Questions and Responses

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Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and Speech Language Pathology RFP #010.16.B1

Questions and Responses

1. Could you please let me know the projected weekly hours of service for the OT, PT, and SLP?

Response: For all full-time service providers HCPSS has a 7-hour paid workday with 30 minutes unpaid lunch. This is a total of 37.5 hours for a five-day a week full-time provider. This is only for full-time providers. 2. If the hours are on As Needed Basis or Part-Time, can you please let me know the amount of weekly hours that the OT, PT & SLP worked during the 2014-15 academic year? I am aware that the hours might not be the same for the 2015-16 academic year. However, this will provide us with a better understanding on how we should calculate our cost proposal for the Howard County Public School System.

Response: We do not have the same potential openings for the next school year. We have limited part-time staff in all three of our disciplines and they work anywhere from .5-.8 FTE. However, in any given day, part-time employees also work a 7-hour paid day with 30 minutes unpaid lunch or a 3.5-hour day if they are working a half day.

3. How many working days will the OT, PT & SLP work during the school year (For Example: 180 days or less)?

Response: HCPSS has a 180-day school year not counting snow closings and added days at the end of the year for closures.

4. On page 1 of the RFP specifications, after the Table of Contents, it says that the Contract Execution will be on September 2015. Is this the anticipated award date? If not, then what is the anticipated award date?

Response: The anticipated award date is the date the Board of Education approves with the intent to have services start October 1, 2015.

5. How many OT, PT or SLP’s do you foresee needing for the 2015-16 school year?

Response: SLP: Potential for 0-4 FTEs not counting unanticipated needs such as maternity, medical, unexpected resignation/retirement, changes in caseloads, or late hires which would decrease this number. OT: None expected at this time not counting unanticipated needs (see above). PT: Possible .4 not counting unanticipated needs (see above).

6. Do you provide the diagnostic equipment, tests, scoring sheets, materials and computers/laptops to be used to provide the therapy services? If so, can you please list what kind of equipment and materials will be provided (For Example: computers, internet access, instructional materials, office supplies, fax/copy machine, etc…)?

Response: All of the above for full-time, full-year contractual workers. This also includes access to our online IEP system, school-based website/communication, testing materials, protocols, etc. For those contracted workers who are covering for a leave of absence, the school-based therapist will leave the laptop for the person providing coverage. All other needs will be provided by HCPSS similar to full-time staff. Materials for

intervention differ by school and need.

7. Does the district intend to award to a single or multiple vendors? Response: Yes, multiple awards are anticipated.

8. Would the district pay for mileage travelling between school campuses on the same day? If so, what will be the district IRS Standard Rate?

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RFP #010.16.B1

9. Would you consider certified therapy assistants, CFY or SLPA?

Response: We will consider a CFY (please be sure to properly reflect and label the hourly rates accordingly) if the vendor provides supervision in accordance with ASHA standards. We will not consider an SLPA. 10. Are resumes required at the time of proposal submission or only upon award?

Response: We require 3-5 resume exemplars per discipline at the time of proposal submission. Resumes of candidates as well as interviews are also required from awarded vendors prior to accepting any candidate. 11. What grades will the OT, PT and SLP provide services for? And what will be the caseload? Response: Grades and levels will depend on the needs of HCPSS. We have SLPs, OTs, and PTs servicing students and families from birth through twenty-one. Caseloads vary depending on the position being covered as well as the program being supported and the level of the students (Elementary, Middle, High, Early

Intervention, Infant & Toddlers).

12. Would you consider a Flat Rate-Fixed Rate or Range depending on the candidates’ level of experience?

Response: Yes, but please be sure to label and identify the rates and what they represent.

13. In the event that the Howard County Public School System will find a permanent employee of the district and our services will no longer be needed, will the school provide the awarded vendor with a 30 days out termination written notice?

Response: Yes. Please see pg. 10 3.5 HCPSS Responsibilities 3.5.6 where this is spelled out.

14. What are the Required Documents for the Therapists to start working at the Howard County Public School System? For Example: Fingerprint, State License, Criminal Background Check, TB Test, any other specific Certifications.

Response: Any individual assigned to the school system will be required to comply with all current background and criminal checks per MD State law at the expense of the agency. The agency will be required to provide this documentation upon request.

15. Can you provide the current incumbent vendor(s) providing services? What is the incumbent vendor(s) current fee rate(s)?

Response: Fee rates are based on the last RFP and range from $63.00-$70.00 across disciplines. Previous vendors will not be provided.

16. Are you requiring vendors to submit a proposal response for all service categories or can we just submit for a single category?

Response: You may submit for one, two, or all three services. Please let us know in your RFP what services are being submitted.

17. We are located in the state of Florida and we do not have an office in the state of MD. Is your preference for a company to have an office in the state MD?

Response: This is a requested qualification. Please identify if you can comply with it or what your ability to comply with it will be.

18. Who is/are the current vendor(s) providing OT, PT and SLP Services? Response: Please see the attached award document from the prior contract term.

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19. Are your current vendors able to meet your current staffing needs? Are you satisfied with their service delivery? How many years have they been providing services?

Response: The previous contract expired after a five year term. No response for the other questions.

20. Does Howard County Public School System currently have any OT, PT and SLP compensatory time to make-up?

Response: Not at this time.

21. Will therapists have access to internet capabilities/computers at Howard County Public School System?

Response: Yes they will.

22. Are orientation sessions / teacher in-service days billable?

Response: If a contracted therapist is hired prior to the start of the school year for at least a three-month period, that therapist will be invited to attend New Teacher Orientation (NTO). However, HCPSS only pays workshop wages for any persons attending NTO. Workshop wages are $20.00/hr. In-service days, teacher work days, Professional Development days are all billable within the work day for hourly

rates.

23. What is the total spend anticipated under this RFP?

Response: Due to the nature and undetermined needs, there is no response.

24. Will Howard County provide the clinical oversight for the Occupational Therapists, Physical Therapists, and Speech Language Pathologists while supplying services to their students?

Response: We provide the same oversight to all our service providers regardless of whether or not they are contractual or direct hire. However, if we find that the therapist provided by the vendor does not have the necessary professional skills to do the job we will expect the vendor to step in either to mentor their therapist or provide another therapist. If the contracted therapist is in the Clinical Fellowship Year, the supervision required by ASHA must be provided by the vendor.

25. If the vendor is required to provide oversight, is it required to have one for each PT, OT and SLP or is one therapy supervisor for all sufficient?

Response: Should there be a need for oversight, HCPSS would like the supervisor to be in the discipline of the therapist.

26. On page 3, is an additional thumb drive requested if there is confidential material included in the bid package. If there is no confidential information included in the bid, is the additional thumb drive required?

Response: No. But please note in your proposal that there is no confidential information included so we will be sure you did not overlook this request.

27. On page 8, letter D, #7, example profiles are requested. How many profiles for each discipline are desired?

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28. On page 1 - Schedule of Events - October 1 2016 - services to begin - should that be 2015

as

stated later in the document?

Response: Yes. This was a clerical error that HCPSS will fix, see Addendum No. 1.

28. 3.4.2.9 - criminal background checks - do we do those through our agency or are checks done through HCPSS at our expense?

Response: We use a third party so you’re welcome to use the same, but yes, it would be at your expense. 30. 3.6.7 - Ongoing Agency Evaluation - is there a specific format that we are to use for that evaluation? Response: We’ll provide post award.

31. How many therapists (FTE) did each vendor provide to your District for the 2014-2015 school year? Response: SLP: For the last school year we had 4-5 SLPs from one vendor and 2 SLPs from another vendor to cover approximately 5 FTEs not counting maternity and medical short-term needs. OT: We only had 1 OT from one vendor. PT: We did not have a need for outside PT services this past school year.

32. How many work days are they assigned for the school year?

Response: Work days are assigned based on the coverage needs and the FTE of that assignment. Therapists who are assigned to work the full year will follow the HCPSS calendar to include any snow days needed at the end of the year. Therapists who are doing limited coverage will also follow the HCPSS calendar for the duration of their coverage time.

33. What is the average caseload by discipline in your District?

Response: SLP: All disciplines have approximately 21 hours of service delivery however the number of actual students on each caseload depends on IEP hours, how the students are grouped, the program the students attend and whether or not the service is direct, consult, weekly, monthly, or quarterly. OT: See above. PT: See above.

34. Will assigned therapists have access to computers/ laptops and printers provided by your schools? Response: Yes

35. Is the contracting agency able to bill for both direct and indirect treatment time (paperwork, meeting, teacher consultations, etc.)?

Response: No. All therapists have 7 paid hours a day. We do not pay additional for indirect work as the daily schedule should provide for times to do paperwork, meetings, etc. However just like any other worker, there may be times when the work is not completed within the 7 hour day and that is the responsibility of the therapist as it is for HCPSS therapists.

36. Services are not expected to start until October 1, 2015. What is your plan for coverage until then? Response: For those needs we have prior to October 1st, we do have vendors whose current contracts have been extended to cover the break in the timeline.

37. Page 7, D, #2 – What type of supporting documentation do you want to see?

Response: Please provide in brief format how the agency identifies its pool of staff to be assigned.

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38. Page 9, 3.4.2.4 – Please define administrative and supervisory services.

Response: Please identify what supervisory oversight is provided by the agency to their assigned staff. 39. Page 10, 3.5.6 – Once we place a therapists in HCPSS, will they remain assigned for the duration of the school year?

Response: Typically we do not remove contracted workers. Per 3.5.6 we do have the right to terminate the work of a contracted therapist with thirty days written notice to the vendor.

40. Page 6, 2.7, Submittal requirements - Please clarify – in our response do we need to address each item in Section III including 3.5-3.14?

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REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR

PHYSICAL THERAPY, SPEECH THERAPY AND OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY SERVICES

RFP #079.10.B1

FACT SHEET

1.

The school system requires the services of an outside agency to provide professional physical

therapy (PT) and occupational therapy (OT) and speech and language therapy (SLP) services to

various students. The number of students requiring these services and level of care and

treatment varies but has grown over the years. The County Diagnostic Center desires to

establish standing contracts with various agencies to provide the necessary services on an

annual basis.

2. A Request for Proposal was prepared and issued to solicit proposals from qualified and

competent agencies to provide the required services throughout the school year. The contract

term, to begin upon contract award, will be for an initial one-year period with the option to

extend the contract for an additional four one-year periods subject to satisfactory performance

and funding.

3. Responses were received from the list of firms attached.

4. An evaluation was conducted, chaired by Linda Flanagan, Director of CDC, and all proposals

were scored and ranked based on a total possible score of 100 points for OT, PT and SLP.

Firms scoring 60 points or greater will be considered for an award.

Agency OT Score Agency PT Score

Educational Based Services 95 Educational Based Services 95

Staffing Options and Solutions Inc 72 Invo HealthCare Associates Inc 70

Invo HealthCare Associates Inc 70 Kaleidoscope Family Solutions Inc 70

Kaleidoscope Family Solutions Inc 70 Riley Bridgeforth LLC 70

Progressus Therapy LLC 63 Cambridge Healthcare 65

Cambridge Healthcare 60 Top Echelon Contracting Inc 65

General Healthcare Resources Inc 60 General Healthcare Resources Inc 60

Agency SLP Score Agency SLP Score

SLP School Staffing 95 Invo HealthCare Associates Inc 80

Staffing Options and Solutions Inc 95 Top Echelon Contracting Inc 80

County Therapy Associates LLC 90 _{Educational Rehab} 75

Cambridge Healthcare 85 Soliant Health 75

Educational Based Services 85 Therapy Source Inc 70

Kaleidoscope Family Solutions Inc 85 Riley Bridgeforth LLC 65

Progressus Therapy LLC 85

5. It is recommended that the Board of Education authorize staff to negotiate with all vendors

scoring 60 or above points to establish the most favorable contract terms with the most qualified

agencies to meet the care needs of the individual students. The estimated total annual budget

for these services is $570,000.

6. Funding for these services is located in Third Party Billing, Special Education and Federal

Grant Funding.

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Exhibit P-2

Page

2 RESPONDING FIRMS

RFP 079.10.B1

1. _{Accelerated Staffing Solutions Inc}

5502 Bluecoat Lane Ste G Columbia MD 21045

SLP $75.00/hr OT $72.00/hr

12. _{RCM Health Care Services}

1445 Research Blvd Ste 120 Rockville MD 20850 OT $65.00/hr PT $65.00/hr SLP $70.00/hr 2. Cambridge Healthcare 600 Jefferson Plaza #430 Rockville MD 20852 PT $65.00/hr OT $65.00/hr SLP $65.00/hr 13. Riley Bridgeforth LLC 3817A 14th Street NW Washington DC 20010 SLP $72.00/hr OT $65.00/hr PT $65.00/hr 3. Arbor E&T LLC dba Care Resources 1026 Cromwell Bridge Road Baltimore MD 21286 OT $83.00/hr OT Asst $73.00/hr PT $85.00/hr PT Asst $75.00/hr SLT $85.00/hr SLT CFY $85.00/hr 14. Soliant Health

1979 Lakeside Parkway Ste 800

Atlanta GA 30084

SLP $71.00 - $70.00/hr OT $70.00/hr

PT $70.00/hr

4. County Therapy Associates LLC PO Box 169

Whiteford MD 21160

SLP $67.00/hr OT $67.00/hr PT $67.00/hr

15. Staffing Options and Solutions Inc

6249 S East Street Ste E Indianapolis IN 46277

SLP-CCC $64.50/hr SLP-CF $63.00/hr OT $64.50/hr PT $70.00/hr

5. Educational Based Services PO Box 911

Concordville PA 19331

SLP $67.64/hr OT $60.00/hr PT $60.00/hr

16. Staffing Plus Inc

551 W Lancaster Avenue Haverford PA 19041

$70.50 - $75.50/hr

6. FEM Nursing Services Inc 9420 Annapolis Road Ste 301 Lanham MD 20706

PT $80.00/hr OT $80.00/hr

17. Supplemental Heal Care 14502 Greenview Drive Laurel MD 20708 SLP $70.00 - $73.00/hr OT $65.00 - $68.00/hr PT $65.00 - $68.00/hr PT Asst $55.00 - $58.00/hr OT Asst $55.00 - $58.00/hr

7. General Healthcare Resources Inc 2250 Hickory Road Ste 240 Plymouth Meeting PA 19462

PT $64.00/hr OT $64.00/hr SLP $72.00/hr CFY $62.00/hr

18. Therapeutic Outreach for Children Inc 1 Farm Lane #458 Roosevelt NJ 08555 SLP $70.00 - $75.00/hr OT $70.00 - $75.00/hr PT $70.00 - $75.00/hr

8. Invo HealthCare Associates Inc 1780 Kendarbren Drive

Jamison PA 18929

PT $63.00/hr ST $67.00/hr OT $63.00/hr

19. Therapy Source Inc 10119 Valley Forge Circle King of Prussia PA 19406

SLP $69.00/hr OT $69.00/hr PT $69.00/hr

9. Kaleidoscope Family Solutions Inc 10632 Little Patuxent Pkwy Ste 236 Columbia MD 21044

OT $65.00/hr PT $65.00/hr ST $68.00/hr

20. Top Echelon Contracting Inc 800 Market Avenue North Canton OH 44702 SLP $65.00 - $68.00/hr SLP CFY $60.00/hr SLP Asst $56.00/hr PT $64.00/hr PT Asst $56.00/hr OT $68.00/hr COTA $58.00/hr 10. Progressus Therapy LLC

2701 N Rocky Point Drive Ste 650

SLP/CFY $67.77/hr OT $67.77/hr

21. Travis Consulting LLC 3104 Creekside Village Drive

PT $70.00/hr SLP $70.00/hr

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15620 Jillians Forest Way Centreville, VA 20120

OT $70.00/hr