New providers guide to contracting with the Department of Public Health (CDTA)

Welcome to contracting with the San Francisco Department of Public Health (DPH). This document aims to provide your agency with pertinent information to guide you through the contracting process along with additional requirements from various sections of DPH. In addition, please see the checklist provided for New Executive Directors for best practices. 

Please review this document thoroughly to avoid any delays your agency may encounter during the contracting process.

Helpful Contracting Tips for New Providers

Once your agency has been awarded a DPH contract and receives a Funding Notification (FN), a Contract Development and Technical Assistance (CDTA) Program Manager (PM) is assigned as your principal point of contact. Your designated CDTA PM will field all questions regarding your DPH contract, and if he/she does not have a specific answer, then a referral will be made to one of the appropriate DPH sections.

CDTA Program Managers work in collaboration with multiple DPH units to ensure that your contract is certified and in compliance with all departmental policies and procedures. These DPH units include: 

• Systems of Care (SOC)
• Budget
• Fiscal/Cost Report
• Contracts
• Business Office of Contract Compliance (BOCC)

What to Do as a New Provider

Visit the CDTA website to access relevant on-line resources (i.e., forms, templates, instructions, policies, procedures and regulations, and handouts from past presentations).

Know and avoid common obstacles that can slow down the contract development and certification process:

• Late document submission
• Use of incorrect document templates
• Not following guidelines and formatting requirements
• Expired insurance certificates and other official out-of-date documents
• Subcontractor agreement not completed at time of contract initiation

New Service Providers should have current copies of the following documents available upon request:

• IRS Determination Letter or Document of Incorporation
• Dun & Bradstreet Number (DUNS #)
• Most recent audited financial statements
• Current insurance policies
• Agency’s current organizational chart
• Cost allocation plan (City & County Controller’s Office offers training sessions on this topic)
• A list of senior officers, Board of Directors, and Executive Director’s Executive Assistant with office and cell phone numbers; and possibly resumes or bibliographies of senior officers

The following administrative requirements are essential to the contract development and certification process: 

1. It is required by the SF Department of Public Health (DPH) that all health service providers/contractors have an NPI# (National Provider Identifier Number). If you do not already have one, consult with your CDTA Program Manager (PM) or Systems of Care (SOC) PM about how to apply for one; or, go to the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System website for explicit NPI Application Instructions. 
   
   Even if you already have an NPI#, you should consult with either your CDTA or SOC PM to determine if another is needed.
    
2. If you have a Behavioral Health Services (BHS) Contract and are either a Mental Health Services Provider and/or Substance Abuse Services Provider, your agency is required by the SFDPH to register with the State of California and the City and County of San Francisco for electronic billing purposes. This is required even if you do not use the BHS billing and clinical information system known as AVATAR. For further guidance, please contact your System of Care Program Manager (SOC PM).
    
3. To avoid unnecessary delays in the contract development and certification process, it is important that you select the correct Appendix A (program narrative) and Appendix B (program budget and budget justification) templates and submit both documents to your CDTA Program Manager by or before the date specified on the Funding Notification. The Appendix A and B instructions and templates are located on CDTA’s website at www.sfdph.org/cdta. Please choose the appropriate template by selecting either the BHS or non-BHS Appendices and for best results, download the contract checklist, which can be found on the CDTA website. 
   1. Contracts that contain subcontractor/consultant expenses must submit a copy of all subcontractor contracts to their CDTA Program Manager for review and approval with the submission of Appendix B (program budget and budget justification). Invoice payments will be withheld until a copy of the subcontractor/ consultant contract is on file with the CDTA Program Manager. Please review DPH’s Policy on Subcontracting Requirements.
       
4. The Declaration of Compliance is an attestation by contractors that their program is in compliance with the rules and regulations set forth by various DPH units. Therefore, all service providers are responsible for: maintaining an Administrative Binder with all the forms, policies and statements of compliance; prominently displaying posters and information notices for client viewing; and, complying with client related regulations. 
   
   To learn more about the DPH’s Declaration of Compliance requirements, contact the Business Office – Contract Compliance at (415) 255-3697. 
    
5. All Providers must maintain an acceptable mechanism to track personnel work hours and other payroll and human resource requirements stipulated in DPH’s service contract regulations to avoid reimbursement issues (i.e., employee timesheets, sick/vacation leave, and furlough, etc.).
    
6. Complete the required trainings mandated for all new providers, which minimally include HIPAA Training, Harassment Prevention Training, and Privacy & Compliance Training. 
    
7. Attend relevant SFDPH Technical Assistance workshops and staff development training classes sponsored by the Department of Public Health and/or the City and County of San Francisco.

New Executive Director Checklist 

Congratulations on your new position as the Executive Director of your organization! SFDPH looks forward to our continued partnership to fulfill our mission to protect and promote the health of all San Franciscans. 

SFDPH leadership is committed to ensuring that you have all the resources at your disposal to guarantee your success and the continued success of your organization. Outlined below is a list of integral organizational components that SFDPH encourages all new Executive Directors to review as soon as possible. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact your Principal Point of Contact, your CDTA Program Manager, who will be able to assist you. Also, if you would like to schedule a formal introduction meeting, please notify your CDTA Program Manager, who will work to schedule a meeting with DPH staff. 

General

Do you have a copy of the organization’s most recent: 

• Annual report?
• Strategic plan, if applicable?
• Emergency Staff contact sheet, including volunteers?
• Technology inventory – what was purchased with DPH funds vs. what was purchased with agency funds?
• IRS determination letter? 

Board of Directors

• Are there any Board vacancies? Terms due to expire? Is there an active recruitment plan in place? 

Do you have the following? 

• Board roster and contact information (email/phone/address)?
• Board policies and procedures?
• Board bylaws?
• Schedule of Board meetings? 

Human Resources

Do you have: 

• Performance Review forms?
• Past Performance Reviews of staff? 

Financial 

(to be reviewed with your Chief Financial Officer) 

• Nonprofit Contractor Review, Standard Monitoring Form
• Are all insurance policies current?
• Are all invoices to date submitted to DPH?
• Do you have a three-month reserve to cover all organization expenses in the event of an emergency?

Fundraising

• Do you have a list of your top donors?
• Do you have a funding matrix (with funder name, amounts, and report deadlines)? 
• Do you have a Fund Development plan? 
• Have you received copies of recent applications for funding (successful or not)? 

DPH Requirements

You should have and review: 

• Your current contract(s) with DPH 
• The DPH “Provider Declaration of Compliance Form” for your organization. See Section 1, Item #4 for more information. 
• Please submit a new Signature Authority Form as the Executive Director if you have not already done so. SFDPH cannot certify your contract and release any type of payments until this is completed.

Your CDTA Program Manager should have the name and phone number/email of your Executive Assistant and your cell phone number.

Print version