*Fall Prevention Specific Information is highlighted in yellow
A4AA REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
SECTION II
RFP POLICIES AND REQUIREMENTS
II. RFP POLICIES AND REQUIREMENTS
The following policies and requirements relative to the RFP process are established in accordance with the Older Americans Act of 1965, as amended in 1992 and reauthorized in 2004, and California Department of Aging (CDA) regulations.
All policies/requirements in this RFP are directed to either applicants or service providers. The term applicant is used when the policy/requirements must be met prior to or while applying for A4AA funds. The term service provider is used when the requirements must be met after the award of A4AA funds, as an agreement requirement.
A. A4AA RFP POLICIES/REQUIREMENTS
1) Programs/Funding Contained in the RFP: Proposals must be limited to the services and funding amounts identified in the program specifications and standards. Any proposal that fails to comply with this requirement will be deemed non-responsive and will be ineligible for funding consideration.
2) RFP Cycle: The initial Agreement period for this RFP is July 1, 2006 through June 30, 2007. Contracts will be eligible for renewal in each of the subsequent three years subject to funding availability and service provider’s fulfillment of contractual responsibilities.
3) Proposal Becomes Part of Agreement: Approved performance levels, planned activities, and budget in the proposal of successful applicant(s) will become part of the Agreement. As such, service provider will be accountable for contents of these parts of the proposal in addition to the requirements in the Agreement.
B. GENERAL ADMINISTRATIVE AND PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS FOR SERVICE PROVIDERS
Please refer to the following portions of this RFP for requirements, which are generally applicable to all A4AA service providers:
• Sample Agreement;
• Program Specifications and Standards; and
• Application section for budget instructions and requirement documents.
1) Applicable Policies and Regulations: The service provider shall be held accountable for A4AA policies and State and federal regulations and requirements as applicable. A list of these regulations and source documents, which are available to applicants for review at A4AA (by appointment), as follows:
• Current A4AA Memoranda and Bulletins;
• The Federal Register – Part 1321, Grants to State and Community Programs on Aging;
• The Federal Register – Part 74, Uniform Administrative Requirements for Awards and Sub-awards to Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals, Other Non-profit Organizations, and Commercial Organizations;
• The Federal Register – Part 92, Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Cooperative Agreements to State, Local, and Tribal Governments;
• The State of California Department of Aging Program Memos;
• OMB Circular A-87, Cost Principles for State, Local, and Indian Tribal Governments;
• OMB Circular A-102, Grants and Cooperative Agreements with State and Local Government;
• OMB Circular A- 122, Cost Principles for Non-profit Organizations;
• OMB Circular A-110, Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals and Other Non-profit Organizations;
• OMB Circular A-133, Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations;
• Welfare and Institutions Code Section 15640, Elder Abuse Reporting Requirements, Chapter 769, Statutes of 1986;
• Current CDA Terms and Conditions;
• A4AA’s Area Plan FY 2006-2010;
• ADCRC Program Manual;
§ HICAP Program Manual; and
§ Linkages Program Manual
2) Agreement Negotiation: A selected applicant's proposal may be negotiated by A4AA to refine service delivery, procedures, funding level and/or to adjust service levels to funding.
3) Organizational Structure: Applicant shall be a public agency or an incorporated organization as of proposal date with demonstrated capacity to delivery the number of proposed service units.
4) Subcontracts: Sub-contracts are not encouraged and are subject to the approval of A4AA.
5) Personnel Requirements:
a. Employment of Older Workers: Service provider shall promote paid employment opportunities for older workers within the program.
b. Job Descriptions: Service provider shall possess and maintain job descriptions for all program positions (both volunteer and paid). Descriptions will include requirements such as education, licenses and experience. Job duties, knowledge/skills shall also be specified.
c. Salary Schedule: Service provider shall have available a salary schedule for all paid program positions. Hourly rates should be comparable to those of similar positions in comparable organizations.
6) Use of Volunteers: Service provider shall endeavor to utilize the skills of volunteer staff. Volunteers shall be screened and selected through a formal written and oral interview process, shall not replace paid personnel, be provided with written job descriptions and be provided with the same orientation and training opportunities as paid personnel. Volunteers will be reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses and be covered under program’s insurance coverage as appropriate.
7) Staff Training: Service provider shall insure that all paid and volunteer staff persons working in A4AA-funded programs receive appropriate training by developing and implementing an annual training plan for those individuals.
8) Outreach Activities/Public Information: Service provider shall engage in outreach and public information activities in an effort to inform the general public, community leaders, service providers, and potential participants about program activities.
9) Targeting: Please refer to the individual Program Specifications and Standards (Section XI) for information regarding designated targeted persons to be served. Targeting goals shall be incorporated into the service provider's Scope of Service.
10) Performance Levels: Applicant shall propose realistic service goals that are achievable through available resources. The application must include a well-organized work plan containing goals, objectives, activities, and implementation strategies.
11) Program Reporting: Service provider shall maintain a program reporting system that identifies and separates service units and clients supported by A4AA funding. The record keeping process must capture all required information. Performance data will be reported in accordance with A4AA's Management Information System (MIS) requirements. Service providers operating registered services will be required to report information to A4AA electronically via a specified computerized MIS program. Costs associated with utilizing the computerized MIS program are the responsibility of the service provider.
12) Fiscal Reporting and Record keeping: A4AA requires a detailed fiscal report showing program revenues and expenditures on a monthly basis.
Service provider shall maintain financial and internal controls to assure use of A4AA funds in accordance with requirements specified in federal and state publications and the A4AA Agreement. All costs included in monthly reports must be supported by appropriate accounting documentation, and must be in accordance with an A4AA approved budget (see Budget Forms and Instructions, Section VI).
Accounting documentation must establish that only a fair and equitable portion of any grantee allocated costs or shared costs is charged to A4AA. Service providers sharing costs with other funding sources shall have a written cost allocation plan on file in their office. Costs included in the A4AA program budget(s) and monthly financial reports may be subject to approval only upon presentation of supporting documentation.
13) Audit Requirement: Service Providers shall provide an annual audit to A4AA (see Audit Requirements in Section IV Sample Agreement).
14) Local Match Requirements: Some programs funded under this RFP are required to include match (cash and/or in-kind) from non-federal sources in their program budgets.
· Title III-E National Family Caregiver Support Programs, require a 33% match.
· Alzheimer’s Daycare Resource Center (ADCRC) programs require a 25% match.
· Medication Management, Disease Prevention and Elder Abuse Prevention Programs require a 10% match.
· The Brown Bag program requires a 25% cash and 25% in-kind match.
· Linkages and HICAP do not have a matching requirement.
15) Supplantment: A4AA funds must be spent in addition to any federal, State or local funds. A service provider may use A4AA funds to supplement existing program funds, but must not supplant, replace, or substitute for any federal, State or local funding.
16) Client Contributions: Service providers shall provide individuals receiving services under an A4AA-funded program with a voluntary opportunity to contribute to the cost of the service. Client donation procedures must protect the privacy of each person with respect to his/her contribution and include appropriate methods to safeguard, report, and account for all contributions. Service provider will not deny service(s) because a participant does not contribute to the cost of the service. All participant contributions must be used to increase the number of service units delivered by the service provider or to pay for other allowable costs of the program. This income must be spent during the same contract year in which it was earned.
Alzheimer’s Day Care Resource Center programs may charge fees as specified in Section XI of this RFP and the ADCRC Program Manual.
17) Means Test: Service provider shall not use a means test (income eligibility) to determine client eligibility.
18) Physical Resources:
a. Facilities: If services are to be provided at a site other than the client's home, the site must be accessible to those persons who are disabled/handicapped.
b. Equipment: Service provider shall deliver services to clients with equipment that operates safely and effectively.
19) Licensing and Safety Requirements: Service provider must meet all federal, state and local licensing, health, and safety requirements as applicable.
20) Geographical Service Areas: Please refer to the individual Program Specifications and Standards for information regarding designated geographical service areas.
21) Disaster Plan: Service provider shall develop a service plan to be implemented in the event of a disaster. Plans must be reviewed and approved by A4AA.
22) Falls Prevention: A4AA’s 2005-09 Area Plan identifies falls prevention as a priority issue. All applicants responding to this RFP should consider ways they can facilitate falls prevention efforts within the course of regular service provision. Those programs proposing to provide services in the home such as Caregiver In-Home Respite, Medication Management, Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Caregiver Care Management and Linkages must incorporate falls prevention activity/activities in their program planning. An example of a falls prevention activity would be to conduct a home safety checklist as part of a client assessment.
C. RFP KEY TERMS
a. Area 4 Agency on Aging (A4AA) - the organization issuing this RFP. A4AA’s planning and service area is seven counties (Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, Sierra, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba). A4AA is one of the 33 area agencies on aging (AAAs) within California.
b. California Department of Aging (CDA) – the department within state government with whom A4AA contracts. A4AA receives both federal and state funding through CDA.
c. Older Americans Act (OAA) – the federal legislation that authorizes the federal funding portion for this RFP.
d. Older Californians Act (OCA) - the State legislation that authorizes the State funding portion of this RFP.
e. Alzheimer’s Day Care Resource Center Program – provides assistance to persons with dementia and their caregivers. Services include day care, respite, counseling and training, funded under the OCA.
f. National Family Caregiver Program: – provides respite, care management, and other services to persons caring for frail older adults and kin caregivers, funded under Title III-E of the OAA.
g. Linkages Program – provides case management services to individuals who are 18 years of age and older and not eligible for other existing case management programs, funded under the OCA.
h. Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP) – provides group and one-on-one insurance counseling and information to older persons, funded under the OCA.
i. NAPIS – the federal MIS reporting requirements utilized by all AAAs.
j. Registered Services – A4AA-funded programs required to utilize a computerized MIS reporting system program known as Q. Refer to the individual Program Specifications and Standards to determine which programs are registered services and therefore, required to participate in the Q reporting system.
k. Non-Registered Services – those A4AA-funded programs that utilize a paper MIS reporting procedure. Refer to the individual Program Specifications and Standards to determine which programs are non-registered services.
l. Supplantment – the fiscal action of replacing non-federal funds with federal funds. Providers are strictly prohibited from such actions.
m. Unduplicated Count – the number of individuals who participate in a program at least once during a contract agreement period.
Section II, Page 2