UPPER SAVANNAH

COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS

AREA AGENCY ON AGING

Greenwood, SC 29646

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

for the

Purchase and Provision of

In-Home and Community Based Services for the Elderly

under Title III of the Older Americans Act and SC State-Funded Programs

of the South Carolina Lieutenant Governor’s Office on Aging

ISSUE DATE:January 5, 2005

BUYER:Upper Savannah Council of Governments

Area Agency on Aging

222 Phoenix Street, Suite 200

Post Office Box 1366

Greenwood, SC 29648

TELEPHONE:(864) 941-8050

Organizations wanting to provide direct services to senior adults are invited to submit a Proposal in accordance with the requirements of the solicitation contained herein. In accordance with federal regulations, interest from small business, minority-owned firms, and women’s business enterprises is specifically invited. Because any Contract that may result from this solicitation is funded through a combination of Federal, State and Local funding sources, uncertainty exists with respect to what level of funds may be available to Offerors.

Funds made available under this Request for Proposal (RFP) require a match stipulated in the body of the RFP in greater detail. Offerors are required to demonstrate/document the availability or commitment to meet said match requirements.

This solicitation does not commit the Upper Savannah Council of Governments (USCOG) and/or the Upper Savannah Area Agency on Aging (AAA) to award a contract, to pay any costs incurred in the preparation of a proposal in response to this request, or to procure or contract for the articles of goods or services. The USCOG and/or AAA reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals received as a result of this Request for Proposal (RFP), to negotiate with all qualified Offerors, or to cancel in part or in whole this Request if it is in the best interest of the Older Americans Act program to do so.

Patricia C. HartungVanessa Wideman

Executive DirectorDirector of Aging Programs

Upper Savannah Council of GovernmentsUpper Savannah Area Agency on Aging

  1. REQUEST DESCRIPTION:

The Upper Savannah Council of Governments, Area Agency on Aging (USCOG/AAA), is the designated Area Agency on Aging serving the six (6) counties of Abbeville, Edgefield, Greenwood, Laurens, McCormick and Saluda. In our efforts to meet the needs of older persons age sixty (60) and over within the Upper Savannah Region, USCOG/AAA administers the provision of In-Home and Community-Based Services under Title III of the Older Americans Act of 1965 and subsequent amendments up to and including Public Law 106-501, and State-Funded Programs under the State Unit on Aging (SUA) currently housed in the South Carolina Lieutenant Governor’s Office on Aging. The primary purpose of the requested services/activities is to provide senior adults with mechanisms to maintain their health and independence, prevent premature institutionalization, and reduce social isolation. This Request for Proposal (RFP) is available to all Offerors who are interested in providing Level I Home Care Services (Chore Services) to the elderly

  1. PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCE:

A Pre-Proposal Conference will be held at 10am on Wednesday, February 2, 2005, at the Upper Savannah Council of Governments/AAA office located at 222 Phoenix Street, Suite 200, Greenwood, SC 29646. The purpose of this Conference is to provide interested Offerors an opportunity to present questions and/or request additional information relative to this Request for Proposal. Attendance at the pre-proposal conference is mandatory for any organization interested in submitting a proposal. Organizations planning to attend should RSVP to Linda Brock at 864-941-8050 by 5pm January 26, 2005. All questions and or requests for additional information shall be submitted in writing to the Upper Savannah AAA no later than 5pm EST on January 27, 2005. The questions will be answered at the conference. There will be no additional questions, written or verbal, addressed that were not provided in writing prior to the conference. Mail or Fax questions to:

Vanessa Wideman, AAA Director

Upper Savannah Council of Governments

222 Phoenix St., Suite 200 (P O Box 1366)Fax: (864) 941-8090

Greenwood, SC 29648

Questions or requests for additional information will not be accepted after the Pre-Proposal Conference is adjourned. All inquiries submitted in writing prior to the Conference will receive a written reply to be distributed to all potential Offerors.

  1. DELIVERY OF PROPOSALS:

One (1) typed original and six (6) copies of the Proposal are required. Sealed proposals in response to this RFP will be received by USCOG/AAA until 5:00pm on Monday, February 28, 2005, regardless of delivery method. At this time and location, the proposals will be publicly opened and identified. Due to the possibility of negotiation with any Offeror submitting a proposal, prices will not be divulged at time of opening. Proposals submitted after this time will not be considered for award. Proposals are to be mailed to:

Upper Savannah Council of Governments/AAA

P. O. Box 1366

Greenwood, SC 29648

ATTN: Aging Division

Proposals are to be hand carried or Express Mailed to:

Upper Savannah Council of Governments/AAA

The Exchange

2nd Floor

222 Phoenix Street, Suite 200

Greenwood, SC 29646

PROPOSALS SUBMITTED BY FAX MACHINE ARE UNACCEPTABLE !

One proposal should have an original signature and shall be clearly marked with the word ORIGINAL. Each additional copy of the proposal should be stapled or clipped in a single volume where practical. All documentation submitted with the proposal should be stapled or clipped in that single volume. Pages of proposals must be numbered and the font size should be no smaller than 10 point.
PROPOSAL ENVELOPES MUST BE MARKED: USAAA-05-02H.
  1. CONTRACT TERM / AWARDS:

The term of any Contract(s) resulting from this RFP shall be for the period beginning July 1, 2005, and continuing through June 30, 2006. The USCOG/AAA may, at its option, extend any Contract if it appears to be in the best interest of the Older Americans Act, the seniors of the Upper Savannah region, and the AAA and is agreeable with the Offeror. Said extensions may be less than, but will not exceed, two (2) additional one-year periods. The Offeror will be notified at least ninety (90) days prior to Contract expiration with respect to exercise of this option. Any request for an increase in unit cost will be evaluated prior to exercise of the option to extend and will be based on the availability of funds. All budgetary and unit costs information should be based on the time period referenced above.

Offerors must comply with contract provisions found in 45 CFR 92.36i.

While there will be no formal debriefing, all Offerors will receive notice informing them of the success, or lack thereof, of their proposal to receive an award.

A contract(s) shall be awarded to responsive offeror(s) whose proposal is(are) determined to be most advantageous, taking into consideration the evaluation factors set forth hereinafter. However, the right is reserved to reject any and all proposals, and in all cases the AAA will be the sole

judge as to whether an offerors proposal has or has not satisfactorily met the requirements of this RFP. The AAA may require Best & Final Offerors selected to participate in negotiations, technical revisions or other revisions to their proposals prior to contract finalization. There may be a preliminary selection for Best and Final Offerors. Terms and conditions that are included in this RFP will be a part of all Contracts awarded. Terms and conditions may be subject to changes as a result of changes in (1) Federal or State Code and/or Regulations, (2) AAA policy or (3) administrative procedures. Prior to entering a contract, the AAA reserves the right to the inspection of services, sites and records of the awarding Offeror(s). In addition, the AAA may adjust contract amounts based on the final allocation of federal, state and/or local funds or other factors.

  1. POLICY OF COMPETITION

The USCOG/AAA staff conducts all procurement transactions in a manner providing full and open competition. This Request for Proposal identifies all evaluation factors and their relative importance. Technical evaluations will be made of all responsive Proposals received. Awards will be made to the Offeror/Agency whose Proposal is most advantageous to the senior adults of the Upper Savannah Region and the AAA.

  1. RESPONSIVENESS OF PROPOSAL:
  1. Any Proposal received after the time and date indicated in Sub-Part III above will be returned to the Offeror unopened. The USCOG/AAA staff will document proposals as to the date and time of receipt.
  2. Any Proposal that is not in typed form will be returned without being reviewed.
  3. Any Proposal that is not submitted with an Original Signature and six (6) copies will be returned without being reviewed.
  4. Any Proposal that is submitted without supporting documentation for the Federal match requirement will be returned without being reviewed.
  5. Any Proposal that is considered non-responsive will not be evaluated. To be considered responsive, the Proposal must include all required forms and a complete Proposal Response Package.

The Successful Offeror must be able to obtain and submit, prior to the AAA finalizing the Contract, insurance coverage including liability insurance, bonding, and other organizational information.

Proposals will be reviewed solely on the material they contain. No modifications, alterations, additions, or substitutions to any Proposal will be accepted from Offerors after the closing date indicated in Sub-Part III above. Any such information received after the closing date will be returned to the Offeror.

VII.KEY EVENTS:

A. RFP Advertised / Released January 5, 2005

  1. Written requests for additional information and questions

must be received no later than 5pm EST, Jan. 27, 2005

C. Pre-Proposal Conference 10am EST, Feb. 2, 2005

D. Deadline for receipt of Sealed Proposals 5pm EST, Feb. 28, 2005

E. Announce Award April 4, 2005

F. Effective Date of Contract July 1, 2005

VIII.BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

The South Carolina Office of the Lieutenant Governor, Office on Aging, is the designated State Unit on Aging (SUA) to receive and administer Federal Older Americans Act (OAA) funds. As the SUA for South Carolina and in accordance with Federal requirements in 45 CFR 1321, the Office on Aging designates regional Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) to serve as planning/coordinating/administrative entities for their specified planning and service area (PSA). The SUA has designated ten (10) multi-county planning and service areas in South Carolina and has designated an Area Agency on Aging for each PSA. The Upper Savannah Area Agency on Aging has been designated as the AAA for the Upper Savannah Region to include the counties of Abbeville, Edgefield, Greenwood, Laurens, McCormick and Saluda. The Upper Savannah AAA contracts for a variety of Aging Services under Title III of the Older Americans Act.

Title III of the OAA provides funding to stimulate the development or enhancement of comprehensive and coordinated community-based systems resulting in a continuum of services to older persons, with special emphasis on older individuals having the greatest economic or social need, giving particular attention to low income minority individuals. A responsive community-based system of service shall, under the OAA, include collaboration in planning, resource allocation, and delivery of a comprehensive array of services and opportunities for all older adults. The intent is to use Title III funds as a catalyst in bringing together public and private resources in the community to assure the provision of a full range of efficient, well-coordinated, and accessible services for older persons. Funding opportunities under the Older Americans Act is initiated by the Administration on Aging at the Federal level, the State Unit on Aging at the State level, and the Area Agency on Aging at the Regional level.

For the past several years, AAAs have provided Federal and State Aging funds to local Aging Service Providers using a non-competitive procedure. In 2003, the Administration on Aging notified the South Carolina State Unit on Aging that the State of South Carolina had to comply with Federal regulations with regard to procurement of services under the Older Americans Act. The State Unit on Aging began its transition plan to move the Aging Network into a formal procurement process for Aging Services in each of the ten (10) Planning Service Areas to begin in July 1, 2005.

As part of the transition to a more formal procurement for Aging Services in South Carolina, a Comprehensive Needs Assessment was conducted by the Area Agencies on Aging in each of the ten (10) Planning Service Areas state-wide. The parameters set forth by the State Unit on Aging for the needs assessment process included the identification of the needs of older persons living in each specific region, the present serving delivery system available in the region, and a gaps analysis of the services needed but not provided. The Needs Assessment process allowed for the flexibility for each Area Agency on Aging to utilize the process to handle region-specific problems and needs, and include a review of socio-demographic data, regional and county profiles, and various studies conducted state-wide by the Sage Institute and Program Outcome Measurement Project data.

The Comprehensive Needs Assessment conducted in the Upper Savannah Region was based on:

Senior Surveys distributed to older adults throughout the six county area. Some of these surveys were distributed to homebound seniors currently receiving aging services and some surveys were distributed to active seniors who are participants in the Upper Savannah Regional Senior Sports Classic.

Community Surveys distributed to human service providers, current Aging service providers, policy makers, Senior advisory committees, and senior advocate groups.

A formal Needs Assessment Summary document was developed as a result of the Needs Assessment process and can be reviewed at Upper Savannah Area Agency on Aging, 222 Phoenix Street, Suite 200, Greenwood, SC, during normal business hours.

In keeping with the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, Office on Aging’s Compliance Plan, the Upper Savannah Council of Governments/Area Agency on Aging, is therefore soliciting this Request for Proposal for provision of Aging Services in the Upper Savannah Region.

  1. GENERAL INFORMATION / INSTRUCTIONS:

The following services were identified as priorities through the Comprehensive Needs Assessment conducted by the AAA in the Upper Savannah Region and are covered by this RFP.

Level I Home Care Services (also known as Chore Services)

Units of service to be funded by this RFP are included as Attachment A.

  1. Issuing Office and Date of Issue: This Request for Proposal (RFP) is issued by

the Upper Savannah Council of Governments/Area Agency on Aging (USCOG/AAA).

The issuing office is the sole point of contact for the RFP. Questions regarding this RFP should be in writing, faxed or mailed to Vanessa Wideman, P. O. Box 1366, Greenwood, SC 29646. Fax: (864) 941-8090.

The date of issue of this Request for Proposal is January 5, 2005.

2. Type of Contract to be Issued: A fixed service unit rate contract will be used which provides for the reimbursement for a unit of service or a specific task or delivery of a certain product or service as outlined in the Scopes of Work contained in this RFP. Contracts are executed on an annual basis.

3. Funding Levels: Allocations for Fiscal Year 2005 have not been issued. Upper Savannah AAA’s obligation is contingent upon the availability of pertinent Federal and State funds.

4. Service Area: Proposals may be submitted for one or more of the following competitive areas:

Abbeville County

Edgefield County

Greenwood County

Laurens County

McCormick County

Saluda County

At a minimum proposals must provide the proposed service or activity throughout the county or counties being covered by the proposal rather than fragmented limited Scope activities. Proposals which fail to offer the service throughout an entire county (or counties if proposal is for multi-county services) being offered shall be declared “non-responsive” and will not be evaluated. A separate proposal is not required for a comprehensive regional proposal; however, the proposal shall clearly identify services, quantities, and prices for each individual county being proposed. Each county proposed will be evaluated on its own merit.

Level I Home Care would be expected to be offered throughout each county (and not just certain spots in a county) as these services are linked to services at the clients’ homes.

5. Match: A 10% local match is required for all Title III services and may be provided in either Cash or In-Kind contributions or a combination of both. In-kind contributions may
include volunteers, supplies, donated office space, etc. Program income cannot be included as match. All match whether cash or in-kind shall meet the following requirements:

It shall not be supported with federal funds

It shall be an allowable cost

It shall be included in the accounting records

It shall not be used to match any other federal programs; and

It shall be verified in the service agency’s annual audit (if audit is required)

All Match funds sources (cash or in-kind) must be identified. Any Proposal which fails to detail the Match sources shall be declared “non-responsive” and will not be evaluated.

  1. Statutory Authority: The Statutory Authority for Contracts for the Provision of Aging

Services as a result of this Proposal is contained in the Older Americans Act, as amended in 2000 and signed into Public Law 106-501 on November 13, 2000. The successful Offeror must comply with the Act, the Regulations in effect or adopted by the U. S. Administration on Aging, the State Unit on Aging (SUA), and the Upper Savannah Area Agency on Aging instructions, policies, and other Federal, State and local laws and regulations as applicable. The Upper Savannah AAA has the authority to make decisions and bind any contract with regard to this RFP.

7. Eligible Offerors: Any governmental, non-profit, or private for-profit organization may apply. Nothing herein is intended, or should be construed, to limit competition, but instead if for the purpose of meeting the needs of older adults in the Upper Savannah region using a fair, impartial, and free competition. It is the intent and purpose of the AAA that this RFP permit and encourage competition.