20230822 Transcript SEP Training and Tech Services RFR Prebid Conference.docx

0:0:0.0 --> 0:0:1.660 Public Meeting Space 2 Do you want to just message a list to start?

0:0:3.370 --> 0:0:4.860 Public Meeting Space 2 You tell him here, OK?

0:0:4.980 --> 0:0:7.20 Alisa Stack Alright, alright, I'll get.

0:0:7.810 --> 0:0:8.700 Alisa Stack I'll get started.

0:0:8.770 --> 0:0:9.530 Alisa Stack Thank you everyone.

0:0:12.410 --> 0:0:17.70 Williams, Robert (SDO) Thank you to indeed, Instagram instantly delivers slowly candidates matching your drive.

0:0:18.300 --> 0:0:18.930 Williams, Robert (SDO) Indeed.com.

0:0:12.120 --> 0:0:26.370 Alisa Stack Thank you for joining the Cannabis Control Commission today to discuss our request for response on an acquisition of professional training and technical assistance services and materials to support applicants and licensees participating in the social equity program.

0:0:28.520 --> 0:0:47.120 Alisa Stack They commissioned social equity program is a jewel in the crown for the Commission and central to our mission to encourage and enable full participation in the marijuana industry by people from communities that have been previously disproportionately harmed by marijuana prohibition and enforcement, and how we can positively impact those communities.

0:0:47.230 --> 0:0:47.980 Williams, Robert (SDO) This own it.

0:0:49.30 --> 0:1:1.590 Alisa Stack Commission is entering its fourth round of this programming and because of the importance of the program and learning from our past requests for response, we wanted to use this opportunity to outreach to our bidders.

0:1:3.740 --> 0:1:12.470 Alisa Stack Additionally, this is a way in which we want to live our values by encouraging small, disadvantaged and other businesses to respond to this request for response.

0:1:13.680 --> 0:1:20.660 Alisa Stack I'm grateful to Catherine Thomas and others from the Supplier Diversity Office for joining us today and supporting our efforts in this way.

0:1:22.780 --> 0:1:29.870 Alisa Stack And before we move to the agenda, I wanted to ask everybody from the Commission to introduce themselves and then uh Dan Billings will take us through the agenda.

0:1:30.100 --> 0:1:33.730 Alisa Stack So I'm going to start with our Chief Communication officer.

0:1:34.340 --> 0:1:35.190 Alisa Stack Go ahead, Sir.

0:1:35.850 --> 0:1:36.220 Cedric Sinclair Hello.

0:1:36.230 --> 0:1:51.460 Cedric Sinclair Cedric Sinclair, Chief communications officer at the Commission, in addition to the Communications Department, I manage the equity program community outreach that's under the Director Williams leadership and the Government Affairs and Policy.

0:1:51.630 --> 0:1:52.30 Cedric Sinclair Thank you.

0:1:52.80 --> 0:1:52.330 Public Meeting Space 2 No.

0:1:54.830 --> 0:1:56.670 Alisa Stack And we'll go to Celia Williams, please.

0:2:0.540 --> 0:2:1.150 Silea Williams Good afternoon.

0:2:1.160 --> 0:2:2.690 Silea Williams My name is Celia Williams.

0:2:2.760 --> 0:2:11.710 Silea Williams As mentioned by my chief, I am the director of equity programming and Community outreach for the Cannabis Control Commission.

0:2:14.820 --> 0:2:15.780 Alisa Stack And then I also see.

0:2:16.190 --> 0:2:18.750 Alisa Stack Umm Aquila Armstrong from the Commission.

0:2:21.710 --> 0:2:22.850 Public Meeting Space 2 Good afternoon everyone.

0:2:22.860 --> 0:2:28.980 Public Meeting Space 2 My name's Aquila Armstrong and I'm a project coordinator within the equity programming community Outreach Department here at the Cannabis Control Commission.

0:2:31.540 --> 0:2:37.800 Alisa Stack And before I turn it over, Dan Umm, I also we also have uh Betsy helping us keep everything organized.

0:2:39.900 --> 0:2:40.770 Public Meeting Space 2 Good afternoon everyone.

0:2:40.780 --> 0:2:44.290 Public Meeting Space 2 I'm Betsy label and the office manager here with the Commission and we're glad to have everyone.

0:2:45.670 --> 0:2:47.590 Alisa Stack Did I miss anybody from the Commission?

0:2:51.210 --> 0:2:53.460 Alisa Stack All right, with a negative response, I think I didn't.

0:2:53.470 --> 0:2:57.330 Alisa Stack So again, welcome to everybody who's joining us and Dan turning it over to you.

0:2:58.820 --> 0:2:59.630 Public Meeting Space 2 Thank you.

0:2:59.860 --> 0:3:0.650 Public Meeting Space 2 I'm Dan Billings.

0:3:0.660 --> 0:3:3.770 Public Meeting Space 2 I'm the procurement manager for the Cannabis Control Commission.

0:3:3.910 --> 0:3:13.590 Public Meeting Space 2 I'm really excited to be here presenting in front of you all this pre bid meeting is kind of one of the more of the more important things in my job responsibilities.

0:3:14.360 --> 0:3:22.130 Public Meeting Space 2 I really you know the intent of this is I know that RFR's in working with Kambis can be intimidating at times.

0:3:22.140 --> 0:3:22.490 Public Meeting Space 2 Times.

0:3:22.500 --> 0:3:27.490 Public Meeting Space 2 There's a lot of different steps with both the RFR response and submitting it in Columbia.

0:3:27.500 --> 0:3:39.780 Public Meeting Space 2 So really, the main goal here is to help educate anybody that may have any concerns or any type of really citizens that's needed with submitting a bid.

0:3:40.50 --> 0:3:55.20 Public Meeting Space 2 I'm going to go over kind of like the high level overview of the RR and more if the tactical aspects of this bid and then I'll turn it over to Celia, who go more into a deep dive of what we would be asking for you all to be submitting to.

0:3:55.30 --> 0:4:2.180 Public Meeting Space 2 So with that said, I'm going to jump right in to the intent of the RFR next slide, please.

0:4:3.350 --> 0:4:11.150 Public Meeting Space 2 As you know, the Commission is responsible for safely, equitably and effectively implementing the laws governing the adult use and medical use.

0:4:11.160 --> 0:4:12.910 Public Meeting Space 2 Marijuana in the Commonwealth.

0:4:13.320 --> 0:4:47.60 Public Meeting Space 2 There's a bunch of specific GL codes there, but the big biggest takeaway is Regulation 935, CMR 500.105, which requires the Commission to establish the social equity program to provide training and technical assistance to eligible applicants and licenses licensees, which may include but shall not be limited to, management recruitment and a pulley trainings accounting and sales forecasting, tax prediction in compliance, legal compliance, business plan creation and operational development.

0:4:47.590 --> 0:4:49.920 Public Meeting Space 2 Marijuana industry best practices.

0:4:50.290 --> 0:4:56.650 Public Meeting Space 2 Assistance with identifying or raising funds or capital and finally other topics that clinicians will identify.

0:4:59.820 --> 0:5:0.220 Public Meeting Space 2 That's right.

0:5:4.50 --> 0:5:5.80 Public Meeting Space 2 Some more the better.

0:5:5.90 --> 0:5:24.90 Public Meeting Space 2 For background, the the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission, we are soliciting responses from bidders for the acquisition of professional training and Technical assistance services and materials to support applicants and licensees participating in the social equity program, which was established on that 935 CMR.

0:5:25.190 --> 0:5:38.460 Public Meeting Space 2 Generally, Sep participants who have been impacted by marijuana prohibition are or are coming from communities that have been disproportionately sorry impacted by marital provision, are eligible to participate in the program.

0:5:38.950 --> 0:5:43.720 Public Meeting Space 2 Eligibility for the program is set forth in those in that CMR code.

0:5:45.250 --> 0:5:52.680 Public Meeting Space 2 The program will connect qualified vendors with program participants who will be on a pre service selected curriculum tracks.

0:5:52.930 --> 0:5:57.800 Public Meeting Space 2 Tracks will be chosen based on the program participants area of interest in the canvas industry.

0:5:58.70 --> 0:6:1.400 Public Meeting Space 2 Their current skill sets and knowledge base and their desired goals.

0:6:1.670 --> 0:6:13.240 Public Meeting Space 2 Each track will provide comprehensive programming and on hands guidance coupled with hands on skills based training to those who are most impacted by marijuana probation and enforcement.

0:6:13.590 --> 0:6:21.780 Public Meeting Space 2 I just want to stop there quickly and just called out that there is a lot going on with their R there's a lot of different tasks and aspects of it.

0:6:22.30 --> 0:6:27.40 Public Meeting Space 2 We are not asking for bitters to bid on the entire program itself.

0:6:27.50 --> 0:6:59.650 Public Meeting Space 2 You can you can select on certain aspects of the bids, just make sure to call that out as you're submitting the bid process the bid the program aims aims to decrease the disparities in our life in life outcomes for people from communities that have been disproportionately harmed by marijuana law enforcement and improve the quality of life in areas of disportionately impact and reduce barriers to entry into promote sustainable socially and economically repair reparative practices in the regulated cannabis industry in the Commonwealth.

0:7:1.990 --> 0:7:2.320 Hubert Williams (Guest) So that's.

0:7:1.470 --> 0:7:2.570 Public Meeting Space 2 The number of ward.

0:7:3.470 --> 0:7:4.20 Public Meeting Space 2 Oops, sorry.

0:7:4.30 --> 0:7:8.60 Public Meeting Space 2 Somebody just coming through there, the number of wars that we were seeking are multiple.

0:7:8.690 --> 0:7:16.190 Public Meeting Space 2 The target maximum number is 5 though, and this is a target number, we may select more or fewer based on the needs of the program.

0:7:17.420 --> 0:7:27.180 Public Meeting Space 2 The initial contract duration is 12 months with two options to renew for additional 12 months for a total maximum contract of 36 months.

0:7:28.70 --> 0:7:30.840 Public Meeting Space 2 This is our rolling R which I do want to call out.

0:7:30.970 --> 0:7:35.840 Public Meeting Space 2 So under a rolling R far, the process, the procurement process actually never technically closes.

0:7:36.170 --> 0:7:39.460 Public Meeting Space 2 So this bid is open till June 30th, 2024.

0:7:39.590 --> 0:7:43.240 Public Meeting Space 2 So we will accept bids until that point.

0:7:43.460 --> 0:7:52.280 Public Meeting Space 2 It's preferable that we get bids are received sooner rather than later, but we have until that time to to receive bids and evaluate bids.

0:7:56.460 --> 0:7:59.230 Public Meeting Space 2 Audit, security and confidentiality for this procurement.

0:7:59.480 --> 0:8:2.700 Public Meeting Space 2 So for security confidential confidentiality.

0:8:2.710 --> 0:8:11.410 Public Meeting Space 2 Sorry, the contractor shall comply fully with all security procedures of the Commonwealth and Commonwealth agencies and performance of the contract.

0:8:11.780 --> 0:8:31.190 Public Meeting Space 2 The contractor shall not divulge the third parties any confidential information obtained by the contract by the contractors or its agents, distributors, resellers, subcontractors, officers or employees in the course of performing contract work, which includes, but is not limited to security procedures, business operations, information.

0:8:32.40 --> 0:9:8.150 Public Meeting Space 2 Personally identified information or commercially proprietary information in the possession of the Commonwealth Agency for audit purposes during the term of this agreement for a period of seven years thereafter, the Cannabis Control Commission and its auditors, the operational Operational Service Division, the Office of the Specter, General or authorized Representative as shall be afforded access at a reasonable times to the contractors accounting records, including sales information on any system reports or files in order to audit all records relating to goods and goods sold or services performed pursuant to this agreement.

0:9:9.160 --> 0:9:9.620 Public Meeting Space 2 Next slide.

0:9:11.50 --> 0:9:19.870 Public Meeting Space 2 So if all the things that we're gonna present today, this is one of the most important slides that I want to highlight, the bid was released on June 7th.

0:9:19.880 --> 0:9:22.460 Public Meeting Space 2 So it's been out there for about a six weeks.

0:9:22.890 --> 0:9:24.920 Public Meeting Space 2 Today is the the online business conference.

0:9:24.930 --> 0:9:32.330 Public Meeting Space 2 So welcome again, and the two next biggest deadlines I want to call out are the bid amendment deadlines.

0:9:32.340 --> 0:9:35.70 Public Meeting Space 2 So that is on September 28th of this year.

0:9:37.60 --> 0:9:42.630 Public Meeting Space 2 At that point, the Commission cannot amend the RFR in any way, way shape or form.

0:9:43.120 --> 0:9:45.950 Public Meeting Space 2 I want to call that out just to be alert.

0:9:45.960 --> 0:9:49.740 Public Meeting Space 2 Any bidders that submit a response prior to that date?

0:9:49.820 --> 0:9:50.70 Public Meeting Space 2 Right.

0:9:51.170 --> 0:9:56.880 Public Meeting Space 2 If we were to change it, we would ask you to revise your quote.

0:9:56.980 --> 0:10:4.750 Public Meeting Space 2 If the if the amendment affected your quote, your bitter response, in particular if it doesn't affect your bid response, you would be good to go.

0:10:4.760 --> 0:10:14.670 Public Meeting Space 2 But I just want to be mindful of that date that if you submit a bid prior to that date, just check if there's any bit of any bit amendments that take occur to around that date.

0:10:15.560 --> 0:10:23.720 Public Meeting Space 2 The next biggest date is the closing date, so this is the date that we cannot accept any bids any after that date.

0:10:23.730 --> 0:10:27.480 Public Meeting Space 2 So we use combines for procurements and combines.

0:10:27.490 --> 0:10:29.360 Public Meeting Space 2 Is literally shut down.

0:10:29.370 --> 0:10:34.80 Public Meeting Space 2 It will not accept any bids after 5:00 PM on June 28th, 2024.

0:10:34.90 --> 0:10:35.600 Public Meeting Space 2 So that is what?

0:10:35.610 --> 0:10:44.10 Public Meeting Space 2 If there's any takeaways from this pre bid meeting is that is the date that we cannot accept any bid responses after that date.

0:10:44.290 --> 0:10:50.960 Public Meeting Space 2 So if you have a response, I would, you know, week before or whenever you're ready to submit it, get it in there because you don't want to be late the last second.

0:10:52.960 --> 0:10:53.910 Public Meeting Space 2 So just call that out.

0:10:53.920 --> 0:10:54.690 Public Meeting Space 2 Circle it.

0:10:55.460 --> 0:10:58.550 Public Meeting Space 2 Make sure you're you're aware of that date.

0:11:0.650 --> 0:11:2.620 Public Meeting Space 2 Again, this is a rolling procurement.

0:11:2.630 --> 0:11:5.40 Public Meeting Space 2 So the Q&A typically for Q&A.

0:11:5.50 --> 0:11:15.640 Public Meeting Space 2 It closes a lot quicker, but since this procurement is a rolling R, we are keeping this open until May, so you have time to ask questions.

0:11:15.830 --> 0:11:22.260 Public Meeting Space 2 We will have a Q&A at the end of this pre bid presentation where you can ask questions.

0:11:22.270 --> 0:11:33.820 Public Meeting Space 2 We ask will ask for you to submit your questions via teams via the chat feature, and you'll also have time after this presentation until May to submit questions.

0:11:33.830 --> 0:11:42.250 Public Meeting Space 2 So if you have questions, if you're driving home, if you think of it a week from now after you, you know you've been looking through the R, you have time, you have time to ask questions.

0:11:42.260 --> 0:11:44.950 Public Meeting Space 2 Just you have to utilize the Q&A feature in Cowboys.

0:11:46.410 --> 0:11:49.610 Public Meeting Space 2 Next slide, the evaluation process.

0:11:50.130 --> 0:11:54.600 Public Meeting Space 2 So we are going to evaluate the RFR in three phases.

0:11:54.930 --> 0:12:4.900 Public Meeting Space 2 So the first phase one review will essentially just make sure that any bids that we receive are they met the minimum requirements that we set forth.

0:12:4.910 --> 0:12:24.0 Public Meeting Space 2 So fully completed bidders response form prompt pay discount form just all the minimum requirements that were make sure those were met and if they were met, you would be you would be moved to phase two evaluation if there were any issues with the response.

0:12:24.10 --> 0:12:31.130 Public Meeting Space 2 There are bid revisions that can take place, but that would happen in phase one, so phase one is more of a gut check.

0:12:31.140 --> 0:12:32.590 Public Meeting Space 2 Make sure everything looks right.

0:12:32.880 --> 0:12:56.560 Public Meeting Space 2 Phase two is when we go more into our traditional scoring evaluation, the way we will evaluate each bid that comes in, we will grade it on a scale of 100 points and this will be based on your responses to our the bidders response form in the prompt pay discount form in the SDO form, which I will go over in the next slide.

0:12:58.530 --> 0:13:2.700 Public Meeting Space 2 Just a reminder, I'll go over this in a minute, but I'll the bidder response form.

0:13:2.710 --> 0:13:8.600 Public Meeting Space 2 All the attachments that are in combis need to be fully completed I that goes more to the phase one review.

0:13:8.610 --> 0:13:12.960 Public Meeting Space 2 But just another reminder, before submitting your bid, just go over the checklist.

0:13:12.970 --> 0:13:15.440 Public Meeting Space 2 Make sure that you're submitting everything that is required.

0:13:16.130 --> 0:13:16.530 Public Meeting Space 2 Next slide.

0:13:18.190 --> 0:13:19.480 Public Meeting Space 2 So this is the bid.

0:13:19.540 --> 0:13:22.210 Public Meeting Space 2 This is the remote package checklist that was just mentioning.

0:13:23.980 --> 0:13:28.320 Public Meeting Space 2 Again, please fully read the RFR in its entirety, including all the attachments.

0:13:29.950 --> 0:13:32.580 Public Meeting Space 2 The biggest thing, as I mentioned before, is the bidders response form.

0:13:32.590 --> 0:13:38.100 Public Meeting Space 2 That includes your bitter information, your pricing file, any certifications, and then references.

0:13:38.590 --> 0:14:1.80 Public Meeting Space 2 There are other forms that are included like I mentioned before, the supplier diversity form the prompt pay discount form to Department of Revenue Letter of Good Standing which comes from the Secretary of State's office and any additional documents submitted for review specific for this RFR we there is an advanced course curriculum overview that is provided and that's also extremely important.

0:14:1.90 --> 0:14:8.770 Public Meeting Space 2 Important please review that cilia will go over that in a couple minutes, but that is generally kind of the curriculum.

0:14:9.100 --> 0:14:23.340 Public Meeting Space 2 Some of the main points that we want to achieve as part of this RFR are within that course curriculum, so please review all the forms that I just listed, but make sure you read that one, especially because that's what we would expect you to do.

0:14:24.230 --> 0:14:30.770 Public Meeting Space 2 If you were awarded the RR next slide, these are training opportunities.

0:14:30.780 --> 0:14:51.850 Public Meeting Space 2 So I just want to call out if you have any questions in regards to RFR itself, the form and any questions in regards to any of the documents, please utilize the combined Q&A feature if you have any questions like tactically please put them in there, I can answer it if you have any questions.

0:14:51.860 --> 0:14:56.670 Public Meeting Space 2 With Kambis I'm an attach this deck to combis after the fact.

0:14:56.880 --> 0:15:6.120 Public Meeting Space 2 This slide right here is a listing of all the combines trading that the Operational Services Division offers, and I definitely want to call these out.

0:15:6.130 --> 0:15:11.910 Public Meeting Space 2 There's some really cool and very helpful trainings that occur if you have me.

0:15:11.960 --> 0:15:23.510 Public Meeting Space 2 If you've, if you use comma eyes and it was a little intimidating in regards to submitting a bid, there's a how to how to locate and respond to combines bid solicitation classes, their virtual.

0:15:23.520 --> 0:15:24.970 Public Meeting Space 2 You don't have to go in anywhere.

0:15:24.980 --> 0:15:25.830 Public Meeting Space 2 There are hour and a half.

0:15:25.840 --> 0:15:26.740 Public Meeting Space 2 They're fantastic.

0:15:26.870 --> 0:15:28.990 Public Meeting Space 2 They'll walk you through submitting a bid.

0:15:29.310 --> 0:15:38.410 Public Meeting Space 2 You can take screenshots because it's going to be the same process of submitting a bid for the for the Cannabis Control Commission, they'll just go over a generic one for you.

0:15:39.720 --> 0:15:47.110 Public Meeting Space 2 Very helpful if you have time, I would definitely do that prior to submitting a bid, just so you're comfortable doing it.

0:15:47.120 --> 0:15:53.860 Public Meeting Space 2 When you sit down and finally do it again, they do offer a class for demystifying the RFR.

0:15:54.30 --> 0:16:0.620 Public Meeting Space 2 Again, I would suggest that if you have any questions you can definitely use the Q&A feature and I can answer them, but this is also another class.

0:16:0.630 --> 0:16:1.600 Public Meeting Space 2 It's a 2 hour class.

0:16:2.290 --> 0:16:10.980 Public Meeting Space 2 Excuse me also online, very helpful if you're going to be doing business of the Commission or any really any Commonwealth agency, it's all the same.

0:16:10.990 --> 0:16:16.980 Public Meeting Space 2 It's all the same process, so definitely definitely check that out from the next slide.

0:16:18.400 --> 0:16:19.990 Public Meeting Space 2 Uh, I do want to call out.

0:16:20.0 --> 0:16:22.390 Public Meeting Space 2 There's one additional training that wasn't on the first slide.

0:16:22.400 --> 0:16:24.370 Public Meeting Space 2 It's connecting your business to the Commonwealth.

0:16:24.680 --> 0:16:26.790 Public Meeting Space 2 I did want to call that one out in.

0:16:26.800 --> 0:16:30.170 Public Meeting Space 2 Also, the combines vendors organizational design.

0:16:32.530 --> 0:16:35.800 Public Meeting Space 2 In maintenance, those are very two very good classes.

0:16:35.810 --> 0:16:40.300 Public Meeting Space 2 The maintenance one will help you set up your account specifically, which is also.

0:16:40.310 --> 0:16:55.900 Public Meeting Space 2 It's very helpful because once you're set up and once you link your account to combines, you can put in specific codes that are unique to the Cannabis Control Commission and whenever we put an RR out, you would be alerted automatically.

0:16:55.910 --> 0:16:58.740 Public Meeting Space 2 So it's definitely a cool process.

0:16:58.750 --> 0:17:0.70 Public Meeting Space 2 I would utilize.

0:17:0.80 --> 0:17:0.680 Public Meeting Space 2 They're free.

0:17:0.690 --> 0:17:4.430 Public Meeting Space 2 I guess if I didn't mention that before, it's free utilize them.

0:17:4.440 --> 0:17:15.860 Public Meeting Space 2 It is very, very helpful to do because it can be confusing when you you do your far and then you finally sit, sit down to submit it and now you got to go through Combis take advantage of that.

0:17:15.870 --> 0:17:16.680 Public Meeting Space 2 It is really helpful.

0:17:16.690 --> 0:17:17.910 Public Meeting Space 2 I can't suggest that enough.

0:17:19.400 --> 0:17:23.900 Public Meeting Space 2 And then finally for my last slide, it's just the PMT.

0:17:23.910 --> 0:17:27.840 Public Meeting Space 2 I know Alyssa went around the room, but I kind of wanted to just mention it again.

0:17:28.410 --> 0:17:29.140 Public Meeting Space 2 We are here.

0:17:29.150 --> 0:17:34.10 Public Meeting Space 2 We're resources again, if you're submitting questions, view the Q&A.

0:17:34.20 --> 0:17:36.270 Public Meeting Space 2 This is the team that will help answer them.

0:17:36.560 --> 0:17:39.160 Public Meeting Space 2 So again, if you have any questions, just please reach out.

0:17:41.30 --> 0:17:42.780 Public Meeting Space 2 And that is also.

0:17:42.830 --> 0:17:43.470 Public Meeting Space 2 That's all for me.

0:17:48.830 --> 0:17:49.640 Silea Williams Good afternoon.

0:17:49.650 --> 0:17:58.530 Silea Williams Thank you, Dan, for providing that Super, Super, super resourceful information with regards to RFR process and what we're kind of looking for.

0:17:59.60 --> 0:18:1.540 Silea Williams My first slide is our program design.

0:18:2.690 --> 0:18:12.920 Silea Williams I'm just a little bit of information about our program as you're reading through some of the bullets that are on your screen, our Commission social equity program is a free statewide technical assistance and training program.

0:18:13.310 --> 0:18:20.310 Silea Williams Our program provides education and skill based trainings and tools for success in our cannabis industry.

0:18:21.170 --> 0:18:21.710 Silea Williams Umm.

0:18:23.80 --> 0:18:33.750 Silea Williams The first uh bullet highlights that our technical assistance and training program is composed of four learning tracks over these different interests.

0:18:33.760 --> 0:18:45.560 Silea Williams So entrepreneur core entry reentry ancillary is the the foundational like I guess core tracks that participants can choose once they are accepted into our program.

0:18:48.960 --> 0:18:55.210 Silea Williams Attached to the RFR and I don't have it up here, but attached to the actual RFR, I believe it may be a link.

0:18:55.220 --> 0:19:4.630 Silea Williams When you go into combines or, you're looking at the actual information for what we're looking at, we attached our curriculum, our core curriculum, you know, sheets.

0:19:4.640 --> 0:19:11.670 Silea Williams And then we also that gives you an overview of what each of those tracks kind of entailed.

0:19:11.680 --> 0:19:12.230 Silea Williams Education.

0:19:12.240 --> 0:19:17.330 Silea Williams That and education and skill based trainings that we want to provide our equity participants.

0:19:17.340 --> 0:19:22.50 Silea Williams And then we also had newly delivered our advanced coursework.

0:19:22.180 --> 0:19:33.410 Silea Williams And so the overview of what that curriculum looks like as well in detail of what each of those courses is aiming at, teaching what's attached to the RFR as well.

0:19:33.520 --> 0:19:36.870 Silea Williams So make sure that you are taking a look at that curriculum.

0:19:36.880 --> 0:19:41.790 Silea Williams So you kind of can identify what it is that you feel like.

0:19:41.800 --> 0:19:50.260 Silea Williams You can specialize in when you're submitting a response to our bid, or if you feel like you have a grasp on a plethora of it.

0:19:50.390 --> 0:19:54.420 Silea Williams Just so you know what it is that we're looking for to teach umm.

0:19:57.410 --> 0:20:4.250 Silea Williams And our next slides we will, we will go over like more specific on what those those track overviews are looking like.

0:20:4.660 --> 0:20:10.710 Silea Williams Our curriculum is the curriculum focus is selected by our applicants when they apply for our programming.

0:20:12.30 --> 0:20:23.980 Silea Williams We do have universal courses that everyone is encouraged to be able to take and that really focuses on later on in another slide that will tap on in a second gives.

0:20:23.990 --> 0:20:44.160 Silea Williams Basically, I like to call it that foundational knowledge, that knowledge that people really need on any track, that they any track that they are looking or business venture or even entering the industry will want to go ahead and look at our technical assistance currently is is designed to be self paced and it is highly encouraged.

0:20:44.170 --> 0:20:51.120 Silea Williams It is not required for our programming for our participants to take it, but it's highly encouraged because of the resources that we provide.

0:20:51.210 --> 0:20:57.380 Silea Williams We use a learning management system of which currently all of our courses are tracked.

0:20:57.390 --> 0:20:58.280 Silea Williams If we could go.

0:20:58.290 --> 0:21:1.160 Silea Williams Yeah, we're still on this one program design.

0:21:1.170 --> 0:21:4.820 Silea Williams So all of our curriculum is self paced.

0:21:4.830 --> 0:21:9.770 Silea Williams It's designed for people to be able to move through it at its own, at their own pace.

0:21:10.180 --> 0:21:29.890 Silea Williams Because of the population of the community that we serve, we have a lot of people that have higher education obligations, family obligations, employment obligations and so we wanna make sure that people always know that they have access to our technical assistance and training and they can fit that in as in the design of their life.

0:21:30.160 --> 0:21:40.90 Silea Williams So we're very cognizant of that when we prepare and deliver our courses, we wanna be able to provide flexible live course learning as well.

0:21:40.200 --> 0:21:54.920 Silea Williams So in addition to our talent, LMS, which is our learning management system, housing the curriculum and videos and assignments that people can do at their own pace, we do offer live training.

0:21:55.130 --> 0:22:3.100 Silea Williams This past cohort, we did do that virtual because of the environment that our world was in, but it's also easily accessible.

0:22:3.110 --> 0:22:10.370 Silea Williams So we offer it across our Commonwealth, so that allows people to be able to easily access our live training sessions.

0:22:11.830 --> 0:22:15.0 Silea Williams Those are facilitated again through our talent management learning system.

0:22:15.70 --> 0:22:33.430 Silea Williams They we use their platform zoom to be able to deliver those live coursework that those live training sessions where our vendor at that time would teach the course and then have time to engage with any questions, any examples, any you know live learning scenarios that they were doing.

0:22:34.440 --> 0:22:42.430 Silea Williams I'm in those live lessons are recorded and so then people who aren't able to attend when it's being delivered live can access it again at any time.

0:22:43.140 --> 0:23:0.950 Silea Williams The goal of that is to be able to give morning during the week, let's say weekdays be able to give morning sessions, afternoon sessions, evening sessions and also be able to tap into making course live course training available on the weekends as well.

0:23:1.320 --> 0:23:7.810 Silea Williams So we are trying to build that flexibility in so we can get a range of participation within our live coursework as well.

0:23:7.820 --> 0:23:13.910 Silea Williams So people have an opportunity to engage with our learning partners and get that real technical assistance and support that they're looking for.

0:23:14.640 --> 0:23:20.770 Silea Williams Umm, all cohort participants have access to our programming.

0:23:20.920 --> 0:23:24.810 Silea Williams So because as the industry evolves, so does our technical we.

0:23:25.930 --> 0:23:30.660 Silea Williams So does our technical we strive to make sure that our technical assistance and training program does as well.

0:23:31.570 --> 0:23:46.80 Silea Williams In the past, when we have delivered coursework, we had the the core curriculum right, then we had delivery come online and so we had to cultivate what that learning experience and those those resources that in assistance that we wanted to teach.

0:23:46.230 --> 0:23:53.860 Silea Williams And so that is something when that came online that maybe cohort one and two were not able to be able to take a privilege of taking.

0:23:53.990 --> 0:24:2.740 Silea Williams And so when we deliver coursework, although we may be opening a cohort form all 123 and four are invited to take that coursework.

0:24:2.750 --> 0:24:8.320 Silea Williams You just maybe need to brush up, or maybe there's something that you need to hone in on that you've got expertise on.

0:24:8.330 --> 0:24:22.980 Silea Williams Maybe be, you know, building your business business plan, but you needed to like re, you know, brush up on accounting or working with host community agreements or working with law enforcement and those resources in that education will always be there for you?

0:24:24.520 --> 0:24:27.240 Silea Williams Umm, what else do I wanna cover here?

0:24:27.890 --> 0:24:36.0 Silea Williams Uh, we are gonna get into when we move to a different slide, we'll get into the different types of curriculum under the different tracks.

0:24:36.70 --> 0:25:13.370 Silea Williams But our tracks, the focus on business plan accounting, how to build a sustainable business, predatory lending raising capital, working with municipalities and so really being able to hone in on those things specifically within the cannabis industry that are positives may be hurdles and providing all of that resource and technical assistance and to all of our to all of our participants at no matter where they are in their journey is super, super important and we have people that are coming into our programming that have a plethora of knowledge may have had businesses before.

0:25:13.480 --> 0:25:20.890 Silea Williams And then I'm also serving and supporting participants that are saying that this is a new venture for them and they just don't even know where to start.

0:25:20.980 --> 0:25:23.450 Silea Williams And so everyone is coming from different walks of life.

0:25:23.460 --> 0:25:27.250 Silea Williams And then I have people who licensure is not even something that they're looking for.

0:25:27.300 --> 0:25:30.330 Silea Williams They're looking to reenter or just gain employment.

0:25:30.440 --> 0:25:42.670 Silea Williams They have transferable skills, whether that's upper management or professional careers within the cannabis industry, or they just want to they have a business that will support the cannabis industry.

0:25:42.890 --> 0:25:49.300 Silea Williams And so we serve a plethora of interest within our programming next line.

0:25:51.590 --> 0:26:6.680 Silea Williams So as I have previously mentioned, I was going over the tracks, so these are the four tracks and as you're taking a look at the slide, we it'll give you a brief description of what each of those tracks are looking to focus on and provide support for.

0:26:7.280 --> 0:26:12.400 Silea Williams And so as the most popular everyone feels, I think that everyone thinks this is what we really focus on.

0:26:12.410 --> 0:26:18.160 Silea Williams We support it, but we have a wide variety of focus within our technical assistance and training.

0:26:18.820 --> 0:26:23.160 Silea Williams But the entrepreneur seems to be more it seems to be popular as well, right?

0:26:23.170 --> 0:26:24.70 Silea Williams So these are individuals.

0:26:24.190 --> 0:26:31.230 Silea Williams That are seeking licensure, ship and licensure and ownership within the cannabis industry, and we have subtract.

0:26:31.240 --> 0:26:39.580 Silea Williams So entrepreneur, we have subtracts that individuals can participants can choose from, that would be product manufacturing, delivery, retail cultivation.

0:26:40.960 --> 0:26:51.390 Silea Williams And then this curriculum would focus on what you need to know for that specific focus that you're that you're looking for cause product manufacturing.

0:26:53.710 --> 0:26:59.550 Silea Williams Technical assistance and training would be different or could vary from delivery from retail, from cultivation, right?

0:26:59.560 --> 0:27:17.630 Silea Williams Those are all different learning aspects and so we make sure that if you once you say that you're an entrepreneur, you and you focus down, you'll be able to drill down to what those, those things, those that support and technical senses you'll need for the specific life insurance ownership journey that you're looking for.

0:27:18.890 --> 0:27:29.750 Silea Williams In addition to that, we have, you know, our universal courses and then when we get to the course sheet, you'll kind of see how it's broken down and I'll give some more information about how we've kind of designed that program to look.

0:27:31.160 --> 0:27:42.520 Silea Williams We have our core track is our next track and these are individuals or participants that are interested in cannabis careers in marijuana establishments, really focusing on that managerial and executive level support.

0:27:43.200 --> 0:27:43.700 Silea Williams Umm.

0:27:44.60 --> 0:27:46.810 Silea Williams Being able to see how they can.

0:27:46.820 --> 0:27:54.870 Silea Williams You can come from the private sector or the public sector and how that how your professional experience there can translate into the cannabis industry.

0:27:55.100 --> 0:27:56.690 Silea Williams Where to find those opportunities?

0:27:56.700 --> 0:28:4.610 Silea Williams How to prepare yourself for those opportunities and kind of like what it is to work in those establishments in that regulated environment?

0:28:4.740 --> 0:28:8.150 Silea Williams I'm in really putting those skills to use there.

0:28:8.220 --> 0:28:10.10 Silea Williams We have our entry reentry.

0:28:10.340 --> 0:28:18.10 Silea Williams Our next track is our entry reentry track and these are focusing on people reentering the workforce.

0:28:18.190 --> 0:28:23.160 Silea Williams So starting starting careers within marijuana establishments, these are your bud tenders.

0:28:23.170 --> 0:28:24.360 Silea Williams These are your customer service.

0:28:24.370 --> 0:28:25.490 Silea Williams This is security.

0:28:25.630 --> 0:28:27.720 Silea Williams These are those supportive positions.

0:28:27.730 --> 0:28:30.840 Silea Williams These are those positions that should also be in general.

0:28:30.850 --> 0:28:33.520 Silea Williams We wanna make sure that we are inclusive of a quarry fan.

0:28:33.610 --> 0:28:37.20 Silea Williams The quarry friendly and a hiring environment.

0:28:37.150 --> 0:28:46.20 Silea Williams But these jobs are really focused at either people coming from, you know, reenter, reentering citizens, reentering the workforce.

0:28:46.230 --> 0:29:0.20 Silea Williams I'm looking to put their legacy experience into a regulated market and and and transforming what that that previous experience used to be and putting it to use within the regulated marketplace.

0:29:0.940 --> 0:29:9.880 Silea Williams And so giving people, ah, hell assistance with, you know, resume writing how what is what is it take to work within the industry.

0:29:9.890 --> 0:29:12.210 Silea Williams What are some of the responsibilities that you're gonna look like?

0:29:12.220 --> 0:29:41.360 Silea Williams How can you set yourself apart when you're getting into these starting careers and really establishing your presence there in providing support for people just wanting to work in the industry and our last track isn't Sillery super excited about our super excited about all of our tracks and similarity is really that specialized category where these are individuals not seeking to be licensed or have ownership within the cannabis space.

0:29:41.490 --> 0:29:44.410 Silea Williams But these are businesses that can support cannabis.

0:29:44.420 --> 0:29:45.860 Silea Williams Excuse me, a regulated work?

0:29:46.50 --> 0:29:47.540 Silea Williams Marijuana establishments.

0:29:47.750 --> 0:29:52.80 Silea Williams So these are just to name a few of these are your business professionals.

0:29:52.90 --> 0:29:53.600 Silea Williams These are your account.

0:29:54.10 --> 0:29:55.380 Silea Williams These are your mountains.

0:29:55.430 --> 0:29:56.580 Silea Williams These are these.

0:29:56.590 --> 0:29:57.180 Silea Williams You can.

0:29:57.250 --> 0:29:58.810 Silea Williams I like to be very creative here.

0:29:58.870 --> 0:29:59.500 Silea Williams These are DJ's.

0:29:59.690 --> 0:30:0.340 Silea Williams Are makeup artists.

0:30:0.350 --> 0:30:1.930 Silea Williams These are project planners.

0:30:2.580 --> 0:30:3.970 Silea Williams These are construction workers.

0:30:3.980 --> 0:30:5.470 Silea Williams These are plumbers.

0:30:6.60 --> 0:30:25.380 Silea Williams Tradesmen, this is a plethora of skills that are available to be in this bucket and how do we support them transitioning those supportive skills to businesses with marijuana establishments and so really honing in and how they can take those skills, those businesses, those supportive.

0:30:25.670 --> 0:30:32.920 Silea Williams I'm aspects that they have in translated into the regulated space to support these businesses.

0:30:32.930 --> 0:30:36.180 Silea Williams How you getting out there marketing and making yourself available?

0:30:36.190 --> 0:30:37.600 Silea Williams How does your business?

0:30:37.610 --> 0:30:38.710 Silea Williams How does your business?

0:30:41.380 --> 0:30:45.210 Silea Williams Work with a regulated business and how do you make those pieces fit?

0:30:45.280 --> 0:30:49.310 Silea Williams Like if you're cleaning service, you need to know what is happening when you're coming in.

0:30:49.320 --> 0:31:2.710 Silea Williams If your window washing or whatever the have you, how do you make that as successful as a relationship with our marijuana establishments and super excited to embark on on on really honing in and and lifting up that little category there?

0:31:5.770 --> 0:31:15.740 Silea Williams And my next slide, this is my last slide and this is kind of what I was alluding to in previous conversations about how the curriculum is built out.

0:31:15.750 --> 0:31:28.990 Silea Williams I apologize if I couldn't make this any bigger, but again this information is housed within those supportive documents on our bid on the RFR bid with the with the materials.

0:31:29.990 --> 0:31:40.700 Silea Williams Apologies if I'm, it's alluding me to what that section is called, but on the RFR you'll see two links and they'll be the supporting documentation that I was going over today and this is inclusive of that.

0:31:40.890 --> 0:31:43.630 Silea Williams So at at the top, just let's go through this form really quick.

0:31:43.640 --> 0:31:48.80 Silea Williams We have the entrepreneur core entry entry reentry ancillary.

0:31:48.420 --> 0:31:57.100 Silea Williams Also like to say just to make sure some people don't know what ancillary is like to save vendor services because those are our supportive businesses within the for marijuana establishment.

0:31:57.110 --> 0:32:16.730 Silea Williams So those are our 4 tracks at the top, you'll see that we have our universal courses that's encompassing accounting taxes for cannabis businesses, agent recruitment and training, branding, marketing and advertisement business, plan creation, host community agreements, municipal process, predatory lending and raising capital.

0:32:17.60 --> 0:32:28.850 Silea Williams All of the key aspects, and they feel like first and foremost, super proud of this curriculum here, because the translates and across just being a business owner in general, these are things that you need in.

0:32:29.140 --> 0:32:31.850 Silea Williams These are things that you need to know how to.

0:32:32.120 --> 0:32:35.890 Silea Williams These are staples in any business, but very supportive and our cannabis industry as well.

0:32:36.420 --> 0:32:40.390 Silea Williams So super proud and I'm always pushing people when they have questions.

0:32:40.820 --> 0:32:44.570 Silea Williams You know, this is the curriculum that's here and it's it's very useful.

0:32:44.580 --> 0:32:50.450 Silea Williams So this is our foundation, foundational curriculum, entrepreneur and core tracks.

0:32:50.540 --> 0:32:57.940 Silea Williams It is strongly recommended for people to take these courses before embarking on that track.

0:32:57.950 --> 0:33:1.220 Silea Williams Specific work and what I mean by track specific work.

0:33:1.230 --> 0:33:5.200 Silea Williams We have our retail cultivation you're looking at from me on my screen.

0:33:5.210 --> 0:33:8.990 Silea Williams It is the left column under entrepreneur where it says 14 courses.

0:33:9.0 --> 0:33:12.870 Silea Williams We have our retail cultivation, product manufacturing and delivery courses.

0:33:13.90 --> 0:33:33.630 Silea Williams That's what I mean by like your specific track focuses and within each of those courses we have curriculum that is applicable to each of those focuses and it will let you know about the application and licensing process, cannabis business compliance, facility design and security awareness, working with law enforcement.

0:33:35.360 --> 0:33:54.810 Silea Williams Excuse me, test our testing process and post licensure operations and those are really the found the six foundational courses that you really will help you support getting that up and running and really being able to put that creative idea that you had for your business and your entrepreneurship to pen and paper.

0:33:55.820 --> 0:34:0.530 Silea Williams It's a fruition and then you know how to take that focus and move it forward.

0:34:1.790 --> 0:34:3.840 Silea Williams Then we have our core entry courses.

0:34:4.110 --> 0:34:11.360 Silea Williams They share some track focuses when we enroll people into these courses, but we have management opportunities and business compliance.

0:34:12.470 --> 0:34:45.840 Silea Williams We have introductions to the cannabis plan, entry opportunities, and then you see we have a variety of courses that will fall under the ancillary track and For more information about this, again, I'm going to always, you know, circle back to those curriculum sheets because we've divided it by track and then it gives you where the regulation in the track sheets, which you'll find is that it's going to point you to the regulation that is applicable for whatever track that we are teaching in addition to the objective of what we're looking to teach and all of the principles underneath said course.

0:34:47.920 --> 0:34:53.650 Silea Williams And then we have our skilled base trainings and this was a little bit difficult to be able to deliver online.

0:34:53.660 --> 0:34:55.30 Silea Williams But we did do it successfully.

0:34:55.40 --> 0:35:3.410 Silea Williams This go around, but in past practice these were in the field like of course is designed to be in the field.

0:35:3.420 --> 0:35:12.840 Silea Williams You can get some hands on skilled base experience here and we were able to translate that the best that we could to the best of our ability in a remote environment.

0:35:13.120 --> 0:35:24.660 Silea Williams But I think that our participants are really excited to be able to like get on, get some hands, get creative with some hands on aspects within that part of our curriculum.

0:35:24.790 --> 0:35:35.140 Silea Williams And then again right there, focusing on people looking to reenter or enter the the space, we have our resume and interview prep for cannabis career.

0:35:35.150 --> 0:35:37.600 Silea Williams So right there, we're we're helping support you.

0:35:37.610 --> 0:35:40.280 Silea Williams Get ready for those jobs getting getting ready.

0:35:40.570 --> 0:35:41.830 Silea Williams What do you need to put on there?

0:35:41.840 --> 0:35:43.20 Silea Williams What experience do you need?

0:35:43.30 --> 0:35:44.340 Silea Williams How is this transferable?

0:35:44.350 --> 0:35:57.230 Silea Williams How do you speak to that when when you're engaging with these participants and to that point, we are also looking to be able to bridge the gap in bring opportunities to the with through another platform through to our community.

0:35:57.620 --> 0:36:4.970 Silea Williams So just really promoting one that those core entry opportunities as well as supporting our ancillary track.

0:36:7.560 --> 0:36:11.350 Silea Williams In then I believe this is my last slide.

0:36:11.440 --> 0:36:25.230 Silea Williams I'm and so again, just to recap that I gave some overview of what our the intent of our program design is, the support that we want to give our equity participants through our learning and technical assistance and training.

0:36:25.400 --> 0:36:38.900 Silea Williams I think that I also want a footnote that we are looking for vendors that are supporting our Community as well, and so not only are you teaching this throughout the throughout our contract, you're also supporting them through talent elements.

0:36:39.60 --> 0:36:40.590 Silea Williams People can submit assignments.

0:36:40.600 --> 0:36:41.850 Silea Williams People can ask questions.

0:36:41.860 --> 0:36:43.790 Silea Williams There's forms there and it is.

0:36:43.800 --> 0:36:54.250 Silea Williams It is of of my anticipation that those questions and that support is, is also being given to our participants.

0:36:54.300 --> 0:37:2.970 Silea Williams So just referring to my last cohort, I did have one learning training, a technical assistance training partner at that time.

0:37:3.80 --> 0:37:10.150 Silea Williams And so they were able to take a whole the whole curriculum and support all of that.

0:37:10.300 --> 0:37:22.420 Silea Williams Obviously, if you are only doing a core or entry or entrepreneur or whatever it is that you're focusing on and providing as technical assistance and training for that is what the the goal is that you would be supporting.

0:37:23.600 --> 0:37:24.0 Silea Williams Umm.

0:37:24.620 --> 0:37:30.410 Silea Williams And and answering questions and and helping people with umm and try.

0:37:30.420 --> 0:37:31.420 Silea Williams I don't wanna miss anything.

0:37:32.160 --> 0:37:34.250 Silea Williams Umm, this is really important.

0:37:34.300 --> 0:37:47.150 Silea Williams I think that what I do want to get across is that the technical assistance and training aspect of what we give in our programming amongst all the other benefits and resources and Community outreach, I feel like this.

0:37:47.160 --> 0:37:56.790 Silea Williams I'm very passionate about this because this is an important resource and tool that again is valuable as people are starting out whatever journey they are in our regulated cannabis space.

0:37:56.960 --> 0:38:0.210 Silea Williams But it it gives opportunities beyond that across our Commonwealth.

0:38:0.510 --> 0:38:7.120 Silea Williams And so it's very important that we support them through…