Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 18, September 16, 2024
(a) The
departmental component or CHSAC/designated entity shall issue a public
announcement of the availability of funds for the purchase of services in
accordance with
52:14-34.4, 34.5 and 34.6. The
announcement shall be made in a manner to permit reasonable competition among
eligible provider agencies. The departmental component shall publish the
announcement on the Department of Human Services (DHS) website for public
notices and publications directed toward minorities. In addition, the
departmental component may choose to do one of the following as a second
notification: mail the announcement to identified prospective provider
agencies, including those that may provide similar, but not the specific
service requested, minority organizations and culturally diverse and sensitive
groups or advertise in newspapers of general circulation. The Office of
Contract Policy and Management (OCPM) will upload the announcement of the
notice of the RFP on the Department of Human Services webpage at
www.state.nj.us/humanservices/providers/grants/nofa/index.html.
(b) The departmental components may choose to
have bidders conferences. Technical information regarding the RFP may be
disseminated at such a meeting.
(c)
The CHSACs/designated entities, at minimum, shall use the standards set forth
in this subchapter when they are delegated the responsibility to solicit
proposals on behalf of the Department. The Department shall be a signatory to
the contract in this instance. In all other instances, the departmental
component shall notify the CHSACs/ designated entity of the RFP, if
appropriate.
(d) The proposal
process shall be completed within 120 days of publication of the RFP notice on
the DHS website, inclusive of all protest processes. See
10:3-3.13 for
exceptions.
(e) Within three
business days after a potential applicant has requested a proposal package, the
departmental component or the CHSAC/designated entity shall forward a proposal
package to, or the package may be picked up by, those prospective applicants
responding to the public announcement. In addition, when the CHSAC/designated
entity has been delegated the responsibility to solicit proposals on behalf of
the Department, all appropriate Department procedures, as set forth in this
subchapter, and county procedures, as appropriate, shall be followed. The
proposal package shall contain, at a minimum, the following information and
requirements:
1. The amount of funds
available, the source of funds, the purpose, scope, and goals of the programs
and services solicited, and any specific conditions, requirements, and/or
constraints such as spending caps or match requirements;
2. A list of requirements which must be
fulfilled for the proposal to be evaluated;
3. The type of provider agencies eligible to
submit a proposal for consideration;
4. A request for a list of the board of
directors and officers of the applicant agency;
5. The address to which the completed
proposal must be sent, the submission deadline (time and date) after which no
applications will be accepted, time frames for review of the proposal and
awarding of contracts, and the target date for implementation;
6. The name and address of a contact person
who can provide technical assistance;
7. Funding proposal evaluation criteria (see
10:3-3.8);
8. A disclaimer stating the following: "The
Department reserves the right to reject any and all proposals when
circumstances indicate that it is in its best interest to do so. The
Department's best interest in this context, include, but are not limited to,
loss of funding, inability of the applicant to provide adequate services,
indication of misrepresentation of information and/or noncompliance with State
and Federal laws and regulations, any existing Department contracts, and
procedures set forth in this subchapter";
9. The following statements:
i. "It is anticipated that the resulting
contract will contain approximately (insert amount) dollars in
funding;"
ii. Needed for the
privatization of State service and/or program only:
(1) "In accordance with guidelines
established by the New Jersey Executive Commission on Ethical Standards, be
advised that Department employees or former employees are eligible to submit
proposals to this RFP."
(2) "These
services were previously State operated. Therefore, if awarded this contract,
your provider agency may be responsible to maintain, administer and dispose of
public records previously maintained by the State of New Jersey as defined by
47:3-16 and must agree to do so
under the terms of the contract."
10. The appropriate information, forms and a
list of required supporting documents as set forth in
10:3-3.6;
11. A copy of Executive Order No. 189(1988),
regarding conflict of interest (see Appendix A, incorporated herein by
reference);
12. The URL of the
DHS/OCPM website where the Contract Reimbursement Manual and Contract Policy
and Information Manual may be reviewed and downloaded prior to proposal. The
URL of that link is
www.state.nj.us/humanservices/ocpm/home/resources/manuals;
13. The terms and conditions which must be
met to comply with specific funding requirements and Departmental contracting
rules;
14. The Statement of
Assurances and the requirement that it shall be properly signed by the Chief
Executive Officer or equivalent and returned with the application package. See
Appendix B incorporated herein by reference; and
15. A statement explaining the Department's
protest process and that protest process by the departmental component must be
completed within the time frame specified in the RFP or within 30 days after
receipt of the CHSAC/designated entity recommendation, and that protest process
by the CHSAC/designated entity must be completed within the 90-day process time
period and prior to the recommendations being sent to the departmental
component.
