter related to this procurement action. All questions will be addressed by the Contracting Officer, Edward Ferkel. All firms responding to this Request for Information are advised that their response is not a request for proposal, therefore will not be considered for a contract award. If a solicitation is issued, information will be posted on the Contract Opportunities website for all qualified interested parties at a later date and interested parties must respond to the solicitation to be considered for award. This notice does not commit the government to contract for any supplies or services. The government will not pay for any information or administrative cost incurred in response to this Request for Information. Information will only be accepted in writing by e-mail to Contracting Officer, Edward Ferkel at contact@example.gov DISCLAIMER This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation. All information received in response to this RFI that is marked as proprietary will be handled accordingly. Responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI.