2025.822 PSSF RFA BLOCK - RESPITE POST-ADOPTION SERVICES.pdf

Adams County Finance Department Purchasing Division

4430 South Adams County Parkway Brighton, Colorado 80601

REQUEST FOR APPLICATION

COVER SHEET

RFA Issue Date : October 1, 2025

RFA Number: RFA-MR-2025.822

RFA Title: CHILD WELFARE PSSF BLOCK GRANT RFA

PROGRAM

Questions due: October 8, 2025 2:00 PM MST

Application will be received until: October 17, 2025 5:00 PM MST

**Please note that this is for Block Funded Services only**

Applications will be received at: https://www.bidnetdirect.com/colorado/adams-county

For additional information please contact: MICHELE RIGGIN, Contract Specialist I Email Address: Mriggin@adamscountyco.gov

Documents included in this package: Application Instructions

General Terms and Conditions

Scope of Work (SOW)/ Specifications

Submission Check List

Contractor’s Statement

Reference Form

Term of Acceptance Form

Attachment A– Sample Agreement

Attachment B- RFA Block Application https://www.bidnetdirect.com/colorado/adams-county mailto:Mriggin@adamscountyco.gov

4430 South Adams County Parkway Brighton, Colorado 80601

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

1. The Adams County Board of Commissioners by and through its Purchasing Division of the Finance Department is accepting applications from potential providers who are qualified to offer services for the Block Services Program in the following categories for children and families involved in the child welfare system.

• PSSF Respite Post-Adoption

2. SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS: This Application is open-ended and will remain in effect until rescinded. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until further notice. Adams County will only accept electronic submittals. Applications can be submitted at https://www.bidnetdirect.com/colorado/adams-county.

3. The Adams County Board of County Commissioners by and through its Purchasing Division of the Finance Department is accepting applications for CHILD WELFARE BLOCK GRANT

RFA PROGRAM.

4. All documents related to this RFA will be posted on the Bidnet System at:

4.1. Interested parties must register with this service to receive these documents.

5. CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS

5.1. The successful Contractor will be required to sign an Agreement substantially similar to the Agreement form in Attachment A. The County reserves the right to add or delete provisions to the form prior to Agreement execution.

5.2. Issuance of this solicitation does not commit the County to award any Agreement or to procure or Agreement for any equipment, materials or services.

5.3. If a formal Agreement is required, the Contractor agrees and understands that a Notice of Award does not constitute an Agreement or create a property interest of any nature until an Agreement is signed by the Awardee and the Board of County Commissioners and/or their authorized designee.

5.4. Contractor is responsible for reviewing the form Agreement and understanding the terms and conditions contained therein, including, but not limited to, insurance requirements, indemnification, illegal aliens, equal opportunity, non-appropriation, and termination.

5.5. Contractor’s Response must state its willingness to enter into the form Agreement or

Contractor shall identify and include any proposed revisions they have for the form Agreement. Any proposed revisions made by the Contractor after the County Notice of Intent to Award the Solicitation may be grounds for rescinding said Notice. The identification of willingness to enter into the standard Agreement is for general purposes at this time but is part of the evaluation process and must be included. There may be negotiations on a project-by-project basis that provide further clarification.

5.6. Incorrect Pricing/Invoicing. As part of any award resulting from this process, Contractor(s) will discount all transactions as agreed. In the event the County discovers, through its Agreement monitoring process or formal audit process, that material or services were priced/invoiced incorrectly, Contractor(s) agree to promptly refund all overpayments and to pay all reasonable audit expenses incurred as a result of the non-compliance.

5.7. The County may, during the term of the Agreement and any extensions, request additional work at other locations throughout Adams County by the successful Contractor.

6. METHOD OF AWARD: It is the intent of the County to award Agreements to the Contractor who provides the best value for Adams County. An applicant may receive multiple Agreements for services applied for.

6.1. Evaluation criteria, other than costs, are evaluated first. After rating the written responses, costs are then considered against trade-offs such as satisfaction of requirements in the Solicitation, qualification and financial condition of the Contractor, risk, and incentives.

6.2. If it is in the best interest of the County, the Evaluation Committee may invite a limited number of contractors to provide an oral presentation.

6.3. The County reserves the right to conduct negotiations with Contractors and to accept revisions of Responses. During this negotiation period, the County will not disclose any information derived from responses submitted, or from discussions with other Contractors. Once an award is made, the Solicitation file and the Responses contained therein are in the public record.

6.4. Questions which arise during the Response preparation period regarding issues around this Solicitation, purchasing and/or award should be directed, via e-mail, to Michele Riggin, Contract Specialist I, Purchasing Division, Adams County, MRiggin@adcogov.org. The Contractor submitting the question(s) shall be responsible for ensuring the question(s) is received by the County by the date listed above in the schedule of activities for submitting the question(s) regardless of the method of delivery.

7. Any official interpretation of this RFA must be made by an agent of the County’s Purchasing

Division who is authorized to act on behalf of the County. The County shall not be responsible for interpretations offered by employees of the County who are not agents of the County’s Purchasing Division.

8. COOPERATIVE PURCHASING: Adams County encourages cooperative purchasing in an effort to assist other agencies to reduce their cost of bidding and to make better use of taxpayer dollars through volume purchasing. Contractor(s) may, at their discretion, agree to extend the prices and/or terms of the resulting award to other state or local government agencies, school districts, or political subdivisions in the event they would have a need for the same product/service. Usage by any entity shall not have a negative impact on Adams County in the current term or in any future terms.

9. The Contractor(s) must deal directly with any governmental agency concerning the placement of purchase orders/agreements, freight/delivery charges, Contractual disputes, invoices, and payments. Adams County shall not be liable for any costs or damages incurred by any other entity.

mailto:MRiggin@adcogov.org

10. BUDGET: Budget will not be disclosed.

11. DEBARMENT: By submitting this application, the Contractor warrants and certifies they are eligible to submit an application because their company and/or subcontract(s) is/are not presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from participation in a transaction by any Federal, State, or local department or agency.

11.1. The Contractor must hold a current and active Unique Identifier Number through sam.gov. Applicant must submit proof of active registration with proposal submittal. If proof of active registration is not provided- proposal submittal will be deemed not responsive.

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https://sam.gov/

4430 South Adams County Parkway Brighton, Colorado 80601

GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

1. APPLICABILITY: These General Terms and Conditions apply, but are not limited, to all bids, applications, qualifications and quotations (hereinafter referred to as “Application” or “Response”) made to Adams County (hereinafter referred to as "County") by all prospective Contractors, Contractors, bidders, firms, companies, publishers, consultants, or suppliers (herein after referred to as “Contractor” or "Contractors") in response, but not limited, to all Invitations to Bid, Requests for Applications, Requests for Qualifications, and Requests for Quotations (hereinafter referred to as “Solicitation” or “Solicitations”).

2. CONTENTS OF APPLICATION

2.1. GENERAL CONDITIONS: Contractors are required to submit their Applications in accordance with the following expressed conditions:

2.1.1. Contractors shall make all investigations necessary to thoroughly inform themselves regarding the plant and facilities affected by the delivery of materials and equipment as required by the conditions of the Solicitation. No plea of ignorance by the Contractor of conditions that exist or that may hereafter exist will be accepted as the basis for varying the requirements of the County or the compensation to the Contractor.

2.1.2. Contractors are advised that all County Solicitations and Agreements are subject to all requirements contained in the County’s Purchasing Division’s Policies and state and federal statutes. When conflicts occur, the highest authority will prevail.

2.1.3. Contractors are required to state exactly what they intend to furnish to the County in their Application and must indicate any variances to the terms, conditions, and specifications of this Solicitation no matter how slight. If variations are not stated in a Contractor’s Application, it shall be construed that the Contractor’s Application fully complies with all conditions identified in this Solicitation.

3. EQUAL OPPORTUNITY: The County intends and expects that the Contracting processes of the County and its Contractors provide equal opportunity without regard to gender, age, race, color, religion, marital status, disability, sex, national origin, gender identity, gender expression, or any other characteristic barred by law and that its Contractors make available equal opportunities to the extent third parties are engaged to provide goods and services to the County as Subcontractors, Contractors, or otherwise. Accordingly, the Contractor shall not discriminate on any of the foregoing grounds in the performance of any Agreement awarded to the Contractor and shall make available equal opportunities to the extent third parties are engaged to provide goods and services in connection with performance of the Agreement. If submitting a joint venture Application, or an Application involving a partnership arrangement, articles of partnership stating each partner’s responsibilities shall be furnished and submitted with the Response.

4. COLORADO OPEN RECORDS ACT: All documentation submitted in response to this solicitation will become the property of Adams County. All documentation maintained or kept by Adams County shall be subject to the Colorado Open Records Act. C.R.S. 24-72-201 et.

seq. (“CORA”). Accordingly, respondents are discouraged from providing information that they consider confidential, privileged, and/or trade secrets as part of a response to this solicitation.

Any portions of submissions that are reasonably considered confidential should be clearly marked as such. The County does not guarantee the confidentiality of any record(s).

Careful consideration should be given before submitting confidential information to the County. The Colorado Open Records Act permits public scrutiny of most materials collected in this solicitation process.

5. CLARIFICATION AND MODIFICATIONS IN TERMS AND CONDITIONS

5.1. Where there appears to be variances or conflicts between the General Terms and Conditions, any Special Terms and Conditions and the Scope of Work/Specifications outlined in this Solicitation, the Scope of Work/ Specifications, and then the Special Terms and Conditions, will prevail.

5.1.1. If any Contractor contemplating submitting an Application under this Solicitation is in doubt as to the true meaning of the Scope of Work or any other portion of the Solicitation, the Contractor must submit a written request via email for clarification to the Point of Contact listed on the first page of this Solicitation.

The Contractor submitting the request shall be responsible for ensuring that the request is received by the County prior to the deadline for submitting questions.

5.1.2. The County shall issue a written addendum if substantial changes which impact the technical submission of Applications are required. A copy of such addenda will be available at the Bidnet System website. In the event of conflict with the original Solicitation documents, addenda shall supersede to the extent specified. Subsequent addenda shall supersede prior addenda only to the extent specified.

5.1.3. Addenda: contractor is responsible for obtaining and acknowledging all subsequent addenda via the rocky mountain e-purchasing system (bidnet).

Failure to submit any and all subsequent addendum/addenda may deem the contractor non-responsive. Each and every addendum to be separately acknowledged.

5.2. Prices contained in application - discounts, taxes, collusion

5.2.1. The contractor agrees to hold submitted prices up to 120 days after bid due date.

5.2.2. Contractors may offer a cash discount for prompt payment. Discounts will be considered in determining the lowest net cost for the evaluation of Applications;

discounts for periods of less than twenty days, however, will not be considered in making an award. If no prompt payment discount is being offered, the Contractor shall enter a zero (0) for the percentage discount to indicate net thirty days. If the Contractor does not enter a percentage discount, it is hereby understood and agreed that the payment terms shall be net thirty days, effective on the date that the County receives an accurate invoice or accepts the products, whichever is the later date. Payment is deemed to be made on the date of the mailing of the check.

5.2.3. Contractors shall not include federal, state, or local excise or sales taxes in prices offered, as the County is exempt from payment of such taxes.

5.2.3.1. Federal Identification Number: 84-6000732

5.2.3.2. State of Colorado Tax Exempt Number: 98-03569

6. SIGNING APPLICATION

Contractor, by affixing its signature to this Solicitation, certifies that its Application is made without previous understanding, agreement, or connection either with any persons, firms or corporations making an Application for the same items, or with the County. The Contractor also certifies that its Application is in all respects fair, without outside control, collusion, fraud, or otherwise illegal action. To ensure integrity of the County’s public procurement process, all Contractors are hereby placed on notice that any and all Contractors who falsify the certifications required in conjunction with this section will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

7. PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION OF APPLICATION

7.1. PREPARATION

7.1.1. The Application must be typed or legibly printed in ink. The use of erasable ink is not permitted. All corrections made by the Contractor must be initialed by the authorized agent of the Contractor.

7.1.2. Applications must contain a manual signature of an authorized agent of the

Contractor in the space provided on the Contractor’s Statement page. The Contractor’s Statement of this Solicitation must be included in Application response. If the Contractor’s authorized agent fails to sign and return the original Contractor’s Statement page of the Solicitation, its Application may be considered invalid.

7.1.3. Alternate Applications will not be considered unless expressly permitted in the Scope of Work.

7.1.4. The accuracy of the Application is the sole responsibility of the Contractor.

No changes in the Application shall be allowed after the date and time that submission of the Application is due.

7.2. SUBMISSION

7.2.1. The Application shall be submitted via the Bidnet Direct System. The County’s

Pricing Form, which is attached to this Solicitation, must be used when the Contractor is submitting its Application. The Contractor shall not alter this form (e.g., add or modify categories for posting prices offered) unless expressly permitted in the Solicitation or in an addendum duly issued by the County. Only Applications received by the Purchasing Division of the Finance Department will be accepted; Applications submitted telephone, email, or facsimile machines are not acceptable.

7.2.2. Failure to provide any requested information may result in the rejection of the

Application as non-responsive.

7.2.3. Application must be submitted in the format supplied and/or described by the

County. Failure to submit in the format provided may be cause for rejection of the Application. Applications must be furnished exclusive of taxes.

7.2.4. Contractor is responsible for ensuring their Application is received by the

Purchasing Division prior to the deadline outlined in the solicitation regardless of the method of delivery.

7.2.5. Contractors, which qualify their Application by requiring alternate Contractual terms and conditions as a stipulation for Agreement award, must include such alternate terms and conditions in their Response. The County reserves the right to declare a Contractor’s Application as non-responsive if any of these alternate terms and conditions are in conflict with the County’s terms and conditions, or if they are not in the best interests of the County.

8. LATE APPLICATIONS

8.1. Allow ample time to upload your applications. The County assumes no responsibility for any IT related issues that occur.

8.2. The County assumes no responsibility for an Application being either opened early or improperly routed if not submitted into the Bidnet System properly.

8.3. In the event of a situation severe enough to cause the Adams County Board of Commissioners to close the County offices for any reason, the Purchasing Manager has the prerogative of rescheduling the Application opening time and date. No Application will be considered above all other Applications by having met the Application opening time and date requirements to the exclusion of those who were unable to present their Application due to a situation severe enough to cause the Board of County Commissioners to close the County offices.

9. MODIFICATION AND WITHDRAWAL OF APPLICATIONS

9.1. MODIFICATIONS TO APPLICATIONS. Applications may only be modified in the form of a written notice on Contractor letterhead and must be received prior to the time and date set for the Applications to be opened. Each modification submitted to the County’s Purchasing Division must have the Contractor’s name and return address and the applicable Solicitation number and title clearly marked on the face of the sealed envelope. If more than one modification is submitted, the modification bearing the latest date of receipt by the County’s Purchasing Division will be considered the valid modification.

9.2. WITHDRAWAL OF APPLICATIONS

9.2.1. Applications may be withdrawn in the form of a written notice on Contractor letterhead and must be received prior to the time and date set for the opening of Applications. Any withdrawal of an Application submitted to Adams County Purchase Division must have the Contractor’s name, return address, and the applicable Solicitation number and title clearly marked on the face of the envelope and on the withdrawal letter.

9.2.2. Applications may not be withdrawn after the time and date set for the opening for a period of ninety calendar days. If an Application is withdrawn by the Contractor during this ninety-day period, the County may, at its option, suspend the Contractor and may not accept any Application from the Contractor for a six-month period following the withdrawal.

10. REJECTION OF APPLICATIONS

10.1. The County may, at its sole and absolute discretion:

10.1.1. Reject any and all, or parts of any or all, Applications submitted by prospective Contractors;

10.1.2. Re-advertise this Solicitation;

10.1.3. Postpone or cancel the process;

10.1.4. Waive any irregularities in the Applications received in conjunction with this

Solicitation; and/or

10.2. In addition to any reason identified above, the County may reject a particular Application under any of the following conditions:

10.2.1. The Contractor misstates or conceals any material fact in its Application;

10.2.2. The Contractor’s Application does not strictly conform to the law or the requirements of the Solicitation;

10.2.3. The Application expressly requires or implies a conditional award that conflicts with the method of award stipulated in the Solicitation;

10.2.4. The Application does not include documents, including, but not limited to, certificates, licenses, and/or samples, which are required for submission with the Application in accordance with the Solicitation; and/or

10.2.5. The Application has not been executed by the Contractor through an authorized signature on the Contractor’s Statement.

10.2.6. The Application does not include an active proof of SAMS.GOV registration and a Unique Identifier Number.

10.3. The County reserves the right to waive any irregularities or informalities, and the right to accept or reject any and all Applications.

11. ELIMINATION FROM CONSIDERATION

11.1. An Application may not be accepted from, nor any Agreement be awarded to, any person or firm which is in arrears to the County upon any debt or Agreement or which is a defaulter as surety or otherwise upon any obligation to the County.

11.2. An Application may not be accepted from, nor any Agreement awarded to, any person or firm who has failed to perform faithfully any previous Agreement with the County or other governmental entity, for a minimum period of three years after the previous Agreement was terminated for cause.

11.3. Any communications in regards to this RFA must go through the Adams County

Purchasing Division only. Any contact with other County personnel or County Contractors may be cause for disqualification.

11.4. No damages shall be recoverable by any challenger as a result of the determinations listed in this Section or decisions by the County.

11.5. The Board of County Commissioners may rescind the award of any Application within one week thereof or at its next regularly scheduled meeting; whichever is later, when the public interest will be served thereby.

11.6. An application received without proper proof of an active SAMS registration and

Unique Identifier number will not be considered.

12. QUALIFICATIONS OF CONTRACTOR: The County may make such investigations as deemed necessary to determine the ability of the Contractor to perform work, and the

Contractor shall furnish all information and data for this purpose as the County requests. Such information includes but is not limited to current/maximum bonding capabilities, current licensing information, audited financial statements, history of the firm on assessments of liquidated damages, Agreements cancelled prior to completion and/or lawsuits and/or pending lawsuits against the firm and/or its principals. The County reserves the right to reject any Application if the evidence submitted by, or investigation of, such Contractor fails to satisfy the County that such Contractor is properly qualified to carry out the obligations of the Agreement and to complete the work contemplated therein. Conditional Applications will not be accepted.

13. AWARD OF SOLICITATION: The County shall award this Solicitation to the successful Contractor through the issuance of a Notice of Intent to Award. All Contractors that participated in the Solicitation process will be notified of Contractor selection. No services or goods shall be provided, and no compensation shall be paid, until and unless an Agreement has been signed by an authorized representative of the County and the Contractor.

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4430 South Adams County Parkway Brighton, Colorado 80601

SCOPES OF WORK

BACKGROUND

PURPOSE:

Development of a pool of potential providers who are qualified to offer services through the Block Service Program in the following categories to children and families involved in the child welfare system:

• PSSF Respite Post-Adoption

Once the pool of providers is established, the County will select from the pool to pursue a contractual relationship and the implementation of a formal contract agreement. Referrals to programs/services will be made based on the needs of the client. Meeting the criteria of this Request for Application (RFA), or any other solicitation, does not of itself obligate Adams County Human Services Department (ACHSD) to extend a contract for services, utilize, or pay for these services in any circumstance. Parties interested in submitting their applications to provide such services are required to follow the recommended guidelines and instructions contained in this RFA and must complete and submit the Request for Application Form (Attachment 1).

DEFINITION OF BLOCK SERVICES:

PROMOTING SAFE AND STABLE FAMILIES SERVICES SCOPE OF WORK

RFA-MR-2025.822 - RESPITE SERVICES FOR POST-ADOPTION: Block Funded

A. Background The Adams County Human Services Department’s (ACHSD) Child, Adult and Family Services Division (CAFS) is soliciting proposals from qualified individuals, organizations, and agencies to deliver supportive services to post-adoptive and kinship families under the Relative Guardianship Assistance Program (RGAP) within the community. There is a demonstrated and significant need for post-adoption support services, which are currently limited in Adams County. These services are essential to reduce the risk of adoption disruption and to promote the stability of complex adoptive situations, thereby enhancing long-term positive outcomes for adoptive families.

To enhance support for post-adoptive families, CAFS is seeking a community partner with demonstrated expertise in adoption and a comprehensive understanding of the unique needs of adoptive families. The selected partner will be expected to provide thoughtful, individualized, intensive, short-term, time-limited, in-home respite services, enabling families to take necessary breaks to reset and recharge.

Adoption Family Support Program (Disruption Prevention and Intervention/Placement Stabilization Services) Our program model goals will include provision of specialized intervention and prevention services to protect the permanency of post adoption placements.

These services would be aimed at providing children, youth, and families with a resource that can help provide resources/services and prevent out-of-home placements after adoption finalization/permanent guardianship placement has occurred. The program would be made available to children, youth, and families living within Adams County.

CAFS aims to collaborate closely with families to deliver services designed to preserve family unity. By partnering with adoptive parents and during challenging or stressful situations, CAFS seeks to reduce the risk of child maltreatment in post-adoption families.

Any services delivered by a contracted agency would be expected to provide interventions in a respectful and responsive manner that focuses on the family’s strengths, beliefs and traditions and enhances their growth and ability to keep children safe and solidifies their foundation of wellbeing and permanency. Also, this agency/provider will support and encourage family driven goal setting in all service provision.

The implementation of this adoption support intervention will focus on achieving the following outcomes: reducing the risk of child abuse and/or neglect and enhancing caregiver protective capacity to ensure child safety. Additionally, adoptive parents will experience improved capacity to meet their children’s needs, alongside increased access to and utilization of community-based support and services.

B. Scope of Work Services and Program Description The need for behavioral health informed respite care can arise in a variety of situations, including efforts to preserve the family unit, prevent adoption disruption, avoid out-of-home placement, or comply with court orders for out-of-home placement when a suitable placement has not yet been identified or is not immediately available. In previous situations, children were temporarily housed in the ACHSD building. Having respite services available in these situations can avoid the trauma of out-of-home placement.

Respite programs can offer structured supervision by experienced staff for children and youth with challenging behaviors. This can allow time for adoptive parents and CAFS staff to focus on other areas such as household needs and work duties while allowing the children to participate in enriching activities, have access to positive role models who can help clients develop skills to increase self-sufficiency, and provide opportunities to practice and increase socialization skills with family and the community. Additionally respite program providers will be capable and comfortable in offering transportation to children and youth to activities in the community, communicate in a timely fashion to the clients’ team of professionals, and be skilled in de-escalation techniques should the need arise.

Population To Be Served Post-adoptive families with children between birth to 18 years of age who were involved in the child welfare system because of child abuse, neglect and/or juvenile delinquency and who are at imminent risk or high risk of removal.

Performance Measures and Program Implementation Requirements:

CAFS requires that the chosen provider utilize an evidenced based, promising practice or innovative practice program model to deliver the services indicated above. Practice proposals that implement those programs listed on The Title IV-E Clearinghouse for Child Welfare are strongly preferred.

(https://preventionservices.acf.hhs.gov/). Applicants shall plan to promote the five protective factors from the Strengthening Families Protective Factors Framework for all service activities. The five protective factors are:

1. Parental Resilience A parent’s ability to effectively cope with the various challenges of parenting and everyday life and their ability to overcome life’s challenges. Examples include program activities that help caregivers manage stress and maintain hope.

2. Social Connections Positive relationships with friends, family members, neighbors, and others who can provide concrete and emotional support to parents and caregivers. Examples of programming would strengthen informal and formal support mechanisms for families.

3. Knowledge of Parenting and Child Development Accurate information about raising children and appropriate expectations for their behavior.

Examples would be parenting education through parent support groups, facility-based education classes or home visitation.

4. Concrete Support in Times of Need Comprehensive support and services within the community, which may include, but are not limited to, financial assistance, transportation support, food assistance, workforce development and job training programs, and access to mental health services. An example of eligible programming includes the provision of immediate and easily accessible resources or support for families experiencing a crisis, with the goal of stabilizing and strengthening family units.

5. Children’s Social and Emotional Development A child’s ability to effectively interact with others and to articulate their feelings. An example of programming would be providing children and caregivers a safe and nurturing place to “practice” normal roles and behaviors, strengthening a positive parent-child relationship.

Program Monitoring and Reporting Requirements:

The Contractor will work in close collaboration with the CAFS Post Adoption Team and the Promoting Safe and Stable Families Program Coordinator for each family assigned. This will be conducted through phone conversations or in person meetings on at least a monthly basis and/or as needed or requested. In addition, monthly reports will be submitted by the Contractor to CAFS for https://preventionservices.acf.hhs.gov/ each family served by no later than the 10th of the following month. Six-month progress reports will be due to CAFS at intervals designated once the Contractor is selected.

C. Qualifications of Staff

Per the Colorado Respite Coalition, there is no standardized or statewide certification or training requirement to be a respite provider in the state of Colorado. Most respite care agencies have mandatory staff training. Some agencies have state-required training associated to certain licensure, for instance Child Care Licensing. However, these requirements and regulations are not respite-specific, or universal for all respite providers.

Respite providers will have adequate training to meet the needs of the individual(s) receiving care. It is necessary for providers to be fully capable of providing the required service to avoid uncomfortable or unsafe situations with clients, when working as an individual or for a respite agency. Children and youth in the child welfare system have experienced abuse and/or neglect and staff should receive ongoing training regarding caring for traumatized youth and providing trauma informed services.

Provider Qualifications:

The county department will ensure that all personnel who supervise or provide professional services for child welfare possess the following minimum qualifications:

1. Education and Training

a. Providers will have a minimum of a high school diploma.

b. Providers will be trained in trauma-informed care, child development, and attachment.

c. Providers will possess knowledge of the unique needs of children who have experienced abuse, neglect, separation, and loss.

d. Providers will be trained in positive behavior supports, de-escalation techniques, and be able to implement individualized strategies that align with each child’s needs.

2. Certifications

a. Providers must maintain current CPR and First Aid certification.

3. Background Checks

a. All respite care providers must successfully complete criminal background checks in accordance with state and federal requirements.

i. Adams County Human Services Department (ACHSD) mandates that all respite providers have passed background checks. The background checks must include a Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) check and an FBI fingerprint-based background check. It also must include a check of the national sex offense registry, including a name-based check and an address-based check. Any criminal offenses of a violent nature, sexual nature or involving illicit substance use shall disqualify that individual from providing respite services.

D. Anticipated Outcomes and Performance

As a result of this program’s implementation, children will:

• Remain in adoptive homes without further CAFS involvement.

• Experience increased safety in their adoptive families.

Other desired outcomes and expectations

• Post adoption families will have this resource available to them post CAFS involvement to prevent potential adoption disruption.

• Children and youth will have services available to them from adoption competent providers to prevent adoption disruption.

• Legal permanent kinship placement arrangements will remain stabilized.

E. Proposal Elements Proposals should be clear, concise, and well organized, and must include all the information necessary for reviewers to understand. The outline below lists the required sections that must be included in the proposal.

1. Agency Information:

• Provide a brief description of your agency, and/or organization including total staff size, number of years in operation, mission and history.

• Briefly describe the related services provided by your agency

• Describe your experience providing similar services for other governmental and public sector agencies and please list the names of those agencies.

2. Services to be provided, in the context of this RFP:

• Provide a description of the services your agency will provide. Include narrative that explains the proposed activities that meet the goals, objectives, and scope of this RFP.

• How do you (or your agency) provide services for a client that does not understand you due to cognitive, language or dialect concerns?

• Do you have more than one location where you can provide services to CAFS clients?

What hours/days of the week are you (or are employees at your agency) available to provide services?

• How much advance notification is required prior to providing services?

• For agencies, how many staff does your agency currently employ?

• Does your agency have an online referral and reporting system that can grant access to results to approved parties? If so, what reporting system does your agency utilize?

• Indicate if you can provide transportation for clients.

3. Expertise and Experience

• How long have you (or your agency) been providing services to children and families?

• For individual applicants, what type of ongoing education/training do you participate in to ensure the continued quality of service provision for children and families?

• For agencies, please discuss how you ensure the competency of your agency’s staff, employee hiring, training, and evaluation processes.

• Have you (or your agency) provided post-adoption respite services to individuals within human services agencies in the past? If so, please discuss program specifics. If not, please indicate what other experience you (or your agency) have.

• List any memberships in professional associations, organizations, or societies that are job-related.

• List applicable licenses or permits presently held and ability to obtain additional licenses or permits that may be required.

REVIEW AND EVALUATION:

Applications will be reviewed and evaluated according to the following criteria: responsiveness to the Request for Applications, overall merit of the application, agency experience, capacity to provide proposed services to address the needs of post-adoptive families, cost, past performance (if applicable) and availability of services. Also considered is the relevance and justification of costs included in the budget, the applicants experience in the effective oversight of administrative, fiscal and programmatic aspects of government contracts, including timely and accurate submission of billing and reports.

PAYMENT AND FEE SCHEDULE

This contract will operate on a fee-for-service basis. The selected Contractor shall submit monthly invoices to the Adams County Human Services Department by the 10th business day of each month, detailing services provided during the preceding month. All invoices must be accurate, timely, and align with the agreed-upon scope of services and rate structure established in the contract.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

• Overall merit of application

• Cost

• Qualifications and Personnel

• Experience/Past Performance

• Program Description/Ability to Deliver the Services Described

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

CAFS prefers applicants to be authorized Medicaid providers or qualified to become an authorized Medicaid provider. Many post adoption families rely on Medicaid as their health care insurance and continuity of care for clients is extremely important. If a service is Medicaid eligible, the service must be billed accordingly.

END OF SCOPE OF SERVICE

4430 South Adams County Parkway Brighton, Colorado 80601

SUBMISSION CHECK LIST

SUBMISSION: It is imperative you address your submittals as follows:

Does your application comply with all the terms and conditions YES NO of this Solicitation? If not, indicate exceptions.

Does your application provide proposed revisions to the attached YES NO Sample Agreement and identified on the Term of Acceptance Form?

Does your application meet or exceed all specifications, including YES NO minimum service requirements? If not, indicate exceptions.

Are the requirements met and responses included? YES NO

May any other governmental entity avail itself of this Agreement and YES NO purchase any or all items specified?

Have all the addendums been acknowledged and enclosed? YES NO

Has a duly authorized agent of the contractor signed the YES NO Contractor’s Statement?

Is your SAM Certificate included in your response? YES NO

Is your Certificate of Insurance included in your response? YES NO

Is your W-9 included in your response? YES NO

Is your Fee Schedule in your response? YES NO

4430 South Adams County Parkway Brighton, Colorado 80601

CONTRACTOR’S STATEMENT

Pursuant to 2 C.F.R. Part 200 Subpart C 200.213, Contractor certifies that they are not presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from covered transactions by any Federal department or agency, and has read and fully understand all the conditions herein set forth in the foregoing paragraphs, and by my signature set forth hereunder, I hereby agree to comply with all said conditions as stated or implied. In consideration of the above statement, the following Application is hereby submitted.

If any of the documents listed on the cover page are missing from this package, contact Adams County Purchasing. If you require additional information, call the Purchasing Division contact person.

The undersigned hereby affirms that (1) he/she is a duly authorized agent of the Contractor, (2) he/she has read all terms and conditions and technical specifications which were made available in conjunction with this solicitation and fully understands and accepts them unless specific variations have been expressly listed in his/her Application, (3) the Application is being submitted on behalf of the Contractor in accordance with any terms and conditions set forth in this Solicitation, and (4) the Contractor will accept any awards made to it as a result of the Application submitted herein for a minimum of 120 calendar days following the date of submission.

WE, THE UNDERSIGNED, HEREBY ACKNOWLEDGE RECEIPT OF

Addenda (list all): _____________________________________________________

Legal Business Name of Contractor Date

Signature Printed Name

Title

Address

City, State, Zip Code County

Telephone Fax

Email

4430 South Adams County Parkway Brighton, Colorado 80601

REFERENCE FORM

Contractors shall furnish the names, addresses and telephone numbers of a minimum of three (3) firms or government organizations for which the Contractor has provided similar projects:

Company Name

Reference Name

Reference Email Address

Telephone Number

Project Name

Value

4430 South Adams County Parkway Brighton, Colorado 80601

TERM OF ACCEPTANCE FORM

Request for Application:

I, on behalf of the Contractor identified below, hereby certify that I have read a copy of the sample Agreement attached to the RFA and understand the terms and provisions contained in that Agreement. I further hereby certify that it is the Contractor’s intent to comply with each and every term and provision contained in the sample Agreement and propose no modifications to the sample Agreement except as follows:

1)

2)

3)

I understand that the modification stated above, if any, are offered for discussion purposes only and that Adams County reserves the right to accept, reject or further negotiate any and all proposed modification to the sample Agreement.

Legal Contractor Name

Authorized Signature

Printed Name

Title

Date

END OF SECTION