Single Source Procurement: ACT for Youth Center of Excellence

Pursuant to New York State Finance Law § 163.10(b), The New York State Department of Health is presenting the following summary of relevant circumstances, and material and substantial reasons why a competitive procurement was not feasible.

This posting concerns a six-month contract extension for the Assets Coming Together for Youth Center of Excellence (ACT COE) initiative, from 7/1/2017 to 12/31/2017. The current contract term for the contract funded ended 6/30/2017, which is the end of the five-year funding cycle.

The new Request for Applications (RFA) was delayed due to the need to ensure that the scope of work for the procurement is aligned with Department priorities that have an impact on adolescent sexual health; including the additional incorporation of the Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant (MCHSBG) and AIDS Institute priorities and programs.

The purpose of the ACT COE initiative is to promote a standard of excellence among community-based adolescent sexual health and other adolescent health programs statewide. ACT COE provides essential support to the department's adolescent health initiatives, specifically related to promoting optimal sexual health for all young people in the state. The COE functions in an essential role assisting NYSDOH to ensure that funded adolescent health programs, with a focus on sexual health, are provided with the training, technical assistance and resources to implement intended program strategies and services. In this role, the COE is assisting NYSDOH's transition to evidence-based pregnancy prevention. The COE is currently providing training and one-on-one technical assistance to the 48 funded Comprehensive Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention (CAPP) community-based organizations on the selection and implementation of evidence-based programs as well as providing expertise on the adaptation of these programs to specific communities and target populations. The COE will also provide training and technical assistance to eight federally funded Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) adolescent pregnancy prevention programs and 16 community-based organizations with programs funded through the Abstinence Education Grant Program (AEGP). The work of the COE is critical to ensuring appropriate implementation of intended program strategies and services for all adolescent pregnancy prevention programs.

New York State has been a national leader in the provision of programming to reduce adolescent pregnancy and birth, STDs and HIV. Community based organizations have been an essential partner with the Department to further these efforts. The continued funding of the COE represents an opportunity to make a long-term positive impact on New York State's youth through continued support to community organizations who are working to prevent negative sexual health outcomes: initial and repeat adolescent pregnancies, STD and HIV, and to develop or enhance life skills and options in order to support a healthy transition through developmental milestones into a healthy young adulthood.

Contractors were awarded contract(s) as a result of the competitive procurement process. This is a six month extension of the contract(s) under the same terms, conditions, and pricing authorized under the existing contract(s). The single source extension period will allow for the continuation of critical services pending outcome of a new competitive procurement to obtain these services.

Procurement / Program Name ACT for Youth Center of Excellence
Contractor Name(s) Cornell University
Contract Period 7/1/2017 – 12/31/2017
Contract Number(s) C028219