REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL - EVALUATION OF Women’s Justice Programs’ and ReMerge’s American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) Justice-involved Female Program Expansion (JFPE)
Project Name: Women’s Justice Programs and ReMerge - American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) - Justice-involved Female Program Expansion (JFPE)
Responses Due: October 23, 2023 at 5pm
Contact names:
Nick McMillan, Data Analyst, Women’s Justice Programs
Miranda Ramey, Compliance Manager, ReMerge
Contact emails:
Nick McMillan: nmcmillan@fcsok.org
Miranda Ramey: mramey@remergeok.org
Contact phone number:
Nick McMillan: 918.947.4241
Miranda Ramey: 405.208.7200
Women’s Justice Programs of Family & Children’s Services (WJP) and ReMerge will consider all responses that are submitted respectively to both organizations. Please include the name of the project, “JFPE,” in the subject line. Any oral communications will be considered unofficial and nonbinding on WJP and ReMerge. Only written statements issued by the program contacts may be relied upon.
INTRODUCTION
Through this Request for Proposals (RFP), WJP and ReMerge seek responses from vendors interested in evaluating the effectiveness of WJP and ReMerge’s JFPE. In addition to conducting the evaluation, the successful vendor will produce a blueprint for rural expansion; economic impact analysis (short- and long-term), policy recommendations for expansion; resources/assets that are required; comparative analysis across counties and regions; research briefs. This project is funded by an ARPA Grant awarded by the State of Oklahoma with an evaluation budget of $250,000 over a three-year period.
WJP and ReMerge will jointly contract with an external evaluator to track, monitor, and evaluate the JFPE and provide annual reporting of outcome information. These data will help guide recommendations to help Oklahoma scale similar types of diversion programs to reach rural counties throughout the state. The evaluator will track and analyze ongoing project data such as self-sufficiency rates, wage growth, ratio of wages to housing costs, business partnerships, behavioral and health outcomes, housing placement, short-term recidivism, program completion rates, reunification and more.
WJP and ReMerge view their work as connected through similar program designs using evidence-based practices, advanced technology, as well as shared outcomes to decrease the state’s female incarceration rate and transform the lives of women and their families.
ABOUT US
F&CS’ Women’s Justice Programs (WJP): Women in Recovery (WIR) is an intensive, outpatient treatment, diversion opportunity for women needing a high level of care who do not meet the criteria for other community diversion programs. Strong collaborative relationships with criminal legal partners and community providers along with unwavering advocacy are all critical for success. Services include clinical treatment, court advocacy, parent-child reunification, employment and education services, health and wellness, and ongoing recovery programming and support. To further address the needs of justice-involved women, WIR expanded their successful holistic alternative to incarceration program to a continuum of care model including the full range of needs for women who are entangled in the criminal legal system. Today, this continuum of care includes outpatient access to therapy, case management, parenting classes, family reunification, education and employment access, and all basic needs assistance. Collectively these programs are known as the Women’s Justice Programs including WIR, Women’s Justice Team (WJT), and Parenting in Jail (PIJ).
ReMerge: ReMerge is an intensive pre-trial diversion program that serves high-risk, high-need mothers facing non-violent felony offenses in Oklahoma County, and through our ARPA-funded pilot program, will expand to serve even more women in surrounding counties ReMerge is dedicated to restoring women to their families and our community by providing opportunities for treatment, recovery, and hope. ReMerge helps remove barriers and break the intergenerational cycles of incarceration, addiction, and poverty by providing individualized, wrap-around services for mothers of minors and their families. Our four-phase program lasts approximately 24 months and holistic program services are designed to remove the specific barriers mothers face while navigating the criminal legal system. ReMerge provides safe and sober housing, food, clothing, transportation, case management, and access to mental and physical health care. Additionally, we provide trauma-informed treatment for substance use, parenting classes, DHS support, health and wellness education, and education and employment training. Upon program completion, graduates are invited into the ReMerge Continuing Care program which provides ongoing recovery and support services.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Both FCS’ WJP and ReMerge were awarded ARPA funding to build on already successful programming and launch a pilot program to expand current programs in Oklahoma and Tulsa counties and to contiguous counties in their respective areas. We estimate that the combined pilot programs will serve approximately 8,400 women, children, and families, with a yearly economic impact of over $3 million through prison avoidance, reduced DHS involvement, and employment wages. The two expansion programs are meant to complement one another to strengthen and expand services for women and their children throughout central and northeastern Oklahoma. This parallel approach will contribute to driving down the state’s incarceration rates and, for the first time, actively seek to include the rural communities that are suffering from a lack of resources, access to effective diversion programs, a lack of behavioral health access, and a diminished workforce as a result of the COVID pandemic. The proposed pilot programs will transform the lives of women, children, and families in over seven rural communities and Oklahoma and Tulsa counties. It will also provide critical data to Oklahoma’s legislators, helping them understand the ROI and other elements needed to sustain and expand similar diversion programs in Oklahoma’s rural counties.
SELECTION SCHEDULE (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
➢ September 20th, 2023: RFP opens
➢ September 29th, 2023: Questions due from bidders
➢ October 13th, 2023: Answers to questions sent to all responders
➢ October 23th, 2023: Bidder proposals due by 5 PM
➢ November 10th, 2023 (no later than): Successful vendor announced
➢ December 15th, 2023 (no later than): Contract signed by all parties
➢ December 29th, 2023 (no later than): Evaluation methodology and data collection tools plans drafted
PROJECT TIMELINE (Will develop timeline in Collaboration with ReMerge)
The JFPE project starts on January 1st, 2024, and ends on December 31st, 2026, with an evaluation period of the same duration. It is expected that the final evaluation will be in draft form for review by ReMerge and WJP by September 15, 2026. A full project timeline will be drafted in coordination with the selected vendor and included in the contract that which we plan on executing no later than December 1, 2023.
SCOPE OF WORK
1. Create evaluation plan for the 2024‐2026 JFPE project
2. Produce a blueprint for rural expansion to submit to Oklahoma State Legislature to demonstrate the following:
➢ Effectiveness of program at decreasing incarceration
➢ Economic impact
➢ Cost analysis (cost per participant/overhead analysis, ROI, cost savings to the state, DHS avoidance, dollars spent)
➢ Workforce impact including partnership recommendations and what success looks like for rural Oklahoma
➢ Business impact
➢ Cost, collaboration resources, etc. needed to continue in pilot counties and to expand to additional Oklahoma counties
3. Advocacy consultation:
➢ To provide advocacy coaching for the goal of exploring and obtaining additional state funding for the rural counties in the pilot as well as the resources needed to expand into additional rural counties
➢ Detailed action plan with talking points to inform state legislators on the outcomes of the project including potential for future expansion
4. Submit evaluation reports to include:
➢ Abbreviated annual reports and data needed for OK legislature and federal ARPA oversight
➢ A final evaluation report which includes:
• Economic impact analysis (short- and long-term)
• Policy recommendations for expansion
• Resources/assets that are required
• Comparative analysis across counties and regions
• Lessons learned and holistic resources needed to be successful
5. Research briefs
➢ 1-2 summaries a year of data-driven research to inform intervention programs and accelerate utilization of data analytics in areas such as:
o Meeting Basic Needs for Justice Involved Individuals in Rural Oklahoma
o Approaches to Workforce Development in Rural Oklahoma
o Evaluation of second chance employment landscape in Rural Oklahoma
o DHS impact on families in Rural Oklahoma
PROPOSAL FORMAT
RFP responses should be delivered via email in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format. Proposals should adhere to the format below (within 3-5 pages).
1. Introduction/Executive Summary, including:
a. Project understanding, recommendation, and objectives
2. Project Schedule and Development Process, including
a. Your approach to the evaluation process, data methodology
b. Process for creating final scope of work documents, e.g., define deliverables, create milestones, etc.
c. Your customer communication and project management procedures
3. Project Budget Estimates and Costs Projections, including:
a. Provide a breakdown of costs
b. Identify any additional expenses, fees, etc. that you will require to complete the project
c. The budget will NOT exceed $250,000 for the project over three-year grant period
4. Company Profile, including:
a. Background, capabilities, and related experience, including any lived experience or previous work evaluating criminal legal system or substance use treatment programs
5. Attachments:
a. Examples of similar projects recently performed
b. Short biographies of all who will work on the project
c. Professional references
6. Bidder Contact Information
a. Name of Organization
b. Organization Mailing Address
c. Organization Phone Number
d. Primary Contact
e. Primary Contact’s phone number
f. Primary Contact’s email address
7. Three references from current or former clients
8. Invoicing
The successful bidder will invoice WJP and ReMerge no later than the 10th of the month following the month the work was performed. WJP and ReMerge distribute payment of all invoices within 45 days.
SELECTION CRITERIA
We will consider all responses that are sent to WJP and ReMerge. Please include the name of the project, “ARPA Expansion Project,” in the subject line. The following criteria will be used to evaluate the submitted proposals:
➢ Experience with analyzing criminal diversion program impact and workforce demands in Oklahoma
➢ Gender-specific and substance use knowledge and understanding
➢ Understanding of both rural and urban dynamics
➢ Demonstrated competency working with collective impact models
➢ Experience working with nonprofit organizations and the criminal legal system
➢ Demonstrated commitment to exceptional customer service and responding to client requests in a timely fashion
➢ Price that is commensurate with the value offered by the company and the ability to work within a budget
➢ Responses are clear, organized, creative, and logical
➢ Candidate has completed similar projects and the proposed team has the qualifications necessary to undertake this assignment
➢ Demonstrated detailed-oriented results and ability to meet deadlines
➢ Past performance working with an ARPA-funded project
➢ Experience creating evaluation tangibles: blueprint for rural expansion, annual and final evaluation reports, economic impact analysis (short and long term), policy recommendations for expansion, required resources/assets, comparative analysis across counties and regions, research briefs
➢ The overall ability of the proposal to meet the stated goals of the American Rescue Plan Act: Addressing Negative Economic Impacts/Workforce.
QUESTIONS
Should you have questions as you review this RFP, please compile them into either an email or Word document and submit them to Nick McMillan at nmcmillan@fcsok.org by 5 pm on September 29, 2023. Please have the subject line read, “RFP JFPE Questions (name of bidder)”.
Question answers will be compiled and sent to all parties by 5 PM on Friday, October 13, 2023.
TERMS & CONDITIONS
Ownership of Materials and Confidentiality. All work done for the project and content will, be owned by Family & Children’s Services and ReMerge, its successors, and assigns. Family & Children’s Services and ReMerge, its successors, and assigns will have full access to and the right to customize all outreach materials. The contractors will sign a confidentiality agreement with Family & Children’s Services and ReMerge before the engagement starts.
Costs of Preparing Responses. Family & Children’s Services and Remerge will not pay any vendor costs associated with preparing responses submitted in response to this RFP.
Responses Property of Family & Children’s Services and ReMerge. All responses, accompanying documentation, and other materials submitted in response to this RFP shall become the property of Family & Children’s Services and ReMerge and will not be returned.
Proprietary Information/Public Disclosure. All responses received shall remain confidential until the evaluation is completed, and the vendor is selected and approved.
RFP Amendments/Cancellation/Reissue/Reopen. Family & Children’s Services and ReMerge reserves the right to change the RFP Schedule or issue amendments to this at any time. Family & Children’s Services and ReMerge also reserves the right to cancel or reissue the RFP.
Minor Administrative Irregularities. Family & Children’s Services and ReMerge reserves the right to waive minor administrative irregularities contained in any response.
Inability to Enter Contract. Family & Children’s Services and ReMerge reserves the right to eliminate from further consideration any vendor that Family & Children’s Services and ReMerge, because of legal or other considerations, is unable to contract with at the time responses are due.
No Obligation to Enter a Contract. The release of this RFP does not compel Family & Children’s Services and ReMerge to enter any contract.
➢ Family & Children’s Services and ReMerge reserves the right to refrain from contracting with any vendor that has responded to this RFP whether or not the vendor's response has been evaluated and whether or not the vendor has been determined to be qualified. Exercise of this reserved right does not affect Family & Children’s Services and ReMerge right to contract with any other vendor.
➢ Family & Children’s Services and ReMerge reserves the right to request an interview with any vendor and/or a demonstration from any vendor before entering a contract with that vendor. If a vendor declines the request for an interview or demonstration for any reason, the vendor may be eliminated from further consideration.
Non-Endorsement. The selection of a vendor pursuant to this RFP does not constitute an endorsement of the vendor's services. The vendor agrees to make no reference to Family & Children’s Services and ReMerge in any literature, promotional material, brochures, sales presentations, or the like without the express written consent of Family & Children’s Services and ReMerge.
Contract Payment Limitations. To be negotiated.