PUR 7776 - ADvancing States.docx

DESCRIPTION OF INTENDED

SINGLE SOURCE PURCHASE

(PUR 7776)

AGENCY: ADvancing States

TITLE: DIRECT CARE CAREERS PLATFORM

Short description of the commodity or service desired: A multi-functional workforce platform that provides a secure, customizable, real-time solution to address the direct care workforce crisis.

CONTACT

Name: Ana Velasquez Address: 241 18th Street S, Suite 403, Arlington, VA 22202 Telephone: 202-898-2578 Email: avelasquez@advancingstates.org

Internal tracking number, if any:

Date posted: Last day for receipt of information:

This description of commodities or contractual services intended for purchase from a single source is posted in accordance with Sections 120.57(3) and 287.057(3), Florida Statutes (F.S.), and will remain posted for a period of at least 15 business days.

Commodity or Contractual Service Required (commodity or United National Standard Products and Services Code (UNSPSC), manufacturer, model, and description, as appropriate):

Quantity or Term (as appropriate):

July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026

Requestor (division, bureau, office, individual, as appropriate):

Department of Elder Affairs

Performance and/or Design Requirements (e.g. intended use, function or application, compatibility, requirements; reference to policy, rule, statute or other act of the Legislature, etc., as appropriate):

A comprehensive platform offering multiple features, including job postings, candidate profiles, a state credentialing repository, training, advanced search, job and candidate matching, reporting, and a resource library. The platform must have a fixed price, independent of the number of users.

Intended Single Source:

ADvancing States

Estimated Dollar Amount:

$250,000

Justification for single source acquisition (what is necessary and unique about the product, service or source; steps taken to confirm unavailability of competition, as appropriate):

The Direct Care Careers Center (DCC) platform’s goal is to better support individuals self-directing their Medicaid home and community-based services and supports through consumer directed services (CDS). DCC enables individuals within the CDS program to post their specific support and service needs via the job posting functionality which then matches their service and support needs (via the job posting template) to a direct service worker (DSW) pool of candidates (or registry) who have the required skills, certifications, and credentials to support the individual directing their own service. The DCC system then enables the individual directing their own services to interact with potential candidates (i.e., DSWs) for their job posting within the system to confirm interest, availability, and start the employer recruitment process.

In addition, DCC acts as a workforce registry for DSWs who would like to support an individual directing their own care. An interested candidate can create a profile within DCC that highlights their skills, qualifications, experience, certifications, and credentials. When creating a profile, the candidate is also required to enter information such as location (to support efficient geo- matching), desired geographic area (by zip code) for work, and preferred work hours to help create appropriate matches between candidates and self-directing employers. A candidate can review “matched” job descriptions and engage with potential employers of interest through the system directly.

Additional features of the platform include:

Further, the platform has the potential to offer the state a registry for workers supporting individuals who self-direct. This ability aligns the state with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS’s) Access Rule (CMS 2442-P) in which CMS encourages states to develop a worker management platform to ensure individuals receiving home and community-based services and supports have awareness of workers and their availability within the community and have more immediate access to them to streamline hiring. While DCC is already able to act as the state’s workforce registry, the state can get even more utility from the system by requiring employers and direct service workers to create profiles within the system.

As outlined in the CMCS Informational bulletin dated December, 12 2023, states are encouraged to have a system that confirms workers “attained the state’s minimum requirements for education or training” to be included in the registry. This is a solution DCC offers, and which is actively being used in a state partner’s registry more directly via a lengthy verification process including multiple vendors. The DCC platform has many options that can be leveraged to support the State in meeting this requirement even further through this sole source, efficiently.

The CMCS Information Bulletin does outline promising practices for registry functions. While DCC provides an “electronic system to help beneficiaries identify and match with appropriate workers, potentially including the ability for beneficiaries to sort available workers based on characteristics such as language proficiency, certifications, and previous experience or special skills” is already an active features within DCC. The system’s learning management system can house training for beneficiaries and their families to help better navigate the HCBS system, including support for those self-directing. This can and should include state designed training for self-directing individuals to “push” or “require” of their job candidates, which reduces the need for those self- directing to create their own training and improves the capabilities of those providing services, without requiring use of Medicaid funds from the individual directing their own care.

Approved By (names & titles, as appropriate, e.g., requestor, requestor management, information systems, budget, purchasing):

Prospective vendors are requested to provide information regarding their ability to supply the commodities or contractual services described. If it is determined in writing by the agency, after reviewing any information received from prospective vendors, that the commodities or contractual services are available only from a single source, the agency shall provide notice of its intended decision to enter a single-source purchase contract in the manner specified in Rule 60A-1.045, Florida Administrative Code, and section 120.57(3), F.S.

PUR 7776 (Revised 07/2022) Page 2 of 2 Incorporated by Reference: Rule 60A-1.045, F.A.C.