Written Inquiries and Answers.pdf

RFP 2027000005 Restorative Justice Program

Written Inquiries and Answers

1. For accessibility compliance under Section 16.E, will the State accept a proposal that includes a defined accessibility timeline for components not yet at full WCAG 2.1 AA compliance, or is full WCAG compliance required as of the proposal submission date?

Answer:Yes, we will accept an accessibility timeline for components not yet at full

WCAG 2.1 AA

2. Is CDOC expecting vendor staff on-site monthly at each facility for the full five months, or a train-the-facilitator model where CDOC staff/peer educators deliver ongoing sessions after initial vendor training?

Answer: CDOC is expecting on site training and support as needed

3. Must the online curriculum be hosted entirely inside CDOC's Google Classroom instance with no external links/logins, or would a vendor-hosted platform be acceptable if CDOC/OIT can whitelist it on facility Chromebooks?

Answer: CDOC’s Google Classroom

4. What delivery mode is expected at Four Mile Correctional Center, since it's not listed among the Google Classroom facilities?

Answer:Google classroom - should have been listed

5. What is the expected pricing structure for Exhibit D — single fixed total, per-cohort/per-participant rate, or a schedule covering potential renewal years?

Answer: Cohort based and yes, annual renewal

6. Is there a requirement regarding course length (instructional hours), or is that up to the contractor to outline/decide? This would be both in-person and virtual learning.

Answer: up to vendor

7. Is there a current restorative justice framework that exists or that requirements that bidders must align with?

Answer: no

8. Is there any bullying/anti-oppression language that needs to be included in the curriculum?

Answer: no

9. Pre-formatted” with no external links, please elaborate on these requirements.

Answer: The curriculum and presentation can be uploaded into the CDOC Google classroom to be accessed internally

10. Is there a rubric or standard that assessments should meet? Will assessments and curriculum be approved by CDOC Answer: Approved by CDOC, what will be considered is content and relevance to restorative justice

11. Confirming the audience is CDOC staff and offender peer educators. Are the peer educators incarcerated individuals?

Answer: Peer educators are incarcerarated, intended audience is the offender populaton

12. How many participants do they expect? Staff? Peer Educators, incarcerated individuals?

The SOW references ~10 inmates per facility in monthly sessions across five months — is the 240-participant estimate based on cohorts at all four facilities, Answer: Offenders - yes the 240 is based on all four facilities; at least 2 peer educators should be selected at each site from the initial cohorts

13. Please elaborate on what this training is? The Offeror’s personnel will be required to complete all the CDOC’s required training as determined by the CDOC and provided by the CDOC Training Academy. Is there a cost to the bidder that should be accounted for Answer: Contract staff are required to pass a background check, fingerprinting and complete contractor/volunteer training - 8 hours. The training covers the basics of working in a correctional facility, what is allowed/disallowed, safety and security

14. Will background checks be required?

Answer: Yes background checks will be required for all Offeror’s employees.

15. What are the approved days/hours for in-person sessions?

Answer: to be determined

16. Does the bidder need to account for lockdowns, count times, or facility-driven cancellations?

Answer: yes

17. Is the virtual peer-educator training live/synchronous, or can it be delivered as recorded modules through Google Classroom?

Answer: recorded is acceptable, but meant to be facilitated by the peer educator

18. For the telephone support requirement — are there expected availability windows (e.g., business hours only), response-time expectations, and an estimated call volume?

Answer: within 24 hours

19. Are there any special requirements that the bidder should meet, given that reporting contains PII? (Names and ID) Answer: no

20. When will baseline statistics be provided to the bidder? Upon contract?

Answer: No baseline statistics will be provided

21. The SOW states personnel must be "direct employees." Does this prohibit 1099 contractors entirely, and does it apply to curriculum developers/technical staff or only personnel entering facilities?

Answer: prohibits 1099 contractors, only staff entering facility

22. Is there a budget for this project?

Answer: tbd

23. What is the total contract term the CDOC expects for this project?

Answer: 12 months

24. Exhibit A, §C.iv — personnel. The requirement states that all personnel assigned by the Offeror must be direct employees. Would the Department consider named subcontracted facilitators to satisfy this requirement, provided they are identified by name in the proposal and complete the same background investigation, fingerprinting, drug testing and CDOC Training Academy requirements as direct employees? If not, does the requirement apply to all assigned personnel or only to designated key personnel?

Answer: Applies to personnel directly delivering the program

25. Exhibit A, §1.B and §1.B.iv.a — facilities in scope. Section 1.B identifies four facilities:

La Vista, Fremont, Skyline and Four-Mile. Section 1.B.iv.a lists only three for online Google Classroom delivery, omitting Four-Mile. Could the Department confirm whether Four-Mile receives the online course in addition to in-person instruction, or in-person instruction only? This affects the number of delivery sites and therefore our pricing.

Answer: They are all google classroom - error in announcement

26. §12.A.xiv — non-resident offerors. Could the Department confirm whether the resident-offeror preference under C.R.S. §24-103-908(3)(b) is applied in the evaluation of this solicitation, given that subsection's reference to public works?

Answer: If the State that the Offeror is from offers a bidding preference, than CDOC will take that percentage into consideration.

27. The Statement of Work requires the awarded Offeror(s) to provide a “comprehensive online curriculum and in-person instruction” and to deliver Online Restorative Justice Courses through Prison Programs Google Classroom. Please clarify CDOC’s intended participant delivery model. Specifically, should Offerors propose a blended model consisting of asynchronous/self-paced Google Classroom coursework supplemented by scheduled in-person instructor-led sessions, or does CDOC anticipate another combination of asynchronous, synchronous virtual, in-person, and/or peer-led instruction? If live synchronous virtual and/or in-person training is required how many sessions are required, what type is preferred, and what will be the minimum duration of each session?

Answer: Synchronous facilitated delivery

28. Please clarify the expected duration and amount of instructor-led instruction for each participant/cohort. Does CDOC require or anticipate a minimum number of modules, instructional hours, in-person sessions, weeks of participation, or on-site facility visits? If no minimum has been established, may Offerors propose the number, length, sequence, frequency, and delivery format they believe will best achieve the required outcomes?

Answer: This should be part of the offeror proposed curriculum and delivery paln

29. The SOW identifies an estimated 240 participants over a five-month period, with “approximately ten inmates at designated facilities participating in monthly sessions.”

Please clarify: • whether approximately ten participants represents the anticipated cohort/class size; • whether the 240 participants are expected to complete the full curriculum or represent cumulative enrollments across monthly sessions; • the anticipated number of cohorts/classes during the five-month period; and • what CDOC means by “monthly sessions,” including whether these are instructor-led, asynchronous online, peer-led, virtual, or blended activities.

Answer: synchronous, facilitated instruction; cohorts of 10-12 dependent upon space available, ideally we would like to see 240 served

30. For implementation planning and fixed-price development, please provide the anticipated distribution of the approximately 240 participants and cohorts among La Vista Correctional Facility, Fremont Correctional Facility, Skyline Correctional Center, and Four-Mile Correctional Center, if known. Please also clarify whether Offerors should anticipate simultaneous program delivery at multiple facilities.

Answer: 6 cohorts per facility, schedule will be developed in consultation with the awardee

31. The general Scope of Work identifies Four-Mile Correctional Center (FMCC) as a location where Restorative Justice courses will be conducted; however, the specific Google Classroom delivery and monthly reporting requirements identify La Vista, Fremont, and Skyline. Please clarify whether Four-Mile is included in the initial implementation and, if so, what services and delivery modalities are anticipated at that facility.

Answer: Four Mile will also have the Google Classroom

32. The SOW requires virtual training for Peer Educators and comprehensive training for CDOC staff and Inmate Peer Educators “upon request.” Please clarify the anticipated number of Peer Educators and CDOC staff, number and duration of training events, and expected delivery modality/platform. Please also clarify whether CDOC expects a formal train-the-trainer model and whether trained Peer Educators and/or CDOC staff will independently facilitate curriculum, co-facilitate with the Offeror, support asynchronous learning, reinforce learning between sessions, or perform another role. If live synchronous virtual and/or in-person training is required how many sessions are required, what type is preferred, and what will be the minimum duration of each session?

Answer: 2 peer educators per facility to continue the delivery of the program

33. Because the SOW requires a fixed-price proposal tied to work-plan deliverables, please clarify the quantities Offerors should use in establishing their base price, including anticipated cohorts, instructor-led sessions, facility visits, participant contact hours, staff/Peer Educator training events, and ongoing technical assistance. Should required travel and related expenses be incorporated into the fixed price? Additionally, when CDOC adds courses, participants, facilities, instructional sessions, or similar services beyond the initial scope, should Offerors provide optional/unit pricing with their proposal, or will such services be priced separately when requested?

Answer: 6 cohorts per facility; no add ons

34. Exhibit A states that “all personnel assigned by the Offeror(s) must be direct employees”;

however, the Vendor Questions also reference proposed subcontractors, partnerships, and independent contractors. Please clarify whether a prime Offeror may utilize a qualified subcontracting organization or independent contractor to perform a defined portion of the scope while the prime Offeror retains overall contractual responsibility. If permitted, may qualified personnel employed by an approved subcontractor provide curriculum development, subject-matter expertise, training, or facilitation and be identified as Key Personnel in Exhibit G, or must all Key Personnel and individuals delivering services be direct employees of the prime Offeror?

Answer: Prime offeror is preferred to alleviate background check and supervision issues, subcontractors will be managed and treated as the prime

35. Please clarify CDOC’s expectations for the online curriculum delivered through Prison Programs Google Classroom. Should Offerors provide fully developed, upload-ready asynchronous course content, or will CDOC assist with course configuration and uploading? Please also identify available participant technology capabilities and restrictions, including permitted file formats, internally hosted video/audio or multimedia, facilitator interaction, synchronous communication capabilities, and any requirements beyond accessibility compliance and the prohibition on external links.

Answer: It should be as ready to upload as possible; participants will have access tothe google classroom with internally hosted materials and facilitator will be in person

36. Does CDOC expect Offerors to propose a Restorative Justice curriculum that has previously been implemented in substantially the same form within a correctional setting, or may Offerors propose an adapted or newly configured evidence-informed curriculum that integrates established restorative justice practices with complementary correctional interventions and behavioral-change methodologies demonstrated with justice-involved populations?

Answer: No, this may be a new format for many offerors. It should include a base presentation available on the google classroom that can be facilitated

37. The SOW requires documented experience with restorative justice programs in a correctional setting and separately requires at least three relevant experiences from the last five years demonstrating the ability to manage work of similar size and scope. Please clarify whether all three experiences must specifically involve restorative justice programming in a correctional setting, or whether comparable recent experience involving correctional, justice-involved, behavioral-change, educational, or evidence-based programming may satisfy the three-experience requirement when the Offeror separately demonstrates the required restorative justice/correctional experience.

Answer: Comparable is ok

38. The SOW requires pre- and post-program assessments and requires the Offeror to analyze participant and CDOC-provided baseline/outcome data. Please clarify the specific outcomes, measures, analyses, and reporting periods CDOC expects. Does CDOC have established assessment instruments or performance measures that must be used, or should Offerors propose their own methodology for measuring outcomes such as accountability, empathy, knowledge/attitude change, program completion, institutional behavior, and recidivism-related outcomes?

Answer: Offerors may propose their own methodology but should include attitudes, knowledge, and empathy change

39. Because the Offeror is required to track participant engagement and report participant names and identification information, please clarify what participant-level CDOC data the awarded Offeror will receive, access, store, or maintain and identify any applicable requirements regarding secure transmission, storage, backup, access controls, retention, and destruction of that information.

Answer: It is only intended that the offeror track enrollment and completion which will include the participants name and dates of class; unless a data sharing agreement is established between offeror and CDOC, there will be no further data sharing.

40. For an Offeror proposing pre-existing proprietary curriculum or incorporating proprietary instructional materials, please clarify CDOC’s expectations regarding ownership and licensing. Will the Offeror retain ownership of its pre-existing curriculum, facilitator materials, assessments, and related intellectual property while granting CDOC appropriate usage rights during the contract term? If CDOC anticipates continued use or Peer Educator/CDOC staff delivery following contract expiration, should Offerors include continuing curriculum licensing or usage rights in their proposed pricing?

Answer: The offeror will retain ownership unless an agreement is reached to allow CDOC to purchase rights to the curriculum

41. Will CDOC assign specific point values or percentage weights to the proposal evaluation criteria? If so, please provide the applicable scoring weights for Qualifications and Experience, Pricing and Budget Allocation, Vendor Capabilities, Data and Reporting, and any other scored evaluation factors.

Answer: Qualification 40%, Pricing and Budget Allocation 20%, Vendor Capabilities 20%, and Data and Reporting 20%

42. Exhibit A requires the Offeror(s) to provide “documented experience of restorative justice programs in a correctional setting” and to provide case studies and references demonstrating previous success with their program. Please clarify what CDOC considers sufficient to satisfy this requirement. Specifically, must the Offeror have previously implemented a program expressly identified and delivered as a Restorative Justice program within a correctional setting, or may the requirement be satisfied through documented correctional and justice-system experience delivering evidence-based or evidence-informed interventions that incorporate restorative justice-aligned principles and outcomes, such as offender accountability, empathy development, recognition of harm and consequences, behavioral change, cognitive-behavioral interventions, motivational interviewing, reentry, victim/community impact, making amends, and related correctional practices? If comparable correctional behavioral-change experience may satisfy the requirement, please clarify what documentation CDOC expects Offerors to provide (e.g., case studies, client references, project descriptions, outcome data, curriculum examples, or other evidence) to demonstrate compliance.

Answer: Preference is actual implementation within a correctional system, but other less direct documentation will be considered

43. Does "10 inmates per facility in monthly sessions" mean a new cohort starts each month per facility, or one cohort of 10 progressing together over 5 months?

Answer: See the answer to question 29

44. FMCC appears in the intro but not in Section B(iv)(a)'s online delivery list (LVCF, FCF, SCC only). Is FMCC included in the 240-participant program, and if so, how are services delivered there?

Answer: Google Classroom

45. Reference §C.iv. Does the direct-employee staffing requirement permit instruction to be delivered by subcontracted or partner-supplied facilitators working under the offeror's supervision, or must every individual delivering services be a direct W-2 employee of the offeror?

Answer: yes; preference is direct employees to alleviate excessive clearances

46. After initial training, do CDOC staff/peer educators independently facilitate sessions going forward, or must Offeror personnel directly facilitate throughout the full 5-month term?

Answer: After the initial cohort at each facility, Peer educators may independently provide training

47. How many in-person visits per month, per facility, are required of Offeror personnel (vs.

peer educators), and at which of the 4 facilities? Is in-person presence limited to initial training or ongoing?

Answer: It is expected that the offeror will be present during the first cohort at each facility to ensure training of the peer facilitators and implementation

48. Must Offeror independently produce all 240 student manuals (with assessments/quizzes), or is on-site CDOC photocopying the intended production method?

Answer: If CDOC is being charged for manuals, they should be provided; onsite copying will be dependent upon how much is needed. It should be kept to a minimum

49. When will CDOC supply release/parole/placement outcome data, given actual outcomes for current participants may not exist until after contract end? Is post-contract reporting expected?

Answer: Offeror will need to request a data agreement if they are seeking this information

50. Reference §C.iv. Does the direct-employee staffing requirement permit instruction to be delivered by subcontracted or partner-supplied facilitators working under the offeror's supervision, or must every individual delivering services be a direct W-2 employee of the offeror?

Answer: preference is direct employees to alleviate backgrounds, approvals, etc.

51. If an Offeror proposes a Prime Contractor with a committed subcontractor or teaming partner that will provide the restorative justice curriculum and instruction, may the relevant experience, past performance, references, case studies, and qualifications of that subcontractor/team member be used to satisfy and receive evaluation credit under the applicable evaluation criteria?

Answer: yes

52. Does CDOC require the Offeror to use an existing established or proprietary restorative justice curriculum, or may the Offeror propose a customized curriculum developed specifically for CDOC that satisfies all requirements of the solicitation and applicable

SOW?

Answer: custom is fine

53. Please clarify the minimum required qualifications, certifications, licenses, and prior restorative justice experience for personnel who will provide instruction under this contract.

Answer: What is the experience and credibility of the offeror to develop and implement this training; what credentials do they have to validate their offer

54. Will CDOC coordinate facility access and instructional scheduling among LVCF, FCF, SCC, and FMCC, and should Offerors include all anticipated travel, lodging, mileage, and related expenses within the proposed lump-sum price?

Answer: Offerors should include what they feel is fair

55. Please clarify the background check, security clearance, orientation, and other facility-access requirements that proposed instructors or subcontractor personnel must satisfy before providing services at CDOC facilities.

Answer: NCIC/CCIC background checks, fingerprinting, integrity interview, drug testing, 8 hour training

56. When evaluating qualifications and past performance, will CDOC consider the combined experience of the Prime Offeror, proposed subcontractors/teaming partners, and key personnel, or only experience held directly by the Prime Offeror?

Answer: yes all will be considered

57. Please clarify whether curriculum, training materials, or other intellectual property developed or provided by the Contractor under this engagement must become the property of CDOC, or whether the Contractor may retain ownership while granting CDOC appropriate usage rights.

Answer: If material is copyrighted, it remains the property of the contractor unless other such agreements are reached