Shelter Care for Unaccompanied Children

SHELTER CARE FOR UNACCOMPANIED CHILDREN INTRODUCTION THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), and the Program Support Center (PSC) are seeking a qualified business to perform the following requirement. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts or quotations. The information from this market research will help the ACF Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) obtain information about sources capable to provide services to unaccompanied children during an influx. THIS IS STRICTLY MARKET RESEARCH. HHS WILL NOT ENTERTAIN QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS MARKET RESEARCH. This Notice is issued solely for information and market research purposes; it does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP. Furthermore, those who respond to this Notice should not anticipate feedback with regard to its submission. This Notice does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service. ORR is not at this time seeking proposals. Responders are advised that the U.S. Government will not pay any cost incurred in response to this Notice. All costs associated with responding to this Notice will be solely at the interested parties' expense. Not responding to this Notice does not preclude participation in any future RFP. BACKGROUND: This past summer, the Federal government responded to a significant increase in the number of unaccompanied children who were apprehended on the southwest border, with an aggressive, coordinated Federal response focused on providing humanitarian care for the children as well as heightened deterrence, enhanced enforcement, stronger foreign cooperation, and greater capacity for Federal agencies to ensure that our border remains secure. As a result of these efforts, the number of unaccompanied children attempting to cross the southwest border has declined precipitously, and the Federal government continues to focus its resources to prevent a similar situation from developing in the future. At the same time, ACF is continuing to develop efficient, cost-effective strategies to address the types of historical variations in border crossings by unaccompanied children. On March 1, 2003, the Homeland Security Act of 2002, Section 462, transferred responsibilities for the care and placement of unaccompanied children from the Commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service to the Director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Since then, ORR has incorporated child welfare values as well as the principles and provisions established by the Flores Agreement in 1997, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 and its reauthorization acts, the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) of 2005 and 2008. The Office of Refugee Resettlement provides temporary shelter care and other related services to unaccompanied children in ORR custody. Shelter care services begin once ORR accepts a child for placement and ends when the minor is released from ORR custody. Shelter care and other related services are provided in the least restrictive setting appropriate for the child's age and special needs. This Notice is to identify potential offers capable of providing services required to support a temporary influx of unaccompanied children. In preparation for future influxes of unaccompanied children, ORR seeks information that it may use to develop options for contract surge capacity to shelter and care for these children on a time-limited and expandable basis as needed. Due to the nature of unaccompanied children arrivals, ORR seeks sources for a contract vehicle that is flexible, cost-efficient, and could provide the following services on a regional basis throughout the United States: 1) Staffing 2) Wrap-Around Services 3) Temporary Structures 4) Training and Technical Assistance (T&TA) 5) Transportation No decisions have been made about the need for surge capacity in 2015, or whether or not contracts would be awarded for each of these elements. The purpose of this Notice is solely to identify possible sources to the agency in the event of a future influx of children. PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS: ORR requests information that it may use to develop options for indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contracts to provide for an indefinite quantity of the specified services for a fixed time. The potential competition and award of a five-year (base year plus four option years) IDIQ contract could provide comprehensive surge capabilities for future influx of children and should provide for appropriate cost/pricing arrangements by the award of task order for services on an as-needed basis. Cost/pricing arrangements should provide for an estimated quantity of supplies or services (e.g., estimated number of labor hours) and would be funded in full at the time of the task award. A contract may cover one or more of the five categories. The initial award of the base year contract and each option year would require a minimum amount of funding for the development of service infrastructure. The staffing and wrap around services, identified on a regional basis, could support surge locations. The T&TA contract could support these surge sites as well as surge or new providers so that these sites are in full compliance in terms of fulfilling the mission and goals of ORR. Finally, the transportation contract could support releases to his or her sponsor by coordinating travel at a national level for all release and transfer of children. Specifically information is sought for the following services. Responses to this notice should illustrate capabilities related to one or more of the following categories: Staffing The purpose of the staffing contract would be to provide staffing services at ORR-identified shelter locations to provide the management, supervision, and required services to children. Staff support is defined as formal and informal services provided to ensure children's safety and care. The contractor would provide all positions identified and described in the Statement of Work, including licensed professionals, program management staff, and supervision of daily operations. The contractor would provide all logistical support for the travel and equipment needed to fulfill the requirements under the Task Order (s). The contractor would provide scalable staffing plans to serve 100 - 2,500 children with ramp-up and draw-down capabilities. Wrap-Around Services The purpose of the wrap-around services contract would be to provide all support services at ORR-identified shelter locations. The mission would include feeding, cleaning, maintenance and facility preparation, clothing, linens and laundry, transportation, recreational equipment, security, hygiene kits, medical supplies, and custodial services. Depending on the needs of the facility, wrap-around services could include portable toilets and hand washing stations, mobile trailers for offices. Security services would include unarmed security guards and any equipment, such as closed-circuit television networks and communication devices as directed by the government. Maintenance and facility preparation services could include fencing for the property, painting and building repairs, industrial cleaning, addressing non-ADA compliance factors, and other preparations needed to accommodate the sheltering of children in the facilities. Temporary Structures No decisions have been made regarding the need for surge capacity in 2015, but ORR is exploring options available should the need arise. The purpose of the temporary structures with staffing and services is to identify agencies capable of standing-up soft-sided structures, trailers, or other temporary structures that could shelter 100-2,500 children on federally leased or owned land. These agencies would be responsible for the building maintenance and all services to the building, including electricity and plumbing. Transportation Under normal, steady state operations, a sponsor is required to pay any transportation costs associated for the child to travel from the shelter to the sponsor's location. During an influx of children, ORR may waive the requirement for sponsors to arrange travel and associated costs of releasing the children from the shelter and place with the sponsor. In these instances, ORR seeks information regarding a national transportation contractor to make travel arrangements for children in ORR standard shelters and temporary surge facilities. The travel contractor would be responsible for purchasing transportation, including flights, trains, buses, and car rentals, for the children and an escort, if applicable, to release the child. Training and Technical Assistance The mission of ORR is to provide unaccompanied children with a safe and appropriate environment while providing the highest quality of care that is client-focused and maximizes the child's potential both in-care and once released to a sponsor. As part of this mission, ORR focuses on identifying and releasing the child to a sponsor while the child is in immigration proceedings. In order to effectively stand-up temporary surge shelters, ORR is seeking information regarding a training and technical assistance provider to train staff. The training would include ORR policies and procedures, completing sponsor packets, use of the ORR web-based database, and implementing best practices to provide high quality services to the children. While this contract would be primarily targeted towards temporary surge facilities, in fiscal year 2014, ORR awarded nearly 22 new grants to shelter providers and could request the training and technical assistance provider to work with new grantees which operate standard shelter beds. CAPABILITY STATEMENT ORR is seeking sources capable of providing the services outlined above, including regions which could be served, cost/pricing estimates, length of time needed to become operational, and number of children able to serve. INFORMATION SOUGHT AND SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS All inquiries to this Notice must be in writing to linda.jules-o'neil@psc.hhs.gov. One copy of response must be submitted no later than 1:00 pm EST, January 16, 2015 electronically in Microsoft or Adobe PDF. Capability statements will not be returned and will not be accepted after the due date. Each response should also include the following Business Information: 1. Company name, mailing address, e-mail address, telephone and FAX numbers, website address (if available), and the name, telephone number, and e-mail address of a point of contact having the authority and knowledge to clarify responses with Government representatives. 2. Name, title, telephone number, and e-mail addresses of individuals who can verify the demonstrated capabilities identified in the responses. 3. Business size for NAICS Code 624230 (size standard $32.5M) and status, if qualified as an 8(a) firm (must be certified by SBA), Small Disadvantaged Business (must be certified by SBA), Woman-Owned Small Business, HUBZone firm (must be certified by SBA), and/or Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (must be listed in the VetBiz Vendor Information Pages). 4. DUNS number, CAGE Code, Tax Identification Number, and company structure (Corporation, LLC, partnership, joint venture, etc.). Companies also must be registered in the Systems for Award Management (SAM, at www.sam.gov) to be considered as potential sources. 5. Identification of the firm's GSA Schedule contract(s) listed by Schedule number and SINs that are applicable to this potential requirement are also requested. 6. Identification of the firm's GWAC contract(s) by contract number and applicable service item number that are applicable to this potential requirement are also requested. 7. Provide documentation that demonstrates the ability to perform one or more of the categories listed above in the "Program Requirements" section of this Sources Sought Notice. 8. Demonstrate past experience on at least three (3) similar projects consistent in scope, size and complexity and were performed within five years. Also, provide the specifics below: a. Contract number b. Contract title c. Point of Contact (name, phone number and email address) d. Brief Description of work performed e. Overall Value of contract 9. Furnish documentation that indicates staff expertise and experience around the program requirements. The maximum number of pages for submission is 5 pages (excluding cover page, resumes, and other appendices). NOTE: If capability statements exceed the 5 page limitation, all pages beyond the 5 page limit will be removed and will not be included in the review process. DISCLAIMER AND INFORMATION NOTES This notice does not obligate the government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in the response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization's qualifications to perform the work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information submitted. After a review of the responses a solicitation may be published in the Federal Business Opportunities. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation.