Inactive

The purpose of this sources sought notice is to inform the industry that the Government intends to solicit in accordance with PL 110-387, section 604 for Technical and Support Services Veterans Famili... The purpose of this sources sought notice is to inform the industry that the Government intends to solicit in accordance with PL 110-387, section 604 for Technical and Support Services Veterans Families (SSVF). The Contractor must be a non-profit private entity familiar with grants which will assist grantees of the Supported Services for Veterans Families.

Inactive

THIS REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)/ SOURCES SOUGHT IS ISSUED SOLELY FOR INFORMATION AND PLANNING PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A SOLICITATION. The purpose of this sources sought notice is to i... THIS REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)/ SOURCES SOUGHT IS ISSUED SOLELY FOR INFORMATION AND PLANNING PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A SOLICITATION. The purpose of this sources sought notice is to inform the industry that the Government intends to solicit in accordance with PL 110-387, section 604 for Technical and Support Services Veterans Families (SSVF). The Contractor must be a non-profit private entity familiar with grants which will assist grantees of the Supported Services for Veterans Families. NOTICE This RFI does not constitute a Request for Quotation (RFQ) or a promise to issue an RFQ in the future. Responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Responders are advised that the Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this RFI; responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI. It is the responsibility of the responders to monitor this site for additional information pertaining to this requirement. Responses or questions concerning the composition and requirements to the RFI will not be returned. All capable contractors are welcome to respond to this notice and shall provide a brief capability statement that covers the information in the performance work statement. The Capability Statement shall be limited to 10 pages and no more than 5MB. The Government will not review any other information or attachments included, that are more than the 10-page limit. The Government will not review generic marketing materials that do not address the information contained herein or the attached documents. GENERAL Your response must address capabilities specific to the services required in the performance work statement and must include the following: Request Company information to include: Company Name SAM CAGE/ Unique Entity ID under which the company is registered in Sam.gov/VetBiz.gov Company Address Point of contact name Telephone number Email address Socioeconomic data Company Business Size Status and representations of your business General pricing of your products/solution. Pricing will be used for the purpose of market research only. Names and types of current federal contracts and/or contract vehicles that can be utilized for the scope of the requirements. PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT PURPOSE. The purpose of this is to select a technical assistance provider (Contractor) familiar with grants which will assist grantees of the Supported Services for Veterans Families (SSVF) program. Location of services will occur thought the US and Territories. Grantees are defined as an eligible entity in title 38 USC 2044. The technical assistance provider must be a non-profit private entity capable of performing the Tasks listed in this PWS. A Fixed Price IDIQ is anticipated for a total of five years. BACKGROUND. This program is authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 2044 and implemented by final rule, promulgating 38 CFR part 62 (RIN 2900 AN53) regulations implementing 38 U.S.C. § 2044 by establishing an SSVF Program. See 75 FR 68979. Through this program, VA has offered grants to eligible entities, identified in the regulations, that provide supportive services to very low-income veterans and families who are at risk for becoming homeless or who, in some cases, have recently become homeless. The SSVF program was authorized by Public Law 110-387 which defines a very low-income veteran family as a veteran who is a single person or a family in which the head of household or the spouse of the head of household is a Veteran with an income below 50 percent of the area median income. VA s goals and objectives for SSVF include the provision of supportive services designed to enhance the housing stability and independent living skills of very low- income veteran families occupying permanent housing nationwide. At a minimum, grantees will be expected to provide the following supportive services to program participants: outreach services, case management services, housing counseling services, help with financial planning and credit counseling, assistance in obtaining VA benefits, assistance in obtaining childcare services, assistance in obtaining legal assistance, assistance in obtaining transportation, and assistance in obtaining and coordinating other public benefits. TASKS AND ASSOCIATED DELIVERABLES. The Contractor shall assist grantees with program implementation activities. The technical assistance provided shall be designed to increase grantees ability to establish and operate successful supportive services programs. Specific tasks are as follows: Task 1: Development of Training Curriculum and Knowledge Website The Contractor shall develop a training curriculum for the SSVF program. Curriculum shall be built in a manner consistent with the Supportive Services for Veteran Families website (Supportive Services for Veteran Families (va.gov)) and other computer programs used by SSVF grantees. The Contractor shall provide curriculum updates to ensure it is consistent with program initiatives and goals. The Curriculum shall allow for grantees and the public to have electronic access to training materials through the VA s internet portal or suitable alternative site approved by the COR. Training shall be cross referenced to and consistent with SSVF practice standards and emerging best practices or program needs. Standards are currently posted on the VA s SSVF University webpage, in addition there are relevant accreditation standards used by Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), Council on Accreditation (COA), and Joint Commission to review current SSVF programs. Training shall include videos and written materials that are suitable to orient grantee staff to SSVF program objectives, practices, and requirements. The Contractor shall work with VA to develop a list of training topics that are suitable for repetitive usage. The approved curriculum shall be used as a basis to provide training to new and existing grantees. This curriculum will be reviewed no less than annually and adapted to meet new priorities and emerging needs. Training topics shall include, but not be limited to best practices associated with the following: General Program requirements, rules, and regulations VA goals and objectives for the program Program roles and responsibilities Program start-up or expansion activities Identification of housing resources and landlord recruitment, including community wide housing partner strategies Equity informed program and system design Referral and housing placement strategies Shared and creative housing options and strategies Staff recruitment and retention Program financing and accounting Outreach strategies Participation in Continuum of Care s Coordinated Entry Process (standardized access and assessment system) Coordination with VA programs and services Unsheltered homeless/encampment engagement strategies Screening, prioritization, and assessment tools Supportive Services delivery Outreach and enrollment Case management Population-specific issues (e.g., women s issues) Oversight of supportive services provision Fiduciary and representative payee responsibilities Administering temporary assistance payments Health, safety, and emergency preparedness Shallow Subsidy service Strategic Use of Emergency Housing Assistance Suicide prevention; and Case closing and program transfers Services designed to support family needs, including topics such as legal services, health care navigation, childcare, and conflict resolution Obtaining services not directly provided by grantee, including mainstream benefits, legal services, credit counseling, transportation, and non-VA health services for family members Information management and security Training and support related to specialized initiatives or new program service offerings Community planning as it related to ending homelessness among Veterans Task 2: In-Person Training Sessions The Contractor shall be responsible for the planning, coordination, and hosting of one, two, or three-day meetings for a total of 60 meeting days (Regional Meetings or equivalent such as training for diversion services known as Rapid Resolution), in-person training seminars when such travel and group gatherings are approved by the VA. When travel and/or group gatherings are prohibited or limited by the VA, the VA may direct the Contractor to replace some number of in-person meeting days with a combination of the following equivalents: (1) planning and delivery of a five part virtual Community of Practice will count as two onsite meeting days of effort; (2) the development and publication of a full web-based curriculum will count as seven on-site meeting days of effort; (3) the provision of remote direct training to dedicated priority communities will count as .5 (one half) on-site meeting days of effort per community. As the TA needs of the VA evolve, the VA and the Contractor may decide to amend by adding or subtracting from this list of equivalent deliverables. In the event the Contractor cannot travel or hold large gatherings, the delivery of Communities of Practice, interactive online curricula, and direct remote training shall substitute for onsite training days, per the equivalent factors noted above and at the SSVF Program Office s direction. The VA will identify these locations and/or engagements upon selection of grantee needs. The training sessions will utilize the materials prepared under Task 1. The Contractor shall be responsible for planning and coordinating all activities associated with the in-person trainings. This includes, but is not limited to, securing training locations, working with VA in identifying appropriate dates/times, inviting grantees, and coordinating all logistics in preparation for the training and also on-site at the training. The Contractor shall also make arrangements to record selected elements of each of the trainings so that they can be posted to VA s website afterward. Any associated expenses shall be broken out on a line-item basis and included as other direct costs within the Contractor s firm fixed price proposal. In addition to Regional Meetings (or equivalents noted above), the Contractor shall support two, 2-day in person permanent housing conferences annually. At VA s discretion these conferences may be held virtually. The Contractor is responsible for developing the training curriculum for conferences, but VA assumes all costs associated with securing meeting space, audio/visual and other direct costs associated with hosting these conferences. Task 3: Grantee Technical Assistance The Contractor shall provide technical assistance to grantees identified by VA through remote conference calls and web-based training resources. This assistance may include, but is not limited to: program start-up support problem-solving and trouble-shooting community planning and coordination efforts, program manager support identification of best or promising practices for specialized initiatives or new service offerings guidance on reporting and data quality Community Planning, Unsheltered Engagement Strategies and Housing Surge Efforts to achieve/sustain the USICH Criteria and Benchmarks coordination of services with VA and Continuum of Care (CoC) with an emphasis on the Coordinated Assessment/Entry System In addition, the Contractor shall provide virtual technical assistance (through conference calls and web-based applications) to individual grantees on an as needed basis. Per the direction of VA when determined to be necessary, the Contractor shall offer on-site technical assistance engagements to support the areas of focus listed above. Where demand exceeds Contractor capacity, technical assistance will be prioritized based upon direction given by SSVF Program staff through the COR. Task 4: Review of VA s Program Evaluation Plan & Process Contractor shall work with SSVF and suggest improvements as necessary throughout the contract period. The focus of the Contractor s review shall be on how to best standardize grantee information to better enable VA to report on the effectiveness of the program. The Contractor will also support the SSVF Program Office in cross departmental coordination activities within various VA homeless programs and with other federal and national agencies focused on ending homelessness. Task 5: Annual Program Effectiveness Report Contractor shall in collaboration with the VA develop a draft report on the program s effectiveness in meeting the needs of very low-income Veteran families. The audience for this report will be senior VA staff and Congress. The report shall draw on the material reviewed under Tasks 4 and 6. Task 6: Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) Support The Contractor shall provide technical support for one-way data upload to the HMIS Repository monthly conducted during the first week of every month. The Contractor shall identify issues and resolutions for any technical issues that occur during data upload activities. The Contractor shall provide technical support and deliver a Monthly Assistance Report (MAR) that addresses the HMIS one-way data upload to VA HMIS Repository. The Contractor will also support other data management needs at VA s discretion and when capacity exists to do so. Additionally, the Contractor shall review monthly HMIS uploads and identify grantee data quality and performance issues based upon metrics determined by VA in consultation with the Contractor. Task 7: Update to Program Guide and Development and Updates to Supplemental Guides The purpose of the Program Guide and Supplemental Guides are to provide an overview of the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Program. It shall describe the oversight, auditing, and program review process, and how it is to be used by applicants of the SSVF Program, grantees, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) staff members, and other interested third parties involved in the SSVF Program. The contractor shall work in collaboration with VA staff to track changes throughout the year to ensure that the Program Guide and Supplemental Guides are updated and released at the beginning of each FY and throughout the duration of this contract. The guidelines provided in the Program Guide and Supplemental Guides shall be consistent with SSVF Program regulations (38 CFR Part 62), the most recent SSVF Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), information on the VA s SSVF webpage, and materials contained in the SSVF website. The Program Guide provides the following information: SSVF Program Overview Supportive services grant renewal process Technical assistance Supportive services including special initiatives Program operations Fiscal administration Evaluation and monitoring Reporting requirements SSVF Program resources This is not a request for quotes or proposals. Department of Veterans Affairs (VACO) anticipates the award of a Fixed Price IDIQ contract for technical and support services for five years. Estimated contract begin date is on or around April 1, 2023. The NAICS code is 541990. All interested parties shall respond no later than 10/05/2022 4:30PM EST. Submit responses to via email to jameel.gordon@va.gov. Telephone responses will not be accepted.