Access to Perinatal Health Support, FY2027–FY2029 — State of Alaska, Department of Health, Division of Public Health
Live posting · closes Sep 14, 2026
How to read this slip
Every line is one demand the RFP makes, cited to its subsection. The right-hand column is where the demand gets answered in the GEMS application. One rule governs all drafting: points are earned only in the response to the associated question — content placed under another question earns nothing (§3.06.3, restated in the review rules).
Section A — Eligibility and submission mechanics
| Req | What the posting demands | Where it goes | Packed |
|---|---|---|---|
| A-1§3.01 · §4.01 | Applicant eligible under 7 AAC 78.030: state agencies, political subdivisions/REAAs, nonprofit organizations and consortia, or Alaska Native entities (with a sovereign-immunity waiver resolution on the provided template). Ineligible applicants are eliminated before review (7 AAC 78.090(b)(2)). | GEMS agency record — nonprofit status verified against the State corporation database or IRS exempt-organizations register. | Gate |
| A-2Cover · §3.03 | Proposals accepted only through GEMS (login via myAlaska), due September 14, 2026, 3:59 p.m. prevailing local time. No proposals accepted after the deadline; no post-deadline revisions except at the Department's request. | GEMS — agency registration first; an unregistered agency cannot submit at all. | Handling |
| A-3Cover · §3.03 | Written inquiries to the Grants Administrator by September 4, 2026, 3:59 p.m. Substantive questions are answered by amendment to all applicants; applicants must monitor GEMS or Online Public Notices for amendments. | Handling — questions in writing, early; watch the notice page through the close. | Handling |
| A-4§3.02 · §3.05 | Submitting accepts all RFP terms; the RFP and the proposal become part of the grant agreement if awarded. Three-year cycle with year-one budget only; later years by continuation approval. | Whole proposal — every written commitment is a future contract term. | All |
Section B — GEMS technical checks (pass/fail)
These live in the agency's GEMS record, not in the proposal text — several can only be completed by an Agency Power User. They are the checks applicants discover last; do them first.
| Req | What the posting demands | Where it goes | Packed |
|---|---|---|---|
| B-1§4.02 | Current UEI confirmed in GEMS; SAM registration required before an award can be executed (2 CFR 200); debarment/suspension clear for the agency and its principals. | GEMS Agency Administration tab (Power User) + SAM.gov record. | Gate |
| B-2§4.02 | FFATA report completed for the most recently completed fiscal year (federal funds ≥ $30,000; this program is federally funded). | GEMS — Federal Reporting section, Power User task. | Gate |
| B-3§4.02 | GEMS record current: Alaska business license number; governing board roster with titles, terms, and an emergency contact outside the agency; agency contacts; and required assurance forms signed by an official authorized to bind the agency. | GEMS Agency Administration tab — General section + assurances. | Gate |
| B-4§1.06-equiv (budget rules) · §4.04 | Year-one budget on the Department's guidelines; costs allowable under 7 AAC 78.160; indirect costs only with a current federally negotiated rate agreement uploaded (or the 15% de minimis where 2 CFR 200 allows); required match sources identified in the budget narrative and the Matching Fund Source table, at the required level. | GEMS budget module + narrative — the match table and the narrative must name the same sources. | Budget |
| B-5§1.06-equiv | Grant funds usable only for the stated purposes: referral management and care coordination; recovery support services; services reducing access barriers (transportation, childcare) when not otherwise reimbursable; outreach and partnership development; supporting infrastructure; limited project-tied workforce development. Medicaid-enrolled providers must bill Medicaid and other payers first — Department funds are payer of last resort. | Budget detail + narrative — line items mapped to the allowed purposes. | Budget |
Section C — Where the 1,700 points live
Twenty-six scored criteria across three question groups. Each criterion is scored solely on the response to its own question.
| Criterion group | What the evaluators score | Points | Answered in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Program understanding & access model§4.04 Q1 | Thorough understanding of goals, requirements, outcomes (80); functioning as a meaningful access point in a "no wrong door" system (30); achieving one or more of the five access-outcome domains (30). | 140 | Q1 |
| Timeline§4.04 Q2 | Timeline for initiating services and implementing activities, compatible with a November 1, 2026 start. | 120 | Q2 upload |
| Activities, intent & logic model§4.04 Q3 | Resources, activities, and anticipated goals/outputs/outcomes clearly stated (80); activities well-developed and addressing the access domains (40); activities supportive of intent — barrier reduction, coordination, referral pathways (40); a logic model identifying resources, activities, and projected outcomes that meet program intent (120). | 280 | Q3 |
| Evaluation plan§4.04 Q4 | Indicators and data-gathering strategies aligned with the program's performance measures (§1.04). | 80 | Q4 |
| Target population & area§4.04 Q5 | Target population and service area clearly identified, meeting the intent of the services solicited. | 80 | Q5 |
| Budget quality§4.04 Q6 | Budget supports the project and appears achievable (40); costs reasonable and substantiated (20); allocation across populations/areas described (20) — plus the pass/fail allowability checks in Section B. | 80 | Q6 |
| Experience§4.05 Q1 | Previous same-or-similar services demonstrating resources and capacity (with the Department also reading prior performance reports, audits, and site-visit records). | 60 | Q1 |
| Staffing & administration§4.05 Q2 | Qualified service staff (120); sufficient staffing levels (80); position descriptions supporting the RFP (60); qualified administrative staff (80); administrative capacity for management and reporting (80). Position descriptions, resumes, and credentials upload as a single file. | 420 | Q2 + upload |
| Confidentiality§4.05 Q3 | Procedures protecting client confidentiality, compliant with State and Federal standards. | 100 | Q3 |
| Facilities & access§4.05 Q4 | Facilities safe and appropriate (60); locations enhance delivery to the target populations (60). | 120 | Q4 |
| Support & coordination§4.06 | Documentation of support from each community served (60); involvement of the public and potential recipients (40); partnerships and collaborations well described (60); clear applicant vs. referring-agency roles (60). | 220 | Q1–Q4 |
The annotated outline — the application the slip implies
GEMS applications are question-by-question, so the outline is a work order rather than a document: each answer is drafted standalone, because no answer may lean on another.
GEMS housekeeping
Agency registration via myAlaska; Power User completes UEI, FFATA, business license, board roster, contacts, indirect rate agreement; assurances signed (B-1 – B-4). None of this is prose; all of it can sink the proposal.
Program answers (§4.04 — 780 points)
Q1 understanding + "no wrong door" + access domains (140); Q2 timeline against a November 1 start (120); Q3 activities and logic model (280); Q4 evaluation plan mirroring §1.04 (80); Q5 population/area (80); Q6 budget quality (80).
Qualifications answers (§4.05 — 700 points)
Experience (60); the staffing block — five separately scored criteria answered by one narrative plus one assembled upload file (420); confidentiality procedures (100); facilities (120).
Coordination answers (§4.06 — 220 points)
Support documentation per community served, public and recipient involvement, partnerships, and role clarity with referring agencies — letters here are scored evidence, not garnish.