R -- PROTECTION & ADVOCACY DISPUTE RESOLUTION The Social Security Administration (SSA) intends to negotiate with, and award a contract to the National Association of Protection and Advocacy Systems (NAPAS); Advocacy Training/Technical Assistance Center (ATTAC); 900 Second Street, NE, Suite 211; Washington, DC 20002; to provide advocacy and dispute resolution services to assist certain social security disability beneficiaries in removing barriers to a successful vocational rehabilitation (VR) and/or employment effort. The initiative is a project titled the "Protection and Advocacy (P&A) Dispute Resolution Demonstration Project". This project involves disability insurance (DI) and supplemental security income (SSI) individuals with disabilities who receive vocational rehabilitation (VR) and/or employment services from private and public service entities (other than the State VR agencies) referred to as "alternate participants" (APs) in SSA's VR referral and payment program. The purpose of the project is to: further the development of and continued improvement to SSA's Return to Work initiatives; provide an important and necessary service to people with disabilities on SSA rolls; and produce valuable information and insight that will be used to assist in fiscal planning and to formulate policy for advocacy and alternative dispute resolution services as a permanent component of SSA's VR referral and payment program. The contractor to provide technical assistance, to work with a committee of experts, to collect, analyze and report project data, and to disburse payments for case services to the 56 State and U.S. Territory P&A agencies in accordance with the P&A Dispute Resolution Demonstration Project. Any responsible source that believes it can provide the required services should submit a Technical Proposal describing its capabilities and resources to the Contracting Officer at the address listed NO LATER THAN August 27, 1999. This notice is for information purposes only and is not a request for proposals. No RFP is contemplated. See Note 22. WEB: Download Solicitation when/if available, http://www.ssa.gov/oag. E-MAIL: Contracting Officer, SSA/OAG, DICK.TOKOSCH@ssa.gov. Posted 08/12/99 (D-SN366992).

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