R431--Jackson Employee Assistance Program (EAP) 36C10D25Q0178

Page 2 of 2 DRAFT Department of Veterans Affairs Employee Assistance Program (EAP) STATEMENT OF WORK (SOW) BACKGROUND The Department of Veterans Affairs, Jackson Regional Office, (RO), is committed to ensuring employees and their immediate family members have access to Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Services. This statement of work is designed to obtain the services, labor, materials, and equipment necessary for Employee Assistance Program (EAP) service that provides confidentiality and prevents unauthorized disclosure of information. SCOPE This Statement of Work delineates the various tasks, deliverables, and activities required for individual counseling of employees and their immediate family members on a host of personal and job-related matters. Problem areas will include, but are not limited to, alcohol/drug abuse, trauma, mental illness, relationship/family conflicts, financial, stress, and job problems. The Contractor will provide crisis intervention, assessment, information and referral, short-term counseling, follow-up monitoring, training key agency personnel, consulting with managers, supervisors and key personnel on an ongoing basis. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: The period of performance is one base period of 12-months, with four (4), 12-months option periods. Work shall not take place on Federal holidays or weekends unless directed by the Contracting Officer (CO). Exercising Option Periods are solely at the discretion of the Government and contingent upon funding. See Clause 52.217-9 Option to Extend the Term of the Contract. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE The contractor shall perform the face-to-face counseling sessions in their contractor provided offices, for employees and eligible family members that are located within the Jackson (Majority of Employees) VA area only. TYPE OF CONTRACT 5.1. Firm Fixed Priced APPLICABLE REGULATIONS OPM Handbook: Federal Employee Assistance Programs, Guiding Principles, Framework and Definitions. https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/worklife/reference-materials/eapguide.pdf SPECIFIC TASKS WITH ASSOCIATED DELIVERABLE(S): The Contractor shall perform the following tasks. Clinical services shall include diagnostic evaluations, treatment planning, short-term counseling, trauma debriefings, referrals, monitoring, and follow-up services to clients as clinically indicated. The contractor shall maintain a 5% utilization rate for traditional EAP counseling services with an average of 2 sessions per client. The program utilization rate is determined by dividing the number of clients who have been clinically serviced by the program by the total number (479) of eligible employees (plus family members). Counseling will be primarily face-to-face for a maximum of three (3) sessions. If additional counseling is necessary, a referral to a community facility or the patient s primary care physician will be provided. (Scheduled calls between counselors and employees, as follow-ups, may occur, thus they will need to be authorized in advance by COR and CO if considered billable). The contractor shall provide evaluation, counseling, and referral services to the covered employees, their immediate family members, and anyone living within an employee's household who has an impact on the employee's well-being. The contractor will offer face-to-face counseling to all members of the covered population who request assistance or are referred to EAP. The counseling shall be short-term in nature and shall focus on diagnostic evaluation, problem resolution, and, when appropriate, referral to community resources which can provide skillful management of the problem presented. No more than three diagnostic sessions of one hour each shall be made available to covered participants for each distinct problem presented. The contractor shall use a wide variety of community resources which offer treatment and rehabilitative assistance as long as the staff of those resources meets the qualifications requirements identified within this contract. Every attempt will be made to match a client with a clinician specializing in the treatment of the client's specified problem. The contractor shall be responsible for screening all utilized resources and maintaining current records regarding the services and qualifications of the staff of those resources. The contractor shall select community resources that qualify for third party reimbursement. The contractor must have a 24-hour Hot-Line set-up and available, or a similar alternative. The contractor will maintain a list of appropriate local referral sources. The contractor will contact the employee 14 calendar days after the referral is given to ascertain its appropriateness. The contractor will have a quality assurance plan in place to ensure only the highest quality referrals are utilized. The contractor shall observe the same holidays as the Federal agencies serviced. If any primary staff member is unavailable due to vacation, conferences, and so forth, a qualified substitute must be provided. An employee's call should result in either reaching an EAP counselor or staff member, or a call back the next business day. In no case should a call from an employee be returned later than the next business day. A scheduled appointment must be made within five working days. The contractor shall provide on-going consultation and advice to managers, supervisors, key agency personnel and community resource personnel for the purpose of facilitating identification, referral, treatment, and follow-up for problem employees. The contractor is responsible for advising managers and supervisors on how to effectively identify, intervene, and determine when to refer to EAP employees with job performance or conduct problems. As part of this responsibility the contractor will also 1) provide advice concerning client confidentiality requirements and 2) respond to request for information to the extent allowed by Federal confidentiality and privacy requirement. Throughout a problem employee s treatment program and as allowed by federal confidentiality and privacy requirements, the contractor shall be available to discuss rehabilitative efforts and their relationship to job performance and/or conduct. Monitoring and Follow-up on Supervisory/Management Referrals. The contractor shall monitor and follow up on all EAP referrals and obtain written authorization from employees as needed to keep the referring supervisor informed of employee participation in the program. To accomplish this, the contractor will: Maintain ongoing contact with a) the community treatment program to which the employee is referred and b) with the employee regarding treatment and job adjustment. Within the constraints of confidentiality and consent, keep the referring management officials apprised of the employee's progress in treatment. Assist, when possible, in an employee's job adjustment and reentry to the workplace. 7.1.11. The contractor will provide 8 hours of on-site agency specified group employee training, training key agency personnel, consulting with managers or supervisors for each contract period of performance. The contractor shall adhere to the following guidelines when developing publicity and training materials: All materials and presentations shall be non-sexist and nondiscriminatory in content and tone. Publicity materials shall be developed with the intent to continuously motivating and inform employees and their families of the beneficial services of EAP. Special emphasis shall be given to the use, abuse, and addictiveness of alcohol and illegal and illicit drugs. Education and outreach shall reflect a sensitivity to the stigma associated with admission of health or personal problems and every effort shall be made to diminish that stigma. The contractor shall provide qualified trainers, their necessary travel costs, and all materials needed to provide on-going training for managers, supervisors, key agency personnel and all covered employees. The training will cover diverse, work-related topics, such broad areas as employee development, life and health management, family relationships, workplace interrelationships, communication, and effective supervision. Individual training sessions will be a minimum of 1 hour but no more than 4 hours in length. The number of employees attending will vary but will not normally exceed 50 per session. On-Site Counseling for Tragedies - Throughout the term of the contract, the agency may require the contractor to conduct special group and/or individual on-site counseling sessions based on severe tragic occurrences, e.g. suicides, accidental deaths, etc. The contractor shall be required to plan, develop and conduct group counseling sessions not exceeding two (2) hours in length. The sessions will address the area of the identified tragedy and shall be designed to assist employees in dealing with the resulting emotional problem(s). Optional Services - The Government may, at its discretion, request the contractor to provide "optional" services in addition to the basic requirements already stipulated. These services are priced independently from the basic requirements and may be exercised at any time throughout the contract performance period. The contractor shall schedule requested appointments within five working days. Counseling staff shall be available in person to employees, at a minimum between the hours of 8:00 A.M. To 5:00 P.M. Central, Monday through Friday, excluding Federal Holidays. The contractor will maintain malpractice coverage on any clinical staff involved in this contract and is solely responsible for all clinical recommendations. The contractor shall hold & save the Government free from damages due to the provision of counseling services in connection with EAP, except for damages due to the fault or negligence of the Government. Within 30 days of the end of the current performance period, the Contractor shall provide an end of the year report on the number of employees utilizing the EAP during the year, types of problems and trends noted, and workshops and training sessions offered. Contractor Qualifications: All professional practitioners and other personnel serving under this contract shall be employees or assignees of the contractor. The contractor is responsible for the validation of each employee's or assignee's qualifications to perform the services described herein. Minimum qualifications for the contractor's program director and counselors are as follows. The Program Director shall possess at a minimum: A master's degree Experience working as a mental health professional to include: Three years experience as a clinician/therapist and/or clinical supervisor, and Three years experience working with alcohol and other drug-related cases. If a clinical or counseling psychologist or other mental health professional, the Director shall be trained at the master's level and licensed as a psychologist. If a psychiatrist, the Director shall be board certified in the applicable specialty and belong to the American Psychiatric Association. b. EAP Counselors shall possess as a minimum: A master's degree Post Doctorates are acceptable with experience working on Ph.D. with a minimum of one year s experience. Professional license as a clinical social worker or counseling/clinical psychologist. Three or more years of clinical experience in working with a wide range of mental health problems or cases. GOVERNMENT FURNISHED PROPERTY OR MATERIAL (GFP/GFE/GFI). None. WORK AND HOLIDAYS The eleven official Federal Holidays are New Year s Day, Martin Luther King Day, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth National Independence Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. SECURITY REQUIREMENTS All work performed under this contract shall comply with health and safety regulations to include but not limited to Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and other pertinent Federal requirements. The contractor will assure the confidentiality of all information connected with an employee's use of the program in accordance with P.L. 98-24; 42CFR Part 2, "Confidentiality of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Patient Records," revised June 9, 1987, and the Privacy Act of 1974. Case files will be maintained on all employees seen in counseling and will be the property and responsibility of the Contractor. Case records will be maintained for at least three years after termination of the client case, or longer if required by state law. Required Records and Reports The contractor shall maintain a sufficient system of records to provide all data and reports necessary for effective evaluation and management of the EAP. The system of records shall also be designed to inform managers of the effectiveness of the EAP in responding to supervisory referrals and employee self-referrals. The contractor's system of records shall comply with applicable laws and regulations pertaining to alcohol and drug prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation; the Privacy Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-579); and confidentiality of medical counseling records. The contractor shall be subject to the penalties imposed by such laws and regulations for improper disclosure. For every participant who is referred for assistance, the contractor shall maintain a complete case file. All case files are to be maintained in accordance with the confidentiality requirements of Public Law 93-282 and it s implementing regulations in 42 CFR, Chapter 1, Sub Ch. A, Part 2, and the requirements of Public Law 93-579 otherwise known as the Privacy Act. Case files and other EAP records shall be retained by the contractor for a period of three years. All records of the EAP are under the jurisdiction of the EAP Administrator. In the event of expiration or termination of this contract, the contractor shall ensure that all records established under the terms of this contract are sealed, secured, and shipped according to the Administrator's instructions and at the expense of the contractor.

Solicitation 36C10D25Q0178 Jackson Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Solicitation 36C10D25Q0178 Employee Assistance Program (EAP) at VBA Jackson Regional Office Questions and Answers September 10, 2025 On page 3 of the solicitation there is a highlighted section which indicates that RFI responses are due on 5 Sep 25. The SF1449 indicates this is an RFQ, due 17 Sep 25. Is a RFI response requested or required, or is it possible that info was unintentionally left in the final draft of the solicitation? The RFI due date on receiving RFIs is to allow sufficient time to post VBA s responses and still allow contractors to submit a quote by the due date. No responses to RFIs are required unless you have questions regarding the solicitation and statement of work. On page 8 there is a paragraph for On-site counseling for tragedies. Within the text of that paragraph, it states The contractor shall be required to plan, develop and conduct group counseling sessions not exceeding two (2) hours in length. Is the two-hour limit for one on-site response, or is that the number of allowable hours per year (or per contract period of performance)? On Site. If that is per response, is there a limit of available hours per year (or per contract period of performance) for on-site counseling for tragedies? No limit.