COUNTY OF VENTURA – CITY OF OXNARD – CITY OF VENTURA COUNTY OF VENTURA (CONTACT AGENCY) GENERAL SERVICES AGENCY PROCUREMENT SERVICES 800 S. VICTORIA AVE., L#1080 VENTURA CA 93009 REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL # 5949 FOR FULL SERVICE EMERGENCY SHELTER OPERATOR ISSUED: JULY 9, 2018 PROPOSALS DUE: AUGUST 15, 2018 Please note that the parties sponsoring this solicitation are under no obligation to enter into a contract. County of Ventura – City of Oxnard – City of Ventura RFP #5949 Page 1 SECTION 1.0 -- BACKGROUND AND GENERAL INFORMATION This Request for Proposal (RFP) has been posted on the GSA Procurement website for your convenience. Addenda and attachments, if issued, are also posted. It is the Offeror’s responsibility to ensure that the entire RFP package, in its latest version, is reviewed prior to submittal of a proposal. 1.1 Background Since 2002, the County of Ventura and the cities of Oxnard and Ventura have been funding partners in the West County Winter Warming Shelter (WWS) model, and have provided oversight for the WWS program. The program has historically used the National Guard Armory locations in the cities of Ventura and Oxnard from 6pm-6am nightly between the winter months of December-March. The Armory WWS model provides homeless individuals in West Ventura County with a safe place to sleep, a hot meal and linkages to supportive services. When the WWS closes for the season, Ventura County automatically loses 110-120 emergency shelter beds with participants returning to the street. In 2018, as evidence of the County’s commitment to the development of permanent shelter solutions, the County of Ventura Board of Supervisors committed to partnering with cities in establishing effective crisis response systems tailored to each city’s unique needs for their homeless residents. The cities of Ventura and Oxnard have made formal requests to partner with the County in establishing new emergency shelter programs in their respective cities to augment their existing services. On March 23, 2018, the County Board of Supervisors conceptually agreed to match funding committed by the cities toward shelter improvements and ongoing operations, recognizing that there is a limit to that capacity. The City of Ventura’s residents recently passed ‘Measure O’, with homelessness identified as one of the community’s top priorities, and the Oxnard City Council has identified addressing and reducing homelessness as a priority Quality of Life goal. Both cities are actively pursuing locations for a permanent year-round emergency shelter program(s). Locations will be identified and in place before contracts are awarded. The City of Ventura has committed an initial $600,000 towards capital improvements with $300,000 annually for operations and the City of Oxnard has approved $1.2million to acquire a facility and $500,000 for ongoing operations. In May 2017, the County Board of Supervisors established Guiding Principles for priority uses of county funding for homeless programs. For emergency shelter programs, the County will fund programs that meet the following program criteria and performance goals: Program Criteria 1. Low-barrier to program entry; 2. Focus on housing first with the intent of stabilizing persons to work on a housing plan; 3. Treatment modalities will be trauma-informed and strengths-based; 4. Program will participate in Pathways to Home and Ventura County Homeless Management Information System (HMIS); 5. Program goals should be to help persons move into permanent housing as quickly as possible and prevent returns to homelessness VC Continuum of Care (CoC) Performance Goals 1. Reduce length of time persons are homeless 2. Increase number of persons housed 3. Increase income of persons served through employment and other resources 4. Prevent homelessness whenever possible County of Ventura – City of Oxnard – City of Ventura RFP #5949 Page 2 5. Prevent and reduce returns to homelessness after permanent housing placement 6. Reduce high utilization of publicly funded systems of care These principles and goals mean that programs strive to screen participants in, not out, and provide reasonable accommodations to help vulnerable members of our community move off the streets and begin working on a housing plan. 1.2 Statement of Need The cities of Ventura and Oxnard account for over 65% of Ventura County’s homeless population. 1,299 persons were surveyed in the annual homeless count. This number was an increase of over 12% in the total county population. Most concerning was the finding of a 23% increase in the number of unsheltered persons. Both cities have limited year-round emergency shelter programs. The City of Ventura has 22 beds for single adults. The City of Oxnard has 35 beds for men and 61 beds for women and children. The target population of the new program(s) will likely be individuals living in unsheltered locations of the cities of Ventura and Oxnard including river encampments and may have experienced long-term homelessness. Operator(s) should have demonstrated experience working with populations with complex needs including behavioral health issues and effectively partnering with homeless persons to move them to permanent housing. 1.3 Objective The goal of this RFP is to identify qualified operator(s) to work with jurisdictions (County of Ventura, City of Oxnard and City of Ventura) to develop and operate one or more full-service emergency shelter programs to serve primarily adults in the cities of Ventura and Oxnard. Locations for permanent 24-hour emergency shelters are being actively pursued in both cities through cooperative efforts from all three jurisdictions. All jurisdictions hope to have shelter programs open and operational by late 2018/early 2019. The selected operator(s) of the shelter program(s) will be expected to: 1) Enter into a multi-year operational and funding agreement based on satisfactory performance to operate a full-service emergency shelter; 2) Incorporate the County/City approved shelter program criteria and monitor relevant performance goals; 3) Participate in the Ventura County Continuum of Care coordinated entry system, Pathways to Home, including conducting assessments, documenting chronic homeless status when appropriate, making referrals and attending case conference meetings to prioritize persons for supportive housing vacancies; 4) Divert persons from shelters whenever possible by assisting with problem solving and connections to natural supports (i.e. family and loved ones); 5) Partner with rapid rehousing programs to quickly begin a housing focused plan; 6) Partner with County and non-profit agencies to serve the whole person with connections to medical, behavioral health, mainstream benefits, drug and alcohol treatment programs, workforce training, employment and educational opportunities and other services as determined by individual need; 7) Accommodate the care for pets into program design; 8) Collaborate with other non-profit organizations and public agencies to provide case management and, to the extent feasible, exit participants to appropriate locations (treatment, housing, etc.); 9) Cooperate with sponsors of the RFP in ultimate program design to both ensure compliance with the goals of the program, and to minimize operational costs to the maximum extent feasible; 10) Cooperate with the sponsors of the RFP to minimize neighborhood impacts including design of a shuttle system and 24-hour security for the safety of program participants and staff. County of Ventura – City of Oxnard – City of Ventura RFP #5949 Page 3 The selected operator should be prepared to participate and align its goals for this program with the local Continuum of Care, with the mission to make homelessness in Ventura County rare, brief and non-recurring. The Ventura County Continuum of Care is working with regional stakeholders to identify appropriate permanent housing opportunities for homeless persons, while recognizing there is an immediate need for 24 hour permanent emergency shelter/crisis response system. Achieving the goal of establishing an effective crisis response system would assist in reducing the number of persons who are living on the streets of Ventura County and provide spaces where service providers can effectively partner with homeless persons to develop a plan to address their housing needs. Potential Operators must demonstrate that their staff or contracted partner has the knowledge and experience in all pertinent areas required to provide the services proposed in the manner described and to achieve the expected outcomes. If selected, applicants may contract with other qualified service providers to provide services to program participants. If applicant’s contract with other qualified service providers they must provide that information as part of their proposal. Potential Operators must demonstrate the capacity to acquire the resources necessary to fulfill the scope of the resulting contract. This RFP is open to non-profit agencies that can design and implement fullservice emergency shelter programs to ensure a successful transition into permanent housing for program participants. One or more qualified applicants may be awarded through this RFP. The City of Ventura’s goal is to open a 55 bed full service shelter to primarily serve single adults. The applicant should address the ability to expand shelter bed capacity during weather events and other emergencies. Ventura’s ideal program will have a shuttle and referral system to prevent walkups to shelter. The applicant should have a plan for working within the service system to divert families with children from shelter. More information on the City’s ordinance for shelter development can be found in Section XIV of this RFP. The City of Oxnard’s goal is to open a 100-150 bed full service shelter to primarily serve single adults. The applicant should have a plan for working within the service system to divert families with children from shelter but the ability to shelter vulnerable populations such as youth and families in an urgent situation. The applicant should address the ability to expand shelter bed capacity during inclement weather events and other emergencies. The selected Operator will work with the City of Oxnard to develop a shuttle system and a process for accommodating walk-up clients. 1.4 Action Dates RFP Issued: July 9, 2018 Proposal Due: August 15, 2018 Last Day for Questions: August 7, 2018 RFP Evaluation/Award: August 29, 2018 Contract effective: December 2018 1.5 Questions Regarding RFP All questions concerning this proposal may be directed to Boyd Donavon, Assistant Purchasing Agent, under Message tab of RFP or via email at bettina.vicencio@ventura.org Deadline for questions or clarifications concerning this RFP is August 7, 2018 at 3:00 p.m. County of Ventura – City of Oxnard – City of Ventura RFP #5949 Page 4 SECTION 2.0 INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS/RULES GOVERNING COMPETITION 2.1 Submittal Deadline Completed proposals must be submitted online per instructions. Offerors are responsible for making certain their proposals are received by GSA-Procurement on or before the Proposal Submittal Deadline. The time in the electronic submittal system will be the governing time for acceptability of proposals. No oral, telegraphic, facsimile, or telephone proposals or modifications will be considered. 2.2 Proposal Response Offerors must submit their proposals and all required information and forms by the submittal deadline. Proposals failing to provide complete information may be deemed non-responsive. Offerors should keep copies of their submittals for future reference. Offerors who fail to notify County of intention to not respond, or not respond to proposal solicitations, may be removed from the supplier mailing list. 2.3 Modification of Proposals Any Offeror who wishes to make modifications to a proposal already received by County must withdraw their proposal in order to make the modifications. All modifications must be made online, properly by Offeror’s authorized representative, executed, and submitted in accordance with the terms and conditions of this solicitation. It is the responsibility of Offeror to ensure that modified proposals are resubmitted before the Submittal Deadline. Offerors may withdraw their proposals, at any time prior to the due date and time, through the electronic submittal system. Proposals cannot be changed or modified after the date and time designated for receipt. 2.4 Examination of the Request for Proposal Offerors should carefully examine the entire RFP, any addenda thereto, and all related materials and data referenced herein or otherwise available to offeror. Offeror will be presumed to be familiar with all specifications and requirements of this RFP. The failure or omission to examine any form, instrument or document will in no way relieve offerors from any obligation with respect to this proposal. 2.5 Proposal Validity Proposals submitted hereunder will be firm for ninety (90) calendar days from the due date unless otherwise qualified. 2.6 Proposal Content/Format To be considered responsive, proposals should address all items identified in this section. Please note: some items require that the offeror provide a detailed response and/or attachments. Failure to provide a complete response may be grounds for rejection of proposal. Furthermore, proposals should be prepared in such a way as to provide a straightforward and concise discussion of Offeror’s ability to provide the services that can best satisfy the requirements herein and the needs of County. Elaborate or unnecessarily lengthy documents are discouraged. County of Ventura – City of Oxnard – City of Ventura RFP #5949 Page 5 Emphasis should be concentrated on conformance to the RFP instructions, responsiveness to the RFP requirements and on completeness and clarity of content. In order to facilitate evaluation and comparison, proposals should be submitted in the format described in this section. Format instructions must be adhered to; all requirements and requests for information in the proposal must be responded to; all requested data must be supplied. Failure to comply with this requirement may be cause for rejection. Answer/Responses that are required to be uploaded, use 8 1/2" X 11" sheets. Assemble and present your proposal response in the order that the items are listed, identifying each response by the corresponding number. a. Compliance with County Standard Contract Terms and Conditions Successful Contractor will be required to enter into a written contract. Offerors will review County’s standard contract in Section 4 Contract Questionnaire, which will form the basis for any contract entered into hereunder. A full version can be viewed under Files. Offeror’s response will state on a point-by-point basis whether their proposal is in compliance with the terms and conditions in Section 4 of this RFP. Address each item in the order given; identify each response by item number. Any comments/exceptions to this contract must be included in your proposal. Precise substitute wording must be offered in place of the paragraph objected to. It is not sufficient to state merely that an exception is noted to a particular paragraph. Deviations considered excessive by County may reduce or eliminate an Offeror. b. Payment Terms Customary payment terms are Net 30 for work performed. Offerors will indicate their proposed payment terms. Discount for payment in fewer than thirty (30) days may be considered in the evaluation. 2.7 Costs Incurred in Responding County will not pay any costs incurred in proposal preparation, presentation, demonstration or negotiation, nor does it commit to procure or contract for any services. All costs of proposal preparation will be borne by the offeror. It is understood that all proposals, inquiries, and correspondence relating to this RFP and all reports, charts, displays, schedules, exhibits, and other documentation will become the property of the County of Ventura when received by County and may be considered public information under applicable law. County assumes no liability for any costs incurred by offerors throughout the entire selection process. 2.8 Confidential and Proprietary Data All materials received relative to this RFP will be kept confidential, until such time an award is made, or the RFP is canceled, at which time all materials received will be made available to the public. Proposals received will be subject to Government Code §6250, the Public Information Act. Offerors should mark information they consider proprietary or confidential in the event it is exempt from the requirements of the Act. 2.9 Commitments, Warranty and Representations The proposal submitted in response to this RFP will be included as part of the final contract. Offerors are cautioned that if a contract is awarded as a result of this procurement process, any written commitment by an offeror within the scope of this procurement will be binding upon the offeror whether or not incorporated into a contract document. Failure of the vendor to fulfill any such commitment will render the offeror liable for liquidated or other damages due County under the terms of the Contract. For the purpose of this procurement, a commitment by an offeror includes: County of Ventura – City of Oxnard – City of Ventura 2.10 RFP #5949 Page 6  Any modification of, or affirmation or representation as to the above, which is made by an offeror in or during the course of negotiation.  Any representation by an offeror in a proposal, supporting document, or negotiations subsequent thereto as to services to be performed, regardless of the fact that the duration of such commitment may exceed the duration of the contract. Proposal Validation/Evaluation/Award Proposals will be reviewed by City and County designated individuals for minimum qualifications, completeness, and adherence to the RFP requirements. a. Validation Proposals will be checked for the information required to conform to this RFP. Absence of required information may be cause for rejection. b. Evaluation The successful offeror will be chosen in accordance with, but not limited to criteria as described in the RFP. 2.11 Award Award will be made to the Offeror that is offering the most advantageous proposal after considerations of all evaluation criteria set forth herein. The criteria are not listed in any order of preference. County and cities will establish an Evaluation Committee. The Committee will evaluate all proposals received in accordance with the evaluation criteria. The Evaluation Committee may also contact and evaluate the Offeror’s and subcontractor’s references; contact any Offeror to clarify any response; contact any current users of an Offeror’s services; solicit information from any available source concerning any aspect of a proposal; and seek and review any other information deemed pertinent to the evaluation process. County reserves the right to establish weight factors that will be applied to the criteria depending upon order of importance. Weight factors and summary of evaluation scores will not be released until after award of proposal. County will not be obligated to accept the lowest priced proposal, but will make an award in the best interests of County after all factors have been evaluated. While County intends to enter a contract for these services, it will not be bound to do so. County reserves the right to reject any or all proposals. County will be the sole judge of the successful offers hereunder. County reserves the right to award a contract to other than the offeror submitting the lowest total price and to negotiate with any or all Offerors. Offerors are advised that it is possible that an award may be made without discussion or any contact concerning the proposals received. Accordingly, proposals should contain the most favorable terms from a price and technical standpoint, which the vendor can submit to County. DO NOT ASSUME that you will be contacted or afforded an opportunity to clarify, discuss, or revise your proposal. Award will be by means of a written agreement with the successful Offeror. A Notification of Intent to Award may be sent to any Offeror selected. Award is contingent upon the successful negotiation of final contract terms. Negotiations will be confidential and not subject to disclosure to competing Offerors unless an agreement is reached. If contract negotiations cannot be concluded successfully, the government partners may negotiate with the next highest scoring Offeror or withdraw the RFP. Based on the criteria in the RFP, the City and County staff will perform final scoring and rankings. Final contract awards will be approved by City of Ventura City Council, City of Oxnard City Council and the County of Ventura Board of Supervisors. An award will be made to the firm with the highest rated proposal. The County Board of Supervisors’ approval must be obtained for all contracts resulting from this Request for Proposal if services exceed $100,000. County of Ventura – City of Oxnard – City of Ventura 2.12 RFP #5949 Page 7 Presentations Offerors may be invited to make oral presentations to designated personnel. 2.13 Cancellation of RFP County reserves the right to cancel this solicitation at any time, prior to the submittal deadline. County of Ventura – City of Oxnard – City of Ventura RFP #5949 Page 8 SECTION 3 -- PLAN AND APPROACH REQUIREMENTS The information below is to facilitate your responses within the system section marked: Section 3 – RFP 5949 Plan and Approach Requirements (Questionnaire): 3.1 Funding The cities of Ventura and Oxnard have committed over $2 million dollars in funding towards the acquisition and operation of a year-round multi-service emergency shelter in each city. The County of Ventura has conceptually agreed to match funding for acquisition, rehabilitation, and operation of such facilities, with actual funding commitments to be made after discussions with each City. In addition, the Ventura County Continuum of Care anticipates receiving approximately $4million in emergency homeless aid funding from the State of California to assist with addressing the shelter crisis in Ventura County. Applicants will be evaluated on their ability to leverage public and private funding including grant funding to assist with ongoing operations of the program. 3.2 Service Model A full-service emergency shelter and navigation center will provide a safe place for homeless persons/households to stay and stabilize while partnering with service providers to develop a plan for safe secure permanent housing. The Operator’s staff and community partners will assist program participants to quickly secure and move into suitable permanent housing - and to achieve stability in that housing. A qualified Operator will demonstrate ability to develop partnerships to provide the scope of services required to serve the program participants. The shelter operator will actively participate in the Ventura County coordinated entry system, Pathways to Home and enter all program participants into the Ventura County Homeless Management Information System (VCHMIS). In addition to providing emergency shelter services, the qualified service provider will seek to leverage other housing resources that the program participant qualifies for and chooses. All program participants should be assessed for programs available within the Ventura County Continuum of Care spectrum of services. The qualified operator should have a client-centered and culturally competent approach to provide excellent customer service as participants seek shelter and begin to work on a plan for permanent housing. The approach should be trauma-informed and sensitive to a wide-range of participant needs. The provider will communicate, encourage, facilitate and support the client’s progress and activities toward housing and stability. The following competencies are an integral part of the program design:  Low Barrier Access and Services  Housing First  Harm Reduction  Trauma-Informed Care  Client-centered The County of Ventura and Cities of Ventura and Oxnard seek a provider who is skilled in providing humane care that preserves individual dignity. Services shall be inclusive of participants as full partners in their treatment and care. Policies and procedures must ensure client’s privacy and rights are protected. Program participants shall have the right to religious liberty and the right to present complaints and grievances. County of Ventura – City of Oxnard – City of Ventura RFP #5949 Page 9 The selected qualified provider will work openly and collaboratively with the funding jurisdictions to develop and refine approaches and operations to ensure that program participants receive the support they need to locate and secure permanent housing as quickly as possible and to remain stably housed. 3.3 Required Program and Service Components  Program Development: Working with the County and City, the shelter operator will fully develop standardized policies, procedures & protocols that further the goal of reducing the number of unsheltered persons in Ventura County. While maintaining flexibility to meet participant needs, the shelter operator should incorporate a standardized approach to assessment, case management and services to ensure fair treatment of all program participants. Program objectives include: o Managing program resources to achieve cost efficiencies and effectiveness and to facilitate services to as many program participants as feasible; o Expanding the capacity to serve participants by facilitating the delivery of services of multiple service providers; o Seeking additional resources to augment emergency shelter and housing opportunities for program participants.  Housing Navigation: Housing navigation services provide ongoing engagement and support in order to facilitate a match to an appropriate permanent housing placement. Housing navigation can be provided by the emergency shelter operator or a partner agency. Housing navigation objectives include: o o o Connecting participants to needed resources; Buffering participants from the stress of navigating housing access; Supporting participants in managing their own lives within the scope of their resources and abilities. Core navigation services include: o o o o o o  Providing housing location and counseling services; Establishing relationships with private and public owners and rental agencies willing to provide permanent housing opportunities to program participants; Assisting with housing applications and appeals; Negotiating rental agreements; Facilitating shared housing opportunities in community based housing and through master leasing; Assisting with the move-in process including identifying resources for basic furnishings, accessibility modifications or other expenses Housing Case Management: The service provider should offer, but not require, services that the client needs and wants in order to achieve the goal of moving into permanent housing. Case management must be conducted on a regular basis and the provider must document ongoing progress. Core case management services include: o Development of an individualized service plan based on needs, circumstances and market conditions, focused on helping individuals find and keep permanent housing and linkages to other community-based support services as needed; County of Ventura – City of Oxnard – City of Ventura  Page 10 System Level Partnerships and Collaboration: Collaborate, coordinate and maintain partnerships with other community agencies in order to enhance and maximize available resources for program participants. o o o o 3.4 RFP #5949 Work in partnership with the Ventura County Continuum of Care service provider network to coordinate a smooth transition between interim and permanent housing; Establish and maintain effective working relationships with employment programs and education/career centers; Partner with other key stakeholders and establish MOUs as necessary and appropriate; Participate in regional meetings including VC CoC meetings, Pathways to Home case conferencing, city stakeholder group meetings. Expected Objectives and Performance Measures Contract(s) awarded under this RFP will include provisions for every effort to be put forth to make homelessness rare, brief and non-recurring. To this end, program performance will be a key part of this RFP contracting. Performance measures will include those identified below, as well as other performance measures that may be identified during contract negotiations or at a later date. Outcomes will be reported quarterly to City/County staff and shared at minimum bi-annually with the respective Board of Supervisors/City Council(s).  Objectives: The full-service emergency shelter program is intended to achieve the following: o o o o  Increase accessibility to shelter and housing services for unsheltered persons in Ventura and Oxnard or both cities; Reduce the number of individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness; Rapidly connect participants with stable housing for long-term stability; Improve benefit and resource connections and housing retention. Performance Metrics o o o o o o Number served Number of days in emergency shelter Numbers exiting to permanent housing; Numbers exiting to other acceptable exits (treatment, transitional housing as appropriate) Increase in income, including disability income and other public benefits. Shelter services will initiate services related to income stability that will continue in permanent housing Returns to homelessness within 12 months