Kittitas County is required to solicit and establish a list of qualified providers who may provide employment and day services for eligible people with developmental disabilities. This notice is to solicit interested and qualified providers to provide those services.

Obtaining Qualified Provider status does not guarantee that the provider will have any clients to serve nor does it imply an obligation for Kittitas County to enter into a contract with the provider for the provision of services. Obtaining Qualified Provider status and being listed as a qualified provider does not imply nor ensure that the qualified provider will enter into a contract for services with the County. Kittitas County shall determine when and with whom contracts shall be executed and that such contacts to provide services will be entered into on an as needed basis.

Any agency which has obtained Qualified Provider status must have the ability to enter into a contract with Kittitas County and meet and comply with all terms and conditions of the contract. Providers must also be able to demonstrate that they remain in compliance with the established standards of a qualified provider for the duration of the contract which shall typically terminate at the end of each biennium as utilized by the State of Washington.

Qualifications

Any provider wishing to provide employment and day services for people with developmental disabilities in Kittitas County must demonstrate and provide the following;

1. A demonstrated history of at least three years of successfully providing employment and day services for people with developmental disabilities in community-based settings.

2. Three references who can attest to the ability of the applicant to deliver community-based employment and day services for people with developmental disabilities. The references should include the names, telephone numbers, dates of services, and a brief description of the similar services the organization has provided them in the past.

3. Demonstrated accreditation to provide employment services by a nationally recognized accreditation service.

All responses will be reviewed by the Kittitas County Mental Health/Developmental Disabilities Advisory Board. The Advisory Board shall recommend to the Kittitas County Board of County Commissioners those providers who have met the criteria above and may be included on the list of providers qualified to offer services to people who are developmentally disabled and living in Kittitas County. The Board of County Commissioners shall review the recommendations of the Advisory Board and take action as indicated to add providers to the Kittitas County Qualified Providers List.

Responses

Responses to this request shall be mailed or hand delivered with all requested information by 5pm on April 18, 2011 to the following address:

Kittitas County Board of County Commissioners

205 West 5th Avenue
Ellensburg, WA 98926-2887

Those responding to the request shall mark their response as Response to Kittitas County RFQ for the Provision of Services for People with Developmental Disabilities.

For more information, contact Commissioners

Kittitas County shall evaluate statements of qualifications and performance data submitted by firms regarding the proposed project. Following the evaluation, the county may invite one or more firms to meet with county officials to discuss the project and the relative benefits of various methods of providing the desired services. The county then selects from among those firms the one "most highly qualified" to provide the required services. County procedures and guidelines are to include a plan to ensure that women, minority, and veteran-owned firms have the maximum opportunity to compete for the contract. The level of firm participation should be consistent with their availability within the relevant professional community.

After choosing the most qualified firm, the county then negotiates with that firm for a contract at a price the county determines is fair and reasonable, considering the estimated value of the services to be rendered, as well as the scope and complexity of the project. If a satisfactory contract cannot be negotiated, the county formally terminates the negotiations with that firm and attempts to negotiate a contract with the next most qualified firm. The process continues until an agreement is reached or the search is terminated.

In emergency situations, the process outlined above for procuring services maybe dispensed with upon a finding by the county that an emergency requires the immediate execution of the work involved.

All submittals shall become the property of Kittitas County.

Kittitas County reserves the right to reject all submittals and re-advertise if necessary.