SOURCES SOUGHT
U -- WIPA Training & Technical Assistance - Criteria Questions
- Notice Date
- 4/30/2009
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541990
— All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
- Contracting Office
- Social Security Administration, Office of Budget, Finance, and Management, Office of Acquisition and Grants, 1st Floor, Rear Entrance, 7111 Security Blvd., Baltimore, Maryland, 21244
- ZIP Code
- 21244
- Solicitation Number
- SSA-RFP-09-1047
- Archive Date
- 6/2/2009
- Point of Contact
- Johanna Klema,, Phone: 4109659492
- E-Mail Address
-
johanna.klema@ssa.gov
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- Please answer the attached questions. SOURCES SOUGHT: This is a sources sought notice to identify potential small businesses certified under Section 8(a) of the Small Business Act, Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) Act of 1997, Service Disabled Veteran Owned Business Program (SDVOB), or Small Business. The Social Security Administration has a requirement with a period of performance of one base year and four option years. The Government expects to make an award in September 2009. This acquisition is expected to be issued as a Request for Proposal (RFP) after review of the responses from this announcement. The government seeks industry input to determine if this acquisition should be set aside for 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOB, or Small Business under the auspices of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 19. The applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code number for this requirement is 541990 with a size standard of $7.0 million. The services are described below. PURPOSES: Section 1149 of the Social Security Act, as added by section 121 of the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999, requires that the Commissioner of Social Security establish a community-based work incentives planning and assistance program to provide accurate information to disability beneficiaries about work incentives programs and issues related to such programs. As part of its continuing response to this requirement, the Social Security Administration (SSA) plans to award State based (56) cooperative agreements for Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) projects. The cooperative agreements will be effective April 1, 2010 and may be renewed annually through March 31, 2015. The WIPA projects provide work incentives planning, assistance, and outreach services in all States, the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories to adults, transition-age youth and members of Native American communities who receive benefits based on disability SSA and who wish to work. The goal of the WIPA program is to assist such beneficiaries in their efforts to work, primarily by removing one of the major barriers to work: uncertainty and fear about the immediate and long-term effects of work on net income and healthcare coverage. The WIPA projects use Community Work Incentives Coordinators (CWICs) to enable disability beneficiaries to make fully informed decisions about work by providing them with accurate, understandable information about work incentives, related issues, and programs designed to facilitate joining the workforce, such as the Ticket to Work and Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS) programs. The CWICs also may assist disability beneficiaries in their efforts to use these programs, such as by assisting in the development of a PASS. The CWICs are encouraged to collaborate with local Department of Labor (DOL) One-Stop Career Centers, as well as with other community partners that provide employment related services to SSA disability beneficiaries. In conjunction with SSA’s Program Manager for Recruitment and Outreach (PMRO) contractor, they provide ongoing outreach to beneficiaries (and their families) and determine who may be eligible to participate in Federal, State, or local work incentive programs. The purpose of this contract will be to secure the training and technical assistance that the CWICs will need to be effective and successful in their efforts to support beneficiaries. A single entity will be contracted for that purpose. Training provided to the CWICs also may be attended by the staff of other SSA demonstration projects, or community partners, as SSA determines the need. These additional individuals may increase the number of trainings as outlined in the solicitation. PROJECT BACKGROUND: Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs contain a number of policies that are designed to encourage, facilitate and reward the efforts of disability beneficiaries to work. These programs, collectively called work incentives, assist beneficiaries who are going to work to transition into the workforce without immediate loss of essential income or health-care supports. Unfortunately, the number and complexity of these policies and programs, together with the complexity of other income and employment supports provided outside SSA’s programs are difficult for beneficiaries and their families to understand. Many of these work incentives are underused. Also, uncertainty and fear about the immediate and long-term effects of work, especially on net income and healthcare coverage, often needlessly discourage beneficiaries from working or increasing their earnings. The Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act was signed into law by President Clinton in 1999. This legislation created a number of initiatives designed to support work, including the requirement that SSA fund community services to provide specialized information and support around Social Security work incentives for beneficiaries who were interested in returning to work. The Benefits Planning, Assistance and Outreach (BPAO) program was established in 2000 to help overcome this barrier to work by ensuring that beneficiaries had the information they needed to make informed choices. The program’s 113 cooperative agreements, along with 3 contracts to provide training and technical assistance to the BPAO projects, expired at the end of September 2006. Funding was reauthorized through FY 2009 by the Social Security Protection Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-203). Beginning in October 2006, SSA awarded cooperative agreements for the WIPA projects. Although WIPA serves a similar role to the previously offered BPAO services, WIPA services are more intensive, longer-term services with an enhanced focus on work. Since the beginning of WIPA, 104 cooperative agreements have been issued, providing services throughout the United States and the U. S. territories. In an effort to improve consistency in technical assistance services throughout the county, SSA awarded one contract to provide training, individual provider certification and technical assistance to all 104 entities funded under WIPA cooperative agreements. SSA intends to continue to provide these valuable services throughout the United States. SSA intends to offer 56 cooperative agreements, one to each state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U. S. territories. As part of SSA’s initiative to provide support and assistance and; to enhance knowledge and facilitate the work of the WIPA network of service providers, SSA will award one technical assistance and training contract to offer a diverse array of training opportunities as well as technical assistance, certification and recertification for direct service providers and CWICs. RESPONSIBILITY OF CONTRACTOR: The technical assistance and training contractor shall provide consistent and accurate training and technical assistance to CWICs and shall develop and maintain training and technical assistance materials for that purpose. The contractor shall also provide training and technical assistance to members of Native American communities who receive benefits based on disability SSA and who wish to work. The contractor shall include SSA demonstration project staff and other community partners in the training classes as needed in consultation with SSA. The contractor may also offer special training classes for groups of community partners that will require adapted materials, ongoing supplemental training, technical assistance and certification as deemed necessary and in consultation with SSA. The contractor shall monitor and address ongoing training and technical assistance needs, evaluate training effectiveness, and report findings to SSA. These tasks shall be performed by the contractor staff, subcontractors, and/or expert consultants with contractor oversight. The contractor staff shall have the background, education and experience that emphasizes: individual and group education, instruction and training; experience and expertise in coordinating training meetings specifically, logistics including issues related to site and materials accessibility; familiarity with collecting data and research methodologies; demonstrated management experience and expertise managing large scale projects that involve multiple simultaneously occurring tasks ongoing in several sites; and demonstrate the ability to provide reliable and current information on laws, regulations, policies and practices pertinent to tasks required. The requirements of this section will be evidenced, in part, through the education and experience of the contractor’s personnel. The contractor shall coordinate and conduct nationwide trainings and technical assistance for the WIPA Projects within and across regional areas in a way that will maximize quality, efficiency and achieve cost effectiveness while increasing flexibility and the efficient use of resources. The contractor shall plan all logistics for the trainings including identifying trainers, securing hotel or other meeting space, securing hotel sleeping rooms, registering CWICs for the training, ensuring proper accommodations for trainers and CWICs with disabilities. The contractor shall coordinate choice of training dates and locations with the Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative (COTR). RESPONDING TO THIS NOTICE FOR SOURCES SOUGHT: Interested firms who are certified and/or qualified as 8(a), or HUBZone, or SDVOB, or Small Business, under NAICS code 541990, should submit a package outlining their capabilities as relevant to the performance of this requirement. No large businesses should respond to this announcement. Interested sources that believe they have the ability to perform the services required should submit a detailed statement of their capabilities in writing electronically to johanna.klema@ssa.gov. Submissions must be received not later than 8 a.m. on Monday May 18, 2009. Please address the five (5) Small Business criteria questions that are posted as a word document in conjunction with this notice to FebBizOpps. Please reference the solicitation number from above in your email subject line. The Government plans to use the internet and email as the primary means of disseminating and exchanging information. Hard copies of documents posted on FBO will not be made available. The Government will provide email confirmation of receipt of your capability statements package. If companies do not receive an email confirmation after submitting their package, please email johanna.klema@ssa.gov for assistance. No phone calls please.
- Web Link
-
FedBizOpps Complete View
(https://www.fbo.gov/?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=5d168267153a1180c04ca791637e9443&tab=core&_cview=1)
- Place of Performance
- Address: Nationwide., United States
- Record
- SN01805699-W 20090502/090430220725-5d168267153a1180c04ca791637e9443 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
| FSG Index | This Issue's Index | Today's FBO Daily Index Page |