SOW_draft.pdf

Subject:

The Federal Bureau of Prisons, Field Acquisition Office, intends to make a single award to an accredited post-secondary institution, vocational training or industry-based school that will be responsible for providing instruction in a Basic Welding Certification Program for the inmate population located at the AUSP Thomson, Illinois. Successful completion of the training program must qualify inmates for at least entry-level employment in the welding trade upon release.

Place of Performance:

Occupational training instruction will be performed in classrooms at the contractor’s facility.

The contractor’s facilities shall be no further than 50 miles from AUSP Thomson (1100 One Mile Road, Thomson, IL 61285) in order to be considered for contract award.

Schedule:

The contractor will normally provide instruction five hours of instruction per day, 5 days per week, excluding Federal Holidays. Work hours will normally be between 9:00 A.M. through 2:00 P.M. These hours may be adjusted by mutual agreement of both parties.

Due to the nature of the correctional setting, delays in performance of work may be experienced.

Such delays may include but are not limited to inclement weather, electrical or mechanical problems, or other security matters.

Education and Qualifications:

The contractor shall not be a self-employed individual or individual employed by a post-secondary institution. The contract must be between AUSP Thomson and awarded post-secondary institution, vocational training school or industry-based school.

The occupational education program must fall under the provider’s umbrella of accreditation and lead to transferrable credits resulting in a college certificate, A.A., A.A.S. or A.S. degree.

Industry-accepted certification is also acceptable. Providers must be accredited by a recognized accrediting agency. If required for employment, certification tests from outside organizations may be administered to individual inmates upon completion of a specific occupational education program. However, the individual skill competency certification will not replace the training program’s overall accreditation.

The occupational education program must lead to a college certificate, A.A., A. S., A.A.S. or industry-recognized certificate qualifying inmates for at least an entry-level position of employment. Credits earned from the college certificate, A.A., A.S., or A.A.S. must be transferrable to a four-year college.

Four-year degree programs and programs in liberal arts/general studies are not authorized, although limited and specific courses of a liberal arts/general studies nature may be permitted if directly related to preparation for a specific occupation or vocation.

Supplies and Equipment:

The contractor will provide the following supplies, equipment, and curriculum materials:

One set of textbooks, workbooks and other tools and materials customarily provided to college level students for each course for 12 students for each contract performance period. Textbooks shall be utilized from one class to the next and one contract performance period to the next until there is an edition change. The contractor shall be responsible for bearing the expense of providing updated textbooks resulting from edition changes, in the quantities set forth herein.

Textbooks provided by the contractor may be “used” as long as they are in a condition customarily deemed acceptable for use by college-level students.

AUSP will be responsible for providing replacements for any textbooks, workbooks, etc which are lost, misplaced, confiscated or destroyed after issuance to the student.

The contractor may make recommendations to the Supervisor of Education pertaining to the selection and purchase of additional supplies and equipment.

Description of Duties:

The contractor will provide instruction for a Basic Welding Certification Program in accordance with Bureau of Prisons Program Statement 5353.01, Occupational Education Programs, and Bureau of Prisons Program Statement 5300.21, Education, Training and Leisure Time Program Standards.

Twenty-forty percent (20-40%) of the curriculum’s competencies must be hands-on replication of the actual work environment. Application of hands-on work must be occupational in nature.

An institution live work project may be utilized to demonstrate or apply hands-on competencies.

Electronic or computer-based simulation does not satisfy the hands-on or live work requirement.

The Supervisor of Education must approve live work projects.

Marketable programs shall afford inmates the opportunity to gain in demand skills in a specific occupation, industry, or trade. The marketable program must qualify inmate graduates for at least an entry-level position in the welding trade. As a precondition of the proposal for the contract, the contractor shall specify in writing to the Supervisor of Education the position(s) of employment for which inmate graduates will be eligible to apply.

The Supervisor of Education shall determine the minimum and maximum number of enrollments. However, the Government anticipates that a minimum of 6 students and a maximum of 12 students will be enrolled in the program each performance period. Instructors are responsible for the maintenance of transcripts, student attendance records, statistics, and certification records.

The contractor will provide a written curriculum which establishes measurable behavioral objectives and procedures. The curriculum must include clear criteria which establish minimum expectations for program completion, provisions for the assessment of student progress, must identify the hands-on competencies and must require the students to demonstrate them. In addition to core classes needed to attain a college certificate, an industry-accepted certificate, an

Associate in Arts degree (A.A.), an Associate in Science degree (A.S.), or an Associate in

Applied Science degree (A.A.S.), the curriculum must also include a course on resume development.

The contractor shall assist in the recruitment of employers affiliated with the identified occupation to participate in the institution’s mock job fair.

Inmate Management:

Provision of services will require frequent and unsupervised contact with inmates. The inmates eligible for this program have been classified by the Bureau of Prisons as minimum security. Inmates designated with this security classification have Bureau of Prisons approval to transport themselves in a Bureau of Prisons issued vehicle to/from the contractor’s facility. The inmate students will not be accompanied by a Bureau of Prisons staff member.

The contract employee shall not be responsible for the management of any inmates, other than to ensure inmates involved within the contract’s scope of work abide by all rules to ensure their safety and well-being. The contractor is to constantly be aware of security and maintain a professional relationship with inmates at all times. Any violation of the institution rules and regulations are to be brought immediately to the attention of any Government employee employed at the institution. The contractor will be required to provide documentation to the COR, or designee, of any infractions of institutional rules and regulations by inmates for proper action.

The successful contractor shall attend the Institution Familiarization Orientation program prior to assuming contract involvement. The program is approximately four hours in length.

Reimbursement to the contractor for the time spent in the institution orientation or other specific security related training shall be included in the cost per student certification.