S06 - RFP Amendment - 36C26222R0086 0001.pdf

5. PROJECT NUMBER (if applicable)

CODE 7. ADMINISTERED BY

2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NUMBER

CODE

6. ISSUED BY

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR

4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQ. NUMBER 3. EFFECTIVE DATE

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NUMBER

9B. DATED

PAGE OF PAGES

10A. MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT/ORDER NUMBER

10B. DATED

BPA NO. 1. CONTRACT ID CODE

FACILITY CODE CODE

Offers must acknowledge receipt of this amendment prior to the hour and date specified in the solicitation or as amended, by one of the following methods:

The above numbered solicitation is amended as set forth in Item 14. The hour and date specified for receipt of Offers

E. IMPORTANT:

is extended,

(a) By completing Items 8 and 15, and returning __________ copies of the amendment; (b) By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted; or (c) By separate letter or electronic communication which includes a reference to the solicitation and amendment numbers. FAILURE OF YOUR ACKNOWLEDGMENT TO BE RECEIVED AT THE PLACE DESIGNATED FOR THE RECEIPT OF OFFERS PRIOR TO THE HOUR AND DATE SPECIFIED MAY is not extended.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA

(REV. 11/2016)

is required to sign this document and return ___________ copies to the issuing office. is not, A. THIS CHANGE ORDER IS ISSUED PURSUANT TO: (Specify authority) THE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14 ARE MADE IN THE CONTRACT ORDER NO. IN ITEM 10A.

15C. DATE SIGNED

B. THE ABOVE NUMBERED CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 43.103(b).

RESULT IN REJECTION OF YOUR OFFER. If by virtue of this amendment you desire to change an offer already submitted, such change may be made by letter or electronic communication, provided each letter or electronic communication makes reference to the solicitation and this amendment, and is received prior to the opening hour and date specified.

C. THIS SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT IS ENTERED INTO PURSUANT TO AUTHORITY OF:

D. OTHER

Contractor

16C. DATE SIGNED

14. DESCRIPTION OF AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION

16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Except as provided herein, all terms and conditions of the document referenced in Item 9A or 10A, as heretofore changed, remains unchanged and in full force and effect.

15A. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER 16A. NAME AND TITLE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER

15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR

STANDARD FORM 30 PREVIOUS EDITION NOT USABLE

Prescribed by GSA - FAR (48 CFR) 53.243

(Type or print) (Type or print)

(Organized by UCF section headings, including solicitation/contract subject matter where feasible.)

(Number, street, county, State and ZIP Code)

(If other than Item 6)

(Specify type of modification and authority)

(such as changes in paying office, appropriation date, etc.)

(If required)

(SEE ITEM 11)

(SEE ITEM 13)

(X)

CHECK

ONE

13. THIS ITEM APPLIES ONLY TO MODIFICATIONS OF CONTRACTS/ORDERS,

IT MODIFIES THE CONTRACT/ORDER NO. AS DESCRIBED IN ITEM 14.

11. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO AMENDMENTS OF SOLICITATIONS

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT

(Signature of person authorized to sign) (Signature of Contracting Officer)

1 5

07/19/2022

36C262

Department of Veterans Affairs Network Contracting Office 22 4811 Airport Plaza Drive Suite 600 Long Beach CA 90815

36C262

Department of Veterans Affairs Network Contracting Office 22 4811 Airport Plaza Drive Suite 600 Long Beach CA 90815

To all Offerors/Bidders 36C26222R0086

07-05-2022 X

X X

X 1

The purpose of this amendment is to provide answers to the questions received on Solicitation 36C26222R0086 - San Diego HUD-VASH Case Management and Supportive Services.

Please see Pages 2-5 for a list of Questions and Answers.

Flora Ceponis, Contracting Officer

The following are the Questions (Q) and Answers (A) received pertaining to Solicitation 36C26222R0086.

1. Q: Is this a new solicitation? If not, who is the current vendor and what is the contract number?

A: This is a new requirement for VA San Diego Healthcare System (VASDHS).

2. Q: Section 2.1.12 of the PWS: How often are we to conduct a survey?

A: Veterans can complete the surveys once a year. Surveys are collected quarterly and submitted to Universal Stakeholder Participation Experience Questions (uSPEQ).

3. Q: Section 5.1 of the PWS: Should the referrals not come directly from the VA VASH team to the contractor? Or at least initiated by the VA. From there, the contractor can conduct intake into the program, but the referral makes more sense to come from the VA (the introduction at least). Can the government clarify this?

A: Per Section 5.1 of the PWS, “Referrals to HUD-VASH are conducted by the Contractor through outreach; referrals may also be received from the VA”. Thus, the Contractor will be expected to conduct their own outreach to identify referrals but will also have the option of receiving referrals from the VA in addition to conducting their own outreach.

4. Q: Section 13.1 of the PWS: The VA VASH team has access to this report/information as this report is run monthly by the team/them. This seems like a duplication of work. Can this be stricken from the requirements.

A: It is important that the Contractor maintain integrity, accuracy, and thoroughness in Homeless Operations Management and Evaluation (HOMES) reporting. By asking the contractor to review and provide the report, it gives the contractor the opportunity and requirement to check for accuracy before being submitted to the VA.

4.a. If not, can this report be sent in along with the invoice?

A: The Contractor has an option to submit the report at the time of the invoice.

5. Q: Section 15 of the PWS: With the COVID variants still rampant and WFH protocols preferred by employees, how flexible is the government on having an office? The case managers can meet the vets at the VA, their own or in the community. How prevalent is it that vets will come to the office?

A: Per Section 15.1 of the PWS, “The Contractor shall have at least one private office at the Contractor location for the VA staff to conduct confidential meetings with Veterans and Contractor staff members.” Thus, there needs to be a place where Contractors can have confidential meetings with Veterans. A facility would still be needed to serve as a “home base” for both VA staff and/or Veterans for visits in person. The prevalence will depend on the preference of the Veteran and the Contractor.

6. Q: Is www.ob10.com now Tungsten? www.ob10.com seems to not be working currently.

A: The www.ob10.com is an incorrect address to submit invoices. A correction has been made to Section 33.2, to reflect that Contractor shall submit invoices to the VA Financial Services Center at www.Tungsten-Network.com.

7. Q: What is the anticipated award date?

A: The current anticipated award date is 09/01/2022.

8. Q: The background check is normally borne by the VA however the RFP states the contractor will pay for the background check. Is this correct? If not, can it be stricken from the requirements? If so, would the VA consider bearing the cost of the required background check?

A: The Contractor bears the cost of performing background checks.

9. Q: What are the acceptable licenses for the clinical supervisor in addition to LCSW (e.g., LMFT, LPCC, etc.)? Additionally, do you accept clinicians licensed outside the state of California?

A: Per Section 3.3.1 of the PWS, “The Clinical Supervisor shall hold an independent clinical practitioner license and the license shall be active, current, and unrestricted.” The Clinical Supervisor will be providing supervision for other clinicians and so their license must be in the state they are practicing which, in this case, is California.

10. Q: What is the average timeline for completing credentialling through the VetPro system?

A: Credentialing through VetPro system can generally take 6-12 weeks.

11. Q: Would it be acceptable to have a non-licensed Associate Director for general program supervision and a separate licensed clinical supervisor just for clinical supervision needs?

A: Per Section 3.2.3 of the PWS, “The Case Management Team Clinical Supervisor and Case Managers shall be Contractor’s full-time employees and assigned full-time to this contract.”

Therefore, the licensed clinical supervisor would be dedicated full time to this program. An Associate Director is not required per this contract. Any administrative program oversight positions would be determined by the Contractor and at the Contractor’s expense.

12. Q: Are peer support specialists required to be certified through the VA program or any other particular certification process?

A: The Peer Support Specialist role is not required and does not need to be a certified position.

Any preference for certification would be determined by the Contractor. Per Section 3.3.4 of the PWS, “The Contractor shall also consider utilizing non-case management staff who provide direct services such as Housing Specialists, Certified Substance Abuse Counselors, Employment Specialists, Registered Nurses, Licensed Vocational Nurses, Licensed Practical nurses, and/or Peer Support Specialists. These staff shall provide support to case management team but do not impact the 25:1 case management ratio.”

13. Q: Section 5.1 of the PWS: “VA retains the final authority to approve or reject any Contractor-proposed admission to the HUD-VASH program.” What reasons would the VA have to reject individuals other than not meeting program eligibility?

A: This is a case-by-case review. Thus, some other reasons to deny Veterans from HUD-VASH services could be behaviors seen as dangerous or violent towards VA staff or Contractor staff.

14. Q: Section 8 of the PWS: Case Management Visits, are housing specialist, peer support specialist, or other non-case manager staff visits with clients allowable as billable services (e.g., housing specialist are likely to spend a majority of the time with a veteran during the housing search; additionally, this will support the cost incurred to hire these contractually required positions)?

A: The Contractor shall propose an all-inclusive rate that captures the services required per the PWS. Per Section B.3, Schedule of Service and Price, of the RFP, “Prices in this schedule represent an all-inclusive rate including labor, incidental costs, overhead, and insurance premium payments for applicable insurance coverage. Costs not incorporated into the Contractor’s price will not be reimbursed by the Government.” Also, per Section 2.1.2 of the PWS, “The Contractor shall use a case management team approach whenever possible which may include a mix of mental health and addiction treatment professionals, licensed social workers, nurses, psychologist, housing specialists, and peer specialists to meet the clinical needs of Veterans served.”

15. Q: Section 8 of the PWS: Case Management Visits, is the demonstrated attempt (outreach in the community, unannounced home visit, multiple phone calls/letters) to contact a Veteran a billable service?

A: Please see answer provided in Q&A #14 above. Also, per Section 33.1 of the PWS, “The Contractor shall be paid a flat rate per Veteran enrolled per month for services rendered in accordance with the requirements established in this PWS.” Thus, billing is not a fee-for-service reimbursement.

16. Q: Section 8.3 of the PWS: What are the qualifying circumstances under which telehealth visits would meet visit requirements?

A: Per Section 8.2 of the PWS, face-to-face visits are preferred for this contract. But per Section 8.3, case by case determination will be made for Telehealth visits per open communication with the VA COR/Liaison.

Section 8.2 of the PWS states “The Contractor shall visit each Veteran face-to-face at the intervals required by the VHA Directive 1162.05,4, found in Section D, Attachment 05 and VASDHS SWS Memo 45, found in Section D, Attachment 11 “HUD-VASH Stages of Case Management and Minimum Visit Requirements”. Face-to-face visits shall be conducted in accordance with VASDHS SWS Memo 17, found in Section D, Attachment 19 “Provision of Social Work Services in the VASDHS and in the Community”. Visits which are not required to take place in the Veteran’s home may occur in the community, at the Contractor agency, or a place mutually agreed upon by the Veteran and Case Manager. Phone contacts, while an acceptable way to communicate with the Veteran, are generally not considered visits in meeting the minimum visit requirements under this contract. In the event the Contractor is unable to locate the Veteran for the required number of visits, the Contractor shall document face-to-face attempts, phone calls, and letters sent to the Veteran including dates and times in the VA Electronic Health Record, as verification of services rendered.”

Section 8.3 of the PWS states “Under some circumstances, as determined by the VA COR/Liaison, the Contractor may provide telehealth services, including virtual visits (preferred) and telephone calls, in place of face-to-face visits. Under such circumstances, telehealth visits would be considered visits in meeting the minimum visit requirements.”

17. Q: Section 8.7 of the PWS states the contractor shall re-assess any Veteran who does not meet the goals and objectives outlined in the housing stability plan. How frequently should this be reassessed (i.e., 30, 60, 90 days) and how will the re-assessment be verified i.e., Veteran signature or CPRS note?

A: Per Section 6.1.2 of the PWS, “Review the Housing Stability Plan with the Veteran quarterly and document the review and any changes to the plan in the VA medical record.” Therefore, verification of reassessments will be done via CPRS quarterly.

18. Q: Section 9.2 of the PWS states that the contractor shall provide transportation with contractor-owned or operated vehicles. If the contract has a payment structure similar to a fee-for-service and/or PMPM (per member per month), payment will generate revenue over time to procure vehicles for this contract. Considering the contractual requirement for transportation, will start-up funds be considered for this contract?

A: Start-up funds will not be provided for this contract. Contractor shall be ready and capable to provide the services at the start of the contract performance. Per Section B.3, Schedule of Service and Price, of the RFP, “Prices in this schedule represent an all-inclusive rate including labor, incidental costs, overhead, and insurance premium payments for applicable insurance coverage. Costs not incorporated into the Contractor’s price will not be reimbursed by the Government.”.

19. Q: What is the extent of the information that must be entered into HMIS for each client? For example, does every encounter need to be recorded again in HMIS or is enrollment in the Program and Coordinated Entry System adequate?

A: Per Section 2.1.9 of the PWS, “The Contractor shall enter Veteran information, after obtaining a release of information, into the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), as required by the HMIS system.” The information required by HMIS is to enable enrollment and status in the Coordinated Entry System. Any services and encounters for the Veteran by the case management team are to be captured in the VA medical record.

20. Q: The Price Worksheet shows 100 as the maximum quantity for the first program year, and 200 each following year. Does the VA not expect the contractor to serve the full 200 clients in the first year?

A: Per Q&A #1, this is a new requirement for VASDHS. Thus, VASDHS is starting services at 100 Veterans in the base year. Depending on the severity of homelessness in the VASDHS catchment area, VASDHS will increase the number of Veterans served over time throughout the life of the contract to up to 200 Veterans.