R5_CS_Sources_Sought_Notice_Final.docx

2018SS0001

Region 5 Head Start Customer Services Improvement and Management Information Project for The United States Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families, Office of Head Start

SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE

INTRODUCTION

The Program Support Center at the Department of Health and Human Services wants to identify viable small businesses that are capable of fulfilling the objectives of this requirement for the Administration for Children and Families, Office of Head Start.

This is a Small Business Sources Sought notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding: (1) the availability and capability of qualified small business sources; (2) whether they are small businesses; HUBZone small businesses; service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses; 8(a) small businesses; veteran-owned small businesses; woman-owned small businesses; or small disadvantaged businesses; and (3) their size classification relative to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code 541611 Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services for the proposed acquisition. Your responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible. An organization that is not considered a small business under the applicable NAICS code should not submit a response to this notice.

BACKGROUND

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a federal agency funding state, territory, local, and tribal organizations to provide family assistance, child support, child care, Head Start, child welfare, and other programs related to children and families. Actual services are provided by state, county, city and tribal governments, and public and private local agencies including local governments, private non-profit and for-profit community organizations and faith-based organizations. ACF assists these organizations through funding, policy direction, training and technical assistance, and information services. Through this funding, ACF provides critically needed services and support to vulnerable populations, including low income children and families and at-risk youth.

Founded in 1965, the Head Start program provides operating grants to a wide range of local public and private non-profit and for-profit organizations to provide comprehensive child development services to low-income children ages birth to five years. The focus of Head Start is to help young children and their families to develop the early reading, math and social development skills they need to be successful in school. Head Start programs promote school readiness by enhancing the social and cognitive development of children through the provision of educational, health, nutritional, social and other services to enrolled children and their families. Head Start programs engage parents in their children's learning and support them in setting and achieving educational, literacy and self-sufficiency goals for themselves and their families.

The Office of Head Start (OHS), as a part of ACF, provides funding, oversight, programmatic and financial policy guidance, and training and technical assistance to Head Start programs throughout the United States, U.S. Territories and American Indian Tribal nations. Nationally, ACF is comprised of twelve regional offices collectively administering approximately 2,100 Head Start grants. The OHS Region 5 Office (Regional Office), located in Chicago, Illinois, administers 304 Head Start and Early Head Start grants in the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin. Annually, these grantees serve approximately 112,000 children age birth to five years. Total annual funding for Head Start grants in Region 5 is $1.38 billion.

The Office of Grants Management’s Division of Discretionary Grants (OGM) located within the Office of Administration, as part of ACF/HHS, provides management and technical administration of discretionary grants for several Federal grant programs. OGM assures all discretionary grant awards comply with applicable Federal statutes, regulation, policies and directives and resultant awards are administered in a manner that fosters effective stewardship of Federal funds.

In its role as the Federal administrative agency for these grants, the Regional Office conducts the full range of program development and grants management functions and activities. These functions and activities include, but are not limited to:

· Programmatic and fiscal policy and regulatory interpretation and guidance to grantees.

· Provision of training and technical assistance to grantees on the programmatic, financial and operational requirements of grant awards.

· Analysis of various grantee programmatic and fiscal data to identify and address potential grantee risk factors and ensure grantee implementation of actions to mitigate and eliminate identified risk factors.

· On-site visits and monitoring reviews of grantees to determine grantee compliance with programmatic, financial, statutory and regulatory requirements.

· Development and issuance of guidance to grantees regarding funding levels, due dates and requirements for both operating and supplemental grant awards.

· Management of all aspects of competitive and non-competitive grant application review processes, including programmatic and financial analyses of applications, negotiations and development and issuance of award documents.

· Administration of grant awards including receipt, review and approval of required program and financial performance reports, review and approval of post-award requests for programmatic or financial modifications, including the purchase, construction and major renovation of facilities, review and approval of requests for waivers of regulatory requirements and changes in program scope, and close out of expired grants.

· Financial oversight of grant awards including receipt, review and resolution of grantee financial audit findings, review and approval of required financial reports and monitoring of expenditure of grant funds.

· Promotion of ACF national priorities and initiatives including, but not limited to, promoting the economic and social well-being for individuals, families and communities; the healthy development and school readiness for children in low-income families and other special populations and the safety and well-being of children, youth and families; supporting underserved and under-represented populations; upgrading the capacity of ACF to make a difference for families and communities; and regional and state initiatives to enhance early care and education services and outcomes for vulnerable children and their families.

PROJECT SYNOPISIS

The purpose of this requirement is to acquire services that will provide the Chicago Regional Office and grantees with high-quality, professional, administrative or technical services and expertise in support of the Office of Head Start (OHS) initiatives and mission through the following tasks. The work effort will provide the level of support necessary to enable the Regional Office to meet mission-critical functions and enhance its ability to implement more effective data analysis, information management and management systems. Successful delivery of these services will require the following:

· Demonstrated knowledge of and experience in the management and administration of high quality Head Start and Early Head Start services.

· Experience and knowledge in the administration of Federal discretionary grants particularly grants funded under the Administration for Children and Families.

· Demonstrated experience and training in government accounting, financial management, and regulatory oversight.

· Demonstrated skills and experience in program analysis and evaluation, quality assurance and risk management particularly as they relate to Head Start and other early childhood care and education programs.

· Demonstrated skills and experience in data management, analysis, technical writing and editing.

· Knowledge, demonstrated experience and skills in data aggregation and analysis using ACF information systems and other commercial off the shelf software packages including advanced spreadsheet operations, relational databases, internet-based applications including webinar and database applications, and word processing, publishing and presentation application solutions.

· Demonstrated experience and skills in implementing and managing complex projects using proven project management approaches and methodologies.

This procurement is limited to Head Start and Early Head Start grants administered in the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin by the Region 5 Office of Head Start located in Chicago, Illinois.

The respondents must demonstrate their ability to provide professional, administrative as well as technical services and expertise in support of the OHS initiatives and mission through the following tasks. The work effort must demonstrate the level of support necessary to enable the Regional Office to meet mission-critical functions and enhance its ability to implement more effective data analysis, information management and management systems.

· Respondent must demonstrate the ability to assist the Regional Office in collecting and analyzing data and utilizing various internal and external commercial off the shelf information technology applications and systems; collecting, aggregating entering, and updating data maintained in various databases, spreadsheets and internet-based applications; conducting basic and complex data analysis to produce management information reports, written analytical reports and documents based on data analysis; producing standardized document templates, mail merge files and other correspondence, and prepare and disseminate both individual and mass correspondence for distribution to grantees; developing plans and reports and maintain official records; and conducting analysis and making recommendations to improve the overall effectiveness and efficiency of Regional Office operations including quality assurance processes and modifications to improve the effectiveness of Regional Office internal work processes.

· Respondent must demonstrate the ability to assist the Regional Office in collecting, aggregating, and analyzing various organizational, management, program and financial characteristic and performance data at individual grantee, State and Regional levels; providing administrative and data management support for Regional and National Head Start monitoring reviews and other activities related to the Head Start monitoring system; supporting the Regional Office in assessing and improving business processes and systems for information and records management; processing of a wide range of requests for waivers or modification of various programmatic and financial requirements including requirements for enrollment of children with disabilities, program options and design, non-federal match requirements, limitations on development and administrative costs, transportation services, staff credentials, reductions and conversions of funded enrollment, and modification of program options; and completing of the document review and first level analysis of approximately 75 refunding packages and provide a report on predefined elements to OHS monthly.

· Respondent must demonstrate the ability to assist the Regional Office with performing various functions related to the award, oversight and programmatic administration of discretionary grants funded through OHS; analyzing and reviewing of grant applications, grantee program performance reports, information and indicators, budget revisions and waiver requests; providing accurate and timely regulatory and policy guidance to Head Start grantees; monitoring grantee activities related to the identification and mitigation of grantee risk factors, correction of regulatory compliance issues, and improvement of Head Start grantee performance; providing effective guidance, technical assistance and direction to 105 assigned grantees in implementing Head Start programs; and promoting coordination and collaboration between the OHS and various internal and external parties.

· Respondent must demonstrate the ability to assist the Regional Office with the budgetary and financial analysis of grantee funding and program modification requests, review and analysis of grantee financial reports, information and risk indicators, provision of accurate and timely regulatory and fiscal policy guidance to Head Start grantees, review and analysis of grantee waiver requests, review and analysis of applications for facility construction, purchase and major renovation, and various activities related to the identification and mitigation of grantee risk factors, correction of regulatory compliance issues, and improvement of Head Start grantee performance for workloads of 60 Head Start and Early Head Start grantees; comprehensive financial and budgetary review of grant applications, timely completion of follow up contact with grantees and/or applicants to negotiate and obtain required information and modifications, and timely completion of all required administrative activities related to the grants award process; delivery of support services related to the financial administration of Head Start and Early Head Start grants to ensure the effective stewardship of Federal funds and provide accurate and timely guidance, technical assistance and direction to grantees in improving their ability to meet the fiduciary, oversight and regulatory compliance requirements for Head Start and Early Head Start grants; perform various activities designed to ensure the complete and timely resolution of all audit findings referred to OGM for resolution; and promote coordination and collaboration between OGM and various internal and external parties.

· Respondent must demonstrate the ability to assist the Regional Office with performance of various administrative functions designed to support national and regional OHS priorities; completion of the general administrative activities including logistics such as schedule coordination and meeting room reservations, provision of accurate and comprehensive note-taking services, and development of summary documentation of meeting content and action items as directed by the COR.

INSTRUCTIONS TO INDUSTRY

INTERESTED SOURCES POSSESSING THE CAPABILITIES TO MEET THE ABOVE REQUIREMENTS SHOULD SUBMIT A COVER LETTER ALONG WITH A CAPABILITY STATEMENT NOT TO EXCEED TEN (10) PAGES DEMONSTRATING ABILITY TO PERFORM, AND SHOULD INCLUDE AN OUTLINE OF PREVIOUS OR SIMILAR PROJECTS SO THAT THE GOVERNMENT CAN PERFORM A PROPER EVALUATION OF THE COMPANY’S CAPABILITY. THE STATEMENT SHOULD ALSO INCLUDE AN INDICATION OF CERTIFIED SMALL BUSINESS STATUS; THIS INDICATION SHOULD BE CLEARLY MARKED ON THE FIRST PAGE OF THE CAPABILIITY STATEMENT.

This notice is for PSC’s planning only. This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in 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 received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. Respondents will not be notified of the results of this evaluation. Capability statements will not be returned and will not be accepted after the due date. After a review of the responses received, a pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in Federal Business Opportunities. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation.

No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s).

Interested small business firms are highly encouraged to respond to this notice. However, firms should understand that generic capability statements are not sufficient for effective evaluation of their capacity and capability to perform the work required. Responses must directly demonstrate the company’s capability, experience, and ability to marshal resources effectively and efficiently to perform objectives described above.

The written response to this notice should consist of the following items:

1. Company Name

2. Company DUNS nu mber

3. Company point of contact, mailing address, telephone and fax numbers, and website address

4. Name, telephone number, and e-mail address of company point of contact who has authority and knowledge to clarify responses with government representatives

5. Date submitted

6. Applicable company GSA Schedule number or other available procurement vehicle

7. If you have a Government approved accounting system, please identify the agency that approved the system.

8. Type of Company (i.e., small business, 8(a), woman owned, veteran owned, etc.) as validated via the Central Contractor Registration (CCR). All respondents must register on the CCR located at http://www.ccr.gov/index.asp

Responses must be submitted not later than 3:00 PM EST on April 17, 2018. Capability statements will not be returned and will not be accepted after the due date. Responses must be double-spaced and single-sided on 8.5" x 11" plain white paper, with 1" margins on all sides, using a standard font no smaller than 12 point. The response must be sequentially numbered, beginning on the first page after the table of contents. Please limit all capabilities to ten (10) pages.

As previously stated, the Government will not entertain questions regarding this market research; however, general questions may be forwarded to the following:

Contract Specialist: Sheryl Sanders Email Address: sheryl.sanders@psc.hhs.gov 541611 Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services