Request for Proposals: Mental Health & Well-Being Services

Scope of Practice and Delivery

SOP (standard operating procedures)

Issued by the Halifax & Region Military Family Resource Centre

June 25, 2019

Expression of Interest Deadline: 4 pm AST, 23 August, 2019

Submission Due Date: 4 pm AST, September 3, 2019

The Halifax & Region MFRC is a not-for profit, charitable organization, governed by a volunteer Board of Directors made up of a minimum of 51 percent military family members.

The mission of the Halifax & Region MFRC is to strengthen the well-being of all those who share the unique experience of military life.

1.0 INTRODUCTION

The H&R MFRC has two primary locations, one in Halifax (Windsor Park), one in Dartmouth (Shearwater) and there is one satellite office in Sydney, with an average fulltime employee count of 34.

The H&R MFRC has a Mental Health and Well-Being Team, currently comprised of 4 team members, 3 based primarily in Halifax and 1 based primarily in Shearwater. Three are registered social workers; of the four, 1 team member is responsible for the intake process and 1 is responsible to work with the Transition Centre. The provided services include crisis intervention, prevention programming, short term counselling and referrals to internal (i.e. Special Needs and Inclusion Navigator) and external resources/ agencies. This team has oversight for 6 short-term apartments, emergency child care and financial resources. The team has professional commitments, in representing the H&R MFRC, on committees, working groups and community of practice groups.

Since 2018, the Mental Health and Well-Being Team has been under review, to determine if the current service delivery model is meeting the needs of local military families. Effective 1 January, 2019, the team structure was changed to eliminate the Supervisor role, in favor of a fulltime intake coordinator. Of note, the team has been without practice supervision for more than three years.

The H&R MFRC is looking to contract an individual, or company, to assess and develop the Mental Health and Well-Being Team’s scope of practice and delivery, in addition to documenting all associated operating procedures, ranging from intake to the evaluation of the client experience.

2.0 SERVICE DELIVERABLES REQUIRED

The successful bidder will be provided all relevant documentation of current policies, standards, practice tools, and evaluation information including results of a recent community survey.

The successful bidder would be engaged to provide the following services:

• Define the scope of services for the Mental Health and Well-Being Team (which services do we and don’t we provide), in consideration of the identified needs of military families, the limited financial resources associated with a not-for-profit and the professional competencies required to fulfill these services;
  
• Define the practice models required to support the identified scope of service;
• Develop the standard operating procedures and policies that are necessary to ensure consistent implementation of social work practice, that align with the identified scope;
• Assess our current referral lists and process, to ensure that the referral process for clients (families) is as effective and seamless as possible;
• Develop Key Performance Indicators for the Mental Health and Well-Being Team staff, for all roles within the team, so as to ensure a superior and consistent family experience;
• Determine the required level of supervision and method (i.e. contracted oversight vs. onsite); and
• Using best practices, to develop data collection and evaluation tools and policies that will document and encourage (family) feedback about the services that were provided.
  

3.0 LENGTH OF ENGAGEMENT

The contract period provided to execute all service deliverables is to a maximum of six weeks, from the contract start date.

4.0 PROPOSAL CONTENTS

Please include the following in your response to this request for proposals:

• Your resume, including a summary of how your background and qualifications make you a suitable contractor for this opportunity;
  
• A minimum of two professional references who can attest to your abilities to fulfill the contract requirements; and
  
• Your proposed fee structure and billing procedures (note, a ceiling rate, for the contract as a whole, is required). Proposed billing should be incremental/ match proposed milestone targets.
  

5.0 QUALIFICATIONS

To be considered a bidder, for the Analysis and Process Development of Administrative Services, for the Halifax & Region MFRC, the successful contractor(s) must:

• A background in policy and SOP development is required, as is a Master’s of Social Work, with a minimum of 5 years of clinical supervision;
  
• Familiarity with the Nova Scotia College of Registered Social Workers;
  
• Knowledge of the unique military lifestyle and the Military Family Support Program (Military Family Services); and
  
• Have no real or apparent conflict of interest regarding its abilities to provide its services to the H&R MFRC. The contractor must disclose to RPRA the names of any parties which it believes are, or may be, a real or apparent conflict.
  

6.0 SUBMISSION DEADLINE

An expression of interest, via email, is requested no later than 4 pm AST, August 23, 2019. Written proposals will be accepted in hard copy, or via email, no later than 4pm AST, September 3, 2019.

Proposals received after the submission deadline will not be given consideration

Hard Copy Proposals are to be forwarded to:

Chris Saldon, Executive Assistant

Halifax & Region MFRC

6393 Homefire Crescent

Halifax, NS

B3K 5X5

Alternatively, digital copies of proposals can be emailed to:

Christina.saldon@forces.gc.ca

7.0 EVALUATION AND SELECTION CRITERIA

Proposals will be evaluated by Halifax & Region MFRC’s senior staff. All aspects of the submissions will be taken into consideration when evaluating the proposals. This includes the following:

• Proposed fees and costs. Value will be compared to cost and therefore the lowest cost proposal may not be selected;
  
• The bidder’s understanding of the scope of the proposed professional services, as evidenced by the proposal submitted, including the firm’s, or individual’s, standards and proposed approach; and
  
• The background and experience of the bidder in providing similar services, as well as specific background, education, qualifications, and relevant experience of key personnel to be assigned to the contract.

8.0 SELECTION RIGHTS

The H&R MFRC maintains its right to make any selection it deems prudent, so far as opting to not award a contract.

Responding firms or individual participants acknowledge through their participation that such selection is not subject to protest or contest.

9.0 QUESTIONS/ INQUIRIES

All questions regarding this RFP are to be submitted in writing, via email, to Shelley Hopkins, Executive Director, via email at shelley.hopkins@forces.gc.ca

Any oral communications shall be considered unofficial and non-binding.

Written responses will be provided to written questions.