Counseling_and_Parent_Education_Services.pdf

County of Orange

Social Services Agency

Request for Applications

RFA No.: 063-3078304-PB

Counseling and Parent Education Services

Released Thursday, September 24, 2026

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION 1. INTRODUCTION AND INSTRUCTIONS TO APPLICANTS

SECTION 2. PROTEST PROCEDURES

SECTION 3. SCORING CRITERIA

SECTION 4. DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES and SCOPE OF WORK

SECTION 5. VENDOR RESPONSES

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1 INTRODUCTION AND INSTRUCTIONS TO APPLICANTS

1.1 INTRODUCTION

The County of Orange, Social Services Agency (hereinafter referred to as “County”), is soliciting applications from qualified firms (hereinafter referred to as “Applicants”) for Counseling and

Parent Education Services. Applicants must meet the minimum qualifications and requirements as set forth within the Request for Applications (RFA) and be capable of providing services identified in the Scope of Work herein.

The County intends that the successful Applicant(s) shall provide Counseling and Parent

Education Services proposed in accordance with contract requirements set forth in the solicitation and Model Contract, including Attachments.

1.2 COUNTY HOLIDAYS DURING SOLICITATION PERIOD

During this solicitation period, the Social Services Agency will be closed on the following

County holidays - https://hrs.oc.gov/employee-relations/employee-resources

1.3 INSTRUCTIONS TO APPLICANTS AND PROCEDURES FOR SUBMITTAL

A. Responses are to be uploaded via the County's eProcurement Portal at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/ocgov. For assistance on uploading Response via County’s eProcurement Portal, please contact procurement-support@opengov.com or https://help.procurement.opengov.com/en/

B. Examine the Contract Documents and the site of the proposed work carefully before submitting a Response for the work contemplated. Investigate the conditions to be encountered, as to the character, quality, and quantities of work to be performed and materials to be furnished and as to the requirements of all Contract Documents.

The County has attempted to provide all information available. It is the responsibility of each Applicant to review, evaluate, and, where necessary, request any clarification prior to submission of a Response. If any person contemplating submitting a response to this RFA is in doubt as to the true meaning of any part of the solicitation documents attached hereto or finds discrepancies in or omissions from the specifications, they may submit a written request for clarification/interpretation to the County Deputy Procurement Agent (DPA) via the County’s eProcurement Portal under the bid page for this solicitation.

If clarification or interpretation of this solicitation is considered necessary by County, an addendum shall be issued, and the information will be posted via the County’s eProcurement Portal. Any interpretation of, or correction to, this solicitation shall be issued by the DPA. It is the responsibility of each Applicant to periodically check the County’s eProcurement Portal to ensure that they have received and reviewed any and all addenda to this solicitation.

https://hrs.oc.gov/employee-relations/employee-resources https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/ocgov https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/ocgov mailto:procurement-support@opengov.com https://help.procurement.opengov.com/en/

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The County will not be responsible for any other explanations, corrections to, or interpretations of the documents, including any oral information. If an addendum is issued, Applicants must acknowledge the addendum via the County’s eProcurement Portal.

All questions or requests for interpretations must be received within this solicitation by

Friday, October 2, 2026, before 4:00 pm.

Applicants are not to contact other County personnel with any questions or clarifications concerning this RFA.

The DPA will provide all official communication concerning this solicitation. Any County response relevant to this solicitation other than through or approved by the DPA is unauthorized and will be considered invalid.

C. Responses must be valid for a period of at least three hundred sixty-five (365) calendar days from the closing date and time of receipt. No Response may be withdrawn after the submission date.

D. Each Applicant must submit their response electronically via the County’s eProcurement

Portal.

E. All pages must be numbered and identified sequentially by section. Responses must be organized and indexed as outlined in the Response Requirements Section. It is imperative that all Applicants comply, exactly and completely, with the instructions set forth herein.

All responses to this solicitation shall be type written (12-point Times New Roman font, and single line spacing format on 8.5 x 11-inch sized document) or word-processed (except where otherwise provided or noted), concise, straightforward, and must fully address each requirement and question. Paraphrasing the RFP questions is not permitted. Although not as a substitute for a complete written response, additional material, such as technical documents, may be referenced in any response if the material is included in the same section as additional information. Text located in other documents (e.g., references to "see attached" or hyperlinks) will not be evaluated or scored.

F. Responses are not to be marked as confidential or proprietary. The County may refuse to consider any Responses so marked. All Responses and supporting documents will be subject to the provisions of the California Public Records Act (California Code

Government Code 7920.000 et seq.) (PRA) and will be disclosed or withheld in accordance therewith. The County shall not be liable in any way for disclosure of any such records.

Additionally, all Responses shall become the property of the County. Applicants should not request that certain information be treated as exempt, and statements in the Responses should not be marked as confidential or proprietary. In the event that any information is marked as confidential or proprietary, as it may be absolutely necessary, Applicants have the sole responsibility of obtaining any applicable injunctive reliefs to prevent the

Request for Applications 5 of 31 Counseling and Parent Education Services disclosure of such confidential proprietary information in connection with any request made to County pursuant to PRA or a subpoena for disclosure of such information.

G. Each Applicant shall exercise reasonable care and diligence to avoid submitting a Response that could result in a conflict of interest if Applicant were to be selected. This obligation shall apply to the Applicant, the Applicant’s employees, agents, and relatives, sub-contractors, and third parties associated with accomplishing work and services in

Response. In the event Applicant has done work for the County on this Project in the past or has reason to believe that a conflict of interest may exist for Applicant in regard to this

Project, Applicant should consult with its legal counsel prior to responding to this solicitation. Any Applicant who is found to have an actual conflict of interest may have its

Response rejected on that ground.

Applicant, its employees and/or consultants may be subject to the provisions of the

California Political Reform Act of 1974 (the “Act”), which (1) requires such persons to disclose any financial interest that may be materially affected by services provided under this Contract, (2) prohibits such persons from making, or participating in making, decisions that could reasonably affect such interest; and (3) may require the filing a Statement of

Economic Interest (Form 700).

If subject to the Act, Applicant shall conform to all requirements of the Act. Failure to do so shall constitute a material breach and is grounds for immediate termination of the

Contract by County. Applicant shall indemnify and hold harmless County for any and all claims for damages resulting from Applicant’s violation of this Section.

H. By submitting a Response, the Applicant represents that it thoroughly examined the

County’s requirements, is familiar with the services required under this solicitation and is qualified and capable of providing the services to achieve the County’s objectives.

I. Each Applicant must submit its Response in strict accordance with all requirements of this solicitation and compliance must be stated in the Response. Deviations, clarifications and/or exceptions must be clearly identified and listed separately as alternative items on additional information section for the County’s consideration as specified in the

Response Requirements Section, “Statement of Compliance.”

Note: Allow sufficient time to upload all required files. The County’s eProcurement Portal will not allow any uploads after the due date and time specified herein, e.g., if Part 1 and 2 uploaded successfully at 1:58:38 P.M. and Part 3 is in progress of being uploaded at 2:00:01

P.M., Part 3 will not upload successfully.

J. Pre-contractual expenses are not to be included in the response. Pre-contractual expenses are defined as including, but not limited to, expenses incurred by the Applicant in: a) preparing the response to this solicitation; b) submitting that response to the County; c)

Request for Applications 6 of 31 Counseling and Parent Education Services negotiating with the County any matter related to the Applicant’s response; and d) any other expenses incurred by the Applicant prior to the date of award and execution, if any, of the Contract.

K. Any Response may be construed as non-responsive and ineligible for consideration if it does not comply with the requirements of the solicitation, including but not limited to technical features, acknowledgment of receipt of addenda, and page number limits, etc. These are common causes for deeming a Response non-responsive.

L. Where two or more Applicants desire to submit a single Response to this solicitation, they must do so on a prime/subcontractor basis rather than as a joint venture. The County intends to contract with a single firm that may subcontract with multiple firms (team) but not with multiple firms doing business as a joint venture.

M. County does not require and neither encourages nor discourages the use of lobbyists or other consultants for the purpose of securing business.

N. The County requires a valid D-U-N-S number prior to Contract Award. If needed, your company may obtain one at no cost at www.dnb.com. If you are unable to provide/obtain a D-U-N-S number, please indicate so in your submission response.

O. The County requires a valid Unique Entity ID (UEI) number and full registration prior to Contract Award. Your company must obtain one at no cost at www.usfcr.com. If you are unable to provide/obtain a UEI number, please indicate so in your submission response.

P. Effective from the issuance date of this solicitation until a Contract is awarded or the solicitation is withdrawn, all individuals or entities responding—including their employees, agents, representatives, proposed partners, subcontractors, members, lobbyists, or attorneys (collectively "Applicants")—are prohibited from engaging in any direct or indirect communication with County personnel involved in the selection process, except with the designated DPA. Applicants may continue conducting business with the County on matters unrelated to this solicitation and may communicate with County staff, provided the solicitation is not discussed. Any attempt to engage in discussion regarding this solicitation with anyone other than the designated DPA will be presumed to create an unfair competitive advantage and may result in disqualification.

Q. After the closing date and time for receipt of Responses, evaluation, and if requested by the County, interviews will commence. Applicants who submit Responses most responsive to the County’s requirements may be asked to give a presentation of their response to

County staff. The County makes no guarantee as to the number of Applicants selected for interviews. Selected Applicants should be prepared to make its presentation within five http://www.dnb.com/ http://www.usfcr.com/

Request for Applications 7 of 31 Counseling and Parent Education Services business days after notification and be prepared to discuss all aspects of its response in detail, including technical questions regarding the response. Applicants shall not be allowed to alter or amend its response through the use of the presentation process.

1.4 MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS/REQUIREMENTS

Applicants shall meet the following minimum requirements and qualifications to proceed to the evaluation process. Failure to have the ability to, upon County request, provide any of the items requested below may result in disqualification of your response. These qualifications must be maintained during the term of any resultant Contract.

A. Must have the ability to do business in Orange County, California.

B. Complete all required Vendor Response questions of the solicitation.

C. Provide all required information, complete all required Exhibits and Forms, and pass all IT security requirements.

D. Certify all sections of the RFA Model Contract, including security requirements.

E. Have five years of consecutive, recent experience in providing services that are the same as or similar to those services being requested in the RFA.

1.5 EVALUATION PROCESS

Responses deemed to meet all minimum solicitation requirements will be scored based on the established evaluation criteria, and will be assigned points that measure the responsiveness to each identified criterion. The total number of points earned will be tallied for each response, based upon the Applicant(s) submitted written materials.

Responses shall be evaluated by an Evaluation Panel of job knowledge experts on the basis of the responsiveness to the requirements in this RFA. The County may request clarifications, or otherwise verify the contents of the response, including information about the Applicant, Contractors and sub-contractors.

The scoring is based on evaluation of the response as measured against the Scoring Criteria, which includes County of Orange Procurement Preference Policy, in accordance with Section 4.9of the

2026 County Contract Policy Manual (CPM). A copy of the 2026 CPM can be found at https://cpo.oc.gov/cpm. Responses will be evaluated from the most advantageous to the least advantageous to the County.

1.6 SELECTION/AWARD PROCEDURES

Upon the completion of the evaluation process, the Evaluation Committee will make a recommendation for an award to the County’s DPA. Final award determination shall be subject to reference checks and past performance.

The Model Contract contained herein this RFA is the Contract proposed for execution. It may be modified to incorporate negotiated items and other pertinent terms and conditions set forth in this https://cpo.oc.gov/cpm

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RFA, including special conditions and requirements and those added by addendum, necessary attachments and/or exhibits, and to reflect Applicant’s response and qualifications. Terms and conditions are subject to change between the release of this RFA and implementation of the

Contract, and may be added before the Contract is finalized. Any additional exceptions to the terms and conditions made by any Applicant after submission of its response may result in its elimination from further consideration.

Exceptions to the terms and conditions of the Model Contract, or the statements regarding

Applicant’s inability to comply with any of the provisions thereof, are not permitted for this

RFA.

Negotiations may or may not be conducted with the finalist(s); therefore, the response submitted should contain Applicant(s) most favorable terms and conditions, since the selection and award may be made without further discussion or need for clarification. Any additional exceptions to the terms and conditions made by any Applicant(s) after submission of its response may result in elimination from further consideration.

The award requires approval by the County Board of Supervisors. The master contract and subordinate contracts will be presented to the County Board of Supervisors for approval, and upon such approval, subordinate contracts will be awarded to qualified Applicant(s).

Selected Applicant(s) shall not have any outstanding debt with County, or shall be in the process of resolving outstanding debt to the County's satisfaction, prior to entering into and during the term of the resulting Contract.

1.7 RIGHTS RESERVED TO COUNTY

The County reserves the right to:

A. Make use of any information or ideas in the responses submitted.

B. Request response revisions and hold discussions and negotiations with any Applicant as necessary to serve the best interests of the County.

C. Seek publicly available information about the Applicants.

D. Conduct, or not to conduct, oral interviews and/or presentations with the highest-scored

Applicant(s) and additional Applicants.

E. Waive, at its discretion, any procedural, non-material defects, irregularity, or informality, which County deems correctable or otherwise not warranting rejection of the response that do not result in any unfair competitive advantage. Any waiver will not excuse a proponent from full compliance.

F. Verify and validate any information prior to Contract Award and during the entire term of the Contract.

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G. Negotiate the final Contract with any Applicant(s), including pricing/fee schedule, as necessary to serve the best interests of the County.

H. Withdraw or cancel in part or in its entirety this solicitation at any time without prior notice and furthermore makes no representations that any Contract will be awarded to any Applicant responding to this solicitation.

I. Award its total requirements to one Applicant or to apportion those requirements among two or more Applicants as the County may deem to be in its best interests.

J. Reject any response if it is conditional, incomplete or deviates significantly from the services requested in this solicitation.

K. Request Best and Final Offer from any Applicant determined to be within the competitive range. Unless requested by the County, late Best and Final Offers will not be accepted by the County for any reason. In addition, negotiations may or may not be conducted with

Applicants.

L. Make multiple awards to Applicant(s) for services requested in this solicitation, at its sole discretion, to serve the best interests of the County.

M. Defer award of this Contract for a period of 180 days after the solicitation opening.

During this period, Applicant shall guarantee the prices and terms quoted in their responses. The County and the responsive, responsible Applicant may mutually agree in writing to extend this deferral period.

N. Based upon the County's needs or availability of funding at the time of selection of a contractor or during contract negotiations, to modify the scope of services and contract budget amount. In addition, negotiations may or may not be conducted with Applicants.

Therefore, responses submitted shall contain the Applicant’s most favorable terms and conditions, since the selection and award may be made without discussion with any Applicant.

1.8 TITLE IV SOLICITATION NOTICE

The County of Orange, in accordance with the provisions of the Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (78 Stat. 252, 42 USC §§ 2000d to 2000d-4) and the Regulations, hereby notifies all

Applicants that it will affirmatively ensure that any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, will be afforded full and fair opportunity to submit response to this solicitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, or national origin in consideration for an award.

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1.9 DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY, INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE FORM W-

9/W-8 REQUIREMENTS

Effective June 3, 2006, all Contractors, entering into a Contract with County, who are not already established in Countywide ERP System as an Auditor-Controller supplier, will be required to submit to County a federal Form W-9, or form W-8 for foreign suppliers. County will inform

Contractor, at the time of award, if the Form W-9 or W-8 will be required.

In order to comply with this County requirement, within ten (10) days of notification of selection of award of Contract but prior to official award of Contract, the selected Contractor agrees to furnish to Contract administrator, or the Deputy Procurement Agent (DPA) the required W-9 or

W-8.

1.10 LEVINE ACT REQUIREMENT

Effective January 1, 2023, all contractors entering into a contract with the County, will be required to submit the Campaign Contribution Disclosure Form for any contributions made on or after

January 1, 2023. In order to comply with this requirement, Applicant agrees to furnish the required

Campaign Contribution Disclosure Information form as a required submittal with its response.

Failure to include the form as required will render the response nonresponsive.

1.11 ELIGIBILITY TO SUBMIT APPLICATIONS

Eligible Applicants

Only private organizations/agencies, non-profit organization, and/or public institutions of higher education located within Orange County or with means to establish an office in Orange County, with the ability to provide direct services in accordance with the scope of work detailed in this

RFA are eligible to submit a proposal.

Ineligible Applicants

Individuals, County employees, governments, and organizations/agencies not listed as Eligible

Applicants above or listed on either the Cumulative Sanction List or the excluded parties list, explained below, are ineligible to submit a proposal.

Applicants must not be listed on the current Cumulative Sanction List of the U.S. Department of

Health and Human Services/Office of the Inspector General (http://exclusions.oig.hhs.gov/) or the

System for Award Management (SAM)’s list of parties excluded from federal programs

(http://www.sam.gov/). The County is required to reject a proposal submitted by an individual or entity on either list.

It will be the responsibility of each Applicant to verify that it is not on either list prior to preparing a proposal to submit in response to this RFA. Correction of any errors found on either sanction list is the sole responsibility of the Applicant and must be made prior to the day the proposal is submitted.

http://exclusions.oig.hhs.gov/ http://www.sam.gov/

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All potential individuals and/or contract entities must self-disclose any pending charges or convictions for violation of criminal law and/or any sanction or disciplinary action by any federal or state law enforcement, regulatory, or licensing agency or licensing body.

During the term of a contract resulting from this RFA and in accordance with its existing provisions, if an Applicant becomes ineligible, the Applicant will be removed from any responsibility and/or involvement with County contracted obligations related to any direct and/or indirect federal or State social services programs and any other federal and State funds. Ineligible

Applicant is defined as any individual or entity who is currently excluded, suspended, debarred, or otherwise ineligible to participate in the federal social services programs, or has been convicted of a criminal offense related to the provision of social services and has not been reinstated in the federal social services programs after a period of exclusion, suspension, debarment, or ineligibility.

Disqualification

The County reserves the right to disqualify any Applicant on the basis of any real or apparent conflict of interest that is disclosed by the proposal submitted or any other data available to the

County. This disqualification is at the sole discretion of the County. Any Applicant submitting a proposal herein waives any right to object to the County’s exercise of this right, now or at any future time, before any body or agency, including, but not limited to, the County of Orange Board of Supervisors or any court.

Causes for Disqualification

The County, at its sole, absolute, and unfettered discretion, will determine whether an Applicant is qualified and responsible to deliver the services requested in this RFA. This determination may be based on one or more of the following:

A. Evidence of collusion amongst Applicants.

B. Lack of business skills or financial resources necessary to operate this business successfully, as revealed by either financial statements or experience statement.

C. Lack of responsibility as shown by past work, references, or other factors.

D. Applicant is in arrears or in default to the County on any debt or agreement or defaults upon any obligation to the County or has failed to faithfully perform any previous agreement with County at the County’s sole determination.

E. Submission of a proposal that is late, conditional, incomplete, ambiguous, obscure or which contains alterations not called for, or irregularities of any kind, except as those determined by the County, at its sole discretion, as a minor irregularity or a defect or variation in the proposal that is immaterial or inconsequential.

F. Other causes, as the County deems appropriate, at its sole and absolute discretion.

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The County’s determination as to whether an Applicant is qualified and responsible will be based on the information furnished by Applicant in response to this RFA, interviews with Applicant (if applicable), as well as from other sources determined to be valid by the County. The County reserves the right to verify and validate any information prior to awarding a contract and during the entire term of the contract. Award will not be made until after such investigations, as are deemed necessary, are made by the County regarding the experience and financial responsibility of Applicant which each Applicant agrees to permit by submitting its application.

1.12 ANTICIPATED TERM AND FUNDING AVAILABILITY

Contingent upon approval by the Orange County Board of Supervisors, the County intends to award contracts to qualified Applicants that meet the requirements of this RFA. The term of the resulting contract will begin on or about July 1, 2027, and terminate on June 30, 2030. The estimated amount available for each year of the three-year contract will be $1,260,000 per year, to be shared by all providers, for an estimated maximum of $3,780,000 for all three years.

The County does not guarantee any specified minimum number of referrals or minimum sum of money during the term of the Contract resulting from this RFA. SSA will be the sole source for all referrals to Counseling and Parent Education Services.

The initial three-year agreement may be renewed, subject to contractor performance and continued funding, for a two-year term, without a competitive bid process, at the sole discretion of the

County.

The funding for the contract resulting from this RFA is contingent upon the State budget; receipt of funds from and/or obligation of funds by the Federal Government to the State and from the State to the County; and inclusion of sufficient funding for the services hereunder in the budget approved by the County’s Board of Supervisors for each fiscal year covered by said contract. If such approval, funding, or appropriations are not forthcoming, or are otherwise limited, the contract may be immediately terminated, reduced, or modified without penalty.

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2 PROTEST PROCEDURES

Any actual or prospective bidder or Applicant who alleges an error or impropriety in the solicitation or award of a contract may submit a grievance or protest to Pimpawan Bunjongsiri at pimpawan.bunjongsiri@ssa.ocgov.com, as set forth herein.

PROTEST PROCEDURES

All protests shall be typed under the protestor’s letterhead and submitted in accordance with the provisions stated herein. All protests shall include at a minimum the following information:

A. The name, address, and telephone number of the protestor;

B. The signature of the protestor or the protestor’s representative;

C. The solicitation or contract number;

D. A detailed statement of the legal and/or factual grounds for the protest; and, E. The form of relief requested.

Protest of Solicitation Specifications:

A. All protests related to solicitation specifications must be submitted to the DPA, Pimpawan

Bunjongsiri at pimpawan.bunjongsiri@ssa.ocgov.com, no later than five (5) business days prior to the Closing Date of the solicitation. Protests received after the five (5) business-day deadline will not be considered by the County.

B. In the event the protest of specifications is denied, and the protestor wishes to continue in the solicitation process, the protestor must still submit a bid/response prior to the close of the solicitation in accordance with the solicitation submittal procedures provided in this solicitation.

Protest of Award of Contract:

A. Protests related to the award of a contract must be submitted to the DPA, Pimpawan

Bunjongsiri at pimpawan.bunjongsiri@ssa.ocgov.com, no later than five (5) business days after the Notice of Solicitation Results is provided by the DPA.

B. Protests relating to a proposed contract award received after the five (5) business day deadline will not be considered by the County.

C. If the five (5) business day period expires without the receipt of a protest, the department may move forward with the contract award or if necessary, file the item for approval by the Board of Supervisors.

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Protest Process

A. In the event of a timely protest, the County shall not proceed with the solicitation or award of the contract until the DPA issues a decision on the protest.

B. Upon receipt of a timely protest, the DPA will, within ten (10) business days of receipt of the protest, issue a decision in writing which shall state the reasons for the actions taken.

C. The County may, after providing written justification, make the determination that an immediate award of the contract is necessary to protect the substantial interests of the

County. The award of a contract shall in no way compromise the protester’s right to the protest procedures outlined herein.

D. If the protestor disagrees with the decision of the DPA, the protestor may submit a written appeal to the County Procurement Officer requesting an appeal to the Procurement Appeals

Board, in accordance with the process stated below.

APPEALS PROCESS

A. If the protestor wishes to appeal the protest decision of the Deputy Procurement Agent, the protestor must submit, within three (3) business days from receipt of the Deputy

Procurement Agent’s decision, a written appeal to the Office of the County Procurement

Officer.

Written appeals must be sent by mail to the address below with a courtesy copy by email:

County of Orange/County Executive Office

County Procurement Office

400 W. Civic Center Drive, 5th Floor

Santa Ana, CA 92701

Attn: County Procurement Officer

CPOAppeals@ceo.oc.gov

B. Within fifteen (15) business days, the County Procurement Officer will review all materials in connection with the appeal, assess the merits of the protest and provide a written determination that shall contain his or her decision on whether the appeal shall be forwarded to the Procurement Appeals Board.

The decision of the County Procurement Officer on whether to allow the appeal to go forward will be final and there shall be no right to any administrative appeals of this decision.

mailto:CPOAppeals@ocgov.com

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3 SCORING CRITERIA

Members of the Application evaluation committee will evaluate and assign scores based on the

Evaluation Criteria below. Each Service Component (SC) applied for will be scored separately in accordance with the SC’s specific Evaluation Criteria. Applicants must achieve a Passing Score for a SC to be considered for a contract award. SSA will award Contracts with as many qualified applicants as needed.

No. Scoring Criteria Scoring Method

1. Form A - Counseling Services Application (Required for all Applicants)

SCORING CRITERIA FOR SC #1 , Counseling Services

Part A - Organization Qualifications: Maximum125 points

Part B - Organization Capacity and Administration: Maximum 250 points

Part C - Staffing, Schedule and Locations: Maximum 125 points

TOTAL POSSIBLE SCORE FOR SC #1: 500 points

PASSING SCORE FOR SC #1: 350 points

Pass / Fail

2. Form B - Parent Education Services Application (Required for all Applicants)

SCORING CRITERIA FOR SC #2, Parent Education Services

Part A - Organization Qualifications: Maximum 125 points

Part B - Organization Capacity and Administration: Maximum 250 points

Part C - Staffing, Schedule and Locations: Maximum 125 points

TOTAL POSSIBLE SCORE FOR SC #2: 500 points

PASSING SCORE FOR SC #2: 350 points

Pass / Fail

3. Form C - Sexual Abuse Counseling Services Application (Optional)

SCORING CRITERIA FOR SC #3, Sexual Abuse Counseling Services

Part A - Organization Qualifications: Maximum 125 points

Part B - Organization Capacity and Administration: Maximum 250 points

Part C - Staffing, Schedule and Locations: Maximum 125 points

TOTAL POSSIBLE SCORE FOR SC #3: 500 points

PASSING SCORE FOR SC #3: 350 points

Pass / Fail

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4 DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES and SCOPE OF WORK

4.1 BACKGROUND

The County of Orange (County) Social Services Agency (SSA) is currently requesting applications to provide Counseling and Parent Education (CPE) Services from private organizations/agencies and/or public institutions of higher education staffed by California licensed Marriage and Family

Therapists (MFTs), Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSWs), Licensed Professional Clinical

Counselors (LPCCs), licensed Clinical Psychologists and Registered Interns, focused on child abuse and/or neglect prevention and intervention.

The purpose for these services is to assist families that are at-risk or with a history of abuse and/or neglect to strengthen their relationships and support successful family maintenance and/or reunification; increase clients’ knowledge of proper parenting and child development; improve and sustain their social connections and support systems; develop parental resilience and the social and emotional competence of their children to achieve positive interactions and strengthen the family unit, in accordance with Welfare and Institutions Code (WIC) Sections 16501, 16507.7, 18961 and 1896. Common types of abuse include physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse and general neglect. SSA clients may also have past and/or current issues of domestic violence, trauma, substance abuse and mental illness.

To address these service delivery needs, the County is seeking Providers who possesses the necessary training and experience working with children and families; possess second language capabilities, especially bilingual proficient capability in Spanish or Vietnamese; and possess experience, specialized training or certification in the areas of adoption, cognitive behavioral therapy, couples/marital therapy/co-parenting, commercially sexually exploited children (CSEC), domestic violence, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), faith based and/or culturally responsive practice, gang relationships/juvenile delinquency, grief and loss, parenting skills, play therapy, sexual abuse, substance abuse, stress and anger management, and trauma-informed practice.

Applicants are required to apply and qualify for Service Component (SC) #1 and SC #2 of this

RFA. Applicants have the option of also applying for SC #3.

• SC #1 – Counseling Services: Provide intake assessments, individual, conjoint, family and group counseling sessions using clinically appropriate, evidence-based practices to the Population to be Served, as described in Attachment A of the Model Contract.

• SC #2 – Parent Education Services: Provide parent education classes to the Population to be Served, as described in Attachment B of the Model Contract.

• SC #3 – Sexual Abuse Counseling Services: Provide intake assessments, individual, conjoint, family and group counseling sessions using clinically appropriate, evidence-based practices to the Population to be Served, as described in Attachment C of the

Model Contract.

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Clients reside throughout Orange County, with a large portion of the population residing in and around the central region (Santa Ana, Orange, and Tustin). SSA seeks to enhance service delivery by contracting with Providers whose office locations are either geographically proximate to the client population and public transportation and/or have the flexibility to partner with community organizations near the client population for utilization of available space.

4.2 DEMOGRAPHICS

The Orange County Child Abuse Registry (CAR) reported receipt of 29,807 referrals from

January through December of 2025. The information below is from CAR data.

A. Population served by Ethnic Background

Ethnic Background Total Number Percentage

Hispanic White 14,551 57.63%

Non-Hispanic White 4,833 19.14%

Other/Unknown 2,642 10.46%

Asian/Pacific Islander 2,231 8.84%

Black/Caribbean 969 3.84%

Native American 25 0.09%

TOTAL 25,251 100%

B. Reason for CAR Report. Some children were reported as being subjected to more than one type of abuse and had more than one report.

Reason for Report Number of Children Percentage of Total

General Neglect 16,354 42.01%

Physical Abuse 9,264 23.80%

At Risk, Sibling Abuse 5,557 14.28%

Sexual Abuse 4,978 12.79%

Emotional Abuse 1,804 4.64%

Severe neglect 484 1.24%

Caretaker Absence/Incapacity 276 0.71%

Exploitation 205 0.53%

Request for Applications 18 of 31 Counseling and Parent Education Services

TOTAL BY REASON FOR CAR

REPORTS

38,922 100%

4.3 SCOPE OF WORK

See Attachments A, B, and C of Model Contract for Scope of Work.

Request for Applications 19 of 31 Counseling and Parent Education Services

5 VENDOR RESPONSES

Responses must be prepared simply and economically, providing a straightforward, concise description of capabilities to satisfy the requirements of this RFA. Emphasis should be on completeness and clarity of content with sufficient detail to allow for accurate evaluation and analysis.

Responses are electronically organized into three (3) Parts and are indexed in the order outlined below.

Complete all required questions within each part.

Part 1 - Compliance Statements

Part 2 - Company Profile & References

Part 3 - Applicant's Responses

1 PART 1: COMPLIANCE STATEMENTS

Some *required questions might not be applicable to your company. Do not leave any required fields blank. Please indicate "N/A" when necessary. A required field that is left blank will prohibit your response from being submitted.

*indicates that it is required.

1.1 Validity of Response*

The County requires that all response be valid for at least three hundred sixty-five (365) calendar days. Submissions not valid for at least 365 days will be considered nonresponsive. The Applicant shall state the length of time for which the submitted response shall remain valid below:

Please state 365 calendar days if your response will be valid for that period of time. If your response will be valid for a different period of time, please list the appropriate number of calendar days.

Maximum response length: 100 characters

*Response required

1.2 Certification of Understanding*

The County assumes no responsibility for any understanding or representation made by any of its officers, employees or agents during or prior to the execution of any Contract resulting from this solicitation unless:

A. Such understanding or representations are expressly stated in the Contract; and

B. The Contract expressly provides that the County therefore assumes the responsibility.

Representations made but not expressly stated and for which liability is not expressly assumed by the County in the Contract shall be deemed only for the information of the Applicant.

Applicant certifies that such understanding has been considered in this response.

☐ Please confirm

Request for Applications 20 of 31 Counseling and Parent Education Services

*Response required

1.3 Minimum Qualifications/Requirements Statement*

The Applicant certifies that it has thoroughly examined the County’s requirements and meets all minimum qualifications and requirements set forth in this RFA.

☐ Please confirm

*Response required

1.4 Certificate of Insurance Coverage Requirements*

The Applicant shall certify its willingness and ability to provide the required insurance coverage and certificates as set forth in the Model Contract.

☐ Please confirm

*Response required

1.5 Certificate of Insurance*

Attach evidence your organization has or can obtain all required insurance.

*Response required

1.6 Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service Form W-9 Requirements*

All Contractors will be required to submit to County a federal Form W-9, or form W-8 for foreign vendors. County will inform Contractor, at the time of award, if the Form W-9 or W-8 will be required.

In order to comply with this County requirement, within 10 days of notification of selection of award of Contract but prior to official award of Contract, the selected Contractor agrees to furnish to the agency Deputy Procurement Agent (DPA) the required W-9 or W-8.

You may upload the appropriate form here or comply within the 10 days as described above.

*Response required

1.7 Conflict of Interest*

Does the Applicant have an existing relationship with the County, past or current, for any financial or business reasons, or any other reason?

An answer of "NO" shall be considered as Applicant certifying that no relationship exists or has existed as outlined below. An answer of "YES" will allow you to disclose the necessary information to the County.

Applicant with an existing or past relationship with the County, for any reason, shall answer

"YES" to this question and disclose:

A. Any financial, business or other relationship with the County, any other entity that the

County Board of Supervisors governs, or any County Board member, officer or employee, which may have an impact, affect or influence on the outcome of the services

Request for Applications 21 of 31 Counseling and Parent Education Services you propose to provide. Provide a list of current clients, employees, principals or shareholders (including family members) who may have a financial interest in the outcome of services you propose to provide.

B. Any financial, business or other relationship within the last three (3) years with any firm or member of any firm who may have a financial interest in the outcome of the work.

☐ Yes

☐ No

*Response required

When equals "Yes"

1.7.1 Conflict of Interest Follow Up Question 1*

Disclose any financial, business or other relationship with the County, any other entity that the County Board of Supervisors governs, or any County Board member, officer or employee, which may have an impact, affect or influence on the outcome of the services you propose to provide. Provide a list of current clients, employees, principals or shareholders (including family members) who may have a financial interest in the outcome of services you propose to provide.

*Response required

When equals "Yes"

1.7.2 Conflict of Interest Follow Up Question 2*

Disclose any financial, business or other relationship within the last three (3) years with any firm or member of any firm who may have a financial interest in the outcome of the work.

*Response required

1.8 Non-Collusion Declaration*

Each Applicant must execute the Non-Collusion Declaration contained in the solicitation and submit it with the Application.

The County of Orange may require that the Applicant, before awarding any subcontract, secure

Non-Collusion Declarations from proposed Subcontractors. The County of Orange does not conduct business with Respondents who engage in the act of Collusion.

• Non-Collusion_Declaration.pdf

*Response required

1.9 Non-Collusion Declaration - A*

Has your firm ever initiated discussions with competing consulting firms about the payment structure of an existing or potential future contract with the County of Orange?

https://government-project.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/82412/00dc3ed6-53b3-4ed6-8b0a-d868a4aa8eee_Non-Collusion_Declaration.pdf

Request for Applications 22 of 31 Counseling and Parent Education Services

If Applicant selects Yes answer, Applicant must provide a brief explanation below. A “Yes” answer may preclude you from moving forward in the solicitation process.

☐ Yes

☐ No

*Response required

When equals "Yes"

1.9.1 Reason for Collusion:*

*Response required

1.10 Non-Collusion Declaration - B*

Has your firm participated in any discussions with competing firms in an effort to influence the payment structure for existing or potential County contracts?

Applicant must select one (1). A “Yes” answer may preclude you from moving forward in the solicitation process.

☐ Yes

☐ No

*Response required

When equals "Yes"

1.10.1 Provide names of competing firms: *

*Response required

1.11 Litigation against County of Orange in the past seven (7) years* Applicant must certify either Yes or No:

A. (Yes) Applicant certifies current/past litigation as follows:

1. Applicant shall provide detailed information regarding litigation (court and case number), liens, or claims involving Respondent, or any company that holds a controlling interest in Applicant, against County of Orange in the past seven (7) years.

B. (No) Applicant certifies that Applicant or any proposed subcontractors do not have any past or current litigation described above.

☐ Yes

☐ No

*Response required

When equals "Yes"

1.11.1 Applicant shall provide detailed information regarding litigation (court and case number), liens, or claims involving any proposed subcontractors, or any company that holds a controlling interest in subcontractor firm(s), against County of Orange in the past seven (7) years.*

Request for Applications 23 of 31 Counseling and Parent Education Services

1.12 Certification Regarding Debarment*

Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• Certificate_Regarding_Debar...

*Response required

1.13 Name/Ownership Changes*

Applicant must certify either Yes or No below:

A. (Yes) Applicant certifies past company name changes and/or ownership changes, for Applicant’s firm and any proposed subcontractor firm, as follows:

1. Applicant shall provide detailed information regarding any company name changes (including legal business names) in the past seven (7) years.

B. (No) Applicant certifies that Applicant or any proposed subcontractors have not had any company name change or ownership changes in the past seven (7) years.

☐ Yes

☐ No

*Response required

When equals "Yes"

1.13.1 Applicant shall provide detailed information regarding any company ownership changes (including legal business names) in the past seven (7) years. *

*Response required

1.14 The Levine Act: County of Orange Campaign Contribution Disclosure* The Levine Act compliance is a minimum submittal requirement of this solicitation.

Please complete and sign the County of Orange Campaign Contribution Disclosure Form attached hereto. An

Applicant’s failure to provide a completed and signed copy will render its application as incomplete and nonresponsive.

It is the Applicant's responsibility to update the County should any new reportable activity occur between initial disclosure and award.

• Levine_Act_-_Campaign_Contr...

*Response required

1.15 Political Reform Act Confirmation (Statement of Economic Interest - Form 700)*

Check the box to confirm - If subject to the Political Reform Act, Applicant shall conform to all requirements of the Act.

https://government-project.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/289200/8b21b71e-fb4c-4e8f-ac53-2f0cdd6a4252_Certificate_Regarding_Debarment.pdf https://government-project.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/82412/538e1c65-6623-4a95-8764-54b63793b7a5_Levine_Act_-_Campaign_Contribution_Disclosure_Form_-_2026-03.pdf

Request for Applications 24 of 31 Counseling and Parent Education Services

Failure to do so shall constitute a material breach and is grounds for immediate termination of the

Contract by County. Applicant shall indemnify and hold harmless County for any and all claims for damages resulting from Applicant’s violation of this Section.

☐ Please confirm

*Response required

1.16 Contract Signatures*

Upon recommendation of contract award, Applicant will be required to submit the Signed Contract within 10 days of County notification, unless otherwise specified in the RFA.

Selected Applicant will be required to sign a contract upon award. If selected Applicant is a corporation, signature will be provided in accordance with the corporation’s code as specified in this solicitation.

☐ Please confirm

*Response required

1.17 I HAVE READ, UNDERSTOOD AND AGREE TO ALL STATEMENTS IN THIS

REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS, AND TO THE TERMS, CONDITIONS AND

ATTACHMENTS REFERENCED HEREIN*

☐ Please confirm

*Response required

2 PART 2: COMPANY PROFILE AND REFERENCES

Some *required questions might not be applicable to your company. Do not leave any required fields blank. Please indicate "N/A" when necessary. A required field that is left blank will prohibit your response from being submitted.

*indicates that it is required.

2.1 Company Legal Name*

*Response required

2.2 Company Legal Status (corporation, partnership, etc.)*

*Response required

2.3 Unique Entity Identifier Number (UEI)*

The County requires a valid UEI number with active registration status. Your company may obtain one at no cost at https://sam.gov/entity-registration.

*Response required

2.4 SAM.gov Confirmation*

Please upload a printout from SAM.gov to confirm that your company…