DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATION
CITY OF NEWARK
Visit Vendor Opportunities at our website: www.newarknj.gov

Sealed proposals will be received up to and until 10:15 A.M. on date indicated and then publicly opened and read: Thursday, September 30, 2021. Any bid received after 10:15 am shall not be accepted in the ProcureNow system. Only electronic bids shall be accepted.

No bidder may submit more than one bid. Proposals shall be submitted via the City's e-Procurement Portal, ProcureNow (https://secure.procurenow.com/portal/newarknj). Contract documents, including surety requirement, may be obtained at DIVISION OF CENTRAL PURCHASING 47-63 GREEN STREET, NEWARK, N.J. Bids will be accepted and will be opened at the time all sealed bids are received and announced.

All bids are subject to the provisions of Chapter 2, revised Ordinance of the City of Newark, Sec. 2:4:14(A) entitled, “Contracts with City and stipulations as to prevailing wages and working conditions”.

Contract or contracts will be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder. The City reserves the right to reject bids and to waive informalities in accordance with applicable laws, N.J.S.A. 40A:11-4, 40A:11-13.2 and 40A:11-23.2, and, to award the contract or contracts in whole or any part thereof. The City reserves the right to increase or decrease the amount of the contract to cover actual requirements needed for the contract period.

Bidders must comply with N.J.S.A. 52:25-24.2 P.L. 1977, c. 33, amended by P.L. 2016, c. 43, the statement of Ownership Disclosure.

Companies/firms awarded contracts for goods, services and construction will be required to comply with the requirements of N.J.S.A. 10:5-31 et seq., P.L. 2010 c. 127 (N.J.A.C.) 17:27 et seq., and with N.J.S.A. 52:32-44, requiring proof of business registration with the state of New Jersey. Public Law 2012 c. 25, the disclosure of investment activities in Iran, is also a non-waivable requirement.

UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE, IN-PERSON ATTENDANCE AT BID OPENINGS IS PROHIBITED due to restrictions on public gatherings under the State of Emergency. We are not conducting in person Bid/RFP openings during the competitive bidding process.

The City of Newark will conduct and broadcast the bid opening in real time at the Division of Central Purchasing. Bidders and the public have the option of remotely accessing and viewing the bid opening in real time through Zoom conference call with visual and audio capability. Bidders can view the bid opening on Thursday, September 30, 2021 at 10:15 am Eastern Time on zoom. The information is below:

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https://NewarkNJ.zoom.us/j/7275937622

Meeting ID: 727 593 7622

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Meeting ID: 727 593 7622

Jerome Wakefield, JD, QPA

Purchasing Agent, City of Newark

The City seeks Proposals from qualified individuals or organizations with experience providing Homeless Outreach and Engagement services.

The contract term is twenty-four (24) consecutive months.

From the date this RFP is issued until a proposer is selected and the selection is announced by the Purchasing Agent, proposers may not communicate with any City staff, commissioners or officials regarding this procurement, except at the direction of Jerome Wakefield, JD, QPA, Purchasing Agent, in charge of the solicitation. Any unauthorized contact may disqualify the proposer from further consideration. Contact information for the single point of contact is as follows:

Designated Contact Person
Najja Davis, QPA
Assistant Purchasing Agent
City of Newark
Division of Central Purchasing
47-63 Green Street
Newark, New Jersey 07102
Phone Number: (973) 733-3776
Email: [email protected]

Proposers should carefully review all instructions, mandatory requirements, specifications, standard terms and conditions set out in this RFP and promptly notify the Purchasing Agent identified above in writing of any ambiguity, inconsistency , unduly restrictive specifications, or error which they discovered upon examination of this RFP. This should include any terms or requirements within the RFP that either preclude the proposer from responding to this RFP or add unnecessary cost.

This notification must be accompanied by an explanation and suggested modification and be received by the deadline for receipt of inquires set forth below. The City will make any final determination of changes to the RFP.

Proposers with questions or requiring clarification or interpretation of any section within this RFP must address these questions in writing, via the ProcureNow Question/Answer Tab via the City's e-Procurement portal, on or before, Wednesday, September 22, 2021 by 12:00 pm. Each question must provide clear reference to the section, page, and item in question. Questions received after the deadline may not be considered. All questions submitted and answers provided shall be electronically distributed to bidders following this solicitation on the City's e-Procurement Portal.

The City will provide written answers to proposers’ questions. Any other form of interpretation, correction, or change to this RFP will not be binding.

No pre-proposal conference is scheduled.

By submitting a response to this RFP, proposer agrees to acceptance of the standard terms and conditions as set out in this RFP. Much of the language included in the standard terms and conditions reflects requirements of New Jersey law. Requests for additions or exceptions to the standard terms and conditions including any necessary licenses, or any added provisions must be submitted via the e-Procurement Portal by the date for receipt of written questions and must be accompanied by an explanation of why the exception is being sought and what specific effect it will have on the proposer’s ability to respond to the RFP or perform the contract. Any material exceptions requested and granted to the standard terms and conditions language will be addressed in any formal written addendum issued for this RFP and will apply to all proposers submitting a response to this RFP. The City will make any final determination of changes to the standard terms and conditions.

This RFP and any addenda, the proposer’s RFP response, including any amendments and any clarification question responses, shall be included in any resulting contract. The City’s contract contains the contract terms and conditions which will form the basis of any contract between the City and the selected proposer. In the event of a dispute as to the duties and responsibilities of the parties under this contract, the contract, along with any attachments prepared by the City, will govern in the same order of precedence as listed in the contract.

To be eligible for consideration, a proposer must meet the intent of all mandatory requirements. The City will determine whether a proposer’s RFP response complies with the intent of the requirements. RFP responses that do not meet the full intent of all requirements listed in this RFP may be subject to point reductions during the evaluation process or may be deemed non-responsive.

By submitting a response to this RFP, proposer agrees to an understanding of and compliance with the specifications and requirements described in this RFP.

The proposals must be submitted by an individual authorized to legally bind the business submitting the proposal. The proposer’s submission of a proposal in response to this RFP guarantees that the offer bas been established without collision and without effort to preclude the City from obtaining the best possible supply or service. Proof of authority of the person signing the RFP response must be furnished upon request.

A proposal may not be modified, withdrawn or canceled by the proposer for a sixty (60) day period following the deadline for proposal submission as defined in the Schedule of Events and proposer agrees in submitting the proposal.

Business entities are advised of their responsibility to file an annual disclosure statement of political contributions with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) pursuant to N.J.S.A. 19:44A-20.27, if they receive contracts in excess of $50,000.00 from public entities in a calendar year. Business entities are responsible for determining if filing is necessary. Additional information on this requirement is available from ELEC at 888-313-3532 or www.elec.state.nj.us.

1. Content of Proposal. Proposer should address all requests for information and qualifications set forth in this RFP.
2. Failure to Comply with Instructions. Proposers failing to comply with the instructions in this RFP may be subject to point deductions.
3. Copies Required and Deadline for Receipt of Proposals. Proposers must submit one (1) proposal to the City via the e-Procurement Portal prior to 10:15 am on Thursday, September 30, 2021.
4. Late Proposals. Regardless of cause, late proposals will not be accepted and will automatically be disqualified from further consideration. It shall be the proposer’s sole risk to assure submission by the designated time. Late proposals will not be accepted in ProcureNow system.

1. City Not Responsible for Preparation Costs. The costs for developing and delivering responses to this RFP and any subsequent presentations of the proposal as requested by the City are entirely the responsibility of the proposer. The City is not liable for any expense incurred by the proposer in the preparation and presentation of their proposal or any other costs incurred by the proposer prior to execution of a contract.
2. All Timely Submitted Materials Become City Property. All materials submitted in response to this RFP becomes the property of the City.

This RFP is issued under the authority of the City of Newark. The RFP process is a procurement option allowing the award to be based on the attached Evaluation Criteria. No other evaluation criteria, other than as outlined in the RFP, will be used.

The City encourages free and open competition among proposers. Whenever possible, the City will design specifications, proposal requests, and conditions to accomplish this objective, consistent with the necessity to satisfy the City’s need to procure technically sound, cost-effective services and supplies.

All information received in response to this RFP, including copyrighted material, subject to public disclosure and may be made available for public viewing after the time for receipt of proposals has passed with the following four exceptions: (1) bona fide trade secrets meeting the requirements of the Uniform Trade Secrets Act, Title 30, chapter 14, part 4, MCA, that have been properly marked, separated, and documented; (2) matters involving individual safety as determined by the City; (3) any company financial information requested by the City to determine vendor responsibility, unless prior written consent has been given by the proposer and (4) other constitutional protections, or as otherwise not subject to disclosure according to OPRA guidelines.

Upon opening the proposals received in response to this RFP, the Purchasing Agent in charge of the solicitation will review the proposals and separate out any information that meets the referenced exceptions in Section 2.2.1 above, providing the following conditions have been met:

• Confidential information is clearly marked and separated from the rest of the proposal.

• The proposal does not contain confidential material in the cost or price section.

• An affidavit from a proposer’s legal counsel attesting to and explaining the validity of any trade secret claim asserted by the proposer.

Information separated out under this process will be available for review only by the Purchasing Agent, the evaluation committee members, and limited other designees. Proposers must be prepared to pay all legal costs and fees associated with defending a claim for confidentiality in the event of an open public records request from another party.

All proposals will initially be classified as either “responsive” or “non-responsive.” Proposals may be found non-responsive any time during the evaluation process if any of the required information is not provided; the submitted price is found to be excessive or inadequate as measured by attached Evaluation Criteria; or the proposal is not within the plans and specifications described and required in the RFP. If a proposal is found to be non-responsive, it may be subject to point deductions.

The City will determine whether a proposer has met the standards of responsibility. Such a determination may be made at any time during the evaluation process if information surfaces that would result in a determination of non-responsibility. If a proposer is found non-responsive, the determination must be in writing, made a part of the procurement file and mailed to the affected proposer.

The City will evaluate the proposals and recommend whether to award the contract to the firm determined to best meet the needs of the City or, if necessary, to seek discussion in order to determine the firm to be selected. All responsive proposals will be evaluated based on stated evaluation criteria. The City may consider such factors as accepted industry standards and a comparative evaluation of all other qualified RFP responses in terms of differing quality and contractual factors. These will be used to determine the most advantageous offering to the City.

Selection and award will be based on the proposer’s proposal and other items outlined in this RFP. Submitted responses may not include references to information located elsewhere, such as internet websites or libraries, unless specifically requested. Information or materials presented by proposers outside the formal response or subsequent discussion may not be considered.

After receipt of all proposals and prior to the determination of the award, the City may initiate discussions with one or more proposers should clarification be necessary. Proposers may also be required to make an oral presentation and/or product demonstration to clarify their RFP response or to further define their offer. In either case, proposers should be prepared to send qualified personnel to the City of Newark to discuss technical and contractual aspects of the proposal. Oral presentations/demonstrations, if requested, shall be at the proposer’s expense.

Contract awards, if any, will be made to the proposer who the City determines who best can provide the services required and provides all required documents. Formal contracts incorporating this RFP, including attachments hereto, and the selected proposals, will be executed by all parties.

The City reserves the right to terminate any contract entered into as a result of this RFP provided written notice has been given to the proposer at least thirty (30) days prior to such proposed termination date.

The prices herein shall not include any Federal or Excise Taxes of Sales Tax imposed by any state or municipal government. All taxes must be deducted from prices quoted and must be shown separately under items where applicable. The City will not furnish Federal Tax Exemption certificates unless the tax is shown separately. The City's purchase order (Vendor's Copy) will serve as the State Tax Exemptions Form.

No officer, or employee, elected or appointed in any municipality shall be interested directly, or indirectly, in any contract or job for work or materials, or the profits thereof, or services to be furnished or performed for such municipality (R.S. 40:69A 163 Chap.210--P.L. 1950).

Pursuant to P.L. 1971, c. 198 (40A:11-18) the proposer must agree to comply with the provision of American goods and products to be used where possible.

On all contracts for public works, the respondent must comply with the provisions of R.S. 34:11-56, et. seq., which law provides that laborers, workers and mechanics while engaged on work under the contract shall work not more than eight hours in any one day, except as otherwise provided for in said statute, and that the prevailing rate of daily wages in the locality where the work is performed shall be paid to the mechanics, workmen and laborers engaged in the work under the contract. It is understood and agreed by the Contractor that, in addition to the abovementioned provision, the said Contractor will obey and comply with the Laws of the State of New Jersey, and in the event said Contractor shall violate the provisions of New Jersey State Statutes Annotated, R.S. 34:11-56, and Chapter 213, Public Laws of the State of New Jersey 1962, or any other statutes of the State of New Jersey, then this contract shall be voided at the option of the City of Newark. The Contractor shall pay to all mechanics, workmen and laborers employed in the work contained under this contract the prevailing rate of wages pursuant to the provisions of New Jersey Statutes Annotated; R.S. 34:11-56 and shall further comply with all of the provisions of New Jersey Statutes Annotated; R.S. 34:11-56. The Contractor further agrees that he shall comply with Chapter 213, Public Laws of the State of New Jersey 1962. The provisions of same shall be considered part of these specifications. It is further understood and agreed that all labor employed by the Contractor on this project shall be such as will work with other trades employed on the project so that there will be no dissension between trades. All labor employed on this project shall conform to local labor Union practices.

Pursuant to Revised Statutes 10:2-1 et seq., Respondent agrees that:

• In the hiring of persons for the performance of work under this contract or any subcontract hereunder, or for the procurement, manufacture, assembling or furnishing of any such materials, equipment, supplies or services to be acquired under this contract, no contractor, nor any person acting on behalf of such contractor or subcontractor, shall, by reason of race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, marital status, gender identity or expression, affectional or sexual orientation or sex, discriminate against any person who is qualified and available to perform the work to which the employment relates.

• No contractor, subcontractor, nor any person on his behalf shall, in any manner, discriminate against or intimidate any employee engaged in the performance of work under this contract or any subcontract hereunder, or engaged in the procurement, manufacture, assembling or furnishing of any such materials, equipment, supplies or services to be acquired under such contract, on account of race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, marital status, gender identity or expression, affectional or sexual orientation or sex.

• There may be deducted from the amount payable to the contractor by the contracting public agency, under this contract, a penalty of $ 50.00 for each person for each calendar day during which such person is discriminated against or intimidated in violation of the provisions of the contract.

• This contract may be canceled or terminated by the contracting public agency, and all money due or to become due hereunder may be forfeited, for any violation of this section of the contract occurring after notice to the contractor from the contracting public agency of any prior violation of this section of the contract.

• This contract may be canceled or terminated by the City of Newark, and all money due or becomes due hereunder may be forfeited, for a second or any subsequent violation of the terms or conditions of this section of the contract.

All contracts and purchases of materials and supplies are subject to the provisions of Section 2:4-14 of the City Administration Code, Revised Ordinances of the City of Newark, New Jersey, which follows:

(a) All contracts hereafter made by or on behalf of the City of Newark or any of its departments or subdivisions with any corporation, person or persons for the performance of any kind of work or the sale, furnishing or delivery of any material or supplies of any nature shall contain a provision that the laborers, workers and mechanics engaged in said work or in the manufacture, sale or delivery of said material or supplies shall not work more than eight hours in any one day while so engaged; and that the said laborers, workers and mechanics shall be paid the prevailing rate of wages for the type of work to be done in the territory in which it is to be performed; and shall contain a further provision that the violation of the foregoing provision shall constitute a breach of the Contract, and that the said foregoing provision shall be considered to be a contractor for the benefit of said workers, laborers and mechanics upon which said laborers, workers and mechanics shall have the right to maintain action for the difference between the prevailing rate of wages and the wages actually received by them; and all such contracts shall contain the further provision that in case any dispute arises as to the amount of the prevailing rate of wage, said dispute shall be referred to the Commissioner of Labor of the State or to such person as will be designated by said Commissioner of Labor as an arbitrator to settle said dispute, the parties to be bound by decision of such arbitrator.

(b) All advertisements for Request for Proposals and all specifications in pursuance of any law requiring the advertisement for Request for Proposals shall include specific reference to this section.

While the City has every intention to award contracts as a result of this RFP, issuance of the RFP in no way constitutes a commitment by the City to award and execute any contract. Upon a determination that such action would be in its best interest, the City, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to cancel or terminate this RFP; reject any or all proposals received in response to this RFP; waive any undesirable, inconsequential, or inconsistent provisions of this RFP which would not have significant impact on any proposal; not award if it is in the best interest of the City not to proceed with contract execution; or if awarded, terminate any contract if the City determines adequate funds are not available.

The proposer shall agree to comply with all Federal and State legislation and regulations governing Fair Employment Practice, including but not limited to Title VI of the Civil Rights Acts of 1964, Executive Order 11246 September 1965 and the rules, regulations and relevant orders of the Secretary of Labor. No employee of the City of Newark or a member of the immediate family of an employee of the City of Newark may submit a proposal for this contract, nor should an employee of the City of Newark be an employee of the contractor submitting a proposal on this contract.

The proposer shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless all City members and agents of the City against claims, demands, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorney’s fees) without limitation, and claims of personal or bodily injury or death. The proposer shall maintain for the duration of the contract, at its own expense, insurance as required in the Scope of Work.

1. Both parties agree to comply with all requirements of the Federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability act of 1996 (“HIPPA”) as may be amended from time to time, and the corresponding HIPPA regulations for the confidentiality and security of medical information. If awarded the bid, the contract shall:

• Not share or disclose protected health information other than as permitted or required by law

• Use appropriate safeguards to protect the confidentiality of the information

• Report any use or disclosure not permitted

Proposer, by execution of the contract, shall thereby indemnify and hold the City of Newark harmless from any and all liabilities, claims, actions, costs and penalties which may be incurred as the result of the failure of the contractor to comply with the requirements of HIPPA or any other statute or case law protecting the privacy of persons using its services.

2. The City of Newark shall retain all of its rights and interest in any and all documents and property both hard copy and digital furnished by the City to the successful proposer (contractor) for the purpose of assisting the contractor in the performance of the contract. None of the documents and/or property shall, without the written consent of the City, be disclosed to others or used by the contractor or permitted by the contractor to be used by their parties at any time except in the performance of the resulting contract.

3. Award of any contract pursuant to these specifications shall in all cases be subject to availability of funds duly appropriated for these purposes. Any contract as awarded shall immediately cease to be in effect at such time as funds cease to be available for these purposes.

4. Proposers shall comply with the applicable regulations of the Secretary of Labor, United States Department of Labor, made pursuant to the so-called "Anti- Kickback Act" of June 13, 1934 (48 Stat. 948:62 State. 862; title 18 U.S.C., Sec 874; and Title 40 U.S.C. Section 276c) and any amendments or modifications thereto.

5. Proof of licensure for any activity regulated by the State of New Jersey and required to do the work required under this specification, for either the firm or the person responsible for the work, shall be provided as required by the City of Newark.

Introduction

The City of Newark’s Office of Homeless Services is advertising for a respondent to provide outreach and engagement services to homeless persons. Homeless means (1) an individual or family that lacks a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence, (2) an individual or family with a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designated for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings including, but not limited to cars, parks, abandoned buildings, buses, train stations, airport, camp grounds, streets, doorways, under bridges, and railroad trellises.

The City anticipates awarding a contract to one or more respondents. The selected respondent will be expected to proactively identify areas to provide outreach, as well as respond to concerns regarding unsheltered individuals and/or families from City officials and staff, residents, businesses, and other persons as appropriate. The Respondent will provide a comprehensive Outreach and Engagement Program to unsheltered persons in the City of Newark.

The City is seeking to commence services upon award, and the terms of these services is anticipated to run concurrently with “Temporary Shelter Services for Homeless Individuals and Families and Sheltering at Risk Individuals and Families During Code Blue and Code Red Weather,” commencing on the date Purchasing Agent, QPA provides respondent with formal Notice to Proceed. The term of the contract will commence upon Notice to Proceed to Vendor and terminate twenty-four (24) months later.

It is widely recognized that homelessness is not due to just a lack of shelter. It involves a variety of unmet needs and underlying economic, physical and social challenges. The ongoing issues of unsheltered homeless individuals and families living in places not meant for human habitation requires a collaborative approach. The respondent that is awarded must have working relationships with a broad spectrum of emergency service agencies, social service agencies, health service agencies, housing providers (permanent, transitional, and shelter).

Program Requirements

A successful respondent must conduct outreach and engage the unsheltered population living in or occupying places not meant for human habitation, including but not limited to: outdoor spaces; encampments; and abandoned buildings, etc. The entity must be prepared to respond to emergent scenarios between the hours of 7AM-12AM.

In addition, a successful respondent is required to collaborate with the City of Newark’s Homeless Outreach Team, participate in the City of Newark’s case collaboratives and input data into the City of Newark’s Outreach and Engagement program, within the Homeless Management and Information System (HMIS).

HMIS requires entry of client-level data into a centralized, web-based system, as well as compliance with all applicable confidentiality and data security protocols. The successful respondent will be required to build and submit daily, weekly, and monthly reports to the City of Newark’s Office of Homeless Services.

Outreach and engagement activities must be conducted seven days a week with coverage through morning, afternoon and evening hours. Per shift, each outreach team is required to comprise, at a minimum: one (1) LSW (or higher clinical degree); one (1) outreach specialist, experienced with providing intensive case management; AND one (1) LSADC. In addition, the successful respondent is required to provide a Memorandum of Understanding with a substance abuse provider.

It is expected that the successful respondent will coordinate with the Office of Homeless Services in order to transport individuals and families to City of Newark contracted shelters for individuals and families, pending bed availability, and to other programs and locations as appropriate.

In addition, the successful respondent is required to coordinate with other service providers to avoid duplication of services and resources, and the successful respondent may be expected to attend roundtables with residents, City representatives, businesses or other persons as appropriate in an effort to address external stakeholder concerns.

Respondent must ensure that staff contracted under the Homeless Outreach and Engagement Program are dedicated to this project, and that their time is not commingled with other homeless services programs or outreach service programs under which respondent may be contracted.

Respondent understands that the City is not awarding a grant for services, and shall take on additional clients as a result of the services they may already provide to the homeless population and its funders.

At a minimum, all applicants must meet the following threshold requirements:

• Possess experience providing outreach and other supportive services to homeless persons, including intensive case management and housing resources;
• Possess experience and the ability to work with community members, businesses, and other persons or agencies;
• Possess a strong history of concrete, measurable outcomes that address how the services provided will contribute to reducing homelessness and be a step towards the goal of ending homelessness in the City of Newark;
• Must be credit worthy and have the financial capacity to administer the program and its fiscal requirements;
• Must adhere to the insurance requirements as requested by the City of Newark and set forth below. Insurance coverage shall include vehicles used for transportation of individuals and families;
• Respondent must provide documentation for dedicated staff; i.e. outreach workers and case managers including employment status, resumes and whether they will be full-time or part-time on this program.
• Must produce Memoranda of Understanding between service partner agencies and applicant.

Organizational Capacity and Experience

Please answer the following questions about the agency or agencies that will provide services under the proposed program:

1. Describe your experience in providing outreach, engagement and intensive case management services. Provide information about your agency’s relevant accomplishments and outcomes.

2. For any of the staff members who will provide services under this proposal, please provide an organizational chart, resumes and job descriptions. At minimum, each outreach team is required to comprise one (1) LSW (or higher clinical degree), one (1) outreach specialist, experienced in providing intensive case management AND one (1) LSADC. Explain how oversight and supervision will occur.

3. Explain clearly the experience and cultural competence of your staff in meeting the needs of unsheltered individuals or families.

4. Describe your experience using the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). If you have not used HMIS, describe your plan for building capacity to use the system, as required for this award.

Reimbursement Terms

Although total contract costs will not be the determining factor, budget or allocations of funds will be considered.

1. For the services set forth in the Scope of Services, the respondent shall submit a Rate Schedule for services related to the proposal (cost details), including the hourly rate of each of the individuals who will be performing the services.

2. The respondent shall be paid hourly rates for typical classification of personnel for the program. The respondent shall provide with its statement of qualifications a list of all persons anticipated to provide work on the contract and their job classifications.

3. The respondent shall submit a detailed invoice, including hours of work performed, rates and disbursements, including incidental costs. Respondent shall execute the standard City purchase order as a requirement for payment.

4. The City reserves the right to withhold payment if benchmarks are not met.

Engagement

The successful applicant shall identify unsheltered locations throughout the City of Newark that are frequented and/or inhabited by residents without addresses. The outreach team will be required to treat individuals with dignity, respect and professionalism.

The outreach team shall gather basic identifying information, as well as information pertaining to income, benefits, health, and mental health status. Also, the outreach team shall assess individuals for chronic homelessness.

The outreach team shall make every attempt to determine an individual’s city/county of origin. Non-Newark residents (individuals for whom a Newark footprint cannot be detected) shall be diverted to their originating municipality/county/country for service linkages. Newark residents shall be offered access and transportation to City-designated shelters, provided with food, essential hygiene items, clothing, contact information for the outreach team, and required intensive case management services to be conducted by the Respondent.

Respondent will provide a warm hand-off of Newark residents to the City-contracted shelter providers, coordinating with the Office of Homeless services to ensure availability of beds and entry and intake hours before arrival at respective shelters, unless expressly agreed upon by Respondent and Office of Homeless Services.

The outreach team shall distribute items necessary to facilitate engagement, including but not limited to hygiene kits, PPE, food, water, clothing, and referral agency’s contact information.

Respondent must administer short-term needs assessment to determine factors that will affect next steps in emergency placement and eventual housing procedures. Additionally respondent will be responsible for follow-up to ensure that post-placement client is formally connected to shelter provider for ongoing case management.

Respondent must be prepared to work collaboratively with Office of Homeless Services contracted agencies on specific client cases to ensure clients are successful

Diversion

Respondent will include homeless diversion screening at intake to ensure that those with alternative resources will not be accessing the homeless system.

Respondent must provide transportation for unsheltered individuals or families who are residents of surrounding municipalities that end up in Newark. Respondents must offer to return those individuals or families back to the municipality’s social services or health department or a close contact of the individual within a 20-mile radius of Newark’s Penn Station.

Respondent shall provide one-way bus tickets for those individuals and families arriving in the City of Newark and becoming homeless that desire to return to their municipality/county that is outside of the 20-mile radius of Newark’s Penn Station. Respondent must ensure that individuals and families are transferred with a warm-hand off to a relative or other party at the location to receive the individual.

Please provide a detailed narrative description of your proposed services. In your answer, include responses to the following questions:

1. What is the overall structure of your proposed program? Describe when you will be ready to commence services. Please attach a timeline.

2. Describe how your proposed services will contribute to the goal of preventing or ending homelessness.

3. How will your proposed services identify and engage prospective unsheltered individuals and/or families?

4. Describe your program staffing and experiences.

5. Detail the number of individuals and families your program intends to engage and serve over a seven-day period and what services they may receive.

6. Describe the follow-up you will conduct, including the time period in which they will occur.

7. Describe the outreach and engagement case management model, including any diversion practices for non-Newark residents that you will utilize for clients.

8. Describe how you plan to coordinate with other homeless outreach teams and service providers to avoid duplication of efforts and more effectively and efficiently utilize team resources. Include information on any specific areas that you intend to target your outreach efforts.

9. Describe how you plan to transport persons engaged through the program’s street outreach to shelter or other services as appropriate.

References

Respondent shall provide a minimum of three (3) references that are using services of the type proposed in this RFP. Please provide the entity’s name, location where services were provided, contact persons with titles and contact numbers.

Transportation/Vehicle/Driver Requirements

Respondent must provide daily transportation for unsheltered individuals and families living in cars, parks, abandoned buildings, buses, train stations, airport, campgrounds, streets, doorways, under bridges, railroad trellises and other areas in the City to shelters and to other supportive service providers.

Respondent must specify in the bid response the make, model and VIN of properly licensed vehicle owned or leased by Respondent to be used for transport.

Respondent must provide a clean copy of driver’s abstract, dated no more than thirty (30) days from submission of proposal, for the individual(s) driving the vehicle for purposes of this program.

All vehicles must be maintained in a safe operating condition and must have a current inspection by the State of New Jersey.

Respondent vehicle shall comply with all law relating to transportation of a disabled person, or respondent shall advise in their proposal how they will accommodate transportation of a disabled unsheltered person. (Provide previous experience where applicable.)

The respondent shall provide assurance that interior cleanliness of the vehicles will be maintained on a daily basis. Daily attention should be given to sweeping floors, removal of trash, and disinfected for scabies, bed bugs, lice or any other infectious mites or insects that may be transported. In addition, daily attention is required for disinfecting the vehicle, interior and exterior, to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The exterior of the vehicle should be washed at least monthly.

All drivers used for this program shall comply with all road and safety regulations as set forth by any federal, state and municipal policy, law, statute or ordinance as it may relate directly to the safe operation of a vehicle used in public transportation of unsheltered individuals and families.

Respondent shall staff and deploy one qualified driver (proof of qualifications required; See abstract requirement above), one LSW or person with a higher clinical degree, and one qualified outreach specialist (proof of qualifications required) to assure outreach and engagement of unsheltered individuals and families is continuous and reliable. The City is seeking to deploy only one vehicle with two persons (if driver is either the social worker or outreach specialist) throughout the term of the contract.

Respondent’s driver and support staff shall have competency in physically driving and intensive case management of unsheltered individuals and families in order to make an assessment and determine the best safe place for drop-off.

Respondent shall provide a copy of the driver’s valid license issued by the State of New Jersey (or a reciprocal state) authorizing such person to operate the vehicle to which he or she is assigned.

Respondent shall hold the driver responsible for the safe loading and unloading of his or her vehicle at every pick-up and drop-off.

Respondent shall demonstrate driver-passenger professionalism.

Respondent must provide a coronavirus plan by which it details daily disinfection procedures and safe spacing of individuals in order to prevent spread.

Respondent shall not knowingly permit staff and passengers to smoke in the vehicle, not to drink any intoxicating beverage or be under the influence of drugs or alcohol while operating vehicle or being transported in the vehicle.

Respondent shall be responsible for hiring and discharging personnel employed by respondent to perform its obligations hereunder. However, provided that the City shall have the right, at its sole discretion, to require respondent to remove from service under this agreement any staff providing services that are deemed unsuitable for the performance of the transportation or case management services, and the City shall make such request in writing, detailing the reasons for the request.

Budget/Budget Narrative

Respondent must provide a scope of services for the proposed outreach and engagement project. In addition, Respondent must provide a narrative and line item justification for each cost on cost/price schedule sheet. Cost must align with and match the scope of services.

Policy/Procedure

Respondent shall provide as part of its proposal its Policy and Procedure for staff and passenger safety plan in providing service to unsheltered individuals and families. The Policy and Procedure at a minimum must address:

1. Outreach to an unsheltered individual or family suspected of being under the influence of non-prescription substances at the time of contact or whose environment includes other individuals who are using substances.

2. Outreach to an unsheltered individual or family who is suspected of or known to be carrying a weapon at the time of contact or whose environment includes individuals suspected of or known to be carrying weapons.

3. Outreach to an unsheltered individual or family who becomes volatile or threatening during contact or in a setting in which volatile or threatening behavior is observed or anticipated.

4. Outreach to an unsheltered individual or family who has a known history of physical violence.

5. Outreach to an individual experiencing psychosis and/psychotic episodes.

6. Diversion client engagement script and process flow.

Reporting

Respondent shall provide daily reports of all activities conducted on an hourly basis, which is the basis for billing on hourly rate.

In the event of an accident, crash or incident, respondent shall notify, by phone, the Office of Homeless Services immediately after the welfare and safety of passengers and driver has been assessed. In addition, respondent is required to submit within 24 hours of accident, crash or incident, a detailed report of the accident, crash or incident, including but not limited to, date and time of incident, names and contact information of those involved, actions taken by any and all parties involved, and final resolutions and outcomes.

Respondent must submit via email daily to the Office of Homeless Services a vehicle ridership report by end of business.

The respondent must provide a certificate of insurance from an insurer with a Best’s rating of no less than A- indicating compliance with the required coverage to the City of Newark. The respondent must notify the City immediately, of any material change in insurance coverage, such as changes in limits, coverage, change in status of policy, etc. As part of the certificate of insurance submission, a broad endorsement form/additional insured endorsement form that lists the City of Newark as additional insured must also be included. The City reserves the right to require complete copies of insurance policies at all times.

1. General Requirements: The respondent shall maintain for the duration of the contracts, at its cost and expense, insurance against claims for injuries to persons or damages to property, including contractual liability, which may arise from or in connection with the performance of the work by the respondent, it agents, employees, representatives, assigns or subcontractors. This insurance shall cover such claims as may be caused by any negligent act or omission and shall be in the amounts of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate.

2. Primary Insurance: The respondent’s insurance coverage shall be primary insurance as respect to the City, its officers, officials, employees, agents, and representatives shall apply separately to each project or location.

3. Workers Compensation Insurance: The respondent shall maintain for the duration of the contract, at its cost and expense, Workers Compensation Insurance in the statutory amounts pursuant to N.J.S.A. 34 et seq.

4. Automobile Insurance: $1,000,000.00 each person

$1,000,000.00 each occurrence

5. Additional Insured Status: The City must be listed as additional insured for liability arising out of activities performed by or on behalf of the respondent. As part of the certificate of insurance submission of a broad endorsement form/additional insured endorsement form that lists the City of Newark as additional ensured must also be included.

6. Amounts: All insurance shall be written up for the following limits of liability:

Bodily Injury Liability Insurance: $1,000,000.00 each person

$1,000,000.00 each occurrence

Property Damage Liability Insurance: $1,000,000.00 each person

$1,000,000.00 each occurrence

Professional Liability: $1,000,000.00

General Liability Insurance: $1,000,000.00 per occurrence

$2,000,000.00 aggregate

Commercial Liability Insurance: $1,000,000.00 per occurrence

$2,000,000.00 aggregate

Workers Compensation: $500,000.00 each accident

$500,000.00 by disease

$100,000.00 per bodily injury