In-Home_Crisis_Stabilization_Services_(Addendum_#1_Revision).pdf

COUNTY OF ORANGE

HEALTH CARE AGENCY

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)

FOR

IN-HOME CRISIS STABILIZATION SERVICES

RFP NO. 042-2930601-DV

RESPONSES MUST BE SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY TO:

https://secure.procurenow.com/portal/ocgov https://secure.procurenow.com/portal/%7bproject.government.code%7d

County of Orange RFP

Health Care Agency - In-Home Crisis Stabilization Services, 042-2930601-DV

County of Orange

Health Care Agency

Procurement and Contract Services

405 W. 5th Street

Santa Ana, CA

92701

SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES

Release of RFP Solicitation January 21, 2026

Question Submission Deadline February 11, 2026, 4:00pm

Proposal Submission Deadline February 18, 2026, 4:00pm

Interviews with the Top Ranked

Firm(s)

March 10, 2026, 10:00am

Note: The proposed schedule is subject to change.

Any changes to the schedule for the RFP process will be issued to all Respondents via addenda on County's eProcurement Portal.

PROPOSALS MUST BE RECEIVED ON

OR BEFORE

Wednesday, February 18, 2026

4:00 pm

SECTIONS

SECTION 1. INTRODUCTION AND INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPONDENTS

SECTION 2. PROTEST PROCEDURES

SECTION 3. SCOPE OF WORK

SECTION 4. PROPOSAL SCORING CRITERIA

SECTION 5. OCLSB AND DVBE PREFERENCE POLICIES CERTIFICATION

REQUIREMENTS

SECTION 6. VENDOR RESPONSES

Attachments:

A - Model Contract

SECTION 1. INTRODUCTION AND INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPONDENTS

County of Orange, Health Care Agency (hereinafter referred to as “County”), is soliciting proposals from qualified firms (hereinafter referred to as “Respondents”) for In-Home Crisis

Stabilization Services, which include psychoeducation / teaching the family coping strategies, intensive short-term (3 weeks) support, individual and family therapy, and crisis assessments

(Lanterman-Petris-Short (LPS) evaluations). The program provides support in obtaining state benefits, accessing resources, and connecting individuals to more suitable and less restrictive care options. The program provides support to the mobile Crisis Assessment Team (CAT team), Psychiatric Emergency Team (PET Team), County outpatient clinics, Children's Hospital of

Orange County Emergency Department (CHOC ED), Adult and Adolescent Crisis Stabilization

Units (CSU) and inpatient hospitals. Respondents must meet the minimum qualifications and requirements as set forth within this Request for Proposal (RFP) and be capable of providing services identified in the Scope of Work herein.

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

Wednesday, February 11, 2026, before 4:00 pm as specified in the solicitation. Respondents are not to contact other County personnel with any questions or clarifications concerning this solicitation. Verbal clarifications or responses will not be considered binding.

County expects the successful Respondent to provide the services in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in Attachment A, Model Contract.

1.1 INTRODUCTION

County of Orange (County) Health Care Agency (HCA) is seeking proposals from qualified organizations to provide In-Home Crisis Stabilization Services (IHCS). The primary goal of this program is to provide in-home crisis stabilization to Severely Mentally Ill (SMI) and Seriously

Emotionally Disturbed (SED) individuals to stabilize a crisis event and divert from psychiatric hospitalization.

1.2 COUNTY HOLIDAYS DURING SOLICITATION PERIOD

During this solicitation period, the Health Care Agency will be closed on the following County holidays:

• February 12, 2026, Lincoln's Birthday

• February 16, 2026, Washington's Birthday

• May 25, 2026, Memorial Day

1.3 INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPONDENTS AND PROCEDURES FOR SUBMITTAL

A. Proposals are to be uploaded via County's online bidding system at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/ocgov. This is a fully electronic Request for

Proposals (RFP). Respondents must submit their proposals online via County's online bidding system. Only electronic proposals will be accepted. Facsimile and email proposals https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/ocgov https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/ocgov will NOT be allowed. For assistance on uploading proposals via County’s online bidding system, please contact procurement-support@opengov.com or https://help.procurement.opengov.com/en/. Note: Allow sufficient time to upload all required files. County’s online bidding system will not allow any uploads after the due date and time specified herein, e.g., if Part 1 and 2 uploaded successfully at 3:58:38 P.M. and

Part 3 is in progress of being uploaded at 4:00:01 P.M., Part 3 will not upload successfully.

B. Examine the RFP Documents and the site of the proposed work carefully before submitting a Proposal for the work contemplated. Investigate the conditions to be encountered, as to the character, quality, and quantities of work to be performed and materials to be furnished and as to the requirements of all RFP Documents. County has attempted to provide all information available. It is the responsibility of each Respondent to review, evaluate, and, where necessary, request any clarification prior to submission of a Proposal. If any person contemplating submitting a response to this RFP is in doubt as to the true meaning of any part of the solicitation documents attached hereto or finds discrepancies in or omissions from the specifications, they may submit a written request for clarification/interpretation to the County Deputy Purchasing Agent (DPA) via County’s online bidding system under the bid page for this RFP.

If clarification or interpretation of this solicitation is considered necessary by County, an addendum shall be issued, and the information will be posted via County’s online bidding system. Any interpretation of, or correction to, this solicitation shall be issued by the DPA.

It is the responsibility of each Respondent to periodically check County’s online bidding system to ensure that they have received and reviewed any and all addenda to this solicitation.

County is not responsible for any other explanations, corrections to, or interpretations of the documents, including any oral information. If an addendum is issued, Respondents must acknowledge the addendum via County’s online bidding system.

All questions or requests for interpretations must be received by Wednesday, February 11, 2026, before 4:00 pm. The DPA will provide all official communication concerning this

RFP. Any County response relevant to this solicitation other than through or approved by the DPA is unauthorized and will be considered invalid.

C. Proposals must be valid for a period of at least three hundred sixty-five (365) calendar days from the Proposal Submission Deadline. No Proposal may be withdrawn after the submission deadline.

D. All pages must be numbered and identified sequentially by section. Proposals must be tabbed and indexed in accordance with the information requested in the Proposal Response

Requirements Section. It is imperative that all Respondents comply, exactly and completely, with the instructions set forth herein. All responses to this solicitation shall be mailto:procurement-support@opengov.com https://help.procurement.opengov.com/en/ type written or word-processed (except where otherwise provided or noted), concise, straightforward, and must fully address each requirement and question. Although not as a substitute for a complete written response, additional material, such as technical documents, may be referenced in any response if the material is included in the same section as additional information.

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

7920 et seq.) (PRA) and will be disclosed or withheld in accordance therewith. County shall not be liable in any way for disclosure of any such records. Additionally, all Proposals shall become the property of County.

Respondents should not request that certain information be treated as exempt, and statements in the Proposals should not be marked as confidential or proprietary.

F. Each Respondent shall exercise reasonable care and diligence to avoid submitting a

Proposal that could result in a conflict of interest if Respondent were to be selected. This obligation shall apply to Respondent, Respondent’s employees, agents, and relatives, sub-contractors, and third parties associated with accomplishing work and services in Proposal.

In the event Respondent has done work for County on this Project in the past or has reason to believe that a conflict of interest may exist for Respondent in regard to this Project, Respondent should consult with its legal counsel prior to responding to this solicitation.

Any Respondent who is found to have an actual conflict of interest may have its Proposal rejected on that ground.

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

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

Economic Interest (Form 700).

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

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

G. By submitting a Proposal, Respondent represents that it thoroughly examined County’s requirements, is familiar with the services required under this solicitation and is qualified and capable of providing the services to achieve County’s objectives.

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

Responses Section, “Statement of Compliance.”

I. Deleted in accordance with Addenda No. 1.

J. Any Proposal may be construed as non-responsive and ineligible for consideration if it does not comply with the requirements of the solicitation. Failure to comply with the technical features and acknowledgment of receipt of addenda are common causes for holding a Proposal nonresponsive.

K. Where two or more Respondents desire to submit a single Proposal in response to this solicitation, they must do so on a prime/subcontractor basis rather than as a joint venture.

County intends to contract with a single organization that may subcontract with multiple organizations (team) but not with multiple organizations doing business as a joint venture.

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

M. County requires a valid UEI number and full registration prior to Contract

Award. Respondent must obtain one at no cost at www.usfcr.com. If Respondent is unable to provide/obtain a UEI number, please indicate so in your proposal submission response.

N. County reserves the right to: a) negotiate the final contract with any Respondent(s); b) withdraw this RFP in whole or part at any time without prior notice (County makes no representations that any contract will be awarded to any Respondent responding to this

RFP); c) award its total requirements to one Respondent or to apportion those requirements among two or more Respondents; d) reject any Proposal if it is conditional, incomplete or deviates significantly from the services requested in this RFP; and/or e) request Best and

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

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

Respondent.

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

P. After the Proposal Submission Deadline, evaluation and, if requested by County, interviews will commence. Respondents who submit proposals most responsive to

County’s requirements may be asked to give a presentation of their proposal to County staff. County makes no guarantee as to the number of Respondents selected for interviews.

Selected Respondents should be prepared to make its presentation within five (5) business days after notification and be prepared to discuss all aspects of its proposal in detail, including technical questions regarding the proposal. Respondents shall not be allowed to alter or amend its proposal through the use of the presentation process.

1.4 MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS/REQUIREMENTS

All timely submitted Proposals first will be evaluated by the DPA for the minimum RFP requirements set out below. The following are the submission requirements for a Respondent to be considered as an eligible candidate to be evaluated for the requested services described in this

RFP. Should any of this information be missing, Respondent may be deemed non-responsive.

Respondents only need to upload required documents once.

Respondent's Proposal shall meet the following minimum RFP Requirements to proceed to the

Evaluation Process Stage:

*Please note: These minimum qualifications must be verified for the Proposal to be deemed responsive. Any Proposal may be construed as non-responsive and ineligible for consideration if it does not comply with the requirements of the solicitation.

Respondents must meet the following minimum requirements listed below:

A. Respondent must not be listed on the current Cumulative Sanction List of the Office of the

Inspector General (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) or the General

Services Administration’s list of parties excluded from federal programs, or the California

Medi-Cal Suspended and Ineligible Provider List. Accordingly, County will not review any proposal submitted by an individual or entity found to be on any of these lists and the

Proposal will automatically be rejected. County will notify Respondent of this determination in writing. County plans to use the following databases to identify individuals and entities that are not eligible to contract with County:

1. https://exclusions.oig.hhs.gov/

2. https://sam.gov/search/

3. Medi-Cal Suspension Search Database https://exclusions.oig.hhs.gov/ https://sam.gov/search/

4. Social Security Administration's Death Master File

It is the sole responsibility of all Respondents to verify that they are not on any of these lists prior to preparing, and submitting, a proposal in response to this RFP. Correction of any error found on any of the lists, above is the sole responsibility of Respondent and must be made prior to submission of a proposal.

B. Respondent must not have any pending charge(s) or conviction(s) for violation of criminal law(s) and/or any sanction(s) or disciplinary action(s) imposed or taken against them by any federal or state law enforcement, regulatory or licensing agency or body, including exclusion from Medicare and Medicaid programs. Accordingly, all Respondents must self-disclose with explanation or deny the existence of this information pertaining to their principals, executives, and managers directly involved with the performance of the services solicited herein.

C. Respondent must have the ability to do business in Orange County, California, and must provide evidence of such ability.

D. Respondent must have a facility located in Orange County, California with office space suitable for Medi-Cal certification.

D. Respondent must have completed all required sections of the RFP, i.e., provided all required information and completed all required Exhibits.

E. Respondent must have completed all responses in Section 6, Part 1, Compliance

Statements.

F. Respondent must have Completed all responses in Section 6, Part 2, Organization Profile and References.

G. Respondent must have Completed all responses in Section 6, Part 3, Respondent's

Proposal.

H. Respondent must have provided copies of the following documents, including an index of all the documents included, and an explanation for any document requested but not provided.

1. If Incorporated

a. Articles of Incorporation executed by the Secretary of State, including all amendments.

b. By-laws, including all amendments.

c. Board of Directors resolution empowering a Corporate Officer either by title or individual name, to act on behalf of the organization by his/her signature alone (If applicable).

2. If not incorporated: Documentation empowering an Authorized Representative to act on behalf of the organization by his/her signature alone.

a. Fictitious Business Name statement filed with the County Clerk and proof of publication.

b. Partnership papers and/or joint venture contracts.

c. Evidence of federal/state tax status.

d. Business License/Certifications/Conditional Use Permits (CUP)

e. Table of Contents from the organization's policies and procedures manual covering daily operations and emergency procedures (medical, fire, etc.). If a policies and procedures manual does not exist, provide a plan and time frame for development.

f. Organizational chart that includes all programs, identifies the relationship of the proposed program to the overall organization, and identifies the reporting relationship of each staff position.

3. Recent financial statement prepared by an independent Certified Public Accounting

(CPA) firm.

4. Any audits, reviews, or inspection reports completed by a CPA firm, regulatory agency

(e.g., Occupational Safety and Health Administration), or other government agency within the last 12 months. IF THERE ARE NONE, PLEASE STATE SUCH IN THE

PROPOSAL REPONSE.

5. A description of any active litigation and resolution, performance issues and/or audit or review of any contractual documents (e.g., invoices, units of service reports, etc.)

within the last five (5) years that resulted in a corrective action plan, reimbursement of money to funder, investigation, and/or termination of any agreements or contracts between your organization and the County of Orange, other government entity, and/or private organization. Provide a copy of a letter from your organization’s attorney and/or in-house legal counsel concerning the status of lawsuits and pending litigation for the most recent year. IF THERE ARE NONE, PLEASE STATE SUCH IN THE

PROPOSAL RESPONSE. For each litigation and or performance issue include:

a. The type of contract, contract term (dates), funding amount and services provided.

b. The issues and circumstances.

c. How and when the issues were resolved

d. Your organization's plans to ensure that the issues will not re-occur in future contracts.

I. Respondent must have provided detailed information regarding past, current, or threatened litigation, liens, or claims (including claims filed or pending with Financial Industry

Regulatory Authority and/or with the Security Exchange Commission) within the past five

(5) years involving your company, or any company your company holds a controlling interest in, or any company that holds an interest in your company, or any of the principal officers of your company that has also involved the County of Orange or any of its officers or agencies. IF THERE ARE NONE, PLEASE STATE SUCH IN THE PROPOSAL

RESPONSE.

J. Respondent must have minimum five (5) years recent experience developing and implementing In Home Crisis Stabilization Services.

K. Proposals deemed to meet all minimum RFP requirements will move to the Evaluation

Process Stage.

1.5 EVALUATION PROCESS

Proposals shall be evaluated by an Evaluation Panel of job knowledge experts on the basis of the responses to the requirements in this RFP. County may request clarifications, or otherwise verify the contents of the Proposal, including information about Respondent, and proposed sub-contractors. County reserves the right to seek publicly available information about Respondents.

Respondent agrees that the submission of a Proposal is permission by Respondent for County to verify all information contained therein.

Proposals deemed to meet all minimum RFP requirements will be scored based on the established evaluation criteria and will be assigned points that measure the responsiveness to each identified criterion. The total number of points earned will be tallied for each Proposal, based upon

Respondent(s) submitted written materials.

The Evaluation Panel will evaluate the written materials solely on the quality of the responses to all questions and requirements of this RFP using the evaluation criteria. The total number of points earned for all criteria will be tallied for each proposal, and the proposals will be rank-ordered based upon the points earned.

Evaluation Process Stage

The evaluation process stage may be conducted in two phases. Phase 1 will be an evaluation of the written proposal based on the evaluation criteria for all Respondents and Phase 2 will be an evaluation of the interview/presentation for only the highest-rated Respondents in Phase 1 that are invited to participate in Phase 2. The Evaluation Panel has the right to determine whether to conduct Phase 2 and the number of Respondents who will participate in Phase 2 if conducted.

Please note that contract award will be made to the responsible Respondent whose proposal is most advantageous to County, taking into consideration the applicable evaluation criteria. Cost Proposal as an evaluation criterion does not require County to select Respondent with the lowest cost proposal.

Phase 1:

In Phase 1, written proposals will be scored by the Evaluation Panel using the established weighted criteria set out in Section 4. Proposal Scoring Criteria, which have been assigned points before the submission of proposal that measure the responsiveness to each criterion. Note: Scoring is based on evaluation of the Proposal as measured against the Proposal Scoring Criteria, which includes

County of Orange Procurement Preference Policy, in accordance with Sections 1.8-103 and 4.3-

112 of the 2024 Revised County Contract Policy Manual (CPM). A copy of the 2024 CPM can be found at https://cpo.ocgov.com/cpm.

The Evaluation Panel will evaluate the written materials solely on the quality of the responses to all questions and requirements of this RFP using the evaluation criteria. The total number of points earned for all criteria will be tallied for each proposal, and the proposals will be rank-ordered based upon the points earned.

Phase 2:

If the Evaluation Panel decides to conduct Phase 2, then the selected highest-ranked Respondent(s) from Phase 1 will be invited to participate in Phase 2. In Phase 2, Respondents must provide an oral interview/presentation on their proposed services. Respondents must be prepared to travel to

County at their own expense to make their interview/presentation within five (5) business days after notification by the DPA. Respondents must be prepared to discuss all aspects of their proposals in detail, including answering technical questions; however, Respondents are not allowed to alter or amend their proposal during the interview/presentation process.

Written Proposal Scoring: 900 points maximum

See "Proposal Scoring Criteria" section for categories and points.

Presentation/Interview Scoring: 100 points maximum

County reserves the right to conduct, or not to conduct, oral interviews/presentations with the highest-ranked Respondent(s). The decision whether to conduct oral interviews/presentations rests solely with County, and the decision of the DPA is final.

Please note that, if the Evaluation Panel does not conduct Phase 2, the total score for all

Respondents is the points awarded in Phase 1. If the Evaluation Panel does conduct Phase 2, Respondents that County elects not to invite to participate in Phase 2 will not have a total score.

1.6 SELECTION/AWARD PROCEDURES

Upon the completion of the evaluation process, the Evaluation Panel will make a recommendation for an award to DPA. Final award determination shall be subject to reference checks and past performance and may be subject to approval(s) by the County Board of Supervisors. In addition, County reserves the right to verify and validate any information prior to the Contract Award and during the entire term of the Contract.

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

RFP, including special conditions and requirements and those added by addendum, necessary attachments, and to reflect Respondent’s Proposal and qualifications.

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

If a satisfactory contract cannot be negotiated in a timely manner, County, in its sole discretion, may terminate negotiations with the selected Respondent and begin negotiations with the next

Respondent.

Exceptions to the terms and conditions of the proposed contract or the statements regarding

Respondent’s inability to comply with any of the provisions thereof are to be declared in the response to the RFP in the Section below titled: "VENDOR RESPONSES " subsection titled:

“Statement of Compliance”.

1.7 RIGHTS RESERVED TO COUNTY

County reserves the right to:

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

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

C. Seek publicly available information about Respondents.

D. Conduct, or not to conduct, oral interviews and/or presentations with the highest-ranked Respondent(s) and additional Respondents.

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

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

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

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

Respondent responding to this solicitation;

I. Award its total requirements to one Respondent or to apportion those requirements among two or more Respondents as County may deem to be in its best interests;

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

K. Request Best and Final Offer from any Respondent determined to be within the competitive range. Unless requested by County, late Best and Final Offers will not be accepted by

County for any reason. In addition, negotiations may or may not be conducted with

Respondents.

L. Defer award of this contract for a period of 180 days after the solicitation opening. During this period of time, Respondent shall guarantee the prices quoted in their Proposals. County and the lowest responsive, responsible Respondent may mutually agree in writing to a longer deferral period.

1.8 CONTRACT TERM AND FUNDING AVAILABILITY

County plans to contract with one qualified organization to provide the services described in this

RFP and reserves the right to make multiple awards to Respondents for services requested in the

RFP. At the discretion of County, the initial term of the contract resulting from this RFP may be renewed for an additional term or terms. Any renewal is contingent upon available funding, contractor performance, need for services, and County policies.

Successful Respondent is expected to accept the terms and conditions of Attachment A - Model

Contract, which contains the contracting requirements between County and Respondent regarding the provision of services solicited under this RFP.

Contracts resulting from this RFP shall be a cooperative contract and may be utilized by all County of Orange departments.

The provisions and pricing of any contract resulting from this RFP will be extended to other governmental entities. Governmental entities wishing to use the contract are responsible for issuing their own purchase documents, providing for their own acceptance, and making any subsequent payments. Respondent shall be required to include in any subordinate contract entered into with another governmental entities pursuant to the contract, a contract clause that will hold harmless the County of Orange from all claims, demands, actions or cause of actions of every kind resulting directly or indirectly, arising out of, or in any way connected with, the use of the contract. Failure to do so will be considered a material breach of the contract and grounds for immediate contract termination. Respondent is responsible for providing each governmental entity a copy of the contract upon request. County makes no guarantee of usage by other users of the contract.

Respondent shall be required to maintain a list of County of Orange departments and governmental entities using the contract. The list shall report dollar volumes spent annually and shall be provided on an annual basis to County, at County’s request.

Subordinate contracts must be executed prior to the expiration or earlier termination of the contract and may survive the expiration of the contract up to a maximum of one year; however, in no case shall a subordinate contract exceed five (5) years in duration.

The contract awarded through this RFP will be based on successful negotiations. Any contract resulting from this RFP is contingent upon sufficient funds being made available by federal, state, and/or county governments for the term of the contracts. County reserves the right to revise the contract terms stated in this RFP. Start-up funds are not available for these services.

1.9 TITLE VI SOLICITATION NOTICE

County of Orange, in accordance with the provisions of the Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of

1964 (78 Stat. 252, 42 USC §§ 2000d to 2000d-4) and the Regulations, hereby notifies all

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

1.10 DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY, INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE FORM

W-9/W-8 REQUIREMENTS

Effective June 3, 2006, all contractors, entering into a contract with County, who are not already established in Countywide ERP System as an Auditor-Controller vendor, will be required to submit to County a federal Form W-9, or form W-8 for foreign vendors. County will inform contractor, at the time of award, if the Form W-9 or W-8 will be required.

In order to comply with this County requirement, within ten (10) days of notification of selection of award of contract but prior to official award of contract, the selected contractor agrees to furnish to Contract administrator, DPA, or the agency/department deputy purchasing agent the required

W-9 or W-8.

1.11 LEVINE ACT REQUIREMENT

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

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

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

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

SECTION 2. PROTEST PROCEDURES

PROTEST PROCESS

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

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

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

C. The solicitation or contract number;

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

Protest of Solicitation Specifications:

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

Varela, at dvarela@ochca.com, no later than five (5) business days prior to the Proposal

Submission Deadline for the solicitation. Protests received after the five (5) business-day deadline will not be considered by the County.

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

Protest of Award of Contract:

A. Protests related to the award of a contract must be submitted to the DPA, Dana Varela, at dvarela@ochca.com, no later than five (5) business days after the Notice of Intent to Award is provided by the DPA.

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

Protest Process

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

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

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

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

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

Board, in accordance with the process stated below.

APPEALS PROCESS

A. If the protestor wishes to appeal the protest decision of the DPA, the protestor must submit, within three (3) business days from receipt of the DPA’s decision, a written appeal to the Office of the County Procurement Officer.

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

County of Orange/County Executive Office

County Procurement Office

400 W. Civic Center Drive, 5th Floor

Santa Ana, CA 92701

Attn: County Procurement Officer

CPOAppeals@ceo.oc.gov

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

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

SECTION 3. SCOPE OF WORK

3.1 GENERAL INFORMATION:

In-Home Crisis Stabilization Services, which include but are not limited to psychoeducation / teaching the family coping strategies, intensive short-term (typically about 3 weeks) support, individual and family therapy, and crisis assessments (LPS evaluations). The program provides support in obtaining state benefits, accessing resources, and connecting individuals to more suitable and less restrictive levels of care. The program provides support to the mobile Crisis

Assessment Team (CAT Team), Psychiatric Emergency Team (PET Team), County outpatient clinics, Children's Hospital of Orange County Emergency Department (CHOC ED), Adult and

Adolescent Crisis Stabilization Units (CSU), and inpatient hospitals.

The In-Home Crisis Stabilization Services (IHCS) program works with children and adults, focuses on clients' strengths, and is a family-focused, client-centered program where individualized, client driven treatment is provided. The program also focuses on meeting the needs of children who are seriously emotionally disturbed (SED) and/or have a serious mental disorder

(SMD) per the definition in California Code, Welfare and Institutions Code - (WIC) § 5600.3, and their families who have experienced a recent crisis event.

3.2 TARGET POPULATION

Children between the ages of zero (0) through seventeen (17) years and their families, Transitional

Aged Youth (18 through 25 years), and adults over 25 years who are currently or have recently experienced a crisis event and are at risk of psychiatric hospitalization or out of home placement for minors. The target population must reside in Orange County, California.

mailto:CPOAppeals@ocgov.com

3.3 SERVICES TO BE PROVIDED

The Program shall:

A. Provide services in-person.

B. Perform initial assessment of the individual, with the goal of identifying short-term or immediate needs as well as de-escalating the crisis.

C. Assess for medical necessity of Specialty Mental Health Services:

1. Pursuant to Welfare and Institutions Code section 14184.402(a), for individuals 21 years of age or older, a service is “medically necessary” or a “medical necessity” when it is reasonable and necessary to protect life, to prevent significant illness or significant disability, or to alleviate severe pain as set forth in Welfare and Institutions Code section 14059.5.

2. For individuals under 21 years of age, a service is “medically necessary” or a “medical necessity” if the service meets the standards set forth in Section 1396d(r)(5) of Title 42 of the United States Code. Services that sustain, support, improve, or make more tolerable a mental health condition are considered to ameliorate the mental health condition are thus medically necessary and covered as Early Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) services

D. Provide mental health crisis stabilization services including but not limited to, case management, therapy, crisis stabilization, assessment and treatment focusing on helping the client and family develop coping skills and developing the family's support systems, while promoting open communication among family members.

E. Provide case management services including linkage with long term treatment providers as clinically indicated.

F. Engage the client and client’s family in the home whenever possible. Services will be short-term and intensive in nature with a focus on resolving the current/recent crisis event within a three-week period; the length of time may be extended for clinical reasons with the concurrence of the Administrator. Services are to be provided twenty-four hours a day, seven (7) days a week, three hundred sixty-five days a year.

G. Services should include the ability to provide immediate response, within no more than two (2) hours of the request for service.

H. Have a 24-hour, seven (7) day per week, immediate response access line, shall provide intake sessions 24/7, and shall provide LPS assessments as needed.

I. Form a team consisting of a mental health and rehabilitation specialist, licensed / waivered

Licensed Professionals of the Healing Arts (LPHA), and Medi-Cal certified peer support that shall develop a service plan with input from the Client and the Client’s family or support system.

J. Organization shall ensure staff competency- all clinical staff shall be competent in treating severe mental health disorders, serve emotional health disorders and standalone severe substance use disorders.

K. Be capable to support and/or treat co-occurring care and Medication for Addiction

Treatment - must be able to screen, identify and refer to ongoing Medication for Addiction

Treatments as approved by the FDA and/or updated requirements by Department of Health

Care Services (DHCS). Have the capacity to treat standalone severe substance use disorders. Be familiar with County and community resources to provide support and treatment for substance use disorders.

L. Program personnel must be competent in treating severe mental health disorders, severe emotional health disorders and standalone severe substance use disorders. Staff are expected to also have the education and qualification to treat standalone severe substance use disorders.

3.4 PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES

A. Track rates for admissions and treatment length.

B. At least sixty percent (60%) of individuals admitted shall be successfully stabilized and safely remain within the community.

C. At least seventy-five percent (75%) of individuals will safely remain within the community and shall successfully link (keep appointment) to on-going behavioral health services within fourteen (14) calendar days of discharge.

D. At least eighty percent (80%) of crisis stabilization services shall be provided in person.

E. Maintain an average response time of seventy-five (75) minutes or less for individuals referred for services.

3.5 STAFFING REQUIREMENTS

Program staff must have the appropriate licenses, credentials and certifications to provide and bill for Medi-Cal Specialty Mental Health Services (SMHS) before providing services under the contract. Staff providing services should have the requisite qualification and experience needed to provide professional level and quality care to the members who receive such care. Staff must be able to provide culturally competent services to clients and be able to match services to diverse backgrounds. These personnel should be competent in treating severe mental health disorders, severe emotional health disorders and standalone severe substance use disorders. Staff must have the education and qualification to treat standalone severe substance use disorders.

Multilingual/Multicultural services shall be provided to meet the needs of threshold languages as determined by County and any other client language needs. Threshold languages include: Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), English, Farsi, Korean, Russian, Spanish, and Vietnamese.

Program Administration:

Program shall also recruit and retain staff with technical expertise to monitor and implement Medi-

Cal Fee for Service (FFS) billing and revenue cycle management. These staff shall ensure, at a minimum, that the program’s billing practices and service documentation standards comply with the current, appropriate DHCS Billing Manual, MEDCCC references, DHCS Behavioral Health

Information Notices, and/or guidance from the County. These staff shall also train other program staff as needed. Program may choose to subcontract out all or part of these services.

In addition, program shall recruit and retain staff to develop, modify and maintain the information system(s) used in the program. These staff shall ensure that systems remain functional, secure, and responsive to evolving organizational and regulatory requirements, thereby supporting operational efficiency, delivery of quality services, data integrity, and billing compliance/revenue cycle management. Program may choose to subcontract out all or part of these services.

The program must designate Quality Assurance (QA)/ Quality Improvement (QI) staff to oversee and manage the quality of care provided by the program, including access to care, clinical documentation of services, the performance outcomes listed above, and performance based on the

DHCS determined Behavioral Health Accountability Set (BHAS) measures, as applicable.

3.6 FACILITY REQUIREMENTS

Office space located in Orange County, California and suitable for Medi-Cal certification is required for administrative, staff use, and clinical use, including documentation and clinical records management. Services provided will be field based and primarily in person.

3.7 HOMELESS SERVICE SYSTEM PILLARS

Health Care Agency supports the County's effort to build a responsive System of Care that meets the needs of individuals and families experiencing homelessness by providing access to permanent housing and supportive services.

The Scope of Work and services outlined are in alignment with the Outreach and Supportive

Services Pillar and Housing Pillar from the Commission to End Homelessness Homeless Service

System Pillars Report. Health Care Agency and Respondents shall work to implement the principles and commitments of the Outreach and Supportive Services Pillar and the Housing Pillar, as applicable.

Respondent shall upload their completed Homeless Service System Pillars Attestation in the

Vendor Responses question.

SECTION 4. PROPOSAL SCORING CRITERIA

Phase 1 - Written Proposal Scoring: 900 points maximum

Phase 2 - Presentation/Interview Scoring: 100 points maximum

4.1 PHASE 1

No. Evaluation Criteria Scoring Method Weight (Points)

1. Respondent's Experience & Qualifications Points Based 150 (16.7% of Total)

2. Services Points Based 300 (33.3% of Total)

3. Performance Objectives Points Based 150 (16.7% of Total)

4. Staffing Points Based 200 (22.2% of Total)

5. Facility Points Based 100 (11.1% of Total)

4.2 PHASE 2

No. Evaluation Criteria Scoring Method Weight (Points)

1. Interview Scoring Format: 100 points maximum:

County reserves the right to conduct, or to not conduct, oral interviews and/or presentations with the highest-scored Respondent(s). The decision whether to conduct interviews/presentations rests solely with

County and the decision of the Evaluation Panel is final. Respondents shall be ready to attend interview within five (5) business days of notification. Any inquiry to determine the responsibility of a Respondent to this RFP may be conducted. Respondent agrees that the submission of a Proposal is permission by

Respondent for County to verify all information contained therein. If County believes it necessary, additional information may be requested from Respondent. County may also send written questions and ask for written responses within five (5) business days, none of which may alter or amend Respondent's proposal. Failure to comply with any such request may disqualify a Respondent from further consideration. Respondents must be prepared to discuss all aspects of their proposal in detail, including technical questions.

Respondents are not allowed to alter or amend their Proposal through the use of the presentation process.

NOTE: If interview/presentations are not conducted, the Written Proposal in Phase 1 shall constitute the total score.

Points Based 100 (100% of Total)

SECTION 5. OCLSB AND DVBE PREFERENCE POLICIES CERTIFICATION

REQUIREMENTS

County of Orange Local Small Business (OCLSB) Preference and Disabled Veteran

Business Enterprise (DVBE) Preference Policies Certification Requirements

5.1 OCLSB:

Effective January 1, 2020, County of Orange Board of Supervisors adopted the OCLSB Preference policy. Implementation of the OCLSB Preference policy supports local businesses, the local economy and the development of the County’s tax base.

To be certified as a Local Small Business by the County of Orange, a business shall meet (1) and

(2) below:

A. Local Business Requirements:

1. Maintains their principal center of operations (i.e. headquarters) within Orange County, and:

2. Has:

a. A business address located in the County of Orange that is not a post office box, or

b. A valid business license or certificate of occupancy issued by the County of Orange or by an Orange County city, or other documentation acceptable to the County of

Orange.

B. Small Business Requirements:

1. Must be certified as a Small Business by the State of California Department of General

Services (DGS): and, C. Above requirements must be valid at the time of bid/proposal submittal.

5.2 DVBE:

Effective January 1, 2021, County of Orange Board of Supervisors adopted the DVBE Preference policy.

The DVBE Preference policy supports local business opportunity, economy and the development of

County’s tax base, and in addition recognizes the service and sacrifice given by the men and women of our

Armed Forces.

To be certified as a Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise by the County of Orange, a business shall meet

(A) and (B) below:

A. Must be certified as a DVBE by the State of California Department of General Services (DGS);

and, B. DGS DVBE requirements must be valid at the time of bid/proposal submittal.

To participate as an OCLSB and/or DVBE please read and follow the process outlined in COUNTY OF

ORANGE LOCAL SMALL BUSINESS (OCLSB) AND DISABLED VETERAN BUSINESS

ENTERPRISE (DVBE)…