PREPARATION OF PROPOSALS GUIDANCE BOOKLET
STATE OF DELAWARE
Developmental Disabilities Council
Preparation of Proposals Guidance Booklet
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Developmental Disabilities Council Margaret M. O'Neill Building, 2nd Floor 410 Federal Street, Suite 2 Dover, Delaware 19901 Phone: (302) 739-3333; Fax: (302) 739-2015 E-Mail: Pat.maichle@state.de.us |
The mission of the Delaware Developmental Disabilities Council is to ensure that individuals with developmental disabilities can enjoy the same quality of life as the rest of society. The Council advocates for change and educates communities to be responsive to the needs and preferences of all individuals with developmental disabilities and their families, to ensure and enhance their participation in life and society through:
- Holding agencies accountable;
- Assuring access to culturally competent services;
- Educating the public and policymakers;
- Empowering individuals with developmental disabilities and their families;
- Supporting independence, productivity, integration and inclusion of individuals with developmental disabilities; and,
- Promoting quality of life and protecting rights and responsibilities.
The Council believes that:
- All individuals should have inclusive communities and have rights and responsibilities as citizens;
- The integrity of families needs to be supported;
- Providers should be consumer-driven; and,
- Equality should be promoted.
This application packet for Developmental Disabilities funds provides interested groups, organizations and individuals with information to enable them to prepare and submit proposals for consideration by the Council. Please read this document carefully. It provides general information for proposals, and outlines all information that must be provided for a proposal to be considered. Please feel free to share this information with any interested individuals or groups.
The Council has 34 members. Membership includes individuals with developmental disabilities and their families, and representatives from each major state agency that serves individuals with developmental disabilities. The Council also has representation from the University of Delaware's Center for Disabilities Studies and the Disability Law Program.
Public Law 106-402, the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act, amended in 2000, mandates that at least 50 percent of the Council's members be individuals with developmental disabilities and/or parents or legal guardians of individuals with developmental disabilities. The remaining positions must include representatives from agencies that administer funds under the Rehabilitation Act, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and Title XIX of the Social Security Act.
The Council was established in November in 1971 by Executive Order of the Governor of Delaware in accordance with the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act.
The primary role of the Council is to "assure that individuals with developmental disabilities and their families have access to culturally competent services, supports, and other assistance and opportunities to promote independence, productivity, and integration and inclusion in the community". The Council promotes, through systemic change, capacity-building and advocacy, a consumer and family-centered comprehensive system and coordinated array of services, supports and other assistance for individuals with developmental disabilities and their families. The Council recognizes that individuals with developmental disabilities and their families have capabilities and personal goals that should be recognized and encouraged, and any assistance to such individuals should be provided in an individualized manner, consistent with the unique abilities of the individual.
Federal definition of a developmental disability
The Delaware Council uses the federal definition of a developmental disability as it appears in the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights amended in 2000. (106-402):
A severe, chronic disability of a person 5 years of age or older which
- is attributable to a mental or physical impairment or combination of mental and physical impairments;
- is manifested before the person attains age twenty-two;
- is likely to continue indefinitely;
- results in substantial functional limitations in three or more of the following areas of major life activity: self-care, receptive and expressive language, learning, mobility, self-direction, capacity for independent living, and economic self-sufficiency;
- reflects the person's need for a combination and sequence of special, interdisciplinary, or generic services, supports, or other assistance that is lifelong or of extended duration and is individually planned and coordinated; except that such term, when applied to infants and young children, means individuals from birth to age 5, inclusive, who have a substantial developmental delay or specific congenital or acquired conditions with a high probability of resulting in developmental disabilities if services are not provided.
Contractors are required to follow this definition when implementing projects. Depending on the initiative, the Council may focus its efforts on serving sub-populations such as people with severe physical developmental disabilities, or children with mental illness or serious, lifelong emotional and mental disabilities.
Request for Proposals (RFP) bidding procedures
The standard RFP public bidding procedures begin with public notification of RFPs through newspaper advertisements and/or distribution of flyers to interested public and private organizations listed on the Council's RFP mailing list
The mailing list includes past contractor agencies and organizations; state and local agencies, universities and local educational organizations; individuals, agencies, and organizations who wrote or telephoned and requested to be placed on the mailing list; minority agencies and organizations; Council members; and consumer advocacy and community-based organizations.
The standard RFP process takes approximately two and one-half months. Two months are needed to meet the State and federal requirements of providing legal notice throughout the state and holding a public bidder's conference. Additionally, potential contractors need at least five weeks to respond to the RFP.
Who should apply?
Applications are welcome from individuals, public agencies, corporations, private nonprofits and institutions of higher education. All private, non-profit organizations must submit proof of nonprofit status and a current financial status report. Applications should show that the individual or organization is qualified, responsible and capable of conducting the described activities.
What happens to your proposal once it is submitted?
Proposals that arrive at the Council office on or before the designated date are reviewed. Late proposals are returned, and thus not reviewed. Once applications are screened, members of the Review Committee, designated by the Committee chairperson, receive a copy of each proposal.
The purpose of the Review Committee is to select and recommend for funding those proposals that best meet the Council's request to conduct a certain project. Committee meetings are typically held a few weeks after the proposal due date. The Review Committee is comprised of members of Council and other resource persons.
The Committee summarizes the scores and comments of its members and reports its recommendations in writing to Council. Council makes the final determination as to whether an application is funded under the provisions and policies of the Developmental Disabilities Program. A properly authorized award letter notifies applicants selected to receive funds, if they fulfill any contingencies that may be attached. A letter notifies applicants not selected. Unsuccessful applicants for grants may request a meeting with staff to discuss the reasons for the rejection. Records of approved applications are available at the Council's office for review.
After the contingencies are negotiated and any revisions to the budget and work plan are approved, a Notice of Award is issued.
A contract will be written with the Department of Administrative Services after notification of application acceptance. It takes approximately 45 working days from notification of acceptance to contract execution. The Department's policy is to have the contract executed one month before the start of the project.
Funds are disbursed monthly through a reimbursement after receipt of the monthly report of expenditures. Successful applicants will be expected to comply with the Department's audit requirements.
The Council reserves the right to suspend the contract in whole or in part if it appears to the Council that the contractor is failing to substantially comply with the quality of service or the specified completion schedule of its duties.
Most contracts are for one year, although the timeframe can be as short as three months. The Council can extend the term of a contract without the allocation of any additional DD funds (e.g., to compensate for start-up delays). When a project is extended without additional DD funds, the contractor may increase its in-kind match to the project. Projects that are planned for more than one year are still awarded funds for only one year. The second and third years of funding require separate narratives, budgets, work plans and products, negotiated between the grantee and the Council. A multi-year project may be carried out by a new contractor if the performance of the initial recipient is not satisfactory, pursuant to the terms and conditions of the grant awarded. In this case, the project would be put out to competitive bid a second time. However, re-bidding an RFP for the same project for successive years is not a recommended approach, since repeating the initial administrative procedures means a loss of time, some duplication of effort, and discontinuity of project activities.
Funding
Any costs for developing a proposal are the responsibility of the applicant and will not be reimbursed by the Delaware Council.
Developmental Disabilities funds are intended to foster prevention of developmental disabilities as well as to minimize gaps in service and to increase the independence, productivity and inclusion into the community of persons with developmental disabilities. These funds may not be used to duplicate or supplant existing funding.
Contractors must provide a match of at least 40 percent of the federal funds awarded. This match may be cash or in-kind. Federal funds mav not be used for match. Non-federal funds cannot be used to match more than one federal grant.
All funding decisions are subject to the availability of funds under the Basic State Grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Developmental Disabilities.
Reporting requirements
Contractors must submit quarterly program and monthly fiscal reports. All final performance, fiscal and other reports required are due within forty-five days of the end of the contract.
Contractors are required to specify objectives and activities in quantifiable terms and link those objectives and activities in the initial work plan. The narrative portion of the quarterly report includes a report on the accomplishments under these objectives. Assigned Committee advisors and staff review these quarterly reports upon receipt and act upon any non-compliance or non-performance issues through negotiation and other necessary actions. Activities are monitored according to the approved workplan, tasks and products.
Narrative quarterly reports to the Council also include statements on progress, including design, implementation and evaluation. The final report needs to include the statistics corresponding to the performance measures listed in the contract.
Financial audits, as applicable, are due after the close of the agency's fiscal year.
Technical assistance
DD Council staff provide technical assistance to contractors through site visits, meetings, telephone conversations, written correspondence and attendance at Project Advisory Committee meetings. Contact is frequent. Contractors make presentations at Council and Committee meetings upon request.
Conflict of interest
State law mandates that Council members as "special State employees" avoid any conflict of interest and/or "appearance of conflict of interest". Therefore, Council and committee members and interested persons attending our meetings must avoid any use of their special status or inside information to benefit or appear to benefit themselves, their associates, businesses, private or nonprofit boards or organizations with which they or their families are affiliated.
Public Documents and Guidelines
Final Council and Designated State Agency documents (e.g., correspondence, minutes, RFPs, reports) are public documents. There is one important exception: applications are preliminary, internal working documents and are not available to the public. Any Council member or person who attended the committee meetings where guidelines for a specific RFP were discussed may neither reproduce them, nor discuss their content with anyone, except staff, to avoid the appearance of giving "inside information" to prospective applicants.
Sole Source Grants
Only when agencies and/or nonprofit organizations have the singular expertise or the primary statutory authority and responsibility required to conduct an activity or project in response to a state plan objective, can a non-competitive contract be approved and awarded. In such a case, the Council develops a clear and convincing justification as to the merits of the agencies selected to implement the objective. This is a relatively rare occurrence.
Criteria for Proposal Selection
The following gives applicants an overview of the standards against which applications are evaluated. Each section of a Rating Guide is set to raise, answer, evaluate and score typical questions. Rating guides used by application reviewers include the following criteria:
- Responsiveness of Approach: The ability to design a sound approach that is consistent with the Council's philosophy, mission, and mandates.
- Does the application clearly describe the problem to be addressed and the significance of the problem?
- Is the proposed approach likely to solve the problem?
- Are there distinct, measurable outcomes?
- Are the proposed activities reasonable and practical?
- Does the approach reflect the Council's beliefs that individuals and families have a right to:
- Information, options for choice, control over their own lives, growth and self-determination;
- Define their own needs and quality of life;
- Supports and services which are flexible, responsive, non-intrusive and non-judgmental which nourish and enhance local involvement and ownership;
- Equal opportunities to meet their basic needs and participate in all aspects of community life free from attitudinal and physical barriers.
- Uniqueness of the Approach: The unique contribution to the field of developmental disabilities.
- Is the applicant offering a product or service that is not now readily available?
- Is the applicant proposing to address an issue or specific population that is not now being addressed adequately?
-
Does the applicant possess unique characteristics
that distinguish the applicant from other applicants
and organizations in the community?
- Coordination of Services: The intent and ability to work closely with other relevant private, public and voluntary groups and organizations.
- Are other relevant groups and organizations supportive of the proposed activities?
- Are other relevant groups and organizations likely to be involved in appropriate ways in the proposed activities?
- Are the proposed activities likely to:
- Connect individuals with their communities in ways that enhance their own roots and history, and strengthen the capacity of communities to respond;
- Provide individuals with equal opportunity for participation in all aspects of community life;
- Strengthen the community's capacity to meet human needs and foster opportunities for awareness, relationships and action that strengthen independence, interdependence and community resourcefulness?
- Evaluation of the Project: The intent and ability to evaluate the extent to which outcomes (results) have been achieved and how well proposed activities have been performed (quality).
- Does the proposal include clearly stated, measurable objectives that describe what and how much will be accomplished, by whom, and when?
- Is the plan for evaluating these objectives reasonable and practical?
- Will interim reports be prepared to summarize progress, problems encountered and corrective actions taken?
- Organizational Capabilities: The ability to perform the proposed activities.
- Does the applicant possess the skills, knowledge and resources needed to perform the proposed activities?
- Will the individuals working on the proposed activities receive sufficient knowledge?
- Proposal Budget: The ability to perform the proposed activities cost effectively.
- Is the proposed budget sufficient to support the proposed goals and activities?
- Are the costs included in the proposed budget reasonable and in line with other providers?
- Are the assumptions used in developing the budget realistic (e.g., anticipated increases or decreases in client demand, changing costs for major items, anticipated funding cuts or increases)?
- Is the applicant likely to receive funding from other sources to offset costs?
Requirement for Compliance:
The application must be received by the Developmental Disabilities Council by 4:30 p.m. of the date specified on the published Request for Proposals. All applications should be addressed to the Council at the address on the cover of these guidelines.
Please submit one original signature copy of the proposal with six copies.
Instructions for Application Content
Applicants are encouraged to be brief and clear in the presentation of ideas. Please remember that the length of the proposal is not indicative of the importance of the ideas that it contains. Unnecessary length, verbosity or jargon may detract from the readability and will not improve the evaluation score.
Proposals are to be typewritten using only one side of the paper. Consecutively number each page of the entire proposal and staple the proposal together.
Title Page: Use the "Title Page" form for the cover sheet for the proposal. Have the Title Page signed by an official authorized by the Board of Directors, if applicable, or Cabinet Secretary of a State agency to bind the contractor to its provisions.
Abstract: All proposals must include a one-page abstract that provides an overview of the proposed project, along with justification as to why funding from the Delaware Developmental Disabilities Council is crucial to success.
Program Narrative: Prepare a narrative description of the proposed total effort indicating what is proposed and why it is important. This should include a discussion about the statement of need, proposed activities and time frame, and the evaluation plan.
Work Plan (Form 1): Complete one work plan for each service objective. Provide a systematic plan for accomplishing this work, including specific timeframes and person responsible.
Personnel Plan: Identity members of the staff for this project. Briefly, describe what they will do and their qualifications.
Collaboration Plan: Describe the role and level of involvement with other agencies in implementing this project. Include copies of proposed agreements or subcontracts.
Agency Capabilities: Describe your agency's capability and level of commitment to carry out this project. Briefly summarize related experiences, and attach three samples of related projects that have been successfully completed. Provide the names of three references that can verify that your organization has the capability of completing the proposed project
Evaluation Methodology: Describe what the project will achieve. Provide a concise list of
outcomes expected to be achieved. If possible, outcomes should be quantified. Depending on the nature of the outcome and the proposed effort, some outcomes might be "concrete or tangible products" such as reports of findings, interpretations, and citations of relevant laws, periodic case studies of infants, summaries of community organizing activities, and the like. Other outcomes may be statements of quality like "networks will be established" or "attitudes and practices will be changed". When describing statements of quality, the proposal should describe how it will be determined that the outcome has occurred.
Budget:
- Budget (Form 3): Include all costs associated with conducting the project based on the Budget Guidelines (Attachment I);
- Budget Narrative: Provide justification for each budget line item of Form 3 on p. 14. Provide the basis used to calculate the projected figures for both DD and match funds.
- Personnel Schedules (Form 2 on p. 13): Complete one for each position working on the project. The sum of the figures from all Personnel Schedules should equal the Salaries and Other Employment Costs totals on the Budget Form (Form 3).
Assurances: Each recipient of Developmental Disabilities funds will be required to provide certain assurances mandated by both federal and State laws. These include, but are not limited to assurance of non-discrimination and affirmative action in hiring and service provision; assurances of compliance with accessibility requirements; appropriate insurance as may be required; and health standards for appropriate and quality services for persons with developmental disabilities.
Upon award of these funds these assurances will be included in the formal contract between the provider and the Developmental Disabilities Council/Department of Administrative Services.
For Further Information: Questions regarding the application process should be directed to Council staff at (302) 739-3333.
Title Page Form
Application for Funding
President, Chair or Cabinet Secretary for the organization: (the person who is legally responsible for signing documents of behalf of the applicant organization)
Name and Title:
Organization
Address
Phone
Signature
Project Manager/Director: (the person who will be responsible for managing the project)
Name and Title:
Organization
Address
Phone
Signature
(Complete a separate form for each objective)
Workplan
Service Objective:
Activities, Time Frame, Person Responsible
2.
3.
4.
5.
Comments:
Form 2
(Complete a separate form for each position)Personnel Schedule
Position Title
Full-time or Part-Time Position
If Part-Time, Percentage of Part-time for term of project
Total Annual Salary (including amount from this project)
% of Time Working on this Project
% of Time on this Project Devoted to Administration
% of Time on this Project Devoted to Program
DD Agency Other Project
Salary
Other Employment Costs
Hospitalization
FICA
Unemployment Compensation
Worker's Compensation
Other
Total Other Employment Costs
Total Salary and OEC
Form 3
Budget
Budget Items
Federal Match
Other Funds
Funds Total
- Total Salaries
- Other Employment Costs
- Hospitalization
- FICA
- Unemployment Comp
- Worker's Comp
- Other (specify)
Total Employment Costs
- Travel
- Mileage
- Other (specify)
Total Travel Costs
- Contractual Services
Total Contractual Services
- Supplies/Materials
Total Supplies/Materials
- Volunteers
Grand TOTAL
Attachment
Budget Guidelines I
- Salaries: Compensation for all regular and temporary employees paid on an hourly, weekly, bi-weekly, bi-monthly or monthly basis that is necessary for the successful completion of the DD project. Salaries should be commensurate with similar positions within other agencies within the State of Delaware. The percentage of time that a position spends on the DD project should not be less than the percentage of salary amount charged to the project
-
Salary calculations should include salary increases when they will be effective according to agency personnel policies. For example, if a salary increase is not scheduled until July, the salary requested should be calculated at the current rate through June and at the new rate beginning in July for the remainder of the contract year.
Salaries for all new positions shall be budgeted for a maximum of ten months unless it can be shown that earlier employment will be the case. If it can be reasonably anticipated that a new position will actually be filled for less/greater than ten months, the less/greater time shall be budgeted.
- Other Employment Costs: Includes employee fringe benefits and taxes related to positions requested in Cost Category I only. Costs may include unemployment insurance, health or other pension, worker's compensation, FICA or other benefits (specify the nature). The amounts charged to the project for any position must be in accordance with the percentage of salary charged to the project for that position. For example, if 25% of a salary is charged to the project, no more than 25% of applicable Other Employment Costs may be charged to the project.
- Travel: Cost of transportation, subsistence, lodging and related cost of travel for authorized trips of project personnel in accordance with agency policies.
- Mileage: Reimbursement for miles traveled by agency employees/volunteers in private vehicles for project activities must be in accordance with policies of the applicant agency. Indicate reimbursement rate per mile ($0.31 maximum under federal funding) estimated number of miles to be driven, who will be traveling and purposes of travel.
- Common Carrier: Bus, train, boat, taxi or airplane fares.
- Meals: For overnight travel only.
- Lodging: For overnight travel only.
- Other Travel: Tolls, parking fees, tips for service, baggage check fees.
4. Contractual Services: Services performed by people who are not in the employ of your agency. For client services, the applicant must provide assurance that these services are not (1) reimbursable by any other third-party payer or (2) otherwise available to the client. Where other funding sources exist, costs should be fairly apportioned among an agency's various programs according to a plan for allocation of costs so that the DD project does not pay a disproportionate share. Subcontracted services costing $10,000 or more must be advertised. This cost category may include:
- Professional Services: Itemize costs, specify purpose for each service.
- Postage and Freight: Includes the costs of postage and transportation of project correspondence and items when such expenses are not billed as part of the original cost of the item.
- Telephone and Telegraph.
- Utilities: Includes water and sewerage, electricity, and heating fuels. The same guidelines apply for utility cost and related "idle facilities" as described under "Rental Buildings/Office/Land)".
- Utility costs should not exceed necessary expenditures for the safe/sanitary functioning of the DD project. List all utilities that apply. Provide a cost estimate for each as the basis for the requested budget figure.
- Insurance: Includes insurance for buildings, contents, motor vehicles, and surety and performance bonds for DD-related functions. List types and DD-related purpose of the requested insurance costs. Break down estimated costs related to each type of requested insurance.
- Rental (Buildings/Office/Land): Includes rental of all reasonable space needed for operations or management activities to attain DD program goals.
- Rental requests for unused facilities that exceed the agency's current needs are not acceptable unless the agency can document that such facilities will be used for necessary DD program activities within a reasonable length of time (no more than 90 days); the cost of such rental of temporarily idle capacity must be outweighed by the cost benefit to DD program goals during the contract period.
- Itemize and describe the purposes of requested space costs and the basis for calculated cost (square footage cost or rental agreement amount requested by the Landlord).
- Rental (Equipment): Includes rental of all equipment necessary for DD activities except for motor vehicles. List equipment to be rented. Explain the need for equipment.
- Repair/Service/Maintenance: Includes repair, servicing and maintenance of program facilities, motor vehicles, office equipment and other equipment that is necessary for safe/sanitary operation.
- Printing and Binding: Includes printing and preparing for distribution of all DD-related printed matter, including brochures and flyers for the promotion of DD program activities.
- Association Dues and Conference Fees: Includes all membership fees and registration/attendance fees at conferences/workshops where activity or membership is an aid to the DD project.
- Advertising: Includes advertising for bids for contracted services, advertising for DD-funded employment, and advertising for DD-funded program activities in public media
- Other Contractual Services: Includes costs not attributable to agency employees that cannot be classified under contractual services listed above. Itemize.
5. Supplies and Materials: Includes expendable items that have a unit cost of less than $300 with a useful life of less than one year. Items with an expendable cost greater than $300 may be rented but not purchased for the project. Items in this category may include:
- Food: Includes food purchased for human consumption either on-site or off-site as part of a direct service program for persons with developmental disabilities. It does not include items used in food services, such as paper napkins, or food purchased for instructional purposes. Describe the purpose of food to be purchased, including whether it is to be consumed on-site or off-site (as in a food closet or warehousing activity).
- Stationary and office supplies.
- Laundry/household/janitorial Supplies: Includes all items for building maintenance or maintenance of individuals as part of a direct service program for persons with DD.
- Educational, recreational and cultural supplies and subscriptions; Includes all such materials useful in the development of proposed DD activities or in the provision of direct services to persons with DD through education.
- Motor Vehicle Supplies: Including expendable items (accessories, tires, tubes, parts, motor oil, grease) necessary to repair and service an agency-owned motor vehicle for DD activities.
- Gasoline: Purchased for the necessary operation of agency-owned motor vehicles when used for the provision of DD activities.
- Other Supplies and Materials: Includes all supplies and materials having a unit cost of $300 or less that cannot be properly classified above, and that are necessary for the development and provision of services as described in the proposed DD project.
6. Volunteers: Includes professional volunteers whose time is to be used as match in the project. Explain how the value was determined for each volunteer's time counted as match.
Indirect Costs
Indirect costs under federal or match funds are not allowed unless the applicant agency has a federally approved indirect cost rate. A copy of the federal document approving the rate must accompany the proposal.
Ineligible Costs
- Cost of political activities, including the transportation of voters or prospective voters to the polls or similar activities in connection with an election or voter registration effort.
- Cost of acquisition or capital improvement of land or facilities.
- Residential rental costs for space not occupied by clients with DD in the project.
- Cost incurred before the effective date or after the termination date of the contract.
- Cost incurred in violation of any provision of the DD contract or procedures.
- Expenditures for construction.
- Purchase of items or equipment with an individual value greater than $300.
