ODNR Parks and Watercraft Background Investigations for Law Enforcement Employment Applicants

Please see attached Request for Proposal for full specifications and scoring criteria.Background Information:  The Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Parks and Watercraft (DNR) employs Natural Resources Officers as law enforcement staff through an extensive background investigation process.  The background investigations, including information found through database searches, as well as the in-person character interviews, and other information collected as part of the investigation are written in a formal consistent report of the applicant so that the agency can select those applicants that best serve a law enforcement role.     Specifications:  DNR is seeking a service provider that can conduct thorough and comprehensive background investigations as close to the standard or exceeding that in which the agency already receives.  Supplier should offer background investigations with specifications to include:     An in-depth review of the applicant’s background through methods of database searches for criminal and financial records, court records, open-source media, military records, as well as comprehensive reviews of collected records. 
  In person character and reference interviews of prior employers, instructors, friends, family, neighbors, and others that can provide an adequate character reference for the applicant.  
  An in-person interview will be conducted with the applicant to further gain information on the background and character of the applicant.  The questions will not be provided but should follow up on information gained from the candidate’s file of all other materials.  Sometimes follow-up in-person interviews may be necessary as new information is uncovered. 
    Requirements:    DNR requires a 30 day or less completion requirement for each batch of candidate files.  The thirty-day window will start on the day that the vendor receives the applicant information. 
At the completion of each background investigation, DNR requires a thorough written report and review of the applicant and findings.  
DNR requires a main point of contact to be liaison through the process.   
DNR requires ability to send and receive information through an electronically secure method.  Public email servers such as Gmail, Yahoo, Microsoft, etc. are not acceptable. Successful bidders will be subject to the State Information Security, Privacy and Data Handling Requirements (Supplement S). 
DNR asks that investigators be available for follow up on questionable information that may be viewed during the review of the report.   
Investigators should be knowledgeable, with past experience and present a professional image when conducting field investigation work.  
DNR requires that Investigators will be available for consultation during applicant review process after the background completion.   
In many cases, applicants will need to undergo multiple in person field interviews in response to emerging leads and/or information. In addition to this, travel is often required to obtain public record request print-outs and/or educational or employment records. The cost(s) associated with this travel will be at the expense of the supplier and not reimbursable by ODNR. 
Each investigative report must be completed and presented in a standardized format. Investigative reports must be thorough, professional, and grammatically correct. Reports must include topics such as: 
Candidate information/Candidate appearance – to include pictures/descriptions of any tattoos, body piercings, etc. 
Field interviews – At-home interview is required for each candidate. Interviews will be required of (at minimum) five employment references and five character references. An interview of the candidate’s spouse or significant other is required when permitted. 
Educational history – High school and beyond. This includes certification programs such as OPOTA certifications.  
All military training and experience.  
The following records shall be verified (in-person) 
Social Security Card 
Original Birth Certificate 
Copy of high school and college transcripts 
Verification of U.S. Citizenship 
Copy of DD214 (military discharge papers) 
Driver’s License 
Any court records from lawsuits 
Bankruptcy documents 
Vehicle Registrations/Insurance 
Copy of Marriage Certificate, Divorce Decree, Dissolution, Annulment. 
Name Changes 
Query local police departments, criminal and civil courts, Sheriff’s Office, Juvenile Courts, County Child Support. Submit public record requests as needed (cost not reimbursable by the State, and should be factored into bid). 
OPOTA Certificate/Agency Commission (if applicable) 
Financial/credit history 
BMV and criminal record history 
Social media activity 
Verification of polygraph results (will be provided by ODNR) 
Summary of applicant falsifications and/or omissions during the hiring process. Check for consistency between pre-hire paperwork, polygraph, and interviews. 
Evaluation/summary of candidate’s personality/character/maturity (to be obtained largely from reference interviews and/or polygraph results).  
Statement of undeveloped leads (ie, open public record requests, information from interviews, unsubstantiated documents, etc.). 
If something in a candidate’s initial investigation leads to a need for additional information, the vendor may be asked to conduct additional investigative efforts at no additional cost to DNR. 
  Technical Proposal Response  Please address the following:  Company history, and years of relevant experience.  
Provide the names, table of organization and experience of staff who will conduct investigative work under this project. Include contact information for key project team members.  
Please provide sample reports of recent investigations that have been performed by your agency. Special emphasis should be on cases that involved pre-employment investigations and field interviewing. Samples, while not necessarily performed for the same customer, should demonstrate the standardized format used by your agency. Please ensure that all sensitive information has been redacted.  
Because of the sensitive nature of this work, all information must be handled in a secure manner. Please provide a detailed plan for the secure electronic file transfer of sensitive information. The plan should address all electronic communications to/from applicants and references, as well as communications between your agency staff. Public email servers such as Gmail, Yahoo, Microsoft, etc. are not acceptable. Successful bidders will be subject to the State Information Security, Privacy and Data Handling Requirements (Supplement S). 
A candidate class is typically between 25-40 individuals.  All background investigations must be completed simultaneously to keep the cadet hiring process on target.  Your agency will be required to perform all investigative work (including at-home in-person field interviews and follow-up interviews) within the provided 30-day contract deadline. Please provide a brief explanation of your plan for project completion within that timeframe.  
  Cost Proposal:  In a separate document, please provide your cost proposal for each complete background investigation.   Pre Bid Meeting:   ODNR will host an optional online pre-bid meeting on Monday, January 29th at 11am-Noon using Microsoft Teams.  Bidders are encouraged to attend to ask any clarifying questions.  Beyond this meeting, all inquiries must be submitted through the Ohio Buys sourcing event.     Microsoft Teams meeting  Join on your computer, mobile app or room device  Click here to join the meeting  Meeting ID: 283 093 597 361   Passcode: L4QTtF   Download Teams | Join on the web