Adult and Youth MHFA SOW FY 2026.pdf

Statement of Work

Mental Health First Aid Instructor Certification Training Solicitation #: 75H70426Q00043

1. Mission The mission of the Indian Health Service is to raise the physical, mental, social, and spiritual health of American Indians and Alaska Natives to the highest level.

1.2 Background

The Indian Health Service (IHS) Division of Clinical and Community Services (DCCS), Health Education program contributes to IHS' mission of raising the health status of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) people to the highest level possible by providing information and resources to strengthen clinical, public health, and community approaches within tribal communities. It is imperative behavioral health providers remain informed of new treatment models, prevention efforts, and counseling techniques in order to meet the demands of the clients they serve. In order to meet the IHS mission, it is essential to hold Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Instructor Trainings of which health educators and other staff will attend to obtain necessary education to become instructors for their respective communities.

1.3 Scope

The Statement of Work (SOW) for the proposed contract includes four major areas of work under the direction of the DCCS Project Lead and assigned COR. They are: 1) Implement Mental Health First Aid Instructor Certification Training; 2) Technical Assistance; 3) Trainer Credentials;

and 4) Training Format.

The Contractor will deliver one (1) 3-day Adult and/or Youth Mental Health First Aid Instructor Certification Training per contract period of performance, training a maximum of 16 participants. The contractor will provide instructions to the attendees about how to access Zoom or other platform for the pre-training requisites and training. Attendees needing certification will be from multiple states.

Upon successful completion of the program, certified instructors will have access to the technical assistance provided by the Contractor. Ongoing maintenance of the certification will be at the discretion of the certified instructor.

2. General Requirements This section describes the general requirements. The following sub-sections provide details of various considerations for this effort. The following schedule of tasks and deliverables outline the requirements necessary to organize, facilitate, manage, and evaluate the Adult and Youth Mental Health First Aid course.

The expectation is that the contractor will engage in a range of activities that will initiate and solidify the training that meet national certification requirements and standards of national, state, and accrediting/certifying organizations.

2.1 Non-Personal Services

The Government shall neither supervise contractor employees nor control the method by which the contractor performs the required tasks. Under no circumstances shall the Government assign tasks to, or prepare work schedules for, individual contractor employees. It shall be the responsibility of the contractor to manage its employees and to guard against any actions that are considered personal services, or give the perception of personal services. If the contractor believes that any actions constitute, or are perceived to constitute personal services, the contractor is responsible for immediately notifying the Contracting Officer (CO).

2.2 Business Relations

The contractor shall successfully integrate and coordinate all activities needed to execute the requirement. The contractor shall manage the timelines, completeness, and quality of problem identification. The contractor shall promptly identify issues, establish corrective action plans, and effectively manage any subcontractors. The contractor shall ensure customer satisfaction and ensure all contractor personnel display professional and ethical behavior.

2.3 Contract Management

The contractor shall establish clear organizational lines of authority and responsibility to ensure effective management of the resources assigned to contract/agreement. The contractor must maintain continuity between the support operations, the contractor's corporate offices and the Indian Health Service Division of Clinical and Community Services (DCCS).

2.4 Contract Administration

The contractor shall establish processes and assign appropriate resources to effectively administer this contract/agreement. The contractor shall respond to Government requests for contractual actions in a timely fashion. The contractor shall have a single point of contact between the Government and Contractor personnel assigned to support this contract/agreement. The contractor shall assign work effort and maintaining proper and accurate time keeping records of personnel assigned to work under this contract/agreement.

The contractor will meet with the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) and IHS officials within 7 days of the contract/agreement award to become acquainted with the DCCS staff, review the Statement of Work (SOW), discuss timelines and deliverables, and to begin initial planning. The contractor and COR will hold a kick off meeting at the beginning of each option year if exercised to revisit and make adjustments (if necessary) to the comprehensive action plan to discuss ongoing tasks in the SOW and deliverables for the option year.

2.5 Personnel Administration

The contractor will provide the following management and support as required. The contractor shall maintain the currency of their employees by providing initial and refresher training as required to meet the SOW requirements. The contractor shall provide necessary infrastructure to support contract/agreement tasks.

The contractor will provide administrative support to employees in a timely fashion (e.g., time keeping, leave processing, pay, emergency needs, etc.).

2.6 Subcontract Management

The contractor will be responsible for any subcontract management necessary to integrate work performed on this requirement and will be responsible and accountable for subcontractor performance on this requirement. The prime contractor will manage work distribution to ensure there are no Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI) considerations. Contractors may add subcontractors to their team after notification to the CO or Contracting Officer Representative

(COR).

2.7 Contractor Personnel, Disciplines, and Specialties

The contractor will accomplish the assigned work by employing and utilizing qualified personnel with appropriate combinations of education, training, and experience.

2.8 Location and Hours of Work

Accomplishment of the results contained in this SOW requires work at various contractor/subcontractor locations in the continental United States. Normal workdays are Monday through Friday except US Federal Holidays. Federal Workers typically work eight (8) hours per day, 40 hours per week. Flextime workers start not earlier than 0600 and not later than 0900. Core hours of work are from 0900 to 1500 daily. Contractor/Subcontractor employees are expected to be available to IHS staff during core hours.

2.9 Travel/Temporary Duty (TDY)

Any travel for training participants is not covered under this contract/agreement.

3. Performance Requirements The contractor will be responsible for providing culturally appropriate 3-day trainings and for coordinating the accredited trainings courses that meet national certification requirements and standards of national, state, and accrediting/certifying organizations.

The period of performance for this contract/agreement is 12 months from date of award with two 12-month option periods. All training must be completed within the stated performance period. The contractor shall not oversell or pre-sell training services.

The following section specifies the Performance Objectives and Performance Elements for the contract:

1. Implement MHFA Instructor Trainings

2. Technical Assistance

3. Trainee Credentials

4. Training Format

Specific Tasks:

• Implement one (1) 3-day Adult and/or Youth Mental Health First Aid Instructor Certification Training per period of performance:

a. The contractor will provide two instructors, all training materials, and consultation to attendees prior to the training.

b. The contractor agrees to train a maximum of 16 participants per contract period of performance. IHS will provide the names of the participants to the contractor.

• Technical Assistance

a. Upon successful completion of the Adult and/or Youth MHFA training program, certified instructors will have access to the technical assistance provided by the contractor.

• Trainee Credentials

a. The contractor will provide certification for new instructors only to deliver the standard Adult and/or Youth Mental Health First Aid course received and are not empowered to train other instructors in the program.

b. The participant must agree to preserve the fidelity of the program by following the National Council for Behavioral Health’s guidelines and must deliver the Adult and Youth Mental Health First Aid program three times a year to maintain new instructor certification.

• Training Format

a. The contractor must require that each participant complete the full three-day training as well as pass a short-written exam and evaluated presentation to achieve certification.

b. To protect the integrity of the program, the Contractor reserves the right to withhold certification of any training participants who does not meet the standards of the program.

c. Training can be delivered in-person and virtually using Zoom or other platform.

4. Reporting The contractor shall follow the reporting plan submitted as part of the proposal and keep the Government fully informed of status throughout the contract/agreement period. It is essential that interruptions or work in progress delays are minimized so that the mission is not negatively impacted.

The Contractor shall provide status reports to the COR to include but not be limited to expense variance to budget, logistical updates, attendee metrics, attendee training, project plan tracking, and other items as determined by the COR and approved by the CO. The monthly status reports shall be discussed at the start-up meeting.

5. HHS 508 Compliance All virtual platform materials, including curriculum content, presentations, etc. must be 508 compliant in accordance with Section 508 HHSAR for Web Based Content Electronic Content or Documentation. See attachment A.

6. Correspondence and Conference Calls The Contractor shall provide training summary two-weeks after the training.

7. Deliverables The contractor shall provide deliverables as described below and in subsequent requests within the scope of this contract/agreement. The CO must be notified of any issues or questions regarding scope before any action is taken. The format and delivery schedule for deliverables shall be discussed during the kick-off meeting and at other times during the performance period as needed.

DELIVERABLES FREQUENCY, DATE,

OR TIMEFRAME

MEDIUM AND FORMAT SUBMIT

TO

Contract Kick-off Meeting

Once, within 7 working days after contract/agreement execution

Teleconference – IHS will schedule and provide the teleconference information

N/A

Disseminate training materials

At least 14 days before scheduled training

Email, USB drive, and/or online access

IHS COR

Provide training location and/or Zoom link for training

At least 14 days before scheduled training

Email to COR and/or training attendees

IHS COR

Provide technical assistance to certified instructors

After successful completion of certification

Email, phone, or online to certified instructors

N/A

Provide certification exam and evaluate presentation to achieve attendee certification

End of day three training

Certification to instructors IHS COR