MODIFICATION
R -- ACF Equity Lens Training
- Notice Date
- 3/6/2016
- Notice Type
- Modification/Amendment
- NAICS
- 541611
— Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Health and Human Services, Program Support Center, Division of Acquisition Management, 12501 Ardennes Avenue, Suite 400, Rockville, Maryland, 20857, United States
- ZIP Code
- 20857
- Solicitation Number
- HHS-ACF-OA-SS-16-0001
- Archive Date
- 4/5/2016
- Point of Contact
- Peter D. Preston, Phone: 3014435100
- E-Mail Address
-
Peter.Preston@psc.hhs.gov
(Peter.Preston@psc.hhs.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- Description(s): The Program Support Center at the Department of Health and Human Services wants to identify viable 8(a) small businesses that are capable of fulfilling the objectives of this requirement for the Administration for Children and Families, Immediate Office of the Assitant Secretary. This is a 8(a) Small Business Sources Sought notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding: (1) the availability and capability of qualified 8(a) small business sources; (2) whether they are 8(a) small businesses; (3) their size classification relative to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for the proposed acquisition. Your responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible. An organization that is not considered a 8(a) small business under the applicable NAICS code should not submit a response to this notice. Background: The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) promotes the economic and social well-being of families, children, individuals and communities with partnerships, funding, guidance, training and technical assistance. ACF administers human services programs that address issues of low-income status, the needs of children and families, and social and economic risk. ACF seeks to enhance its ability to leverage its programs to address issues of racial disparities and inequality. To develop a strategy to build the agency's capacity to address racial disparities and promote equity, ACF's Immediate Office of the Assistant Secretary (IOAS) convened a Disparities and Equity Work Group. The Work Group examined what other human services agencies have done in equity and disparities work, and closely studied the Montgomery County Maryland Department of Health and Human Services' "Culture of Equity" model, which emphasized (1) an "equity lens" in all decisions, and (2) a shared language and process for equity analysis for senior leadership, supervisory, and nonsupervisory staff. The Work Group collaborated on a plan to adapt the Montgomery County Equity Lens model to ACF. This included identifying the current state of conversations about equity in various locations in the agency, as well as identifying potential strategies for delivering a training aimed at increasing the comfort and fluency of ACF staff with discussions of disparities and equity issues. The training and coaching process is not the entirety of the proposal, but is designed to create a cadre of committed equity-focused staff at multiple levels of the agency who share a common language and set of techniques for work on disparities in human services. Purpose and Objectives: The Equity and Disparities Capacity-Building project is a pilot project undertaken by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Immediate Office of the Assistant Secretary (IOAS) to increase the capacity of ACF program staff to incorporate an "equity lens" in program planning and decision-making. One element of the project is the procurement of training, coaching, and professional development services from a vendor able to provide intermediate training to help social services/human services program staff to be more able to discuss and analyze issues of racial disparities and equity. ACF seeks a vendor able to deliver these training, coaching, and professional development services.   Project Requirements: The purpose of this requirement is to provide training, coaching, and professional development to ACF staff participating in a pilot initiative to enhance participants' ability to apply a racial equity focus to programmatic work. Two ACF Program Offices will be selected to participate in the pilot initiative. Experiences and lessons learned related to what works and what doesn't work in efforts to enhance staff ability to discuss disparities issues and think through equity-lens approaches will help to determine future needs for the agency. Distance learning tools will be used to include both Central (Washington DC) and Regional Office personnel from selected Program Offices. A vendor will be procured by contract to provide specialized training and coaching for ACF staff participating in the project. The customization of training by the consultant will be in partnership with the ACF Disparities and Equity Workgroup and the Program Office Principals of the selected pilot Program Offices. The training and coaching-focused effort will be in three phases: • Introductory Training for Piloted Program Office Staff-Two Program Offices will be selected (based on volunteering by Program Office Principals). Staff in these two Offices will participate in a four-hour interactive training session provided by consultant personnel. Focus of the training will be on key building blocks for racial equity work; developing a shared language for racial disparities and equity issues; and introduction to a tool or process for racial equity work. • Intensive Training for Interested/Volunteering Staff-After completing the introductory training, staff who are interested may volunteer/apply to be part of the advanced training. Participation is voluntary and based upon staff-identified interests, with an application process to select among interested staff to identify those best positioned to translate the advanced training into programmatic work. This training will presumably include leadership and upper management of the participating Program Offices. This advanced training is a 1.5-day long training, for up to 30-35 individuals. Focus of this more highly interactive training will be on more advanced skills with a racial equity analysis tool; determination of concrete actions that staff can take in their own work to advance racial equity; and proactive identification of areas for future TA and coaching. One critical outcome of this process is the creation of an Equity Work Team within each participating Program Office to support the Program Office Principal and Deputy with expertise and assistance in equity-focused efforts across the Program Office. • Follow-up Coaching-Three monthly two-hour coaching calls at intervals following the intensive training, designed to be practice-focused and to promote continued application and development of equity concepts in ongoing programmatic work. Consultant teams provide expert coaching during these calls, which should align with key initiatives approved by the Principals of participating Program Offices for equity-focused work by the Equity Work Team within that Program Office. Anticipated Period of Performance: The anticipated period of performance shall be awarded for a 5 month period beginning 1 May 2016 and concluding 30 September 2016. Information submission instructions: No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s). Interested 8(a) small business firms are highly encouraged to respond to this notice. However, firms should understand that generic capability statements are not sufficient for effective evaluation of their capacity and capability to perform the work required. Responses must directly demonstrate the company's capability, experience, and ability to marshal resources to effectively and efficiently perform the objectives described above. All inquiries to this "Sources Sought" must be in writing to Peter.preston@psc.hhs.gov or: Peter D. Preston Jr. Contract Specialist U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Program Support Center Strategic Acquisition Service 12501 Ardennes Avenue Suite 400 Rockville, MD 20857 Phone (301) 443-5100 Fax: (301) 480-0547 Telephone responses will not be accepted. All inquiries must be typed in 12 Font. All inquiries submitted electronically should be in either Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format. Please keep responses to a maximum of 10 pages, only one copy of responses are necessary. The statement should also include an indication of certified 8(a) small business status; this indication should be clearly marked on the first page of the capability statement. In its capability statement each respondent must provide the following information: 1. Information regarding respondents': a) staff expertise, including their availability, experience, and formal and other training; b) current in-house capability and capacity to perform the work; c) evidence of extensive subject matter expertise in racial disparities and racial equity-focused work d) prior completed projects providing training or coaching to Federal, state, or local government human services/social services agencies on how to address equity issues in human services/social services programs e) corporate experience and management capability; and f) Examples of prior completed Government contracts, references, and other related information. 2. Demonstrate an understanding of the role of human services/social services programs in addressing racial and ethnic disparities 3. Information regarding respondents small business status a) Company Name, b) Company DUNS number, c) Company point of contact, d) Mailing address, e) Telephone and fax numbers, f) Website address g) Name, telephone number, and e-mail address of a company point of contact who has the authority and knowledge to clarify responses with government representatives h) Date submitted i) Applicable company GSA Schedule number or other available procurement vehicle j) Do you have a Government approved accounting system? If so, please identify the agency that approved the system. k) Type of Company (i.e. 8(a)) as validated via the Central Contractor Registration (CCR). All respondents must register on the CCR located at http://www.ccr.gov/index.asp This notice is for PSC's planning only. This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization's qualifications to perform the work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. Respondents will not be notified of the results of this evaluation. Capability statements will not be returned and will not be accepted after the due date. After a review of the responses received, a pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in Federal Business Opportunities. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation.
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