Career Center Request for Proposals Partnerships for a Skilled Workforce Metro Southwest Massachusetts Proposal Deadline: May 30, 2017 Noon Eastern Standard Time
Table of Contents Introduction 2 Section I. The MSW Business Model 2 Principles 2 The Model 3 The Welcome Center 3 The Career Navigation Center 4 The Job Services Suite 4 The Employer Marketplace 4 Target Population 5 Access to Services 5 Goals 6 Section II. The Partners 7 Section III. Operations 7 Staffing 7 Data Collection and Reporting 8 Contract 8 Section IV. The Proposal 8 Eligible Bidders 8 Submission Requirements & Guidelines 9 Proposal Schedule Deadlines 9 Reviewing and Scoring Process 9 Section V. Narrative and Work Plan 10 Section VI. Budget 14 Section VII. Forms 14 Section VIII. Attachments 14 1
Reinventing Career Centers Introduction Partnerships for a Skilled Workforce (PSW) is the workforce board for the Metro Southwest region of Massachusetts, certified by the Governor under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and signed by President Barack Obama in July 2014. See Attachment A for map. See Attachment B for organizational chart. PSW is seeking an entrepreneurial, customer-driven private, for profit, non-profit or government organization to develop and operate the career center system in Metro Southwest Massachusetts. The contractor will be responsible for delivering employer and job seeker services funded by the WIOA and for coordinating the work of the WIOA core partners. The successful applicant will implement and continuously improve the model that is presented in Section I of this RFP. Contingent upon fiscal year 2018 allocations, up to $1.5 million will be available for the period July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2018. Based on performance, the contract may be extended for an additional three years. The level of funding will be contingent upon US Department of Labor allocations. The contract will be a cost reimbursement contract. Section I. The Metro Southwest (MSW) Business Model The design presented in this section of the Request for Proposals is based on a review of career center evaluations, an analysis of the Metro Southwest labor market, and a dialog with workforce development organizations and their employer and job seeker customers. See Attachment C, Bibliography. By law, the operator is responsible for the delivery of services to adults, dislocated workers and youth aged 16-24 as authorized in Title I of the WIOA. Links to the WIOA law and final rules can be found here: Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Law: https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/plaw-113publ128/pdf/plaw-113publ128.pdf Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Final Rules: https://www.doleta.gov/wioa/docs/wioa-regs-joint-final-rule.pdf https://www.doleta.gov/wioa/docs/wioa-regs-labor-final-rule.pdf Principles The model for the delivery of services will be guided by the following principles. The career center is jobs driven. The existing career center activities are focused on individual job seekers, therefore, existing programs provided by the career center are to a large extent driven by individual need. In contrast, the career center of the future will be driven by, and responsive to, the demands of the employers in the local labor market. This is not just a shift, but a completely new paradigm for the career center. All activities and services provided at the career center will tie back to employer demand. The challenge for the career 2
center operator will be to remain loyal to this principle while simultaneously offering specialized services to those individuals who may have the most challenges to finding employment. The center is valued by employers, because staff understand the industry and companies within that industry and respond quickly to their needs for talent. The new paradigm for the career center requires a focused approach which allows for the creation of intensive and meaningful workforce solutions for local businesses and job seekers. The new career center leverages the resources and expertise of its partners in order to invest the majority of its funding on creating best in class services throughout the center system. While there are many types of businesses in the region, the career center operator is charged with identifying employers in target industries and occupations. Target companies are those with a significant share of jobs in the region and which share PSW s commitment to improving working conditions for their employees. PSW, through the career center, will invest in companies that: Establish a symbiotic relationship with career center staff in which the career center actively supports their hiring needs by finding ready to work, qualified applicants Provide opportunities for on-the-job-training and internships Want to develop a relationship with the career center to augment their recruitment program Have jobs with defined career pathways for those with the desire and willingness to pursue them or, are committed to partnering with the career center to develop defined career pathways Are experiencing a talent shortage Have a need to fill middle skills jobs The Model The career center is at the center of the workforce development system in Metro Southwest. See diagram in Attachment D. The successful bidder will be responsible for developing and continuously improving the four units within the career center: The Welcome Center, the Career Navigation Center, the Job Services Suite, and the Employer Marketplace. The Welcome Center Job seekers will find it easy to use career center services via multiple access points throughout Metro Southwest. The welcome center is the access point for most job seekers and is where the center makes its first impression on customers. It is the physical location where people are greeted and registered. The registration process will be the same at all welcome centers, including those located at partner organizations, and will include collection of consistent, standardized profile data and common assessment(s). The registration process will provide the customer and/or the welcome center staff with information needed to escort the customer to the area which best meets their needs. The welcome center will be physically inviting and provide a warm, easy to navigate environment for all customers, including those with children, the elderly, and those with physical, literacy or other challenges. The welcome center will be staffed by professionals who are intimately knowledgeable about all units at the career center and all services provided by partner organizations. Preferably, staff will be bi-lingual or tri-lingual, particularly in Spanish, Portuguese, and Haitian Creole. They will have the training and 3
capacity to intuitively and objectively (through the use of the profile and intake assessment data), determine the most appropriate next step for customers. The Career Navigation Center The career navigation center will serve people who need skills development, including but not limited to a certificate, credential or associate s degree, in order to find employment which pays a living wage and provides the opportunity for advancement. Career navigators will ensure that customers are directed to training programs which are aligned with specific credentials and skills requirements for existing and future jobs in targeted industries and occupations. For example, the training funds, as a rule, will not be provided to support an individual who wants to pursue a certificate as a landscape designer, IF landscape designers are not in demand in the region. Training will be provided through career and technical education school adult learning divisions, private and public colleges and universities, and other approved vendors. Career Navigation functions include: Comprehensive and extensive counselling for individuals based on actual labor market needs so that individuals make informed career decisions Matching individuals with the training program that fits their skills, interests, personality and employment goals Planning for financing education through employment-work-study combinations, government subsidies and grants, philanthropic scholarships and business tuition reimbursement programs. Staff will be experts in financial aid and scholarship opportunities and assist customers with navigating the financial aid process Opening doors to resources in the community to allow individuals to enter and complete training Making referrals to partner organizations when individuals need services that are beyond the scope of the career navigation division, based on skills, interest and aptitude assessment Preparing individuals to search for a job by providing job search tactics instruction, e.g., networking, resumes, and placing them when they graduate from training programs and classes Giving grants of Title I, WIOA, money when there are no other financial aid resources The Job Services Suite Technology will be used to provide individuals with rich and easily accessible information. The job services suite will be an on-line site and a physical space within the career center where independent job seekers can take personal assessments, use career navigation tools, participate in self-directed on-line training, and actively search for, and apply to jobs. Individuals will be able to obtain easily navigable information on WIOA partner services, training programs, childcare services, and transportation to support their efforts in finding and retaining a job. The Employer Marketplace The purpose of this unit is first and foremost to provide qualified applicants to targeted industries in the region, and by so doing, make the career center their human resource vendor of choice. A key component of this unit will be staff who are industry-occupational experts with deep and cooperative relationships with a discreet cohort of organizations representing one or more of the target industries in the region. Staff will use two tactics to respond quickly when an employer places an order: (1) a pool of job seekers will be available due to the registration profile required for all career center customers; 4
(2) staff will establish relationships with training and education institutions which produce graduates with the skills demanded by employers. The second purpose of this unit is to establish systems for capturing, analyzing and disseminating data on current and anticipated labor market needs in Metro Southwest and the Commonwealth, hiring practices, employment requirements and industry trends. The data will be used to establish criteria for funding existing training programs and developing new ones to meet employer demand. This data will also be used by the operator and partners to create, and continuously update, the career maps for youth, low income and low skilled adults, individuals with disabilities, veterans, and businesses. Finally, the employer marketplace staff will be responsible for using the data it collects to create and implement a labor market information professional development program. This will be provided at regular intervals for other units in the career center and partner organizations to ensure that counselling and training decisions are tied directly to verified employer needs. Target Population Management and staff recognize that the career center is not a panacea for the workforce development needs of all individuals. The career center will meet the needs of the common customer. Individuals with substantial barriers to employment will be referred to a partner whose purpose is to mitigate those barriers. The common customer is an individual who wants a job and who is capable of using career center resources and services. Specifically, the common customer, at a minimum, possesses the following traits: (1) is able to work (has arranged for child care, has transportation); (2) possesses language ability appropriate for targeted job market; (3) has the basic computer skills to use on-line resources in their search for work and (4) can produce documents like a resume with the advice of a career navigator or by using resume packages in the Job Services Suite. Any employed or unemployed person may use the services of the center; however, the WIOA Title I programs do have eligibility requirements. For more complete definitions, see WIOA, Section 1(B) sec. 3. Adult. An individual who is 18 or older. Dislocated worker. An individual who has been terminated or laid off, or who has received a notice of termination or layoff, from employment; is eligible for, or has exhausted unemployment insurance. Youth. A person aged 16 24 with barriers to employment. Training. To be eligible for training reimbursement, customers must be residents or have worked in Metro Southwest. To be eligible for WIOA partners programs, individuals must meet eligibility requirements. For example, to receive services from the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission, a person must have a disability that can be documented, legally able to work in the United States, and want a job. Older Americans looking to receive services from the Senior Community Service Employment Program must be 55 years of age and meet income requirements. Adult education students must have literacy and numeracy deficits. Access to Services By law there will be at least one bricks and mortar comprehensive career center serving as headquarters for services to individuals looking for work and/or training and for services to employers throughout the region. Access for job seekers will be increased in two ways. First, by locating welcome 5
affiliated centers in partner agencies, community organizations, libraries and other sites throughout the region. Second, by fully utilizing technology in the Job Services Suite. Goals With the Career Center Initiative Board (CCIB), the operator will identify key performance measures and standards, including those established by the US Department of Labor, collect and analyze the data, and report to the CCIB. The performance accountability measures as defined by the WIOA are: The percentage of program participants who are in unsubsidized employment during the second quarter after exit from the program The percentage of program participants who are in unsubsidized employment during the fourth quarter after exit from the program The median earnings of program participants who are in unsubsidized employment during the second quarter after exit from the program The percentage of program participants who obtain a recognized postsecondary credential, or a secondary school diploma or its recognized equivalent, during participation in or within 1 year after exit from the program The percentage of program participants who, during a program year, are in an education or training program that leads to a recognized postsecondary credential or employment and who are achieving measurable skill gains toward such credential or employment The indicators of effectiveness of serving employers which will be defined by the US Department of Labor The performance measures and outcomes required by the Career Center Initiative Board for individuals enrolled in a WIOA program are: Outcome* Second Quarter After Exit Fourth Quarter After Exit Employment, FY18 80% 82% Employment, FY19 90% 90% Employment, FY20 and 21 95% 95% Median Wage $15 an hour or $31,000 annually *These standards may be adjusted by the CCIB based on current market conditions or other factors. The three employer measures are: Retention in job with the same employer the second and fourth quarters after exit Employer penetration rate 6
Repeat business customer rate The employer standards or numeric goals have not been established. PSW will negotiate the standards with the career center operator. Section II: The Partners The MSW career center and its affiliated sites (a site which makes available to employer and job seeker customers one or more of the career center s partners programs, services, and activities) are but one component of an integrated workforce development system. See diagram in Attachment E. The career center operator will be responsible for coordinating adult, dislocated worker and youth services with the workforce investment activities of the core partners identified in the WIOA. The partners are: Wagner-Peyser Employment Services Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission Department of Transitional Assistance Adult Education and Literacy Providers Older Americans Act Providers Department of Unemployment Insurance Veterans Trade Adjustment Act Massachusetts Commission for the Blind The operator will work with the partners to create a referral system with codified standards and processes. Specifically, the system will include standardized service pathways for customers, common intake procedures and assessments, and procedures to ensure consistent, and regular communication between partners. The operator will implement a quality control system to ensure that data is captured and is accurate. For a statement of the purpose, services and outcomes for each program, see Attachment F. The memorandum of understanding (MOU) to be signed by the partners is Attachment G, effective July 1, 2017. This MOU, including staffing and financial contributions, is subject to modification. Section III. Operations Staffing The selected career center operator will hire, assign and supervise staff responsible for the delivery of WIOA Title I Adult, Dislocated Worker and Youth services. In order to capitalize upon their workforce development experience, in the event that the current operator is not selected, the selected applicant is encouraged to interview staff of the current operator. 7
The operator will be responsible for functional supervision of partner staff providing services within the career center. Functional supervision means assigning and overseeing the work in agreement with the partners. As of the posting of this RFP, there are 15 state staff assigned to the career center. See job descriptions in Attachment H. At this time the other partners, e.g. TANF, Mass Rehab, have not identified the staff who will be present at the career center. The specific assignments will be established when the career center operator is selected. During the first quarter start up, the operator and staff will participate in the WIOA training to ensure full understanding of the law and its implementation requirements. The specific training modules required for each staff member will depend on their position and role. Data Collection and Reporting The successful bidder must enter participant characteristics, services and outcomes data in MOSES, (the information system the Commonwealth uses to record WIOA data, calculate performance, and report to the US Department of Labor), for both employers and job seekers. Career center staff must complete training and the operator must have systems in place to ensure the completeness and accuracy of the data. A data system to be used by all WIOA partners is under development and expected to be operational during fiscal year 2018. The operator must maintain paper records for job seeker and employer services to comply with WIOA requirements. Contract The contract will be a cost-reimbursement contract. Monthly invoices must be submitted within three weeks of the end of the month. The contractor will be paid within 30 days of the receipt of fully documented expenses. PSW will provide the contractor with guidelines and forms. The contract terms and conditions are included in Attachment I. Section IV. The Proposal Eligible Bidders PSW recognizes that there are few organizations which can claim expertise in all areas and we encourage and welcome applications from organizations choosing to collaborate with others. A lead applicant must be identified on the cover sheet. That organization will be the contact for PSW and will be responsible for communications with the partners listed on this grant application. (This does not include the WIOA Partners listed above.) The bidder may be a private, for profit or non-profit company or a government agency. (Elementary and secondary schools are not eligible bidders.) Eligible bidders include: Institutions of higher education Non-traditional public schools, e.g., night or adult school, career or technical education school A consortium of public agencies. If the consortium is made up of career center partners, it must include a minimum of three of the WIOA required partners. Community organizations 8
Workforce intermediaries Business organizations, including chambers of commerce Labor organizations Staffing or talent companies Successful bidders must have the demonstrated ability to innovate; to design and develop complex programs with multiple sources of funding; achieve, track and report outcomes; and meet government accounting and expense requirements. Submission Requirements and Guidelines Proposal Schedule Deadlines Task Deadline Deadline for Questions May 18 Proposals Due Noon, May 30, 2017 Award Announced June 21, 2017 Please submit a letter of intent to Cindy McComiskey, cmccomiskey@pswinc.org by May 8, 2017. The letter is an expression of interest. It is not a requirement or a commitment to submit a proposal. Proposals are limited to 20 double-spaced 8.5 x 11 pages in 10-point font with one-inch margins on all sides. Additional pages will not be reviewed and scored. The attachments and forms that are required for this submission do not count against the page limit. Do not submit letters of support. They will not be considered. Questions must be emailed to Cindy McComiskey, cmccomiskey@pswinc.org by May 18, 2017. All answers will be posted on the PSW web site, www.pswinc.org within 24 hours.. Proposals must be emailed to Cindy McComiskey, by 12:00 noon, EASTERN STANDARD TIME, Tuesday, May 30, at cmccomiskey@pswinc.org. Bidders located outside EASTERN STANDARD TIME must adjust their deadline accordingly to ensure proposals are received no later than 12:00 PM EST. Late proposals will not be accepted. It is strongly suggested that you send the proposal requesting a delivery receipt confirming that the message was delivered to the recipient s e-mail server and/or read receipt confirming the recipient viewed the message. The bidder is solely responsible under all circumstances and conditions to ensure receipt of bid materials. Reviewing and Scoring Process Applications will be reviewed by staff for completeness. Incomplete proposals will not be scored. The process will be led by a Career Center Proposal Review Team whose members may include the WIOA Partners as well as PSW board members. The review of each complete application will include: 9
Proposal ratings and cost price analysis. Complete applications will be reviewed and scored by members of the Career Center Proposal Review Team. Each section will be rated unacceptable, weak, good, or exemplary according to a numeric score assigned by the reader. The table in Attachment J contains the qualitative and numeric ratings for each section of the proposal. Interview. Each applicant will be invited to an interview with the Career Center Proposal Review Team. The team will rate the interview on two dimensions: understanding the PSW business model and demonstration of ability and willingness to work with PSW Board of Directors and relevant committees or initiative boards with a focus and flexibility of a growth mindset to continually improve the career center in MSW. Clarifying questions. Each applicant will be asked to respond, in writing, to the questions that emerge during the scoring of the proposal and submit the questions by June 7 to the review team for consideration at their final meeting. Reference checks. The Chair of the CCIB or her designee(s) will make reasonable attempts to contact each of the references supplied by the applicants. The results of each of these components of the review will be a factor considered by the review team in shaping its recommendation to the Career Center Initiative Board who will then make a recommendation to the Metro Southwest Workforce Investment Board to be voted on June 21, 2017. PSW reserves the right to modify the RFP to comply with any forthcoming requirements or clarification provided by the US Department of Labor or the State, and will post notification of such amendments to its website. PSW also reserves the right to contact applicants for clarification or negotiation, to extend or revise any deadlines, and to reject any and all proposals, in whole or in part, if deemed to be in the best interest of PSW. PSW may negotiate the terms of the contract prior to issuing the grant award. For appeals of the funding decision, See Attachment K. The first level of appeal of the funding decision must be filed in writing with the Local Complaint Officer, Christine Miller, at Partnerships for a Skilled Workforce, 420 Lakeside Avenue, Suite 301, Marlborough, MA 01752. Section V. Narrative and Work Plan The operator must implement the business model presented in this RFP. This proposal is an operations plan delineating the actions necessary to implement the business model. It is not a strategic document in which you present a new model. Please address each section and the questions in the order in which they are presented. The Business Model Welcome Center: Headquarters (0-5) Under WIOA, there must be one bricks and mortar center where all services are available and the WIOA Partners have a presence. Where might you locate this center and why? What are the standards you will establish for the highest level of customer service? Please describe and list the services that people will receive at the Welcome Center. What are the needs of the people you will refer to units within the center? What needs will prompt you to 10
refer people to one or more of the Partners in the network? What knowledge and skills will you require for people staffing the Welcome Center and what professional development will be required so that staff have the skills? How many people will you enroll in the bricks and mortar center in the first year of operations? Welcome Centers: Auxiliary Centers (satellite or mini-centers) (0-5) As described in a previous section of this request for proposals, access to services will be increased by distributing welcome centers or mini-centers throughout the region in addition to the bricks and mortar center. The final design will be developed during contract negotiations, but please share your thoughts about the design of the mini-centers. Assume that two to three mini-centers will be opened in FY2018. In what towns might they be located? How would you leverage space by working with municipalities, libraries, WIOA Partners, etc. That is, where might you locate the center within a town? Please list the services that will be available. What are the days and hours of operation? How many people would be served in each of the two to three centers in the first year of operations? Career Navigation Center (0-10) What skills must the career navigators have and, if they do not have them at hire, what professional development will be available? Describe the career exploration process and how labor market information informs career and training decisions. How many people will use the services of the Career Navigation Unit in year one? What steps will you take to expand access to scholarships and other funds beyond WIOA to pay for training? Job Services Suite (0-10) Please list the services that will be available in the Job Services Suite in the first year of operation? What would you add in subsequent years? What steps must you take to create both the physical and virtual components of the Job Services Suite? How will job seekers learn about the services? What assistance will job seekers be given to fully use the technology? 11
What must be installed or services developed to make the job services suite accessible to people with disabilities and people whose native language is not English? How many individuals do you estimate will use the job service suite in year one? The Employer Marketplace (0-20) Describe or map the job placement process (1) the process for individuals finding jobs through the career center and (2) the process for companies finding employees through the career center. How many individuals will find a job through the Employer Marketplace in year one as a result of the matching system? What services will be available to employers with an assigned account manager? How many employer accounts will be developed in year one? Describe the method for building the employer database referred to on page 4 of this request for proposals. Technology (0-10) Discuss how you will (or will not) use technology to (1) provide services, (2) improve the customer experience and the quality of services, (3) increase the number of customers you are able to serve; (4) collect and use customer feedback, (5) reduce labor costs, and (6) reduce redundancy in the system. Identify the platforms and software packages that you will use and the ways in which they will be used to integrate the services across the career center. This is in addition to use of MOSES that is a requirement. Target Population (0-10) Describe the characteristics and needs of the targeted job seeker population and the ways in which the program design will meet those needs, including capacity to serve non-native English speakers. How will you balance the needs of job seekers with the needs of employers? Performance: Enrollment, Outcomes and Customer Satisfaction (0-15) Discuss the strategies and quality control mechanisms you would use to ensure that your enrollment, outcome, and customer satisfaction goals are met for both job seekers and employers. How would you define and measure customer satisfaction? What quality control mechanisms will you use to ensure that the data entered into MOSES is both complete and accurate? 12
Integration of Services: Coordination and Collaboration with the WIOA Partners (0-10) Discuss the steps you will take to create an integrated, efficient and effective service delivery system, including but not limited to leveraging the resources of the partners to improve the quality of programming and services delivered through the career centers. The MOU is Attachment G. How would you develop consensus and organize the partners? How will you organize the partners to complete ongoing projects identified in the MOU or required by WIOA? Work Plan (0-5) Complete the work plan, Form 3. The transition to a new system will begin on July 1, 2017. Organizational Capacity (0-15) Briefly describe a recent federal or state funded program you have operated. What was the expected goal or outcome? What was the budget? What was your performance? Please provide a copy of the report which you were required to submit to the funding agency, including an assessment of your performance against goals. Describe a state or federally funded project in which your organization failed to meet enrollment and outcome performance targets. Provide the metrics, including budget, numbers to be served, numbers actually served, planned outcomes and actual outcomes. Provide reasons for the lack of performance, what course corrections you executed, when, and what was the cost impact of the failed project. What did you learn? How have you changed your business because of performance failure? Provide a job description for the career center director, include his or her resume, and state the reasons why the person is qualified for the job. Provide an organizational chart for career center staff and job descriptions for each position. The job descriptions should include the qualifications necessary to do the job. Both staff on your payroll and those on the partners staff should be included. Describe a training program to prepare all staff, including partner staff. How will staff members be held accountable for customer service and achieving the goals, what are the incentives for excellent performance, and what are the consequences for not performing? Describe a professional development program that supports excellent customer service and innovation. Include a plan for raising money to augment the funds provided through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. Describe your experience and systems for collecting demographic and outcome data. Describe the quality control systems you used. What are the staff qualifications and systems that must be in place to produce reports on program operations and to evaluate the service delivery system for both employers and job seekers? Provide examples of your past work. Please describe your priorities what will you accomplish in the first 90 days? In the first 180 days? 13
Financial Management (0-10) Please provide two documents: the audit for the last fiscal year and last month s financial statement (income statement and balance sheet). Please attach a Certificate of Good Standing and/or Tax Compliance from the Department of Revenue in your state issued within the last six months. Section VI. Budget (0-15) Up to $1.5 million will be available for the period beginning on July 1, 2017 and ending on June 30, 2018. Please complete the attached budget form, Form 4, and add a narrative that explains the cost included in each line item and the method for calculating the cost. Section VII. Forms Section VIII. Attachments 14