270-12-0390 SOWANDDELIVERABLES.doc

RFP No. 270-12-0390 “National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare”

Attachment No. 1

Statement of Work: National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare:

RFP No. 270-12-0390

I. REQUIREMENTS

a. General Requirements

1. Independently, and not as an agent of the Government, the Contractor shall furnish the necessary personnel, labor, equipment, software, services, materials, and supplies, except as otherwise noted specifically herein to perform the work set forth below.

2. All work under this Contract will be monitored by the SAMHSA Contracting Officer Representative (COR).

1. Background and Objectives As part of the legislation creating the Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) of 1997, Congress tasked the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) with preparing a report to describe the scope of the problem of substance abuse in the child welfare population, the types of services provided to parents with substance abuse problems, and the effectiveness of these services. This resulted in the report, “Blending Perspectives and Building Common Ground.” The full report can be viewed online at: http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/subabuse99/subabuse.htm.A key objective of ASFA is to achieve faster permanent placements for children in foster care or other out of home care. As mentioned in “Blending Perspectives,” because of this objective finding effective and timely methods to address the concurrent problems of substance abuse and child maltreatment has become increasingly important. Historically, parents have not always had prompt access to substance abuse treatment, and their progress in treatment may not have been adequate to meet the deadlines for permanency decisions introduced by ASFA. In order to better align the goals of ASFA and the substance abuse treatment needs of parents, SAMHSA and ACF created the National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare (NCSACW). The NCSACW was established through a memorandum of understanding between these two HHS agencies. NCSACW's goals are to collect, develop and disseminate information that helps child welfare, substance abuse treatment and court professionals to better serve the needs of families involved with the child welfare system because of parental substance abuse. The NCSACW pursues these goals principally through the delivery of technical assistance and training activities.

In addition to the “Blending Perspectives” report, four additional national reports were issued on alcohol and drug problems in child welfare. A summary of the reports can be found at http://www.ncsacw.samhsa.gov/files/Summary5NationaReports2.pdf. Among the identified barriers described in the reports, pertaining to working across systems to meet the needs of families were: 1) differences in values and perceptions of the primary client; 2) timing differences in service systems; 3) knowledge gaps; 4) lack of tools for effective engagement in services; 5) intervention and prevention needs of children; 6) lack of effective communication; 7) data and information gaps; and 8) categorical and rigid funding streams as well as treatment gaps.

First funded in 2002, the NCSACW has undertaken a wide range of activities to promote effective practices and system changes within organizations serving the target families, and to identify the barriers and gaps. The program has been very successful in responding to thousands of technical assistance requests since 2002, and developing information and training materials for its intended audiences.

Awarded again in 2007, the NCSACW expanded its scope by providing programmatic technical assistance and training to grantees funded by ACYF in a grant program awarded that year known as Regional Partnership Grantees (RPGs) that were authorized by the Child and Family Services Improvement Act of 2006 (P.L. 109-288). Since then the NCSACW has also expanded to serve SAMHSA grantees working in Family Drug Court settings (with a program entitled Children Affected by Methamphetamine, or CAM) and has supported additional technical assistance and training on Family Drug Courts more broadly.

This new contract will continue many of the activities undertaken during the first two contract periods, 2002-2007, and 2007-2012. These include 1) technical assistance,

2) training, 3) resource development, 4) information dissemination, and 5) maintenance and further development of a website.

Both SAMHSA and ACYF have prioritized addressing the needs of families impacted by trauma. SAMHSA has prioritized eight Strategic Initiatives to guide its work through 2014. One of the eight Initiatives is “Trauma and Justice,” and one of the goals of this initiative is to reduce the impact of trauma and violence on children, youth and families. Similarly, ACYF is committed to facilitating healing and recovery and promoting the social and emotional well-being of children who have experienced maltreatment, exposure to violence, and/or trauma. Both agencies are implementing a variety of programs and policies to address these aims. In this contract, the NCSACW mission will be expanded to address these priorities as well as the priorities of the current mission: to improve systems and practices for families with substance use disorders who are involved in the child welfare and family judicial systems by assisting local, State and tribal agencies.

The new contract for the NCSACW will consist of a base year and four Options and will undertake tasks described in the requirements section that follows. In addition, there is an Optional Task for technical assistance and support for grantees that may be awarded by SAMHSA or ACYF in the future: If exercised, it is anticipated that the grantees supported would benefit from the qualifications, experience and skills of staff needed to undertake the work of the NCSACW contract, as described in the Review Criteria.

3. SAMHSA/DIVISION OF TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT (DTM) GUIDELINES: The Contractor shall use software that meets SAMHSA Guidelines. Specifically, the system(s) must be PC compatible, operate in a Windows environment, and use Microsoft Office Suit (Word; Excel; PowerPoint; and Access), PowerBuilder or other software consistent with SAMHSA/Division of Technology Management (DTM) standards. The Contractor shall at all times maintain compliance with current DTM standards, which may change over the duration of this contract. Any deviation from the SAMHSA standards should be negotiated with SAMHSA prior to contract award.

4. IT Plan: The Contractor shall prepare an IT Plan that will include the Design, Development, Implementation, and Maintenance for all IT Applications. The IT Plan should include functional requirements (e.g., data, workloads, user interface, reliability, security, and maintenance), technical requirements (e.g., hardware, software, and telecommunications) and operational and other requirements. It should also include major IT milestones and implementation dates of the project. The draft and final IT Plan [i.e. “Electronic Version” and “Hard Copy”] will be submitted as a deliverable to the COR and the DTM [through the COR] for review and approval. Full acceptance of the contractor IT Plan is required and contingent upon the review and approval of the DTM.

5. SECURITY AND PRIVACY REQUIREMENTS FOR SAMHSA OWNED CONTRACTOR MANAGED SYSTEMS

1. Adherence to security and privacy policy. The Contractor shall comply with all Federal and HHS security and privacy guidelines in effect at the time of the award of this contract. A list of applicable United States (U.S.) laws, Office of Management and Budget (OMB) requirements, HHS policies, standards and guidance, and Federal Government Computer Security guidelines can be located on the Secure One HHS Website. The Contractor shall perform periodic reviews to ensure compliance with existing information security and privacy requirements. The Contractor reviews should revalidate compliance with previous requirements as well as any new requirements since the last review. The Contractor shall make all system information and documentation produced in support of the contract available to the agency and agency auditors upon request. All questions concerning IT security should be directed to the IT Security Team at infosecurity@samhsa.hhs.gov.

2. Perimeter defense and notification. The Contractor shall ensure that the system and the information it contains are secured using appropriate perimeter defense technologies and that these technologies are monitored for anomalous traffic behavior. The Contractor shall immediately report any unauthorized system access to the agency COR and/or System Owner.

3. Protection of sensitive information. The Contractor shall ensure that sensitive information is protected by information security and privacy controls commensurate with the risk associated with the potential loss or compromise of the information. For purposes of this contract, information is sensitive if: the loss of confidentiality or integrity could be expected to have a serious, severe or catastrophic adverse effect on organizational operations, organizational assets, or individuals.[1] Further, the loss of sensitive information confidentiality or integrity could: (i) cause a significant or severe degradation in mission capability to an extent and duration that the organization is unable to perform its primary functions or the effectiveness of the functions is significantly reduced; (ii) result in significant or major damage to organizational assets; (iii) result in significant or major financial loss; or (iv) result in significant, severe or catastrophic harm to individuals.

Personally identifiable information (PII) is a subset of sensitive information and is defined as data which can potentially be used to identify, locate, or contact an individual, or potentially reveal the activities, characteristics, or other details about a person.[2] PII shall receive a level of protection commensurate with the risk associated with the loss or compromise of sensitive information.

4. Sensitive information on public systems. The Contractor shall ensure that sensitive information is not stored, processed or transmitted on a publicly-available system (via the Internet) without the appropriate controls in place and specific authorization from the SAMHSA Chief Information Officer (CIO)and/or Chief Information Security Officer (CISO).

5. Privacy requirements. The Contractor shall conduct and maintain a Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) as defined by Section 208 of the E-Government Act of 2002 and Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Clause 52-239-1, and required by HHS policy. The PIA shall be completed in accordance with HHS PIA guidance. Periodic reviews shall be conducted to determine if a major change to the system has occurred, and if a PIA update is subsequently required. If it is determined that an update is necessary, the Contractor shall make the necessary changes to the PIA. Questions or assistance required for PIA completion should be directed to James Walters (james.walters@samhsa.hhs.gov)

The Contractor shall abide by all requirements of the Privacy Act of 1974 and FAR Clause 52-239-1. Pursuant to those requirements, the Contractor shall create and publish a System of Records Notice (SORN) in the Federal Register when required and shall publish an updated SORN following a major change to the system, as directed by OMB Memorandum (M) 03-22, OMB Guidance for Implementing the Privacy Provisions of the E-Government Act of 2002, or subsequent replacement guidance.

6. Website Privacy Policy: The Contractor shall assure each page of the Website, including the home page, includes a link to SAMHSA's Website Privacy Policy (found at http://www.samhsa.gov/privacy.aspx). HHS and SAMHSA policy does not allow for persistent cookies on any SAMHSA or SAMHSA funded Websites. In addition, any forms on the site which will ask users to enter personal information must first be approved through SAMHSA channels and DTM. Questions or assistance required for SAMHSA Websites should be directed to the SAMHSA webmaster (webmaster@samhsa.hhs.gov).

7. Information System Security Plan (ISSP): The Contractor shall develop, submit and maintain an information system security plan compliant with National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication (SP) 800-18 Revision 1, Guide for Developing Security Plans for Information Technology Systems, standards and must be consistent with the HHS and SAMHSA policy, as applicable to the contract’s statement of work. The Contractor’s draft information system security plan shall be submitted [no later than 90 calendar days after the contract effective date (CED)] to the COR with the proposal for approval. The draft and final IT Security Plan [i.e. “Electronic Versions” and “Hard Copies”] shall be submitted as a deliverable to the COR and the DTM [Through the COR]. Full acceptance of the Contractor’s ISSP [IT Security Plan] is required and contingent upon the review and approval of the DTM.

Information System Security Plan requirements:

· Each of the 17 NIST control families prescribed in NIST Special Publication (SP) 800-53, Recommended Security Controls for Federal Information Systems, and the specific ways in which those controls are implemented must be addressed, if applicable, in the ISSP and pertinent to the function the system is designed to provide.

· The system security plan must be reviewed on at least an annual basis.

· The completion date of the ISSP should be revised to record when the plan is has been reviewed and update completed.

· Version numbers must be employed and revised to record when changes are made to the document.

Following approval of the draft ISSP, the Contractor shall update and resubmit its ISSP to the COR every three years or when a major modification has been made, as determined by the contracting officer. The Contractor shall use the current ISSP template in Appendix A of NIST SP 800-18 Revision 1, (http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/800-18-Rev1/sp800-18-Rev1-final.pdf) to complete the ISSP. The information contained in the Contractor’s IT Security Plan shall be commensurate with the System Categorization indicated by the IT Security Officer.

Subcontracts: The Contractor shall include information consistent with this contract language in any subcontractor for performance under the SOW, whenever the submission of an IT Security Plan is required.

8. System Authorization. The Contractor shall certify and accredit all systems developed for support of the contract in conformance with the standards set forth by the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) and NIST SP800-37, Guide for the Security Certification and Accreditation of Federal Information Systems, prior to the system becoming operational, or within 90 days after system completion with approval from the SAMHSA CIO or CISO. This activity shall be performed in conjunction with the initial development of the system, updated when a major change occurs to the system, and renewed no less than every three years. All system certification and accreditation (C&A) packages shall be compliant with all Public Law (PL)-107-347, OMB mandates, FIPS, and additional applicable NIST guidance. This guidance includes, but is not limited to FIPS 199, FIPS 200, NIST SP 800-18, NIST SP 800-30, NIST SP 800-37, NIST SP 800-53, NIST SP 800-53A, and NIST SP 800-60. All NIST and FIPS documentation can be found at the NIST website.

SAMHSA has created a C&A checklist to facilitate compliance with the OMB-mandated C&A process. The SAMHSA C&A Checklist will be provided to the Contractor after contract award and upon request to DTM through the SAMHSA COR.

Annual requirements. The Contractor shall be responsible for meeting ongoing information security and privacy system requirements. These include, but are not limited to, performing annual system testing, completing an annual system self-assessment, and supporting quarterly and annual SAMHSA FISMA reporting. Additionally, SAMHSA reserves the right to test or review the system security and privacy controls at any time. All annual requirements will be administered by SAMHSA IT security and privacy team.

9. Security and privacy training. All Contractors shall receive general awareness training and role-based training, commensurate with the responsibilities required to perform the work articulated in the terms and conditions of the Contract.

The Contractor shall be responsible for ensuring each contractor employee has completed the SAMHSA Security Awareness Training as required by the agency prior to performing any contract work or accessing any system, and on an annual basis thereafter, throughout the period of performance of the contract. The Contractor shall maintain a list of all individuals who have completed this training and shall submit this list to the Project Officer upon request. As a part of this training, the Contractor shall ensure that all staff read, agree to, and sign the HHS Rules of Behavior.

10. Clearances. The Contractor shall ensure all staff have the required level of security clearance commensurate with the sensitivity of the information being stored, processed, transmitted or otherwise handled by the System or required to perform the work stipulated by the contract. At the minimum, all Contractor staff shall be subjected to a Public Trust background check and be granted a Public Trust clearance before access to the System or other HHS resources is granted.

11. Non-Disclosure. The Contractor shall not release, publish, or disclose agency information to unauthorized personnel, and shall protect such information in accordance with the provisions of the following laws and any other pertinent laws and regulations governing the confidentiality of sensitive information:

-18 U.S.C. 641 (Criminal Code: Public Money, Property or Records)

-18 U.S.C. 1905 (Criminal Code: Disclosure of Confidential Information)

- PL 96-511 (Paperwork Reduction Act)

12. Mobile device encryption. The Contractor shall: (a) encrypt all laptop computers, mobile devices and portable media which store or process, or may store or process, sensitive information using FIPS 140-2 compliant encryption technology; (b) verify that encryption products have been validated under the Cryptographic Module Validation Program to confirm compliance with FIPS 140-2; (c) establish key recovery mechanisms to ensure the ability to decrypt and recover sensitive information by authorized personnel; and (d) generate and manage encryption keys securely to prevent unauthorized decryption of information. For more information, reference the HHS Encryption Standard for Mobile Devices and Portable Media.

13. Maintenance. The Contractor shall ensure that the system, once operational, is properly maintained and monitored, to include immediate response to critical security patches, routine maintenance windows to allow for system updates, and compliance with a defined configuration management process. All patches and system updates shall be properly tested in a development environment before being implemented in the production environment.

References

1. Policy for Department-wide Information Security

2. HHS IRM Information Security Program Policy

3. HHS Personnel Security/Suitability Handbook

4. NIST SP 800-18, Rev. 1, Guide for Developing Security Plans for Information Technology Systems

5. NIST SP 800-37, Guide for Security Certification and Accreditation of Federal Information Systems:

6. NIST SP 800-53, Recommended Security Controls for a Federal Information System

7. NIST SP 800-60, Guide for Mapping Types of Information and Information Systems to Security Categories, Volume I

8. NIST SP 800-60, Guide for Mapping Types of Information and Information Systems to Security Categories, Volume II

9. NIST SP 800-64, Security Considerations in the Information System Development Life Cycle

10. FIPS 199, Standards for Security Categorization of Federal Information and Information Systems

11. Federal Information Processing Standards, Minimum Security, Requirements for a Federal Information System Cryptographic Module Validation Program

6. SECTION 508 COMPLIANCE:

1—Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, requires agencies and their Contractors to buy Electronic and Information Technology (EIT) that is accessible to people with disabilities.

2—On June 25, 2001, accessibility requirements for Federal Electronic and Information Technology took effect under Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. This law requires that such technology be accessible according to standards developed by the Access Board, which are now part of the Federal government's procurement regulations (Ref. to the Section 508 Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) Final Rule published on April, 2001 in the Federal Register).

3—These standards, as issued by the Board, cover a variety of products, including computer hardware and software, Websites, phone systems, fax machines, copiers, and similar technologies. Provisions in the standards spell out what makes these products accessible to people with disabilities, including those with vision, hearing, and mobility impairments. The Board included both technical criteria specific to various types of technologies and performance-based requirements, which focus on a product's functional capabilities.

4—The law relies strongly on the procurement process to ensure compliance with the new standards. Compliance with the standards is required except where it would pose an "undue burden" (as defined in the standards) or where no complying product is commercially available.

5—To be considered eligible for award, offerors must propose goods and/or services that meet the applicable provisions of the Access Board's standards as identified by the agency. Alternatively, offerors may propose goods or services that provide equivalent facilitation. Such offers will be considered to have met the provisions of the Access Board's standards for the feature or component providing equivalent facilitation.

6—In instances in which deliverables and other artifacts generated by the contractor are intended for distribution via the Web, deliverables must comply with Section 508 requirements. Additional online resources, including the Section 508 compliance standards are available for reference (http://www.section508.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Content&ID=12).

7. SAMHSA/OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS (OC) REQUIREMENTS

A. Branding – The contractor shall adhere to the branding guidelines outlined in the SAMHSA Identity Guide. SAMHSA and ACYF are the only entities that will be branded in content, services, and products developed through this task order (including products, Web pages, program descriptions, etc.). Communications products and promotion activities developed through this task order will position and brand SAMHSA as the leading source for behavioral health expertise and innovation in the Nation.

B. Communications Products - The COR shall not direct the Contractor to expend funds on the development of any specific communications product until the SAMHSA Office of Communications has issued a concept clearance or other commensurate approval for the product including specific law or description in strategic initiative communications plan. The COR working with the Contractor shall ensure that SAMHSA products reflect SAMHSA's Strategic Initiatives and priorities and are produced with appropriate participation from all SAMHSA Centers and other relevant external agencies. Recommendations from an annual communication product planning meeting and Executive Leadership Team decisions will determine the final communication products to be produced. As a cost reimbursable contract, SAMHSA maintains the right to stop work, cancel future work, or change the level of effort of work on any communications products within this contract. This includes, but is not limited to, the revising, repurposing, producing, finalizing, or disseminating of products. Changes that incur a significant reduction or incretion of effort may require a contract modification depending on the level of effort and cost implications. Any decision by SAMHSA to change the purpose, direction, production, completion, or dissemination of a product does not negatively reflect the performance of the Contractor. The Contractor will be reimbursed for any product development up to the date of request by the COR to end work on the product(s) or a change in direction on the product(s). Decisions by the All products are the property of the Government and shall be turned over to the COR if the decision is made to stop work on the product(s).

In accordance with the Executive Order on Promoting Efficient Spending (EO 13589) products produced under this contract shall be developed for electronic and web-base distribution only unless SAMHSA exercises the right to produce/print hard copies. The duplication of print copies/DVDs/CDs will be the exception and will require prior approval. Recommendations from an annual communication product planning meeting and Executive Leadership Team decisions will determine the final communication products to be produced in hard copy. In addition, all products prepared under this contract will follow the “plain English” guidelines and will strive to maintain the national level of suggested reading levels for the appropriate audiences. All products prepared under this contract will be written and edited in accordance with the Government Printing Office Style Manual and SAMHSA style guidelines. All materials will be printed by the Government Printing Office (GPO) or approved entity such as through SAMHSA’s PEP, still meeting GPO printing guidelines.

The COR working with the contractor shall ensure that SAMHSA products reflect SAMHSA's Strategic Initiatives and are produced with appropriate participation from all SAMHSA Centers, ACYF, and other relevant external agencies.

C. Public Engagement Platform (PEP) and Marketing Support - Use of and close collaboration with the COR and SAMHSA’s OC for the services provided by PEP and OC is a requirement of this task order. This task order shall not reproduce or budget for any of the services that are available through SAMHSA’s OC. See below for details on the distribution services and Marketing Support that SAMHSA already has available:

· Contact center – 1-877-SAMHSA-7 which responds to public inquiries.

· Warehouse – full warehouse functions of receiving, maintaining, shipping, and managing the entire SAMHSA print and audiovisual library.

· Communications Products Pages – provides online presence for products, including “shopping cart” functionality to order/download products, tagging with the SAMHSA taxonomy, and other related content.

· Reports – provides inventory management information, (e.g. remaining inventory, monthly distribution, and reprint recommendations) and data analytics on the electronic consumption of SAMHSA communications products. Analyzing the product inventory reports is a requirement of this task order. The Contractor shall work with the COR in obtaining these reports from the OC.

· Press releases, News bulletins – these are more traditional forms of information dissemination. They are typically distributed to other news outlets.

· Conference Exhibit Program – Provides a SAMHSA presence at meetings that are aligned with the Agency’s strategic initiatives. Provides publications, programmatic information, promotional materials, etc.

· eBlasts – Internet-based email marketing and current awareness tool that allows subscribers to create profiles and select to receive updates on topics of interest to them, including, but not limited to upcoming awareness campaigns, funding opportunities, and new publications.

· Social Media – SAMHSA utilizes various social media tools (Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube) with a strong presence and following.

· SAMHSA Newsletter – SAMHSA News, the Agency’s newsletter, disseminates information to behavioral health service providers, consumers, and the general public from all SAMHSA program divisions and offices.

D. Adherence to SAMHSA Internet/Web Policy: The Contractor shall follow all SAMHSA Internet/Website Policy. Any development and production of Internet/Web applications, including Intranets and Extranets shall comply with SAMHSA policy and procedures. These policies and procedures cover Websites, Web page linkages, and Web development; and agency programmatic, concept, and technical clearances. All new contracts/task orders or modifications to existing contracts/task orders involving Internet/Web sites will require Programmatic and Concept Clearance from the Office of Communications and IT Clearance from the DTM. The SAMHSA Website is the only authorized Website. No new Websites will be created without prior written approval of the COR, in collaboration with appropriate agency Website officials. Any new Websites created by the Contractor will become part of the SAMHSA Website. Applications development may be accomplished on the Contractor's server. Productions versions must reside on the SAMHSA/DTM server.

i. Content Development and Management Plan - Within 60 days after the CED, the Contractor shall submit “Electronic Versions” and “Hard Copies” of the Content Development and Management Plan to the DTM and OC [through the COR] for review and approval. Full acceptance of the Contractor’s Content Development and Management Plan is required and contingent upon the review and approval of the DTM—for IT Technical Issues; and the OC—for Content and New Media Issues. This plan must include any information on the Web Content that is being prepared for SAMHSA site. The plan must also include, but is not limited to:

· Social Media. Details on any channels of social media that are planned to be used, either external (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, etc.) or internal to the content with justification for their use.

· E-mail. Details on mass e-mail distribution, or other Internet-based communication methods, with justification for their use.

· Processes. Descriptions of the processes for the review, approval, and clearance (if applicable) for the Web content (inclusive of social media, e-mail, etc.) for both initial posting and ongoing maintenance. Multiple/variable processes for different classes of content is suggested if applicable.

· Disposition. The management plan shall also include a plan for management or disposition of the content after the task order ends.

· Hosting. If there is a plan to physically host the content outside of SAMHSA.gov, details and a justification shall be provided.

· Content Management System Standards. Details how the contractor plans to provide updates compatible with or directly through SAMHSA’s Web Content Management System.

· Metrics Standards. Provides information on how the contractor plans to place “code” on each page of web content to allow it to be discovered and counted by SAMHSA metrics tools.

· Data Standards. Details how all data that is produced or incorporated as part of this task order and that is cleared for public distribution shall be made available in an open data format, compatible with Federal raw data and/or geodata standards at data.gov.

· Web Content Integration. If this task order includes assuming responsibility for a legacy site or content, the management plan shall include a plan for integrating that legacy site or content into SAMHSA.gov. This plan shall be coordinated with the agency plans for SAMHSA.gov, and may require multiple phases or steps for integration.

The COR, Office of Management, Technology and Operations (OMTO), and OC will have 30 days to review and provide comments.

ii. Digital Engagement – The preferred approach to digital engagement focuses on the empowerment of trained Federal staff as the agent of engagement. However, there will be instances where contractors are responsible for engagement activities. Digital engagement activities should be included as part of the Content Development and Management Plan and should, as closely as possible, adhere to the following principles:

· Transparency is essential to effective engagement

· Digital engagement should encourage building and sustaining communities and work to establish long-term relationships

· Engaging in a way that allows for timely responses should be the default

· Establishing an emergency mitigation strategy should be included as part of all planning activities

· Documenting where engagement activities have occurred is mandatory

· Measuring and reporting on mission-based outcomes is essential

iii. Web Content Approval - No later than three (3) weeks prior to initially posting a Web-only document, the Contractor shall submit the Content to the COR for review and approval. This document should be consistent with Federal policy and have all other signatures obtained for any other clearances (as needed) prior to submission. Depending on the document and the level of review necessary, SAMHSA will review and post the Content onto the SAMHSA site or on the appropriately determined SAMHSA social media platform. Development of new social media accounts is limited on a case by case basis based on criteria set by the CGC.

iv. Web Content Migration Plan - The Contractor shall plan for, facilitate and expedite the migration of all production (as opposed to development) Web content from the Contractor’s web site to the SAMHSA Website. The Contractor shall prepare a plan that includes the Design, Development, Implementation, Public Production and Maintenance. The Content Migration Plan should include functional requirements, technical requirements and other operational requirements. It should also include major milestones and implementation dates of the project, including the migration phase. The draft and final Content Migration Plan shall be submitted as a deliverable to the COR and the OMTO [through the COR] for review and approval. Any new content proposed by the Contractor for the Internet will become part of the SAMHSA Website. It is not the intent to have the Contractor house SAMHSA-funded content for this project unless evidence is presented that it is more efficient to do so and approval is received from OC. Any new Web development must be focused on content that is logically integrated into the SAMHSA.gov organization, design and existing content. Content shall be developed in a manner that provides smooth and efficient integration into the SAMHSA.gov site. Web content is any materials (HTML files, XML files, PDF files, video, audio, etc.) with an expectation of being distributed via the Web or similar Internet system.

E. Strategic Communications Planning Template is designed for CORs, their contractors and field partners to create a consistent approach for planning communication activities for communications products or for ongoing operation of a program or organization. The content aligns with the target audiences, distribution and other elements of HHS clearance form 615, and with the justification section of HHS clearance forms 524/524A. The Template includes the key elements in communications planning and execution:

Field Analysis - identifying what the field needs, what’s already available to meet these needs, and potential collaborators

Goal - how meeting these needs will support SAMHSA’s mission

Objectives - ways in which particular communications and marketing activities will achieve this goal

Target Audiences - specific target audiences that need to be reached to achieve these objectives

Program, Product or Service - what will be delivered to these target audiences in order to reach the identified objectives

Formatting - how messages about these deliverables will be formatted to reach the identified objectives

Creative Mix of Tactics and Message Products -Advertising, Promotion, Events, Public Relations and Personal Communications approaches that will be combined with electronic or print message products to help achieve the identified objectives, timed against a projected product life expectancy.

Dissemination - implementation of this creative mix to reach identified objectives.

Evaluation and Quality Improvement - data gathering needed to improve task performance, and justify public investment in activities supporting SAMHSA’s mission.

Use of the template is a requirement for creation, promotion, dissemination and evaluation of communications products developed through this contract.

II. SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS

Tasks

Task 1

Project Management and Reporting During the course of the contract the Contractor shall be in regular communication with SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) COR and staff from the Administration for Children, Youth and Families’ (ACYF), Children’s Bureau (CB). Together they will develop priorities for organizing and conducting the work outlined in the defined tasks.

Specific Tasks:

a. Prepare and Update Project Workplans. The Contractor shall prepare a detailed workplan for each year organized by the tasks outlined in the SOW. The workplan shall be updated annually based on input from the COR taking into consideration pressing issues and emerging trends in the child welfare and behavioral health fields. The first workplan shall be submitted with the first quarterly project status report and subsequent workplans shall be submitted with the annual report.

b. Participate in Project Meetings scheduled by the COR. Project meetings shall be scheduled monthly, to take place either in person at the SAMHSA/CSAT office in Rockville, MD, or the ACYF/CB office in Washington D.C., or by conference call. An agenda will be prepared in advance of each meeting by the contactor, and a summary of the meeting is due within 7 days after the meeting.

c. Quarterly, Annual and Ad Hoc Reporting. To keep the COR aware of progress and problems in the implementation of the contract, the Contractor shall prepare Quarterly and Annual Reports.

i. A narrative Quarterly report is due by the 15th day after the end of each quarter to the COR and Contracting Officer (CO), covering the reporting period. The report should describe major activities by task, problems encountered and their resolution, and activities planned for the next reporting period and should not exceed 20 pages. Products collected or developed during the reporting period should be attached and may exceed the 20-page limit.

ii. A narrative Annual report is due no later than one week before the end of each contract year and should highlight the major activities and accomplishments included in the quarterly reports as well as the workplan and workplan narrative for the subsequent year. The report should not exceed 40 pages.

iii. Ad-hoc Reporting. The Contractor shall respond to ad-hoc requests from the COR to prepare written reports on a quick turnaround basis (e.g. 24-48 hours) on activities pertaining to the contract.

d. Financial Reporting. On a monthly basis, the Contractor shall submit a breakdown of costs by Task numbers and Sub-tasks indicating dollars spent and dollars available.

Task 2 Technical Assistance (TA)

During the first two contract periods to operate the NCSACW (the National Center) from 2002-2012, the National Center provided a range of technical assistance and training to build collaboration among alcohol and drug treatment agencies, child welfare agencies, and the courts. The National Center also helped these agencies develop new practices and strategies to serve families involved with or at risk of involvement with the child welfare system because of parental substance abuse. TA activities included responding to telephone inquiries, creating and disseminating written materials, conducting conference calls, making in-person, one-time presentations to groups or at conferences, and delivering technical assistance to State teams over a sustained length of time, usually extending for multiple years. The content of the TA generally addressed part of a ten-part framework of collaboration developed by the Center for Children and Family Futures (CCFF) and Dr. Nancy Young. (see “Framework and Policy Tools for Improving Linkages Between Alcohol and Drug Services, Child Welfare Services and Dependency Courts,” Please refer to http://www.ncsacw.samhsa.gov/files/NewFramework.pdf.) The Contractor shall continue to provide this range of service while continuing to develop new ideas and strategies to address the target audience and to respond to emerging issues and concerns (including the agencies’ priorities on trauma and child well being.) Recipients of TA can be expected to continue to include public agencies and private organizations.

During contract years 2007-2012, the Contractor expanded the recipients of TA and training to include 53 grantees funded by ACYF under the requirement of the Child and Family Services Improvement Act of 2006 (P.L. 109-288), Title IV-B, subparts 1 and 2, of the Act, reauthorizing the Promoting Safe and Stable Families Program, known as Regional Partnership Grants (RPGs). A new round of funding will award a new cohort of RPGs in 2012 to up to 15 grantees, and the contractor shall continue to provide assistance to these grantees.(See Task 7.)

During contract years 2010-12, the Contractor expended the recipients of TA to include 12 SAMHSA/CSAT funded “Children Affected by Methamphetamine (CAM)” grants. These grants continue until 2014, and the Contractor is expected to continue to provide support to these grantees during this period (See Task 6.)

Specific Tasks:

a. Provision of Short-term Technical Assistance. During the National Center contract years 2011, the Center responded to over 350 TA requests per year (such as responding to telephone inquiries, mailing out information, identifying needed resources, making referrals, etc.) and required approximately 2 FTE’s to fulfill; the remainder involved multiple contacts and on-going involvement with the TA recipient. In this Contract, the demands for short term TA is expected to remain at approximately the same level or increase slightly to about 400 requests .

b. Provision of Long-Term Technical Assistance. During the National Center contract year 2011, In-depth technical assistance was provided to three new sites and seven on-going sites, but with varying levels of staff involvement. Current assistance lasts from 15 months to over two years, with follow-up provided as needed. Commitments are made to TA sites over multi-year time frames contingent upon the availability of future Option year funds. Sites are in various stages of engagement from new site engagement, current engagement, and follow-up engagement. On average, 6 in-depth TA sites were supported at the same time as follows: 2-3 receiving a consultant for 20 to 25% time of a full time staff equivalency, and the others receiving a combined 5 to 15% time of slightly more than a full time equivalency This level of annual support is expected in this contract as well. Tools and products developed for the program of in-depth technical assistance during the NCSACW contract years 2002-2012, will be used to support TA requests (i.e. use of protocols, training plans, strategic plans, MOUs, etc. see http://www.ncsacw.samhsa.gov/products.asp.)

c. Policy Academies. In this contract, Policy Academies shall be developed to work with teams to introduce them to best practices using the 10-element framework (see the “Framework and Policy Tools for Improving Linkages Between Alcohol and Drug Services, Child Welfare Services and Dependency Courts,” referenced above.) The purpose of the Policy Academy is to strengthen the knowledge, and skills of alcohol and drug treatment agencies, child welfare agencies, and the courts with the planning, implementation and evaluation of policies that support the complex needs of families affected by substance abuse through collaborative practices. Participants of the Policy Academy will work in teams consisting of State, County or Tribal entities interested in improving their collaborative practices to serve families involved in the child welfare system as a result of parental substance use disorders. In some instances, the Policy Academy participant team will become an in-depth TA site, but not all Policy Academy teams will receive in-depth TA.

The Contractor shall propose a plan for and implement Policy Academies including the structure of the Academy, how to solicit and engage participants, and plans for long-term follow-up of the progress that results from participation in the Academies. Criteria for selection of team members will be established by the Contractor and the COR, and will be based on the ability and willingness of the members to influence collaborative practices in their States/Counties or Tribes. For purposes of this procurement, assume that a new Policy Academy will be held in the base year and each option year. A Policy Academy will include one 3-day in-person meeting per Academy. Up to 8 teams consisting of up to 5 people per team will be supported to attend each Policy Academy, although a team could pay for additional members on their own if they choose. The contractor is responsible for all logistics and travel associated with the Policy Academies. Per HHS rules, no food shall be purchased for consumption for in-person meetings, including the Policy Academies, although reimbursement for participant travel and per diem is allowable and expected. In addition, the Contractor shall cover expenses for up to 6 outside speakers at each Policy Academy gathering of participants.

d. TA Tracking, Monitoring, and Evaluation. The type, content, and outcome of TA provided should be monitored and tracked by the Contractor. The Contractor shall propose a process for real-time tracking and monitoring of all TA requests (completed in-process and planned.) In addition, the Contractor shall provide a process for obtaining feedback from TA users on their satisfaction with the TA as well as any results that can be directly attributed to the receipt of TA. This information shall be included in quarterly and yearly reports as required in Task 1.

Task 3 Training

While training can be considered a form of TA, it is distinguished from TA here to more clearly delineate the expectations of tasks to be undertaken by the Contractor.

Specific Tasks

a. Web-based Learning Academy. The contractor shall develop a Web-based Learning Academy. Approximately 8 webinars shall be delivered per year, 2 specifically for RPG grantees; 2 for CAM grantees (in the base year and Option 1 only); 2 for RPG grantees, CAM grants and any other guests; and 2 for special, target audiences (e.g. State legislators, a national association’s leadership team, judges, etc.) to be determined. The contractor shall be responsible for development of and all logistics and technical aspects of the learning academy.

b. Web-based Tutorials. The contractor shall maintain the 3 National Center Web-based training curricula, update the curricula as needed and shall report on the use of the curricula (curricula accessed, completed, and evaluation reports) in the quarterly report. Please refer to: http://www.ncsacw.samhsa.gov/tutorials/index.asp. The offeror can propose possible improvements to the Web-based curricula, based on changes in use of electronic media and platforms for hosting courses; however costs should be kept in mind when proposing revisions.

c. On-line Training. A training program for child welfare program staff concerning substance abuse and mental health issues facing families in the child welfare system is posted on the National Center website. The training is a web-based product that can be used by trainers looking for materials on these topics. During this contract the Contractor shall ensure that the training is accessible to interested audiences. A marketing plan is due within 180 days of contract award. The Contractor shall actively market the availability of this resource to intended audiences such as the SAMHSA ATTCs, community colleges that conduct training for child welfare staff, schools of social work, the CB’s Training and Technical Assistance Network, and other relevant organizations including SAMHSA child-serving grantees. Updates to the training shall be made if needed throughout the life of the contract as directed and approved by the COR and staff from ACF.

d. Tracking, Monitoring, and Evaluation of Training. The type, content, and outcome of training provided should be monitored and tracked by the Contractor. The Contractor shall propose a process for real-time tracking and monitoring of all training requests (completed in-process and planned.) In addition, the Contractor shall provide a process for obtaining feedback from training recipients on their satisfaction with the training as well as any results that can be directly attributed to the training. This information shall be included in quarterly and yearly reports as required in Task 1.

Task 4 Information Dissemination

In addition to providing technical assistance and training, the Contractor shall undertake activities to promote awareness of the concerns addressed by the National Center. These activities are directed toward large numbers of people who seek information or who are sought out by the National Center as an important audience for the Center’s messages and work.

Specific Tasks:

a. Conference and meeting presentations. Within 90 days of contract award and on-going, the Contractor shall identify 6 conferences and meetings per year where information about the work of the National Center could be shared by Center staff and submit proposals in response to “calls for workshops or presentations.” Power Point presentations or poster sessions (as appropriate) shall be prepared for each presentation and submitted to the COR within 14 business days of the meeting for final approval.