REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS ACHIEVE SUMMER YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM Proposal Due: April 21, 2017 at 5:00 PM EST
Purpose of RFP The purpose of this Request for Proposal (RFP) is to solicit competitive proposals on behalf of the Workforce Development Board of Central Ohio and the City of Columbus for the delivery of the City of Columbus Authorized Summer Youth Employment Opportunity to eligible participants. The WDBCO encourages innovative service delivery proposals that meet the purpose of this RFP and are characterized by collaboration, integration, accountability, continuous improvement and results. Through these services, the WDBCO expects to achieve a measurable and positive impact on the employment and academic success of youth in the City of Columbus. Eligible Applicants Proposals will be accepted from any private for-profit agency, private non-profit organization, government agency, faith or community-based organization or educational institution that demonstrates the capacity to successfully provide the services identified in this RFP. Proposals from consortia or partnerships are allowed but must identify one organization as the lead agency and prime contractor and must specify subcontracting relationships. Applicants must have a strong understanding of the local workforce system, in-demand industries, and challenges to youth, as well as established relationships with local youth-focused organizations. Proposals must be based on youth development principles and best practices that support, motivate, and prepare youth for continuing educational achievements, successful transition into adulthood, and long-term success in employment. Procurement Timeline April 3, 2017 April 12, 2017 April 12, 2017 April 21,2017 April 25,2017 May 1, 2017 May 8, 2017 September 30, 2017 RPF Issued / Public Notice of RFP availability Bidders Conference 10:00 AM Jerry Hammond Building 1111 E. Broad Street, Continental Room Columbus, Ohio 43205 Questions regarding the RFP must be submitted by 5:00 PM EST Complete proposals must be received by 5:00 PM EST Youth Committee contract award recommendation WDBCO Contract Award and/or Decline Notification Youth Service Provider Contract Begins Youth Service Provider Contract Ends Questions & Answering Period Questions pertaining to this RFP must be submitted in writing to the WDBCO via email beginning April 3, 2017 through April 12, 2017 at 5:00 PM EST. All inquiries are to be directed to Carma Lacy at clacy@wdbco.org with the subject line: ACHIEVE RFP. All responses to questions will be posted on www.wdbco.org within 24 hours of the conclusion of the Bidders Conference. 1
I. Background The Workforce Development Board of Central Ohio (WDBCO) serves Workforce Area Eleven (11), City of Columbus and Franklin County, as a leader in working with employers to maintain a skilled workforce and with job seekers to acquire and maintain the knowledge and skills necessary for meaningful employment in the Central Ohio economy. To accomplish this mission, the WDBCO establishes programs and systems to prepare the job seeker for worthwhile and sustainable employment, especially focusing on dislocated workers, adults, and youth who are economically disadvantaged, unemployed, or underemployed. The WDBCO, in partnership with the City of Columbus seeks to meet the needs of youth by providing 100 youth, ages 14-16 the opportunity to explore careers and obtain practical work experience. The intent of the ACHIEVE summer youth employment program is to ensure that youth will have the opportunity to earn while they learn valuable work readiness skills, acquire financial literacy, and gain exposure to occupations of their interest. The youth program period shall begin June 12, 2017 and end August 11, 2017. The anticipated award is up to $100,000.00, not including youth wages. II. Statement of Work The WDBCO in partnership with the City of Columbus ACHIEVE summer youth employment program will provide central Ohio Youth, ages 14-16, with job skills and workplace experience in community based organizations, city agencies and private sector businesses. The WDBCO is seeking one community based Youth Services provider to administer the ACHIEVE summer youth employment program. All Bidders must be able to develop and deliver a summer work readiness program that provides youth participants employable skills and practical workplace experience. Bidders will be responsible for hiring, training, and matching career mentors/coaches with youth enrolled in the program. Successful bidders may be asked to place and/or manage some or all of their assigned youth in special projects or worksites in partnership with the City of Columbus. Ideally, Bidders will be required to serve a maximum of 100 youth. The selected Bidder must develop and coordinate job readiness and workplace experiences for enrolled youth for no less than 20 hours per week for an eight week duration. Recruited worksites must provide youth with a safe, well-defined experience that allows them to gain valuable work readiness skills that include the following: Attendance Punctuality Workplace Appearance Taking Initiative Quality of Work 2
Communication Skills Response to Supervision Team Work Conflict Resolution Time Management The Bidder must ensure that hiring program youth must not negatively impact current worksite employees or impair existing contracts for services or collective bargaining agreements. Youth worksite employers will not hire youth that would replace the work of employees who have experienced layoffs, nor shall employers terminate regular employees with the intention of replacing them with youth subsidized through the programs. Youth worksites are required to adhere to current workplace and safety guidelines and applicable federal/state wage, labor and worker compensation laws as outlined in the Ohio Child Labor Law. Youth worksites must be capable of and willing to adhere to program guidelines and communicate regularly with the Bidders coaches/mentors to resolve disputes between their youth hires or other issues that arise during the duration of the job opportunity and/or other accommodations as requested by the Bidders coaches/mentors. These instances must be documented. Youth worksites must also be capable of tracking time worked by their youth hires and will coordinate with the Bidder for the timely collection of timesheets and regular periodic distribution of payroll checks, check stubs and direct deposit remittance reports. The Bidder must use the WDBCO third party payroll processor for handling youth wages during the summer. The Successful bidder will be required to enter hours worked for youth and approve the hours worked with the third party payroll processor. The third party payroll processor shall be responsible for ensuring youth participants are paid accurately and on time based on the information provided by the Bidder in coordination with the youth worksite provider. Youth worksites must provide adequate supervision, materials, and orientations for their youth hires. This includes providing alternate supervisors in the event of the primary supervisor's absence. They must work collaboratively with the Bidder regarding attendance and tardiness policies. Youth worksites will need to provide reasonable accommodation for youth with disabilities as necessary. The Bidder shall ensure that the WDBCO third party payroll processor is informed of all activities that relate to youth worksite and/or youth participants. Bidders to this RFP must provide the following services outlined in the context of the ACHIEVE summer youth employment program as described in this RFP: Develop appropriate summer jobs for enrolled youth Provide job training and enrichment experiences for youth Facilitate youth completion of the OhioMeansJobs K-12 Guide Tour 3
Hire and supervise qualified coaches who will work with youth participants Promote and coordinate any additional support services needed to ensure that youth complete the program Manage youth participant payroll Provide WDBCO participant data Complete youth assessment tools Track and report daily attendance and collect timesheets Create meaningful enrichment programming to enhance the job placement success Key Program Elements In addition to the program elements described in the Statement of Work, the Bidder interested in the ACHIEVE summer youth employment program will be held responsible for the following: a. Orientation for Youth Bidders will provide youth with information on program requirements and expectations through an orientation and in writing to each enrolled participant. Bidders will also provide a one week work readiness skills training to all participating youth during the first week. Work readiness skills training includes, but is not limited to reviewing topics such as: attendance, punctuality, workplace appearance, taking initiative, quality of work, communication skills, response to supervision and team work. Bidders must also ensure that all participants are registered and complete the following modules on the OhioMeansJobs https://jobseeker.k-12.ohiomeansjobs.monster.com/seeker.aspx website: K-12 Guided Tour Register with OhioMeansJobs K-12 Explore Your Career Interest Launch Your Career Plan Build Your Future Budget Your Tool for College and Career Readiness Build or Upload Your Resume Search for Job Options Review Your Backpack b. Worksite Matching and Monitoring Workplace experiences for youth must be a maximum of 20 hours per week and last eight weeks. All worksites must assign youth a supervisor. Bidders will assist youth in identifying their career interests and match youth to an appropriate work experience based on their goals, interests and worksite job needs. 4
The successful Bidder s staff must include individuals who will serve as career mentors/coaches. The Bidder must recruit, screen, hire, train, supervise and maintain staff members to provide individual and/or group support. Career mentoring/ coaching duties includes, but are not limited to: guidance, advice, instruction and motivating youth participants. Each participant must be assigned a career mentor/coach, these adults will play a dual role, establishing meaningful relationships with the youth while reinforcing the development of skills and knowledge that youth gain through the participation in the program. Other duties include ensuring that the youth arrives to the worksite each day and that the participant has a successful experience. The bidder is responsible for ensuring that work permits and required employment information is collected prior to youth entering into a workplace experience. Successful bidders will maintain comprehensive information on youth worksite placements that includes, but not limited to, work site agreements, work permit (if applicable), documentation of participants hours spent at the work site (time sheet(s)), participant enrollment forms, and post-program youth survey. III. Participant Eligibility Bidders will be responsible for verifying program eligibility for all youth participants. The ACHIEVE summer youth employment program is open to youth who are Columbus residents between the ages of 14 through 16 who meet the program specific eligibility criteria and have obtained parental / guardian consent. All youth enrolled must have: Proof of Columbus residency A valid Social Security Card A valid Columbus Public School or State of Ohio ID Card or Driver s licenses Completed an application A signed consent, parental/ guardian on file If 15 years old or under, a valid work permit Only youth who meet all of the above criteria will be eligible for consideration IV. Outcomes and Performance Goals The Successful Bidder must submit a weekly youth attendance report to the WDBCO. The bidder will also be responsible for detailed written summaries of each meeting between the youth and the mentor/coach and/or any other staff member of the Service Provide Staff, the report must include the day, time and location of each meeting and the progress the student is making toward his/her identified program goals. The outcomes of the ACHIEVE summer youth employment program include: 100% of assigned youth complete program orientation during the first week. 100% of assigned youth complete the OhioMeansJobs modules 5
100% of assigned youth placed by agency in summer work experience within the first week of the program Of the youth placed, 90% will complete no less than seven weeks of the subsidized work experience. 90% of enrolled youth will successfully complete the total planned program of 200 hours 100% of the Summer Youth Employment mentors/coaches and worksite managers will complete the OhioMeansJobs modules with all youth and provide feedback to youth about their performance at the worksites. V. Term of Contract The term of the cost-reimbursement contract executed under this RFP will begin May 8, 2017 and end September 30, 2017. It is anticipated that the majority of the program expenditures will occur during the participant program period June 12, 2017 through August 11, 2017. WDBCO may extend the term of the agreement for up to two additional summer periods, each not to exceed twelve months. This extension option is contingent upon successful performance of the program and services provided, and upon availability of funds. Should the Bidder s contract be terminated or relinquished for any reason, WDBCO reserves the right to return to the pool of Bidders generated from this RFP to select another qualified Bidder. VI. Funding The ACHIEVE summer youth employment program is administered by the WDBCO through funding received from the City of Columbus. Consequently, all guidelines and requirements of the City of Columbus must be met. Successful Bidders will be required to comply with all laws, regulations, policies and procedures imposed by funding source. Additionally, the Successful Bidder must comply with the Single Audit Act if applicable. The WDBCO will determine funding amounts based on the needs of the local area and the availability of funds at the time of award. Funding amounts may increase or decrease during the contract period based on the funds available, bidder performance and/or local needs. Funding is subject to the availability of appropriation of funds. The Bidder should be aware that payments for all other expenses will be made on a reimbursement basis. VII. Terms and Conditions Successful bidders will be responsible for the following activities: Comply with all applicable rules and regulations governing the source of funding for this program Comply with Procurement Requirements Comply with Compliance Requirements 6
Comply with all Labor Standards and Child Labor Laws Follow all rules and regulations governing the implementation and provision of program services Comply with Ohio Revised Code 2151.86 relating to Criminal Records Checks. o Background checks must be completed for all program staff who work with the youth and must be completed prior to the staff working with the Youth Maintain documentation of the delivery of program services Work Readiness attendance and completion Collection and Maintenance of Time and Attendance records Collection and Maintenance of all Worksite Agreements Collections and Maintenance of all Participant Worksite Assignments and Schedules Maintenance of Program Schedules Collection and Maintenance of all Employment Evaluations and Surveys Collection and reporting of participant and program data as determined Comply with all child labor laws and regulations referenced at http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/youthlabor/. Comply with the minimum qualifications, program models and program requirements contained in this RFP Collect and Maintain fiscal data as required by WDBCO o Maintain and Report all participant payroll records and expenses o Maintain and Report to WDBCO fiscal data and all related program expenditures, (expenditure report format provided) o Maintain fiscal records in accordance with generally accepted accounting practices Submit invoices and reports according to the guidelines established by WDBCO Permit site and monitoring visits by WDBCO staff or the agency s designees in order to monitor files, financial records and program implementation ADA Requirement The Bidder must be committed to achieving full physical and programmatic accessibility as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Additionally, the WDBCO and City of Columbus reserves the rights to ensure that all mandated services are available in each geographic region, and provided in a linguistically and culturally appropriate manner. Partnership Agreements, Subcontracts, Professional Fees and Contracted Services A partnership agreement is needed when the Bidder s proposal includes one or more entities in the provision of the program or services. A Subcontract agreement is applicable when a Bidder submits a proposal, but later deems it necessary to involve additional entities in the provision/operation of the program. Because this is done post-contract approval, subcontract agreements are subject to federal procurement requirements. Each subcontract must be procured in accordance with the Bidder (Contractor s) procurement requirements and be approved prior to the award of a subcontract by WDBCO. 7
Professional Fees and Contracted Services are services for which the Bidder has an established service agreement or plans to engage in a service agreement with a non-staff individual or entity for the provision of a specified service. All agreements (partnership, subcontract, professional fee and/or contracted service) must include: A description of the services to be rendered, rate of pay, estimate of time required, the total amount of the agreement, time period of the agreement, termination provisions and any other descriptive information regarding the services to be provided. A clear definition of the role that each entity will assume in implementation of the program/service The name and contact information of the authorized representative in order to confirm the details of the relationship Once the Bidder s proposal has been recommended and approved for funding all agreement types are subject to the same terms, conditions and covenants contained in the contract boilerplate for the Contractor (Bidder). Additionally, the Contractor is required to secure the following documentation that verifies that the partner/subcontractor is in no way excluded from receiving federal, state or local funds: (a) System for Award Management (https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/sam); and (b) The Auditor of the State of Ohio Findings for Recovery Database (http://auditor.state.oh.us/onlineservices/ffr/default.htm) All partnership agreements, professional fees and contracted services costs must be accounted for in the Bidder s/vendor s budget as Professional Fees or Contracted Services. The Contractor must submit a copy of any/all partnership agreements at the time of the submission of the proposal and subcontract agreements no later than (30) thirty days after the effective date of the contract. No payment shall be made without an agreement on file with the WDBCO. The Contractor is responsible for making direct payment for such services to the partner or subcontractor. No partnership or subcontract agreement shall in any case relieve the Contractor of any duty, obligation, or liability undertaken by the Contractor pursuant to its contract agreement. VIII. Proposal Requirements and Contents The following pages lay out the format and narrative that make up the Proposal. Failure to address any item will render the Proposal to be incomplete, and it will not be further reviewed. Bidders will not be allowed to make additions or deletions once the deadline for submission has passed. 1) Bidders must submit one (1) original and six (6) copies, along with a USB or CD containing the entire proposal package. The original must be marked Original on the proposal cover page. 8
2) Proposals will not exceed twenty (20) pages of text; including the Budget Narrative Section of the Proposal Guidelines. The page limit does not include budget forms and other required attachments. 3) All attachments are required at the time the proposal is submitted; 4) Text must be typed in a minimum 12-point font and single spaced; 5) Proposals must be submitted with the forms included in the RFP, and must provide the information as listed. 6) Facsimiles or E-mailed proposals will not be accepted. 7) Proposals may be printed double sided. 8) Proposals must be mailed or hand delivered no later than Friday, April 21, 2017, 5:00 PM, EST: ACHIEVE Summer Youth Employment Program! Request for Proposal WDBCO 1650 Lake Shore Drive, Suite 110 Columbus, Ohio 43204 Attn.: Carma Lacy, Program Administrator WDBCO reserves the right to declare proposals received after the deadline to be nonresponsive. Proposal Contents List The following proposal documents must be submitted in the following order: (Those underlined are provided in the Request for Proposal Appendices.) 1) Proposal Cover Sheet 2) Proposal Narrative 3) Budget Forms excel budget form and budget narrative (Use the approved forms on the www.wdbco.org website 4) Organizational Chart, including this program Proposal Guidelines 1) Technical Requirements (5 points) Attach a list of names and addresses of the Bidders Board of Directors Attach Letter of Authorization from the Bidders (or Lead Agent) Board of Directors or other appropriate entity identifying the individual(s) and their titles who are authorized to sign a contract A copy of the last independent financial and compliance audit conducted by an independent certified public accountant Certificate of Liability Insurance Articles of Incorporation and most recent certificate of continued existence as the Bidder 9
EEO Policy Copy of Workers Compensation Certificate showing risk number W-9 Required Brief summary of the partnerships (organizations) for the project. The Letter of Intent will be signed by the Bidder acting as the Lead Agent (if applicable) 2) Program Summary (5 points) Summarize your proposed program design, including specific target population/ neighborhoods or school districts, zip codes, number of participants to be served, program sites, start and end dates, industry/ employers, expected outcomes, and any additional program features such as internships, etc. Identify any partners with whom you will collaborate to offer key components of the program. 3) Organizational Capacity (5 points) Summarize Bidder s programmatic and administrative capacity for operating and managing the proposed program. Prior performance will be evaluated based on the Bidder s narrative response. For current WDBCO contractors, programs prior performance as demonstrated by WDBCO quarterly and monitoring reports will be reviewed. The Bidder s prior experience includes, but is not limited to: managing programs of a similar size and scope and operating a summer employment program. a. Briefly describe your experience and capacity/ expertise in the following areas: Serving large numbers of youth with collaborations and partnerships, including employers Eligibility/ verification, assessment, testing, and individual strategy development; job matching and placement Work Readiness Training & Certification Labor Market Orientation/ Career Exploration Worksite/ Internship Development Worksite Supervisory Training & Management Payroll & Reporting Participant Tracking Previous WDBCO training/ service contracts b. Describe your organization s management and reporting structure. Attach an organizational chart showing where the proposed will be housed. c. Comment on your organization's capacity to perform administrative responsibilities, including: Enrollment verification and documentation; Maintenance of participant records 10
Submission of program reports Tracking participant attendance Please provide a reference from a funding or oversight agency that WDBCO can contact regarding your organization s administrative capabilities. 4) Target Populations, Neighborhood Targets (5 Points) Discuss the characteristics and needs of the specific populations of the In-School Youth your organization wants to serve. What are the challenges and opportunities for these individuals? How does this population reflect the priorities of this Request for Proposal? What direct experience have you had with this population and how did your organization accommodate their needs? Which aspects of your program are designed to specifically address the challenges faced by this population? 5) Program Design (25 Points) Describe your proposed design for offering each of the following required program components in the model that your organization is requesting funding for: a. Outreach, Recruitment& Retention Detail your plan for outreach & recruitment. Include specific target group(s), neighborhoods; the organizations and audiences with whom you will communicate; and the methods you will use. Describe the program s retention strategy. Beyond wages, what strategies will the program use to keep youth engaged in the program? Eligibility determination, assessment, and service strategy development Detail how your organization plans to explain eligibility requirements to prospective participants and ensure documentation is received and approved prior to enrollment into the program. Provide an outline of the curriculum to be used and how you will achieve competencies for this area of the program. What instrument will you use to measure the competencies? What activities will you integrate with instruction to engage youth in the topics? b. Internship Development/ Job Placement Explain how you will market the Internship component to prospective employers. List the businesses with whom you already have relationships and any agreements that you have made in regards to this project. If the program has already identified potential worksites, what process did you undergo to ensure that you identified appropriate sites that will be able to deliver a high - quality experience for youth? What criteria do you use to determine an appropriate site? If you have yet to identify sites, what process will you use to accomplish the same? (Include a list of any potential worksites). 11
c. Worksite match/selection process for each youth that ties to their service strategy Describe how you will develop and select both public and private worksites. How will you match these worksites to the youth participant and tie the worksite to their individual assessment and service strategy. What process will you use to prepare youth for the worksite, outside of the work-readiness training that will be provided by a different vendor; e.g.; Interviews, reference checks, letters of recommendation, etc. d. Worksite Supervisory Training & Oversight Describe the training for worksite supervisors and the oversight during the summer program Timesheet reporting & collection of timesheets Describe your process for managing time reporting and collection of timesheets from the various worksites. How will you ensure accountability for time and attendance reporting at the participant and the worksite level? e. Youth worksite supervisor orientation, and oversight Explain how you will provide management and oversight for the youth at the worksites? f. Work Readiness Training & Certification Explain the training process, curriculum outline and certification process g. Worksite pre and post evaluations How will you manage the worksite supervisor pre & posts evaluations? Participant surveys? 6) Employer-Provider Partnerships (20 Points) Discuss in detail the ways in which partnerships with employers will contribute to the success of your instruction, career explorations, and any other program areas. Clearly define the roles and activities of the participating employers. Document companies that you have agreements for the internships for young adults. Provide specific job duties or summaries of the internship. Distinguish the internships that could turn into unsubsidized jobs with benefits, etc. 7) Staffing & Administration (10 Points) Identify staff responsible for each component of the proposed program, including any non-budgeted staff who play a significant role; both direct and administrative personnel. Discuss staff qualifications, skills, and experience working with young adults to provide services, instruction, and internships. Attach job descriptions and resumes for all staff involved in the program or the components proposed by your organization. Label the job descriptions with the name of the staff person, or indicate if the position is vacant. Identify the members of the management team, 12
IX. and describe the staff reporting structure. Identify the staff responsible for managing participant tracking and those staff responsible for the payroll activities. Bidders must provide evidence and a demonstration of the quality of: The financial, physical, and human resources, leverage in the community, and any mentioned collaborations or partnerships with other public and private agencies related to the programs design and objectives. Reference letters are required. 8) Budget/Budget Narrative (25 Points) a. Budget Narrative Prepare a budget narrative using the format and form provided at www.wdbco.org. The budget narrative must be included as part of the 20 page limit; the budget & partner forms must not. The contract period will be for the summer program only, between May 8, 2017 and September 30, 2017. The budget narrative must describe each line item included in the attached budget forms and clearly identify how each cost has been calculated. Scoring Scoring Summary b. Budget Forms Using the budget forms provided at www.wdbco.org, attach a detailed budget that covers all aspects of the project. Include costs for all program components, as well as in-kind or other contributions. WDBCO will not approve more than 10% of the total project budget for administration cost. The budget narrative will be counted toward the 20-page limit, but the required budget & partnership form(s) will not. Budget forms must be attached as listed in the Proposal Contents List. Section Total Points Technical Requirements 05 Program Summary 05 Organizational Capacity 05 Target Populations 05 Program Design 25 Employer Provider Partnerships 20 Staffing Administration 10 Budget 25 Total 100 X. Protest Procedures 13
Bidders who have submitted a proposal may protest the award of the contract setting forth both factual and legal grounds for the protest. The basis of the protest must be in violation of a state or federal contracting law, rule, or regulation which is applicable to the contracting process. The protest shall be in writing and shall contain the following information: 1. The name, address and telephone number of the protester; 2. The name of the RFP being protested; 3. A detailed statement of the legal and factual grounds for the protest, including copies of relevant documents; 4. A request for ruling by WDBCO; 5. A statement as to the form of relief requested from WDBCO; and any other factual and legal questions at issue in the written protest During any part of the review or consideration, the protester may be asked to clarify statements or to provide proof of claims or other statements. Any such requests must be fully responded to within a reasonable time designated by the WDBCO. In the event a protester fails to respond, the protest will be dismissed and no further protest will be accepted relative to this request for proposal. Protests shall be filed no later than 5:00 pm EST. on the seventh (7) calendar day after the issuance of formal letters sent to proposers regarding WDBCO s intent to make an award. The date of the letter(s) responding to proposers is the date used to determine if a protest regarding the intent to award is submitted by the end of the protest period. Protests must be sent via email to the address below and a hard copy sent by Certified U.S. Mail to the attention of: Lisa Patt-McDaniel, President and CEO WDBCO 1650 Lake Shore Drive, Suite 110 Columbus, Ohio 43204 lpattmcdaniel@wdbco.org WDBCO will review the protest, shall issue written decisions on all timely protests, and shall notify any proposer who filed an untimely protest. The WDBCO written response shall be the protest ruling and is intended as a complete and final answer to the protest. XI. Point of Contact All inquiries must be directed to: Carma Lacy Phone: 614-559-5064 Email: clacy@wdbco.org Currecia Gamble Phone: 614-559-6054 Email: cgamble@wdbco.org 14