Supervised_Visitation_Services_Solicitation.pdf

Maryland’s Human Services Agency

DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES

St. Mary’s County Department of Social Services

SMALL PROCUREMENT SOLICITATION FOR

Therapeutic Supervised Visitation Services

DHS AGENCY CONTROL NUMBER: SMCDSS/CWS/24-005

1. SUMMARY STATEMENT

The Department of Human Services (DHS), St. Mary’s County Department of Social Services (SMCDSS) intends to acquire therapeutic supervised visitation services, which foster reunification of children in Out-of-home placement with their parents. The Contract will be for a period of six (6) months, with a six (6) month extension option. The contract will begin around May 6, 2024 and end around October 31, 2024.

2. BACKGROUND

The SMCDSS is responsible for administering programs and services which will support the independence and safety of children and families. Out-of-home placement (Foster Care) provides temporary homes and supportive services to children who cannot live at home because of child abuse or neglect. Maryland court of law often orders supervised visitation services for children involved in Child in Need of Assistance (CINA) cases. Supervised visitations allow families to have regular contact together to maintain meaningful connections, reduce trauma and facilitate reunification of the family.

SMCDSS currently has fifty-six (56) children in out-of-home placements and twenty-eight (28) of them have court ordered supervised visitation.

3. SCOPE OF THE PROJECT

The Therapeutic Supervised Visitation Program provides specialized and intensive services to vulnerable children and their families: children in foster care and children involved in high-risk custody and visitation cases in family court proceedings. Therapeutic supervised visitation services are designed to help parents who cannot have unsupervised access to their children due to a history of child physical or sexual abuse, domestic violence, substance abuse, or mental health illness. Rather than eliminating contact between a noncustodial parent and child, supervised visitation creates a one-on-one supportive setting where the relationship can safely continue and be strengthened while pending legal issues are addressed by SMCDSS Child Protective Services, Out-of-home Care program and court systems.

This contract will allow visiting parents to spend family time with their children in the presence of a Master's-level clinician or a Masters of Social Work intern supervised by licensed clinicians.

Families receive support from skilled clinicians to strengthen or repair their relationship with their children. Supervised visitation is intended to be a temporary remedy with most parents moving toward less restrictive or unsupervised visits with their child whenever possible. When a family is transitioning to unsupervised visits, The Therapeutic Supervised Visitation Program provides a neutral place for the safe transfer of children during unsupervised visits when there are restrictions placed on the contact between parents.

Services shall be provided in person in St. Mary’s County, in a child and family friendly confidential setting. The environment shall foster the child’s physical and emotional safety at all times.

SMCDSS estimates a need of approximately 390 hours of supervised visitation services will be needed during this contract period. Approximately fifteen (15) hours per week, with most services being between the hours of 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Approximately eight (8) hours of supervised visitation services will be required on weekends each month.

SMCDSS currently has twenty-eight (28) families requiring supervised visitation.

Court ordered supervised visits are minimally once a week between one (1) to two (2) hours in duration with each parent/guardian. Time and frequency of visitations will likely expand with the progress of the case.

4. BIDDER MIMIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

The Bidder shall have the following minimum qualifications.

1. Shall have two (2) years of experience providing assessment type of services to children and families.

2. Shall hold a Master’s level clinical license or a Master of Social Work intern which is supervised by a licensed clinician.

3. Experience or training in the following areas:

A. Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) B. Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy (TFCBT) C. Family Therapy D. Crisis Intervention E. Safety and Supervised Visitation

4. Must provide proof of passing a Federal and Maryland criminal background.

5. Must complete an Adam Walsh background check.

5. CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

Contractor shall:

1. Contractor shall reply within forty-eight (48) hours to SMCDSS after receiving a referral for services from SMCDSS Social Worker .

2. All referrals for services shall be scheduled to begin within ten (10) days of receiving the referral.

3. Services will be required Monday thru Friday, between 9:00 AM and 8:00 PM and Saturday and Sunday between 9:00 AM and 7:00 PM.

4. Special instructions maybe provided by SMCDSS to the Contractor at the time services are scheduled. Instructions will provide guideline to be followed so the session adheres to the court order and SMCDSS’ visitation plan.

5. Each visit shall be between one (1) and two (2) hours in length.

6. Contractor shall provide a monthly detailed written synopsis of the interactions between parent and child at the conclusion of the visits. Written synopsis shall be emailed to SMCDSS requestor within seventy-two hours (72).

7. Contractor shall be available if issued a subpoena to appear in court.

6. CONTRACT TERM AND DELIVERABLES

The Contract resulting from this solicitation will be for a six (6) month period, with an option to renew for an additional six (6) months. The contract will begin around May 6, 2024 and end around October 31, 2024.

The contractor shall provide a monthly synopsis for each family that details the parent and child interaction as well as therapeutic interventions to encourage healthy interaction between parent and child. The synopsis shall include the date and times of the visits, where the visits took place, the length of time, who was present during the visit, strengths, and concerns with the interaction.

Written synopsis shall be emailed to SMCDSS requestor by the fifth (5) of the following month.

If subpoenaed to court, Contractor agrees to provide professional testimony based on direct observations and interactions that occurred at supervised visitation session.

7. STATE PROJECT MANAGER

The State Project Manager for this Contract is:

Jennifer Neff, LCSW-C Deputy Director 23110 Leonard Hall Drive Leonardtown, MD 20650 Office 240-895-7094 Jennifer.neff@maryland.gov

After Contract award, this person will serve as the primary point of contact for the Contractor regarding the Contract. However, for certain contract related actions the Procurement Officer may communicate with the Contractor.

8. SUBMISSION INFORMATION

Bids must be submitted through eMaryland Marketplace Advantage (eMMA) by April 22, 2024 at 10:00 AM Eastern Time to be considered. Please refer to the Quick Reference Guide for instructions on how to submit a Bid;

https://mdprocurement.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/70000592965-responding-to-solicitations-ifb-vendor-.

Requests for extension of this date or time will not be granted. Bids or unsolicited modifications to Bids arriving after the closing time and date will not be considered, except under the conditions identified in COMAR 21.05.02.10 B and 21.05.03.02 F.

9. BASIS FOR AWARD

The Contract will be awarded to the responsible Bidder whose submits a responsive Bid that meets the specifications set forth in the Small Procurement Solicitation and provides the Most Favorable Bid Price.

In the event of tie bids, the provisions of COMAR 21.05.02.14 shall determine the successful bidder.

10. DEPARTMENT CONTRACT

The successful offeror will be expected to sign a contract with the Department, sample enclosed as ATTACHMENT B.

11. CANCELLATION OF BIDS

The State may cancel this Solicitation, in whole or in part, whenever this action is determined to be fiscally advantageous to the State or otherwise in the State’s best interest. If the Solicitation is canceled, a notice of cancellation will be provided to all prospective Bidders who were sent this Solicitation or otherwise are known by the Procurement Officer to have obtained this Solicitation.

12. ACCEPTANCE OF BIDS

The State reserves the right to accept or reject any and all Bids, in whole or in part, received in response to this Solicitation, or to waive or permit cure of minor irregularities to serve the best interests of the State of Maryland.

13. TIME OF BID ACCEPTANCE

The content of this Solicitation and the Bid of the successful Bidder or Bidders will be included by reference in any resulting Contract. All prices, terms and conditions in the Bid are irrevocable for 90 days after the closing date for receipt of Bids, if requested. This period may be extended by written mutual agreement between the Bidder and the requesting State organization.

14. PAYMENT

The successful vendor shall bill the Department by the 15th of each month.

Invoices shall be submitted to:

St. Mary’s County Department of Social Services 23110 Leonard Hall Dr

Leonardtown, MD 20650 Attn: Jill Potts, Procurement Officer

Or Jill.potts@maryland.gov

All invoices must (at a minimum) be signed and dated in addition to including the Contractor’s mailing address, the Contractor’s Social Security number or Federal Tax ID number, the State’s assigned Contract control number and or Purchase Order number, the services provided, the period covered by the invoice, and the amount of requested payment.

15. Compliance with Laws/Arrearages

By submitting a Bid in response to this solicitation, the Bidder, if selected for award, agrees that it will comply with all federal, State, and local laws applicable to its activities and obligations under the Contract.

By submitting a response to this solicitation, each Bidder represents that it is not in arrears in the payment of any obligations due and owing the State, including the payment of taxes and employee benefits, and shall not become so in arrears during the term of the Contract if selected for Contract award.

Verification of Registration and Tax Payment

Before a business entity can do business in the State, it must be registered with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT). SDAT is located at State Office Building, Room 803, 301 West Preston Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21201. For registration information, visit https://www.egov.maryland.gov/businessexpress.

16. PROCUREMENT METHOD

This award will be made in accordance with Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR) 21.05.07, Small Procurement Regulations. Small procurement is defined as the use of procedures to obtain items reasonably expected by the Procurement Officer to cost $50,000 or less.

Minority Business Enterprises are strongly encouraged to respond to this solicitation.