Request for Proposals - Indiana 211

Request for Proposals Afterhours 2-1-1 Services for Indiana

Issued by: Indiana 211 Partnership, Inc. 1-16-2017

Table of Contents Background...........................................................................................................................................................2 Current Afterhours/Holiday Details ....................................................................................................................2 Afterhours Required Services ...........................................................................................................................2 Proposal Procedures ............................................................................................................................................3 Deadline for Submittal .......................................................................................................................................3 A.

Copies of Proposal.....................................................................................................................................3

B.

Right to Reject, Negotiate and/or Cancel ...................................................................................................3

C.

Evaluation Process .................................................................................................................................3

D.

Selection Process ...................................................................................................................................3

E.

Contact Award ...........................................................................................................................................3

F.

Implementation ..........................................................................................................................................3

Proposal Requirements ........................................................................................................................................4 A.

Proposal Content .......................................................................................................................................4

B.

Organizational Profile.................................................................................................................................4

Indiana 211 Partnership, Inc.

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Request for Proposal for Afterhours Services Issued January 16, 2017

Background Indiana 211 Partnership, Inc. is seeking proposals so that it might contract with a service provider (vendor) for afterhours services. Preference will be given to Centers that are currently part of the Indiana 211 System. Indiana 211 currently contracts with RTM Designs (ReferNET) for its information and referral software. Overview of 2-1-1: On July 21, 2000, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) assigned 2-1-1 as the 3-digit access number for community information and referral nationwide. Information and Referral (I&R) is the free connection between people seeking health and human services assistance and the appropriate providers of such services. In Indiana, 2-1-1 has been led by Indiana 211 Partnership, Inc., in partnership with Indiana Association of United Ways, local United Ways and other human, health, social service and government entities. Indiana 211 has adopted a regional approach for the provision of 2-1-1 service with eight (8) regional call centers:        

Connect2Help (Indianapolis) Northwest Indiana Community Action (Crown Point) United Way of Allen County (Fort Wayne) United Way of Bartholomew County (Columbus) United Way of Greater Cincinnati (Cincinnati, Ohio) United Way of Howard County (Kokomo) United Way of Metro Louisville (Louisville, Kentucky) United Way of Southwest Indiana (Evansville)

Indiana 211 Partnership (IN211), is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and is the sole operator of the 2-1-1 dialing code in Indiana. IN211 is a nonprofit organization with a human services information and referral focus and an emphasis on parental stress issues, domestic violence, infant mortality, assistance for veterans, services for senior citizens, services for vulnerable children, disaster response and recovery, and public health issues. In addition, IN211 holds numerous contracts at the local, state and federal levels. Currently all eight (8) of our call centers are subcontractors to IN211 and are nonprofit organizations.

Current Afterhours/Holiday Details IN211 answered an estimated 76,4001 afterhours calls in 2016, comprising 24% of our overall call volume. 2016 Major Holiday Coverage (for the 24 hour period beginning at 12:00 am to 11:59 pm EST)      

New Year’s Day Memorial Day Independence Day Labor Day Thanksgiving Day Christmas Day

267 calls 284 calls 319 calls 370 calls 410 calls 189 calls

Afterhours Required Services IN211 requires 100% of all incoming calls be answered live as defined in the IN211 Operations Manual2. Services provided must meet IN211 standards and abide by the IN211 Operations Manual. Afterhours services include:  

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Weekdays from 5pm until 8am ET, adjusted for time zones in northwest and southwest Indiana; Weekends from 5pm ET Friday evening through 8am ET Monday, adjusted for time zones in northwest and southwest Indiana;

Number does not include afterhours calls received by United Way of Greater Cincinnati or United Way of Metro Louisville. IN211 Operations Manual; Addendum 1: Proposed IN211 Holiday Coverage Plan Indiana 211 Partnership, Inc. 2 of 4 Request for Proposal for Afterhours Services Issued January 16, 2017 2

  

Major Holidays including New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day; and Official and publicly declared natural or manmade disasters or emergencies. Vendor must utilize the current IN211 I&R software to capture contacts and make referrals.

Proposal Procedures Deadline for Submittal – To be considered, proposals must be received no later than 5pm EST on Friday, February, 10, 2017 at the address shown below: Julie Johns-Cole Indiana 211 Partnership 3901 North Meridian Street, Ste 306 Indianapolis, IN 46208 A formal letter of intent is requested by 5pm EST on Friday, January 27, 2017. The letter must be on vendor’s letterhead and can be attached via email to [email protected]. Vendors are welcome to submit questions until Tuesday, January 31, 2017 at 5pm EST regarding this RFP in writing to [email protected]. Questions and answers will be sent to all vendors who provide a letter of intent. A. Copies of Proposal – Vendors must submit one electronic copy and seven hard copies of their complete proposal. Proposals and other materials submitted in response to this RFP become the property of Indiana 211 Partnership and will not be returned. All costs associated with preparing proposals and presentation are the responsibility of the vendor. B. Right to Reject, Negotiate and/or Cancel – The Indiana 211 Partnership reserves the right to reject any or all proposals if such a rejection is in the best interest of Indiana 211. This RFP is a solicitation for offers and is not to be construed as an offer, guarantee or a promise that the solicited services will be purchased. The Indiana 211 Partnership may withdraw this request for proposals at any time and for any reason without liability for damages, including, but not limited to, bid preparation costs. C. Evaluation Process – The Indiana 211 Partnership Proposal Evaluation Committee will independently evaluate and rate each proposal. The committee will convene for the purpose of review and scoring each proposal. D. Selection Process – The Indiana 211 Partnership Proposal Evaluation Committee will make its final recommendations to the Indiana 211 Partnership Board by Tuesday, March 14, 2017 and any negotiations of the contract will follow. E. Contact Award – It is anticipated that the contract will be formally awarded by March 20, 2017. F. Implementation – The implementation is anticipated to be completed by 5pm EST on Friday, March 31, 2017.


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Proposal Requirements A. Proposal Content – Proposals must be typewritten, in no less than a 12-point font, using white, 8 ½ by 11 inch paper. Please do not submit any two-sided copies. Each page of the proposal must be numbered.

B. Organizational Profile 1. List your organization’s legal name, address, telephone number and organizational website. Include parent organization information if applicable. 2. Indicate how long your organization has been in business. 3. Indicate how long your organization has been providing contact center services. 4. Provide the number of employees your organization has dedicated to 2-1-1 and/or I&R services. 5. Number of AIRS certified Information and Referral Specialists. 6. Indicate the date (month/year) when your organization became AIRS accredited. If your organization is not currently AIRS accredited, please indicate when you anticipate becoming accredited. C. Budget Proposal – to include the following components: 1. Staffing costs. 2. Training costs. 3. Administrative costs. 4. Any additional costs for implementation and/or maintenance not otherwise addressed in the budget.


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