Nursing Services

The purpose of this Request for Proposal (RFP) is to solicit competitive proposals from qualified Suppliers who can provide licensed registered nurses (RN), licensed practical nurses (LPN), and/or Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA) to provide health care services to students with complex health care needs within Canyons School District (CSD). It is anticipated that this RFP may result in a contract award to a qualified (Supplier) or multiple suppliers for services as needed and as defined further in the Scope of Work. This RFP is designed to provide interested Suppliers with sufficient basic information to submit proposals meeting minimum requirements, but is not intended to limit a proposal’s content or exclude any relevant or essential data. All proposal preparation costs and any associated activities related to this RFP are the sole responsibility of the Supplier. When using Utah State Contract pricing, please reference a contract number.
All solicitation responses must be submitted electronically through Ion Wave.   General Information
A. Inquiries All inquiries relative to this RFP must be submitted through Ion Wave and will be answered through Ion Wave up to the Q & A deadline.
B. RFP Award When the award is made, it will be posted in Ion Wave. In the event that the RFP is canceled after the closing date, that information will be posted on Ion Wave as well.
C. Right of Rejection CSD reserves the right to reject the low bid if the products/services bid are not equal to or better than the items listed on the Price Schedule and/or are not acceptable in appearance, durability, and performance (applicable if samples are requested and evaluated).
D. Contract Period This agreement shall commence on the date of the RFP award by the Board of Education and continue for one (1) year. Each bid must include an option whereby CSD, at its sole discretion, can extend the contract annually for up to four (4) additional years with the same terms, prices, and conditions set forth in this document and/or as negotiated between the successful Supplier and the Procurement Officer. The option shall be exercisable at the end of the first year. If the option is not exercised, then the contract shall automatically expire at the end of the contract term. Notice of exercise of the option must be given at least thirty (30) days prior to the end of the contract term.
E. Contract Pricing The contract will be a Firm Fixed Price Contract. Consideration for bid price increases or decreases will be made only for extreme changes in market conditions, as determined and agreed upon by the CSD Procurement Officer and the Supplier.
F. Oral Presentations An oral presentation by the proposing Supplier to expand on their submitted proposal may be required. Presentations will be scheduled after the submission of proposals. More information about the required presentation content will be addressed at that time.   ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
In order to be eligible to respond to this RFP, an interested Supplier must meet all of the following minimum qualifications:
A. Licensed The interested Supplier must be properly licensed to conduct business in the State of Utah. All agencies are required to have a National Provider Identifier (NPI) and be registered as a healthcare provider in the Utah Medicaid PRISM portal.
B. Nursing Skills Validation Due to the autonomous nature of a nursing assignment in a school setting, CSD requires nursing agencies to validate that their nurse(s) can demonstrate proficiency of the skills required to serve the student to whom the nurse is assigned. Nursing agencies must, upon request, provide documentation to CSD that the assigned nurse has demonstrated cognitive and psychomotor skill competency required to safely care for the student’s medical needs and applicable medical procedures.
C. Background Check The successful Supplier will be required to submit all nurses assigned to work with CSD to a screening process to include the following:   1. A fingerprint criminal background check 2. Proof of verification of an unencumbered professional license to ensure no current license restrictions, disciplinary actions, or suspensions.
3. Verification that the nurse does not appear on either of the following federal databases to ensure that they have not been excluded or disbarred;
a. System for Award Management (SAM) www.sam.gov b. List of Excluded Individuals and Entities (LEIE) https://oig.hhs.gov/exclusions
D. Lifting Requirement The nurse must be able to lift 50 pounds.   E. Confidentiality The supplier must maintain confidentiality of the student, both medical and educational information, under State policies and 34CFR-99.   General Information
A. Basic Contract Information 1. The age of the students requiring services ranges from three (3) to 23 years old. 2. This contract will cover all CSD schools. 3. The number of students varies from school year to school year based on enrollment. 4. School hours will vary by student and school, but are generally between 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. CSD may require the nurse to accompany the student on CSD transportation from the student’s home to school in the morning and from school to the student’s home each afternoon. Other transportation arrangements will be determined on a case-by-case basis. Nurses will be required to obtain a report in the morning from the assigned student’s caretaker, and give report at the end of the day to the caretaker. 5. Nursing services are provided only for instruction and activity time specifically outlined in CSD curriculum. Nursing services are not extended for non-curriculum activities or instruction beyond CSD-established school hours. 6. CSD abides by the traditional school year calendar with school in session between August and June. It is possible that there will be an additional 12 to 15 days of summer school after traditional school ends. 7. The nurses will be assisting CSD students with complex health care needs. Some students may have multiple disabilities with the possibility of a visual or hearing impairment, tracheostomy (with or without mechanical ventilation), supplemental oxygen, mechanical ventilation, G-tube or J-tube, ostomy, and/or seizures.
SCOPE OF WORK
The current requirements are detailed below. Additional services may be required as additional students attend school needing nursing services.
A. Licensed Nurse (RN/LPN) Responsibilities 1. A licensed nurse is assigned to work with a CSD student, working independently, with no nursing supervision in the building. The licensed nurse will be exclusively assigned to provide nursing care for only one (1) student while in the school setting, including transportation to and from school. The nurse is not allowed to provide nursing consultation or care for any other student. The nurse will work in a school setting with one (1) or more educational professionals.
2. CSD requires nurses to care for students with one or more of the following needs:   a) Tracheostomy airway management and care b) Mechanical ventilation c) Emergency seizure medication administration d) Other (specific skill as required to serve student) 3. The nurse will be responsible for checking the equipment and supplies prior to departure from the home to ensure that all provisions are available for the student's needs during the day. 4. The nurse will be responsible to monitor the student’s health condition(s) and provide any nursing care as ordered by the student’s physician, or that is indicated and necessary.   B. Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Responsibilities   1. A CNA is assigned to work with 1-3 specific students in the school setting. CNAs function in a supportive role by providing assistance with the assigned students' basic activities of daily living, thus allowing the students to more fully participate in their educational learning activities. 2. Under the supervision of the agency Director of Nursing, and in conjuction with CSD Nursing Services, CNAs would be assigned to provide support and health care for students with one or more of the following needs:   a) Monitoring student-specific VS (as applicable)and report to school nurse. b) Muscle weakness c) Mobility challenges, including limited use of arms, legs, trunk control d) Assistance with body repositioning and seat transfers e) Toileting assistance f) Feeding assistance (either oral and/or enteral tube feedings) g) Assist with administration of student-specific medications (oral, enteral feeding tube, topical) h) Urostomy straight catheterization i) Stoma appliance/bag care   3. The CNA will be responsible to monitor the student's health condition, report to the school nurse, and provide supportive care as trained and delegated by the school nurse.   a) If the student has a trach, the nurse will be responsible to suction the trach as often as necessary to maintain a patient airway. b) If the student requires supplemental oxygen and/or mechanical ventilation, the nurse will be responsible to manage and adjust ventilatory settings and oxygen support as prescribed by the Primary Healthcare Provider. c) If the student has diabetes, seizures, and/or some other medical condition(s), the nurse will be responsible to monitor and treat the respective medical condition(s).   C. Billable Hours / Payment 1. The contract time for the nurse will be from the time the nurse arrives at the student’s house prior to the student starting the school day until the time the nurse completes his/her report to the parent upon return from school. 2. Upon inspection and acceptance of invoice, CSD will render payment within 30 days. All payments to the Nursing Agency will be remitted by mail. Travel time, expenses, mileage, meals, car rental, and/or stipend expenses will not be reimbursed. 3. Agency invoice will include the following information: a) Name of student b) Date of service c) Number of hours d) Name of nurse by first initial followed by the full last name and title (RN, LPN, CNA) e) Nursing notes for each day of service, signed by nurse, to include first name, last name and title (RN, LPN, CNA)
4. Invoices are to be submitted to: Canyons School District Attn: Rebecca Vazquez 9361 South 300 East Sandy, UT 84070 contact@example.gov  
 

Technical Proposal Requirements Proposing Suppliers are expected to complete Schedules A-D (in Attachments) and upload them as part of of their proposal. Pricing should be entered in the Line Item tab and kept out of Schedules A-D. 
Evaluation of Proposals Evaluation Criteria CSD will evaluate each proposal submitted based on responsiveness to CSD’s overall needs. The award of contract, if made, will be to the Supplier(s) that is responsive and responsible to all administrative and technical requirements of the RFP; that has demonstrated competence and qualifications in regards to providing the services required; that offers the lowest/competitive pricing for the services offered; and that receives the highest rating based upon all of the criteria set forth in the RFP. n/a: Certification of Proposal (Schedule A) 10 Points: Executive Summary (Schedule B) 20 Points: Qualifications/Experience (Schedule C) 30 Points: Detailed Response (Schedule D) 10 Points: References (Schedule E) 30 Points: Price Proposal (Line Items Section of the Bid Platform)
  Evaluation Method The Schedules A-E will be scored by an evaluation committee. Evaluators will score each section 1-5 (1 being low and 5 being high). Scores will then be multiplied by a specified number (see the example evaluation sheet).   Line Items Section of the Bid Platform: (Pricing) will be evaluated by the Purchasing Agent using the following point weight method: (Lowest Proposed Price / Each Individual Proposed Price) x 30 Points.   NOTE: If price proposals are unclear and clarification is needed, the Purchasing Agent reserves the right to request a best and final offer from all submitting Suppliers.