About this file

This is a Request for Proposals (RFP) issued by the City of Philadelphia Department of Human Services for the operation of a comprehensive, trauma-informed emergency shelter program. The City seeks qualified agencies to provide 24-hour, 7-day-a-week residential placement care for dependent males and females, including transgender and gender non-conforming youth, ages 12-21 in crisis situations. The proposed service is a short-term placement not to exceed 30 days, designed to address immediate safety, stabilization, and well-being needs while facilitating reunification with family or placement with kin. The RFP was issued on July 15, 2026, with a pre-proposal meeting scheduled for July 23, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. local time. Applicants must submit questions by July 30, 2026, at 5:00 p.m., with answers posted on August 5, 2026. Proposals are due by August 17, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. through the eContract Philly platform. Applicant interviews and presentations are scheduled for the week of August 24, 2026, site visits for the week of August 31, 2026, with applicant selection by September 8, 2026, and contract execution on September 22, 2026. The contract term is expected to run from September 22, 2026, to September 21, 2027, with the option for up to four additional one-year renewal terms at the City's sole discretion.

The proposed compensation is fixed-price at a maximum of $1,500,000.00 for the contract term, with monthly invoicing and payment terms. The City reserves the right to select one or multiple service providers. Eligible applicants must be non-governmental agencies capable of delivering services in Pennsylvania and must maintain Pennsylvania Department of Human Services licensure for their facilities. The RFP emphasizes trauma-informed, family-driven, and community-based approaches, with minimum staffing requirements including a Program Director with a Master's degree and program administration experience, Program Supervisors with Master's degrees and supervision experience, Provider Workers with Bachelor's degrees, and Direct Care Managers with Associate's degrees. Performance metrics include youth served, discharge disposition, planning meetings within 72 hours of entry, and staffing ratios. Applicants must demonstrate local impact if valued at $1 million or more, comply with Philadelphia's 21st Century Minimum Wage and Benefits Standard and political contribution disclosure requirements, and provide comprehensive proposals addressing intake screening, evidence-based interventions, mental health services, education, transportation, and data collection.

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1 | P a g e

Cherelle L. Parker, Mayor

Kimberly Ali, Commissioner, Department of Human Services

The City of Philadelphia

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR

PLACEMENT CARE: EMERGENCY SHELTER

WORK SUMMARY:

The Department of Human Services (DHS) is seeking qualified agencies to operate a comprehensive, trauma-informed emergency shelter program that ensures the immediate safety, stabilization, and well-being for dependent males and females to include transgender and gender non-conforming youth.

PROPOSED COMPENSATION: $1,500,000.00

RFP ISSUE DATE: July 15, 2026

RESPONSE DEADLINE:

No later than 5 pm Philadelphia, PA Local Time on August 17, 2026. A complete proposal must be submitted by this time to be considered. Proposals in-process are incomplete.

PRE-PROPOSAL MEETING:

A pre-proposal meeting will be held on July 23, 2026, at 10:00am, Philadelphia, PA Local Time. It is highly recommended that all proposers attend.

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO JOIN

OFFICIAL RFP CONTACT:

Dawn Williams-Jones

Senior Fiscal Manager

DHSRFP@phila.gov

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS:

All proposals must be submitted electronically to the correct contract opportunity established for this

RFP (identified by opportunity number) through eContract Philly at https://philawx.phila.gov/econtract/ https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fphiladhs.webex.com%2Fphiladhs%2Fj.php%3FMTID%3Dm5d70d0f8b41dcdf55deea35b62d349a1&data=05%7C02%7Cdhsrfp%40phila.gov%7C86eb4955997e447b26f608de9f0acdb0%7C2046864f68ea497daf34a6629a6cd700%7C0%7C0%7C639123066193020589%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=ikq0kCJV2%2FJBFK9vPnLV9rg39XM%2FiobZpKYoaRP6m54%3D&reserved=0 mailto:DHSRFP@phila.gov https://philawx.phila.gov/econtract/

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Values

1.2 Contracting with the City of Philadelphia

1.3 Contacting Us

1.4 Feedback about this RFP

2. THE OPPORTUNITY

2.1 Summary

2.2 Background

2.3 RFP Schedule

2.4 Outcome Goals

2.5 Award Terms

3. SCOPE OF WORK

3.1 Description of Services

3.2 Performance Metrics, Contract Management & Payments

4. HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR RESPONSE

4.1 What You Must Include in Your Proposal

4.2 How To Submit Your Application

4.3 Proposal Binding

5. HOW WE CHOOSE

6. GENERAL RULES GOVERNING RFPs/PROPOSALS

6.1 Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

6.2 Special Rules Applicable to Joint Ventures

6.3 Mandatory Political Contribution Disclosures and Penalties

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6.4 Political Contribution Limits for City Contractors

6.5 City Employee Conflict Provision

6.6 Reservation of Rights

6.7 Confidentiality and Public Disclosure

APPENDICES

Appendix A – General Provisions

Appendix B - City of Philadelphia Tax and Regulatory Status and Clearance Statement .. 29

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1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Values

The City of Philadelphia is committed to ensuring all businesses have access to contracting opportunities with the City and seeks to promote the economic development of small and local businesses.

1.2 Contracting with the City of Philadelphia

Consistent with our values, the City requires that all contractors and subcontractors comply with all applicable laws, regulations, and policies, including:

Please closely review the City’s contract attachments including the standard terms and conditions found in the General Provisions under Appendix A of this RFP. Any contract resulting from this RFP will incorporate and be governed by these documents.

1.3 Contacting Us

For technical assistance with the eContract Philly website, email eContractPhilly@phila.gov or call

(215) 686-4914.

IF ELIGIBLE, YOU ARE ENCOURAGED TO:

✓ Apply for Local Business Entity (LBE) certification with City’s Procurement Department. If you provide your LBE status and/or promise to have a Local Impact, this must be used by the contracting department as a positive factor in evaluation and potential selection.

Additionally, some opportunities are exclusively reserved for LBE certified businesses.

✓ Get Paid Faster! Enroll on the Vendor Payment Portal to effortlessly submit electronic invoices and monitor payment progress 24/7. The process of submitting invoices through the Vendor Payment Portal is user-friendly, efficient, and free.

CITY BUSINESS

LICENSES AND

PERMIT

REQUIREMENTS

PAYMENT OF CITY

BUSINESS TAXES

OR OTHER

INDEBTEDNESS

OWED TO THE CITY

CHAPTER 17-1300.

PHILADELPHIA 21ST

CENTURY MINIMUM

WAGE AND BENEFITS

STANDARD

1 2 3 mailto:eContractPhilly@phila.gov https://www.phila.gov/services/business-self-employment/bidding-on-a-city-contract/get-certified-as-a-local-business-entity/ https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fvendor-payments.phila.gov%2Flogin&data=05%7C01%7CMihir.Mulloth%40phila.gov%7Cd3a519484f624cce6fc708db9fe39835%7C2046864f68ea497daf34a6629a6cd700%7C0%7C0%7C638279572083787221%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=EktpSPaS%2B8p3KxRyI13X2Icwkl9aYLDJ0KfEzw1NsTI%3D&reserved=0 https://business.phila.gov/ https://business.phila.gov/ https://business.phila.gov/ https://business.phila.gov/ https://www.phila.gov/services/business-self-employment/business-taxes/ https://www.phila.gov/services/business-self-employment/business-taxes/ https://www.phila.gov/services/business-self-employment/business-taxes/ https://www.phila.gov/services/business-self-employment/business-taxes/ https://www.phila.gov/services/business-self-employment/business-taxes/ https://www.phila.gov/services/business-self-employment/business-taxes/ https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/philadelphia/latest/philadelphia_pa/0-0-0-296070 https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/philadelphia/latest/philadelphia_pa/0-0-0-296070 https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/philadelphia/latest/philadelphia_pa/0-0-0-296070 https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/philadelphia/latest/philadelphia_pa/0-0-0-296070 https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/philadelphia/latest/philadelphia_pa/0-0-0-296070

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• Please note the phone number provided is not a live helpline.

• Allow for two (2) business days prior to any application deadline to receive a response to your request. The City will not extend a deadline even if it has not responded to your question or request.

• All other questions regarding the RFP, including substantive questions, must be submitted in accordance with Section 2.3. Applicants are otherwise prohibited from contacting City representatives concerning this RFP or related matters.

1.4 Feedback about this RFP

The City recently updated the design of the RFP we use for Professional Services and would like feedback from vendors. If you have feedback you would like to share, please complete this voluntary survey. Thank you.

2. THE OPPORTUNITY

2.1 Summary

The Department of Human Services is interested in contracting with agencies able to provide

Residential Placement Care: Emergency Shelter (ES) for Dependent Males & Females including

Transgender and Gender non-conforming Youth. The qualified applicant(s) must have the capacity and the demonstrated ability to provide the identified services for either males, females (to include transgender and gender non-conforming youth) or both. Only Providers capable of delivering services in PA need to apply. The Department reserves the right to select one and/or multiple service providers. Applicant cannot be a government agency.

2.2 Background

WHO ARE WE?

Philadelphia Department of Human Services is the county child welfare and juvenile justice agency and is overseen by the Office of Children and Families.

DHS Vision and Mission:

Vision: We aspire for all Philadelphia children and youth to have access to the support, resources, and opportunities they need to thrive within their communities.

Mission: Serve Philadelphia’s children, youth, families, and communities by building on their strengths and advancing safe and supportive environments.

The Department is comprised of the following divisions:

o Administration and Management (A&M) https://phila.formstack.com/forms/updated_rfp_feedback_survey https://phila.formstack.com/forms/updated_rfp_feedback_survey

6 | P a g e o Child Welfare Operations (CWO) o Early Childhood Education (ECE) o Finance o Juvenile Justice Services (JJS) o Performance Management and Technology (PMT) o Policy Development and System Enhancement (PDSE)

Project Background

Residential Placement Care: Emergency Shelter (ES) is a 24-hour a day/7 day a week service in a placement care setting. It is a short-term placement, not to exceed 30 days for youth who need immediate placement. The placement setting must address the needs of adolescents ages 12-21 who need child protective services. From the first day of placement, the goal of the ES is to meet the holistic needs of the youth, including but not limited to: safety, physical health, behavioral health, educational, recreational, and concrete needs. The ES Provider will work in collaboration with the

Community Umbrella Agency (CUA) Case Manager or the DHS Social Work Services Manager to reunify the youth with family. If the youth is unable to be reunified with family, within the 30 days of their shelter placement, the ES provider will assist with locating placement with kin. Placement in non-family foster care or congregate care will be minimally utilized as a last resort.

The performance standards for Residential Placement Care: Emergency Shelter (ES) should be rendered in accordance with the Performance Standards for Residential Placement Care

Standards: Emergency Shelter Care Services (see Appendix G) put forth by the Philadelphia

Department of Human Services (DHS), and -the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services.

Description of Clients to be served

The ES Program will target youth, ages 12-21 years old. Typically, these youth have experienced several potentially traumatic events (PTE), mostly of interpersonal nature, such as physical, sexual and/or emotional abuse, domestic violence, community violence and commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC). Consequently, they might present with maladaptive behaviors and challenges such as running away, habitual truancy, family conflict, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) including anxiety, depression, and oppositional behaviors, substance abuse, and/or failure to adjust to another placement.

Applicant Eligibility and Qualifications

Site Description

It is the DHS’ preference that the proposed facility for ES is in Philadelphia or the surrounding counties to facilitate reunification and to ensure that the youth maintain connections to his/her community. The ES provider must have the capacity to serve a maximum of 20 females or 20 males (including transgender and gender non-conforming youth) or both populations. The ES

7 | P a g e provider must utilize competent programming that ensures the safety and protection of

LGTBQIA+ youth and affirms diverse sexual orientations and identities. If the ES Provider is submitting a proposal for both the male and female programs, they must be placed separately.

The ES provider must specify how transgender and gender non-conforming youth will be safely placed in a way that affirms the youth’s gender expression. The provider must also offer ample opportunities for both indoor and outdoor recreational programming, preferably in the youth’s community of origin.

Referral Process

Youth can be referred for ES 24 hours a day/7 day a week by the DHS Central Referral Unit and the DHS Hotline. Therefore, the ES Provider must have the Intake infrastructure to immediately accept and admit youth at any time during the day, including holidays, non-traditional working hours, and weekends. The ES Provider must comply with a “No-Reject, No-Eject” policy for youth.

The only time that a youth can be denied from ES is when the provider is at full capacity, or all involved parties agree that there is a safety concern. Placement is executed on the same day of the referral. ES staff must be trained in a trauma-informed approach to address behaviors and symptoms associated with abuse, neglect, and removal from youth’s homes and communities of origin. In addition to the required training, all staff must understand and be trained in trauma and its negative impact on child development, family system and communities, crisis management and intervention, de-escalation techniques, and suicide prevention and intervention.

Transportation

The Provider shall be capable of transporting youth to service plan activities, medical, behavioral health appointments and court. Transportation should be conducted in a manner consistent with 55

Pa. Code Chapter 3800 Regulations and in the most secure fashion possible.

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2.3 RFP Schedule

RFP Posted July 15, 2026, Pre-Proposal Meeting

A pre-proposal meeting will be held on July 23, 2026, at

10:00am, Philadelphia, PA Local Time. It is highly recommended that all proposers attend.

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO JOIN

Applicant Questions Due

Applicants must submit questions regarding this opportunity by July 30, 2026, at 5:00pm, Philadelphia, PA

Local Time. All questions must be submitted via email to

DHSRFP@phila.gov

Answers Posted on eContract

Philly August 5, 2026, 5pm; Philadelphia, PA Local Time

Proposals Due August 17, 2026, 5pm; Philadelphia, PA Local Time

Applicant Interviews, Presentations Week of August 24, 2026 (City Discretion)

Site Visit Week of August 31, 2026 (City Discretion)

Applicant Selection September 8, 2026

Contract Execution September 22, 2026

Commencement of Work September 22, 2026

The above dates are estimates only. Notice of changes in any pre-proposal meeting or site visit date, time or location, due date for Applicant questions, or proposal due date will be posted as a notice/Addendum with the original RFP on eContract Philly and will become a part of the RFP.

2.4 Outcome Goals

• Address the youth’s complex needs within the 30-day service period.

• Conduct assessments, including standardized screenings and behavioral health evaluations.

• Engage the youth and family while strengthening community and school connections.

https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fphiladhs.webex.com%2Fphiladhs%2Fj.php%3FMTID%3Dm5d70d0f8b41dcdf55deea35b62d349a1&data=05%7C02%7Cdhsrfp%40phila.gov%7C86eb4955997e447b26f608de9f0acdb0%7C2046864f68ea497daf34a6629a6cd700%7C0%7C0%7C639123066193020589%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=ikq0kCJV2%2FJBFK9vPnLV9rg39XM%2FiobZpKYoaRP6m54%3D&reserved=0 mailto:DHSRFP@phila.gov https://philawx.phila.gov/econtract/

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• Provide crisis management, intervention, and therapeutic supports.

• Coordinate joint meetings with involved providers and supports.

• Make timely service and placement planning recommendations.

• Ensure all services are evidence based and trauma informed.

2.5 Award Terms

Term

The term of this contract is expected to start on or about

September 22, 2026, and end on or about September 21, 2027.

The City may, at its sole option, amend the contract to add up to four (4) additional terms, each not to exceed one year.

Compensation Contract will state maximum compensation including all expenses not to exceed $1,500,000.00

Cost Proposal Type Fixed price

Terms of Payment Monthly invoicing

10 | P a g e

3. SCOPE OF WORK

3.1 Description of Services

This Section 3.1, Description of Services includes the requirements for the project, including the services to be performed and the deliverables that must be met by the selected Applicant. The City reserves the right to change certain service requirements or deliverables based on changed circumstances, like a change in the business or technical environment or contract negotiations with

Applicant(s) selected for negotiations, without issuing a revised RFP.

Applicants should read this section closely. An Applicant’s proposed scope of work must detail how they will meet the service requirements or achieve the deliverables described in this section.

Applicants may also propose additional or revised services or deliverables to achieve the outcomes described in Section 2.3 Outcome Goals of this RFP. However, Applicants must explain why each of these additional services or deliverables are necessary, and when and how they will be completed.

Service Requirements

The Philadelphia Department of Human Services, Division of Child Welfare Operations (CWO), is issuing this Request for Proposals to seek bids to provide the following services.

Residential Placement Care: Emergency Shelter (ES)

Residential Placement Care: Emergency Shelter (ES) is a short-term, 30-day placement to address the needs of adolescents ages 12-21 in crisis. This service is designed to provide emergency placement in a safe, clean-living environment, with an emphasis on strengthening family connections and providing quality structured programming, groups, leisure and recreational activities in the youth’s community of origin, whenever possible, medical services, sexual health supports and information, and service coordination support. The components of ES service include standardized screenings

(including screening for trauma exposure and traumatic stress symptoms), behavioral health assessments, crisis management and intervention, youth development, therapeutic services

(including trauma-informed groups providing psychoeducation around trauma and its impact and coping skills to manage trauma reminders), service linkage (if appropriate), school connections, and case collaboration with the CUAs. Throughout the 30-day service, the ES provider will engage the family and team of professionals to ensure that youth either safely return home or transition to placement with kin in their communities of origin whenever possible. Placement in non-kin foster care or residential care is reserved as a last resort and must be minimally utilized only after reunification and kinship care have been fully ruled out.

Selected applicant is expected to:

• Employ an individualized and developmentally appropriate approach to service delivery

• Provide evidence-based and trauma-informed programming to assess and meet the needs of youth with complex behaviors

11 | P a g e

• Understand runaway etiology and symptomology

• Cultivate positive relationships by establishing rapport and trust with youth and engaging them in activities that build self-confidence and improve family relationships and connections with their communities of origin

• Ensure connection to a variety of behavioral health supports, including mental health treatment and therapy, medication management and monitoring, and drug and alcohol treatment

• Ensure connection to behavioral health programs providing trauma-specific evidence-based therapy for adolescents and their caregivers, such as Trauma-

Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)

• Ensure that appropriate school connections are maintained, and all educational needs are met

• Promote and facilitate communication and collaboration between the ES provider, CUAs, DHS, youth and family members to develop service plans

• Identify factors for successful reunification and/or conduct concurrent planning for placement with kin

• Connect youth and family to a continuum of informal community-based services to support them in reunification or placement with kin

• Provide culturally and linguistically competent services to racial/ethnic minorities, and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning

(LGBTQIA+) youth, who are overwhelmingly represented in the homeless population.

Service Delivery

Applicants should submit a proposal outlining the agency’s framework in the following areas:

1. Intake Screening

2. Comprehensive Program Orientation

3. Evidence-Based Interventions to Promote Youth and Family Engagement

4. Mental Health and Behavioral Health Program Components

5. Provider Work (including collaboration, court appearances, etc.)

6. Medical

7. Education

8. Transportation

9. Service Linkage/Community Partnerships

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10. Data Collection and Outcomes Report (Agency shall provide DHS with monthly reports documenting compliance and process measures as well as safety, permanency, and wellbeing outcomes consistent with the four goals of IOC)

Minimum Program Staff Requirements

The ES provider must supply a safe, nurturing and closely staff-monitored environment to reduce flight risk. In addition to the training already required, the staff should understand and be trained in youth and family engagement, trauma, crisis management and intervention, de-escalation, and suicide prevention and intervention. The provider shall ensure they are able and capable to meet the linguistic and cultural needs of the youth and/or families served. Such staff must be appropriately assessed, authorized, and trained to deliver direct services in the youth’s and/or families preferred language. In instances where this is not feasible, the provider must ensure access to appropriate and qualified alternative interpretation services. The use of machine-based automatic translation tools

(e.g., Google Translate, Microsoft Translator, DeepL Translator, Chat GPT) shall not be permitted.

Preference will be given to applicants who utilize evidence-based approaches and practices (e.g., Motivational Interviewing) in these aforementioned areas.

Below please find minimum staffing requirements:

1. Program Director– should possess a Master’s degree in psychology, education, social work or other human service discipline, have 2 years of program administration experience, an extensive background in working with adolescents, and a thorough understanding of youth development and diagnostic assessment and treatment.

2. Program Supervisors should possess a Master’s degree in psychology, education, social work or other human service discipline, have 2 years of social work supervision experience, an extensive background in working with adolescents, and a thorough understanding of youth development and diagnostic assessment and treatment.

3. Provider Worker – must possess a Bachelor’s degree in social work or other human service discipline and have 2 years’ experience in working with adolescents.

4. Direct care managers – must possess Associate’s degree and 2 years residential placement experiences. Experience in working with adolescents is preferred.

Emergency Shelter (ES) Care Standards

ES Care is placement care for a period of up to thirty (30) days. At the end of the 30-day period, youth either return home or they transition to placement with kin in their communities of origin

13 | P a g e whenever possible. Placement in non-kin foster care or residential care is reserved as a last resort and must be minimally utilized only after reunification and kinship care have been fully ruled out.

Service Delivery Focused on the Youth and Family

The provider agency will accept all referrals for ES Care. The only allowable reason for not accepting a referral is due to c a p a c i t y . The provider agency will strengthen family and community connections and will ensure that the youth’s basic needs are met for food, clothing, shelter, safety, physical health, behavioral health, education, recreation, and other concrete needs.

Although ES is intended to be a 30-day service, the provider agency will continue to facilitate family and community engagement and will provide quality programming to meet the needs of youth placed in ES beyond the 30-day period if the youth cannot be reunified within that period of time or another placement has not been established.

In the event that the youth cannot be reunified, the CUA case manager will have ongoing communication with DHS Central Referral Unit (CRU) to gain updates on the youth’s permanent placement efforts. The provider worker will communicate any issues regarding the youth’s current behaviors to the CUA case manager to better assist CRU in locating an appropriate placement for the youth.

The CUA Case Manager will provide direct social work and other services to the youth in ES to assist the youth in understanding the circumstances of emergency placement as well as to assist the youth with orienting to placement. The provider worker will collaborate with the CUA case manager to ensure that the youth receive appropriate services as well as engage the youth’s family.

The provider worker will facilitate contact between the youth and family during emergency shelter care unless such contacts have been specifically prohibited by the Court.

The CUA case manager and provider worker will gather necessary and available information about the youth and the family while placed at the ES that is needed to develop a Family Service Plan or

Single Case Plan.

Service Delivery to the Family

The provider worker will facilitate visitation and contact between the youth and the family unless such contacts have been specifically prohibited by the Court. Whenever possible, this visitation and contact should take place within the youth’s community of origin.

Licensure

Provider agency’s facilities must be licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services.

Applicant must present evidence of licensure when applying under this opportunity.

14 | P a g e

Program Requirements/Overview

Applicant will provide services to and on behalf of youth 24 hours a day/7days a week. The service provider is responsible for delivering direct social work and other services to and on behalf of youth and their families. The service provider will ensure the availability of programs which promote the development and growth of its residents. The programs and activities must address:

• Physical growth and development

• Cognitive growth and development

• Emotional (psychological) growth and development

• Moral growth and development

• Social growth and development (including social connections with the youth’s family and within the youth’s community of origin)

• Age-appropriate development

For adolescents, the ES service provider must address the acquisition of life skills that will lead to self-sufficiency as an adult. Examples of these programs include:

• Food purchase, preparation and storage

• Clothing purchase and care

• Use of health care resources

• Budgeting and money management

• Decision making and self-reliance

• Use of leisure time

• Responsibilities of living alone

• Job ethics

• Independence

• Family planning

Best Practice

The Department of Human Services believes that a community-neighborhood approach with clearly defined roles between county and provider staff will positively impact safety, permanency and well-being. It is committed, as part of its strategic planning, to focus on several core components that are grounded in the extant literature and have an emerging evidence base. The following best practices are essential in any Residential Placement Care: (ES) among dependent youth and must be incorporated in the applicant’s proposed programming:

1. Family-Driven Care and Community Connections: Increased family involvement has been associated with improved long-term outcomes, shorter lengths of stay, and increased stability post-residential discharge. A quality ES provider must demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of the current literature pertaining to best practice for strengthening family and community connections among youth in residential programs. Applicants should clearly

15 | P a g e specify how youth and family-driven services will be provided in the family’s community of origin while the youth is placed at the ES facility.

2. Trauma-Informed Approach: According to the Substance Abuse and Mental

Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), “A program, organization, or system that is trauma-informed realizes the widespread impact of trauma and understands potential pathways for recovery, recognizes the signs and symptoms of trauma in clients, families, staff, and others involved with the system, and responds by fully integrating knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, and practices, and seeks to resist re-traumatization.”

Applicants should demonstrate an understanding of trauma-informed practices and should describe how their program and organization are trauma-informed with detail about practices used to address maladaptive youth behavior rooted in traumatic experiences.

3. Use of Evidence-Based Clinical Interventions to Promote Youth and

Family Engagement: Although ES services are short-term in nature, there are evidence-based interventions and approaches that have been shown to be effective in quickly engaging youth and families during crises and in transition.

Successful applicants should identify evidence-based interventions or approaches that they will either directly employ or to which they will refer families. Applicants need to demonstrate how these services will be delivered in a short period of time, or how these services will follow the youth and family after ES discharge.

Monitoring and Security

By submission of a proposal in response to this RFP, the Applicant agrees that it will comply with all contracts monitoring and evaluation activities undertaken by the City of Philadelphia, and with all security policies and requirements of the City.

Services will be monitored, according to the contract, by the designated Project Manager. The

Department reserves the right to monitor contractor activities up to and including site visits, telephonic interviews as well as annual and/or special evaluations.

Reporting Requirements

Upon award of contract, the service provider will be made aware of specific reporting requirements.

At a minimum, the successful Applicant shall submit a monthly invoice detailing the services provided and the associated costs.

Performance Standards

The City reserves the right to reject any item of work that does not meet the Department’s minimum standards of performance and quality, or that does not conform to the contract scope of work. The

16 | P a g e

City shall not be obligated to pay for rejected work.

Cost Proposal

Applicant must provide a detailed cost proposal, with a line-item breakdown of the costs for specific services and work products proposed. Cost proposals must be “fixed price” proposals. The proposed price must include all costs that will be charged to the City for the services and tangible work products the Applicant proposes to perform and deliver to complete the project and including, but not limited to, costs for the following, if the Department is to pay for them: employee compensation and fringe benefits; communication; printing; administrative expenses; bonding;

acquisition of real estate; rent, utilities, maintenance and security related to real estate; travel

(reimbursable only at rates approved by the Department and in accordance with current City policies, which can be obtained from the Department); project management; development; testing;

implementation; maintenance; training; and all other work proposed. Any contract resulting from this RFP will provide for a not-to-exceed amount in the compensation section of the contract.

Organization and Personnel Requirements

The proposal must identify all personnel who will perform work relevant to this opportunity by education level, skill set (described in detail), experience level, and job title. Resumes of all personnel so identified should be included in Applicant’s proposal. All applicable licenses and certifications must be provided.

Technology Capabilities

The Applicant will be responsible for having technology capabilities and resources that will ensure timely and accurate communication with departmental staff. Applicant must demonstrate capacity to capture client demographics and other data as may be requested by the Department.

3.2 Performance Metrics, Contract Management & Payments

Performance Metrics

The City of Philadelphia is interested in identifying metrics to monitor and improve performance during the life of the contract. The Department of Human Services has identified the following metrics and will work with the awarded provider(s) to add to or refine this list during contract negotiations. The final set of performance metrics and frequency of collection will be negotiated by each successful Applicant and the Department of Human Services prior to the finalization of an agreement between parties and may be adjusted over time as needed.

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Performance

Metric

Data Source Data

Collection

Frequency

Data

Collection

Responsibility

Data

Review

Cadence

Past

Performance

Benchmark

(if known)

Youth served – list to include youth’s names, demographics (age, sex/gender, race/ethnicity), CUAs, and start/end dates for Emergency

Shelter Stay

DHSConnect daily Youth care worker/peer advocate monthly

Youth Discharged – list to include youth’s name and discharge date and disposition

(Placement with

Type noted, AWOL, or Other- to be described)

DHSConnect monthly Clinical director monthly

Number and

Percent of Youth receiving Planning

Meeting within 72 hours of Entry

DHSConnect monthly Social worker monthly

Average Staffing ratio; to include highest and lowest ratio per month with date of occurrence

DHSConnect

/Provider

Employee records monthly Social worker monthly

Contract Performance Monitoring

As part of the City of Philadelphia’s commitment to improved outcomes, the City seeks to actively and regularly monitor service delivery to enhance contract management, improve results, and adjust service delivery based on learning what works. Reliable and relevant data is necessary to drive service improvements, ensure compliance, inform trends to be monitored, and evaluate results and performance. As such, the City reserves the right to request/collect other key data and metrics from providers related to the performance of the contract and to reject any item of work that does not meet the performance standards described in the contract.

The department expects:

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• Staff to enter placement and any other needed intake information in DHSConnect within 24 hours of the youth’s arrival so DHS can adequately monitor metrics.

• Clinical director to share reports on a quarterly basis with information not measurable in administrative data. This will include:

• Summary of individual services and interventions provided to youth. For interventions, please note description of incident, intervention(s) implemented, and documentation that all necessary parties were notified of the incident and intervention.

• Summary of group programming, education services, and recreational activities provided at site.

• Summary describing the circumstances when the youth care worker staffing ratio did not meet the expected 1:4 ratio and/or 1:8 ratio on the third shift (overnight) and strategies implemented to ensure youth safety and well-being.

• Explanations for youth who stay more than 30 days at site and measures taken to move youth to permanency or less restrictive placement.

• Additional reports (i.e., Police reports for AWOL occurrences or incidents at the site, HCSIS reports)

How We Will Pay the Selected Applicant

The contract for each chosen provider will include a contract maximum amount that cannot be exceeded without a written contract amendment. Applicants must provide a detailed cost proposal, with a line-item breakdown of the costs for specific services and work products proposed. Cost proposals must be “fixed price” proposals. The proposed price must include all costs that will be charged to the City for the services and tangible work products the Applicant proposes to perform and deliver to complete the project, including, but not limited to, costs for the following, if the

Department is to pay for them: employee compensation and fringe benefits; communication;

printing; administrative expenses; bonding; acquisition of real estate; rent, utilities, maintenance and security related to real estate; travel (reimbursable only at rates approved by the Department);

project management; development; testing; implementation; maintenance; training; and all other work proposed. Any contract resulting from this RFP will provide for a not-to-exceed amount in the compensation section of the contract.

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4. HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR RESPONSE

4.1 What You Must Include in Your Proposal

For your proposal to be considered, proposals must be submitted:

a) electronically;

b) through the City’s designated system (not email);

c) before the deadline; and,

d) signed by an authorized representative of the Applicant.

Additionally, your proposal must include the information listed in the Proposal Requirements below and be organized in the order shown. Failure to submit your proposal in the manner and format required by this RFP may result in your proposal being rejected.

Proposal Requirements:

1. Table of Contents

2. Introduction/Executive Summary (Give a short description of your proposal.)

Provide an overview of your company, the goods or services you offer and how you plan to meet the

City’s needs.

3. Applicant Profile (Tell the City about yourself).

Please complete the Applicant information sheet and include it with your proposal submission.

Part 1. Please provide the following for the Applicant’s Business:

1. Name of Business

2. Business Address

3. Telephone Number

4. Fax Number (if applicable)

5. E-mail Address

6. Website Address

7. Federal Taxpayer Identification Number or Federal Employer Identification Number

Part 2. Please provide the following for the Applicant’s Primary Contact:

1. Name

2. Job Title

3. Address

4. Telephone Number

5. Fax Number (if applicable)

6. E-mail Address

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Part 3. Please provide a description of the Applicant’s business background by answering the following:

1. What is the Applicant’s Business Organization type (i.e. corporation, partnership, LLC, for or not for profit, etc.)?

2. Is the Applicant’s Business registered to do business in Philadelphia and/or Pennsylvania?

3. What is the country and state of the Applicant’s business’ formation?

4. How many years has the Applicant’s business been operating?

5. What is the primary mission of the Applicant’s business?

6. What is the Applicant’s significant business experience?

4. Proposed Scope of Work (Tell the City what you propose to do).

Review Section 3 of this RFP, “Scope of Work” and directly state what services and materials you will provide to meet the City’s described needs. Be specific, and, as necessary, describe your services and materials in plain language for the evaluation team to understand. Include a proposed budget or cost proposal, and a schedule for when the services and materials will be provided.

5. Statement of Qualifications; Relevant Experience (Tell the City why you are the best choice).

Provide a statement of your relevant qualifications and demonstrate how your experience meets or exceeds the City’s requirements. Include a list and description of similar projects you have worked on, including the number of such projects and the amount of time spent on them.

6. References (Tell us who can vouch for similar work you have completed).

Provide at least three references, preferably for projects that are similar to the work sought by this

RFP. Include the company/entity, a contact person’s name, the contact person’s title, their address, their email address, and telephone number. The more similar the reference is to the City the better, such as other local government entities.

7. Proposed Subcontractors (Tell the City who will work with you).

Please provide a complete list of prospective subcontractors with whom you plan to work on this project. Include:

• Company Name

• EIN

• Scope of Work

• Percentage of total work allocated to each firm

8. Requested Exceptions to Contract Terms (Tell the City any changes you would like to the contract).

In exceptional cases, a successful Applicant might be afforded exceptions to the City’s Contract

Terms. State if you would like to request exceptions to the City’s Contract Terms, including those contained in this RFP, including Appendix A and any other documents incorporated by link or reference. Identify the location of the proposed change as well as possible (noting the document, section, heading, and page), the reason for the change request, and proposed alternative language.

The City may consider your proposed changes or may disqualify your proposal at its option.

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However, please be aware that exceptions are not made often and so you should thoroughly explain why the change is necessary and appropriate for the contract. Any proposed exceptions to the City’s

Contract Terms are subject to various internal review procedures before they can be accepted.

Note: Your proposal is a binding offer to contract and failure to propose exceptions binds you to the

City’s terms, if your proposal is accepted.

9. Tax and Regulatory Status and Clearance Statement (Certify that you do not owe the City).

Obtain a Tax Clearance Certificate and complete Appendix B attesting to Applicant’s tax and regulatory compliance with the City.

10. Disclosure of Litigation, Administrative Proceedings, and Contract Defaults (Tell the City about any legal proceedings or contract disputes your company or its leaders were involved with).

Provide a description of any legal proceedings or contract disputes in the past five (5) years that might affect your business, finances, or ability to perform the work described by this RFP. Include all instances of litigation, bankruptcy, debarment, suspension, contract default claims, any criminal conviction or indictments, settlements, and court or administrative orders. For each matter, state the name and nature of the matter, the parties involved, and its current status. For contract disputes, provide the name and contact information for the opposing party. Provide the same information for any matter involving an officer, director, principal, partner, or affiliate of the

Applicant, and for any intended subcontractor of the Applicant.

11. Statement of Financial Capacity (Demonstrate how stable your business is).

Provide documentation demonstrating fiscal solvency and financial capability to perform the work sought by this RFP. You may include any of the following:

• A general, independent statement of the Applicant’s financial condition, prepared by an external auditor or accountant;

• Applicant’s most recent audited or unaudited financial statements, including:

o Balance Sheet, o Income Statement, or o Cashflow Statement;

• Most recent IRS Form 990 (for non-profit organizations only); or,

• Any other documentation that demonstrates your financial capacity to meet the requirements of this RFP.

12. Local Business Entity or Local Impact Certification (Tell the City if you are a local business or how you envision affecting the local economy).

The City is committed to leveraging its buying power to uplift and grow our local economy, which will result in more jobs for Philadelphians, including local and small businesses. For this reason, the City will consider local impact as a significant factor in our proposal evaluation for this contracting opportunity. If you meet the requirements of a certified Local Business Entity (LBE), we strongly recommend that you get certified for free by following the steps found HERE and include a copy of your certification with your proposal and/or include a statement about how you envision impacting the local economy through this work.

https://www.phila.gov/services/business-self-employment/bidding-on-a-city-contract/get-certified-as-a-local-business-entity/

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For contracts valued at $1 million or more annually, please also detail in your proposal the local impact if you are awarded the contract, by including the following information:

a. Anticipated quality jobs created or sustained in Philadelphia through the contract.

b. Anticipated hiring of Philadelphia residents to perform work under the contract.

c. Will you open offices in Philadelphia if awarded the contract?

d. Are you planning to form a joint venture or subcontract with any Philadelphia-based entities? If so, please detail those arrangements; and,

e. Any other information you deem relevant to demonstrating local impact.

13. Disclosure Requirements (Tell the City about your political contributions).

Excess political contributions to City candidates and incumbents can disqualify you from a City contract. Complete the mandatory disclosures required as part of the electronic application process in eContract Philly, including any local political campaign contributions, by selecting “Apply for

Contract” from the opportunity information screen (where this RFP was located). Additional information and instructions are located under the “Disclosure/Eligibility” tab on the top of the eContract Philly homepage. Please make sure to review these requirements closely before completing these disclosure forms.

4.2 How To Submit Your Application

Online Submission Required by the Application Deadline

You must complete your application through eContract Philly before the deadline to be considered for this contract opportunity. Proposals may be changed at any time up until the submission deadline and the City will not review your proposal until after the deadline. The proposal is not considered submitted until the “submit” button is pressed at the conclusion of the eContract Philly submission process. You will receive a confirmation email that your Application was submitted.

Applicants are encouraged to allow sufficient time to complete the application process in order to become familiar with the requirements of the eContract Philly interface, upload all required documents, and resolve any technical issues prior to the submission deadline. The City need not accept, and may discard, responses that are incomplete, late, or submitted in any other format.

Electronic File Limitations eContract Philly accepts attachments up to 8MB of the following file types: Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Project, Adobe PDF or in a compressed zip file. Larger attachments must be split into smaller attachments to accommodate this file size limitation. There is no limit to the number of attachments that may be uploaded.

Every Entity Applies for Itself

Except in the case of Joint Ventures, which follow special rules described below, every entity must apply for itself. If the prospective applicant is not already registered with eContract Philly, you must first register for an account before you can apply to this opportunity. Note that each legal https://philawx.phila.gov/ECONTRACT/default.aspx https://philawx.phila.gov/econtract/

23 | P a g e entity must have a separate account; you may not utilize or repurpose another entity’s account for this application. To identify each legal entity, the eContract Philly application system uses an entity’s

Taxpayer Identification Number, either a Social Security Number (SSN) or Employer Identification

Number (EIN). Make sure the Tax Identification Number associated with your profile matches the

Tax Identification Number of the company that is applying. Applications from an affiliated entity or made on another entity’s behalf will cause the City to reject the proposal.

See the Joint Venture rules if you are applying on behalf of a Joint Venture.

Use the Submission Checklist Below

This is a tool to help you to submit a complete, accurate, responsive, and on time application.

DOES MY RESPONSE MEET THE PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS?

Did you submit the proposal before the stated deadline of this RFP?

Did the proposal explain how Applicant meets the goals and objectives, tasks, milestones, and deliverables, and other requirements described by the Department in the Opportunity and Scope of Work sections?

Does your cost proposal meet the requirements under “Compensation”?

Does your service proposal meet the requirements under “Description of Services”?

Does your proposal meet the overall format and content requirements described in “What you must include in your proposal”?

If eligible, did you enroll with the City’s Vendor Payment Portal to effortlessly submit electronic invoices and monitor payment progress 24/7?

Did you review the entire RFP and contract attachments, including the Contract Terms and

Conditions, and request any exceptions? You must propose contract language changes with your proposal or the City’s terms are deemed accepted.

Was the proposal submitted electronically through eContract Philly?

Did you complete the mandatory political contribution disclosures through the application?

Was the proposal submitted to the correct opportunity number?

Was the application signed by clicking on the “submit” button at the conclusion of the eContract Philly submission process? The proposal is not considered submitted until this button is pressed, regardless of when you started to complete the proposal.

You will receive an email acknowledgment of your submission.

https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fvendor-payments.phila.gov%2Flogin&data=05%7C01%7CMihir.Mulloth%40phila.gov%7Cd3a519484f624cce6fc708db9fe39835%7C2046864f68ea497daf34a6629a6cd700%7C0%7C0%7C638279572083787221%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=EktpSPaS%2B8p3KxRyI13X2Icwkl9aYLDJ0KfEzw1NsTI%3D&reserved=0

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Was the individual who signed the application authorized to sign on behalf of the

Applicant? For more information on who is authorized to sign your application, please see page 32 of the sample application found on eContract Philly here. You must be logged in to eContract Philly to access the document.

Does the Applicant’s eContract Philly Profile match the Applicant information provided in the proposal? Do the Taxpayer Identification Numbers match? (Do not use the SSN of the person filling out the proposal, unless the contract will be with that actual person; use the number of the entity applying and on its eContract Philly profile.)

Special Rule for Joint Ventures

4.3 Proposal Binding

Your proposal is a binding offer to contract for what you propose. Each Applicant agrees that it will be bound by the terms of its proposal for a minimum of 180 calendar days from the application deadline for this RFP and will enter a contract containing the same terms.

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