Harris County is accepting proposals from qualified vendors to provide Ryan White Part A Services for Harris County for a period beginning on or about March 1, 2017 and ending February 28, 2018.
All questions regarding this Request for Proposals (RFP) must be submitted in writing to [email protected] before 2:00 p.m. local time in Houston five (5) business days prior to the proposal due date referenced on the Request for Proposals Cover Sheet. Vendors are encouraged to review this RFP in its entirety prior to submitting questions.
The following statement is made in accordance with the FY 1995 Appropriations Act (P.L. 103-333). All funds being offered in this RFP are 100% Ryan White Treatment Extension Act funds with no contribution of any non-Federal funds required of the vendor, although subsequent to any award made to the vendor resulting from this RFP the vendor will be required to document, in a manner acceptable to the County, the total cost of the project, the amount and percentage financed by federal money and the amount and percentage financed by non-governmental sources.
A Pre-Proposal Conference will be held on Wednesday, October 12th, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. in the Harris County Public Health Services Building, 5th floor, Room 416, located at 2223 W. Loop South, Houston, TX 77027. Attendance is not mandatory, however it is highly recommended that vendors attend in order to discuss and clarify the RFP requirements and answer vendor questions regarding the proposal review and award process.
Persons with disabilities requiring special accommodations please contact Gail LeBlanc at (713) 439-6039 for arrangements.
OVERVIEW
Authorizing Legislation
The Ryan White Treatment Extension Act of 2009 provides federal support for comprehensive health and social services for people living with HIV/AIDS in the Houston Eligible Metropolitan Area (Houston EMA). Houston EMA includes Chambers, Fort Bend, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, and Waller counties. Part A provides emergency relief grants to meet needs of individuals infected and affected. Ryan White Program funding is intended to supplement, not supplant, existing and planned funding for HIV/AIDS services at local and state levels. The current authorization of the Ryan White Program extends through FY 2013. Subsequent authorizations may require grantees, subgrantees and contractors to implement programmatic, fiscal and eligibility changes to comply with the reauthorized legislation once enacted.
Eligible recipients of these funds are providers of relevant services such as public or non-profit private entities, or private for-profit entities if such entities are the only available provider of quality HIV care in the area, including hospitals (which may include Department of Veterans Affairs facilities), community-based organizations, hospices, ambulatory care facilities, community health centers, migrant health centers, homeless health centers, substance abuse treatment programs and mental health programs.
The Houston EMA Ryan White Planning Council (RWPC) is responsible for establishing priorities, conducting needs assessments and providing long range planning for Part A funds. Its members are appointed by the Harris County Judge and represent various segments of the community including service providers, caregivers, medical authorities, and persons infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. More information on the Houston Ryan White Planning Council may be found at www.rwpchouston.org.
Local Implementation of Ryan White Part A
The Harris County Commissioners Court has appointed the Executive Director of Harris County Public Health Services (HCPHS) as the Administrative Agent to the program. The Ryan White Grant Administration (RWGA) section of HCPHS assists the Planning Council in its duties and provides grant administration, quality management, client-level data collection/compilation and programmatic/fiscal monitoring for the Houston EMA. Harris County Commissioners Court, as the governing body of the grant recipient, has ultimate authority over Sub-awards of Ryan White Program Part A and MAI funds.
National HIV/AIDS Strategy
The National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS) has three primary goals: 1) reducing the number of people who become infected with HIV, 2) increasing access to care and optimizing health outcomes for people living with HIV, and 3) reducing HIV-related health disparities. More information on the NHAS may be found at http://www.aids.gov/federal-resources/policies/national-hiv-aids-strategy/what-is-the-nhas/.
The NHAS states that more must be done to ensure that new prevention methods are identified and that prevention resources are more strategically deployed. Further, the NHAS recognizes the importance of getting people with HIV into care early after infection to protect their health and reduce their potential of transmitting the virus to others. HIV disproportionately affects people who have less access to prevention and treatment services and, as a result, often have poorer health outcomes. Therefore, the NHAS advocates adopting community-level approaches to reduce HIV infection in high-risk communities and reduce stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV.