PBGR - Mental Health RFP, COGR 2nd Ward.docx

Request for Proposals

Mental Health Community Education and Support for the Second Ward

Submission Due Date: April 17, 2024, by 11:59 pm EST

Table of Contents

Request for Proposals

1.0 Purpose

A study conducted by the American Psychological Association found that 20% of all calls to law enforcement involve someone with a mental health crisis. A separate study revealed that during the COVID 19 pandemic in 2020 and years after, there was an increase of 22% in the number of mental health related calls made to police. The pandemic has caused a spike in mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, grief, trauma, and substance abuse. This has created a growing need for expanded access, education, alternative responses and interventions for those experiencing mental health crises.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3769782/ https://crimesciencejournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40163-021-00157-6

Community-based mental health support can play a crucial role in addressing the mental health challenges that have surfaced due to the pandemic. Community-based institutions, employers and members of the community are well-situated to provide immediate support and assistance to those in need. Recognizing the diversity of residents within the Second Ward, culturally relevant care is crucial. Culturally relevant care will ensure that the mental health support being offered is effective, relevant, and addresses the diverse backgrounds and experiences of community members.

To help address this concern, the City of Grand Rapids seeks a qualified person, organization, or firm (or collaboration thereof) to carry out a Mental Health Community Education and Support Program to provide upstream education, resources and training to organizations and individuals in the 2nd Ward that can strengthen the community’s networks and resilience to mental health crises. The proposer will carry this out by:

1. Working closely with existing mental health organizations and service providers to identify the needs of the 2nd Ward community

2. Implementing a general community educational campaign regarding personal and community mental health in the 2nd Ward

3. Implementing community, institutional and individual training program(s) to better prepare individuals and institutions to respond and support those in need of mental health support

4. Developing and implementing any additional evidence-based programs or activities that can be supportive to positive mental health

Proposers should be able to demonstrate how they can:

· Effectively design and implement community, institutional and individual educational and training programs designed to promote mental health awareness and positive interventions

· Collaborate and manage relationships with local mental health agencies and first responder departments as appropriate

· Track and report on preventative interactions and referrals for general mental health needs

2.0 Term of Contract

This contract shall become effective on execution and all work associated must be complete no later than December 31, 2026.

3.0 Guiding Principles

3.1 Racial Equity

The City seeks proposals that can advance racial equity in workforce development, access to services and community health outcomes. Proposals should demonstrate a commitment to ensuring that all members of the community, regardless of background or identity, will positively benefit from the services offered. Proposers should demonstrate how they intend to reach, engage, involve and partner with historically disenfranchised communities as part of this work, and how success will be measured.

3.2 Community Involvement

Proposers should demonstrate how they will regularly engage with and include a diversity of community members in the execution of the program.

4.0 Proposed Deliverables

The proposer will provide outreach an communication to residents in the Second Ward about the availability of the program using the most effective means for reaching targeted audiences, to include those that may traditionally be harder to reach. This includes renters, limited-English populations and those that may not have ready access to online resources. Grand Rapids Water Utility can assist and collaborate on promotional activities using City channels. The City will establish and maintain a website that can be used to support efforts as well. Activities should include:

· Work with community stakeholders and mental health organizations within the Second Ward to identify the mental health needs within the community.

· Work in partnership with existing mental health providers, healthcare systems, social service agencies, and community organizations to implement a community-based mental health awareness and educational campaign.

· Develop and/or implement a comprehensive and culturally competent mental health training program and community-based response/referral program.

· Create a network of trained volunteers and practitioners who can help to identify and respond to mental health needs of 2nd Ward residents.

· Develop and implement pilot programs or supportive activities that might enhance and support the general mental health of 2nd Ward residents

· Administrative costs for this program must be at or below 10% the award amount

5.0 Equity Plan

As you create your proposal, we encourage you to explicitly embed equitable approaches to the work plan, outcomes/deliverables, staffing strategies, community partnerships, contracting, budget, etc.

The Equity Plan must include, at a minimum, the following four components:

1. Current demographics of the project team and the entire organization/company. This includes the board, staff, and executive director (or lead/co-leads) if applicable. The City of Grand Rapids, per our strategic plan, breaks down all data by race, ethnicity, gender identity, and geography; therefore this is required demographic data.

2. If the project team is not complete and additional hiring/contracting would be necessary if the proposal is accepted and the contract awarded, include the specific recruiting plan to ensure the project team reflects the demographics and language needs of the people to be directly served by the project.

3. The City’s Strategic Plan, in combination with the City’s Professional Services Contracting administrative policy 73-09, is why the City requires that professional service providers (contractors) use their best efforts to subcontract, joint venture, or otherwise enter into business and partnership arrangements with diverse individuals, groups, and businesses. To help capture these efforts, list tentative, pending, and confirmed diverse community partners, subcontractors, and/or suppliers of the proposed project. If known and/or applicable, list the proposed dollar amount to be paid from the project budget, and confirm the organization or business is owned/led by Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), and/or Latinx persons. The total of what is listed will most likely not match the overall requested dollar amount. This part of the Equity Plan is to highlight the diversity and inclusiveness of partners, subcontractors, and suppliers.

Below are definitions for this part of the Equity Plan:

a. Tentative: Partner/business not contacted at the time of proposal submission, but will be contracted if awarded the contract.

b. Pending: Partner/business was contacted in preparation for proposal submission, and they are considering participating, but have not committed.

c. Confirmed: Partner/business agreed to subcontract/partner upon award of contract.

d. BIPOC or Latinx-owned business: BIPOC and/or Latinx persons or people have 51% or more ownership of a corporation or for-profit business.

e. BIPOC or Latinx-led organization: BIPOC and/or Latinx person or people represent 51% or more of the board and executive director (or similar top leadership) role of a non-profit organization or unincorporated group.

f. Partner: A person, group, or organization that has similar outcome goals to that of the project and will support the project in specific ways that are mutually beneficial. These are typically not paid directly from the proposed project budget. If paid, please see “Subcontractor” below.

g. Subcontractor: A person, group, or organization who will be paid in exchange for a professional service, such as evaluation, facilitation/instruction, or marketing. This also includes the context expertise of persons with lived experience serving on advisory boards who are not already paid to do so.

h. Supplier: A business or organization that provides products in exchange for payment, and is not part of the overall project development nor implementation, such as caterers, childcare providers for engagement meetings, etc.

4. If applicable, upload up to 3 documents with your response that verifies and shares the organization’s commitment to advancing DEI within the organization. Examples might include but are not limited to:

a. Equity or DEI statement

b. A DEI-related policy that is closely connected to the work of this proposed project

c. An annual report that features DEI outcomes

Please clearly label these documents so the selection committee can easily identify the attachments as DEI documentation as required for the Equity Plan portion of the proposal.

The selection committee will also consider how DEI is woven throughout the proposal, such as in the Budget, Deliverables, and Work Plan.

Completion of the Equity Plan is required of all submissions/proposals in response to this RFP. The City’s selection committee will review the Equity Plans when selecting the vendor for the provision of services. The submission of an Equity Plan will ensure the City has documented commitments from all organizations when awarded City-managed resources. All proposals without an Equity Plan will be considered, however, those proposals without an Equity Plan will receive a score of zero points for this section during the award evaluation process.

6.0 Budget

This contract shall not exceed $350,000 in total. The awarded funds must be utilized exclusively for contract execution; this means the payment to project staff, the purchase of any necessary equipment, facility expenses/overhead, the cost of hosting events, and any other costs that may be incurred while fulfilling the deliverables of the contract.

6.1 Proposed Budget

Respondents should include a proposed budget that uses generally accepted accounting practices to reflect estimated categorical expenses associated with fulfillment of the Contract.

6.2 Administrative Overhead

It is expected that no more than 10% of allocated operational funding will be used for administrative overhead associated with this Contract.

6.3 Fundraising

The Contractor is permitted to raise additional funds for support of this program if desired. The Contractor will assure that any fundraising activities associated with this program are compliant with Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

7.0 Qualifications & Work Plan

The submission of a proposal must include a complete work plan. A work plan must include project goals, objectives, proposed outcomes, and how these outcomes will be tracked. The work plan must also include:

A) Qualifications of the organization to perform the work as outlined in this RFP B) Names and qualifications of any current staff that would be supporting C) Organizational chart demonstrating how the work would be approached D) Examples of similar or reasonably related work completed by the organization E) Strategy for evaluation, data collection and reporting F) If applicable, any confirmed, prospective or tentative business/community partnerships or subcontractors you will or may use for the scope of work proposed. This should include:

a. Principal owner/director name

b. Name of business or organization

c. City and state of business/organization headquarters

d. Estimated payment from the allocated budget

e. Work the partner will perform G) Three professional references who can speak to the proposer’s capacity to execute the proposed scope of work. This may include current clients, previous or current funders, or business partners. Please include the following information for each reference:

a. Full name

b. Name of organization and role within the organization (if applicable)

c. Relation to proposer

d. E-mail address

e. Phone number

f. Language preferred H) Any supplemental information that the proposer feels is relevant to determining qualifications and capability to perform the work

8.0 Timeline

Proposal review/

General Instructions

All information in a Contractor’s response and submittals and any subsequent contract is subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 1976 no. 442, as amended, MCL 15.231 or the latest revision thereof. Potential Vendors shall note that pricing methods, cost and fee proposals, and any other response information related to pricing shall not be considered confidential information.

The City reserves the right to declare as non-responsive and reject any proposal in which the requested information is not provided or where indirect or incomplete answers of information are provided, or if departments are contacted prior to bid opening.

No separate agreements shall be recognized unless they are included in the proposal for analysis and review, prior to contract award. The City shall not be bound by any part(s) of any Potential vendor response to the RFP which contains information, options, conditions, terms, or prices not requested nor required in the RFP unless such conditions are agreed to by both parties prior to entering a contract.

The City of Grand Rapids “General Terms and Conditions” are hereby incorporated by reference. This signed and completed RFP document, along with the complete submitted response, will be included by reference as part of any contract document with the awarded vendor. Respondents must be legitimate OR credible providers of the products and services requested.

This Request for Proposal does not commit the City to award any contract, to pay any costs incurred in the preparation of a proposal under this request, or to procure a contract for services or supplies. The City reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals received as a result of this RFP, to negotiate with all qualified sources, and/or to cancel this RFP in part or in whole if it is in the best interest of the City to do so.

All documents and submittals provided with the RFP response shall become the property of the City, and shall be subject to public inquiry and distribution as required. Any response that is submitted in full as “confidential” or “proprietary” shall be rejected as non-responsive, with no exceptions.

All costs proposed shall remain firm for ninety (90) days from the date of the RFP opening.

Communication Restriction From the date that this RFP is issued until the date the Contract is awarded, interested parties should not contact any official or employee of the City for additional information concerning this RFP, except in writing directed only to the contact listed herein, or the City Purchasing Agent. Any requests for clarification or additional information regarding this RFP shall be directed in writing. If a prospective Proposer engages in any unauthorized communication, the City may reject that Respondent’s proposal(s).

Cost of Preparation The Respondent shall be responsible for any and all costs incurred in the development and submission of any response. The City assumes no contractual obligation as a result of the issuance of the solicitation, the preparation or submission of a response by a Respondent, the evaluation of an acceptable response, or the selection of finalists. The City shall not be contractually bound until the City and the successful Respondent have executed a written Contract for the performance of work.

Discrepancies or omissions If a Proposer should find discrepancies or omissions in these documents, he/she should at once notify the project buyer. The Proposer is required to furnish any information regarding any additional costs not covered herein by the City with their proposal. It is the City's intent for all costs to be included herein. Any costs not included herein may not be considered allowable costs under any contract.

Non-Collusion By signed submittal and completion of this document, the Proposer certifies that this proposal response is made without prior understanding, agreement, or connection with any corporation, firm, or person submitting a proposal for the same product and that this proposal is in all respects Legitimate, fair and not the result of any act of fraud or collusion with another person or firm engaged in the same line of business or commerce. The Proposer understands collusive bidding is a violation of Federal Law and that any false statement thereunder constitutes a felony and can result in fines, imprisonment, as well as civil damages.

RFP/Solicit Cancellation The City reserves the right to cancel this solicitation and/or any planned award for any or no reason as it deems in its own best interests, at no additional costs to the City. Such cancellation notice shall be provided to all respondents prior to the final contract execution.

Economy of Responses Responses and presentations should be prepared simply and economically, providing a straightforward and concise description of the Proposer’s capabilities to satisfy the requirements of the solicitation. Emphasis should be placed on completeness and clarity of content.

Multiple Responses Multiple responses or solutions, defined as the submission of two or more responses by the same Proposer offering an alternative that meets the requirements of the solicitation, will be considered. Multiple responses shall be submitted separately and will be evaluated as independent responses.

Reserved Rights The City of Grand Rapids reserves the right to request any additional information which might be considered necessary after responses are submitted as it deems it in its own best interests to do so.

Further, the City, as it deems in its own best interest, reserves the right to

The City reserves the right to check all references furnished and consider responses received in determining the award. The City reserves the right to perform investigations as may be deemed necessary by the City to assure that competent persons will be and are utilized in the performance of any Agreement and to verify the accuracy of the contents of responses.

Proposal Assistance

· Contact information for questions about this RFP Doug Matthews, Assistant City Manager City of Grand Rapids, MI

(616) 456-4536 Email: dmatthews@grand-rapids.mi.us

Any formal requests for clarification, questions, or additional information regarding this solicitation shall be submitted in writing, within a reasonable timeframe, per the following contact information.

Any questions received will be responded to in a timely manner. Any and all questions, requests for clarification, or additional information received by the City regarding this RFP will not be considered confidential in any way, shape, or form. Questions in reference to this RFP are due on or before March 8, 2024. Answers to all questions will be released on or about March 13, 2024.

· Contact information for assistance with Bidnet registration and submittals Tony Wojciakowski, Purchasing Agent, Purchasing Department City of Grand Rapids, MI Phone: (616) 456-4178 Email: awojciak@grcity.us

· Contact information for vendor registration in the CGI A360 financial system Tom Komor City of Grand Rapids, MI 616-456-3772 tkomor@grand-rapids.mi.us

Addendum The City will issue responses to inquiries and any other corrections or amendments it deems necessary in written addenda prior to the response due date. Any such Addendum or correction shall be provided directly through the BidNet Direct Solution and on the City’s webpage. Respondent should not rely on any representations, statements, or explanations other than those made in this RFP or in any written Addendum to this solicitation. Where there appears to be a conflict between the RFP and any Addenda issued, the last Addendum issued shall prevail.

It is the Proposer’s responsibility to assure receipt of all Addenda. The Proposer should verify with the BidNet Direct Solution site or the City website prior to submitting a response that all Addenda have been received. Proposers are required to acknowledge the number of Addenda received as part of their responses.

Proposers who obtain copies of this Proposal from sources other than the BidNet Direct Solution or the City website risk the potential of not receiving addenda, since their names will not be included on the vendor list for this particular solicit. Such Proposers are solely responsible for those risks.

Submittals Deadline The City requires submittal of a response either through uploading the complete response through the BidNet Direct solution (https://www.bidnetdirect.com/mitn), OR by submittal of the complete response in a digital media format (on flash drive or other media) OR by hard copy/paper form to the address provided herein (via in-person delivery, USPS or other delivery service), by the submittal due date. Responses should contain the elements of information requested. Submission of a proposal shall be conclusive evidence that the Proposer has investigated and is satisfied as to the conditions to be encountered in performing the work.

Responses provided via mail or commercial express service must be shipped in one box or package with the following information prominently displayed:

Purchasing Department - City of Grand Rapids 300 Monroe NW Room 720 Grand Rapids, MI 49503

Mental Health Community Education and Support for the Second Ward Due: April 17, 2024 11:59 PM EDT

Company Name: #####

If the response is sent by mail or commercial express service, the Respondent shall be responsible for actual delivery of the response to the City Purchasing Department before the deadline. All responses become the property of the City of Grand Rapids. The content of all responses shall be held confidential and sealed until after the RFP due date.

All responses, documents, terms, and information related to the proposer’s response to this RFP shall be submitted with the response package prior to the submission deadline. No separate schedules, agreements, terms, conditions, etc shall be recognized or accepted if not initially submitted with the response to this RFP.

Proposal responses and submittals shall be received by the City no later than 11:59 P.M. on April 17, 2024.

Late Proposals, Modifications, or Withdrawal Proposals received after the date and time indicated will not be accepted or considered.

Proposals may be withdrawn or modified in writing prior to the proposal submission deadline. Proposals that are resubmitted or modified shall be sealed and submitted to the City’s Purchasing Department prior to the proposal submission deadline. Following the deadline date proposals will be considered firm.

Price Quotations All costs and prices shall be quoted in U.S. dollars. Pricing/Rates proposed for complete services as described herein shall be inclusive of all overhead, all fuel costs, mobilization, labor, materials, equipment, scheduling, parking fees, setups, incidentals, profit, mailing, and postage costs, and all other miscellaneous cost borne by the contractor throughout the life of the contract. Any required travel costs shall be provided as an estimate at standard rates (ie coach airfare, standard room rental, etc); any travel costs above standard rates shall be at the contractor’s cost. In case of an error in the extension of prices in the response, the unit prices shall govern.

Evaluation

Solicit Evaluation/Award:

The City intends to award this RFP as it deems it in its own best interests to do so. Upon initial award recommendation by the internal review team, the City may, at its sole discretion, provide appropriate notice of award electronically.

The City reserves the right to award in total, to reject any and all responses in whole or in part, and to waive any informality or technical defects, if, in the City’s sole judgment, the best interests of the City will be served. The solicitation file shall contain the basis on which the award is made. The award of this RFP and any subsequent contract shall be at the sole discretion of the City.

Review for Defects: The selection committee will evaluate and review each response that has passed the Review for Defects. Submitted responses will be reviewed for their timeliness, format, and completeness. Responses may be rejected by being late, incomplete, and incorrectly formatted. This review may waive any defects or allow vendors to submit a correction if determined in the best interest of the City. If a late response is rejected, the response will not be opened or evaluated for format or completeness. The award for this proposal will be made to the potential vendor whose response is determined to meet the criteria defined below and align with the equity goals for the City.

Evaluation Criteria:

· Perceived understanding of the project

· Capacity to fulfill the deliverables as outlined

· Alignment to equity goals and outcomes

· Completeness, clarity and creativity of work plan

· Qualifications of vendor, team, and partners (if applicable)

· References

· Completeness of proposal submission

· Evaluation strategy to measure the impact of the proposed Work Plan

*The following charts illustrates how each proposal will be scored*

Proposal Evaluation

Vendor/Organization Overview & Proposal Summary

· Overview & summary of vendor/organization

· Understanding of project scope and purpose

· Demonstrated experience and capacity to fulfill objectives

· Qualifications

· Connection to community being served

· Diversity & Inclusion policy

Work Plan

· Detailed description of services being provided to include goals, objectives, timelines, and outcomes

Evaluation Plan

· Engagement

· Methods of measurement

· Implementation plan

· Method of reporting

References

· Three references who can speak to potential vendors previous experience with similar work

Completeness

· All proposal sections have been submitted

· All proposal sections have the required listed information

· Additional information has been provided as needed

Clarity & Creativity

· Proposal is easy to read and understand

· Proposal includes ideas that are not present in the statement of purpose and exhibit general knowledge surrounding it.

Award Interview/ Presentation: The City reserves the right to schedule an interview and presentation with selected companies to clarify or elaborate on the submittal. The City will schedule and coordinate the exact date and time in advance. The commencement of discussions or the scheduling of presentations does not signify a commitment by the City to award or to continue discussions with any Respondent.

Negotiations: The City reserves the right to select the response that best fits the needs and requirements of the City, and upon recommendation for award, enter into contract negotiations, and/or request revised responses from the recommended Proposer. If the City and the recommended or selected Proposer cannot negotiate a successful contract, the City may terminate said negotiations and begin negotiations with another recommended selected Proposer. This process will continue until a contract acceptable to the City has been executed or all selected responses are rejected. No Proposer shall have any rights against the City arising from such negotiations or termination thereof.

Upon recommendation of an award, or giving notice of intent to award, the City may, at its sole discretion, provide appropriate notice to bidders electronically. The contract file shall contain the basis on which the award is made. The evaluation and award of any contract(s) shall be at the sole discretion of the City. The City reserves the right to award a single contract or multiple contracts, at its sole discretion, to ensure the completion of the services within the timeframe specified herein.

Debriefing: Upon the RFP opening date, a tabulation of respondents by company name will be made available; review of submittals will not be allowed at that time. The entire solicitation file, including responses, submittals, ratings, and justifications of the award, will become public information and may be available for review upon request, only after final award approvals are completed. Debriefing requests shall be by appointment only.