FAMILY PLANNING COUNCIL OF IOWA

REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS

TITLE X FAMILY PLANNING SERVICES FOR FISCAL YEAR 2016 (July 1, 2015-June 30, 2016)

RFA #115

Family Planning Council of Iowa

108 3rd St. Suite 220

Des Moines, Iowa 50309-4758

Phone: (515) 288-9028

Fax: (515) 288-4048

Office Hours: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Release Date: October 28, 2014

Application Due: 4:00 p.m. (CST), December 22, 2014

REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS

TO CONTRACT

FOR THE PROVISION OF

TITLE X FAMILY PLANNING SERVICES

RFA#115OCTOBER 2014

FAMILY PLANNING COUNCIL OF IOWA

108 3RD STREET, SUITE 220

DES MOINES, IOWA 50309-4758

PHONE: 515-288-9028

FAX: 515-288-4048

The Family Planning Council of Iowa (FPCI) is requesting applications from organizations interested in providing Title X family planning services for (Grant #FPHPA076085). The objective of this Request for Applications (RFA) is to solicit applications from qualified entities interested in delivering family planning services through FPCI’s 55 county Title X delivery system. A list of impacted counties is attached to this announcement.

Details and the official Request for Applications packet are posted at under Funding Opportunities.

Applications must be received no later than 4:00 p.m. (CST) on Monday December 22, 2014. Please send applications to:

Family Planning Council of Iowa

108 Third Street, Suite 220

Des Moines, Iowa 50309-4758

Submitted applications must include:

  1. One final printed original application and required attachments and documents with the original signature of the person authorized to sign on behalf of the agency.
  2. Three (3) copies of the entire application with attachments and documents.

Electronically mailed or faxed applications will not be accepted.

Potential applicants are encouraged to participate in a Bidders’ Conference Webinar on Thursday November 13, 2014 at 1:30 p.m. (CST). Click on this link to register for the FPCI Bidders’ Conference Webinar: FPCI Bidders' Webinar. Direct questions to FPCI at (515) 288-9028 or .

FPCI reserves the right to cancel this solicitation.

FAMILY PLANNING COUNCIL OF IOWA

REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS

RFA # 115

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page No.
Section 1. Title X Family Planning Services / 1
Introduction to the Family Planning Council of Iowa / 1
Objective / 2
Contract Period -- Available Funding / 2
Title X Family Planning Services Program / 3
Title X National Priorities / 3
Title X Key Issues / 4
Target Population / 5
Funding Restrictions / 5
Reimbursement – Total Program Concept / 5
Funded Title X Family Planning Services / 6
Client Fees for Services / 15
Program Requirements and Expectations / 16
Federal Regulations / 17
Family Planning Council of Iowa Policies, Procedures and Reports / 18
Expectations for all Sub-recipient Agencies / 18
Section II. Application Process / 20
Who Can Apply / 20
Eligibility / 20
Qualifications / 20
How to Apply / 21
RFA Availability / 21
Questions and Answers / 21
Submitting the Application / 22
Due Date and Location / 22
Format Requirements / 22
Application Sequence and Submission Checklist / 23
Award / 24
Withdrawal Disclaimer / 24
Administrative Issues / 24
Application Review and Scoring Process / 25
Program Implementation / 25
Section III. Application Narrative / 26
Needs Assessment / 27
Organization, Administrative & Management / 27
Clinical Management / 29
Community Participation, Education and Project Promotion / 32
Financial Management / 33
Applicant Workplan / 35
Program Financing / 36
Exhibits / 41
Attachments / 46
Title X Family Planning Services Grant Review Criteria / 79

FPCI RFA # 115

I. Title X Family Planning Services

A. INTRODUCTION TO THE FAMILY PLANNING COUNCIL OF IOWA:

The Family Planning Council of Iowa (FPCI) is an Iowa 501(c) (3) non-profit corporation, incorporated in 1980. Since 1981, it has been designated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) as a grantee to manage federal family planning funds under Title X of the Public Health Services Act. FPCI is responsible for providing services under Title X to fifty-five (55) Iowa counties.

FPCI is governed by a Board of Directors composed of volunteers from across Iowa.

The project philosophy of FPCI has been directed toward the following considerations:

  1. Use planning and assessment as a tool to determine the need for family

planning services and deploy resources;

  1. Develop community programs to meet those needs;
  2. Identify, contract with and fund service providers;
  3. Monitor and evaluate the performance of sub-recipient provider agencies;
  4. Support client advocacy; and
  5. Provide data collection and reporting.

FPCI provides a network of comprehensive family planning services through contracts with community-based private and public organizations for the provision of direct clinical and educational family planning services to low-income adults and adolescents.

FPCI provides a variety of benefits and support programs for its sub-recipient agencies, including technical assistance, professional training, and continuing education programs.

FPCI is committed to providing quality Title X family planning services to as many people as possible with the resources available. Sub-recipient agencies (those currently under contract with FPCI), as well as private and public agencies not currently under contract with FPCI, are invited to submit an application for the delivery of family planning services in the FPCI service delivery area.

Service Delivery Area: For the purposes of this Request for Application (RFA), a service delivery area is defined as the geographic area in which the applicant agency proposes to provide Title X services; either clinical, community education or project promotion. The service delivery area may cover one or more counties. The application must name the specific counties that will make up the applicant’s service delivery area. Some requested information in the RFA will be for an agency-wide basis no matter how many counties are included in the proposed service delivery area. Some of the requested information must be provided as county specific information.

FPCI’s Title X program is based upon the 2014 Title X Guidelines which consist of two documents: 1) The April 25, 2014 MMWR “Providing Quality Family Planning Services: Recommendations of CDC and the U.S. Office of Population Affairs (QFP) and 2) “Program Requirements for Title X funded Family Planning Projects.” When the term “2014 Title X Guidelines” is used, it refers to the combined documents. FPCI’s Interim Administrative Policies also comprise the basis for FPCI’s Title X Project.

B. OBJECTIVE:

The objective of this Request for Applications (RFA) is to solicit applications from community-based and faith-based organizations and public health providers to provide family planning services acrossthe FPCI Title X delivery system of 55 counties in the state of Iowa. (Please see Exhibit 1 for list of counties). Such services will be provided in accordance with Federal Title X Family Planning Services statutes, regulations, and guidelines; other applicable federal statutes, regulations and circulars; applicable Iowa State laws and regulations; and FPCI policies and procedures.

C. CONTRACT PERIOD - AVAILABLE FUNDING:

The Family Planning Council of Iowa is the recipient of federal Title X Family Planning Services grant funds. FPCI subcontracts with provider agencies for the delivery of the Title X services. The projected project period is five (5) years. The FPCI subcontract budget period is July 1 through June 30. Continued funding within the project period is subject to the availability of Title X funds as authorized by Congress and continued satisfactory performance by FPCI and itssub-recipient agencies.

Renewal of any contract issued is subject to continued availability of funds and continued satisfactory sub-recipient agency performance. Agencies that are awarded funding will be required to complete an annual application in order to receive continued funding.

Preliminary Funding Levels: Funding allocations for the FPCI Title X project are based on estimated FY2015 funding levels. Should the funds received by FPCI be different than expected, FPCI may change the funds offered through this RFA, or the funding may be withdrawn completely. Actual total awards and individual contract funding levels may vary from those listed depending on availability of funding. FPCI reserves the right to amend contracts issued as a result of this RFA.

Funding per County: Funding allocations are reported by county. A table delineating the anticipated funding allocation per county is found in Exhibit 2. Use these figures to determine the Title X grant funds available for the service delivery area for which you are applying. These amounts are to be used to determine the application budget.

Additional funding will be provided for each clinic site that is open at least one day a week. The amount per clinic site has not yet been determined.

Cost Sharing: A minimum of 20% of the Title X Project Costs must be provided through non-Title X sources such as third party payers, patient fees, etc.

D. TITLE X FAMILY PLANNING SERVICES PROGRAM

The mission of Title X is to provide individuals the information and means to exercise personal choice in determining the number and spacing of their children. To this end, Title X funding is awarded to agencies across the nation to provide low income women and men with high quality family planning and reproductive health care services.

FPCI receives Title X funds from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services(HHS) (Grant No. FPHPA076085) to support voluntary family planning programs in the state of Iowa. Family planning services include clinical family planning and related preventive health services; information, education, and counseling related to family planning; and, referral services as indicated. In addition to supporting the direct provision of family planning services to clients, agencies that are awarded Title X funds may use the funds for community education and project promotion to inform a target population of family planning services, or to support the infrastructure of the family planning program or clinic facility. Title X funds should be used to improve continuity of care.

FPCI’s Title X program supports the provision of family planning services to low-income adults and adolescents in Iowa in accordance with the following Title X National Priorities and Key Issues issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Population Affairs.

  1. Title X National Priorities:
  1. Assuring the delivery of quality family planning and related preventive health services, where evidence exists that those services should lead to improvement in the overall health of individuals, with priority for services to individuals from low-income families. This includes ensuring that grantees have the capacity to support implementation (e.g., through staff training and related systems changes) of the Title X program guidelines throughout their Title X services projects, and that project staff have received training on Title X program requirements;
  1. Providing access to a broad range of acceptable and effective family planning methods and related preventive health services in accordance with the Title X program requirements and QFP. These services include, but are not limited to, natural family planning methods, infertility services, services for adolescents, breast and cervical cancer screening, and sexually transmitted disease (STD) and HIV prevention education, testing, and referral. The broad range of services does not include abortion as a method of family planning;
  1. Assessing clients’ reproductive life plan as part of determining the need for family planning services, and providing preconception services as stipulated in QFP;
  1. Addressing the comprehensive family planning and other health needs of individuals, families, and communities through outreach to hard-to-reach and/or vulnerable populations, and partnering with other community-based health and social service providers that provide needed services; and
  1. Demonstrating that the project infrastructure will ensure sustainability of family planning and reproductive health services throughout the proposed service area including:
  • Incorporation of certified Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems and other HIT systems that are interoperable;
  • Evidence of contracts with insurance and systems for third party billing as well as the ability to facilitate the enrollment of clients into insurance and Medicaid optimally onsite; and to report on numbers assisted and enrolled;
  • Evidence of the ability to provide comprehensive primary care services onsite or demonstration of formal robust linkages with comprehensive primary care providers.
  1. Title X Key Issues

a.Incorporation of the 2014 Title X Program Guidelines throughout the proposed service area as demonstrated by written clinical protocols that are in accordance with Title X Requirements and QFP;

b.Efficiency and effectiveness in program management and operations;

c.Patient access to a broad range of contraceptive options, including long acting reversible contraceptives (LARC), other pharmaceuticals, and laboratory tests;

d.Establishment and use of performance measures to regularly perform quality assurance and quality improvement activities;

e.Establishment of linkages and partnerships with comprehensive primary care providers, HIV care and treatment providers, and mental health, drug and alcohol treatment providers;

f.Incorporation of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS) and CDC’s “Revised Recommendations for HIV Testing of Adults, Adolescents and Pregnant Women in Health Care Settings”;

g.Efficient and streamlined electronic data collection (such as for the Family Planning Annual Report (FPAR)), reporting and analysis for internal use in monitoring performance, program efficiency, and staff productivity in order to improve the quality and delivery of family planning services; and

h.Incorporation of research outcomes and evidence-based approaches that focus on family planning service delivery.

3. Target Population

Title X will subsidize services for adults and adolescents in need of family planning services with incomes at or below 250% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). The priority is on providing services to individuals with incomes at or below 250% of FPL.

4. Funding Restrictions

  1. Title X funds shall not be used to supplant existing federal or state resources for family planning or primary health care programs.
  1. Title X funds shall not be used to make payments for any item or service for which payment has been made or can reasonably be expected to be made by a third-party payer.
  1. Title X funds shall not be used to purchase or improve lands. Nor shall funds be used to purchase or construct or make improvements to any building, except in instances of minor changes or repairs.
  1. Title X funds shall not be used to make direct cash payments to recipients of services.
  1. Title X funds shall not be used to finance the services of lobbyists nor to support lobbying costs.
  1. Title X funds shall not be used for abortion services or in agencies where abortion is a method of family planning.

5. Reimbursement – Total Program Concept

Title X operates on the Total Program Concept. Title X funds are used to leverage additional resources for a comprehensive family planning program. The sub-recipient agency will report all clients served by the family planning program who receive any of the Title X covered services included in the sub-recipient agency agreement with FPCI. Sub-recipient agencies must report all related revenues and expenditures that support the family planning program and related services.

The Total Program Concept requires that both the budget and application as a whole describe the total family planning program as it is defined by the applicant. The budget must include all costs for operating the family planning program. In addition to the Federal funds requested, the budget must include the non-federal funds needed to carry out the services defined in the application.

The sub-recipient must provide non-Title X grant funding of a minimum of 20% of the Title X project costs.

A sub-recipient agency will report all related revenue and expenses that support the family planning program on a monthly basis. Revenue – funding sources – to partially support the family planning program may include, but is not limited to: Title XIX (Medicaid), Medicaid family planning wavier (Iowa Family Planning Waiver), client fees, client donations, private insurance, county funds, state funds, and other federal funds received by the organization. Title X is the funding source of last resort.

The applicant will project (estimate) the number of unduplicated clients to be served each year.

Sub-recipient agencies are required to provide services for the full contractperiod even if the projected client number is met prior to the end of the contract period.

6. Funded Title X Family Planning Services:

  1. Project Management:

Agencies must comply with the applicable legislative, regulatory and administrative requirements described in the Public Health Service Grants Policy Statement.

Every project must assure client confidentiality and provide safeguards against the invasion of personal privacy, as required by the federal Privacy Act and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). No information obtained by project staff about individuals receiving services may be disclosed without the individual’s written consent, except as required by law or as necessary to provide services to the individual, with appropriate safeguards for confidentiality. Information may otherwise be disclosed only in summary, statistical, or other form that does not identify the individual.

Agencies are required to complete the Family Planning Annual Report (FPAR). At this time, the Family Planning Council of Iowa (FPCI) does not have a centralized data system. Therefore, sub-recipient agencies are required to have systems in place that will provide the compilation and reporting of information needed to complete the FPAR. Sub-recipient agencies are also required to provide quarterly data reports and other reports to FPCI.

Title X requires that personnel policies are in place which comply with applicable Federal and state requirements. Title X requires that a jobdescription be established for each position funded by the project. The jobdescriptions for family planning staff must be kept on file.

  1. Client Education:

Education and dissemination of information should assist clients in making informed decisions regarding the choice and use of family planning methods. Education must be documented in the client record.

Education must include information on the benefits of family planning services and available resources; safe sex practices to reduce the risk of unintended pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases and HIV;reproductive life planning, pre-conceptual counseling and FDA approved contraceptive methods; and the detection and prevention of cancer. The education provided should be appropriate to the client’s age, knowledge, language, and social-cultural background and should be presented in a non-directive manner. A mechanism to determine that the information provided has been understood should be established.