RFQ_External Evaluator for SAMHSA-Funded Project.pdf

NORTHERN VIRGINIA FAMILY SERVICES | REQUEST FOR QUOTE

NVFS SAMHSA-Funded External Evaluator RFQ

REQUEST FOR QUOTE

External Evaluator

Soliciting Organization Northern Virginia Family Services (NVFS)

Federal Award H79SM092542

RFQ Schedule

Questions due: October 23, 2026

Responses posted: October 28, 2026

Quotes due: November 6, 2026

Introduction

Northern Virginia Family Services (NVFS) is soliciting quotes from qualified Offerors to serve as the external evaluator for its awarded Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National

Child Traumatic Stress Initiative, Category III Community Treatment and Service Center project. The selected evaluator will provide independent technical expertise in evaluation planning, data analysis, stakeholder feedback, reporting, and continuous quality improvement (CQI) in alignment with the Scope of Work below.

The project will expand NVFS’ Violence Prevention and Intervention Program (VPIP) by embedding trauma-informed mental health services in Fairfax County Public Schools and Manassas City Public Schools. The project will serve children and youth ages 5–21 who have experienced traumatic events and present with trauma symptoms, anxiety, depression, and/or conduct concerns, with particular attention to barriers that limit access to evidence-based treatment.

Federal Funding Notice

This project is supported by SAMHSA of the United States (U.S.) Department of Health and Human Services

(HHS) as part of a financial assistance award (Award #H79SM092542) totaling $600,000 in the year one budget period (9/30/26 – 9/29/27) with 100 percent funded by SAMHSA/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by SAMHSA/HHS, or the

U.S. Government. For more information, please visit: SAMHSA Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Standard Terms and

Conditions June 3, 2026

General Information

NVFS is a 501(c)(3) human services organization established in 1924. NVFS serves nearly 30,000 people annually across Northern Virginia through programs spanning the human services continuum. Since 2012, VPIP has provided accessible therapeutic support and treatment to children and youth impacted by trauma and has developed strong relationships with local schools to coordinate services between school and home.

This SAMHSA-funded project will provide Individual Mental Health Services, Educational Workshops, and

Professional Development Workshops tailored to the needs of children, youth, and their families who have been exposed to and/or are at higher risk of experiencing traumatic events. Individual services will use the following evidence-based practices (EBP): Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Eye

Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and the Modular Approach to Therapy for Children with

Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, or Conduct Problems (MATCH).

https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/fy26-award-standard-terms-conditions-06032026.pdf https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/fy26-award-standard-terms-conditions-06032026.pdf

Scope of Work

Work with the evaluator is expected to begin within four months of the grant award and continue across the five-year project period, subject to annual funding and performance. The evaluator will work primarily remotely and will participate in virtual and occasional in-person meetings or observations as reasonably requested by

NVFS. The evaluator will:

• Collaborate with the Clinical Program Manager and Director of Youth Initiatives to develop and implement a comprehensive evaluation plan within four months of the project start.

• Develop an evaluation framework addressing EBP implementation, fidelity monitoring, key performance indicators, CQI, sustainability, and program-level outcomes.

• Review and refine data collection instruments, interview protocols, coding approaches, feedback methods, data dictionaries, and reporting procedures, including the Post Workshop Evaluation instrument.

• Guide development of confidentiality and secure data-transfer practices for quarterly transmission of de-identified participant data using scrambled identifiers that support longitudinal matching.

• Maintain a secure evaluation database and analyze project data from Apricot (NVFS’ internal case management database), CHART (external database used for one EBP), standardized clinical instruments, fidelity tools, workshop records, and stakeholder feedback.

• Conduct data quality and process reviews; calculate instrument scales and project performance indicators;

assess progress toward goals and objectives; and identify implementation or measurement issues requiring attention.

• As appropriately and methodologically justified, examine participant change in well-being and performance using analytical methods that account for program model, service dosage, and participant demographics.

• Collect and analyze qualitative feedback through interviews with project staff and school personnel, observation of Educational Workshops, review of family feedback, and other approved stakeholder-engagement methods.

• Participate in quarterly Program Enhancement Reviews and CQI discussions, translate findings into actionable recommendations, and support development and monitoring of corrective or improvement actions. Provide operational synthesis reports or learning briefs for frontline staff to translate implementation findings into real-time quality improvement and training adjustments.

• Prepare draft and final Interim and Annual Evaluation Reports, including performance trends, progress toward objectives, implementation findings, stakeholder feedback, fidelity findings, limitations, and recommendations for program improvement.

• Support content for required annual Programmatic Progress Reports and the cumulative Final Progress

Report, including a final evaluation report, while coordinating with NVFS staff responsible for federal submission.

• Help NVFS document and share implementation lessons and outcomes with the National Child Traumatic

Stress Network, consistent with SAMHSA and the National Center for Child Traumatic Stress guidance.

• Prepare executive summaries, visual slide decks, and/or public-facing impact briefs designed for Board members, community partners, and/or program participants.

• Participate in relevant project, funder, technical assistance, and evaluation meetings, as requested.

Project Measures and Data Sources

The evaluator’s work will include, at minimum, analysis of the following project objectives and measures. Final measures and reporting specifications may be revised after award based on SAMHSA guidance and the approved evaluation plan.

Evaluation Area Illustrative Measures / Sources Frequency

Reach and service delivery

Participation in Individual Mental Health Services, Educational Workshops, and Professional Development Workshops; participant demographics; referrals;

services provided

Ongoing / quarterly

Mental health stabilization or improvement

Calculated from per participant data:

All participants: Global Appraisal of Individual Needs- Short Screener (GAIN-SS); Child PTSD Symptom Scale (CPSS-5); Youth Initiatives Closing Evaluation & Survey; SAMHSA Unified Performance Reporting Tool

(SUPRT)

MATCH Recipients: Top Problems Assessment (TPA) and Brief Problem Monitor (BPM)

EMDR Recipients: Subjective Units of Distress/ Disturbance & Validity of Cognition Scales

Per instrument schedule

Family functioning Family Functioning Checklist Intake and discharge

Knowledge of skills that strengthen individual social and emotional functioning

Youth Initiatives Closing Evaluation & Survey Discharge

Workshop outcomes Post Workshop Evaluation End of workshop

Implementation, fidelity, and feedback

Fidelity checklists and progress-monitoring data;

staff/school interviews; workshop observations;

youth/family and partner feedback

Quarterly / staggered

Expected Deliverables

• Initial evaluation work plan and meeting cadence, due within 30 days of contract execution.

• Data management, confidentiality, transfer, quality-assurance, and analysis protocols, including roles and review checkpoints.

• Updated or newly developed non-standardized instruments, interview protocols, coding frameworks, and feedback tools, as applicable.

• Quarterly data review summaries and participation in quarterly Program Enhancement Reviews.

• Operational synthesis reports or learning briefs for frontline staff to translate implementation findings into real-time quality improvement and training adjustments.

• Ad hoc analyses, presentations, and technical consultation reasonably necessary to support CQI and federal reporting.

• Reports:

• Interim Evaluation Reports on a schedule established with NVFS.

• Annual Evaluation Report for each budget year, submitted in draft for NVFS review before finalization.

• Final cumulative evaluation report supporting the Year 5 Final Progress Report.

• Cleaned, anonymized datasets that leadership can use for long-term strategic forecasting and cross-program benchmarking.

• Executive summaries, visual slide decks, and/or public-facing impact briefs designed for Board members, community partners, and/or program participants.

• Formatted data summaries and impact metrics structured for immediate use in future grant applications, donor communications, and fundraising materials.

Experience and Qualifications

NVFS is seeking an evaluator or evaluation team with the following qualifications:

• Advanced degree in education research, public administration, psychology, social work, public health, evaluation, statistics, or a closely related discipline.

• Demonstrated experience evaluating school-based and/or community-based behavioral health or youth-serving programs.

• Prior experience evaluating SAMHSA-funded programs and working with GPRA/SPARS or comparable federal performance-reporting requirements.

• Expertise in mixed-method evaluation, implementation evaluation, fidelity monitoring, CQI, performance measurement, and longitudinal outcome analysis.

• Experience working with trauma-informed programs, evidence-based mental health practices, children and youth, families, schools, and community partners.

• Ability to analyze standardized and program-specific measures, integrate quantitative and qualitative findings, and clearly explain limitations.

• Experience handling de-identified sensitive behavioral health data using appropriate privacy, security, retention, transfer, and access controls.

• Strong project management, facilitation, written communication, presentation, and relationship-management skills.

• Ability to produce clear, accurate, audit-ready documentation and reports suitable for program leadership and federal funders.

• Independence and capacity to identify and disclose actual or potential conflicts of interest.

Organizational Competencies

• One-NVFS mindset: mission-oriented, accountable to the agency, and supportive of colleagues across programs and departments.

• Team orientation, effective communication, flexibility, accountability, client-service orientation, and technical expertise.

• Oral and written fluency in English; additional language capabilities are welcome.

RFQ Response Requirements

Offerors should submit one complete electronic response in PDF format containing the following sections:

• Cover Letter: identify the Offeror, primary contact, legal business name, business address, telephone number, email address, and acknowledgment that the quote is valid for at least 90 days.

• Background and Experience: no more than two pages, single-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman, describing years in business, organizational capacity, relevant engagements, and experience aligned with the Scope of Work.

• Technical Approach and Work Plan: describe the proposed methodology, major tasks, deliverables, timeline, meeting cadence, data-security approach, and quality controls.

• Key Personnel: attach resumes or curriculum vitae for all proposed personnel and identify roles, estimated level of effort, and availability.

• Relevant Experience: provide up to three comparable project examples and contact information for three professional references.

• Work Samples: provide one or two redacted evaluation reports, dashboards, data-review products, or comparable deliverables that demonstrate analytical and writing quality.

• Cost Proposal: provide a detailed budget for Year 1 of the Project Period that does not exceed $35,000*.

Provide costs and justification for costs that fall into the following federal grant budget categories. Note, SAMHSA funds may not be used to pay the direct salary at a rate more than the Executive Level II of the

Federal Executive Pay Scale.

• Personnel

• Fringe Benefits

• Equipment

• Supplies

• Travel

• Other

• Indirect

• Required Disclosures: provide SAM.gov Unique Entity Identifier, federal tax identification number, any bankruptcy filings, and any contract or subcontract terminated, defaulted, or subject to litigation or claims during the past five years.

• Certifications: disclose actual or potential conflicts of interest; certify that proposed costs are reasonable;

and confirm ability to comply with NVFS policies, applicable federal award conditions, 2 CFR Part 200 procurement requirements, confidentiality obligations, and data-security requirements.

*Note: The budget for evaluation services is projected to be $35,000 in Year 2, $30,000 in Year 3, $30,000 in

Year 4, and $33,000 in Year 5. Annual budgets will be negotiated with the chosen evaluator prior to the start of each budget period.

Consultant Selection

NVFS intends to select the responsible Offeror whose quote is most advantageous to NVFS, considering price and other factors. Quotes may be evaluated using the following weighted criteria:

Evaluation Criterion Weight

Relevant evaluation experience, including SAMHSA and youth behavioral health programs

30%

Technical approach, work plan, data security, and understanding of the project

30%

Qualifications and availability of proposed personnel 20%

Cost proposal and overall value 20%

Selection Process

NVFS may request clarifications, conduct interviews, check references, negotiate scope or price, reject any or all quotes, waive informalities, or cancel and reissue this RFQ when in NVFS’ best interest. Contract negotiations will begin with the highest-ranked Offeror. If agreement is not reached within ten working days, NVFS may end negotiations and proceed to the next highest-ranked Offeror. Award is contingent on successful negotiation, verification of responsibility, completion of required due diligence, and availability of funds.

Submittal Requirements

• Submit one electronic copy of the complete response in PDF format by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on Friday, November 6, 2026 to NVFS’ Procurement Portal: PlanetBids Vendor Portal. PlanetBids registration is required prior to submitting a proposal. The procurement opportunity is NVFS SAMHSA-Funded External

Evaluator.

• Post written questions by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on Friday, October 23, 2026 within the Q&A section of the NVFS SAMHSA-Funded External Evaluator procurement opportunity in PlanetBids. Responses will be posted to the Q&A section of the procurement opportunity by 4:00 pm Eastern Time on Wednesday, October 28, 2026.

• Late, incomplete, or nonresponsive submissions may be rejected.

https://vendors.planetbids.com/portal/82767/portal-home

Anticipated Procurement Schedule

Milestone Date

RFQ issued October 8, 2026

Questions due October 23, 2026

Responses to questions issued October 28, 2026

Quotes due November 6, 2026

Interviews, if needed November 9, 2026 – November 13, 2026

Notice of intent to award / Contract execution November 24, 2026

Reservation of Rights

Issuance of this RFQ does not obligate NVFS to award a contract or reimburse any Offeror for costs incurred in preparing a response. NVFS reserves the right to modify this RFQ, request additional information, negotiate with one or more Offerors, make no award, or make an award in whole or in part. The executed agreement, not this RFQ or an Offeror’s response, will control the parties’ obligations.