Bid Detail

19-081 - IFB Consulting Services for Homeless Youth Needs Assessment and Planning Support

PURPOSE

The Springfield-Hampden County Continuum of Care (CoC), through its Unified Funding Agency, the City of Springfield, seeks a consultant or consulting team to produce a Homeless Youth Needs Assessment, provide data analysis and planning support regarding strategies to prevent and end youth homelessness, and to assist it in improving its application to the US Department of Housing and Urban development (HUD) for a youth Homelessness Demonstration Grant (YHDP). This project uses the term “youth” to refer to unaccompanied or parenting young people under age 25.

FUNDS AVAILABLE

The cost of this consulting project is not to exceed $37,000.

TIMELINE

The project will begin as soon as a contract is fully executed (expected by Jan. 15, 2019) and must be complete by June 30, 2019.

BACKGROUND

The CoC is a network of municipalities, organizations, community residents, and businesses that coordinate initiatives with the primary goal of ending homelessness in our community. The CoC’s members work to address homelessness through a coordinated, community-based process of identifying needs and building a system of housing and services to address those needs. The geographic area of the CoC includes all cities and towns within Hampden County Massachusetts.

The CoC has been awarded funds from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) to provide Homeless Youth Services during FY19 and FY20. As a part of this grant funding, the CoC is required to create and submit to the state a Homeless Youth Needs Assessment by June 30, 2019. In addition, the CoC has previously applied, unsuccessfully, to HUD for a YHDP grant and intends to apply for this grant again the next time it is made available, which is expected to be in late winter/early spring 2019. The CoC may supplement EOHHS grant funds with CoC Planning Grant funds.

The CoC seeks expertise and support to assist it in creation of the required Needs Assessment, as well as to assist it in improving its existing planning for its next YHDP application. The EOHHS grant includes funding in the first fiscal year for consulting services to undertake these tasks.

At this time, the CoC seeks support for the period January through June 2019 to undertake specific planning activities, with the intention that the support will assist the CoC to increase its capacity for ongoing planning and strategy development. After the end of this initial fiscal year, the CoC may seek to engage additional support, especially if it receives a YHDP award.
PROJECT REQUIREMENTS
The project will produce the following:
• An agreed-upon plan for actions the CoC can take immediately to improve its likelihood of securing a YHDP grant
• A Homeless Youth Needs Assessment, in the format required by EOHHS, which shall include analysis of the data collected
• Strategy recommendations, which shall include steps for the CoC and its partners to take in order to end youth homelessness; recommendations should include numbers and types of housing units needed
The project will include, at a minimum, the following activities:
• Support for the CoC’s integration of Youth Voices, a peer-led youth group which has agreed to work with the CoC on planning and implementation
• Identification and engagement of stakeholders
• Design of planning process and facilitation of key planning process meetings/events
• Coaching local project leads to run additional meetings/events
• Gathering and analysis of existing data
• Research and sharing of best practices

RELEVANT MATERIALS

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has produced a guide for production of the Needs Assessment that is required deliverable of the EOHHS grant; the guide includes specific items that must be included. The guide is available at: https://springfieldhampdenCoC.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/ma-homeless-youth-needs-assessment-guide.docx
The CoC’s application for the HUD YHDP grant provides background information about the CoC and its experience and programs regarding youth homelessness. The 2018 application is available at:
https://springfieldhampdenCoC.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/yhdp_narrative.pdf.

The CoC is involved in a current project that will impact this work:

The Youth Collaboratory’s Coordinated Entry Learning Collaborative (CELC), which incorporates a series of information exchange and coaching calls during the period July 2018 – June 2019. As part of this initiative, the CoC has instituted a by-name list of homeless youth, assessment of youth using the Transition Age Youth – Vulnerability Index-Service prioritization Decision Assistance Tool (TAY-VI-SPDAT), monthly case conferencing meetings, and monthly data reporting as part of this project:
https://public.tableau.com/profile/margaret.woley#!/vizhome/community-leveldashboard/6monthreview

To maintain a fair and impartial competitive process, the Procurement Office will answer only written questions. Please avoid private communication with any City staff regarding this IFB from the release date through the date of selection. Proposers who initiate private communication or attempt to violate the process outlined herein may be disqualified.

In order to provide prompt answers to questions, the Springfield Procurement Office requests that all proposers submit written questions. Questions must be received in writing only at the City of Springfield, Office of Procurement not later than December 27, 2018. Questions may be faxed or emailed. The Office of Procurement fax number is (413) 787-6295 or email lstabilo@springfieldCityhall.com.

The Procurement Office will compile written answers which will be emailed back to all Proposers who requested a copy of the IFB, no later than January 2, 2019.

REVISIONS AND/OR ADDENDA TO THE IFB
The City reserves the right to revise the IFB and/or to issue addenda to the IFB. The City also reserves the right to cancel or to reissue the IFB in whole or in part, prior to execution of an agreement. In the event it becomes necessary to revise any part of the IFB, addenda will be provided to all parties on record with the Chief of Procurement of the City as having received the IFB from the City.

Each Proposer shall acknowledge receipt of all addenda, and include such addenda in their proposal.

The City of Springfield supports the goal of twenty percent minority and women participation in all contracts. No questions will be answered unless received by the Chief Procurement Officer at least 7 days prior to the expiration of the time set for submitting bids or proposals. The Chief Procurement Officer reserves the right to waive any informality in and to reject any or all bids if it is in the public interest to do so.

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