Psychological Services

This requirement is for: The Correctional Service of Canada, Atlantic Region, Edmundston, New Brunswick.

Trade agreement: This procurement is not subject to any trade agreement.

Tendering procedures: All interested suppliers may submit a bid.

Competitive Procurement Strategy: lowest priced compliant bid

Set-aside under the Procurement Strategy for Aboriginal Business: This procurement is not subject to any set-asides for Aboriginal Suppliers.

Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement: This procurement is not subject to a Comprehensive Land Claims Agreement.

Security Requirements: This contract includes security requirements.

Nature of Requirements:

The following is a summary of the statement of work for this requirement.

The Correctional Service Canada has a requirement to provide the services of a psychologist for offenders located in Edmundston, NB, in the Atlantic Region.

Objectives: Provide essential mental health and / or psychological assessment or psychological risk assessment services to offenders, as requested by the Project Authority, at the contractor’s business location (professional office) in Edmundston, New Brunswick in the Atlantic Region.

Deliverables:

The Contractor must provide mental health services to offenders, as requested by the Project

Authority, in accordance with the National Essential Health Services Framework including

any amendment to this Framework issued by CSC during the contract period and any optional period

 if and when exercised by CSC. 

These services include, but are not limited to the following:

a. Participate in meetings as a consultant including case conferences, the Interdisciplinary Mental Health Team or the Correctional Intervention Board and other related activities as requested;

b. Participate in CSC training, including orientation to CSC and CSC’s risk assessment requirements as requested;

c. Provide consultation services for the resolution of CSC internal offender grievance and investigative processes as requested; and

d. Prepare and submit psychological assessment and other reports as requested by the Project Authority.

 Mental Health Counselling and/or Assessment Process in Community Sites

1. Upon receipt of a referral to perform an evaluation for treatment, the Contractor is authorized a maximum of three (3) billable hours for an assessment to determine the offender's suitability for treatment. This three hour maximum is to cover a file review, an assessment interview(s) with the offender, and the time required to prepare a brief Treatment Plan report specific to the individual offender.;
2. The Treatment Plan must include the following as a minimum:

i. Tombstone Data;

ii. Relevant Background;

iii. Offender Presentation;

iv. Current Mental Health Status;

v. Recommendations to Manage Risk for Self Harm (if applicable);

vi. Current Treatment Objectives;

vii. Longer Term Treatment Objectives;

viii. Current Risk Status (static/dynamic/actuarial/risk to staff (if applicable)); and

ix. Risk Management Recommendations.

1. The Contractor must respond to a routine referral within ten (10) working days; the Contractor must respond to an urgent referral within five (5) working days. The Project Authority will advise the contractor when a referral is urgent. If treatment is not appropriate, the Contractor must send a signed letter summarizing the assessment and briefly outlining the reasons why treatment is not appropriate. The Contractor must submit this signed letter no later than three (3) weeks after the first Evaluation for Treatment Session.

 This letter is billable up to a maximum of one (1) billable hour. 

1. Upon submission of a Treatment Plan, the Project Authority or designate will authorize Contractor to proceed with a maximum of up to eight (8) treatment sessions. After the eighth (8^th) session, the Contractor must submit an interim treatment report on the offender's status to communicate to the Case Management Team an updated evaluation of the offender's current emotional/behavioural status, including a brief assessment of risk to reoffend (outlining static and dynamic risk factors), and the offender's progress toward the current treatment objectives. The Contractor must submit interim treatment reports in writing after every eighth (8^th) session or every four (4) months, whichever is sooner;
2. Prior to the last authorized session (the 8^th session if eight sessions were authorized), the Contractor must contact the Project Authority and seek authorization for an additional eight (8) sessions, if applicable, when submitting the interim report. The Project Authority, Case Management and mental health staff (if available) will review submitted case documentation and make a decision whether to continue treatment on the basis of all input in consultation with the Project Authority. At the discretion of the Project Authority, the Contractor may attend via teleconference where feasible. Barring operational difficulties, if there is a supportive assessment and the Contractor believes it appropriate, the Project Authority may authorize further treatment. The decision to continue treatment will be based on clinical and risk factors, but the final decision remains with the Project Authority. Each subsequent block of eight (8) treatment sessions (maximum) will be preceded by mandatory contact from the Contractor notifying that the eight (8) sessions have been reached. Then a formal or informal case review will be carried out prior to further treatment authorization being given by the Project Authority or designate. To avoid disruption in service, the Project Authority or designate may provide treatment authorization via fax. Unauthorized treatment sessions will not be remunerated. 

These case reviews are billable at a maximum of one (1) billable hour;

1.  At the Project Authority's or designate's request, the Contractor must provide feedback and consultation to the Parole Officer, Parole Officer Supervisor or the Mental Health Team via brief informal telephone contact, case review meetings, or individual case conferences.

Brief informal telephone contacts are not billable;

1.  In addition to the Case Review, circumstances may demand that a case conference be held. The Project Authority will decide whether a formal or informal case conference will be held, and will advise the Contractor. A case conference may be held with or without the offender being present, as determined by the Case Management and Mental Health Teams, in consultation with the Contractor. A case conference will involve the Contractor, Parole Officer, Parole Officer Supervisor, Project Authority and/or the Mental Health team. Upon prior approval by the Project Authority, the Case Management Team will be responsible for scheduling the case conference. Formal case conferences will be billed at a maximum of one (1) billable hour. Informal case conferences, defined as those via brief telephone contact that are fifteen (15) minutes or less, are not billable; otherwise they are billable to a maximum of one (1) hour;
2. The Contractor must immediately notify by direct contact, by telephone or by fax, the CSC staff responsible for the offender (this can vary by region, but includes the Parole Officer, the Parole Officer Supervisor, the Project Authority, or the Chief Psychologist, if the Parole Officer cannot be reached) if the offender presents any indication of a breach of a condition of release, any violation of the law (such as the use of illicit drugs), or any increased risk to re-offend, to behave violently, or to engage in self-harm or suicidal behaviors. If immediate notification is made by telephone, the Contractor must follow up within twenty-four (24) hours by faxing written notification to the Parole Officer using the Psychological Counseling: Communication Form found in Attachment 1. This service is not billable.
3. Occasionally, the Project Authority or designate may request that the Contractor produce a special report (e.g., an updated assessment of risk or any new relevant information) for Case Management or Parole Board of Canada purposes. These reports should be based on an interview(s) with the offender, a file review, and consultation with CSC personnel regarding the offenders’ behaviour as requested. The specific tests used and/or administered by the Contractor must include the file based General Statistical Instrument in Recidivism - Revised (GSIR-R) (this is does not apply to Aboriginal and Women offenders), and upon request of the Project Authority at least one other clinician rated actuarial measure measuring risk and needs that has been shown to be reliable and valid for use with offender populations according to published work. The Contractor must also provide an estimate of dynamic risk in all special reports. When a clinician rated instrument and/or other psychometric instruments are used, these reports are billable to a maximum of four (4) billable hours. When no clinical rated instrument or other psychometric instruments are used and only GSIR-R is interpreted along with an estimate of dynamic risk, these reports are billable to a maximum of two (2) hours. Any testing/assessment not authorized in advance will not be remunerated. Unless pre-arranged with the Project Authority, these reports are due with four (4) weeks after the interview date of the offender. In some instances, reports maybe requested sooner from the contractor, but this will be done on mutual consent;
4. On termination of treatment (including, but not limited to formal discharge, transfer to another District, revocation, etc.) the Contractor must submit a Final Treatment Report within ten (10) working days after the offender is discharged. In the case of an offender completing his sentence, the Final Treatment Report must be submitted within five (5) working days prior to the Warrant Expiry Date. The Final Treatment Report is billable up to a maximum of one (1) billable hour;
5. Termination of treatment may occur at any time the Contractor deems that the offender is not benefiting from counseling. The Contractor may recommend discharging the offender after consulting with the Project Authority, Community Chief Psychologist, other delegated psychologist / Parole Officer Supervisor. Upon approval by the Project Authority or designate of the termination of treatment, the Contractor must complete a Final Treatment Report within two (2) weeks of the termination date;
6. Correctional Service Canada offenders undergo several batteries of vocational, educational, and psychological tests at various periods of their incarceration, and prior to being released into the community. The results of these tests are available to the Contractor. Given this, the Contractor may recommend additional testing to complete the Assessment for Treatment. The Project Authority must authorize any additional testing in writing before the Contractor proceeds. The Contractor must submit to a brief treatment rationale for the testing, list naming the tests to be administered, and the total cost preparing a vocational, educational, and/or other psychological assessment the Project Authority. Any testing/assessment not authorized in advance will not be remunerated. These reports will be billable as Special Reports and have a maximum of four (4) billable hours allowable in total and are due with four (4) weeks of referral unless otherwise requested and/or arranged with the Project Authority;

m. If an offender fails to attend a scheduled appointment without giving 24 hours notice, the Contractor must report the occurrence by fax or encrypted e-mail (see attachment 2 - Missed Appointment Form) within one (1) business day of the missed appointment. Should the offender display a pattern of cancelling more than one appointment, the Contractor must report this pattern to the Project Authority within five (5) days of the second rescheduled appointment. The Contractor can bill a fee of fifty (50) percent of a billable hour for the first missed appointment. For the second missed appointment, the Contractor can bill a fee of twenty-five (25) percent of a billable hour. The third missed appointment is not billable. The Contractor must notify the Project Authority of the missed appointment(s) within one (1) business day in order to request any compensation for missed appointments.

1.  The Contractor must maintain individualized attendance sheets (see attachment 2 - Psychological Counseling - Offender Attendance Confirmation Sheet) for all of his/her cases. Invoices must be accompanied by signed attendance sheets.

Continuity of services:

The Contractor must provide a backup resource to ensure continuity of services if the Contractor is unable to provide services in person due to, but not limited to, vacation or prolonged illness (illness of more than five (5) days). The backup resource should be identified in the initial contract submission or within three (3) months after the awarding of the contract. Any backup resource must have the qualifications and experience needed to meet the criteria used to select the Contractor and must be acceptable to CSC. The backup resource must also possess a valid security clearance in accordance with the contract’s security requirements.

Subcontracting

a. At the discretion of the Project Authority and upon his/her prior approval, the Contractor may use subcontractors to provide services described in this statement of work. The Contractor must provide a current resume for any proposed subcontractor. The Project Authority will review the resume and decide, at his/her sole discretion, whether the subcontractor is acceptable to CSC. Any subcontractor must meet the security requirements of the contract. Subcontractors are not to perform any work until the Project Authority’s has granted his/her approval.

b. Any subcontractors must sign reports and will be responsible for their contents. All reports prepared by a subcontractor, including students or trainees, will be countersigned by the registered psychologist named in the contract. 

c. Any of the Contractor's personnel not delivering direct services but with access to Correctional Service Canada documentation must meet the security requirements of the contract prior to handling the material.

 Location of Work

a. The Contractor must provide mental health care to offenders at the Contractor's business location (professional office) mentioned under section 3 (Objective).

b. Telepsychology by Videoconferencing

The Contractor must provide Telepsychology sessions (psychology services by videoconference) to offenders if qualified and experienced, as requested and approved by the Project Authority. The Contractor must contact the Project Authority to obtain written approval prior to any work being done via videoconference. The Project Authority will grant approval, at his/her sole discretion, on a site-by-site basis. The Contractor must also provide a summary of any work being done via videoconference to the Project Authority. Videoconferencing may be used up to a maximum of 30% for this contract.

Expected Delivery Date: October 1, 2017 to September 30, 2018 plus four (4) option years

File Number: 21201-17-2593390

Contracting Authority: Lise Bourque

Regional Contract Officer

1045 Main Street, 2^nd Floor

Moncton, NB E1C 1H1

Telephone number: 506-851-6977

Facsimile number: 506-851-6327

E-mail: lise.bourque@csc-scc.gc.ca

NOTE TO BIDDERS: Bidders can obtain the complete statement of work and evaluation criteria by ordering the solicitation document and associated documents from Buyandsell.gc.ca/tenders.

The Crown reserves the right to negotiate with suppliers on any procurement.

Documents may be submitted in either official language of Canada (English or French).

Given the nature of the requirements, proposals submitted by such means as facsimile or electronic mail will not be accepted.

After contract award, bidders may request a debriefing on the results of the bid solicitation process. Bidders should make the request to the Contracting Authority within fifteen (15) working days of receipt of the results of the bid solicitation process. The debriefing may be in writing, by telephone or in person.

The Office of Small and Medium Enterprises (OSME) offers seminars to businesses interested in learning how to sell goods and services to the Government of Canada. The seminars are FREE.

Topics include:

Ÿ Overview of the federal government contracting process;

Ÿ Searching for opportunities on the Tenders minisite;

Ÿ Bidding on opportunities;

Ÿ Registering in supplier databases.

The full schedule of seminars can be found on the Buyandsell.gc.ca website, under Event Calendar (https://buyandsell.gc.ca/event-calendar).