DVR Request for Agreement (RFA)

About

Any agency or person interested in serving DVR consumers as an approved DVR Statewide Service Provider, must first complete the DVR RFA. The RFA involves responses to service agreement requirements that demonstrate if an Applicant is qualified and capable of providing services according to the DVR service agreement terms and conditions. All applicants who submit a response to DVR, will be notified in writing of whether they are approved to enter into a service agreement. Please see Request for Agreement Notice for a full description of this process.

Notice

Purpose and Intent

The purpose of this document is to provide interested applicants with information on preparing and submitting a response for the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) Statewide Service Agreement (Agreement).

The most common services (known as DVR Statewide Services) provided to DVR consumers include, Customized Employment, Individualized Placement and Support (IPS), Internship/Temporary Work (I/TW), Job and Task Analysis and Systematic Instruction, Job Preparation, Development, Hire, and Retention, Student Work Based Learning Services, Supported Employment, Vocational Evaluation, and Work Incentive Benefits Services. Statewide services are provided by DVR Service Providers through the Agreement.

To enter into the Agreement to provide any of the DVR Statewide Services listed above, interested parties must first complete a Request for Agreement (RFA) Application. The RFA process is intended to demonstrate whether an applicant is qualified to provide these services to DVR consumers according to the DVR program and Technical Specifications requirements.

The RFA only applies to the services listed above. If your business is interested in providing a service that is not listed above, please contact the local DVR Director to further discuss the service(s) (DVR Staff Directory).

Questions and Clarifications

Any questions concerning the RFA application process may be emailed to:

David Knuth
DVR Contract Specialist
David.Knuth@dwd.wisconsin.gov

Request for Agreement Requirements

Applicants must designate a Main Contact that will serve as a single point of contact for the RFA response. The name of that individual must be listed in Request for Agreement Response (Attachment A), included below under Required Application Forms and Instructions.

Applicants must meet the requirements listed in 4.1 Applicant Qualifications/Expectations and 4.2 Scope of Work Expectations.

PLEASE NOTE: You must provide a written statement explaining how the requirement is met in the following sections:

• 4.1.1 Applicant and their staff must have knowledge of Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) programs, similar type programs, and/or knowledge/experience working with individuals with disabilities.
• 4.1.2 Applicant will only provide services within the counties identified in the Agreement.
• 4.2 Applicant understands and agrees to meet the Scope of Work Expectations.

In section 4.3 General Requirements, a response of "No" is acceptable if the Applicant outlines a plan to meet the requirement before an Agreement start date. DVR may require documentation that the requirement has been met before entering into an Agreement.

PLEASE NOTE: If you select "Yes" in the following sections, you must provide a written statement explaining how the requirement is met.

• 4.3.1 Applicant has at least one year of experience working with individuals with disabilities and barriers to employment.
• 4.3.2 Applicant has access to accessible, confidential meeting space to serve DVR Consumers.

DVR has the sole discretion to determine whether an Applicant has met the requirements identified in the Request for Agreement and is qualified to enter into the DVR Service Agreement to provide any of the DVR Statewide Services to DVR consumers.

4.1 Applicant Qualifications/Expectations

• 4.1.1 Applicant and their staff must have knowledge of Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) programs, similar type programs, and/or knowledge/experience working with individuals with disabilities.
• 4.1.2 Applicant must identify the services they intend to provide and counties they intend to serve. Applicant agrees to only provide services within the counties identified in the service agreement.
• 4.1.3 Applicant must store all DVR consumer case record information in the United States.
• 4.1.4 Applicant must meet the following criteria:
  • 4.1.4.1 Is not a current DVR consumer.
  • 4.1.4.2 Has no personal, professional, financial interest, or relationship that could impair the Applicant's ability to act impartially and in the best interest of the DVR consumer and DVR program. In cases involving a potential conflict, a mitigation plan may be developed.
• 4.1.5 Applicant agrees to conduct criminal background checks for all personnel or contractors as required by DVR's Criminal Background Check (CBC) Policy.

4.2 Scope of Work Expectations

• 4.2.1 Applicants and their staff must provide services identified on their Agreement, according to the DVR Technical Specifications.
  • 4.2.1.1 Reports for services provided under the Agreement must meet the DVR Statewide Technical Specification Reporting.
  • 4.2.1.2 Services performed under the Agreement must be charged based on the fees established in the DVR Statewide Fee Structure and according to DVR's invoicing requirements identified in the Agreement.
  • 4.2.1.3 The Applicant must accept all referrals DVR makes for authorized consumers.
  • 4.2.1.4 The Applicant and their staff must complete the trainings (as applicable) prior to providing any services under the Agreement.
  • 4.2.1.5 The Applicant must comply with any applicable state and/or federal laws and/or regulations, including maintaining worker's compensation, if required by Wisconsin law.

4.3 General Requirements

• 4.3.1 Applicant must have at least one-year experience working with individuals with disabilities and barriers to employment.
• 4.3.2 The Applicant must have access to accessible, confidential meeting space that is readily available to serve DVR Consumers.
• 4.3.3 The Applicant must provide all equipment necessary for providing the requested services to DVR consumers; including, but not limited to own office equipment (e.g., telephones, supplies, etc.) insurance, advertising and promotional materials, utilities.).
• 4.3.4 The Applicant must adhere to the IT security standards and requirements identified in Attachment A, Cyber Security Requirements for DVR Service Providers.
• 4.3.5 Applicant must agree to maintain commercial liability, bodily injury and property damage insurance against any claim(s) which might occur in carrying out this agreement/contract. Minimum coverage shall be one million dollars ($1,000,000) liability for bodily injury and property damage including products liability and completed operations.

Required Application Forms and Instructions

Applicants must use Request for Agreement Response (Attachment A) and References (Attachment B) and submit the completed forms to the DVR Workforce Development Area (WDA) Director.

References must verify that the Applicant has provided satisfactory services in vocational rehabilitation or a similar profession. References could include other agencies such as a Managed Care Organization, professional colleagues (APSE, DSPN, BPDD), Chambers of commerce, etc. A reference may not be an employee or contractor of the Applicant.

If an Applicant intends on providing services in multiple WDA's, only one RFA response should be submitted to the WDA that the Applicant will primarily serve. See the DVR Staff Directory for the appropriate contact information.

RFA responses that are not completed on the required application and reference forms will be rejected.

Notification of Decision

All applicants who submit a response to DVR will be notified in writing of whether they are approved to enter into the Agreement within 4 to 6 weeks of the end of the RFA application period. Applicants that have met all specified RFA requirements will be provided with instructions on how to proceed in the Agreement approval process.

Applicants may only submit one RFA response per Agreement term. Applicants that do not meet the RFA requirements must wait until the next Agreement term to submit another RFA response.