Request for Proposals Be A Buddy: A Community-Based Climate Health Resiliency Pilot Project Issue Date: December 20, 2017 Response Due Date: February 7, 2018 Reply to: Zahra El Alami Released By: Fund for Public Health in New York 22 Cortlandt Street, 8 th Floor, Suite 802 New York, NY 10007 Phone: (646) 710-4860 Fax: (212) 693-1856 www.fphny.org 1
Summary This Request for Proposals (RFP) is issued by the Fund for Public Health in New York (FPHNY), on behalf of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH) to solicit proposals from qualified community- or faith-based organizations or service agencies located in the South Bronx (CD 1, 2 or 3), parts of Upper Manhattan (CD 9,10 or 11) and part of Central Brooklyn (CD 3, 4, 5 or 16) to work with the FPHNY and NYC DOHMH and the Mayor s Office of Recovery and Resiliency (ORR) in creating a system to build community resilience and improve recovery from extreme heat, coastal storms, power outages, and other weather emergencies in at-risk communities. Preference will be given to proposals that describe innovative approaches to community-based work centered on strengthening hyper-local interpersonal and organizational networks. Community-based organizations new to city contracting are strongly encouraged to apply. Basic Information Application Release Date December 20, 2017 December 20 January 10, 2018 by 11:59 PM EDT Inquiry Period Q&A Posted Application Due Date Funding Term Application Funding and Payment Structure Applicant Eligibility Criteria Send questions to Zahra El Alami at zelalami@fphnyc.org (Questions received after this date will not be answered) January 16, 2018 responses posted on the FPHNY website: http://fphny.org/whatsnew/rfps February 7, 2018 by 11:59 PM EDT Submission of RFP due to zelalami@fphnyc.org (Late applications may not be accepted) Year 1 funds awarded will be for April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2019. All deliverables to be completed by March 31, 2019. Anticipated year one funding per applicant is up to $90,000, with a potential for continued funding for year two. However, DOHMH and the FPHNY reserve the right to make additional awards and/or change the value of awards based on funding availability. Payments will be based on the completion of deliverables. Must be a non-profit entity such as a community- or faith-based organization or service provider Conduct outreach and/or provide programming, support or services to older adults (65+ years) Physical offices in the neighborhood they are applying to serve (must be one of these Community Districts (CD): Bronx CD 1, 2, or 3, or Manhattan CD 9,10 or 11, Brooklyn CD 3, 4, 5 or 16 Demonstrated experience in coordinating and implementing 2
Required Documents large-scale communications to reaching staff and clients (e.g., phone trees, canvassing operations, etc.) Demonstrated experience in coordinating and implementing volunteer activities (e.g., local, ongoing or one-time projects, canvassing, etc.) Complete proposal transmittal sheet with appropriate signatures An application that responds to all questions posed in proposal instructions Organizational chart describing how funds will be utilized to increase staff capacity Complete budget template with narrative description of rationale for fund allocation 2 Letters of Support from a partner based in the target area for which the applicant is applying (e.g., community based organization, faith-based organization, hospital, clinic) Financial Disclosure Forms and Statements for Past Two Years I. Background Extreme heat, on average, kills more people annually than any other extreme weather event in the United States and New York City. In New York City, most heat stroke deaths occur after exposure to heat in homes in which air conditioning was not present or not in use. Individuals most at risk for heat-related fatalities are those who do not have or use air conditioning AND have one of the following health risk factors: Are 65+ years of age Have chronic medical conditions (e.g. obesity, diabetes, lung disease, and heart disease) Have severe mental health illness Use drugs or drink heavily Take certain medications that impair the body s ability to stay safe during heat Are socially isolated Climate change will only increase this threat. Temperatures are rising and the near future will see more intense, more frequent, and longer heat waves. In addition, rising sea levels and more intense coastal storms further threaten New Yorkers, particularly our most at-risk residents. Power outages related to weather are also a potential threat to health. A key challenge in preparing for extreme weather emergencies is their relative unpredictability. To protect New Yorkers in the future from a range of climate hazards, lessons can be learned from strategies tested and evaluated from more common climate emergencies such as heat emergencies. Research findings have shown that enhanced social cohesion better prepares communities to withstand and recover from natural disasters and their health impacts. One key strategy to bolster social cohesion is to build social networks that can help share life-saving information prior to such emergencies and reach out to at-risk neighbors during an extreme heat event. However, this type of strategy needs to be developed and operationalized long before an emergency, and should be community-based. 3
DOHMH and FPHNY seeks to strengthen the capacity of New York City residents, communities, and the organizations that serve them to withstand extreme weather emergencies by increasing social cohesion, which will increase community resilience and reduce vulnerabilities to adverse health impacts of extreme weather. To this end, it is launching Be a Buddy NYC, a community-led preparedness model that promotes social cohesion. The initiative is a two-year pilot that will promote community resiliency to extreme heat and other weather emergencies in key heat-vulnerable communities in the South Bronx, Upper Manhattan, and Central Brooklyn. Local organizations, supported by DOHMH and FPHNY, will create an infrastructure that can disseminate extreme weather preparedness and safety messaging during non-emergency periods and, during emergency periods, activate and document check-ins to help those most at-risk for health impacts during extreme heat events. This Request for Proposals (RFP) aims to support organizations in NYC to: 1. Identify and engage with at-risk community residents in non-emergency periods; 2. Increase community awareness of extreme heat and other weather emergencies through trainings for staff, at-risk individuals identified through this program, volunteers, and other community members; 3. Identify and disseminate a list of alternative spaces that can be used during weather emergencies (e.g. public spaces with air conditioning) and strategies to increase access to such locations to community residents, DOHMH, FPHNY, and other stakeholders; 4. Identify communication channels to disseminate extreme weather warnings and alerts; 5. Develop a Be a Buddy network (e.g., volunteers, staff) to check on vulnerable individuals during weather emergencies; 6. Activate the Be a Buddy network to check on vulnerable individuals during an extreme heat event; 7. Refer at-risk individuals to qualifying city and other services and programs unrelated to extreme weather vulnerabilities; 8. Report on project activities, including collecting aggregated demographic data (race, gender, age range) on each person reached by the network, referrals and activations of networks, to DOHMH and FPHNY. This data will be submitted to DOHMH and FPHNY on a quarterly basis. 9. Provide input to DOHMH and FPHNY on best practices and lessons learned to enhance pilot project. 4
II. Available Funds Funding award is as follows: Anticipated Number of Awards 3 awards (1 organization based in the South Bronx: CD 1, 2 or 3, 1 organization based in Upper Manhattan: CD 9, 10 or 11; 1 organization based in Central Brooklyn: CD 3,4, 5 or 16) Funding Amount Up to $90,000 per award Cost Allocation Funding should be allocated for increasing staff capacity and hours of outreach, convening community workshops and trainings, developing and managing volunteer networks, identifying and engaging with at-risk individuals, and identifying community resources that can be accessed during extreme weather emergencies. Funding may not be allocated for office supplies, rent, or activities outside the scope of this RFP. Funding Notification The projected notification date to applicants of the funding status of their proposals is March 1, 2018. III. Additional Resources Technical Assistance DOHMH will provide technical assistance in content development for community and volunteer trainings on the health impacts of extreme weather events and communication capacity development, provide data on relative neighborhood heat risks in NYC including information on the social and environmental factors that drive these risks, and provide other subject matter expertise as necessary to ensure timely implementation of project deliverables. IV. Contract Payments Payments to institutions awarded this contract will be made based on completion of deliverables. Funds will be disbursed throughout the contract year after completion of each deliverable. In order to claim payment, awarded institutions should submit invoices with the amount owed when submitting documentation of completion of deliverables. V. Submission of Proposals Requirements Proposals and all supplemental documents must be submitted electronically to Zahra El Alami, Special Projects Associate at the following email address: E-mail: zelalami@fphnyc.org Email Subject Line: Be A Buddy Climate Health Resiliency Pilot Proposal received after 11:59PM EST on February 7, 2018 may not be reviewed. 5
Bidders can send questions or comments at the email below: E-mail: zelalami@fphnyc.org Email Subject Line: Be A Buddy Climate Health Resiliency Pilot All questions must be received by January 10, 2018 via email to Ms. Zahra El Alami at zelalami@fphnyc.org. The answers will be made available by January 16, 2018 on the FPHNY website. No other contact with FPHNY or DOHMH personnel regarding this RFP is permitted in the period between the release of this RFP and the notice of the award. Any oral communication shall be considered unofficial and non-binding with regard to this RFP and subsequent award. Proposals received after the deadline or missing required items or documents may be disqualified from funding consideration. It is the responsibility of the bidder to ensure delivery of the application to FPHNY at the above email address by the submission deadline. A confirmation of receipt of the required electronic submission (via email) of specific sections of the proposal and supportive documents will be sent by email. VI. Review of Proposals DOHMH will convene a review committee of City staff to conduct a review of each proposal accepted. Awards will be determined by the criteria listed below: a. Is eligible for funding, as per requirements outlined in pages 2 and 3 b. Bidders must adhere to the instructions and requirements provided on page 3. Proposals submitted that do not supply the required information will be considered non-responsive. c. Evaluation criteria and allocation points are as follows: Approach 20 points Volunteer Management 15 points Communication Capacity 10 points Collaboration 15 points Program Monitoring, Data Management, Evaluation and Reporting 10 points Organizational History, Infrastructure and Capacity 10 points Budget 20 points Total 100 points 6
VII. General Disclosures a. Right to Reject Proposals DOHMH and FPHNY may reject any or all proposals received and may ask for further clarification or documentation. Submitted information that does not respond to all items in this RFP may be excluded from further consideration and alternative information packages may not be considered. DOHMH and FPHNY may decline to review an application in the event the respondent submits a response after the submission deadline and/or any disparity is found during the evaluation process. b. Costs The respondent will be solely responsible for any costs incurred in preparing, delivering, or presenting responses to this RFP. Respondents will not be reimbursed for any costs incurred in preparing proposals. c. Fulfillment of Requirements By submitting an information package, the respondent acknowledges that the respondent has read and understands this RFP and is capable of fulfilling all requirements. d. Submitted Information Once submitted, responses will be the property of FPHNY and DOHMH, and will not be returned. e. Right to Amend, Cancel this RFP, or Solicit a New RFP FPHNY may amend or cancel this RFP at any time, without any liability to FPHNY, and DOHMH. FPHNY or DOHMH may solicit new requests for information and/or proposals regarding the services addressed in this RFP at any time. f. Amount of Business FPHNY and DOHMH does not guarantee to any specific amount of business or revenue as a result of this RFP. g. Security and Confidentiality Respondents should give specific attention to the identification of those portions of their proposals that they deem to be confidential, proprietary information or trade secrets and provide appropriate justification for why such materials, upon request, should not be disclosed by FPHNY and DOHMH. Such information must be easily separable from the non-confidential sections of the proposal. All information not so identified may be disclosed by FPHNY and DOHMH. 7
h. Insurance Certificate Selected institutions will need to provide proof of liability insurance (including Worker s Compensation). i. VENDEX A VENDEX Vendor Questionnaire and Principal Questionnaire must be filed where the subcontract dollar amount is $100,000 or where the aggregate business with the City is $100,000 during the preceding twelve months prior to contracting. j. Licenses All required licenses must be submitted prior to contracting. k. Client Abuse A Certification Regarding Substantiated Cases of Client Abuse or Neglect must be submitted prior to contracting. 8