RFP_CSU_11-29-23.pdf

County of Orange

Health Care Agency

Request for Proposals

RFP No.:042-1615839-RM

Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU)

Released November 29, 2023

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION PAGE

I. Introduction and General Information A. Proposal Focus and Background B. Contract Term and Funding Availability C. Time Proposals will Remain Valid D. Timeline E. Withdrawal of Proposals F. Questions Regarding the RFP Process and Requirements G. General Instructions for Submittal H. County Rights I. Use of Lobbyists J. Protest Process K. Change of Ownership/Name and Litigation Status L. Conflict of Interest M. Confidentiality N. Modifications to the RFP O. Insurance Requirements

II. Description of Services

A. Target Population B. Services to be Provided C. Performance Objectives D. Staffing Requirements E. Facility Requirements

III. Proposal Preparation and Evaluation

A. Proposers Eligibility to Contract with the County B. Rejection of Proposals C. Minor Irregularities and Deficiencies in Proposal(s) D. Non-Responsive Proposals E. Evaluation of Proposals and Selection of Provider(s)

IV. Minimum Submission Requirements

V. Proposal for CSU A. Provider Experience and Qualifications B. Services C. Performance Objectives D. Staffing E. Facility F. Budget

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Attachments Attachment I – Contract Template Attachment II – Form A-E Attachment III – Budget Forms Campaign Contribution Form

NOTE: Forms and attachments in PDF and/or Excel format are posted on The County’s online bidding system as separate attachments to this solicitation.

INTRODUCTION AND GENERAL INFORMATION SECTION I

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A. PROPOSAL FOCUS AND BACKGROUND

The County of Orange (County) Health Care Agency (HCA) is seeking proposals from qualified organizations to provide Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU) Services. The primary goal of this program is to provide crisis stabilization for clients experiencing acute behavioral health crises that cannot wait until regularly scheduled appointments regardless of the voluntary or involuntary status of the client. CSUs provide outpatient psychiatric stabilization services on a twenty-four seven (24/7) basis, client walk-in as well as police drop-off capability, recovery-focused services (including Peer Mentors) that borrow from the best principles for operating crisis stabilization programs -- while adding components, including provision of medical triage with basic laboratory capability similar to basic urgent care centers. The goal is also to provide better geographic access to services, depending on the provider(s) chosen.

B. CONTRACT TERM AND FUNDING AVAILABILITY

The County plans to contract with qualified organization to provide the services described in this Request for Proposals and reserves the right to make multiple awards to proposers for services requested in the solicitation. At the discretion of County, the initial term of the contract resulting from this solicitation 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 proposers are expected to accept the terms and conditions of Attachment I - Contract Template, which contains the contracting requirements between the County and the proposer regarding the provision of services solicited under this Request for Proposals (RFP). The selected proposer(s) proposal will be retained and incorporated into the contract by reference and made part thereof, except for assurances and promises that are unlawful.

Contract resulting from this solicitation 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 solicitation will be extended to other governmental entities. Governmental entities wishing to use this Contract will be responsible for issuing their own purchase documents, providing for their own acceptance, and making any subsequent payments. Contractor shall be required to include in any subordinate Contract entered into with another governmental entities pursuant to this 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 this Contract.

Failure to do so will be considered a material break of this Contract and grounds for immediate Contract termination. Governmental entities are responsible for obtaining all certifications of insurance, endorsements, and bonds required. The Parties agree that any other governmental entity utilizing this Contract shall not be deemed to be an agency or employee of County for any purpose whatsoever. The Contractor is responsible for providing each governmental entity a copy of this Contract upon request. The County of Orange makes no guarantee of usage by other users of this Contract.

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

Subordinate Contracts must be executed prior to the expiration or earlier termination of this Contract and may survive the expiration of this 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 solicitation is anticipated to be for actual cost, however, County reserves the right to change the reimbursement structure to fee-for-service if required by payment reform updates). The funding source for these services is MHSA funds. Any contract resulting from this solicitation is contingent upon sufficient funds being made available by federal, state, and/or county governments for the term of the contract. County reserves the right to revise the contract terms stated in this solicitation. Start-up funds are not available for these services.

C. TIME PROPOSALS WILL REMAIN VALID

Proposals will remain valid for 365 days from the solicitation due date. If for any reason a selected proposer is unable, unavailable or unwilling to begin the Services on July 1, 2024, the County reserves the right to award the contract to the next ranked proposal without conducting another solicitation/RFP or otherwise proceed as deemed in the best interest of the County.

D. TIMELINE

The following timelines are approximations only and do not constitute any commitment or guarantee by the County.

Activity Date

RFP Released November 29, 2023

The County’s online bidding system Question and Answer Deadline December 10, 2023

Proposals Due December 13, 2023

Interview (if applicable) Week of January 29th, 2024

Services Commence July 1, 2024

E. WITHDRAWAL OF PROPOSAL(S)

A proposal may be withdrawn by the proposer or an authorized representative, provided his or her identity is made known, but only if the withdrawal is made prior to the date submission of the proposals are due.

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F. QUESTIONS REGARDING THE RFP PROCESS AND REQUIREMENTS

All questions regarding this RFP are to be posted online via The County’s online bidding system Question and Answer (Q&A) Section and will only be accepted and answered during the Q&A period that lasts until approximately one (1) week prior to the RFP closing date.

All proposers are expected to thoroughly read through the entire RFP package before posting questions. All participating proposers will simultaneously receive a notification via The County’s online bidding system that a question has been posted related to this RFP and will be available for view by all participating proposers. The County’s responses to the questions asked will be posted as promptly as possible to The County’s online bidding system and will be available for view by all participating proposers.

The Q&A Section will close on December 10, 2023, at 4:00 P.M. Pacific Time. All proposers are encouraged to post any questions regarding the RFP by this deadline. After the close of the Q&A period, bidders may only contact the Procurement Administrator with questions related to uploading proposals to the County’s online bidding system. No other specific solicitation-related questions will be answered.

It is up to each individual proposer to determine if their organization meets the eligibility criteria stated in the RFP prior to submitting a proposal. The County does not provide any assistance to that effect.

Proposers are to strictly follow the directions above for questions regarding this RFP. During the entire RFP process, no County representative may be contacted for questions or information regarding this RFP with the exception of the assigned Procurement Administrator, Roosevelt McCombs at rmccombs@ochca.com. Any violation of this direction may be deemed non-responsive with the RFP process and shall form a basis for the rejection of the proposal.

G. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMITTAL

All proposals must clearly meet all of the requirements of this solicitation. Proposers should review all requirements and instructions to ensure that each requirement is clearly addressed in the proposal.

The County shall not be responsible for any oral instructions given by any employees of the County in regard to the proposal instructions, specifications, or proposal documents described in this RFP.

1. Prepare the proposal with the reviewer in mind; do not assume reviewers know your program. Proposal must be detailed and self-explanatory.

2. Proposals should be carefully proofread and include the following:

a) Table of Contents with page numbers, for each file.

b) Reference(s) to any appendices.

c) Placement of required forms immediately after the text they support in the proposal.

d) Numbered pages.

e) Text must be at least one and one-half (1½) line-spaced.

f) Times New Roman, 12 point font.

g) Each section is to be separated by a titled cover page and each question as it appears in the solicitation is to precede its corresponding response.

h) All requested information is to be in the sequence and format specified in the solicitation.

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3. Use the Proposal Preparation Checklist Form (Form A - Attachment II) to plan and monitor proposal preparation, as well as to verify completion of all materials before submission.

4. Provide accurate and honest information. Information that is inaccurate may prompt an investigative review and will affect the evaluation of the proposal.

5. Ensure that information provided on the forms is consistent with the narrative and the information provided on other forms.

6. If you omit any required information or data, explain why.

7. Ensure compliance with contract requirements and all applicable laws/regulations related to privacy and security pertaining to disclosure of confidential and/or private client information.

Such information may be redacted in any material submitted in response to this RFP.

8. Do not use appendices for information that is required in the body of the proposal. Use appendices to provide documentation or examples of activities mentioned in the proposal.

9. Do not include home addresses, home phone numbers, and/or personal email addresses for any employee, volunteer, board member, etc. in your proposals.

10. Electronic Submission: Proposals and requested documents must be electronically uploaded in PDF format, via The County’s online bidding system. Responses to Section IV and Section V of the RFP must be submitted in separate files. If proposing more than one (1) Project/Service Area/Region, upload a separate Section V for each Project/Service Area/Region, but only one

(1) Section IV needs to be uploaded.

a) Section IV must be uploaded in one (1) file labeled “[Services]-[Proposer Name]-Agency Description.”

b) Section V must be uploaded in one (1) file labeled “[Services]-[Proposer Name]-Proposal.”

c) Allow sufficient time to upload all required files. After the 4:00 P.M. Pacific Time proposal deadline, The County’s online bidding system will not allow any uploads, e.g., if file #1 uploaded successfully at 3:58:23 P.M. and file #2 is in progress of being uploaded at 4:00:01 P.M., file #2 will not upload successfully.

11. Proposal Delivery Instructions: Proposals are due on or before December 13, 2023, no later than 4:00 P.M. Pacific Time.

H. COUNTY’S RIGHTS

The County reserves the right to:

1. Modify this RFP prior to the time proposals are due, provided proposers are granted such extensions as necessary to allow sufficient time for submission of proposals in response to the modified RFP.

2. Cancel this RFP at any time, but prior to award of a contract by the Board of Supervisors, in whole or in part, when it is determined that cancellation is in the best interest of the County.

3. Reject any or all proposals.

4. Reject a proposal at any time during the RFP process for reasons stated in this RFP or for false information submitted in response to the RFP.

5. Enter into a contract for all or some of the stated services.

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6. Award single or multiple contracts.

7. Based on the County’s needs and availability of funds, modify the scope of service described herein, provided proposers are allowed to re-submit modified proposals within a reasonable time.

8. Ask proposers for additional information or documentation.

I. USE OF LOBBYISTS

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

J. PROTEST PROCESS

Any actual or prospective proposer who alleges a grievance by the solicitation or award of a contract may submit a grievance or protest that this solicitation is unfairly restrictive, ambiguous or contains conflicting provisions.

Protest of Solicitation Specifications All protests related to solicitation specifications must be submitted to HCA Procurement and Contract Services no later than five (5) business days prior to the close of the solicitation period.

Protests received after the five (5) business day deadline will not be considered by the County. In the event the protest of specifications is denied and the protester wishes to continue in the solicitation process, it must still submit a proposal prior to the close of the solicitation in accordance with the proposal submittal procedures provided in the solicitation.

Protest of Award of Contract In protests related to the award of a contract, the protest must be submitted no later than five (5) business days after the “Notice of Intent to Award Contract” is provided by HCA Procurement and Contract Services. Protests relating to a proposed contract award, which are received after the five

(5) business day deadline will not be considered by the County. Upon receipt of a timely protest, the Procurement and Contract Services Division Manager will, within 10 business days, issue a decision in writing which shall state the reasons for the actions taken.

The County may, after providing written justification to be included in the procurement file, 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.

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

1. The name, address, and telephone number of the protester.

2. The signature of the protester or the protester’s authorized representative.

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3. The name of the solicitation or number of the RFP.

4. A detailed statement of the legal and/or factual grounds for the protest.

5. The form of relief requested.

Written protests must be sent to: County of Orange/Health Care Agency

Procurement and Contract Services 400 W Civic Center Drive, 3rd floor Santa Ana, CA 92701 Attn: Roosevelt McCombs rmccombs@ochca.com

Appeal Process If the protester disagrees with the decision of the Procurement and Contract Services Division Manager, the protester may submit a written notice within three (3) business days from receipt of the Procurement and Contract Services Division Manager’s decision to the Office of the County Procurement Officer requesting an appeal to the Procurement Appeals Board.

Written appeals must be sent to: County of Orange/County Procurement Office

400 W Civic Center Drive, 5th floor Santa Ana, CA 92701 Attn: County Procurement Officer CPOAppeals@ocgov.com

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

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.

K. CHANGE OF OWNERSHIP/NAME AND LITIGATION STATUS

If a contract is awarded as a result of this solicitation, proposer agrees that if there is a change or transfer in ownership of proposer’s organization prior to the completion of a contract, and the County agrees to an assignment of the Contract, the new owners shall be required under the terms of sale or other instruments of transfer to assume Contractor’s duties and obligations contained in the Contract and complete them to the satisfaction of the County.

The County reserves the right to immediately terminate the Contract in the event the County determines that the assignee is not qualified or is otherwise unacceptable to the County for the provision of services under the Contract.

mailto:CPOAppeals@ocgov.com

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L. CONFLICT OF INTEREST

Proposer shall exercise reasonable care and diligence to prevent any actions or conditions that could result in a conflict with County interests. In addition to the proposer, this obligation shall apply to the proposer’s employees, agents, and subcontractors associated with the provision of goods and services provided under the Contract. The proposer’s efforts shall include, but not be limited to establishing rules and procedures preventing its employees, agents, and subcontractors from providing or offering gifts, entertainment, payments, loans or other considerations which could be deemed to influence or appear to influence County staff or elected officers in the performance of their duties.

The County reserves the right to disqualify any proposer on the basis of any real or apparent conflict of interest that is disclosed by the proposal submitted or any other information available to the County. This disqualification is at the sole discretion of County. Any proposer submitting a proposal herein waives any right to object to the County’s exercise of this right, now or at any future time, before anybody or agency including, but not limited to, the County Board of Supervisors or any court of competent jurisdiction.

M. CONFIDENTIALITY

California Public Records Act Pursuant to California law, all information contained in a proposal may be public record, subject to disclosure to any member of the public who requests it through the California Public Records Act (CPRA). If it is necessary to include proprietary/trade secret information in a response, the County recommends that the proposal clearly and prominently marks the information believed to fall within such categories.

Names of Members of the Evaluation Panel and Communications with Panel Members The names of the evaluation panel members will not be disclosed unless ordered by a court.

To assure a fair process, members of the evaluation panel will be instructed not to discuss the information in the proposal or the solicitation process with any proposer(s) or other individuals. All communications between the proposer and County must be through the County’s online bidding system Q&A Section prior to the close of the Q&A period and through Procurement Administrator after the close of the Q&A period. Any violation of this direction will be deemed non-responsive with the RFP process and shall form a basis for the rejection of the proposal.

N. MODIFICATIONS TO THE RFP

The County reserves the sole right to interpret or change any provision of the solicitation at any time prior to the proposal submission date. Any and all interpretations or changes will be in the form of a written addendum, which will be furnished to all proposers through The County’s online bidding system. All addendums issued will become part of the solicitation and resultant Contract. Proposers hereby acknowledge their receipt of any addendum by being registered in The County’s online bidding system and acknowledge it is the proposer’s responsibility to check for, and read all addendums posted in The County’s online bidding system.

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Should such addendum require information not previously requested, the County at its sole discretion, may determine that a time extension is required for the submission of proposals, in which case an addendum will indicate the new proposal submission date.

O. INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS

Insurance coverage and limits for the awarded Contract will vary based upon the identified services and will be determined during contract negotiations. The baseline amounts and key requirements are as follows:

COVERAGE MINIMUM LIMITS

Commercial General Liability $1,000,000 per occurrence $2,000,000 aggregate

Automobile Liability, including coverage for owned, non-owned and hired vehicles

$1,000,000 combined single limit each accident

Workers’ Compensation Statutory Employer's Liability Insurance $1,000,000 per accident or disease Network Security & Privacy Liability $1,000,000 per claims made

Professional Liability $1,000,000 per claims made or occurrence.

$1,000,000 aggregate

Sexual Misconduct Liability $1,000,000 per occurrence

1. Increased insurance limits may be satisfied with Excess/Umbrella policies. Excess/Umbrella policies when required must provide Follow Form coverage.

2. REQUIRED COVERAGE FORMS

a. The Commercial General Liability coverage shall be written on Insurance Services Office

(ISO) form CG 00 01, or a substitute form providing liability coverage at least as broad.

b. The Business Auto Liability coverage shall be written on ISO form CA 00 01, CA 00 05, CA

00 12, CA 00 20, or a substitute form providing coverage at least as broad.

3. REQUIRED ENDORSEMENTS

The Commercial General Liability policy shall contain the following endorsements, which shall accompany the Certificate of Insurance:

a. An Additional Insured endorsement using ISO form CG 20 26 04 13 or a form at least as broad naming the County of Orange, its elected and appointed officials, officers, employees, and agents as Additional Insureds, or provide blanket coverage which will state as required by written agreement.

b. A primary non-contributing endorsement using ISO form CG 20 01 04 13 or a form at least as broad evidencing that the contractor’s insurance is primary, and any insurance or self-insurance maintained by the County of Orange shall be excess and non-contributing.

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4. The Workers’ Compensation policy shall contain a waiver of subrogation endorsement waiving all rights of subrogation against the County of Orange, its elected and appointed officials, officers, employees, and agents or provide blanket coverage, which will state As Required by Written Contract.

5. The Network Security and Privacy Liability policy shall contain the following endorsements which shall accompany the Certificate of Insurance:

a. An Additional Insured endorsement naming the County of Orange, its elected and appointed officials, officers, employees, and agents as Additional Insureds for its vicarious liability.

b. A primary and non-contributory endorsement evidencing that the Contractor’s insurance is primary, and any insurance or self-insurance maintained by the County shall be excess and non-contributing.

6. All insurance policies required by the Contract shall waive all rights of subrogation against the County of Orange, its elected and appointed officials, officers, agents and employees when acting within the scope of their appointment or employment.

7. Contractor shall provide thirty (30) days prior written notice to the County of any policy cancellation or non-renewal and ten (10) days prior written notice where cancellation is due to non-payment of premium and provide a copy of the cancellation notice to County. Failure to provide written notice of cancellation may constitute a material breach of the Contract, upon which the County may suspend or terminate this Contract.

8. If Contractor’s Professional Liability, Sexual Misconduct Liability and/or Network Security & Privacy Liability are “Claims-Made” policy(ies), Contractor shall agree to the following:

a. The retroactive date must be shown and must be before the date of the Contract or the beginning of Contract services.

b. Insurance must be maintained, and evidence of insurance must be provided for at least three (3) years after expiration or earlier termination of Contract services.

c. If coverage is canceled or non-renewed, and not replaced with another claims-made policy form with a retroactive date prior to the effective date of the contract services, Contractor must purchase an extended reporting period for a minimum of three (3) years after expiration of earlier termination of the Contract.

9. The Commercial General Liability policy shall contain a “severability of interests” clause also known as a “separation of insureds” clause (standard in the ISO CG 00 01 policy).

10. Insurance certificates should be forwarded to the agency/department address listed on the solicitation.

11. If the Contractor fails to provide the insurance certificates and endorsements within seven (7) days of notification by CEO/Purchasing or the agency/department purchasing division, award may be made to the next qualified vendor.

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12. County expressly retains the right to require Contractor to increase or decrease insurance of any of the above insurance types throughout the term of this Contract. Any increase or decrease in insurance will be as deemed by County of Orange Risk Manager as appropriate to adequately protect County.

13. County shall notify Contractor in writing of changes in the insurance requirements. If Contractor does not provide acceptable Certificates of Insurance and endorsements to County incorporating such changes within thirty (30) days of receipt of such notice, this Contract may be in breach without further notice to Contractor, and County shall be entitled to all legal remedies.

14. The procuring of such required policy or policies of insurance shall not be construed to limit Contractor's liability hereunder nor to fulfill the indemnification provisions and requirements of this Contract, nor act in any way to reduce the policy coverage and limits available from the insurer.

Prior to the provision of services, the successful proposer will be required to purchase insurance at the above minimum standards at proposer’s expense, and to deposit with the County, Certificates of Insurance including all endorsements necessary to satisfy the provisions identified above.

If Self-Insured, the successful proposer will be required to provide a Certificate of Self-Insurance that meets at minimum, the requirements identified above.

Failure of the proposer to meet these requirements after the proposer has been selected, and prior to the Contract start date, shall result in forfeiture of the proposer’s Contract award.

DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES SECTION II

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A. TARGET POPULATION

Orange County Residents who are experiencing a behavioral health emergency, may have a co-occurring disorder, at risk of hospitalization and cannot wait for a regularly scheduled appointment.

Over the age of eighteen (18) years, including Transitional Age Youth (TAY) between the ages of eighteen (18) and twenty-five (25).

B. SERVICES TO BE PROVIDED

The selected bidder will provide Crisis Stabilization Services as defined by the California Code of Regulations Title Nine (9):

Section 1810.210, "Crisis Stabilization" means a service lasting less than twenty-four (24) hours, to or on behalf of a beneficiary for a condition that requires more timely response than a regularly scheduled visit. Service activities include but are not limited to one or more of the following:

assessment, collateral, follow up services, peer services and therapy. Crisis stabilization is distinguished from crisis intervention by being delivered by providers who do meet the crisis stabilization contact, site, and staffing requirements described in Sections 1840.338 and 1840.348.

Section 1840.338 requires that Crisis Stabilization shall be provided on site at a licensed twenty-four

(24) hour health care facility or hospital-based outpatient program, or a provider site certified by the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) or a Mental Health Plan (MHP) to perform crisis stabilization. Medical backup services must be available either on site or by written contract or agreement with a general acute care hospital. Medical backup means immediate access within reasonable proximity to health care for medical emergencies, with immediate access and reasonable proximity defined by the Mental Health Plan. Also, according to 1840.338, all beneficiaries receiving Crisis Stabilization must receive an assessment of their physical and mental health. This may be accomplished using protocols approved by a physician. If outside services are needed, a referral that corresponds with the beneficiary's need shall be made, to the extent resources are available.

C. PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES

The selected proposer shall be required to meet the following performance objectives by end of the first fiscal year.

1. Contractor shall sustain an average daily census of eighteen (18) unduplicated clients per day.

2. At least fifty-five (55) percent of clients admitted shall be successfully stabilized within in 24 hours and returned to the community.

3. Achieve an eighty-five (85) percent success rate of linking discharged clients to a lower level of care within ten (10) business days.

4. Ninety-five (95) percent of clients will be linked to a doctor within one hour of admission.

DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES SECTION II

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D. STAFFING REQUIREMENTS

All personnel assigned to the performance of the services will be closely evaluated by County.

1. Proposers shall provide staffing in conformance with Title Nine (9) regulations for Crisis Stabilization Services. Proposers shall have as head of service a licensed mental health professional in conformance to one of the following staff categories; psychiatrist, licensed psychologist, LCSW, LPCC, licensed MFT, RN, LVN, and/or LPT. A RN shall always be on-site.

2. If the beneficiary is evaluated as needing service activities that can only be provided by a specific type of licensed professional, such persons shall be available.

3. Other persons may be utilized by the program, according to need.

4. If Crisis Stabilization services are co-located with other specialty mental health services, persons providing Crisis Stabilization must be separate and distinct from persons providing other services.

5. Persons included in required Crisis Stabilization ratios and minimums may not be counted toward meeting ratios and minimums for other services.

6. Peer Mentors will be liberally employed and integrated into the staffing unit at all times.

E. FACILITY REQUIREMENTS

The selected proposer shall maintain a facility that meets the following minimum requirements:

1. Proposals will be considered for facility locations that are Medi-Cal certified with the capability of becoming Lanterman-Petris-Short Act LPS designated, locked facility.

2. The facility must be located on a hospital campus and/or affiliated with a hospital that can provide medical assessments as needed.

3. The facility should be easily accessible to the community, close to freeways, and public transportation. It is expected that the CSU will be physically welcoming for both clients and family members.

4. The facility must have a restraint and seclusion room on the unit or have twenty-four seven (24/7) access to an exclusively dedicated restraint and seclusion room that is reserved at all times for CSU clients so that this need does not present a barrier to admission.

5. The facility will have the capacity to serve a minimum of at least 18 (eighteen) clients withing a twenty-four (24)-hour period and have office for management and staff.

PROPOSAL PREPARATION AND EVALUATION SECTION III

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Proposers should review all requirements and instructions to ensure that each requirement is clearly addressed in the proposal.

A. PROPOSERS ELIGIBILITY TO CONTRACT WITH COUNTY

To be eligible to submit a proposal for these services, the proposer can be for-profit organization, non-profit organization, community-based organization, individuals and/or government offices.

In order to be eligible to enter into a contract with the County, an individual or entity 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. The County will notify the proposer of this determination in writing.

The County plans to use the following databases to identify individuals and entities that are not eligible to contract with the County:

• https://exclusions.oig.hhs.gov/

• https://sam.gov/search/

• Medi-Cal Suspension Search Database

• Social Security Administration’s Death Master File

It is the sole responsibility of all proposers 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 errors found on any of the lists, above, is the sole responsibility of the proposer and must be made prior to submission of the proposal.

In addition, in order to be eligible to enter into a contract with the County, an individual or entity 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 proposers 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 in Attachment II. Form C “Proposer’s Certifications”.

B. REJECTION OF PROPOSAL(S)

The County reserves the right to reject any proposal at any time during the RFP process on the basis of any substantiated actual and/or apparent conflict of interest regarding the performance of the services solicited under this RFP. All proposers must self-disclose any potential and/or actual conflict of interest(s) in Attachment II. Form C “Proposer’s Certifications”. Any proposer submitting a proposal herein waives any right to object to County’s exercise of this right, now or at any future https://exclusions.oig.hhs.gov/ https://sam.gov/search/

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As soon as the County has determined that a proposer has a conflict of interest as stated herein, the County will provide written notification of such conflict and rejection of the proposal.

The County also reserves the right to reject any proposal at any time during the RFP process on the basis of any one (1) or more of the following substantiated grounds:

1. Evidence of collusion amongst proposers;

2. Lack of such business skills and/or financial resources necessary and appropriate to successfully operate the services solicited in this RFP, as revealed by either the financial statement or experience statement;

3. Default on, or unpaid, County debt;

4. Default on any obligation to County;

5. Current or past failure to perform to County standards any obligation of a contract with County, as determined by County; and

6. Ineligible to enter into a contract with the County, as set forth in Section III.A Proposers’

Eligibility to Contract with County.

All proposals that are irregular, incomplete, conditional, ambiguous and/or obscure and not minor irregularities and/or immaterial or inconsequential variations from the RFP requirements will be rejected. The County will provide a written notification of the grounds upon which a proposal is rejected.

C. MINOR IRREGULARITIES AND DEFICIENCIES IN PROPOSAL(S)

The County reserves the right at its sole discretion, to accept a proposal containing a minor irregularity or when a defect or variation is immaterial or inconsequential.

The County reserves the right to waive any and all minor irregularities in lieu of seeking corrections thereof. All requests for correction of minor irregularities or notification of waiver thereof will be given to proposers in writing.

D. NON-RESPONSIVE PROPOSAL(S)

Any proposal which fails to conform to the essential requirements of this RFP, such as specifications, may be rejected as non-responsive. It is the sole responsibility of the proposers to ensure their proposals are conforming and responsive to all requirements of this RFP.

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E. EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS AND SELECTION OF PROVIDER(S)

An evaluation panel will be established to score the proposals, consisting of representatives of the County and/or members of the community having experience in the services described in this RFP.

The evaluation process will consist of a thorough review of the written proposals and may include interviews.

Proposals will be evaluated on the basis of the written responses to all requirements in this RFP.

Each proposal should be complete and present a thorough understanding of the needs of the County in regard to its desire to provide said services. The successful proposer must demonstrate in their proposal and interview (if applicable) an ability to provide said services to the target population as described in Section II.A.

Step 1 – HCA Procurement and Contract Services Minimum Submission Requirements Review - Includes review of financial/organization stability, past and current related experience including performance of any current County contract. (Pass/Fail) If a proposer fails to meet the Minimum Submission Requirements, the proposer may be deemed non-responsive.

Step 2 – Evaluation Panel Review In accordance with the following criteria, the evaluation panel will evaluate all responsive proposals.

EVALUATION SCORING CRITERIA

The following guidelines will be used in analyzing and evaluating proposals received in response to this solicitation.

Category Title Total Points per Category

Minimum Submission Requirements Review Pass/Fail

Provider Experience & Qualifications 10

Services 30

Performance Objectives 10

Staffing 15

Facility 20

Budget 10

Interview (if applicable) 5

Total 100

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Step 3 – Proposers Interview - Proposers may be required to attend an interview (if applicable) which will be scored by the Evaluation Panel. Interviews may be conducted in person or via telephone. Proposers will be notified in advance within seven (7) days of interview date.

Step 4 –Final Recommendation for Contract Negotiation and Award.

Selection and Award Procedures Upon the completion of the evaluation process, the Evaluation Panel will make a recommendation for award to the Procurement Administrator.

Selection of a contractor will not be based solely on cost, and will include factors such as, but not limited to, services, experience in providing the services described in this solicitation, staffing, and quality of experience in successfully managing government-funded contracts.

The County expressly reserves the right to negotiate contract terms with a selected proposer prior to award, or negotiate with several proposers simultaneously, and thereafter, to award a contract to the proposer offering the most favorable terms to the County.

The County also expressly reserves the right to award a contract on the basis of initial offers received, without discussions. Therefore, each initial offer should contain the proposer's best terms from a programmatic and compensation standpoint.

Should negotiations fail prior to award or should the proposer fail to perform in post award period, the County reserves the right to negotiate and award the contract to the next highest ranked proposer(s) without issuing another solicitation.

After successful contract negotiations, HCA will recommend the award of the contract(s) to the County of Orange Board of Supervisors.

MINIMUM SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS SECTION IV

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The following are the submission requirements for a proposer 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, the proposer may be deemed non-responsive.

Provide the information requested below in one (1) file per the instructions in Section I. G. “General Instructions for Submittal”. Failure to provide and/or disclose requested information and/or documents may result in disqualification of your proposal.

A. Cover Page/Executive Summary

All Proposals must be accompanied by a cover letter of introduction and executive summary of the proposal including what Regions your organization is bidding on. The cover letter must be signed by person(s) with authority to bind the proposer together with the main office address, and telephone number (including area code). If the proposer is a corporation, two (2) signatures are required: one (1) signature by the Chairman of the Board, the President or any Vice President;

and one (1) signature by the Secretary, any Assistant Secretary, the Chief Financial Officer or any Assistant Treasurer. The signature of one (1) person alone is sufficient to bind a corporation, as long as he or she holds corporate offices in each of the two (2) categories described above. For County purposes, proof of such dual office holding will be satisfied by having the individual sign the instrument twice, each time indicating his or her office that qualifies under the above described provision. In the alternative, a single corporate signature is acceptable when accompanied by a corporate resolution demonstrating the legal authority of the signatory to bind the corporation. An unsigned or improperly signed proposal submission is grounds for rejection of the proposal and disqualification from further participation in this RFP process.

B. Complete the Agency Description Form (Form B – Attachment II). Ensure Form B and Proposer’s Certification (Form C – Attachment II) are signed prior to submission.

C. Complete the Proposer Certifications Form (Form C – Attachment II).

D. Complete the Board of Directors Form (Form D – Attachment II).

E. LEVINE ACT – COUNTY OF ORANGE CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTION DISCLOSURE:

Effective January 1, 2023, Senate Bill No. 1439 amends § 84308 of the California Government Code, commonly referred to as the “Levine Act.” The Levine Act precludes an Officer of a local government agency from participating in the award of a contract if he or she receives any political contributions totaling more than $250 in the 12 months preceding the pendency of the contract award, and for three months following the final decision, from the person or company awarded the contract. This prohibition applies to contributions to the Officer or received by the Officer on behalf of any other Officer, or on behalf of any candidate for office or on behalf of any committee.

The Levine Act also requires disclosure of such contributions by a party to be awarded a specified contract.

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Proposers/bidders are responsible for reviewing and completing the attached County of Orange Campaign Contribution Disclosure Form as a minimum submittal requirement for all County solicitations.

F. Provide three (3) letters from professional references or organizations that have direct knowledge of your organization’s performance within the last year and will corroborate that your organization’s performance for the requested services meets the requirements of this solicitation. Reference letters must be submitted on the organization’s letterhead and signed by an individual that has the authority to sign on behalf of the named organization. Reference letters must include the following information: type of services provided, contract term dates, contract funding amount, and statement regarding satisfactory performance.

G. Provide copies of the documents below. Include 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.

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

4. Partnership papers and/or joint venture contracts.

5. Evidence of federal/state tax status.

6. IRS W-9 Form: Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification.

7. Business License/Certifications/Conditional Use Permit (CUP).

8. 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.

9. Corporate 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.

10. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): A unique twelve-character identification number required by the federal government as part of their financial request and reporting process, which can be obtained free of charge from the SAM.GOV website (https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration) Every proposer is required to provide a UEI number regardless of the funding source of this solicitation.

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11. Good Neighbor Policy: The intent of this Policy is to identify community impacts and measures to mitigate those impacts so as to be an integral part of the neighborhood and community the County serves.

H. Recent financial statement prepared by an independent Certified Public Accounting (CPA) firm.

I. 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 twelve

(12) months.

J. Provide 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 SUBMITTAL RESPONSE. For each litigation and or performance issue include:

a) The type of contracts, 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.

K. Attach 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.

PROPOSAL FOR CRISIS STABILIZATION UNIT SECTION V

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Provide the information requested below in one (1) file per Section I.G instructions.

A. PROVIDER EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS

Complete Form E (Attachment…