REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS TO EVALUATE:

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1 REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS TO EVALUATE: Deadline for Submission of Qualifications: Friday, August 26, 2016 at 5 p.m. questions to agingbydesign@hfwcny.org and they will be answered within two business days. You may also call ext Visit hfwcny.org for an electronic copy of this Request for Qualifications Main Office: Larkin at Exchange, Suite 518, 726 Exchange Street, Buffalo, NY (716) Syracuse Office: 431 E. Fayette Street, Suite 250, Syracuse, NY (315)

2 I. Overview The Health Foundation for Western and Central New York is dedicated to improving the health and health care of the people and communities of western and central New York. Based in Buffalo, NY with a second office in Syracuse, the Health Foundation is an independent private foundation that serves the eight counties of western New York, including Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans and Wyoming, as well as the counties of Cayuga, Cortland, Herkimer, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego and Tompkins in central New York. It has three focus areas: improving the health and health care of vulnerable older adults; improving the health and health care of children ages birth to five who are impacted by poverty; and ensuring that communities across the regions have the capacity to effectively address health needs. Its visions are that all vulnerable older adults are able to plan for and maintain a dignified, independent, high-quality life in their community; all children impacted by poverty are physically, socially and emotionally healthy as they enter kindergarten; and all communities are able to effectively plan for and address the health needs of the most vulnerable and those in poverty. For more information about the Health Foundation and its work, please visit hfwcny.org. Aging by Design As part of the Health Foundation's work focused on vulnerable older adults, a new Foundation initiative called Aging by Design is intended to support strategies for addressing triggers of decline in older adults such as falls, medication errors, and lack of caregiver support. Previous work with older adults suggests that these triggers of decline overlap and often compound one another. By braiding all three triggers into Aging by Design, the Foundation is taking a comprehensive approach to support vulnerable older adults. For more information about triggers of decline in older adults, including a Triggers of Decline Framework and policy brief, refer to the following links: Triggers of Decline Framework: Policy brief on triggers of decline: The target populations for Aging by Design are vulnerable older adults 1 and their caregivers who reside in western and central New York. The purpose of Aging by Design is to create an environment in which vulnerable older adults and communitybased providers together apply principles of human-centered design to develop, test 1 The Health Foundation defines vulnerable older adults as people aged 60 or older that meet one or more of the following criteria: are at greater risk of one or more trigger of decline, are in poverty or are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. 2

3 and implement effective interventions, processes or programs addressing triggers of decline and the needs of vulnerable older adults in communities. Human-centered design is a creative approach to problem solving rooted in the needs and values of the end user. It s a process that starts with the people you're designing for and ends with new solutions that are tailored made to suit their needs. The process includes developing a deep understanding of the community in question, which in this case is vulnerable older adults, and fosters creative approaches in the design and implementation of strategies to address identified issues. A humancentered approach ensures that vulnerable older adults and their caregivers will be key partners and contributors throughout this initiative. Aging by Design - Conceptual Framework Grantees & VOA Human- Centered Approach Triggers of Decline The first step in the Aging by Design funding opportunity process is participating in a Design Day workshop that is aimed at developing an understanding of Design Thinking (human-centered design) and how to apply it. After Design Day, the Health Foundation and interested community partners will embark on a six-month learning phase that will shape the future work of Aging by Design and inform the foundation s overall agenda for improving health outcomes for vulnerable older adults. Our community partners will have an opportunity to put what they learned at Design Day into action by working with the older adults they serve to capture their stories, experiences, needs and preferences. Coaching and technical assistance will be provided throughout the process to ensure community partners are comfortable and confident as they put their new skills to work. At the end of the six months, community partners who participated in Design Day and contributed to the learning phase will be invited to submit proposals for Aging by Design s implementation phase. 3

4 A two-year implementation period will follow, during which grantees will test, refine and measure their new or re-imagined programs, services and approaches. Participants will continue to receive technical assistance and coaching provided by content experts in human-centered design theory. The role of the TA providers will be to train grantees in approaches and methodologies associated with human-centered design and support organizations in creating programs that include input and guidance from the end user. Grantees will be supported to further embed human-centered design into their organization s programming through continuous coaching, TA, and shared learning between Aging by Design grantees. The Foundation will support seven to 10 grantees to participate in the two-and-a-half year grant-funded Aging by Design program. Grantees may include single organizations, two or more organizations partnering together, or coalitions. Organizations will receive up to $100,000 in grant funding to design and implement their new interventions, processes or programs to address the identified needs of vulnerable older adults. TA providers will act as a human-centered design coaches throughout the implementation period to ensure grantees have the support they need to achieve their goals. Organizations will also be required to participate in learning sessions that will focus on training in human-centered design, sharing grantee learnings, and best practices. These supplementary components will ensure organizations have the tools and support needed to deliver high quality programming and outcomes. Aging by Design Evaluation The Foundation plans to hire a third-party evaluator to assess the following: Content, process and impact of each grantee s intervention, process or program, including: o What do grantees aim to achieve? How do they do it? o What triggers of decline in older adults do they address? o What results are achieved? o Does impact include a measurable increase in participant or end-user satisfaction, or measurable reductions in falls, medication errors, and/or caregiver stress for the duration of the project? The process and impact of human-centered design in developing and/or improving interventions or processes that are meaningful and targeted to Aging by Design constituents' needs, goals and interests. 4

5 Stakeholder input, decisions made and actions taken (by grantees and their constituents) to implement Aging by Design interventions and achieve impact in reducing triggers of decline. Reflect on Aging by Design successes and lessons learned about a humancentered design approach to innovation and grant making. How do grantees and their communities use this approach to tackle complex systems or social change agenda? Insights from this evaluation will provide us with a greater understanding of humancentered approaches to achieving impact and inform the Foundation s future investments in its vulnerable older adults focus area. The evaluation will shed light on the impact of Aging by Design in furthering the Foundation s goals and objectives for this vision area preventing and addressing triggers of decline for older adults. Evaluation data will also be used to inform and populate the Foundation s measurement dashboard content for the vulnerable older adults focus area. Evaluators are encouraged, but not required, to consider a developmental evaluation design for the Aging by Design evaluation. The evaluator or evaluation team selected for the Aging by Design initiative will: Participate in shaping evaluation questions and grantees' frameworks for change. Illuminate the process and role of human-centered design in developing and implementing Aging by Design interventions and program improvements, including: o How do participants/grantees apply human-centered design principles in Aging by Design program development and implementation, and to what ends? o Illuminate the role and influence of stakeholders (vulnerable older adults, caregivers, health and social service providers, advocates, policymakers, etc.) in shaping grantees interventions and their rollout in western and central New York communities. o What feedback do Aging by Design participants have about applying humancentered design? What grantee learning occurs in Aging by Design through human-centered design? How are learning and decision-making influenced by this approach? How are relationship-building, discovery, and emergent learning applied in program design and implementation? Do unintended consequences, discoveries or outcomes result from this approach? o Build an understanding of the context and strategy of each intervention, including why the work matters to stakeholders; what gaps each intervention addresses; what barriers and opportunities each project encounters with constituents and in the community; and analyze these observations. 5

6 o Provide a summary analysis of advantages and disadvantages of humancentered design as applied in Aging by Design. What obstacles or constraints are encountered by grantees? How is this approach perceived by participants and stakeholders? Explore: o What do grantees achieve and how do they achieve it? o How are grant funds used by grantees and for what purpose? o What organizational resources are tapped to embark on human-centered design? Are existing organizational resources used is this a practice change? Or does it require additional resources (i.e. new hires/consultants)? Identify short and long-term outcomes resulting from Aging by Design, including: o What do grantees and/or constituents do differently as a result of Aging by Design? o What changes occur at the service provider and community level? o What is the impact of grantee's work on constituents and on reducing the triggers of decline? This might include an analysis of : Consumer or participant preferences, including measures of participant satisfaction, feelings of participant inclusion or efficacy, or change in ability to attract or engage hard-to-reach populations resulting from Aging by Design. Standardized measures of reduction in the triggers of decline (i.e., reduction in falls or falls hospitalizations, medication error rates, caregiver stress levels, or other measures to be determined). o Does Aging by Design result in sustainable interventions, processes or programs one year later? Do Aging by Design grantees develop capacity to implement human-centered design to support program development? What does that new capacity look like and how is it applied? Is there evidence of culture change in the organization through Aging by Design? How do grantees interact/work with TA support provided by the Foundation to guide human-centered design activity? Does human-centered design activity spread to other areas of the grantee's work or to others involved in Aging by Design and/or the community? Other evaluator roles include: Compile and present education and status reports at Aging by Design meetings and events Produce a final comprehensive evaluation report Make recommendations and assist the Foundation in using evaluation findings to maximize opportunities for changing the awareness of triggers of decline, the belief that behaviors and professional practices can change, the success of sustainable changes that reduce triggers of decline, and use of human-centered design as a strategy for program development and stakeholder or community engagement. 6

7 Below is the timeline and corresponding actions the Foundation will undertake to identify the evaluator or team. Tuesday August 2, 2016 Friday, August 26, 2016 by 5 p.m. By Friday, September 2, 2016 By Friday, September 9, 2016 By Friday, September 16, 2016 By Friday, September 30, 2016 By Monday October 31, 2016 Release Request for Qualifications Expressions of Interest /Qualification Statements due to agingbydesign@hfwcny.org Invite telephone interviews (selected candidates) Complete phone interviews with candidates Invite selected candidates to attend an Design Day Workshop (together with potential grantees) Invitees attend a full-day Aging by Design Workshop (invitees may attend either the September 30 workshop in Syracuse or October 3 workshop in Buffalo) Selection of evaluator or team Length of Contract and Funding Level The term of the engagement between the evaluator and the Foundation will begin in October 2016 and continue until one year following the end of the two-year ABD implementation grants (or until December 31, 2019). The evaluator will have up to four months following the end of the evaluation to complete the final report (by April 30, 2020). The Foundation is looking for an evaluator who can propose a scope of work and budget that will fit within the Foundation s guideline for evaluation, which is approximately 10% of the total project budget of $1.36 million. The Foundation is also open to a discussion about the results and benefits that might be possible from a scope/budget that exceeds this guideline. II. Guidelines for Submitting Qualifications A. Eligibility The ideal evaluator or team will have: Experience in program, process and outcome evaluation, and with applying both qualitative and quantitative evaluation methods The ability to work as a collaborative team member and facilitator with grantees, TA advisors and foundation staff towards a shared goal Knowledge of the health and functional issues affecting older adults and their health behaviors Experience in evaluating prevention program impact, sustainable behavior or practice changes following a grant supported program 7

8 Knowledge of the human-centered design approach to prevention program development and implementation Experience in evaluating human-centered design approaches to program development targeting older adults (respondents with this experience will be given preference) Knowledge/experience with developmental evaluation methods (respondents with this experience will be given preference). Experience in successfully evaluating large foundation-sponsored initiatives that have multiple components and multiple grantees (respondents with this experience will be given preference) Experience in evaluation of organizational capacity building (respondents with this experience will be given preference). Applicants to this RFQ do not need to be located in the Foundation s service area or in New York State. It is expected that the evaluator or team will work with Foundation staff and consultants to gain a deep understanding of the work and to ensure adherence to all HIPAA and other applicable confidentiality policies and regulations, and to obtain Institutional Review Board approval, if necessary. The Foundation will also assist the evaluator or team in identifying an appropriate IRB, if needed. B. Travel The selected evaluator or team will be expected to attend grantee learning sessions held in Buffalo, Syracuse, or Rochester, NY. Periodic travel to grantee organizations and presentations to Foundation representatives, at grantee meetings or other events may also be required. IV. Qualification Narrative To complete this request for qualifications effectively it is essential to thoroughly review the qualifications, noting that the select evaluators or teams will be required to attend the Aging by Design Workshop in September and October All qualification responses must be received by no later than 5 p.m. on Friday, August 26, 2016 and should be sent to agingbydesign@hfwcny.org. Only electronic submissions will be accepted. Responses will be acknowledged by a return within 24 hours. Responses should not exceed 4 pages in 12-point font with one-inch margins, excluding attached resumes/cvs. Background 1. Briefly describe the organization business, academic department, other organization with which you or the team is associated 8

9 2. Highlight the career/work-related experience, academic credentials and skills/other experiences of those who would undertake this evaluation work. Explain how these qualifications relate to the successful evaluation of Aging by Design. Please attach resumes/cvs for each of these individuals. Qualifications 1. Briefly describe, using examples from previous work when possible, how you/the team approach: a. Program, process and outcome evaluation, applying both qualitative and quantitative evaluation methods. b. Describe, in general, how you will apply your evaluation experience, skills and approaches to ABD. i. Include examples of other evaluations related to prevention program impact, sustainable behavior or practice changes, and reducing triggers of decline in older adults. ii. Include examples of other evaluations of local innovation, including how communities tackled a complex behavior change or social change agenda. iii. Include examples of other evaluations where you/your team have evaluated emergent learning and stakeholder or community input to help inform program design and implementation. iv. What evaluation methods are recommended to address domains i-iii listed above? c. Describe how/where you have worked with or evaluated human-centered design as a strategy for program development d. Describe how/where you have: i. Worked as an adaptable thought partner and collaborative member of a team that includes grantees, Foundation staff, project and TA advisors. ii. Established baseline data e. Evaluating the organizational impact of capacity building (provide past examples) f. Sustaining your interest and enthusiasm for evaluative work over a multiyear project (provide past examples that illustrate your approach). 2. Describe any experience you/the team have in developmental evaluation. a. Would you recommend a developmental evaluation for Aging by Design - why or why not? b. Describe your experience or how you might approach balancing outcomes assessment with developmental evaluation. c. Are there aspects of Aging by Design and human-centered design that are well suited to developmental evaluation? Please describe. 9

10 d. What strategies would you recommend for evaluating the process and outcomes of human-centered design as applied in Aging by Design? e. Could you envision a mixed method evaluation for Aging by Design, including developmental evaluation and outcomes assessment? Please elaborate. f. Describe briefly how you would conduct a developmental evaluation of a multi-grantee, multi-year program like Aging by Design. 3. Describe any experience you/the team have in evaluating large foundationsponsored community-based initiatives. 4. If you intend to outsource portions of this evaluation work, identify the expertise or outside assistance you may require to supplement your/the team s skills and experience during the course of evaluating ABD. This may include engaging a local team member to assist with meeting facilitation, data collection or analysis. V. Selection Process The selection process has five steps: 1. Submission of Expressions of Interest/Qualification Statements must be sent by Friday August 26, 2016 by 5 p.m. to agingbydesign@hfwcny.org. 2. Phone interviews with invited candidates will take place by September Selected candidates attend one full-day Aging by Design Workshop (September 30 in Syracuse or October 3 in Buffalo). 4. Following the workshops, finalists may be asked to comment (in writing or by phone) on the Aging by Design Workshop and implications or recommendations for the evaluation. 5. Final selection of evaluator/evaluation team no later than October 31, This process is intended to increase the evaluator candidates understanding of Aging by Design and the needs of the Foundation as they relate to evaluation. This process is also designed to give the Foundation an understanding of the qualifications and work style of the candidates. Maximizing the opportunity for dialogue in the selection process is designed to lead to the selection of an evaluator who is well matched for this assignment and to expedite the process of finalizing the scope, schedule and budget of the evaluation. Announcement of the selected evaluator or team is expected to be made no later than October 31, 2016 and the evaluator or team is expected to start in late October or early November