SummerWorks Operator Questions and Answers This information may be edited for clarity

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1 SummerWorks Operator Questions and Answers This information may be edited for clarity December 6, 2016 We would like to serve youth across the three region; is it required that we serve all 1,000 youth in those regions, or can we serve a portion of youth from each of the three areas? An organization's response must specify the area(s) they are proposing to serve; this may include one or more of the geographic areas. But, the organization must serve all the youth planned for that area. If you wish to serve youth across all three areas, you must serve all 1,000 participants. How have operators in the past managed worker s compensation? Worksystems is requiring use of a centralized 3 rd party payroll processing agency, but individual Operators will be responsible to utilize their own worker s compensation policies for determination of the rate. Respondents must be clear on this distinction the Operator(s) will be the Employer of Record, which means the work experience participants are their employees; for all legal purposes, the Operator is the common-law employer. This means that the Operator(s) worker s compensation insurance will cover these participants during their work engagement and the rates applied will also apply here. Worksystems will be contracting with a company to deliver payroll processing services, which means taking care of all the administrative elements around payroll processing including time documentation, W-2, withholding, and payments to work experience participants. This should not be confused with Employer of Record responsibilities; processing payroll is an administrative function. The difference is, rather than the Operator(s) entering into an agreement for payroll services, Worksystems will be managing that contract arrangement. Q3 A3 How should the funding be split between the four funding sources on the budget workbook? There is no need to separate the funding into the separate sources. Please use a single column to enter all costs. The file named SummerWorks TEMPLATE Budget Narrative Workbook posted on December 1, 2016 has four funding source columns. As of December 6, 2016, an updated file has been posted with a single column for the funding. We will accept submission of any of the posted versions of the workbook for this solicitation. Whichever workbook is used must show an 11-month budget period, and the summary budget amount must not exceed the total available funding. December 1, 2016 The budget narrative workbook lists the Budget Year dates of February 1, 2016 June 30, Can we assume it should instead be February 1, 2017 December 31, 2017, which is the contract period stated in the RFP? Yes. The original file named SummerWorks TEMPLATE Budget Narrative Workbook posted on November 10 should have listed the Budget Year dates of February 1, 2017 December 31, An updated file has been posted online as of December 1, We will accept submission of either workbook for this solicitation. Whichever workbook is used must show an 11-month budget period. November 29, 2016

2 Will the payroll system accept paper or electronic timesheets? If electronic, what system will be used? Worksystems is in the process of identifying the third-party payroll processing company, so at this time we are unable to provide a specific answer to your question. In summer 2016 the SummerWorks Operator collected paper copies of hiring documents and timesheets; verification of hiring information was recorded via our data management system and then uploaded from that system to the payroll processing company creating the new employee records. The SummerWorks staff had direct log in access to the payroll processor s web-based tool for reporting and verification of hours worked. As we procure for a payroll processor, we will work to secure a company that can work with us to manage this work in a similar manner. The Operator is expected to maintain appropriate HR files for each youth, which are audited by Worksystems each year. Can an organization leverage some other funding sources to maximize savings to the SummerWorks budget? If an organization chooses to include leveraged resources in the budget narrative, there must be a narrative explanation/justification that includes how the organization can ensure the leveraged resources are available for the five years of the procurement life. Leverage is not a requirement of this procurement, and additional points or credit will not be awarded where it is included. Conversely, it will be taken into consideration as a budget deficit, if a budget includes leverage that cannot be verified for the life of the procurement. November 23, 2016 Who is responsible for the W2 for the youth s wages? The payroll processor will be responsible to create and mail W2 documents to youth. The SummerWorks Operator s role is to insure youth addresses are current, and they may act as an intermediary between the youth and the payroll processor to obtain copies. Are the youth paid hourly, or by stipend? Youth are paid hourly, at Oregon minimum wage, for all hours worked. Q3 How are the employer taxes paid? Does the host agency handle that per payroll, or is it billed to the employer of note? A3 The tax withholding is paid by Worksystems in the overall cost of the payroll. The payroll processor will make payments to local, state, and federal jurisdictions according to the law. Q4 A4 Q5 A5 How does the W4 and employee information get into the payroll system for payment? Information for the W4s is collected by the SummerWorks Operator during the Work Readiness training, and input by the Operator into the payroll system via web access. What is the timekeeping system already in place? How will the Operator ensure data accuracy and timeliness for the payroll processing? The SummerWorks Operator will not process paychecks, but the successful Operator(s) are responsible to collect hours from the worksite supervisors, and verify the hours in the payroll system. The Operator may identify or establish a process they will use for this purpose. Bidder s Conference November 16, 2016 Are there specific geographical boundaries for the service areas? The boundaries generally follow the lines for East Multnomah County, City of Portland, Washington County, but the borders are flexible. An organization s proposal may specify service just for the area(s) that works for their organization, and may include one location, all locations, or a combination thereof. Attention must be paid to the available funds within the geographies and proposals written accordingly.

3 Q3 A3 Q4 A4 Q5 A5 Q6 A6 Q7 A7 Q8 A8 Q9 A Would a consortium be required to serve all areas, or could the consortium s proposal be for just one (or multiple) areas? Various configurations will be considered. If applying as a consortium, only the lead agency will receive the contract; the lead agency will be responsible for the subcontracts in the consortium, as well as for the monitoring, oversight, and management of the subcontracts. Is this the same model that was used last year? What issues were identified [in the past]? This is essentially the same model as last year. In past years, the payroll processing was a challenge; for this procurement, payroll processing has been transferred to a third party. The operator is responsible for the verification of hours to be paid; communication with the worksite supervisor must be clear, frequent, and well-established. Should the Participant Expense budget include the cost of tools? Participant Expense should include costs for drug screenings, background checks, bus passes, workplace-appropriate clothes, and the like. Tool purchases within reason may be included in the budget if it is required for the participant s placement. Is there a cost-per-participant guideline for the Participant Expense? There is not an established policy for the cost per participant. In general, a youth s participation is 6-10 weeks, so proposals should consider costs for incidentals such as bus passes for that span, and also be prepared to justify what is proposed in the budget. Are there any incentives? No; if on agency has other sources that could be leveraged in for some costs, it should be noted in the proposed budget. Are participant wages to be included in the budget? No, participant wages are not to be included in the proposed budget. Is there an Administration overhead allowance percentage? Agencies should propose a budget that will work for their organization, including an indirect rate in line with their Federal approved rate or, if no Federal rate, a methodology that is applied consistently across all funding streams. Worksystems will negotiate with the selected contractor(s) a final contract budget that keeps the program within the available funding. Is the operator responsible to provide a minimum of 50 fully-sponsored worksites in private sector businesses? The fully-sponsored worksites are an area of joint responsibility; all program funding, including that paid by sponsored worksites, is paid to and managed by Worksystems. The operator may have some worksites to bring into the program, for which Worksystems would collect the sponsorship funds and the operator would administer the program. Does fully-sponsored mean the employer is paying the wage? Yes, fully-sponsored covers wages and program administration costs. The total cost for youth SummerWorks interns in 2016 was $2,200 per youth and paid for 180 hours of work. That number will change to include 2017 s new minimum wage. If the operator develops a sponsorship, will that money be given to Worksystems? Yes, the funds will be provided to Worksystems, and will be used to pay youth wages and payroll processing. What is the target population? SummerWorks is targeted to low-income youth between the ages of and available to other youth through community referral services. Depending on the funding source, there may be more specific target populations indicated.

4 Would the community referral agencies be working together to recruit the target population? Yes. The operator will be responsible to monitor that the target population is being served. Are you looking at specific targets for people of color? There are no specific service levels for people of color. In past SummerWorks programs, about 75% of the population served were youth of color; a continuation of that demographic is preferable. How would youth of color participation be tracked? Youth of color will self-report during enrollment through the application portal, if they choose to do so. Does the operator have to cover the overtime wages? The payroll program funding will cover overtime wages, however, the youth and supervisor are to be cautioned about not exceeding 40 hours per week; operators must monitor and oversee incidents of overtime. Generally, youth will be working 25 hours per week, with schedules established to avoid overtime hours. What are the compliance responsibilities for a consortium lead agency? The lead agency of a consortium will be under contract to provide program implementation and delivery of services as outlined. The lead agency will be required to have policies and procedures in place for subcontractors, provide monitoring and documentation of the compliance of the subcontractors, and ensure all administrative processes are followed. How many employers are committed for next year, or how much will be required of the operators to develop new relationships? Several non-profit organizations are familiar with the SummerWorks program, and there are many established worksites. Some sponsors have worksites already established, and some want operators to develop the worksite. An example from 2016: a sponsor did not have the number of positions in-house equal to the number of youth they sponsored, so the operator had to develop close to 500 worksites. Worksystems will assist the selected operator(s) in managing this aspect. 9 When will there be clarity for the funding and placement numbers? 9 We should have a good sense of how many worksites will be needed by April Do the participants have to be enrolled in WIOA? Some participants must be enrolled in WIOA, depending upon the funding source. WIOA-enrolled youth come into the program through the Career Connect Network portal, and will be identified in that way. It is helpful if the operator understands how that program works, but the operator will not have to conduct WIOA-level eligibility. The goal for the 2017 program is that 85% of youth complete their internships; what was the result from the 2016 program? The 2016 program is not yet over, but the current figure is about 82% of the participants have completed internships, which is defined as completed a minimum of 144 of the 180 scheduled hours (80%), and received a positive supervisor evaluation. Is work readiness training paid? No, funding is not used to pay or incentivize participants to take work readiness training. Is this an annual contract? Yes, the contract will be for a one-year period, and based upon availability of funding and operator performance, a contract may be re-entered yearly for up to the next 5 years. This procurement is effective for a 5-year period. Are the work readiness training materials available for review? The work readiness materials are currently in revision.

5 Are graphics/charts to be included in the total count of pages in the proposal? The RFP specifies exclusions for certain pages; if it is not specifically excluded in the page count, then it must count toward the total number of pages. If an organization is interested in serving a single area, but would like to submit a proposal for two different geographic options (for example, the organization would like to be considered for either City of Portland or East Multnomah County), do they need to submit two separate proposals? Submit one proposal, but complete a separate budget for each area that includes the funding and participant count to be clear how the funds will be spent. It would also be helpful to note any special instructions, such as the proposal is for one area, but it can be either of those with budgets submitted or that the proposal is seeking to be funded for two different areas of the three.