PRESOL | G | EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (EAP) SERVICES

FBO DAILY ISSUE OF APRIL 15, 2004 FBO #0871
SOLICITATION NOTICE

G -- EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (EAP) SERVICES

Notice Date: 4/13/2004
Notice Type: Solicitation Notice
NAICS: 624190 — Other Individual and Family Services
Contracting Office: Other Defense Agencies, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Directorate of Contracting, 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD, 20814-4799
ZIP Code: 20814-4799
Solicitation Number: Reference-Number-CHR4013
Response Due: 4/30/2004
Point of Contact: Christina Johnson, Contract Specialist, Phone (301) 295-3069, Fax (301) 295-1716, - Beverly Roberts, Contracting Officer, Phone 301-295-3868, Fax 301-295-1716,
E-Mail Address: cjohnson@usuhs.mil, broberts@usuhs.mil
Small Business Set-Aside: Total Small Business
Description: The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS), Bethesda, MD requires professional, comprehensive, and confidential counseling and referral services for USUHS employees for a wide range of personal problems (e.g., alcohol abuse, drug abuse, financial, personal, emotional, psychological, marital, family, legal, stress related, etc.); the prevention and resolving of employees drug use through active participation in the USUHS Civilian Employee Drug Testing Program; counseling and referral services to families of USUHS employees with personal problems and to USUHS employees whose family members have personal problems; on-going publicity/promotion of the employee assistance program and services; employee (both supervisory and non-supervisory) orientation, education, and training relative to the employee assistance program and services; statistical data gathering and analysis sufficient to satisfy Agency reporting requirements; and an end-of-the-contract year cost/benefit analysis. The objective of this effort is to assist the USUHS in meeting legal and regulatory requirements in the establishment, operation, maintenance, and evaluation of an effective and comprehensive employee assistance program, that is beyond current in-house support capabilities. USUHS has a total of approximately 780 civilian employees. Any contractor responding to this proposal must have the previous experience and resources necessary to handle the number and type of problems arising in such a generally technical but diverse workforce. TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS: A. Counseling: 1) The contractor shall provide at no charge to the client up to three personal counseling sessions per client (i.e., USUHS employee and or employee family member), per problem, unless the problem warrants immediate referral to an outside resource for treatment, rehabilitation, therapy, etc. The contractor may seek an exception to the three sessions maximum when: (a) counseling results from a supervisory referral and an additional session is needed; and (b) counselor determines that there is a compelling clinical need for an additional session to appropriately assess and refer the employee for longer term counseling. Before providing an additional session, the contractor must obtain approval from the Government. 2) The contractor shall provide access to an experienced professional, credentialed employee assistance counselor off-site by appointment (within a 10 mile radius of worksite), as part of the three personal counseling sessions in Paragraph A.1, at no charge to the client. 3) The contractor shall provide local telephone access to an experienced professional, credentialed employee assistance counselor 24 hours per day, seven days per week, at no charge to the client. Emergency long distance client calls for counseling will be authorized and paid for by the University only when local counselors are unavailable and with the prior approval of the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR). 4) The contractor shall have a counseling staff that as a whole has the expertise to provide assistance on a broad range of problems. Counseling expertise in the area of alcohol, drug abuse and AIDS is mandatory. Expertise in other areas of counseling, such as personal, emotional/psychological, stress﷓related, marital, family, legal, and financial problems is highly desirable. Counselor and contractor qualifications will be demonstrated in professional resumes. 5) If a supervisory referral is made, the contractor shall consult with supervisor and personnel office representatives, as appropriate, on actions to assist in resolving the problem. 6) The contractor shall seek feedback on the services rendered from clients who participate in the program. The contractor will share this feedback with the COR, ONLY if the clients have authorized this in writing. If the clients do not authorize consent, then the contractor isn't required to release this information to the COR. B. Civilian Employee Drug Testing Program: 1) General: The contractor shall play an important role in preventing and resolving employee drug use by demonstrating USUHS' commitment to eliminating illegal drug use; providing employees an opportunity with appropriate assistance to discontinue their drug use; providing educational materials and training to supervisors, managers and employees on drug issues; assist supervisors in confronting employees use who have performance and/or conduct problems and making referrals to appropriate treatment and rehabilitative facilities; and follow﷓up with individuals during the rehabilitative period to track their progress and encourage successful completion of the program. The contractor, however, shall not be involved in the collection of urine samples or the initial reporting of test results. Specifically, the contractor will be responsible for the following: (a) Becoming familiar with the provisions of Executive Order 12564, "Drug Free Federal Workplace" and Federal Personnel Manual Letters 792﷓16 and 792﷓17 "Establishing a Drug Free Federal Workplace"; (b) Providing counseling and assistance to employees who self﷓refer for treatment or whose drug tests have been confirmed positive, and monitoring the employees' progress through treatment and rehabilitation; (c) Providing needed education and training to all levels of USUHS employees on: types and effects of drugs, symptoms of drug use and its impact on performance and conduct, relationship of the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) with the drug testing program, and related treatment, rehabilitation, and confidentiality issues; (d) Ensuring that confidentiality of test results and related medical treatment and rehabilitation records is maintained in accordance with BRIEFINGS, RECORDS, REPORTS, DATA, and OTHER DELIVERABLES. 2.) Voluntary Referral: Employees may contact the contractor themselves, or may be referred by their supervisors, for help in obtaining counseling and treatment for a drug abuse problem. USUHS encourages employees who use illegal drugs to voluntarily seek counseling and other appropriate assistance. When feasible, the contractor must also be available to families of employees with drug problems, and to employees with family members who have drug problems. A supervisor wishing to refer an employee to the contractor should discuss his or her concerns with the employee, suggest the need for assistance, and offer to contact the contractor to arrange an appointment. Employees are not required to pursue this type of supervisory referral to the contractor. 3) Mandatory Referral: (a) Employees who are found to use illegal drugs will be referred to the contractor for assessment, counseling, and if appropriate, referred to an outside source for treatment or rehabilitation. This mandatory referral to the EAP counselor shall be in addition to any other applicable personnel actions, and will be made with maximum respect for individual confidentiality consistent with safety and security. Employee participation in treatment or rehabilitation programs provided by or referred through the contractor does not preclude USUHS from taking any disciplinary action authorized upon a finding of illegal drug use including removal from the Federal service and revocation of security clearance; (b) Once a referral to the USUHS EAP is made, and the employee agrees to the appointment with the counselor the contractor will encourage but not require the employee to sign consent for release of information to the supervisor. This consent will cover the release of information pertaining to the employee's compliance with the agreed upon treatment plan and the employee's progress during and at the end of treatment. The counselor shall assess the problem(s), review the employee's health insurance coverage and refer the individual to an appropriate treatment resource in the Community. The EAP contractor is not responsible for payment of treatment and rehabilitation expenses incurred by employees attending outside treatment resources. The counselor shall monitor the employees? treatment and if consent for release of information was signed, keep the supervisor advised as to the progress being made. The counselor shall periodically follow﷓up with the employee and his/her supervisor after any treatment, which occurs and offer support and assistance as needed. 4) External Programs: The contractor has the responsibility for referring the employee to a treatment and rehabilitative program. The Chief, Civilian Personnel Division, USUHS, has the authority to disapprove a program not recommended by the contractor, and the employee is required to sign a release form which allows the contractor to monitor the rehabilitative progress and subjects the employee to subsequent follow﷓up testing. 5) Outside Referral: The contractor shall: (a) Maintain and update as necessary a list of rehabilitative or treatment organizations which provide counseling and rehabilitative programs for drug and alcohol abuse. This list shall be provided to the University upon request and shall include the following: (i) Name, address, and telephone number of the facility; (ii) Types of services provided; (iii) Hours of operation, including emergency hours; (iv) The contact person's name and telephone; (v) Fee structure, including insurance coverage; (vi) Client specialization; (vii) Other pertinent information. (b) Periodically visit rehabilitative or treatment organizations to meet administrative and staff members, tour the site, and ascertain the experience, certification, and educational level of staff, and the organizations policy concerning progress reports on clients and post﷓treatment follow up. A report of such visit will be provided to the COR with the contractor's findings and recommendations within 30 calendar days after completion of the visit. (c) Make client referrals to professional specialists, clinics, programs etc., as appropriate for treatment/rehabilitation, not affiliated with the contractor (arms length﷓﷓no conflict of interest) when: (i) Client's problem is not resolved in the three counseling sessions provided by contractor; (ii) Client requests referral to outside specialists, clinics rehabilitation facilities, hospitals, and/or drug & alcohol programs. (iii) Immediate referral of client to outside source is necessary, because the nature of the problem is such that the contractor counseling would unnecessarily delay commencement of needed regular treatment not within capability of contractor to provide. (d) The contractor shall offer the client at least two outside referral sources and shall indicate which outside sources are free of charge, sliding fee scale, and UCR (usual, customary and reasonable charge) scale. In making referrals, the contractor shall consider the nature and severity of the problem, location of the treatment, cost of the treatment, intensity of the treatment environment, availability of inpatient/outpatient care, other special needs such as transportation and childcare, and the preference of the employee. 6. Follow Up: (a) The contractor shall follow up with the client who has been referred to an outside source by the contractor within one month of the referral and if necessary, periodically during subsequent treatment, to evaluate the client's progress and adequacy of treatment by outside source. (b) The contractor shall seek written feedback on client satisfaction with referrals, and shall share such feedback with the COP, only after written consent is obtained from the client to release this information. If consent is not given then the contractor shall not reveal this information. In the event the employee is not satisfied with the program of treatment or rehabilitation, such employee may seek review of the contractor's referral by notifying the Employee Management Relations Division, USUHS, prior to completion of the program. The decision of Employee Management Relations Division, USUHS, with the concurrence of the Chief, Civilian Human Resource Management, USUHS, will be final and will not be subject to further administrative review. (c) Upon request and with concurrence of the University, USUHS will provide statistical data not prohibited from release by law, rule, or regulation, which is necessary for reports or effective program management.(d) Upon request and with the written concurrence of employee, the University will furnish information concerning the employee?s personal history that is maintained by the University as long as the information is not prohibited from release by law, rule, or regulation. Unless authorized by the employee to the contractor, information released must be kept confidential. BRIEFINGS, RECORDS, REPORTS, DATA AND OTHER DELIVERABLES: A. Orientation, Education, and Training: The contractor shall provide educational materials and conduct a minimum of two (2) orientation/training sessions and seminars each contract year for USUHS supervisors, managers and employees as outlined below, on the EAP, its services, appropriate use of the program to assist in resolving underlying problems affecting on the job performance and conduct, handling of problems of substance and employee personal problems, AIDS, and orientation for all USUHS employees on the USUHS civilian employee drug testing program and the effects of illegal drugs. After this initial series of sessions, the drug testing program orientation will be absorbed into the routine sessions and seminars described below. The contractor shall contact a representative from the Employee Management Relations Division to coordinate the time, place, topic, content, and notification procedures to employees for all training sessions and seminars, and for the receipt and use of educational and training materials. The contractor shall provide educational and information materials within 30 calendar days after award of the contract and within 15 calendar days of subsequent requests thereafter. B. Supervisory Training: A minimum of two (2) training sessions shall be conducted each contract year to educate supervisors on their responsibilities under the EAP, the handling of problems of substance abuse and employee personal problems, the civilian employee drug testing program, and AIDS. New supervisors are required to attend at least one of these sessions as soon as possible after their placement in a supervisory position. C. Explanation of the responsibilities and roles of the USUHS employee assistance program and its relationship with the USUHS drug-testing program: 1. The specific services provided by the Employee Assistance Program; 2. Techniques for supervisory confrontation and referral of an employee to the Employee Assistance Program; 3. How an employee may be self﷓referred to the program; 4. Drug awareness, symptoms of drug and alcohol use, and what employee performance and behavioral changes should be recognized in alcohol and drug abuse cases; 5. Recommended methods for dealing with the suspected or identified drug user and substance abuser on a day to day basis; 6. Supervisory responsibility under E.O. 12564; 7. General principles of rehabilitation including techniques for supervisors to assist employees in returning to the worksite, given specific USUHS needs and requirements; 8. Personnel management issues (e.g., relationship of the EAP to performance appraisal and disciplinary programs; leave usage; and supervisory notes and documentation); 9. Specific information on how to recognize and handle AIDS related situations, which arise in their organizations, and on the importance of maintaining confidentiality of medical and personal issues. D. Health and Wellness Literature: The contractor shall prepare and submit to the Workforce Relations Division informative health and wellness literature, generally once per month, which will be reprinted and distributed by the University to all employees. 1. Publicity and Promotion Literature: (a) Within the first month of the contract, the contractor shall prepare/revise the proof for a brochure that describes EAP services, procedures, and access. The Employee Management Relations Division must approve the proof as acceptable. The University will reproduce and distribute brochures to all employees. (b) Within the first month of the contract, the contractor shall prepare/revise the proofs for a wallet﷓size card and telephone sticker that contain pertinent EAP information for emergency use. The Employee Management Relations Division must approve the proof as acceptable. The University will reproduce and distribute cards and stickers to all employees. (c) Throughout the length of the contract, quarterly the contractor shall prepare/revise the proofs for 12 X 18"(minimum) size posters that describe the EAP services and contain pertinent EAP information for emergency and non﷓emergency use. The University will reproduce and display the posters. 2. Records: (a) Any contractor hired to satisfy any part of this program will comply with confidentiality requirements of this program, and all applicable Federal laws, rules, regulations, and guidelines. The University will provide the USUHS Instructions implementing the EAP and drug testing programs to the contractor; (b) The contractor shall maintain only those civilian employee drug testing program records necessary to comply with the program. After a supervisor refers an employee to the EAP, the contractor will maintain all records necessary to carry out their duties. All medical or rehabilitation records concerning the employee's drug abuse, including Employee Assistance Program records of the identity, diagnosis, prognosis, or treatment, are confidential and may be disclosed only as authorized by 42 CFR, Part 2, including the provision of written consent by the employee; (c) With written consent, the patient may authorize the disclosure of those records to the patient's employer for verification of treatment or for a general evaluation of treatment progress. If the client refuses to sign the consent, then no information will be released. 3. Reports: (a) The contractor shall provide monthly statistical reports to the USUHS' COR containing, at a minimum, the following information: (i) The client's category (i.e., USUHS employee, spouse or child of USUHS employee); (ii) Employee's work location; (iii) Type of referral (self, supervisor, other); (iv) New case (yes/no)/Reopened case (yes/no); (v) Case status (client helped, client not helped, too early to judge); (vi) Type of problem (alcohol, drug, emotional/psychological, personal, stress﷓related, marital, family, financial, legal, etc); (vii) Outside referral made (yes/no); (viii) Number of clients referred to outside source after one visit, after two visits, after three visits; (ix) Type of visit (telephone/personal consultation, on﷓site/off site); (x) Number of on﷓site counseling hours spent with clients by work location. This monthly report must be postmarked by the tenth of the next month and should be received by the fifteenth (b) The contractor shall provide to the USUHS' COR the following summary statistical reports: (i) The DoD semiannual statistical report on Civilian Employee Alcohol and Drug Abuse must be received within 30 calendar days after the end of the reporting period (i.e. due 30 OCT for reporting period ending 30 SEP and due 30 NOV, for the period ending 31 DEC). This report will be provided using the DD Form 2398, and will contain the following counseling data broken down by type of problem: alcohol, drug, or other (all types of emotional, personal problems): Number counseled or referred, Number completing program, Number not completing program, Number too early to judge, Number of self﷓referrals, Number of supervisory referrals. (ii) The annual Office of Personnel Management (OPM) statistical report on Federal Employee Counseling Programs must be received within 30 calendar days after the end of the fiscal year (30 October) on Office of Personnel Management Form 1210. This report should provide the same counseling data as described in (a) above for the DoD report, except that the OPM category labels are slightly different from those on the DD Form 2398. (c) The contractor shall provide an end of fiscal year (30 Sept) financial report to the USUHS COR by 7 October of funds spent specifically on alcohol and drug abuse counseling, referral, and educational efforts, apart from funds spent for other problems. (d) The contractor shall provide an end of contract year summary report to the USUHS COR within 30 calendar days after the completion of the contract year which will include, but not be limited to, the contractor's analysis of program strengths and weaknesses, assessment and updating of outside referral sources used, recommendations for changes based on USUHS' needs, and a cost/benefit analysis of the program. CONTRACTOR PERFORMANCE: USUHS' decision about the success of the EAP program will be based on periodic, end of the contract year review and evaluation of the following: the quality of the educational, counseling, and referral services provided, the timeliness and quality of the statistical reports and other deliverables, the extent and growth of employee participation, the satisfaction of participants who received counseling and referrals or attended seminars (as measured by their evaluations and feedback), and the results of the cost/benefit analysis. The contractor will also be evaluated on the success of their system for maintaining confidentiality and safeguarding the privacy of participating employees. TASK ORDERS: 1. Task Orders will be issued via: (a) Direct Contact by phone in a voluntary status; and (b) The employees? supervisor will make an appointment in a mandatory status when a test is confirmed positive after informing the employee of the result. This notice is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the solicitation; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. Amendments and/or additional information will be posted on the FedBizOpps, www.eps.gov. As a reminder, offerors are responsible for monitoring the website for possible amendments and/or additional information. This combined synopsis/solicitation is a request for proposal (RFP). See Synopsis Continuation Sheet
Place of Performance: Address: 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD; Zip Code: 20814-4799; Country: United States
Record: SN00564962-W 20040415/040413212624 (fbodaily.com)
Source: FedBizOpps.gov Link to This Notice
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G -- EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (EAP) SERVICES