ESBD_364455_1719014940163_HHS0014973_CCWIS RFI.pdf

Stephanie Muth, Executive Commissioner

Request for Information (RFI) for

Case Management System for Comprehensive Child Welfare Information

System (CCWIS) Compliance

RFI No. HHS0014973

Date of Release:

June 21, 2024

Responses Due: July 12, 2024 @ 10:30 AM Central Time

CPA Class/Item Codes:

208 11 Application Software, (Not Otherwise Classified), Microcomputer 208 12 Architectural Software, Microcomputer

209 11 Accounting/Financial: Bookkeeping, Billing, and Invoicing, Budgeting, Payroll, Taxes, etc., Mainframes and Servers 209 12 Application Software, Mainframe Computer, Including Cobol 209 13 Application Software, Servers 209 37 Data Processing Software, Mainframes and Servers 209 38 Database Software, Mainframes and Servers 209 87 Software, Mainframes and Servers (Not Otherwise Classified) 920 40 Programming Services, Computer, Including Mobile Device Applications 952 15 Case Management

Department of Family and Protective Services Information Technology System Contracting

4900 N. Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78751

Texas Department of Family and Protective Services Case Management System RFI

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

1.1 Purpose

1.2 Background

1.3 Definitions and Acronyms

2. General Instructions and Response Requirements

2.1 General Information

2.2 Response Submission, Date, Time, and Location

2.3 Designated Point of Contact

2.4 Response Format

2.5 Texas Public Information Act

2.6 Disclaimers

2.7 Acceptance of Terms and Conditions

3. List of Exhibits

Exhibit A: Functional Requirements and Enhancements

Exhibit B: Relevant CCWIS Requirements

Exhibit C: IMPACT Statistics

Table of Tables Table 1: Definitions and Acronyms Table 2: Solution Details Table 3: General Information from Respondent Table 4: Other Requirements Table 5: User Statistics (Point in Time) Table 6: Annual Case Statistics (FY 2023)

1. Introduction

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) is requesting information on behalf of the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) seeking responses from interested parties to obtain information related to modernization of the agency’s case management system that meets the federal requirements of a Comprehensive Child Welfare Information System (CCWIS). The current case management system is the Information Management Protecting Adults and Children in Texas (IMPACT). Per the 88th

(R) Legislative Session, General Appropriation Act, HB1 Article IX, Sec.17.27, Case Management System Transition, the Agency is mandated to engage in planning activities that outline and support a new system that is more efficient, interoperable, and secure.

DFPS may use this information to develop one or more procurements for the development of a new case management system.

HHSC is authorized to engage with vendors through this RFI by Texas Government Code Section 2155.090(b). HHSC will conduct this RFI and engage with the vendor community in accordance with the Health and Human Services (HHS) Vendor Interaction Policy, available on the HHS website at:

https://hhs.texas.gov/sites/default/files/documents/doing-business-with-hhs/vendor-contract-information/vendor-interaction-policy.pdf

1.1 Purpose

DFPS is issuing this Request for Information (RFI) to obtain insight and information from the vendor community regarding solution options for a new case management system that meets federal requirements for CCWIS as well as efficient, secure, and interoperable.

DFPS is considering case management systems options that are cloud-based and market ready.

DFPS is exploring vendor community perspectives to inform its approach before embarking on the formal Request for Offer (RFO) process. This request for information does not obligate DFPS to release an RFO or award a contract. The decision to issue an RFO based on the information collected through this RFI rests solely at the discretion of DFPS. Vendors not responding to this RFI are not precluded from responding to the RFO.

We encourage Respondents with experience in specific segments of the products and services described in this RFI to provide their insights into case management system development efforts to include development of CCWIS systems.

1.2 Background

Today, IMPACT is DFPS’ official case management system of record. It is a browser-based information system built to aid DFPS in its core mission to protect fellow Texans from abuse, neglect, and exploitation. IMPACT records intakes, investigations, and case https://hhs.texas.gov/sites/default/files/documents/doing-business-with-hhs/vendor-contract-information/vendor-interaction-policy.pdf https://hhs.texas.gov/sites/default/files/documents/doing-business-with-hhs/vendor-contract-information/vendor-interaction-policy.pdf management activities for Statewide Intake (SWI), Child Protective Investigations (CPI), Child Protective Services (CPS) and Adult Protective Services (APS). It also includes financial processing to pay for services provided to those served by DFPS.

DFPS seeks to transition from the IMPACT system to a solution for a Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS) or Software as a Service (SaaS) system that is efficient, secure, and interoperable. The new system must support federal requirements; facilitate CCWIS compliance; meet the needs of internal and external stakeholders; and be tailored to meet State of Texas legislative mandates as well as DFPS policy requirements.

DFPS intends for the new CCWIS compliant case management system to include:

a. State and federal requirements,

b. Improved workflows,

c. Features and functions which maximize efficiency, i.e., reporting dashboards, artificial intelligence tools, digital signature capabilities, offline/mobile app capabilities; and

d. Data sharing capabilities to include bidirectional exchanges.

The functional requirements desired are described in more detail in Exhibit A.

DFPS may use responses from this RFI to evaluate potential solutions for a new case management system.

1.3 Definitions and Acronyms

Table 1: Definitions and Acronyms

Acronyms Definition ACF Administration for Children and

Families: Division of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that provides assistance to programs such as child welfare, foster care, adoptions, and child abuse.

API Application Programming Interface: A type of software interface, offering a service to other pieces of software.

CCWIS Comprehensive Child Welfare Information System COTS Commercial Off The Shelf: refers to system software applications that are fully developed but need customization to meet the customer’s needs.

DFPS Department of Family and Protective Services: An executive agency of the State of Texas responsible for Child Welfare and Adult Protection services.

ESBD Electronic State Business Daily FFPSA Family First Prevention Services Act HHSC Health and Human Services Commission https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=cb23dc80972dbef4JmltdHM9MTcxMzc0NDAwMCZpZ3VpZD0yYzkyZmFmNy01NjE5LTZhMGMtMDJmZi1lZTkxNTc2YzZiMmMmaW5zaWQ9NTY0MQ&ptn=3&ver=2&hsh=3&fclid=2c92faf7-5619-6a0c-02ff-ee91576c6b2c&u=a1L3NlYXJjaD9xPVNvZnR3YXJlJTIwaW50ZXJmYWNlJTIwd2lraXBlZGlhJmZvcm09V0lLSVJF&ntb=1 https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=c15aa6221be36c83JmltdHM9MTcxMzc0NDAwMCZpZ3VpZD0yYzkyZmFmNy01NjE5LTZhMGMtMDJmZi1lZTkxNTc2YzZiMmMmaW5zaWQ9NTY0Mg&ptn=3&ver=2&hsh=3&fclid=2c92faf7-5619-6a0c-02ff-ee91576c6b2c&u=a1L3NlYXJjaD9xPVNvZnR3YXJlJTIwd2lraXBlZGlhJmZvcm09V0lLSVJF&ntb=1

Acronyms Definition IMPACT Information Management Protecting Adults and

Children: The system in which Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) staff record and manage casework related activities.

NYTD National Youth in Transition: A system that collects data on youth in foster care and their outcomes.

Respondent The entity responding to this solicitation.

Request for Information An informational document used for market research to gain general information about available products and services.

SaaS Software as a Service SACWIS Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information

System SSCCs Single Source Continuum Contract PaaS Platform as a Service

2. General Instructions and Response Requirements

DFPS is seeking a better understanding in the areas listed in Table 2: Solution Details, Table 3: General Information from Respondent, and Table 4: Other Requirements.

Respondents are requested to submit a detailed response to this RFI by providing responses to the elements listed in Table 2: Solution Details, Table 3: General Information from Respondent, and Table 4: Other Requirements below. Respondents may address each question at their discretion and are not required to answer all questions to submit a response to this RFI.

Table 2: Solution Details

Solution Details

1. Describe your case management solution. Explain the modules of the solution and the dependency of modules in implementation (if any).

2. If your solution is SaaS or PaaS, please describe how you implemented your solution for other child welfare agencies.

3.

What are the hardware and software requirements necessary to support your solution(s)? Include any other supplemental/third party software or services.

4. Explain the type of license model your platform/services/product will require to establish and maintain a case management system solution.

5. Explain key risks/issues that you have encountered in previous case management system implementations.

6. Describe your approach to effectively mitigate/resolve these risks and issues in previous case management system implementations.

Solution Details

7.

Please explain your approach to data migration from an existing Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System (SACWIS) solution to your CCWIS solution. Please include data migration/data synchronization approach during your implementation.

8. If your approach to migration is modular, explain how migration will be managed for each module.

9.

If your approach to migration is modular, please explain how you will continue to synchronize data throughout the development and implementation of subsequent modules.

10. Please provide business architecture and system architecture depictions of your modules/components and services of your solution.

11. Describe your approach to maintenance and operations of a new system to include post deployment, and then for the lifetime of the system.

12.

Explain how your solution meets key requirements of CCWIS principles of Modularity, Interoperability, Business Rules Management, Data Quality, Reporting, Automation, and Mobility.

13. Discuss the configurability/customization approach of the proposed solution to meet the needs of CCWIS.

Table 3: General Information from Respondent

General Information from Respondent

1. Provide a concise overview of the Respondent’s organization, client base, financial stability, and historical background. Avoid the use of generalized marketing content in your response.

2. Provide a statement summarizing the State of Texas’ security standards and cybersecurity confirming the Respondent understands and complies with State of Texas standards.

3. Demonstrate Respondent’s experience with state child welfare programs, operations, and systems (SACWIS and CCWIS). Outline the states where you have experience to include a description of the services/products provided to those states. Where relevant, provide insights into successful Respondent initiatives that have notably contributed to enhancing operational efficiency for a state’s CCWIS implementation.

Table 4: Other Requirements

Other Requirements

1. Provide the Respondent’s experience with adherence to the State of

Texas’ requirements and procedures as they relate to services performed under a Texas state contract. Describe the Respondent’s experience staffing a project of this size with the Respondent’s personnel.

Other Requirements

2. Add any additional comments or recommend alternative options as considered suitable that leverage Respondent’s industry knowledge and expertise and aim to provide additional value to the DFPS and State of Texas at large.

2.1 General Information

The following is a list of general information to help the Respondent in providing additional information.

a. This RFI is issued to obtain information on a modular, scalable, and configurable case management system. All interested parties are encouraged to respond to this

RFI.

b. This RFI does not constitute a solicitation of proposals, a commitment to conduct procurement, or an offer of a contract or prospective contract. DFPS or HHSC will not award a contract directly as a result of this RFI. DFPS or HHSC will not be liable for any costs incurred by Respondents in the preparation and submission of information in response to this RFI.

c. All information received by HHSC or DFPS becomes the property of DFPS or

HHSC and will not be returned to the sender. There will be no acknowledgement by DFPS of receipt of the information. Acceptance of responses to this RFI places no obligations of any kind upon DFPS or HHSC.

d. The descriptions presented in this RFI are tentative and may undergo change prior to actual release of any potential Request for Information (RFI) related to the scope of this RFI. It is not the intent of DFPS to provide answers, but if additional information is issued relating to the RFI, it will be made available on the Electronic State Business Daily (ESBD).

2.2 Response Submission, Date, Time, and Location

DFPS welcomes written responses and comments related to this RFI by:

July 12, 2024 10:30 AM Central Time

Responses must be submitted via e-mail to HHSC’s designated point-of-contact, as identified in Section 2.3, Designated Point of Contact. Faxed responses or verbal inquiries will not be accepted. It is not the intent of DFPS or HHSC to respond to comments or questions, but if additional information is issued relating to the RFI, it will be made available on the Electronic State Business Daily (ESBD).

https://www.txsmartbuy.com/esbd

2.3 Designated Point of Contact

HHSC’s official single point of contact for this RFI and the delivery point for all responses and correspondence is:

Andrick Reese, CTCD, CTCM

HHS Procurement and Contracting Services Texas Health & Human Services Commission

1100 W 49th Street Austin, TX 78756

Phone: (512) 406-2606 e-mail: Andrick.Reese@hhs.texas.gov

All communications relating to this RFI must be directed to the HHSC contact person named above. All communications between Respondents and other HHSC or DFPS staff members concerning this RFI are strictly prohibited.

2.4 Response Format

All responses must be:

a. Clearly labeled with Respondent’s name in document title;

b. Clearly legible;

c. In searchable .pdf format;

d. Sequentially page-numbered and include the Respondent’s name at the top of each page;

e. Correctly identified with the RFI number and submittal deadline;

f. In Times New Roman font, size 12 for normal text, no less than size 10 for tables, graphs, and appendices;

g. Submitted by email; and

h. Limited to 40 pages for the RFI written response, not including the responses in Exhibit A.

DFPS and HHSC will not accept any submission or portion of a submission containing a copyright.

All pages of the response should include the RFI title consistently in either the footer or header of each page. Respondents should submit supporting material, if any, as attachments along with RFI responses. All proposals become the property of DFPS and HHSC after submission.

2.5 Texas Public Information Act

A response submitted to this RFI is subject to the Texas Public Information Act (the Act), located in Texas Government Code Chapter 552 and may be disclosed to the public upon request. Subject to the Act, Respondents may protect trade secrets and confidential http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/DocViewer.aspx?K2DocKey=odbc%3a%2f%2fTCAS%2fASUPUBLIC.dbo.vwTCAS%2fGV%2fS%2fGV.552%40TCAS2&QueryText=552&HighlightType=1 information from public release. If the Respondent asserts that information provided in the proposal is trade secrets or other confidential information, such information must be clearly marked in boldface type and include the words “confidential” or “trade secret” at top of the page. Furthermore, the Respondent must identify trade secret or confidential information and provide an explanation of why the information is excepted from public disclosure on the Respondent Information and Disclosures form. Marking information as “confidential” or “trade secret” does not guarantee or ensure that the Texas Attorney General will except such information from public disclosure under the Act. HHSC shall have no liability to any Respondent for complying with the Act.

HHSC will process any request from a member of the public in accordance with the procedures outlined in the Act. Respondents should consult the Texas Attorney General’s website (www.oag.state.tx.us) for information concerning the Act and its application to proprietary information and potential exceptions to public disclosure that may be available to Respondent.

2.6 Disclaimers

DFPS or HHSC, at its sole discretion, may or may not issue a related solicitation or may issue multiple solicitations based on the responses to this RFI. Responding to this RFI is not a condition for eligibility to respond to any subsequent solicitation. Responses to this RFI will not have any bearing, positive or negative, on the evaluation and Respondent selection resulting from any proposals that may be received in response to any subsequent solicitation. By issuing this RFI and receiving responses, HHSC does not commit to issue a future solicitation regarding the subject matter of this RFI. HHSC may withdraw or cancel this RFI at any time in its sole discretion.

Any information received from Respondents to the RFI in any form may be used by DFPS or HHSC without restriction for any purpose determined by DFPS or HHSC.

2.7 Acceptance of Terms and Conditions

Respondent indicates its agreement to the terms and conditions of this RFI by submitting a response to this RFI to HHSC/DFPS. If a vendor does not agree to the terms and conditions of this RFI, the vendor should not submit a response to this RFI to

HHSC/DFPS.

http://www.oag.state.tx.us/

3. List of Exhibits

A. Exhibit A- Functional Requirements and Enhancements

B. Exhibit B- Relevant CCWIS Requirements

C. Exhibit C- IMPACT Statistics

Exhibit A: Functional Requirements and Enhancements

DFPS would like to retain the following summary level functionality from the current IMPACT system to support Federal and State mandated requirements, court orders and DFPS policy. Please indicate in the response column if your product meets the stated requirement.

Yes = existing functionality; No = functionality does not exist in system.

High Level Functions

High Level Requirements Response Y/N

Comments

Portal for Mandatory Reporters

a. Online portal for mandatory and non-mandatory reporters to make reports of abuse/neglect regarding children, adults, and certain licensed facilities.

Intake a. Screen-in and screen-out CPS, and licensing reports.

Investigation a. Alternative response;

b. Investigative response (CPS, APS, Licensing);

c. Assessments (Risk, Safety)

d. Investigation findings and disposition;

e. Investigation services;

f. Closure letters;

g. Appeals;

h. Investigation; and

i. Expungement of ruled-out and unsubstantiated allegations.

Case Management

a. In-home services (Family Based Safety Services);

b. Out of home services (Conservatorship);

c. Permanency planning;

d. Preparation for Adult Living services;

e. Legal custody, removal;

f. Placement;

g. Integration with Child Welfare Contributing Agency;

h. Court;

High Level Requirements Response Y/N

Comments

i. Assessments;

j. Case Contacts;

k. Service provider payment referrals;

l. Monitored return to home after removal;

m. Monitored return to home after removal;

n. Family and child service planning and logs; and

o. Comprehensive case history.

Adoption a. Post adoption case and adoption subsidy payments;

b. Placement;

c. Child service planning; and

d. Post adoption services.

Guardianship a. Post Guardianship subsidy and service.

Eligibility a. Eligibility determination of multiple state and federal programs with rules engine

Finance a. Invoice generation;

b. Maintenance payments based on several different models (traditional, blended rate, kinship, and service driven);

c. AAP/PCA subsidy payments, payments to services;

d. Underpayments, overpayments, and recoupment process;

e. Funding sources; and

f. Funds allocation to various sources depending on eligibility status.

Resource (Provider) Management

a. Home study;

b. Home approvals;

c. Licensing status and related information;

d. Training documentation; and

e. Appeals.

High Level Requirements Response Y/N

Comments

Person Management

a. Person record with demographics and other supporting records to include:

1. Health;

2. Medical consenter;

3. Education;

4. Income and resources;

5. Missing child;

6. Trafficking history; and

7. Sexual incident history -victim/perpetrator.

b. Person merge/split.

Kinship Care a. Home study;

b. Home approvals;

c. Training documentation; and

d. Monitoring.

Staff Management

a. User security profiles;

b. Tasks and assignments;

c. Workload management: assignments, alerts; and

d. Case management approval workflow.

Common Functions

a. Person and staff search;

b. Abuse and neglect records check; and

c. State and Federal criminal history records check.

Federal Reporting

a. AFCARS;

b. NCANDS; and

c. NYTD.

Management Reports

a. Summary and detailed statistical reports;

and

b. Canned forms and reports.

Document Management

a. Storage of digital scans of external documentation; and

b. Process for requesting case file redactions and case records.

High Level Requirements Response Y/N

Comments

Portals a. Portal to facilitate and track completion of certain critical trainings completed by caregivers; and

b. Portal for child welfare contributing agencies to provide vacancy information to assist with matching children in need of placement to available placements.

Enhancements

We have identified a list of additional needs that will assist in transforming to a reliable, trustworthy case management system:

High Level Requirements Responses Y/N

Comments

Mobile Application

a. Application accessible via mobile device (phone/tablet)

Offline Access a. Ability to access case information without Internet connection

Real Time Dashboards & Reporting

a. Customizable and exportable view of critical tasks/reporting in real time

Reminders & Alerts

a. Provided via multiple avenues – Outlook, text, etc.

Information Access for Non-

DFPS

Employee Partners

a. Provide access for non-DFPS employees to the case management system.

Provide ability to manage external users and their organizations, assign case-specific and non-case specific roles and specified rights.

Provider Management

a. Support a three-tiered provider management framework to track and manage relationships between: Child Welfare Contributing Agencies, Child Placing Agencies, and individual foster care providers.

Foster Youth Portal

a. Ability for foster youth to access their information and resources

High Level Requirements Responses Y/N

Comments

Digitized Educational Portfolio

a. Digital view of educational information with simple document upload

Digitized Forms a. Generation of prefilled forms, integrated digital signatures, and electronic delivery of completed forms

Highly Configurable

a. Minimize hard coding and allow configurations to be managed via a.

configuration manager

Interoperability a. Bidirectional data exchanges with DFPS internal systems, DFPS external partners, and other state agencies

Data Quality a. Automated function to monitor and support data quality activities

Streamlined Person and Case Merge Process

a. Simplify and reduce complexity of case and person merge

Streamlined Contact Entry for case notes

a. Simplify contact entry for case notes and enhance ability to review contact logs using Artificial Intelligence.

In-App Support

a. Allow users to get help without leaving the app. Include features such as chatbot, knowledge bases, FAQs, and support messaging.

Audit Framework

a. Provide an easy to access audit log for all transactions.

Efficient Case History Mining

a. Efficiently view pertinent case history in one place.

Exhibit B: Relevant CCWIS Requirements

CCWIS Requirements per Final Rule 45 CFR 1355.50 through 1355.59 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/subtitle-B/chapter-XIII/subchapter-G/part-1355/section-1355.52

Exhibit C: IMPACT Statistics

Table 5: User Statistics (Point in Time)

User/Transaction Metric

Number of Concurrent Users Per Second

(Number of users logged into IMPACT at the same second.)

Number of Concurrent Transactions Per Hour

(Number of times users hit the “Enter” or “Save” or similar key on average within an hour.)

2,000

Total User Population

(Number of users with access rights to IMPACT.)

12,000

Total Number of Active Users

(Number of users actively logging into IMPACT.)

7,000 – 8,000

Source: Stress testing

Table 6: Annual Case Statistics (FY 2023)

Program Metric

Intakes (number of intakes/reports documented in IMPACT for reports of abuse/neglect}

Child Protective Investigations:

311,000

APS: 120,000

Provider Investigations: 14,000

Child Care Facilities: 6,000

Licensed Day Care Facilities: 2,000

Residential Child Care Facilities:

4,000

Child Investigations (number of abuse/neglect investigations conducted)

Child Protective Investigations:

164,000

Day Care Investigations: 1,600

Residential Care Investigations:

2,800

Adult Investigations (number of adult abuse/neglect investigations conducted)

84,000

Family Based Services (number of families receiving preservation services)

19,000

Children/Youth in Conservatorship (number of children/youths in DFPS custody)

32,000

Source: DFPS Data Book (texas.gov) https://www.dfps.texas.gov/About_DFPS/Data_Book/default.asp