DHCD 2018-2 Economic Prosperity Pre-Qualification Request_v4.docx

Commonwealth of Massachusetts

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING &

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Charles D. Baker, Governor Karyn E. Polito, Lt. Governor Chrystal Kornegay, Undersecretary

Request for Qualifications

Economic Prosperity Services Pre-Qualification Request

Please Note: This is a single document associated with a complete Bid (also referred to as Solicitation) that can be found on COMMBUYS (www.COMMBUYS.com). All Bidders are responsible for reviewing and adhering to all information, forms and requirements for the entire Bid, which are all incorporated into the Bid. Bidders may also contact the COMMBUYS Helpdesk at COMMBUYS@state.ma.us or the COMMBUYS Helpline at 1-888-MA-STATE. The Helpline is staffed from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Friday Eastern Standard or Daylight time, as applicable, except on federal, state and Suffolk county holidays.

Economic Prosperity Services Prequalification Request

Economic Prosperity Programs Manager

Table of Contents

Background………………………………………………………………………………………………..03 Purpose………………………………………………………………………………………………… Acquisition Method to be used for Contracts……………………………………………………………...04 Single or Multiple Service Providers for Contract Performance…………………………………………..04 Single or Multiple Departments may contract under this RFQ……………………………………………05 Duration of Procurement…………………………………………………………………………………...05 Anticipated Expenditures for Total Anticipated Duration of Procurement…………………………… Scope of Work……………………………………………………………………………………………..05 Requirements for Submission of Responses………………………………………………………………06 Evaluation of Responses…………………………………………………………………………………...08 Performance Measurement………………………………………………………………………………...09 Submission of Responses…………………………………………………………………………………..09 Estimated Procurement Calendar…………………………………………………………………………..09 Quote Submission Method…………………………………………………………………………………09 Appendix A: Economic Prosperity Agenda………………………………………………………………..11 Appendix B: DHCD Economic Prosperity Programs……………………………………………………...12

I. BACKGROUND

The Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) is seeking to identify and pre-qualify service providers that provide employment and career development services, financial capability, and/or education and training services. By creating a qualified contractor list, DHCD seeks to establish a quick, efficient, and cost effective mechanism to secure high quality and innovative services for a variety of DHCD programs all aimed at advancing DHCD’s Economic Prosperity Agenda. The vision of the Economic Prosperity Agenda is to ensure subsidized housing serves as a platform for economic prosperity. The goal is to create housing policy and practice that catalyzes economic mobility for 1,000 families working families who are securely housed. Recognizing that no one size fits all, DHCD will expand its existing programs and create new programs that give our subsidized housing population the tools to earn and keep more money. See Appendix A for the full description of the Economic Prosperity Agenda.

DHCD's mission is to strengthen cities, towns and neighborhoods to enhance the quality of life of Massachusetts residents. DHCD provides leadership, professional assistance and financial resources to promote safe, decent affordable housing opportunities, economic vitality of communities and sound municipal management.

Concurrent with this RFQ, DHCD has also issued an RFP in COMMBUYS entitled “Pathways to Prosperity” (DHCD 2018-03) for proposals from qualified providers to recruit and connect youth ages 18-24 living in subsidized housing in the Boston area to programs and services that help them obtain employment and a sustaining wage (the “Youth Recruitment RFP”). The work performed by the provider selected under the Youth Recruitment RFP will focus on recruitment, engagement and referral of youth to various services and training programs, rather than providing the services and training. While a provider may apply for pre-qualification under this RFQ and also submit a proposal under the Youth Recruitment RFP, pre-qualification under this RFQ is not a prerequisite for selection under the Youth Recruitment RFP.

II. PURPOSE

The goals of this procurement process include, but are not limited to:

· Identifying qualified contractors interested in launching or expanding DHCD programs. See Appendix B for a list of examples of the types of programs funded by DHCD

· Identifying qualified contractors who can support the target population’s efforts to increase their capacity in the areas of: employment, financial capability, education and training.

· Identifying a broad range of qualified contractors that will allow maximum flexibility and access to a wide variety of high quality services regardless of their location in the Commonwealth.

· Providing access to services with goals and outcomes that are uniform across all programs but reflect the unique characteristics of the particular DHCD program that service providers will have agreed to administer.

All Economic Prosperity Agenda programs for which qualified contractors might be selected in the future will share the same goals and outcomes regardless of where they are located and what contractors are used. Broadly, those goals and outcomes are expected to include (but are not necessarily limited to) the following:

Employment & Career Development

· # of unemployed participants who obtain a job

· # of participants who retain the job they obtained

· # of participants who increase earnings through earned income

Financial Capability

· # of participants who reduce debt

· # of participants who increase savings

· # of participants who establish or increase their credit score

· # of participants who open and maintain a bank account

Education and Training

· # of participants without a HSE diploma who get an HSE diploma

· # of participants who enroll in vocational training or certification programs

· # of participants who complete vocational training or certification programs

· # of participants who enroll in post-secondary education

· # of participants who complete post-secondary education

DHCD expects to release requests for quotes for scopes of work on a regular basis for new programs and program expansion under the Economic Prosperity Agenda umbrella. DHCD will select contractors from the qualified contractor list based on which contractors best provide the range of services and supports needed for program implementation. For examples of the type of programs that DHCD has launched, maintained and / or expanded please see Appendix B.

Qualified contractors will be held accountable to the goals identified in each individual DHCD program for which they might submit a response in the future. Targets and additional goals will be negotiated before entering into each individual program contract.

It is not expected or preferred that one service provider will be pre-qualified to provide all of these services. DHCD hopes to qualify a broad variety of service providers through this process.

III. ACQUISITION METHOD TO BE USED FOR CONTRACTS

Contracts entered into with contractors on the qualified contractor list to be created through this RFQ will use the fee-for-service acquisition method, and may be unit based or project based. Contracts may be rate contracts or maximum obligation contracts; a contract may also have a maximum obligation section and a separate section based on rates. The compensation structure for a particular contract will be specified in the applicable bid specifications or RFP, as applicable.

IV. SINGLE OR MULTIPLE SERVICE PROVIDERS FOR CONTRACT PERFORMANCE

Multiple qualified contractors will be required to carry out different elements of the Economic Prosperity Agenda. Selection for inclusion on the qualified contract list does not guarantee work for any service provider, and a department is under no legal obligation to use all of the qualified contractors. Public employees should refer to the State Ethics Commission’s Conflict of Interest Law, M.G.L. c.268A, prior to submitting a response to this RFQ. This is a “rolling” RFQ.

This is a rolling enrollment RFQ. Until such time as DHCD issues a successor RFQ, DHCD will continue to accept responses for this RFQ. However responses received by October 31, 2017 will be prioritized for review. For any responses after this date, please email Florence.S.juillard@massmail.state.ma.us once submitted.

V. SINGLE OR MULTIPLE DEPARTMENTS MAY CONTRACT UNDER THIS RFQ

Eligible Entities:

· DHCD;

· Other State Agencies;

· Housing Consumer Education Centers (HCECs);

· Community Action Partnership (CAP) Agencies;

· Local Housing Authorities (LHAs); and

· Regional Administering Agencies (RAAs).

VI. DURATION OF PROCUREMENT

Service Providers who are pre-qualified through this process will remain qualified for five (5) years but may be required to submit documents validating their continued ability to provide services each year. There are no funds associated with this procurement, and being pre-qualified does not ensure that your organization will be selected as a contractor when responding to future requests for proposals or bids based on a particular scope of work.

VII. ANTICIPATED EXPENDITURES FOR TOTAL ANTICIPATED DURATION OF PROCUREMENT

Estimated expenditures will be established for each future RFR or request for bids based on the particular DHCD program that is utilizing the qualified contractor list generated by this RFQ. The Commonwealth makes no guarantee that any services will be purchased from any qualified contractor. State and/or Federal funds may be used to compensate qualified contractors awarded contracts based on their prequalification under this RFQ when allowed by the relevant State and/or Federal program administration.

VIII. SCOPE OF WORK

Pre-Qualification Criteria Respondent must be able to provide direct services to the target population in one or more of the following categories.

Category 1: Employment and Career Development Services

· Identifying and addressing barriers to employment

· Determining the need for vocational rehab counseling

· Supporting participants needing pre-employment/job readiness such as

· Resume writing

· Interview Prep

· Conducting a job search

· Work place etiquette

· Conflict resolution

· Skills assessments

· Planning for and targeting regional or sector-based high opportunity employers based on benefits, career ladders, and wage growth potential

· Job placement Category 2: Financial Capability

· Strengthening working knowledge of credit and debt issues including but not limited to medical debt, student loans, bank debt/Chex Systems, consumer debt, and foreclosure issues.

· Reducing Debt

· Establishing or Improving Credit

· Building a strong understanding of asset development including traditional (tangible assets) and non-traditional (strong credit, strong tenancy history, energy savings) including accessing employer based asset development strategies.

· Increasing Savings

· Developing personalized financial goals and roadmaps for achieving them

· Planning for the “cliff effect” caused by employment as it relates to benefits and supportive services

· Creation of personal and family budgets

· Making informed banking choices

Category 3: Education and Training

· Assisting with strategic post-secondary school choices

· Certificates vs degrees

· Identifying technical and vocational programs by region and sector

· Roles and potential/pitfalls of online classes

· Vocational training in high demand occupations with sustainable wages

· HSE / Hi-Set courses

· Adult Basic Education especially with a focus on entering the workforce

· ESOL especially with a focus on entering the workforce The target population and eligible program participants will be the residents served in DHCD’s subsidized housing portfolio, which may include recipients of state and Federal rental assistance administered by DHCD such as Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) households, State Rental Assistance program households, households living in state-aided public housing, residents of properties financed with Federal and/or state LIHTC or other capital assistance from DHCD, and homeless households engaged with DHCD’s homelessness programs (RAFT, HomeBASE, EA etc.).

IX. REQUIREMENTS FOR SUBMISSION OF RESPONSES

A Bidder’s response must be submitted with the attached Bidder response forms for a Bidder to be considered for designation as a qualified contractor under this RFQ, except as specifically noted below.

Please provide the requested information that identifies that the Bidder is qualified to provide the aforementioned services, by addressing the following:

Please note that Bidder previously pre-qualified as Mass LEAP providers may, in lieu of submitting a full set of Bidder response forms, submit an updated version of their Mass LEAP application describing their participation in Mass LEAP if applicable, as well as their recent related activities if they were not selected as a Mass LEAP contractor by a housing agency. Agencies that applied for pre-qualification as Mass LEAP providers but were not approved are encouraged to apply during this process but must submit the full set of Bidder response forms.

Section One: Identification via Cover Letter Identification information must be incorporated into a signed and dated cover letter on the Bidder’s official stationary submitted with the Bidder’s response. The following information must be included:

1. Bidder’s legal name, complete address, telephone number, fax number, and e-mail address of the Bidder. Ability to provide a valid e-mail address is a requirement for this RFQ. Please also provide the resume of the Bidder.

2. Name, address, telephone number, fax number and e-mail address of the Bidder’s contact person who will be able to answer any questions the DHCD procurement management team (“PMT”) has regarding the response. Please also provide the resume of this individual.

3. Supplier Diversity Office-certified Minority/Women Owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE) bidders must attach a copy of its current SDO certification letter. Information on becoming certified can be obtained at the Operational Services Division's Supplier Diversity Office website.

4. Indicate what area(s) of the state you intend to serve. The areas are:

· Western Mass

· Central Mass

· Cape Cod & Islands

· Greater Boston

· North of Boston/ Merrimack Valley

· South of Boston

Section Two: Narrative on Experience and Qualifications Background:

Narrative:

The narrative should not exceed 5 – 7 double spaced pages. If you intend to provide more than one service from the Scope of Services outlined at section VIII of the RFQ, then please submit a separate narrative for each service component. All prospective contractors must answer the following questions in their narrative:

Questions:

1. State how many years of experience you have providing the services we seek to the target population. Describe the number of participants you have served, the goals you have set and reached, and the best practices if any, that you have identified for your work. Include resumes of key staff.

2. Describe the specialized staff training you offer and the certifications your staff have that are directly related to the services.

3. Describe how you have worked in partnership with housing program administrators to deliver services to their program participants. If you have not worked with Housing program administrators directly, describe how you have worked with similar populations. If you do not currently have direct experience working with housing program administrators, then describe how you will build your capacity to understand the particular issues faced by program participants as a result of their housing status.

4. Describe how you measure success and provide data on how your program participants make progress towards their goals. Please provide a sample of targets you have reached in your current programs. (e.g. job placement rate).

5. Describe your outreach and recruitment strategies. Attach your most recent outreach and marketing materials (limit of three (3) materials).

6. Describe your assessment and enrollment strategies. Attach your intake and assessment tool(s) (limit of three (3) tools).

7. Describe the software you use to manage participant data, the information you collect, and how you use it to monitor program and participant progress. Describe the tools and systems that are in place or what would be necessary in order to share data with DHCD.

Attachment A Please complete the document checklist.

Attachment B– Area of Specialization and Rate Identify the type of services that you propose to provide (refer to the descriptions in Section VIII):

· Employment and Career Development Services;

· Financial Capability; and

· Education and Training.

For each category in which you propose to provide services, fill out the budget forms, and identify a per participant cost of services. If you are selected as a prequalified contractor under this RFQ and subsequently are selected by DHCD or another eligible entity to contract DHCD may still negotiate rates with the contractor up to these maximums. DHCD will allow for rate increases equal to CPI or a percentage (3%) on annual basis.

X. EVALUATION OF RESPONSES

Bidders will be evaluated based on the information provided in the cover letter attached to the narrative and all questions therein, the completeness of Bidder response form 1, and the narrative portion. Responses to the ten questions will be scored as follows:

Supplier Diversity

Response by 10/31/17

XI. PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENTS

Each contractor who is selected for inclusion on the qualified contractor list under this RFQ shall meet the terms of the RFQ and the contractor’s response, with all negotiated additions and deletions. Each contractor also must satisfy any program-specific requirements associated with a particular request for bids or responses resulting in a contract for work. The PMT reserves the right, upon notification, to add additional performance measurements prior to entering into any contract or exercising a contract extension with a qualified contractor. On an annual basis, or as requested by DHCD, qualified contractors may be required to submit:

· A narrative explaining any changes in leadership (1 page or less), programs goals or organizational mission

· A copy of their most recent financial audit

· A high level summary of organizational targets set and reached for the year (1 page or less)

XII: SUBMISSION OF RESPONSES

This is a rolling enrollment RFQ and the process will remain open until DHCD determines it is no longer needed. Eligible and interested applicants are strongly encouraged to apply before October 31, 2017 as DHCD expects to issue requests for bids or responses for particular scopes of work and enter into contracts with qualified contractors before the end of the calendar year.

Written questions may be submitted to Florence Juillard, Economic Prosperity Programs Manager via email at Florence.S.Juillard@massmail.state.ma.us.

XII. ESTIMATED PROCUREMENT CALENDAR

XIII. QUOTE SUBMISSION METHOD

Online Quote Submission via COMMBUYS is required. All interested Vendors and Offerors must submit Quotes online using tools available only to Seller registered in COMMBUYS. COMMBUYS provides Seller registration functionality at no charge. To register, go to www.COMMBUYS.com and click on the “Register” link on the front page. All interested Vendors and Offerors who are awarded a contract resulting from the Notice, if any, will be required to maintain an active account during the duration of the Contract, by reviewing their registration information regularly and maintaining accuracy.

COMMBUYS Quote Submission Training and Instructions The following resources are provided to assist Interested Vendors and Offerors in submitting Quotes:

· An online job aid on How to Create a Quote;

· Webcast video on How to Find Bids (Solicitations) and Submit Quotes (Responses) through COMMBUYS;

· Instructor-led training (ILT) and live webinar sessions on “How to Locate and Respond to Bids” may also be available. Check the OSD Training Courses schedule for Sellers/Business Entities for available locations, dates and times. Note that space is limited and pre-registration for trainings is required to attend. Follow instructions on the course schedule to register COMMBUYS Support Technical Assistance is available during the procurement process. Every effort is made to respond to inquiries within one business day.

· Website: Go to www.mass.gov/osd/commbuys and select the COMMBUYS Resource Center link offered under Key Resources.

· Email: Send inquiries to the COMMBUYS Help Desk at 1 (888) – MA –STATE (1-888-627-8283). The Help Desk is staffed from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Friday Easter Standard or Daylight time, as applicable, except on federal and state holidays.

Interested Vendors and Offerors are advised that COMMBUYS will be unavailable during regularly scheduled maintenance hours of which all users will be notified.

APPENDIX A

Economic Prosperity Agenda DHCD recognizes that the current economy and government supports are out of sync. Families must navigate through complex systems as they seek economic security and stability. This combination results in disincentives and penalties as families progress along the economic prosperity continuum.

Our stated goal is to create housing policy and practice that catalyzes economic mobility for 1,000 working families who are securely housed. Our vision is to ensure subsidized housing serves as a platform for economic prosperity. Focusing on what DHCD controls, the Economic Prosperity Agenda has three major components:

Policy Leveraging our role as a state agency, we will use tools such as procurement and regulatory authority to advance the agenda.

· Conduct procurement and contract management so as to communicate and enforce DHCD’s commitment to making subsidized housing a platform for economic prosperity.

· Review DHCD’s rent rules across its subsidized housing portfolio to address any disincentives to work and barriers to building assets.

Practice Recognizing that no one size fits all, we will expand existing programs and create new programs that give our subsidized housing population the tools to earn and keep more money. We will track the following outcomes:

Employment

· # of unemployed participants who obtain a job

· # of participants who retain the job they obtained

· # of participants who increase earnings through earned income Financial Capability

· # of participants who reduce debt

· # of participants who increase savings

· # of participants who establish or increase their credit score

· # of participants who open and maintain a bank account Education

· # of participants without a HSE diploma who get an HSE diploma

· # of participants who enroll in vocational training or certification programs

· # of participants who complete vocational training or certification programs

· # of participants who enroll in post-secondary education

· # of participants who complete post-secondary education

System Coordination DHCD is one stakeholder in a complex ecosystem consisting of other state agencies, non-profit service providers and intermediaries. To advance our agenda we must seek out collaboration. In order to achieve that we will:

· Align DHCD’s efforts with those of other agencies addressing public benefit coordination.

· Actively partner with other state systems that catalyze economic mobility (e.g. One Stop Career Center network).

· Create a community of practice amongst our RAAs and our LHAs to share best practices and lessons learned about fostering economic prosperity.

APPENDIX B

DHCD Economic Prosperity Programs Note that the programs listed below are meant to serve as examples of the type of programming DHCD funds and administers. This is not necessarily a list of the programs for which we will release requests for bids or responses with specific scopes of service.

Family Self Sufficiency (FSS) FSS is a program that enables HUD-assisted families to increase their earned income and reduce their dependency on welfare assistance and rental subsidies. Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) work in collaboration with a Program Coordinating Committee (PCC) to secure commitments of public and private resources to implement the program.

Participating families in partnership with their FSS Coordinator execute a FSS Contract of Participation that specifies the rights and responsibilities of both parties. The FSS contract incorporates the family’s individual training and services plan (ITSP). The ITSP is the document that records the plan for the family and the series of intermediate and long-term goals and the steps the family needs to take – and the services and resources they may need to access – to achieve those goals. As earned income increases, a portion of the housing subsidy formerly paid to the landlord may be deposited into an escrow account that the participant accesses at graduation.

Massachusetts Learning, Employment and Asset Program (Mass LEAP) Mass LEAP provides tenants of state-aided public housing developments and/or Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP) participants with a set of supportive services including employment and career development/planning; financial literacy and asset development; and post-secondary education in order to increase household earned income in provide families with a stronger financial future. The program creates 5 year partnerships between local housing authorities/agencies (HAs) and service providers to increase the ability of participating residents to grow their earned income and assets. Modelled after FSS, participants enter into a contract, develop a Service Plan and as earned income increases may also have funds deposited into an escrow account.

A Better Life (ABL) ABL was originally designed by the Worcester Housing Authority to help public housing residents achieve economic self-sufficiency and has four components: 1) An individualized plan for each participant and coaches to support their journey 2) partnerships with local service providers 3) a work, school training or volunteer requirement for LHA residents; and 4) an escrow account for participants. , ABL focuses on economic advancement based on the potential of each individual family. If moving to private sector housing is not feasible, this could include increased earned income and building assets. ABL strives to improve outcomes for public housing residents in the areas of employment, financial literacy, and education.

Pathways to Prosperity An expansion of Youth Transitions to Success, Pathways to Prosperity provides outreach, recruitment, assessment and placement in services that promote employment amongst 18-24 year olds living in subsidized housing in the Boston area. This could include (but is not limited to) employment readiness and job placement, vocational training, certificate programs or other post-secondary education programs. It could also include services that provide an on ramp to employment or vocational training, for example, adult education such as GED or ESOL classes. Youth will also have support as they utilize these services in order to reach the best possible outcome.

Equity Builder Equity Builder is a lease to own program to support the goal of providing low-income families with an achievable pathway to homeownership. Participating families will be able to move to a better home and / or neighborhood which will enhance their quality of life as well as their opportunities for financial independence image2.png image1.wmf image10.wmf