Area Agency on Aging Emergency Response Services

H-GAC is seeking qualified Contractors to provide emergency response services for older persons living in the Texas Gulf Coast area.

Background

The Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) is the region-wide voluntary association of 133 local governments and local elected officials in the 13-county Gulf Coast Planning region of Texas. Local elected officials organized H-GAC in 1966 after authorization by State enabling legislation. Its service area is 12,500 square miles and includes more than 7-million residents. H-GAC is governed by a 36-member Board of Directors composed of local elected officials, who serve on the governing bodies of member local governments. All H-GAC programs are carried out under the policy direction of its Board of Directors. H-GAC’s mission is to serve as the instrument of local government cooperation, promoting the region’s orderly development and the safety and welfare of its residents. H-GAC is the regional organization through which local governments consider issues and cooperate in solving area-wide problems. Agency programs emphasize local government concerns, such as transportation, air and water quality, criminal justice, demographic analysis, mapping programs, and intergovernmental purchasing. H-GAC also serves its citizens through workforce development programs, services to the aging and elderly, and small business finance programs.

The aims of the Older Americans Act (OAA) Title III program are to secure and maintain maximum independence and dignity in a home environment for older individuals capable of self-care with appropriate supportive service; remove individual and social barriers to economic and personal independence for older individuals; provide a continuum of care for vulnerable older individuals; and secure the opportunity for older individuals to receive managed in-home and community-based long-term care services.

The Area Agency on Aging (AAA) is responsible for managing the Older Americans Act (OAA) and other state funded programs to provide service that helps older individuals live full, healthy, and productive lives. The target population are those individuals 60 years of age and older (with special emphasis on those living in rural areas) with greatest social and economic need, including minorities, persons with severe disabilities, limited English speaking ability, and with Alzheimer’s disease or related disorders. (See 42 U.S. Code (USC) Section 3026, and Older Americans Act of 1965, as amended).

Contractors will furnish services for all older persons; however, Contractors will target services to eligible persons in greatest need. Targeting services: (1) ensures those in most need receive services, (2) reduces social and economic barriers, and (3) promotes personal independence for older persons. Service contractors will comply with the provisions on targeting contained in the Older Americans Act (OAA), as amended.

Project Details

• Reference ID: RFP-HS-AAA-ERS-03-26
• Department: Human Services - Area Agency on Aging
• Department Head: Juliet Stipeche (Director)

Important Dates

• Questions Due: 2026-04-13T17:00:00.000Z

Evaluation Criteria

• Qualifications, Experience, Suitability and Eligibility (30 pts) —

  Acceptable overall qualifications of firm as demonstrated in detailed qualifications statement. Resumes of key staff are provided and demonstrate the appropriate qualifications. Service Area Coverage by County Form completed and provided. Acceptable certifications, industry ratings, and achievement recognitions provided and align with work requested. Demonstrated experience and effectiveness in providing like services for organizations. Evidence is provided of the availability and commitment of the firm and its principal(s) and key professionals to undertake the project. Firm is well qualified, experienced, suitable and eligible to deliver required services of the Solicitation.

• Past Performance (20 pts) —

  Contractor demonstrates track record of timely performance, quality and integrity as evidenced by a list of client references for similar, relevant work performed.

• Firm Stability (20 pts) —

  Firm has demonstrated to be stable. Details of any terminated contracts and recent litigation provided, if applicable. Insurance and bonding information provided.

• Contractor Bid Sheet, In-Kind Match Forms, and Marketing Materials (20 pts) —

  Reasonable fees proposed for services. Minimum required percentage of matching funds is indicated. Completed In-Kind Match Forms provided. Marketing materials supplied to support better understanding of products and services provided.

• Methodology/Approach (10 pts) —

  The submission delineates an effective technical approach and methodology to achieving project objectives within the available timeframe and budget (as applicable) and demonstrates a clear understanding of the tasks to be undertaken in this Solicitation. Timeline is acceptable and illustrates key milestones. 

Submission Requirements

• Submission Upload Section —

  Please complete each section listed below and upload/respond to the questions or provide the information as directed. 

• Qualifications, Experience, Suitability and Eligibility
• Statement of Firm Qualifications (required) —

  Provide a summary of key aspects of the firm's qualifications as it relates to this solicitation and indicates the Firm’s commitment to provide the services proposed and certify that all statements and information prepared and submitted in the response to this Solicitation are current, complete, and accurate; and that the proposed solution for the project meets all the requirements of this Solicitation.

• Service Area Coverage by County (required) —

  H-GAC AAA serves 12 counties in our region. Please indicate which counties you can successfully service. Respondent agrees to provide services for the entire county and not just parts of the specified county. 

  Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• Firm Overview: History, Growth, and Personnel Resources (required) —

  Briefly describe the history and growth of your firm(s). Provide general information about the firm’s personnel resources, including disciplines and numbers of employees and locations and staffing of offices.

• Key Personnel Qualifications (required) —

  Submit detail outlining the project manager and key staff members and a clear indication as to their involvement in the project. Brief resumes of staff members, including field staff, must be included. Please upload resumes in the separate section marked "Resumes". Substitutions for essential personnel involved will not be allowed without H-GAC’s prior approval and resulting delays will be the responsibility of the Contractor. H-GAC retains the right to request the removal of any personnel found, in H-GAC’s opinion, to be unqualified to perform the work. Submit additional information Respondent deems pertinent to demonstrating qualifications and/or experience to perform the services being requested such as memberships in any professional associations, documents, examples, and others. 

• Resumes (required) —

   Please upload resumes here. 

• Ratings and Recognitions (required) —

  Include any industry ratings and recognitions to attest to the level of experience and success. Describe innovations that the firm might have introduced or employed to increase project adherence to technical standards.

• Certifications/Licenses (required) —

  Attach a copy of all applicable certifications and licenses.

• Past Performance
• Past Performance (required) —

  Provide responses for five (5) contracts or grants where the proposer provided similar services in the past five (5) years. Include any contracts with public assistance entities, regional planning organizations, or organizations similar to H-GAC. H-GAC may verify the listed information. Follow the format below for each contract/grant.

  Contract/Grant #:

  1. Agency/Organization:
  2. Customer point of contact (including name, phone number and email address):
  3. Project name, contract, grant and/or task order number:
  4. Stated or not to exceed contract or grant dollar value at award and amount actually spent:
  5. Period of performance:
  6. Detailed description of work performed, roles and responsibilities
• Firm Stability
• Responsibility (required) —

  Has the firm ever been removed from a Services contract, had a contract terminated for default, or failed to complete a contract as assigned?

• Litigation (required) —

  Has the firm been involved in any litigation in the past five years? Describe your experience with litigation with Owners and/or Contractors. List any active or pending litigation and explain.

• Insurance (required) —

  Please upload proof of liability insurance.

• Does your organization carry bonding insurance? (required)
• Please upload documentation. (required)
• If you don't carry bonding insurance, do you agree to acquire it prior to contract execution? (required) —

  Coverage details can be discussed during contracting.

• Contractor Bid Sheet, In-Kind Match Forms, and Marketing Materials
• Contractor Bid Sheet and In-kind Match Forms (required) —

  Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• Marketing Materials —

  Please upload marketing materials illustrating products/services.

• Methodology/Approach
• Methodology/Approach (required) —

  Describe the firm’s current workload and the plan to incorporate and manage this project to maintain the schedule. Respondent must describe clearly, specifically, and as completely as possible, their proposed methodology and schedule for achieving the objectives and requirements of this Solicitation. Respondent should identify all tasks to be performed to be responsive to the scope of work, including project activities, materials, and other products, services, and reports to be generated during the contract period and relate them to the stated purposes and specifications described in this solicitation. 

• Required Documents/Certifications/Confirmations Section —

  The documents/certifications/confirmations below are required for every Solicitation. 

• Electronic Signature Agreement/Confirmation (required) —

  Submission must be signed by a duly authorized representative(s) of the respondent, which must be the actual legal entity that will perform the contract if awarded and any total fixed price contained therein will remain firm for a period of one-hundred eighty (180) days following the submission due date and can be further extended by mutual written agreement.

  A signature (electronic) constitutes acknowledgement and acceptance of all the Solicitation Terms and Conditions. Respondents, their authorized representative, and their agents are responsible for obtaining, and will be deemed to have, full knowledge of the conditions, requirements, and specifications of this Solicitation at the time a response is submitted to H-GAC. This Solicitation does not commit H-GAC to award a contract, issue a Purchase Order, or pay any costs incurred in the preparation of a submission to this Solicitation. The submission will become part of H-GAC’s official files without any obligation on H-GAC’s behalf. All Submissions will be held confidential from all parties other than H-GAC, and only released in accordance with Public Information Act requirements.

  Respondent agrees and understands the above requirements, and by confirming, I certify that I am legally authorized to bind the entity to the Terms and Conditions of the Proposal as submitted. I also agree that any other related documents entered into in connection with this Proposal, which include a digital acknowledgement or electronic signature, are to be treated in all respects as having the same force and effect as original signatures.

• Electronic Submission Signature (required) —

  Signature of the person authorized to bind Respondent company to any contract/purchase order that may result from this Solicitation and acknowledgement and acceptance of the full Solicitation Terms and Conditions.

  Please type (sign) Authorized Signor Name and Title Here:

• Contact by Respondent (required) —

  To ensure a fair and competitive environment, direct communication between H-GAC employees other than the Solicitation Contact or any party able to create an unfair advantage to Respondent or disadvantage to other Respondents with respect to the Solicitation process, or the award of a Contract is strictly prohibited. This restricted period of communication begins on the issue date of the Solicitation and for Respondent(s) not selected for award ends with the conclusion of the protest period identified in the Solicitation document and for Respondents(s) selected for award ends with the Contract execution. This restriction does not apply to communications to other H-GAC employees during a Pre-Proposal/Bid or Response conference or other situations where the Solicitation Contact has expressly authorized direct communications with other staff. A Respondent who intentionally violates this requirement of the Solicitation process or otherwise deliberately or unintentionally benefits from such a violation by another party may have its Submission rejected in accordance with H-GAC Procurement Policy. Respondent(s) will not offer any gratuities, favors, or anything of monetary value to any official or employee of H-GAC (including any and all members of the evaluation committee) for the purposes of influencing consideration of any Submission.

  Respondent agrees and understands the above requirement. 

• Small and Minority Business, Women's Business Enterprise, and Labor Surplus Affirmation (required) —

  Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility and Voluntary Exclusion for Covered Contracts (required) —

  Debarment and Suspension (Executive Orders 12549 and 12689) – A contract award (2 CFR 180.220) must not be made to parties listed on the government-wide exclusions in the System for Award Management (SAM), in accordance with the OMB guidelines at 2 CFR 180 that implement Executive Orders 12549 (3 CFR Part 1966 Comp. p. 189) and 12689 (3 CFR Part 1989 Comp. p. 235), “Debarment and Suspension.” SAM Exclusions contains the names of parties debarred, suspended, or otherwise excluded by agencies, as well as parties declared ineligible under statutory or regulatory authority other than Executive Order 12549. Respondent certifies that neither it nor its principals are presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from participation by any federal department or agency or by the State of Texas and at all times during the term of the Contract neither it nor its principals will be debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from participation by any federal department or agency or by the State of Texas. Respondent shall immediately provide the written notice to H-GAC if at any time the Respondent learns that this certification was erroneous when submitted or has become erroneous by reason of changed circumstances. H-GAC may rely upon a certification of the Respondent that the Respondent is not debarred, suspended, ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from the covered contract, unless the H-GAC knows the certification is erroneous. 

  Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• Certification Regarding Lobbying/Byrd Anti-Lobbying Amendment (required) —

  The undersigned certifies, to the best of his or her knowledge and belief, that:

  (1) No Federal appropriated funds have been paid or will be paid, by or on behalf of the undersigned, to any person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any agency, a Member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with the awarding of any Federal grant, the making of any Federal loan, the entering into of any cooperative agreement, and the extension, continuation, renewal, amendment or modification of any Federal contract, grant, loan, or cooperative agreement.

  (2) If any funds other than Federal appropriated funds have been paid or will be paid to any person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any agency, a Member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with this Federal contract, grant, loan, or cooperative agreement, the undersigned shall complete and submit Standard Form- LLL, "Disclosure of Lobbying Activities," in accordance with its instructions.

  (3) The undersigned shall require that the language of this certification be included in the award documents of all sub-awards at all tiers (including subcontracts, sub-grants, and contracts under grants, loans, and cooperative agreements) and that all sub- recipients shall certify and disclose accordingly.

  This certification is a material representation of fact upon which reliance was placed when this transaction was made or entered into. Submission of this certification is a prerequisite for making or entering into this transaction imposed by section 1352, title 31, United States Code. Any person who fails to file the required certification shall be subject to a civil penalty of not less than $10,000 and not more than $100,000 for each such failure.

• Certification Regarding Drug-Free Workplace Requirements (required) —

  Respondent represents and warrants that it shall comply with the applicable provisions of the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988 (41 U.S.C. § 701 et seq.) and maintain a drug-free work environment. H-GAC may request a copy of this policy upon contract award.

  The grantee certifies that it will provide a drug-free workplace by: (a) Publishing a statement notifying employees that the unlawful manufacture, distribution, dispensing, possession or use of a controlled substance is prohibited in the grantee’s workplace and specifying the actions that will be taken against employees for violation of such prohibition; (b) Establishing a drug-free awareness program to inform employees about— (1) The dangers of drug abuse in the workplace; (2) The grantee’s policy of maintaining a drug-free workplace; (3) Any available drug counseling, rehabilitation and employee assistance programs, and (4) The penalties that may be imposed upon employees for drug abuse violations occurring in the workplace. (c) Making it a requirement that each employee to be engaged in the performance of the grant be given a copy of the statement required by paragraph (a); (d) Notifying the employee in the statement required by paragraph (a) that, as a condition of employment under the grant, the employee will— (1) Abide by the terms of the statement; and (2) Notify the employer of any criminal drug statute conviction for a violation occurring in the workplace no later than five days after each conviction; (e) Notifying the agency within ten days after receiving notice under subparagraph (d)(2) from an employee or otherwise receiving actual notice of such conviction; (f) Taking one of the following actions, within 30 days of receiving notice under subparagraph (d)(2), with respect to any employee who is so convicted— (1) Taking appropriate personnel action against such an employee, up to and including termination; or (2) Requiring such employee to participate satisfactorily in a drug abuse assistance or rehabilitation program approved for such purposes by a Federal, State, or local health, law enforcement, or other appropriate agency; (g) Making a good faith effort to continue to maintain a drug-free workplace through implementation of paragraphs (a), (b), (c), (d), (e) and (f).

• Equal Employment Opportunity (required) —

  Respondent represents and warrants its compliance with all applicable duly enacted state and federal laws governing equal employment opportunities. The equal opportunity clause provided under 41 CFR 60-1.4(b) is hereby incorporated by reference.

• Covid-19 Vaccine Passport Prohibition (required) —

  Under Section 161.0085 of the Texas Health and Safety Code, Respondent certifies that the individual or business entity named in this Response or contract is not ineligible to receive the specified contract. A business in this state may not require a customer to provide any documentation certifying the customer's COVID-19 vaccination or post-transmission recovery on entry to, to gain access to, or to receive service from the business. A business that fails to comply with this subsection is not eligible to receive a grant or enter into a contract payable with state funds. 

• Filing Reports Form 1295 Certificate of Interested Parties (required) —

  No officer, member or employee of the Contractor or Contractors subcontractor, no member of the governing body of the Contractor, and no other public officials of the Contractor who exercise any functions or responsibilities in the review or Contractor approval of this Master Agreement, shall participate in any decision relating to this Master Agreement which affects his or her personal interest, or shall have any personal or pecuniary interest, direct or indirect, in this Master Agreement.

  As required by Section 2252.908 of the Texas Government Code. H-GAC will not enter a Contract with Contractor unless (i) the Contractor submits a disclosure of interested parties form to H-GAC at the time the Contractor submits the contract H-GAC, or (ii) the Contractor is exempt from such requirement. The required form and instructions are located at the Texas Ethics Commission website. Respondents who are awarded a Contract must submit their Form 1295 with the submission to H-GAC.

  Please download the below document, complete, and upload. Download a blank Form here:

  https://www.ethics.state.tx.us/filinginfo/1295/

• Conflict of Interest Questionnaire (required) —

  No officer, member or employee of the Contractor or Contractors subcontractor, no member of the governing body of the Contractor, and no other public officials of the Contractor who exercise any functions or responsibilities in the review or Contractor approval of this Master Agreement, shall participate in any decision relating to this Master Agreement which affects his or her personal interest, or shall have any personal or pecuniary interest, direct or indirect, in this Master Agreement.

  Chapter 176 of the Texas Local Government Code requires contractors contracting or seeking to contract with H-GAC to file a conflict-of-interest questionnaire (CIQ) if they have an employment or other business relationship with an H-GAC officer or an officer's close family member. H-GAC officers include its Board of Directors and Executive Director, who are listed on the H-GAC website. Respondent must complete and file a CIQ with the Texas Ethics Commission if an employment or business relationship with H-GAC officer or an officer's close family member as defined in the law exists. The required questionnaire and instructions are located on the Conflict of Interest page on the Texas Ethics Commission website. https://www.ethics.state.tx.us/forms/conflict/

  Please confirm to acknowledge that the form will be filed if applicable.

• False Statement Certification (required) —

  Respondent represents and warrants that all statements and information prepared and submitted in this response are current, complete, true, and accurate. Submitting a Response with a false statement or material misrepresentations made during the performance of a contract is a material breach of contract and may void the submitted Response and any resulting contract.

• Financial Participation Prohibited Certification (required) —

  Pursuant to Section 2155.004(a) of the Texas Government Code, Respondent certifies that neither Respondent nor any person or entity represented by Respondent has received compensation from H-GAC to participate in the preparation of the specifications or solicitation on which this Response or contract is based. Under Section 2155.004(b) of the Texas Government Code, Respondent certifies that the individual or business entity named in this Response or contract is not ineligible to receive the specified contract and acknowledges that the contract may be terminated and payment withheld if this certification is inaccurate.

• Anti-Competitive Behavior/Anti-Trust Affirmation (required) —

  Respondent will not collude, in any manner, or engage in any practice, with any other Respondent(s) which may restrict or eliminate competition or otherwise restrain trade. Respondent also represents and warrants that, in accordance with Section 2155.005 of the Texas Government Code, neither Respondent nor the firm, corporation, partnership, or institution represented by Respondent, or anyone acting for such a firm, corporation or institution has (1) violated any provision of the Texas Free Enterprise and Antitrust Act of 1983, Chapter 15 of the Texas Business and Commerce Code, or the federal antitrust laws, or (2) communicated directly or indirectly the contents of this Response to any competitor or any other person engaged in the same line of business as Respondent.

• Terms and Conditions Confirmation (required) —

  Respondent agrees that it has read, understands, and fully intends to comply with the solicitation terms and conditions, and any additional terms and conditions (as applicable and included as additional sections, attachments or additional documents) of this solicitation as applicable to any subsequent contract or funding agency requirements or agreements. Exceptions to these Terms and Conditions are not permitted and will not be reviewed. 

• Include Budget? (required)
• Amount (required)

Questions & Answers