BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The mission of the New York State Unified Court System (UCS) is to deliver equal justice under the law and to achieve the just, fair and timely resolution of all matters that come before our courts. In the service of our mission, the UCS is committed to operating with integrity and transparency, and to ensuring that all who enter or serve in our courts are treated with respect, dignity, and professionalism. We affirm our responsibility to promote a court system free from any and all forms of bias and discrimination and to promote a judiciary and workforce that reflect the rich diversity of New York State. More information about the UCS is available at https://www.nycourts.gov.
UCS operates problem-solving courts, among them drug courts, which help judges and court staff respond to the needs of litigants and the community. Problem-solving courts look to the underlying issues that bring people into the court system, employ innovative approaches to address those issues, and seek to simplify the court process for litigants. A drug court involves an intervention by the court in cooperation with a team of specialists in social services, treatment, and criminal justice professionals in the local community. In return for a promise of a reduced sentence, appropriate non-violent addicted offenders are given the option of entering voluntarily into court-supervised treatment. The rules and conditions of participation are clearly stated in a contract entered into by the defendant, the defense attorney, the district attorney, and the court.
PROJECT INFORMATION
UCS is the recipient of a grant (the “Grant Award”) awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) (the “Grantor”) for the purpose of funding the NYS Equal Justice in Treatment Courts Initiative (the “Project”). Pursuant to the terms of the Grant Award, $450,000 is the maximum available funding for Project Services (as set forth in Article V below) performed during September 4, 2024 – September 30, 2025, provided, however, that such period may be extended upon mutual agreement of Grantor and UCS (the “Project Term”). UCS reserves the right to request a no-cost extension of the Project Term from the Grantor.
UCS anticipates that the selected applicant will be designated a “subrecipient” rather than a “contractor” for purposes of federal requirements of the Grant Award.
AWARD
UCS intends to award one contract for a term commencing on or about August 1, 2024, and terminating on or about September 30, 2025 (“Contract Term”).
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Contract Term of any contract resulting from this RFP may extend to a term not to exceed five (5) years in total, which contract shall terminate upon the earlier of: (i) five (5) years from the contract commencement date; or (ii) the complete expenditure of funding available for Project Services, whichever is earlier, unless otherwise terminated pursuant to the terms of said contract. Awarded contractor shall be contractually obligated to provide the Project Services for the Project Term, as it may be amended or extended. UCS and awarded contractor shall communicate regularly concerning the remaining amount of grant funds and the approximate timing of complete expenditure.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Proposals will be considered only from applicants who meet the following minimum qualifications:
Qualified applicants are agencies that possess at least two (2) years of experience in performing services similar or relevant to those described herein.
Qualified applicants must have the capacity to provide Project Services (as set forth in Article V, below), including the Required Staffing to support the proposed Project Services.
PROJECT SERVICES
UCS seeks proposals describing how the applicant will provide the services listed below (“Project Services”). The selected applicant shall be required to:
Assess policies and practices that drive decisions related to eligibility for adult treatment courts and will work with six (6) pilot sites located throughout NYS to generate state-wide recommendations that will inform a state strategy for ensuring equitable access and completion rates in adult treatment courts.
Use the results of the recently completed American University Racial and Ethnic Disparities (RED) Program Assessment Tool to support six (6) adult treatment court teams to address court practices that may create disparities and to provide best practice recommendations for the six (6) drug court teams to implement to improve program practice. Findings related to eligible populations and participation rates from qualitative analysis conducted by NPC Research will be utilized to engage the pilot sites. The vendor will employ the NADCP Equity and Inclusion Toolkit to support equitable and inclusive practices to improving access and participation in drug court programs.
Work with community stakeholders in theses six (6) sites to identify potential disparate decision-making or processes and opportunities/needs for closing practice gaps. The vendor will be required to engage interagency partners within each pilot site and to conduct interviews with adult treatment court teams, former program participants, and/or family or community members to build an understanding of any challenges and successes related to the availability of resources, referral strategies, barriers to entry, and other social and legal factors that may create disparities in court participation.
Provide technical assistance in person and virtually to the six (6) pilot sites regarding implementation of standardized screening tools to further enhance equitable access to NY’s drug courts. The vendor will develop site-specific strategies to address issues related to eligibility criteria, marketing of the drug court program, and community engagement to bolster access and participation rates.
Collaborate with NPC Research, the program evaluator, in the development of a report to describe lessons learned during implementation and to generate recommendations to improve equitable justice in adult treatment courts throughout NY State.
Examine evaluation outcomes, policies, and evidence-based practices generated from the six (6) pilot sites and statewide interviews. Disseminate these findings as part of the foundation for an equal justice learning community.
Conduct a total of four equal justice learning community webinars to examine evaluation outcomes, policies, and evidence-based practices generated from the six (6) pilot sites and statewide interviews.
Maintain documentation (such as project logs, reports, and records in appropriate files and database(s)) and provide continuous feedback to the project team regarding progress.
Assist in collecting and maintaining all data as required by BJA.
Provide appropriate supervision and oversight for any staff included on this project.
Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Set Aside: No
Due date:08/21/2024 2:00 PM
Contract term: On or about August 1, 2024-September 30, 2025
County(ies): All NYS counties
Location: New York State Business entities awarded an identical or substantially similar procurement contract within the past five years: Welfare Research Institute; Justice Innovation, Inc.
