REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
June 28, 2022
FROM
JEANY ZEPEDA, Interim Director, Children and Family Services
SUBJECT
Title
Contracts for Kinship Support Services Program Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve contracts with the following agencies to provide Kinship Support Services Program services, in a combined contract amount not to exceed $1,999,366, for the period of July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2025:
1. Greater Hope Foundation for Children, Inc. dba A Greater Hope, in the amount of $880,102.
2. Westside Christian Center, in the amount of $1,119,264.
(Presenter: Jeany Zepeda, Interim Director, 387-2792)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
This item does not impact Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The total cost of these services will not exceed $1,999,366. Funding is 71 % ($1,419,550) 2011 Realignment and 29% ($579,816) Wraparound Reinvestment. Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in the Human Services (HS) Administrative Claim 2022-23 budget and will be included in future recommended budgets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Kinship Support Services Program (KSSP) provides an array of community-based family support services to kinship families as a way to increase the placement stability and safety of children who are in the care of relatives. Research suggests that extended family members have had an informal role in the upbringing of related children, and in most cases, kinship care took place without the involvement or knowledge of child welfare agencies. The formal use of kinship care providers by child welfare agencies has rapidly increased over the last several years. Kinship uses suitable relative care providers rather than removing children from their family, while maintaining child safety and security. Services include, but are not limited to, individual and group counseling; tutoring; mentoring; support groups; recreational activities; information and referral services; day care; legal services; respite care; transportation; and housing information. Children and Family Services (CFS) has provided KSSP services for relative caregivers and their families through service contracted vendors since 2002.
Partial funding from Wraparound Reinvestment is utilized for these KSSP services. San Bernardino County established the Wraparound Reinvestment Special Revenue Fund to manage cost-savings incurred under the Wraparound program to supplement an array of Child Welfare programs, including the KSSP contracts. The Special fund is managed by Human Services Finance and Child and Family Services.
The recommended contracts will allow CFS to continue to provide KSSP services countywide through contracted vendors through June 30, 2025.
PROCUREMENT
On March 14, 2022, the County Administrative Office approved and authorized the release of a Request for Proposals (RFP), No. RFP HS 21-16 and Electronic Procurement Network (ePro) Bid No. HSSA22-HSSA-4501, to solicit proposals from interested and qualified agencies to provide KSSP services countywide for a period of three years. The RFP was publicly advertised through direct mailings to more than 175 community-based organizations, faith-based agencies, service providers, and other interested parties and also posted on the ePro.
Six agencies attended the non-mandatory proposal conference on March 30, 2022. Three proposals were received in response to the RFP by the established deadline. Proposals from the two agencies listed in the table below met the minimum requirements and continued through the evaluation process. One proposal did not meet the minimum requirements and was determined non-responsive due to missing or incomplete required documents, such as proposal description and financial statements.
|
Agency |
Proposed Amount |
Proposed Service Region(s) |
|
Greater Hope Foundation for Children, Inc. dba A Greater Hope |
$1,405,098 |
• Central and Eastern Region • Western Region • North Desert Region |
|
Westside Christian Center |
$1,119,264 |
• Central and Eastern Region • Western Region |
An evaluation of the proposals was completed by a team that included representatives from CFS, HS Program Development Division, HS Auditing Division, and HS Administrative Support Division. The proposals were evaluated on service history; budget/cost/fiscal stability; ability to collaborate and build community partners; program services; facility; staffing; and reporting abilities. Based on the evaluation criteria, negotiations, and available funding, the two agencies recommended for contract award listed in the table below, including the recommended three-year contract amount and geographic region of service for each recommended agency.
|
Agency |
Recommended Amount |
Service Region(s) |
|
Greater Hope Foundation for Children, Inc. dba A Greater Hope |
$880,102 |
• North Desert Region |
|
Westside Christian Center |
$1,119,264 |
• Central and Eastern Region • Western Region |
Contractor performance will be measured by reviewing monthly reports and annual site visits by County staff to monitor compliance with the administrative, fiscal, and program requirements of the contract. CFS will review the invoices and other documents submitted by each contractor to ensure charges are for eligible KSSP services prior to payment. The contracts may be terminated by the County immediately in the event that funds are not available to the County and without cause by the County by serving a written notice to the contractor 30 days in advance of termination.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Human Services Contracts (Patty Steven, Contracts Manager, 388-0241) on June 6, 2022; County Counsel (Kaleigh Ragon, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on June 6, 2022; Purchasing (Bruce Cole, Supervising Buyer, 387-2148) on June 9, 2022; Finance (John Hallen, Administrative Analyst, 388-0208) on June 14, 2022; and County Finance and Administration (Cheryl Adams, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0238) on June 14, 2022.