ADMINSTRATIVE BACKGROUND SCREENING SERVICES

Posted At:Mon, Nov 18, 2024 4:00 PMSealed Bid Process:Yes (Bids Sealed / Pricing Sealed)Private Bid:No

The County of Orange, OC Community Resources , (hereinafter referred to as County) is requesting competitive bids from qualified vendors (hereinafter referred to as Bidder) for ADMINSTRATIVE BACKGROUND SCREENING SERVICES . The awarded Contract, (hereinafter referred to as Contract) will be between the County and awarded Bidder, (hereinafter referred to as Contractor) in accordance with the model contract terms, conditions and scope of work. This is a fully electronic solicitation – only electronic bids submitted through the County’s online bidding system will be allowed; no other form of bid submittals will be accepted. Prior to submitting a bid, Bidders are advised to carefully read the instructions below, including the model contract and any solicitation attachments and/or exhibits.

SCOPE OF WORK

FOR BACKGROUND SCREENING SERVICES

OC Community Resources (OCCR) Business Office is requesting bids for applicant criminal background check investigation services. The contractor will comply with Contracting Agency Policies & Procedure and State Law-CA Resource Code 5164.

Contracting Agency will contact contractor when an applicant criminal background check investigation is required. Information submitted will include applicant full name, current address, birthdate, and Social Security Number. It is the Contracting Agency’s intent to have 2000 + applicants screened a year. This number is taken from historical information, but usage is not guaranteed.

The contractor will be providing applicant criminal background check investigation services on potential volunteer applicants from OCCR Administrative Services, OC Animal Care, OC Community Services, OC Housing & Community Development, OC Parks, and OC Public Libraries Programs (hereinafter referred as Programs). These Programs are very diverse and specialized in their delivery of services to the public. The contractor shall be responsible for ensuring all background screening services are provided in accordance with all current Federal, State, and local laws.

Criteria for Background Screening Service:

Social Security Verification – The contractor shall perform social security verification on each applicant against the Social Security Number provided and report back to the Contracting Agency any false names and/or information provided by the applicant. This verifies the applicant’s name against the Social Security Number provided. This helps to eliminate the possibility of false names and/or information. For Non-Citizens who do not have a Social Security Number, the contractor shall take appropriate measures to ensure the name, date of birth and address are all valid.

All aliases need to be checked in addition to the legal name given at no additional charge.

Address Trace – The contractor shall perform an address trace to verify the applicants’ current address and identify previous addresses. This information is utilized to determine the jurisdiction in which the background screening is conducted.

State or County Criminal Record Check – All addresses in the last seven (7) years will be checked. The contractor shall conduct a State or County Criminal Record Check. Statewide or multiple countywide criminal record checks (depending on the jurisdiction) are performed to capture all misdemeanor and felony convictions in the jurisdictions with the longest and most current residency. No Court Fees shall be charged. Every county & state search has fees. For this bid, we ask that bidders include those fees into the price per check. Some applicants may have one county check, and some may have multiple county searches. Please account for these fees and build them into the price per check.

• The applicant criminal background check investigation MUST be physically conducted at the local courthouse.
• The contractor may not utilize an online tool or system to search for local criminal information.
• Each local criminal background check must go back a minimum of 10 years.

National Criminal Search - The contractor shall conduct TWO different national criminal searches for misdemeanor and felony records through the National Criminal Record Database. The National Criminal Record Databases must have access to over 400 million records each. All criminal information discovered through the national database search must be physically confirmed by the contractor at its original origin - the County Courthouses, before reporting back to eliminate false positives. National Criminal Record Database shall provide access to criminal data from all 50 states, including Guam and Puerto Rico.

The database must include the following data sources:

• All 50 States including the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico
• Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) and Blocked Persons
• OFAC Sanctioned Countries including Major Cities and Ports
• Non-Cooperative Countries and Territories
• Department of State Trade Control (DTC) Debarred Parties
• U.S. Bureau of Industry & Security (formerly BXA)
• Unverified Entities List
• Denied Entities List
• Denied Persons List
• Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) Most Wanted Terrorists and Seeking Information
• FBI Top Ten Most Wanted
• Interpol Most Wanted List, Bank of England Sanctions List
• Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) - Canadian Sanctions List
• United Nations Consolidated Sanctions List
• Politically Exposed Persons List
• European Union Terrorism List
• World Bank Ineligible Firms (This service helps impede terrorists by identifying individuals linked to terrorism or classified on government watch lists, improving compliance with the Patriot Act.)

The contractor shall prepare Applicant Screening Results. The Applicant Screening Results shall document background check details and include which county courthouses were checked for each applicant.

NOTE: The contractor shall perform a national database search as a research tool only. National Criminal Record Database searches are not acceptable as a substitute for a hands-on search at the county level under any circumstances (or the functional equivalent of a county level search). NO COURT FEES shall be charged.

Sex Offender Registry - The contractor shall search the Sex Offender Registries of all 50 State repositories and the District of Columbia for known sex offenders.

NOTE: All criminal information discovered must be physically confirmed by the contractor at its original origin - the County Courthouses, before reporting back to eliminate false positives. The Applicant Screening Results should document details of which county courthouses were checked for each applicant before reporting back to eliminate false positives. NO COURT FEES shall be charged.

Customized Online Data Management System – The contractor shall provide the Contracting Agency with a customized Online Data Management System. The system shall have the ability to accept new requests, retrieve results, and view the status of pending requests. The System shall allow the criminal background check to be placed by Contracting Agency staff or applicant. Contractor shall allow applicant criminal background check to be processed online, scanned/emailed, or faxed.

With no set up fees, no maintenance fees and no additional court fees, the customized Online Data Management System will immediately provide the following services:

• Platform needs to have access to online Abuse Training
• Platform needs to have access to online CA-Harassment Training
• Around the clock authorized access that can be individualized for several Programs. This allows Programs to only see their submitted applicant criminal background check reports
• Full protection of sensitive data
• Search field to search the applicant by name, Social Security Number, or Requestor
• Expert consultation services to assist with developing a customized background screening policy or updates to existing policy
• Individual background screening results in 2-3 business days with complete Applicant Screening Results including interpretation and case disposition
• Supplemental National Check- automatic rechecks every 2 years
• Clear background screening disqualifiers with guidance on the enforcement of the selected disqualifiers
• Pass/Fail reporting per the written background screening policy upon request
• Transfer of background screening liability to a third party
• Applicant payment feature available upon request
• Direct telephone access to Contracting Agency representative BY NAME and NUMBER
• Contractor will handle all contested applicant background check results

The contractor will provide filtered and detailed Applicant Screening Results on each specific applicant submitted that includes all relevant information. If there is no criminal record found, this will be noted on the Applicant Screening Results along with the jurisdiction that was searched. If conviction(s) are found, all details including charges, court disposition, and sentencing shall be provided.

The Online Data Management system shall allow for up to 100 Contracting Agency users with unique usernames and passwords. The Online Data Management system shall include a special reference field to allow for Contracting Agency staff or applicant to specify their Program.

Contractor shall notify Contracting Agency of any submitted background check duplications. Contractor will not charge for background Check duplications.

Contractor shall notify Contracting Agency of any inaccurate applicant information with the personal data submitted so the Contracting Agency can follow up with the applicant to collect the correct data.

Consent Form – The contractor must accept the Contracting Agency’s current background check consent form. The current consent form has been approved by County Counsel and allows the applicant to comfortably share sensitive information.

Turnaround Time – Results of background screening will be provided within two (2) to five (5) business days.

Results - The contractor will be directly responsible for resolving any “contested results” with the applicant(s).

The contractor will provide consultation to the Contracting Agency in matters of screening and criminal background checks without additional compensation. Contactor has the ability to send a disqualification packet to non-accepted applicants on behalf of the County when needed.

The contractor will assign at minimum two personal contacts that will be points of contacts Monday – Friday during business hours. The contractor will supply the Contracting agency the email and phone number for each assigned contact.

The contractor shall invoice the Contracting Agency by Program.

Notification Email – The Contractor shall send Program specific Notification Emails alerting them when new background screening results have been posted and are available to view in the Online Management System. A link to log on to view the background check results shall be included in the email.

National Criminal Record Re-Check – Contractor shall allow a resubmittal of a previous background check every two to four years, at the discretion of the Program, at a discounted rate. The re-check will be comprised of a complete 10-year background check. It will be at the Program’s discretion if/when to complete the re-check. The contractor shall monitor the re-check date, when applicable, and alert the Contracting Agency. Flat Fee Price Per Re-Check Needed

Training – Contractor will provide up to two (2) onsite trainings annually for Contracting Agency staff. Trainings will consist of use of the Online Management System, up-to-date changes in applicant criminal background check legislation, requirements, statutes, reporting guidelines, trends, as well as current Federal, State, and local laws. Contractor will be available for ongoing support via phone and email during normal business hours. Contractor will have training available to applicants and staff on subjects such as Volunteer Management, the Benefits for Applicants, Criminal Background Checks, Customer Relations, Communication Skill Development and Safety & Risk Management.

Invoicing - Contractor shall invoice the Contracting Agency monthly, by Program, unit cost and the total amount due. Invoice will include applicant name and date submitted. Invoices will be separated by Program.

Applicant Information – In order to protect against the loss, misuse or unauthorized alteration of personally identifiable information collected, contractor must have a certified firewall in place that prevents outside hackers and automated attack programs from penetrating their network. Contractor must also have the most updated anti-virus software in place to prevent viruses from entering our computer network, which reduces the exposure to data destruction and theft via internally placed “stealth” programs. In addition, the contractor shall have ability to purge data collected when needed.

NO COURT FEES – Every county and state search have fees. For this bid, we ask that bidders include those fees into the price per check. Some applicants may have one county check, and some might have multiple county searches. Please account for these fees and build them into the price per check.

Recommended Criteria for Exclusion

A person may be disqualified and prohibited from serving as a volunteer if the person has been found guilty of the following crimes or have any pending cases awaiting adjudication:

Guilty means that a person was found guilty following a trial, entered a guilty plea, entered a no contest plea accompanied by a court finding of guilty, regardless of whether there was an adjudication of guilt (conviction) or a withholding of guilt. This recommendation does not apply if criminal charges resulted in acquittal, Nolle Prosse, or dismissal.

1. SEX OFFENSES

a. All Sex Offenses – Regardless of the amount of time since offense.

i. Examples include: child molestation, rape, sexual assault, sexual battery, sodomy, prostitution, solicitation, indecent exposure, etc.

2. FELONIES

a. All Felony Violence – Regardless of the amount of time since offense.

i. Examples include: murder, manslaughter, aggravated assault, kidnapping, robbery, aggravated Burglary, etc.

b. All Felony offenses other than violence or sex within the past 10 years.

i. Examples include: drug offenses, theft, embezzlement, fraud, child endangerment, etc.

3. MISDEMEANORS

a. All misdemeanor violence offenses within the past 7 years.

i. Examples include: simple assault, battery, domestic violence, hit & run, etc.

b. All misdemeanor drug & alcohol offenses within the past 5 years or multiple offenses in the past 10 years.

i. Examples include: driving under the influence, simple drug possession, drunk and disorderly, public intoxication, possession of drug paraphernalia, etc.

c. Any other misdemeanor offenses within the past 5 years that would be considered a potential danger to children or is directly related to the functions of that applicant.

i. Example include: contributing to the delinquency of a minor, providing alcohol to a minor, theft – if person is handling monies, etc.