TITLE
Recommendation to adopt Specifications No. RFQ HE22-017 for Long Beach Recovery Act Black-Serving Mental Health Services, and award contracts as-needed to the 27 agencies for Black-serving mental health services, in a total annual aggregate amount of $1,000,000 for a period of one year, with the option to renew for four additional one-year periods, at the discretion of the City Manager; and, authorize City Manager, or designee, to execute all documents necessary to enter into the contracts, including any necessary subsequent amendments. (Citywide)
DISCUSSION
City Council approval is requested to enter into contracts with multiple mental health providers to provide mental health services to under- and uninsured Black Long Beach residents experiencing negative mental and emotional well-being. A collection of qualified, readily available mental health providers with the appropriate skillsets and subject-matter expertise will provide culturally affirming mental health services to the Black community at-large and the various sub-communities that make up the Black Long Beach population, including but not limited to, youth, LGBTQ+, veterans, People Experiencing Homelessness (PEH), and people with disabilities. Providers and staff will agree on detailed scopes of work and compensation prior to initiating any work.
The Request for Qualifications (RFQ) was advertised in the Long Beach Press-Telegram on January 5, 2022, and 265 potential proposers specializing in providing mental health services to the Black community received notification of the RFQ opportunity. Of those proposers, 76 downloaded the RFQ via the City’s electronic bid system. The RFQ document was made available from the Purchasing Division, located on the sixth floor of City Hall, and the Division’s website at www.longbeach.gov/purchasing <http://www.longbeach.gov/purchasing>. An RFQ Announcement was also included in the Purchasing Division’s weekly update of Open Bid Opportunities, which is sent to 43 local, minority-owned and women-owned business groups. There were 30 Statements of Qualifications (SOQs) received by February 15, 2022. Of those respondents, 16 were Minority-owned Business Enterprises (MBEs), 13 were Women-owned Business Enterprises (WBE), 11 were certified Small Business Enterprises (SBEs), and 13 were Long Beach businesses (Local).
The selection committee evaluated the 30 SOQs submitted and determined that 27 agencies, community organizations, and consultants demonstrated competence and experience implementing mental health interventions, treatment, and resources for the Black community, proven expertise and availability of key personnel, and an established plan to integrate culturally-affirming professional practice that centers on Black communities. The recommended agencies are listed in Attachment A. The total aggregate requested authority will allow for the City to expand scope of implementation if and when additional funding sources beyond LBRA are identified, there is no commitment beyond the current Long Beach Recovery Act subprogram allocation of $300,000. City Council authority to accept, expend, and appropriate future funding (as identified) would be requested as additional funding is received.
Long Beach Recovery Act
On March 16, 2021, the City Council adopted the Long Beach Recovery Act (LB Recovery Act), becoming one of the first major cities to approve COVID-19 recovery programs made possible through the Federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and other Federal and State funding sources. Additional information about the Long Beach Recovery Act is available at www.longbeach.gov/recovery <http://www.longbeach.gov/recovery>. As part of the LB Recovery Act, under the Healthy and Safe Community category, approximately $2.8 million was allocated for the Health Equity Fund Program of which Black Mental Health is a sub-program and anticipated to be allocated up to $300,000 to address the highest needs of community members most adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Creating a healthy and safe city for all Long Beach communities is the second pillar of the Recovery Plan, and the recommended programs and services in this category focus on addressing the underlying social determinants of health and prioritizing the needs of those who have been hit hardest by the pandemic. This program was developed with input received by the Black Health Equity Collaborative, a transformative and culturally-affirming interdisciplinary workforce integrating the expertise of Long Beach Black-serving community service providers, public health workers, student trainees, community organizations and agencies, that informed the development of the Recovery Act. Stakeholder engagement model consisted of town hall meetings, social media campaigns, newsletters, and a series of Black health events.
Local Business Outreach
To align with the City’s outreach goal, Long Beach businesses are encouraged to submit proposals for City contracts. The Purchasing Division also assists businesses with registering on the PlanetBids database to download RFP and RFQ specifications. Through the City’s outreach, 101 Long Beach vendors were notified to submit proposals, of which 33 downloaded the specifications and 30 submitted proposals. The Purchasing Division is committed to continuing to perform outreach to local vendors to expand the bidder pool.
This matter was reviewed by Deputy City Attorney Lauren E. Misajon, on March 29, 2022, Business Services Bureau Manager Tara Mortensen on April 1, 2022, and by Special Projects Officer Dee Okam on March 30, 2022.
EQUITY LENS
City staff have incorporated the Equity Toolkit in this recommendation, as requested by the City Council on April 21, 2020. The services derived from these contracts were completed in accordance with procurement procedures and will be directly serving the Long Beach Black community, which has been disproportionately impacted by the effects of COVID-19.
TIMING CONSIDERATIONS
City Council action to adopt Specifications No. RFQ HE22-017 and award contracts as-needed is requested on April 19, 2022, to ensure the contracts are in place expeditiously for the selected mental health providers successfully moving forward in the next phase of the contracting process.
FISCAL IMPACT
The total annual aggregate amount of the contracts will not exceed $1,000,000. The authority is budgeted to be used by various departments and based on anticipated Black mental health needs. There is no appropriation increase requested at this time. The aggregate contract authority is based on currently appropriated funds and anticipated need. Any work not currently budgeted will only proceed at such time that appropriations have been approved by the City Council. The Long Beach Recovery Act has identified $2.8 million for the Health Equity Program of which Black Mental Health is a sub-program anticipated to be allocated up to $300,000. For administrative efficiency and for reporting and auditing purposes, these are technically General Fund funds. Additional funding needed for these services could become available from a multitude of sources, including philanthropic and government grants, fees, and other funding sources as they become available and appropriated for projects. This recommendation has minimal staffing impact beyond the normal budgeted scope of duties and is consistent with existing City Council priorities. The number of additional local jobs associated with this recommendation is unknown at this time.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully Submitted,
KELLY COLOPY
DIRECTOR
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
KEVIN RIPER
DIRECTOR
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
APPROVED:
THOMAS B. MODICA
CITY MANAGER