16-Special Requirements.pdf

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS/INSTRUCTIONS

The following requirements and instructions supersede General Requirements where applicable. The terms “Harris County” and “County” are understood to include the “Harris County Community Supervision and Corrections Department”

(“HCCSCD”).

VENDOR INSTRUCTIONS

Responses to this Request for Proposal (RFP) shall be formatted and organized in the following order for consistency and easy screening:

• Preferred submission is via Bonfire.

• Vendors may submit electronically through Bonfire or via hardcopy to 1111 Fannin, 12th Floor, Houston, TX 77002 no later than the due date and time as stated on the Bonfire Opportunity.

• If submitting via hardcopy, all proposals must be typed, single spaced, and printed single-sided on 8 ½” by 11” paper.

• Each section of the vendor’s response should start on a new page. A tabbed divider page marked with the section number should separate each section.

Section I: Transmittal Letter - The transmittal letter should include:

• Company name and address; name, title, email, telephone and fax number of person(s) to be contacted for clarifications or additional information regarding proposal.

• Name, title, email, telephone and fax number of person authorized to contractually obligate vendor’s company with proposal and any future negotiations; and

• A brief statement summarizing the vendor’s understanding of the project and relevant experience.

Section II: Scope of Service/Narrative of Proposed Services

• Describe your firm’s philosophy, proposed methodology, and approach to the project, including a description of your understanding of the project, its treatment requirements, and deliverables. Indicate if vendor can meet the specifications, or if vendor is not able to meet the specifications, briefly explain why, noting any concerns or issues Harris County should be aware of.

• Please explain how vendor is qualified to provide the required services, with specific examples. Vendor shall provide details regarding vendor’s knowledge and experience working with dual diagnosis and justice-involved client populations.

• Explain vendor’s policies and procedures for providing telepsychiatry services.

• Describe in detail vendor’s approach to providing the three (3) required components of the telepsychiatry services, which include, "Scheduled Telepsychiatry Clinical Services," “On-Demand Telepsychiatry Crisis Evaluation Services,” and "On-Demand Phone Calls." This shall include:

o For the Scheduled Telepsychiatry Clinical Services, vendor shall provide a detailed explanation of how vendor will meet or exceed the requirements set forth in Section III of the Specifications.

At a minimum, vendor shall provide details regarding the physician personnel that vendor proposes to utilize to staff the Scheduled Clinic Hours; the experience of vendor’s physicians with clinical evaluations, assessments, and medication management for clients similar to the clients in HCCSCD’s Dual Diagnosis Program (DDRP); and vendor’s clinical methodology for conducting psychiatric evaluations and providing ongoing medication management for dual-diagnosis, justice-involved populations.

o For the On-Demand Telepsychiatry Crisis Evaluation Services, vendor shall explain how it will meet or exceed the requirements set forth in Section IV of the Specifications. At a minimum, vendor shall provide detailed information regarding how it plans to satisfy the Service Availability and Access, Response Time, and Documentation requirements, as well as the methodology of vendor’s physician personnel for conducting crisis evaluations for HCCSCD’s DDRP clients who are in immediate need of psychiatric care. A clear plan shall be included by vendor for responding to crisis consultation requests on a 24/7/365 basis, including the staffing model that ensures a licensed psychiatrist responds within the one (1) hour requirement.

o For the On-Demand Phone Calls, vendor shall explain how it will meet or exceed the requirements set forth in Section V of the Specifications. At a minimum, vendor shall explain how it will manage the 24/7/365 on-demand consultation line, as well as provide details regarding its staffing model that ensures that a licensed psychiatrist immediately responds to such calls.

o If vendor proposes to utilize different physicians for some or all of the required services, vendor shall provide details regarding the physician personnel that vendor proposes to utilize for each required service, as well as their experience with providing such services.

• Provide a detailed step-by-step plan and timeline for service implementation, from contract signing to full operational status. This plan shall identify key operational and clinical personnel from the Vendor's team who will be assigned to manage the implementation process.

• Describe how vendor will meet the Clinical Protocols and Standards of Care specified in Section VI of the Specifications, including vendor’s willingness to follow and utilize HCCSCD’s existing policies and procedures for prescriptions, clinical documentation, consent and confidentiality, care coordination, and communication.

• Describe the information technology hardware/equipment and personnel that vendor will utilize in providing the required telepsychiatry services.

• Describe vendor’s proposed telehealth platform, detailing how it meets all technical, security, and system reliability requirements in Section VI of the Specifications. This shall include:

o Confirmation of HIPAA compliance and willingness to agree to the terms of the document titled “Vendor’s HIPAA Responsibilities,” annexed as Exhibit I to the attachment titled Sample Services Operations Agreement, under Supporting Documentation inside Bonfire.

o Information regarding vendor’s system reliability and technical support programs and procedures.

o Provide a copy of vendor’s contingency plans to ensure continuity of care in the event of a technical outage.

o Confirmation regarding vendor’s willingness to follow HCCSCD’s documentation requirements, including, but not limited to, utilizing HCCSCD’s Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system for documenting all services provided to HCCSCD’s DDRP clients.

• Describe how vendor shall provide the services in accordance with the Performance, Quality Assurance, and Reporting Requirements specified in Section VIII of the Specifications.

Section III: Pricing Information – BidTable(s) shall be uploaded to Bonfire in an Excel format under the Requested

Information section of this solicitation. Vendor shall additionally provide a completed copy of the Vendor Justification for Fee for Service Budget. The fees proposed by the Vendor in their response to this solicitation and finalized in the contract shall be inclusive of all costs associated with service delivery, including but not limited to, practitioner salaries and benefits, administrative overhead, technology platform fees, insurance, and profit. The Vendor shall not bill clients, their families, or any third-party payers (e.g., Medicaid, private insurance) for any services provided under this agreement. HCCSCD is the sole and exclusive payer for all services. Quantities are estimates. Harris County may require more or less. In case of discrepancy between unit and total pricing, unit pricing governs.

Section IV: Organizational Information/Qualifications

• Consultant/firm history, background, and principal officers.

• Company organization chart.

• Description of project team organization - Include information and documentation for the following:

corporate, business management, and physician/clinical staff; the names and resumes of team members and the role of each team member that will be assigned to the proposed services; and the minimum qualifications/job descriptions for all staff involved in providing services under the contract. Please note if staff are full-time salaried employees or if they are consultants.

• All responding vendors shall be currently registered with the State of Texas to do business in the State of Texas and have a current and valid Franchise Tax Identification Number.

• Licenses/accreditations/certifications/professional memberships, including copies of vendor’s accreditation(s), as well as current, unrestricted Texas medical licenses, board certifications, and DEA registrations for all proposed psychiatrists. Vendor shall include expiration and renewal dates for all licenses and certificates. Photocopies of relevant documents are sufficient for proposal submission, but

Harris County reserves the right to require presentation of original licenses or certified copies thereof prior to vendor beginning to provide the services.

• Provide a detailed list of at least three (3) current and former contracts for similar services provided within the last four (4) years. Vendors proposing to provide services through this contract shall have a minimum of four (4) years of experience providing telepsychiatry treatment services to adult clients and in working with adult client populations who are involved in the criminal justice system. Exceptions to any client population(s) should be noted in vendor's proposal response.

• Comprehensive staffing plan that details vendor’s recruitment, credentialing, supervision, and ongoing training processes for clinical staff.

• List of all physicians that will be performing telepsychiatry services and the minimum qualifications/job descriptions of each physician who will provide direct services to clients.

• Curricula Vitae (CVs) for all proposed psychiatrists who will be assigned to the contract. Each CV must clearly demonstrate that the practitioner meets all mandatory and preferred qualifications outlined in the Specifications, Section II.A.

• Audited Financial Statements or completed Financial Statement Form.

• Vendor Certification of Debarment/Suspension Form.

• Copy of completed and signed Certificate of Interested Parties Form 1295.

Section V: Legal Documents–Awarded vendor will be required to sign an agreement similar to the Sample Services

Operations Agreement available in Bonfire. Vendor is not required to return the Sample Services Operations Agreement with its proposal; it is included for vendor reference. However, vendor should include with its proposal any proposed revisions that it has to the terms and conditions contained within the Sample Services Operations Agreement. If vendor will ask clients to sign any documentation in conjunction with the services sought in the Specifications, vendors shall also provide copies of those documents in response to Section V.

Section VI: Questionnaires – Vendor must complete and return all answers to the questionnaires in the order in which they are listed. Failure to do so may result in disqualification.

Section VII: Miscellaneous – State exceptions to any of the requirements in this RFP, if any. Company brochures, marketing materials, or any other information vendor deems appropriate to the RFP response may be included in this section.

Harris County will not be liable for any costs incurred by the vendor in preparing a response to this RFP. Vendors submit proposals at their own risk and expense. Harris County makes no guarantee that any products or services will be purchased as a result of this RFP and reserves the right to reject any and all proposals. All proposals and accompanying documentation will become the property of Harris County. All proposals are open to negotiation. The vendor is expected to examine all documents, forms, specifications, and all instructions. Failure to do so will be at vendor’s risk.

At and after opening, proposals will NOT be part of the public record and subject to disclosure, but will be kept confidential until time of award and execution of an agreement. When an award is made and an agreement is executed, proposals are subject to review under the “Public Information Act”. To the extent permitted by law, vendors may request in writing non- disclosure of confidential data. Such data shall accompany the proposal, be readily separable from the proposal, and shall be CLEARLY MARKED “CONFIDENTIAL”. For those portions identified as confidential by the vendor, Harris County must rely on advice, decisions and opinions of the Attorney General of the State of Texas relative to the disclosure of data or information.

EVALUATION PROCESS

All proposals will be examined by an evaluation committee consisting of various Harris County personnel and Harris County Purchasing.

Proposals that do not conform to the instructions or which do not address all the services as specified may be eliminated from consideration. However, Harris County reserves the right to accept such a proposal if it is determined to be in the best interest of Harris County.

While Harris County appreciates a brief, straightforward, concise reply, the proposer must fully understand that the evaluation is based on the information provided. Accuracy and completeness are essential. Omissions, ambiguous and equivocal statements may be construed against the proposer. The proposal response may be incorporated into any contract which results from this RFP, and vendors are cautioned not to make claims or statements it is not prepared to commit to contractually. Failure of the vendor to meet such claims will result in a requirement that the vendor provide resources necessary to meet submitted claims.

Harris County Purchasing may initiate discussions with selected vendors; however, discussions may not be initiated by vendors. Harris County Purchasing expects to conduct discussions with vendor’s representatives authorized to contractually obligate the vendor with an offer. Vendors shall not contact any Harris County personnel during the RFP process without the express permission from the Office of the Harris County Purchasing Agent. Harris County Purchasing may disqualify any vendor who has made site visits, contacted Harris County personnel, or distributed any literature without authorization from Harris County Purchasing.

All correspondence relating to this RFP, from advertisement to award shall be sent to Harris County Purchasing. All presentations and/or meetings between Harris County and the vendor relating to this RFP shall be coordinated by Harris County Purchasing.

Selected vendors may be expected to make a presentation/product demonstration to an evaluation committee. Proposals, vendor presentations and product/service evaluations may develop into negotiating sessions with the vendor(s) as selected by the Evaluation Committee. Harris County expects to conduct negotiations with vendor’s representatives authorized to contractually obligate the vendor with an offer. If vendor is unable to agree to contract terms and conditions, Harris County reserves the right to terminate contract negotiations with that vendor and initiate negotiations with another vendor. In addition to a presentation, visits by the Evaluation Committee to representative vendor client sites may be conducted where the proposed solution can be demonstrated in a production environment.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Award shall be made to the vendor responsible whose proposal is determined to be the best evaluated offer resulting from negotiations and taking into consideration all aspects of proposal impact items and the following in order of relative importance:

• Scope of Service / Narrative of Proposed Services (Section II) ---------------------------------------------------------- 40%

• Demonstrated understanding of HCCSCD’s operational needs, client populations, and current telepsychiatry program policies and procedures; quality and appropriateness of vendor’s proposed clinical approach for dual-diagnosis, justice-involved individuals; vendor’s policies, procedures, and methodologies for providing telepsychiatry services.

• Clarity, feasibility, and efficiency of the vendor’s proposed service delivery model(s) for meeting or exceeding the requirements for Scheduled Telepsychiatry Clinical Services, On-Demand Telepsychiatry Crisis Evaluation Services, and On-Demand Phone Calls, including workflows and vendor’s ability to provide qualified physician staff on an ongoing basis.

• Comprehensiveness and viability of the implementation plan, vendor’s ability to meet established HCCSCD policies and procedures (i.e., Client Scheduling and Engagement Protocols, Clinical Documentation Standards, Prescribing Policies and Procedures), and vendor’s ability to adhere to HCCSCD’s care coordination protocols.

• Technical, Security, Performance, and Quality Assurance Plans o Vendor’s current information technology equipment/hardware;

o Quality, features, and compliance (HIPAA, encryption, etc.) of the proposed telehealth platform and data security measures;

o Vendor’s technical support processes (i.e., turnaround time for responses, escalation, ticketing system, etc.);

o Vendor’s quality assurance policies and processes;

o Vendor’s plans for ensuring system reliability and continuity, addressing technical outages and contingencies, and meeting the performance requirements and reporting requirements.

• Organizational Information / Qualifications (Section IV) --------------------------------------------------------------- 30%

• Depth and relevance of corporate experience, particularly with clients of similar size to Harris County, similar patient populations, and government agencies; financial stability; and strength of references.

• Qualifications, credentials, and specialized experience (forensic, addiction, dual diagnosis) of vendor’s proposed clinical staff, as evidenced by CVs, experience, and licenses.

• Qualifications, credentials, and experience of vendor’s proposed operations staff, as evidenced by CVs and experience.

• Quality and thoroughness of the vendor’s staffing plans, including recruitment, credentialing, supervision, and training procedures.

• Pricing ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 25%

• Presentations ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5% Following the evaluation of the technical and cost proposals, shortlisted vendors may be invited to provide a presentation and/or a demonstration of their proposed services and platform to the selection committee.

• IT Infrastructure/Cybersecurity -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Pass/Fail] Vendor shall acknowledge and agree to abide by the County Cybersecurity and Information Technology Controls.

Additionally, vendor shall complete Reference Architecture and Questionnaire checklist (when applicable). When applicable, County IT Infrastructure Planning and Security Governance (I2PSG) committee will assess IT security and/or cybersecurity risk of proposed solution if the proposed product(s)/solution(s) needs or requires access to the Harris County network. The intent of this review phase is to ensure that proposed product(s)/solution(s) meet or exceed the minimum IT security and/or cybersecurity requirements. Product(s)/solution(s) will receive a “Pass/Fail” rating.

Product(s)/solution(s) receiving a Fail rating may only be considered for award if they do not require access to the Harris County network.

Submission of a proposal implies the vendor's acceptance of the evaluation criteria and vendor’s recognition that subjective judgments must be made by the Evaluation Committee.

AWARD

No award can be made until approved by Harris County Commissioners Court. This RFP does not obligate Harris County to the eventual purchase of any product/service described, implied or which may be proposed. Progress toward this end is solely at the discretion of Harris County and may be terminated at any time prior to execution of an agreement.

REFERENCES

Vendor will provide a minimum of three (3) letters of reference from companies for whom vendor has provided similar services in the past twelve (12) months as demonstration of vendor’s prior experience. If vendor prefers, Reference Sheet may be utilized. Letters of reference or references listed must include the following information:

• Organization/Client Name

• Name of Contact Person

• Contact Telephone, Address and Email

• Product or Services provided to this client

• How long services were provided to this client

• Provide references for clients who are similar in size and complexity to Harris County.

Harris County reserves the right to contact any or all references provided, and potentially other clients of the Vendor, to verify the information submitted and to assess the Vendor's performance, reliability, and customer satisfaction.

CERTIFICATE OF INTERESTED PARTIES (FORM 1295)

Texas law requires all parties who enter into any contract with the County which must be approved by Commissioners Court to disclose all interested parties. Form 1295 must be completed in its entirety at the following website:

https://prd.tecprd.ethicsefile.com/TECCertInt/pages/login/certLogin.jsf prior to submitting your response. Failure to do so may result in disqualification of your response.

https://prd.tecprd.ethicsefile.com/TECCertInt/pages/login/certLogin.jsf

LEGAL DOCUMENTS

Vendor should submit any agreement for products/services which may be required by the vendor’s organization to enter into a contract with Harris County. At a minimum, the awarded vendor will be required to execute an agreement with the Harris County Community Supervision and Corrections Department (HCCSCD) which finalizes the terms and conditions set forth in vendor’s proposal, best and final offer, and any negotiations between vendor and Harris County.

INVOICES

Vendor shall submit an invoice upon completion of each deliverable. Deliverables will be considered complete only upon written acceptance by Harris County. Each invoice shall include deliverable(s) completed and the price for each. Each invoice shall include deliverable(s) completed and the price for each. No charges may be billed to Harris County unless such costs are explicitly included in the agreement. Invoices will be sent to:

Harris County Auditor’s Office c/o Accounts Payable 1001 Preston, Suite 800 Houston, Texas 77002

Or emailed to: VENDORINVOICES@HCTX.NET The exact format for monthly invoices and other attachments will be agreed upon between the vendor and Harris County during contract negotiations.

By the fifteenth (15th) day of each month, vendor shall submit to vendorinvoices@aud.hctx.net and to HCCSCD’s designees, one (1) electronic copy in pdf format of a single, consolidated, written, itemized invoice that includes a summary of the units of each type of service provided, a subtotal for each type of service provided, and an aggregated total due for all services provided by vendor to HCCSCD’s clients during the prior month. Vendor shall also include a copy of the final Clinic Schedule for the month invoiced. For each On-Demand Crisis Evaluation provided during the invoiced month, vendor shall provide backup documentation which includes the following information: facility, client last name, client first name, client date of birth, Medical Record Number, Consult Requested Date and Time, Patient Wait Time (minutes), Provider Name, Ordering Physician Name, Patient Location, Consult Type, Consult Start Date and Time, Encounter Duration (minutes), Recommendations, Disposition, Reason for Consult, Scheduler Comments.

PURCHASE ORDER

Services and/or products must not be provided, and invoices will not be paid without a purchase order, signed by the Harris County Purchasing Agent. Purchase orders will be written in annual increments when applicable. Once a purchase order is issued, the using department will contact the vendor directly to place service orders.

PAYMENTS

Vendor shall be compensated monthly based on a milestone or progress-payment basis. Payments will be provided for monthly progress based on completion of accepted milestones. Invoices shall contain a written report of the project progress and the progressed project schedule showing the completion percentages for each task and milestone.

POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST

Notwithstanding any other requirements contained in the General Requirements section, the Potential Conflicts of Interest section specifically disqualifies any consultant, contractor and or any other entity who may have been a contributor to the creation of this RFP from proposing on this RFP and shall constitute a “prohibited proposal”.

SUBCONTRACTOR

Vendor may not subcontract services awarded on this contract to another firm, without disclosure to HCCSCD and its advance approval of the use of any subcontractors. Should the awarded vendor use any subcontractor(s) to perform the physical services required under this contract and the total contract amount proposed exceeds $25,000, the vendor shall be required to obtain a payment bond for the total amount of the vendor’s proposal. The payment bond shall remain in effect for the entire initial term of the contract. For the purposes of this RFP, a subcontractor shall include anyone performing any Work or Services under the resulting contract not directly employed by vendor. Subcontractor includes but is not limited to, personnel provided by staffing agencies or other means, personnel in direct contractual relationship with vendor, or those being paid as 1099 personnel. Where mailto:VENDORINVOICES@HCTX.NET appropriate, it shall also mean trade vendors.

By law, any subcontractor used on any Harris County contract/job must be paid by the awarded vendor. Any cost associated with the payment bond must be included in the costs associated with this contract. A new payment bond will be required each year the contract is renewed. Harris County will provide the appropriate bond documents to the awarded vendor to complete and submit prior to commencing any work.

BOND

If successful vendor utilizes a subcontractor, successful vendor is required to furnish a payment bond in the amount of 100% of proposal within ten (10) days of the award. The payment bond must remain in effect for the duration of the contract, including renewals. Upon award, Harris County Purchasing will send awarded vendor a payment bond application.

TOLL/PARKING FEES

Any and all tolls and parking fees incurred by the vendor during the term of this contract will be the responsibility of the vendor.

PUBLIC INFORMATION CONSENT

The parties expressly acknowledge that each party is subject to the Texas Public Information Act, Tex. Gov’t Code Ann. §§

552.001 et seq., as amended, and notwithstanding any provision in this contract to the contrary, each party will make any information related to this contract, or otherwise, available to third parties in accordance with the Texas Public Information Act.

NON-DISCRIMINATION

The parties agree that they will not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, religion, creed, sex, age, veteran status, or handicap in either the selection of employees for provision of services under this contract, or as to any aspect of services provided pursuant to this contract; provided, however, that with respect to handicap, the handicap must be such as would, even with reasonable accommodation, in and of itself preclude the individual’s effective delivery of services under this contract.

DATA BREACH OR SUSPECTED BREACH

Vendor shall have policies and procedures in place for the effective management of information security. In the event that vendor discovers a “security incident,” the vendor agrees to notify the County as soon as possible, but in no event shall notification occur later than 24 hours after discovery. “Security incident” is defined by Sec. 2054.603 of the Texas Government Code to include (i) a breach or suspected breach of system security (as defined by Sec. 521.053, Texas Business and Commerce Code), and (ii) the introduction of ransomware (as defined by Sec. 33.023, Texas Penal Code) into a computer, computer network, or computer system. Vendor shall provide notifications required by this clause to the County’s Chief Information Officer at 713-274-4444 or svcitchd@hctx.net.

CONTRACT TRANSITION

In the event services end by either contract expiration or termination, it shall be incumbent upon the vendor to continue services if requested by Harris County Purchasing until new services can be completely operational. The vendor acknowledges its responsibility to cooperate fully with the replacement vendor and Harris County to ensure a smooth and timely transition to the replacement vendor. Such transitional period shall not extend more than one hundred and eighty (180) days beyond the expiration/termination date of the contract, or any extension thereof. The vendor(s) shall be reimbursed for services during the transitional period at the rate in effect when the transitional period clause is invoked by the County. During any transition period, all other terms and conditions of the contract shall remain in full force and effect.

OPTIONAL/VALUE-ADDED PRODUCTS AND/OR SERVICES

Vendor may propose optional/value-added products and/or services. Vendor must identify the use, functionality, and purpose of the optional/value-added item(s), and how Harris County would benefit from electing to procure those item(s). Pricing for proposed item(s) shall be clearly labeled as optional/value-added. Optional/Value-Added Fee Schedule shall be uploaded to Bonfire in an Excel format under the Requested Information section of this solicitation.

mailto:svcitchd@hctx.net