Simplified Request for Proposals for: Program Evaluation for School-Based HIV/STD Prevention Issued by: Vermont Agency of Education For issuance on: October 18, 2013 Proposals due: November 15, 2013 Contact Person for this RFP: Kathryn O Neill, Program Coordinator and Principal Investigator under CDC Cooperative Agreement PS13-1308 Improving the Health and Education Outcomes of Vermont Students Through School-Based HIV/STD Prevention kathryn.oneill@state.vt.us 1
Detailed Description of Work to be Performed The Vermont Agency of Education seeks proposals for evaluation services to provide independent evaluation of a cooperative agreement funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) titled: Improving the Health and Education Outcomes of Vermont Students Through School-Based HIV/STD Prevention Specific responsibilities include: 1. Develop a detailed evaluation and performance measurement plan for the purpose of collecting and reporting process and short-term outcome performance measures. See Chart A below. a. The evaluation plan must include an overall jurisdiction/community specific evaluation and performance management plan that is consistent with the CDC evaluation and performance management expectations. CDC guidance can be found at this link: http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/evaluation/evaluation_planning.htm b. The evaluation plan must describe the frequency with which evaluation and performance data are to be collected, how data will be reported, how evaluation findings will be used for continuous program and quality improvement, how evaluation findings and performance measurement will yield findings to demonstrate the impact on improving public health outcomes, dissemination channels and audiences (including public dissemination) and other information requested, as determined by the Agency of Education under CDC guidance 2. Collaborate with Agency staff in developing annual performance measurement reports. 3. Establish school-level data collection system for reporting annually on existing, new, and revised policies that facilitate exemplary sexual health education, student referrals to key sexual health services, safe and supportive environments, and programs and services for youth at disproportionate risk for HIV and STDs. This pertains to school-level policies and practices. No student-level data will be collected. 2
CHART A: (CDC guidance on short-term outcome performance measures pertaining to the Improving the Health and Education Outcomes of Vermont Students Through School-Based HIV/STD Prevention Education program ) Approach A: Exemplary Sexual Health Education (ESHE) Evaluation Question To what extent do schools implement exemplary sexual health education? Short-Term Outcome Performance Measures Percentage of districts that have a written MS/HS standard course of study or curriculum framework that reflects ESHE programs. that have implemented ESHE, including EBI. Youth at Disproportionate Risk (YDR) Short-Term Outcome Performance Measures that have implemented appropriate intervention for the selected YDR population. Approach B: Sexual Health Services (SHS) Evaluation Question To what extent do schools improve student access to key youthfriendly sexual health services? Short-Term Outcome Performance Measures that have linkages with adolescent-friendly organizations. that have a system to refer students to youthfriendly off-site providers for key SHS. that provide key SHS on site. Youth at Disproportionate Risk (YDR) Short-Term Outcome Performance Measures that have linkages with adolescent-friendly organizations. 3
Approach C: Safe and Supportive Environments (SSE) Evaluation Question To what extent are schools able to create and maintain a safe and supportive environment for students? Short-Term Outcome Performance Measures that prohibit bullying and sexual harassment. that promote school connectedness. Youth at Disproportionate Risk (YDR) Short-Term Outcome Performance Measures that prohibit bullying and sexual harassment among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered and Questioning (LGBTQ) youth. Contract Period The contract arising from this request for proposal will be for an initial period of 6 months with an option to renew for additional contracts up to a cumulative five-year period maximum. The anticipated initial contract term is January 3, 2014 through July 31, 2014, with subsequent contracts available through July 31, 2018. RFP Timetable RFP Posted Friday, October 18, 2013 Proposal Due Friday, November 15, 2013 Selection Notification Friday, November 22, 2013 Anticipated Commencement of Contract Friday, January 3, 2014 Detailed Evaluation Plan Due (under contract) Friday, January 31, 2014 4
General Requirements Single Point of Contact. All communications regarding this RFP shall be in writing and addressed to the Contact Person indicated on page one of this RFP. Questions. Any bidder requiring clarification of any section of this proposal or wishing to comment or take exception to any requirements or other portion of the RFP must submit specific questions to the Contact Person named on page one of this RFP. Any objection to the RFP or to any provision of the RFP that is not raised in writing on or before the last day of the question period is waived. Confidentiality. Bidders should be aware that all materials submitted will become part of the contract file and will be considered public records under the Vermont Public Records Act, 1 VSA Sections 315-320. The Agency of Education prefers that vendors not file proprietary information with their bids. If the bidder finds it necessary to include material that the bidder considers to be proprietary, a trade secret or otherwise confidential, the bidder must: (1) clearly designate any information in the response the bidder believes is proprietary as confidential ; (2) provide a written explanation sufficient to justify each exemption from release under the Vermont Public Records Act, including the prospective harm to the competitive position of the bidder if the identified material were to be released; and (3) include a redacted copy of the response for any portions of the bid that the vendor designates confidential. Under no circumstances can the entire response or price information be marked confidential. Responses so marked will not be considered and will be returned to the vendor. Vendors filing submissions agree that final discretion to release or exempt all material so identified as confidential rests with the Agency. Acceptance of the Proposal. The state reserves the right to waive minor irregularities in a bidder s proposal, providing such action is in the best interest of the State. Where the State may waive minor irregularities, such waiver shall in no way modify the RFP requirements or excuse the bidder from full compliance with the RFP specifications. The State reserves the right to request clarification or correction of the proposal, reject any or all proposals received, or cancel the procurement at any time prior to an award. A proposal may be rejected for: (1) the failure of the bidder to adhere to one or more provisions established in this RFP; the failure of the bidder to submit required information in the format specified in this RFP; (3) the failure of the bidder to adhere to generally accepted ethical and professional principles during the RFP process; or (4) for any other reason deemed to be in the best interest of the State. In the event that the State is not successful in negotiating a contract with the selected bidder, the State reserves the option of negotiating with another bidder. 5
Exclusive Ownership. Any and all data, surveys analysis, reports, studies and other complete or incomplete work product prepared or developed by the contractor in connection with the contract shall become the exclusive property of the State. Costs of Preparing Proposals. All costs incurred by the bidder during the preparation of the proposal will be the sole responsibility of the bidder. Unless explicitly stated, the State will not reimburse the bidder for any costs associated with submission of a proposal. Attachments. All contracts of the State of Vermont have standard provisions, which are included with this RFP as Attachment C. Submission and Evaluation of Proposals Proposal Delivery. The method of delivery shall be via email sent to: kathryn.oneill@state.vt.us Proposals shall be delivered via email attachment and shall arrive in the email in-box of the above Contact Person no later than 4:30 pm on Friday, November 15, 2013 and should include the project title in the subject line of the email. Late responses will not be accepted and shall automatically be disqualified from further consideration. Delivery shall be at bidder s sole risk. The Agency is not responsible for technical problems that may delay receipt of the email attachment. Bidder should plan accordingly. Proposal Format. Use standard 8.5" x 11" document format, single-spaced and use not less than a twelve point font. Write the program proposal in the order given in the below scoring criteria chart (Quality of Bidder Experience, Bidder s Information, and Program Costs). Address the proposal specifications in the same manner as the program specifications, title and number each item in the same way it appears in the scoring criteria. Proposal Evaluation. Proposals will be evaluated by one or more knowledgeable individuals from AOE. Evaluation will be based upon the bidder s responses to the four sections outlined in the below scoring criteria chart (Quality of Bidder Experience, Bidder Capacity, Technical Proposal, and Program Costs). Scoring is intended to clarify strengths and weaknesses of proposals relative to one another and to provide guidance to decision-makers. The sum of the scores of the members will become the proposal s final score. 6
CRITERIA FOR SCORING 1 INFORMATION FROM THE BIDDER Total possible points Applicant Score A. Quality of Bidder s Experience 20 Provide a description of the bidder s contracting experience within the past 15 five years conducting evaluation and performance measurement activities. Describe the bidder s experience with conducting similar activities, including data on bidder performance similar contracts, grants and collaborative activities. Describe the bidder s understanding of public health evaluation. 5 B. Bidder s Capacity to Perform 30 Provide a description of the organizational structure of the bidder. Provide a staff and contractor organizational chart that identifies the major operational components of the organization, and the lines of authority and responsibility. Organizational Quality describe licensures or accreditations of the organization or other indicators of quality review that attest to the quality of bidder programs. 2 TECHNICAL PROPOSAL/PROGRAM SPECIFICATIONS 15 15 A. Responsiveness to Specifications 25 Provide a description of how bidder will respond to program goals and how 15 the bidder will report its performance and quality. Describe how the bidder ensures projects remain on track for proposed periods. In particular, describe how bidder will ensure the completion of a detailed evaluation plan by January 31, 2014 during project period. Describe how the bidder will work with Agency of Education program manager to ensure successful evaluation outcomes. 10 B. Program Cost 25 Summary Program Costs Submit an itemized program cost proposal. Include hours for each category of staff assigned to project and hourly costs. Detail of Expenses In narrative form, explain how figures for rates and administrative expenses were determined. Allocation Methods 15 5 5 In narrative form, describe your method for allocating your administrative costs. OVERALL TOTAL SCORE 100 7