Original Posting Can Be Viewed At The Following Link http://www.nh.gov/gal/documents/investigator-rfp.pdf
State of New Hampshire
Guardian ad Litem Board
25 Capitol Street - Room 120, Concord, New Hampshire 03301 Phone: (603) 271-1199
TDD Access: Relay NH 1-800-735-2964 Fax: (603) 271-5440
Web site: www.nh.gov/gal E-mail: gal.board@nh.gov
Request for Services
Investigator
Date:
April 4, 2011 Contact Person: Katherine Harmon, GAL Board Secretary
25 Capitol Street – Room 120
Concord, New Hampshire 03301
(603) 271-1199 gal.board@nh.gov
Services Contract Overview
The New Hampshire Guardian ad Litem Board is seeking up to two (2) independent investigators to investigate complaints made against Guardian ad Litems.
The investigators may be an individual or a firm. The service contract is not to exceed $15,000 for labor support. The service contract does not include tax withholding, benefits of any kind, or operations reimbursement costs. Bids will reflect a per hour cost and may include mileage reimbursement.
The Guardian ad Litem Board makes no guarantees as to the number of cases we will refer.
The contract will be for two (2) years, renewable with both parties agreement for another two (2) years. The Board shall have the right to terminate the contract at any time by giving the Contractor a thirty (30) day written notice.
The contract is expected to begin
September 1, 2011, ending August 31, 2013. Applications are due by 2:30 p.m. EST on
The Guardian ad Litem Board was established with the responsibility to oversee the credentialing, activities, and discipline of guardians’ ad litem in New Hampshire. The Guardian ad Litem Board, established by RSA 490-C, currently consists of nine members who are New Hampshire residents and serve without compensation. The term "guardian ad litem" ("GAL") is generally understood to refer to a person appointed by a court to represent the best interest of an individual (usually a child or incompetent adult) in any proceeding where a court deems it necessary to appoint such a person. The nature of a GAL's activity may vary from case to case. Generally a GAL performs those functions deemed necessary under the terms of as particular court's appointment. The appointment might, for example, include a requirement that a GAL make recommendations to the court about what is in the best interest of a recipient of services. A GAL is not appointed to serve as a person's attorney and not all GALs are lawyers. Similarly a GAL is not a general "guardian" appointed to handle the affairs of another.
The Guardian ad Litem Board first started handling complaints against GAL’s in 2008. The complaints may be made against a GAL for failure to follow the Guardian ad Litem Board’s administrative rules. To date, 4 cases have been referred to an investigator, and 5 disciplinary hearings have been scheduled.
Contractor Responsibilities
Contractor must agree to investigate and procure evidence regarding cases, impartially and without prejudice. The Board requires the submission of the result of findings and recommendations based on those findings in writing to the board. Contractor may also be asked to testify or act as prosecution in cases brought forward before the Board at a hearing of the compliant, should the Board hold a hearing. The Board will expedite the investigation process wherever possible. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, both parties agree to provide reasonable notice, if the case gets settled or dropped or unforeseen circumstances prevent further investigation, such as a conflict of interest with the parties, discovered while working on the case. The investigator will not take any case in which they have a conflict of interest and will promptly notify the Board of any conflict. One contractor will be designated the principle contractor, but the Board reserves the right to refer investigations to either contractor at will.
Investigations must start within three (3) weeks of referral. At that time the investigator is required to submit an estimate for time period needed & expense of the completion of the investigation to the Board. The contractor agrees to notify the Guardian ad Litem Board in writing of any significant charges for additional work that may be required above and beyond what is stated in this RFP and receive written notice to proceed prior to performing the additional work. Failure to comply with timelines will result in termination of contract.
The contractor will be asked to sign a confidentiality statement and to become familiar with the GAL administrative rules, particularly the Gal 200 and 500 Rules.
Contractor will obtain the necessary documentation and resources to protect yourself and the Board.
Objectives
Qualifications Ten (10) years experience in conducting investigations, either in private or criminal investigations.
Five (5) years experience in acting as prosecutor in some capacity.
At least 20 hours of domestic violence training or as an instructor.
Work samples: provide a sample of two investigative reports, personal information may be redacted. References:
Proposals must be received no later than 2:30 p.m. EST on
The Board reserves the right to make a written request for additional information in writing from a Contractor to assist in understanding or clarifying a Bid Proposal.
During the review period, we may require interviews by phone with our evaluation team. You will be notified if this is requested. Contract award is subject to Guardian ad Litem Board approval.
Application packets will be evaluated according to the following factors May 2, 2011. Late proposals may be disqualified. Proposals must be delivered via email. Contractor will be emailed upon receipt of proposal. Email your proposal to Katherine Harmon at gal.board@nh.gov. Cost Experience Writing sample; clarity, comprehensive, direct, through References
The contractor to be awarded this contract will be notified by
The term of the proposed work will be from approximately June 1. 2011. September 1, 2011 – August 31, 2013, unless otherwise indicated at the time of contract award.
Guardian ad Litem Board Request for Investigators Page 3 of 4 Guardian ad Litem Board Request for Investigators Page 4 of 4 The Board reserves the right to reject all non-conforming applications. The board reserves the right to cancel this RFP at any time prior to contract award.
Written letter on how you meet the qualifications if not covered in the resume provide contact information for three professional references. Highlight relevant professional experiences; including any experience with the family or probate courts, administrative boards, education, awards and memberships.
The purpose of this service contract is to provide the Guardian ad Litem Board with the necessary information regarding complaints made against Guardians’ ad Litem. The information will be used to assist the Board in determining whether to discipline/sanction Guardians’ ad Litem.
Five (5) years experience in acting as prosecutor in some capacity.
The preferred candidate will have completed:
At least 20 hours of domestic violence training or as an instructor.
Candidate does not need to be an attorney
Addendum
In the event it becomes necessary to add to or revise any part of the RFP prior to the scheduled submittal date, the Board will fax addenda. Before submission, always check for any addenda or other materials that may have been issued, which would affect the RFP.
Guardian ad Litem Board Request for Investigators Page 2 of 4 Format for Application
Please use the following guideline to format your application:
Cover letter: The New Hampshire Guardian ad Litem Board, Bid-date, applicant name, address, website address if applicable, telephone number, fax number, email address and primary contact person name. Include the hourly cost for investigations. Provide a brief overview of your capabilities and strengths. Resume: Work samples: provide a sample of two investigative reports, personal information may be redacted. References:
A PDF containing all of the documents described above is the preferred delivery method.
The selected contractors will be required to submit a fully executed state of New Hampshire criminal records release authorization form from the department of safety allowing for the disclosure of the applicant’s current criminal record to the board. If the contractor is a firm, a separate release authorization must be submitted for any individual who may be conducting investigations.
The selected contractors will be required to submit an original writing from the central registry of founded abuse and neglect reports indicating that the applicant’s name does not now appear in the central registry of founded abuse and neglect reports. If the contractor is a firm, a separate writing must be submitted for any individual who may be conducting investigations.
Evaluation
Selection will be based on our assessment of best value for the Guardian ad Litem Board, taking into account the following technical factors:
Proposals must be received no later than 2:30 p.m. EST on
The Board reserves the right to make a written request for additional information in writing from a Contractor to assist in understanding or clarifying a Bid Proposal.
During the review period, we may require interviews by phone with our evaluation team. You will be notified if this is requested. Contract award is subject to Guardian ad Litem Board approval.
Application packets will be evaluated according to the following factors May 2, 2011. Late proposals may be disqualified. Proposals must be delivered via email. Contractor will be emailed upon receipt of proposal. Email your proposal to Katherine Harmon at gal.board@nh.gov. Cost Experience Writing sample; clarity, comprehensive, direct, through References
The contractor to be awarded this contract will be notified by
The term of the proposed work will be from approximately June 1. 2011. September 1, 2011 – August 31, 2013, unless otherwise indicated at the time of contract award.
Guardian ad Litem Board Request for Investigators Page 3 of 4 Guardian ad Litem Board Request for Investigators Page 4 of 4 The Board reserves the right to reject all non-conforming applications. The board reserves the right to cancel this RFP at any time prior to contract award.
Contract Terms
The Guardian ad Litem Board will negotiate contract terms upon selection. All contracts are subject to review by the attorney general’s office and administrative services. The Board reserves the right to waive any and all informalities in the best interest of the Board. If a vendor is a corporation they are required to be registered with the Secretary of State of New Hampshire and provide a certificate of good standing and certificate of insurance as part of the contract process. Written letter on how you meet the qualifications if not covered in the resume provide contact information for three professional references. Highlight relevant professional experiences; including any experience with the family or probate courts, administrative boards, education, awards and memberships.
The mere fact that the GAL Board is looking to contract with an investigator implies that there are a fair amount of complaints filed on GAL’s. Again, the system is broke and it needs to be fixed.
ReplyDeleteMy concern is that with the contract being offered, just what kind of service does the GAL board expect?
Let’s say an agency bills out at $25.00 an hour and the average case involves 20 hours of investigation and report writing. The billing would be $500. There is $15,000 allotted for a two year contact. Divide $15,000 by $500 and you have 30 investigations or 15 investigations a year. Keep in mind, these numbers are not factual. They are just very conservative figures for the sake of my argument which is do you really think for this kind of money being offered that good quality investigations are going to be conducted? The investigations will be rubber stamped. It’s too late and not enough. This is the future of our children in NH. Make them the product of a rubber stamp.
This is a pretty bold statement. The GAL Board has thus far been collecting $100 per complaint only to spend 44c to mail a copy of the rules in "response." they've implicitly admitted to having defrauded people out of money for valid complaints.
ReplyDeleteBy the same token, taking ANY action is a vast improvement over the self-regulation (read: non-regulation) of corrupt and flagrantly incompetent "guardians".
In the end is this good news, or is it another hoaxeant to swindle more tax money under false pretense?
There was a complaint filed at the end of March against a group of NH GAL's - over 40. I'm guessing this ad for investigators is in response to that complaint, as there is going to be some heavy duty investigation needed.
ReplyDeleteAt the hourly rate they're proposing, I doubt any substantive investigation will take place. This is a token effort to address serious delinquencies and deficiencies in the GAL board and its representatives. Their only concern is to keep their own pockets padded, not to do anything that would ensure their own compliance with the law, or the best interests of the children they purport to represent. It'll be another decade before anybody finds out where this so-called "investigation" has gone, or under what rock it's been hidden, by which time those in charge will have long since retired and started collecting their unearned pensions out of your tax dollars.
ReplyDeleteI've seen this "board" in action - I'd bet almost anything that they're going to do a cursory investigation (e.g. make sure that the appropriate $100 was collected for every complaint), send out 40+ copies of the GAL board's rules of "ethics" or requests for more money, and pay somebody to write up a 400-page nonsensical conclusion, devoid of fact, that their job has been well-done.
I wish I could disagree with all of you, but sadly I cannot. My granddaughter was taken out of her home with absolutely no evidence of wrong doing, simple hearsay. The judge automatically goes along with whatever the GAL says! Her report was supposed to be ready at two different dates and it still has not been put in. She never answers her phone and never returns calls. She charges an outrageous price for the most petty effort. The judge is "going away" so the court date has been moved up until the end of July! I guess you are only entitled to a speedy trial if you are a criminal. I was online looking for info on filing a complaint to the GAL board, but after reading your posts, I am thinking it's just another useless effort. Who is there to help these poor children being robbed from their families?
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone have the specific rules GALs must abide by in their investigation such as returning phone calls, interviewing witnesses in a timely fashion etc?
ReplyDelete