25-RFA-13800 Family Support Programs.pdf

i

REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS FOR

FAMILY SUPPORT PROGRAMS

ISSUING OFFICE

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Human Services

Bureau of Procurement and Contract Management Room 528 Health and Human Services Building

625 Forster Street Harrisburg, PA 17120

RFA NUMBER

25-RFA-13800

DATE OF ISSUANCE

September 9, 2026 ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CALENDAR OF EVENTS [iv]

Part I - GENERAL INFORMATION [5]

Part II - CRITERIA FOR SELECTION [16]

Part III - TECHNICAL SUBMITTAL [19]

Part IV – COST SUBMITTAL [37]

Part V – CONTRACTOR PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM SUBMITTAL [39] iii

APPENDICES

APPENDIX A - APPLICATION COVER SHEET AND CHECKLIST

APPENDIX B - TRADE SECRET CONFIDENTIAL PROPRIETARY INFORMATION

NOTICE

APPENDIX C - COST SUBMITTAL WORKSHEET

APPENDIX D - LOBBYING CERTIFICATION AND DISCLOSURE OF LOBBYING

ACTIVITIES

APPENDIX E - FEDERAL FUNDING ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY

ACT SUB-RECIPIENT DATA SHEET

APPENDIX F - WORKER PROTECTION AND INVESTMENT CERTIFICATION

FORM

APPENDIX G - COMMONWEALTH STANDARD TERMS AND CONDITIONS

GRANT VERSION

APPENDIX H - DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES ADDENDUM TO STANDARD

TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR GRANTS AND AUDIT CLAUSE A/B

APPENDIX I - PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS AND ORGANIZATION

INFORMATION

APPENDIX J - SERVICE CAPACITY WORKSHEET AND MODEL

IMPLEMENTATION APPROVAL

APPENDIX K - STRENGTHENING FAMILIES™ PROTECTIVE FACTORS

FRAMEWORK

APPENDIX L - FAMILY SUPPORT DATA COLLECTION REQUIREMENTS

APPENDIX M - ANNOUCEMENT FS 24 No. 01 - VIRTUAL HOME VISITING SERVICES

APPENDIX N - BUSINESS ASSOCIATE AGREEMENT

APPENDIX O - OCDEL FAMILY SUPPORT PROGRAMS GLOSSARY

APPENDIX P - ENHANCEMENTS WORKSHEET

iv

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

The Commonwealth will make every effort to adhere to the following schedule:

Activity Responsibility Date

Deadline to submit questions via email to RA-

PWRFAQUESTIONS@PA.GOV

Potential Applicants

September 15, 2026

12:00 PM EST

Answers to Potential Applicant questions posted to the DGS website at:

http://www.emarketplace.state.pa.us/Search.aspx no later than this date.

DHS September 22, 2026

Please monitor this website for all communications regarding this Request for Applications.

Potential Applicants Ongoing

Application must be received by the Issuing Office at:

RA-PWRFAQUESTIONS@PA.GOV Applicants October 13, 2026

12:00 PM EST

file://dhs/share/OA/BFO/CEM/A%20COMPLEX%20PROCUREMENT%20REFERENCE/RFA%20Forms/RA-PWRFAQUESTIONS@PA.GOV file://dhs/share/OA/BFO/CEM/A%20COMPLEX%20PROCUREMENT%20REFERENCE/RFA%20Forms/RA-PWRFAQUESTIONS@PA.GOV http://www.emarketplace.state.pa.us/Search.aspx mailto:RA-PWRFAQUESTIONS@PA.GOV

PART I

GENERAL INFORMATION

I-1. Purpose. This Request for Applications (“RFA”) provides to those interested in submitting applications for the subject procurement (“Applicants”) sufficient information to enable them to prepare and submit applications for the Department of Human Services’ (“Department”) consideration on behalf of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (“Commonwealth”) to satisfy a need for Family Support Programs (“Project”). This RFA contains instructions governing the requested applications, including the requirements for the information and material to be included; a description of the service to be provided;

requirements that Applicants must meet to be eligible for consideration; general evaluation criteria; and other requirements specific to this RFA.

I-2. Issuing Office. The Department’s Office of Administration, Bureau of Procurement and Contract Management (“Issuing Office”) has issued this RFA on behalf of the Commonwealth. The sole point of contact in the Commonwealth for this RFA shall be Nadine Chinapoo, RA- PWRFAQUESTIONS@PA.GOV, the Issuing Officer for this RFA. Please refer all inquiries to the Issuing Officer.

I-3. Overview of Project. The Department has been the lead in supporting Evidence Based Home Visiting (”EBHV”) programs that are designed to improve the overall health of families, increase school readiness and success, improve economic well-being, aid in child abuse and neglect prevention, and promote overall positive parenting.

The Department’s Office of Child Development and Early Learning (“OCDEL”), Bureau of Early Intervention Services and Family Supports, is seeking to award funds to qualified Applicants for the implementation of Family Support (“FS”) Programs. These programs consist of community-based, high-quality EBHV services. It is the Department’s priority to maintain the presence of no less than one FS Program within each of the 67 counties in the Commonwealth.

OCDEL’s FS Programs help families access a broad array of supports and services including EBHV and connect families to resources and services in their local community. EBHV is a prevention and intervention service delivery strategy, backed by research, that partners pregnant mothers and caregivers of young children with trained home visiting professionals to set and achieve goals for themselves and their families. These individual programs and evidence base can differ dramatically, which means program eligibility criteria, range of services offered, frequency of home visits, and content of curriculum used will vary.

All home visiting programs are based on the belief that services delivered in a family’s natural learning environment will have a positive impact, and supporting positive parenting practices can have long-term benefits for child development. Home visitors regularly travel to the caregiver’s home or another natural learning environment to provide the tools, guidance, and support necessary to raise a healthy family.

Although EBHV services are intended to be delivered in-person in the home, services may be delivered as a virtual home visit if specific terms and conditions are met. These terms and conditions can be found in Appendix M - Announcement FS 24 #01 Virtual Home Visiting Services.

A. Applicants must apply to implement at least one EBHV Model listed under the U.S. Department of

Health and Human Services, Administration for Children & Families Home Visiting Evidence of Effectiveness (“HomVEE”). Applicants must refer to the HomVEE website:

(https://homvee.acf.gov/models?field_miechv_eligible=1&meets-hhs=1) for this list of approved EBHV Models. Applicants are permitted to apply for multiple Models from the HomVEE list; the Applicant is not restricted to only one.

Applicants should consider the following before selecting a Model or Models:

1. The model should meet the needs of the community the Applicant seeks to serve.

2. The model must provide an opportunity to accurately measure and achieve meaningful outcomes in benchmark areas and performance measures as defined in Appendix L, Family Support Data Collection Requirements. Grantees shall collect all federal and state mandated performance measures and demographic data as described in The Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program Form 1, Form 2, and Form 4 at:

https://mchb.hrsa.gov/programs-impact/programs/home-visiting/miechv-data-continuous-quality-improvement

3. The Applicant must be able to participate in the federal and state mandated Continuous Quality

Improvement (“CQI”) efforts using a method and timeframe determined by the Department.

4. The Applicant must obtain approval from the model developer for implementation and include documentation that demonstrates this approval with their application. The Applicant may obtain this approval from a national or state office. This approval should be submitted as part of Appendix J – Service Capacity Worksheet and Model Implementation Approval.

5. The Applicant must meet model fidelity or be working with the model to maintain the model’s individually acceptable level of effort to meet fidelity. The Grantee shall obtain documentation annually from the model developer or the national or state office verifying that they are demonstrating adherence to model fidelity and have approval for continued model implementation.

6. The Applicant must utilize the model’s guidance for staff caseload size.

7. The Applicant may not dually enroll a family, which means a family may not be enrolled in more than one model at a time funded through this RFA. To ensure responsible fiscal stewardship and optimize the impact of available funding, Grantees shall work collaboratively to avoid the duplication of services.

8. The selected model must be able to provide early childhood education services and support community-based efforts to strengthen parents and their young children (prenatal through age five). These programs must offer resources and activities to help prevent child abuse and neglect prior to or at the beginning of any involvement with a County Children and Youth Agency

(“CCYA”).

9. The Applicant must incorporate Appendix K - Strengthening Families™ Protective Factors

Framework (“SFPFF”) within their program.

10. Along with the requirements set forth in this RFA, Applicants must be able to comply with all program requirements as described in Appendix I – Program Requirements and Organization Information.

Note: Any questions Applicant may have about EBHV model implementation should be directed to the model developer or their representative.

https://homvee.acf.gov/models?field_miechv_eligible=1&meets-hhs=1 https://mchb.hrsa.gov/programs-impact/programs/home-visiting/miechv-data-continuous-quality-improvement https://mchb.hrsa.gov/programs-impact/programs/home-visiting/miechv-data-continuous-quality-improvement

B. Applicants may apply for an Enhancement to their services by submitting Appendix P –

Enhancements Worksheet. Enhancements, for the purpose of this RFA, are programs or services added to the selected EBHV model when and where appropriate and allowable for the families and communities served. Enhancements are optional and must be paired with EBHV services. Applicants may not apply for an enhancement alone.

There are three main types of enhancements: Evidence Informed Programs (“EIP”), EBHV Model Enhancements, and Program Enhancements. The general term “Enhancements” will be used for all three categories.

1. EIPS. EIPs are enhancements that use the best available research and practice knowledge to guide program design and implementation. This informed practice allows for innovation while incorporating the lessons learned from the existing research literature. EIPs may be found on a clearinghouse.

2. EBHV Model Enhancements. For the purposes of this RFA, an acceptable EBHV Model

Enhancement is a variation to better meet the needs of at-risk communities or certain eligible families that does not alter the Model’s core components, as defined by the Model.

3. Program Enhancements. Program Enhancements are additional approved supports offered to enrolled families beyond that required of the chosen EBHV Model or Models.

Applicants are not required to apply for an Enhancement or Enhancements and Enhancements will not be scored as part of the evaluation process.

Applicants should request funding for Enhancements in their Application separately from the EBHV funding requests. To ensure appropriate allocation of resources, the funding requested for enhancements must not exceed 25% of the total amount awarded.

(Example: If an Applicant requests $75,000 to implement their selected EBHV program, they may request up to $25,000 for the enhancement. This results in a total funding request of $100,000, of which 25% is allocated for Enhancements and 75% for EBHV.)

Total Grant Requested

EBHV

Amount

Requested

EBHV

Enhancement Amount

Requested Enhancement % $100,000.00 $75,000.00 75% $25,000.00 25%

These limitations are intended to prioritize core program delivery while allowing for strategic Enhancements that align with and support program goals.

Note: Grantees may not subcontract or outsource any part of this Project without the express written approval of the Commonwealth. (See Section III-3.B.8 for specific requirements for subcontractors.) Additionally, if an Enhancement is approved as part of this agreement the Grantee shall obtain Departmental approval prior to implementing any changes to the Enhancement. (See Section III-6.F for additional information on revisions and subcontracting approvals).

I-4. Objectives.

A. General.

The Department seeks to provide funding for programs that are evidence based and strengthen families through supports and services focused on enhancing positive parenting skills and screenings while connecting families with community resources during pregnancy and early childhood.

B. Specific.

The Department’s specific objective is to secure the services of well qualified Applicants capable of implementing and operating a comprehensive, community-based, and high-quality FS Program. These FS Programs will be comprised of at least one EBHV service which may be paired with an enhancement of those services. The Department’s priorities are to ensure services reach at-risk families by maintaining existing supports or by expanding access to underserved areas. A key priority is to establish at least one EBHV model in every county to promote equitable service distribution across the Commonwealth.

Funded services should advance community-driven efforts to develop, operate, expand, enhance, and coordinate initiatives that foster cultural understanding, appreciation, and awareness of diverse populations. These efforts should be designed to strengthen and support families, promote protective factors, and effectively prevent child abuse and neglect.

I-5. Type of Agreement. The Department intends to award multiple agreements as the result of this RFA. If the Department enters into an agreement, it will be a cost reimbursement agreement containing the Commonwealth Standard Terms and Conditions Grant Version as shown in Appendix G of this RFA.

The Department, in its sole discretion, may undertake negotiations with Applicants whose applications, in the judgment of the Department, show them to be qualified, responsible and capable of performing the Project. Due to Federal Requirements, any selected Applicant that is serving the same area with the same EBHV Model as another selected Applicant will be required to work collaboratively after award to avoid the duplication of services to support fiscal stewardship and to maintain model fidelity so that there is not a duplication of the work and that the maximum number of eligible families receive services.

I-6. Rejection of Applications. The Department, in its sole and complete discretion, may reject any application received as a result of this RFA.

I-7. Incurring Costs. The Commonwealth and the Department are not liable for any costs an Applicant incurs in the preparation and submission of its application, in participating in the RFA process, or in anticipation of agreement award.

I-8. Questions & Answers. If an Applicant has any questions regarding this RFA, the Applicant must submit the questions by email (with the subject line “25-RFA-13800 Question”) to the Issuing Officer named in Section I-2 of this RFA. If the Applicant has questions, they must be submitted as they arise via email but no later than the date indicated on the Calendar of Events. The Applicant may not attempt to contact the Issuing Officer by any other means.

When questions are submitted after the date specified in the Calendar of Events, the Issuing Officer may respond to questions of an administrative nature by directing the questioning Applicant to specific provisions in the RFA. If the Department decides to respond to a non-administrative question after the date for receipt of questions, the Department will provide the answer to all Applicants through an addendum.

All questions and responses will be posted on the Department of General Services (“DGS”) website and are considered as an addendum to, and part of, this RFA in accordance with RFA Part I, Section I-9 of this RFA.

I-9. Addenda to the RFA. If the Department deems it necessary to revise any part of this RFA before the application response date, the Department will post an addendum to eMarketplace at http://www.emarketplace.state.pa.us/Search.aspx. It is the Applicant’s responsibility to periodically check the website for any new information or addenda to the RFA. The Department shall not be bound by any verbal information nor shall it be bound by any written information that is not either contained within the RFA or formally issues as an addendum.

I-10. Response Date. To be considered for selection, Applicants must submit electronic copies of their applications to the Issuing Office and the Issuing Office must receive the applications no later than the date and time specified in the Calendar of Events. Electronic copies of applications must be submitted to:

RA-PWRFAQUESTIONS@PA.GOV. Applicants should allow sufficient time for electronic submission and receipt of their applications. The Department will not accept hard copy applications or applications via facsimile transmission. The Department will reject late applications or portions of applications.

“Late” includes, but is not limited to, applications which are received within a minute or less after the due date and time, as well as, applications that are received several hours or days after the due date and time.

I-11. Application Requirements.

A. Application Submission: To be considered, Applicants should submit a complete response to this

RFA to the Issuing Office, using the format provided in Section I-11.B, providing one copy of the Technical Submittal - Section III, one copy of the Cost Submittal - Section IV, and one copy of the Contractor Partnership Program (“CPP”) Submittal - Section V (needed if cost submittal is $5.0 million or more) via email to RA-PWRFAQUESTIONS@PA.GOV. The subject line of the email must specify “25-RFA-13800 Application.” Email attachments are limited to 10MB, cumulatively, per email, and files may not be sent in any compressed format. Any part of the application or its attachments over that limit must be sent via separate emails, with each labeled “25-RFA -13800 Application Part X of Y” (total number of emails). The Department will not accept encrypted email for the application submission.

The electronic response must be in Microsoft Office or Microsoft Office-compatible format to include Adobe Acrobat pdf files, except for Appendix C, Cost Submittal Worksheet, which should be submitted as a Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet; and any spreadsheets must be in Microsoft Excel. If an Applicant designates information as confidential or proprietary or trade secret protected in accordance with Section I-17, the Applicant must also include one redacted version of the Technical Submittal, also excluding financial capability information. Applicants may not lock or protect any cells or tabs on the Cost Submittal Worksheet. Applicants shall not lock, encrypt or restrict access to any files.

Applicants shall make no other distribution of its application to any other Applicant or Commonwealth official or Commonwealth consultant. Each application page should be numbered for ease of reference. An official authorized to bind the Applicant to its provisions must sign the application. If the official signs Appendix A - Application Cover Sheet and Checklist and it is attached to the application, the requirement will be met. For this RFA, the application must remain valid for 120 days or until an agreement is fully executed. If the Department selects the Applicant’s application for award, the contents of the Grantee’s application will become, except to the extent the contents are changed through Best and Final Offers or negotiations, agreement obligations.

Each Applicant submitting an application specifically waives the ability to withdraw or modify it, except that the Applicant may withdraw its application by written notice and submitting it to RA- PWRFAQUESTIONS@PA.GOV prior to the date and time specified in the Calendar of Events of when applications are due. An Applicant may modify its submitted application prior to the exact hour http://www.emarketplace.state.pa.us/Search.aspx mailto:RA-PWRFAQUESTIONS@PA.GOV mailto:RA-PWRFAQUESTIONS@PA.GOV and date set for application receipt only by submitting a new application or modification that complies with the RFA requirements.

B. Application Format: Applicants should submit their applications in the format, including heading descriptions, as outlined below. To be considered, the application should respond to all application requirements. Applicants should provide any other information thought to be relevant, but not applicable to the enumerated categories, as an appendix to the application. Applicants should not reiterate technical information in the Cost Submittal. Each application shall consist of the following submittals:

1. Technical Submittal (Located in Part III):

a. Applicants should format their responses as outlined below and should consider the email attachment file size limitations included in Section I-11.A for file contents. The Technical Submittal shall include the following sections:

o TABLE OF CONTENTS o UNDERSTANDING OF THE PROJECT o WORK PLAN

A. Population and Community B. Services o QUALIFICATIONS A. History B. Staffing o FINANCIAL CAPABILITY o REQUIREMENTS o REPORTS AND PROJECT CONTROL o KEY PERFORMANCE STANDARDS o ENHANCEMENTS

b. Complete, sign, and include Appendix A – Application Cover Sheet and Checklist

c. Complete, sign, and include Appendix B – Trade Secret Confidential Proprietary

Information Notice.

d. Complete, sign, and include Appendix D – Lobbying Certification and if applicable, the

Disclosure of Lobbying Activities.

e. Complete and include Appendix E – Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency

Act Sub-Recipient Data Sheet.

f. Complete, sign, and include Appendix F - Worker Protection and Investment Certification

Form.

g. Complete, sign, and include Appendix I - Program Requirements and Organization

Information.

h. Complete, sign, and include Appendix J – Service Capacity Worksheet and Model

Implementation Approval.

i. Complete and include Appendix P – Enhancements Worksheet. (Only required if the

Applicant is applying for an Enhancement or Enhancements)

2. Cost Submittal (Located in Part IV):

a. Complete and include Appendix C – Cost Submittal Worksheet.

3. CPP Submittal (Located in Part V)

a. Required if Applicant’s cost submittal total is $5.0 million or greater.

Recommended formatting for Technical Submittal:

a. Pages shall be 8.5 by 11 inches with one-inch margins around the entire page.

b. Arial or Times New Roman font with a type size of 12.

c. Section headings, as shown in this Section I-11, shall be used.

d. Include a page number and identification of the Applicant in the page footer of each page.

e. Specifically reference materials provided in any appendix by page numbers in the body of the application.

Applicants should follow all formatting recommendations as described. Recommendations for paper and font size may not be applicable for project schedule or for graphical exhibits and material in appendices.

Applicants must adhere to the page limits set forth in the Technical Submittal. Content exceeding these limits will not be reviewed. Only those attachments and appendices explicitly requested in the RFA may be included. Any supplemental materials not specified will be excluded from review. Strict adherence to these guidelines ensures a fair and consistent review process for all Applicants.

The Department may request additional information which, in the Department’s opinion, is necessary to verify that the Applicant’s competence, number of qualified employees, business organization, and financial resources are adequate to perform the work of the RFA.

The Department may make investigations as deemed necessary to determine the ability of the Applicant to perform the Project, and the Applicant shall furnish to the Issuing Office all requested information and data. The Department may reject any application if the evidence submitted by, or investigation of, such Applicant fails to satisfy the Department that such Applicant is properly qualified to carry out the obligations of the RFA and to complete the Project as specified.

I-12. Economy of Preparation. Applicants should prepare applications simply and economically, providing a straightforward, concise description of the Applicant’s ability to meet the requirements of the RFA.

I-13. Alternate Applications. The Department has identified the basic approach to meeting its requirements, allowing Applicants to be creative and propose their best solution to meeting these requirements. The Department will not accept alternate applications.

I-14. Discussions for Clarifications and Negotiations. Applicants may be required to make an oral or written clarification of their applications, or both, to the Department to ensure thorough mutual understanding and Applicant responsiveness to the solicitation requirements. The Department will initiate requests for clarifications. Clarifications may occur at any stage of the evaluation and selection process prior to the award of an agreement.

The Department, in its sole discretion, may undertake negotiations with Applicants whose applications, show them to be qualified, responsible, and capable of performing the Project. Negotiations may occur at any stage of the evaluation and selection process prior to the award of an agreement.

I-15. Oral or Written Presentations. Applicants may be required to make an oral or written presentation of their applications to the Department to demonstrate an Applicant’s capabilities and ability to provide the services required in the RFA. The Department will initiate requests for presentations; and for oral presentations, may include a request that key personnel be present. The oral presentation will be held in

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Presentations may be requested at any stage of the evaluation and selection process prior to the award of the agreement.

I-16. Prime Applicant Responsibilities. The Grantee must perform services valued at least at 50% of the total agreement cost. Nevertheless, the Department will require the Applicant assumes responsibility for all services offered in its application whether it produces them itself or by sub-agreement. The Department will consider the Grantee to be the sole point of contact with regard to all agreement matters.

I-17. Application Contents.

A. Confidential Information. The Commonwealth does not require confidential proprietary information or trade secrets be included as part of Applicants’ submissions. Except as provided, Applicants should not label applications as confidential or proprietary or trade secret protected. Any Applicant who determines that it must divulge such information as part of its application must submit the signed written statement described in Subsection C below and must provide a redacted version of its application in accordance with Part I, Section I-11.A, which removes only the confidential proprietary information and trade secrets, for required public disclosure purposes.

B. Commonwealth Use. All material submitted with the application shall be the property of the

Commonwealth. The Commonwealth has the right to use any or all ideas not protected by intellectual property rights that are presented in any application regardless of whether the application becomes part of an agreement. Notwithstanding any Applicant copyright designations contained on applications, the Commonwealth shall have the right to make copies and distribute applications internally and to comply with public record or other disclosure requirements under the provisions of any Commonwealth or United States statute or regulation, or rule or order of any court of competent jurisdiction.

C. Public Disclosure. After the award of an agreement, all applications are subject to disclosure in response to a request for public records made under the Pennsylvania Right-to-Know-Law, 65 P.S. § 67.101, et seq. If an application contains confidential proprietary information or trade secrets, the Applicant must provide a signed written statement to this effect with the submission in accordance with 65 P.S. § 67.707(b) for the information to be considered exempt under 65 P.S. § 67.708(b)(11) from public records requests. Refer to Appendix B of the RFA for a Trade Secret Confidential Proprietary Information Notice that may be utilized as the signed written statement. If financial capability information is submitted in response to Section III-4 such financial capability information is exempt from public records disclosure under 65 P.S. § 67.708(b)(26).

I-18. Best and Final Offers (“BAFOs”).

A. While not required, the Department may conduct discussions with Applicants for the purpose of obtaining BAFOs. To obtain BAFOs, the Department may do one or more of the following, in any combination and order:

1. Schedule oral presentations;

2. Request revised applications; and

3. Enter into pre-selection negotiations.

B. The following Applicants will not be invited by the Department to submit a BAFO:

1. Those Applicants, which the Department has determined to be not responsible or whose applications the Department has determined to be not responsive.

2. Those Applicants, which the Department has determined from the submitted and gathered financial and other information, do not possess the financial capability, experience or qualifications to ensure good faith performance of the agreement.

3. Those Applicants whose raw score for their Technical Submittal is less than 70% of the total amount of raw technical points allotted to the technical criterion.

The Department may further limit participation in the BAFO process to those remaining responsible Applicants which the Department has, within its discretion, determined to be within the top competitive range of responsive applications.

C. The Evaluation Criteria found in Part II, Section II-4 of this RFA, shall also be used to evaluate the

BAFOs.

D. Price reductions offered shall have no effect upon the Applicant’s Technical Submittal.

E. The Department, in its sole discretion, also may undertake negotiations with Applicants whose applications, in the judgement of the Department, show them to be qualified, responsible, and capable of performing the Project.

I-19. News Releases. Applicants shall not issue news releases, Internet postings, advertisements or any other public communications pertaining to this Project without prior written approval of the Department, and then only in coordination with the Department.

I-20. Restriction of Contact. From the issue date of this RFA until the Department selects an application for award, the Issuing Officer is the sole point of contact concerning this RFA. Any violation of this condition may be cause for the Department to reject the offending Applicant’s application. If the Department later discovers that the Applicant has engaged in any violations of this condition, the Department may reject the offending Applicant’s application or rescind its agreement. Applicants shall not distribute any part of their applications beyond the Issuing Office. An Applicant who shares information contained in its application with other Commonwealth personnel or consultants or competing Applicant personnel may be disqualified.

I-21. Department Participation. The Grantee shall provide all services, supplies, facilities, and other support necessary to complete the identified work, except as otherwise provided in Part I, Section I-21. The Department will assign a Grant Administrator to manage the administration and monitoring of any agreements resulting from this RFA. The Department will also make available or assign additional Family Support staff, with assigned roles under the Grant Administrator, for all Grantees. The Department’s Family Support staff will assist in providing technical assistance (“TA”) and will monitor the terms and conditions of the fully executed agreement. The Department’s Family Support staff roles may include but are not limited to fiscal; programmatic; data; and CQI monitoring and TA.

The Department will also provide the Grantees with access to the Family Support Data System. The Grantees shall collect and enter the required data into the system as specified in Appendix L - Family Support Data Collection Requirements.

I-22. Term of Agreement. The term of the agreement will commence on the Effective Date and will end two years after the Effective Date. Subject to the performance of the Applicant in the previous term and other considerations, the Department may extend the agreement on the same terms and conditions for up to three additional one-year periods. The Department will fix the Effective Date after the agreement has been fully executed by the Grantee and by the Commonwealth and all approvals required by the Commonwealth have been obtained. The Grantee shall not start the performance of any work prior to the Effective Date of the agreement and the Commonwealth shall not be liable to pay the Grantee for any service or work performed or expenses incurred before the Effective Date. All funding is subject to the availability of state and federal funds.

I-23. Applicant’s Representations and Authorizations. By submitting its application, each Applicant understands, represents, and acknowledges that:

A. All Applicant’s information and representations in the application are material and important, and the Department will rely upon its contents in awarding the agreement. The Commonwealth may treat any misstatement, omission or misrepresentation as fraudulent concealment of the true facts relating to the application, punishable pursuant to 18 Pa. C.S. § 4904.

B. The Applicant has arrived at the price and amounts in its application independently and without consultation, communication, or agreement with any other Applicant or potential Applicant.

C. The Applicant has not disclosed the price(s), the amount of the application, nor the approximate price(s) or amount(s) of its application to any other firm or person who is an Applicant or potential Applicant, and the Applicant shall not disclose any of these items on or before the application submission deadline specified in the Calendar of Events.

D. The Applicant has not attempted, nor will it attempt, to induce any firm or person to refrain from submitting an application, or to submit an application higher than its application, or to submit any intentionally high or noncompetitive application or other form of complementary application.

E. The Applicant makes its application in good faith and not pursuant to any agreement or discussion with, or inducement from, any firm or person to submit a complementary or other noncompetitive

F. To the best knowledge of the person signing the application for the Applicant, the Applicant, its affiliates, subsidiaries, officers, directors, and employees are not currently under investigation by any governmental agency and have not in the last four years been convicted or found liable for any act prohibited by State or Federal law in any jurisdiction, involving conspiracy or collusion with respect to bidding or proposing on any public agreement, except as the Applicant has disclosed in its

G. To the best of the knowledge of the person signing the application for the Applicant and except as the

Applicant has otherwise disclosed in its application, the Applicant has no outstanding, delinquent obligations to the Commonwealth including, but not limited to, any state tax liability not being contested on appeal.

H. The Applicant is not currently under suspension or debarment by the Commonwealth, and has not been precluded from participation in any federally funded health care program by any other state or the federal government, and if the Applicant cannot so certify, then it shall submit along with its application a written explanation of why it cannot make such certification.

I. The Applicant has not made, under separate agreement with the Department, any recommendations to the Department concerning the need for the services or the specifications for the services described in the application.

J. Each Applicant, by submitting its application, authorizes Commonwealth agencies to release to the

Department information concerning the Applicant's Pennsylvania taxes, unemployment compensation and workers’ compensation liabilities.

K. Until the Grantee receives a fully executed and approved written agreement from the Issuing Office, no legal and valid agreement exists, in law or in equity, and the Applicant shall not begin to perform.

L. The Applicant is not currently engaged and will not during the duration of the agreement engage in a boycott of a person or an entity based in or doing business with a jurisdiction that the Commonwealth is not prohibited by Congressional statute from engaging in trade or commerce.

I-24. Notification of Selection.

A. Negotiations. The Department will notify all Applicants in writing of the Applicant selected for negotiations after the Department has determined, taking into consideration all evaluation factors, the application that is the most advantageous to the Department.

B. Award. Applicants whose applications are not selected will be notified when negotiations have been successfully completed and the Department has received the final negotiated agreement signed by the Grantee.

I-25. Use of Electronic Versions of this RFA. This RFA is being made available by electronic means. If an

Applicant electronically accepts the RFA, the Applicant accepts full responsibility to ensure that no changes are made to the RFA. If a conflict arises between a version of the RFA in the Applicant’s possession and the Issuing Office’s version of the RFA, the Issuing Office’s version shall govern.

PART II

CRITERIA FOR SELECTION

II-1. Mandatory Responsiveness Requirements. To be eligible for selection, an application must:

A. Be timely received from an Applicant (see Section I-10);

B. Be properly signed by the Applicant (see Section I-11); and C. Identify at least one or more of the approved EBHV Models from the HomVEE list for implementation in the Appendix A – Cover Sheet and Checklist. (see Section I-3.A).

II-2. Technical Nonconforming Applications. The three Mandatory Responsiveness Requirements set forth in Section II-1 are the only RFA requirements that the Commonwealth will consider to be non-waivable.

The Department may, in its sole discretion, (1) waive any other technical or immaterial nonconformities in an Applicant’s application, (2) allow the Applicant to cure the nonconformity, or (3) consider the nonconformity in the scoring of the Applicant’s application.

II-3. Evaluation. The Department has selected a committee of qualified personnel to review and evaluate the Technical Submittals of the timely submitted applications that are eligible for selection. The Department will provide written notice of its selection for negotiations the responsible Applicant whose application is determined to be the most advantageous to the Commonwealth after taking into consideration all evaluation factors.

The Department will not review or score the CPP Submittal. Once an Applicant has been selected for negotiations, the Department will review the CPP Submittal of the Grantee and may request changes to the Grantee’s CPP Submittal during agreement negotiations.

II-4. Evaluation Criteria. The following criteria will be used in evaluating each application:

A. Technical Submittal: The Department has established the weight for the Technical criterion as 100% of the total points. Evaluation will be based upon the following: Understanding the Project, Applicant Qualifications, Personnel Qualifications, Soundness of Approach, and Cost.

Understanding the Project. This includes the Applicant’s understanding of Commonwealth’s needs that generated the RFA, the objectives of the RFA, and of the nature and scope of the work involved.

Applicant Qualifications. This includes, but is not limited to, the ability of the Applicant to meet the terms of the RFA, including the time constraints involved with the Project and the quality, relevancy, and recentness of projects completed. This also includes the Applicant’s ability to undertake a Project of this size.

Personnel Qualifications. This includes, but is not limited to, the competence and sufficiency of key personnel and anticipated staff who would be assigned to the Project by the Applicant.

Soundness of Approach. This includes, but is not limited to, the Applicant’s technical approach for completion of all services by this RFA, the application’s relevancy and responsiveness to the RFA, and if it meets the Project’s objectives.

Cost. This includes, but is not limited to, the feasibility of the Applicant’s Cost Submittal, compliance with the requirements of the RFA, whether cost(s) are reasonable and necessary, and whether the proposed activities commensurate with the budget.

Enhancements. (Not scored). If applicable, the Department will evaluate an Applicant’s proposed Enhancements for conformance with the requirements listed in Part III, Section III- 8 of the RFA, as to the completeness and accuracy of the Applicant’s Appendix P charts and whether the Enhancement improves the selected EBHV Model’s services. Based on this evaluation, the Department will determine whether the proposed Enhancements are approved or disapproved.

The final Technical scores are determined by giving the maximum number of technical points available to the application with the highest raw technical score. The remaining applications are rated by applying the formula located at:

https://www.dgs.pa.gov/Materials-Services-Procurement/Procurement- Resources/Pages/RFP_SCORING_FORMULA.aspx

II-5. Applicant Responsibility. To be responsible, an Applicant must submit a responsive application and possess the capability to fully perform the agreement requirements in all respects and the integrity and reliability for the good faith performance of the agreement.

For an Applicant to be considered responsible for this RFA and eligible for selection for BAFO and selection for negotiations:

A. The total score for the Technical Submittal of the application must be greater than or equal to 70% of the available raw technical points;

B. The Applicant’s financial information must demonstrate that the Applicant possesses the financial capability for the good faith performance of the agreement. The Commonwealth will review the Applicant’s previous three financial statements, any additional information received from the Applicant, and any other publicly-available financial information concerning the Applicant and assess each Applicant’s financial capacity based on calculating and analyzing various financial ratios, and comparison with industry standards and trends.

An Applicant that fails to demonstrate sufficient financial capability to ensure good faith performance of the agreement as specified herein may be considered by the Department, in its sole discretion, for BAFO or negotiation contingent upon such Applicant providing performance security for up to the full agreement base term cost proposed by the Applicant in a form acceptable to the Department. Based on the financial condition of the Applicant, the Department may require a certified or bank (cashier’s) check, letter of credit, or a performance bond conditioned upon the faithful performance of the agreement by the Applicant. The required performance security must be issued or executed by a bank or surety company authorized to do business in the Commonwealth. The cost of the required performance security will be the sole responsibility of the Applicant and cannot increase the Applicant’s cost application or the agreement cost to the Commonwealth.

Further, the Department will award an agreement only to an Applicant determined to be responsible in accordance with the most current version of Commonwealth Management Directive 215.9, Contractor Responsibility Program.

II-6. Final Ranking and Award.

https://www.dgs.pa.gov/Materials-Services-Procurement/Procurement-Resources/Pages/RFP_SCORING_FORMULA.aspx https://www.dgs.pa.gov/Materials-Services-Procurement/Procurement-Resources/Pages/RFP_SCORING_FORMULA.aspx

A. After any BAFO process is conducted, the Issuing Office will combine the evaluation committee’s final technical scores, in accordance with the relative weights assigned to these areas as set forth in this Part II.

B. The Issuing Office will rank responsible Applicants according to the total overall score assigned to each, in descending order. For each Applicant, the Issuing Office will list the county, or counties as well as the EBHV Model, or Models for which the Applicant applied.

C. Except as provided in Section II-6.D, the Department will select Applicants for negotiations as follows (Note: This approach is designed to uphold the Department’s priority of equitable representation of programs across the Commonwealth). :

1. Initial Selection Round: The Department will select the top ranked Applicant in each county for negotiations.

2. Secondary Selection Round: After the Department has selected an Applicant for each county, if funds remain, the Department will select for negotiations the second-ranked Applicant in each county that has proposed a different EBHV Model or Models than the top ranked Applicant.

3. Third Selection Round: If funding remains after the initial and secondary selection rounds, the Department will select for negotiations the top ranked Applicants from the remaining responsible Applicants, regardless of county or EBHV Model or Models proposed, until funding is exhausted.

4. Enhancements: If an Applicant that proposed Enhancements is selected for agreement negotiations in accordance with this RFA Part II, Section II-6, the Department will notify the Applicant whether each Enhancement has been approved or disapproved. Any approved Enhancements may be modified during BAFOs or agreement negotiations.

D. The Department has the discretion to reject all applications or cancel the RFA, at any time prior to the time an agreement is fully executed, when it is in the best interests of the Commonwealth. The reasons for the rejection or cancellation shall be made part of the RFA file.

E. The Department may re-solicit for applications at any time, in counties, when there is a loss of services or a need for additional services in those areas.

PART III

TECHNICAL SUBMITTAL

The Applicant must respond to each section and subsection. Please refer to Part I-11 for the response outline and instructions regarding response formatting.

The Applicant must adhere to any page limits identified at the start of each section below. Where the questions direct the Applicant to respond for each proposed EBHV Model, the page limits shall apply to the Applicant’s response per EBHV Model, rather than the response as a whole.

Before responding, the Applicant is encouraged to review the following Sections of the RFA: I-3 Overview of Project; I-4 Objectives; I-11 Application Requirements; II-1 Mandatory Response Requirements; and II- 4 Evaluation Criteria.

NOTE: The description of services, the service area, and information contained in all submittals must be consistent and match throughout the application.

III-1. Understanding of the Project (1-Page Limit). In this Section, the Applicant should state in succinct terms their understanding of the Project and the services required by this RFA. The Applicant should condense and highlight the contents of the Technical Submittal in a manner that allows a broad understanding of the entire Technical Submittal. The Applicant’s response should demonstrate that the Applicant fully understands the scope of services to be provided, the Applicant’s responsibilities, and how the Applicant will effectively manage the agreement. This description should include, at minimum:

A. A description of any additional enhancements that will be paired with the EBHV service, if applicable;

B. A description of what the Applicant seeks to achieve for children and families in the community as a result of implementing the proposed EBHV Model or Models and how the chosen EBHV Model aligns with the priorities identified in this RFA. The Applicant should include concrete examples detailing how the EBHV Model and priorities align; and

C. A brief description of the Applicant’s capabilities and experience with grant management.

Applicant Response

III-2. Work Plan (10-Page Limit). In Section A and B, the Applicant should describe, in narrative form, their technical plan for accomplishing the work defined throughout this RFA. This section focuses on the population and community the Applicant is proposing to service and details the services and supports the Applicant is proposing to provide.

A. Population and Community

In this section, the Applicant should describe the geographic area and population demographics (also referenced as community and families) it is applying to serve through the proposed EBHV Model or Models. If applying to implement more than one EBHV Model, the Applicant should answer every question in this section for each EBHV Model proposed.

1. Community Demographics. Briefly describe the demographics of the community, communities, county, or counties that the Applicant is applying to serve. The Applicant should include county and, if applicable, community names of the proposed project area. Provide information that gives context for the data. (This may include relevant citations, data sources, and year for statistics.)

2. Population. From the description above, provide details on anticipated or targeted populations for enrollment in the proposed services. Additionally describe:

a. What, if any, experience does the Applicant have with implementing programs for this population?

b. Plans the Applicant may have in making services accessible by removing barriers to participation. Include a description of how services will be culturally and linguistically responsive to the community or communities the Applicant intends to serve.

3. Community Collaboration. Community collaboration is an important aspect of successful programs. Using data and community knowledge describe assets available as well as stressors, barriers, and challenges that…