75-06042025 ACC Consulting Services RFP FINAL.docx

Proposal Number: 75-06042025 Vendor: __________________________________________

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA

Alamance Community College Request for Proposal #: 75-06042025 Consulting Services for Assessment of Community College Collaboration to Provide Advanced Manufacturing Workforce Training Date of Issue: June 4, 2025

Proposal Opening Date: June 26, 2025 At 2:00 PM ET

Direct all inquiries concerning this RFP to:

Justin Snyder Senior Vice President, Student Learning & Workforce Development Email: jlsnyder335@alamancecc.edu Phone: 336-506-4152

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA

Request for Proposal # 75-06042025 For internal State agency processing, including tabulation of proposals, provide your company’s eVP (Electronic Vendor Portal) Number. Pursuant to G.S. 132-1.10(b) this identification number shall not be released to the public. This page will be removed and shredded, or otherwise kept confidential, before the procurement file is made available for public inspection.

This page shall be filled out and returned with your proposal.

Failure to do so may subject your proposal to rejection.

Vendor Name Vendor eVP# Note: For a contract to be awarded to you, your company (you) must be a North Carolina registered vendor in good standing. You must enter the vendor number assigned through eVP (Electronic Vendor Portal). If you do not have a vendor number, register at https://vendor.ncgov.com/vendor/login Electronic responses ONLY will be accepted for this solicitation.

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA

Alamance Community College

Refer ALL Inquiries regarding this RFP to:

Justin Snyder; Senior Vice President, Student Learning & Workforce Development; jlsnyder335@alamancecc.edu; 336-506-4152 Request for Proposal #: 75-06042025

Proposals will be publicly opened: June 26, 2025, 2:00 PM ET, via Zoom:

https://alamancecc-edu.zoom.us/j/92405911664 Meeting ID: 924 0591 1664

EXECUTION

In compliance with this Request for Proposals (RFP), and subject to all the conditions herein, the undersigned Vendor offers and agrees to furnish and deliver any or all items upon which prices are bid, at the prices set opposite each item within the time specified herein.

By executing this proposal, the undersigned Vendor understands that false certification is a Class I felony and certifies that:

· this proposal is submitted competitively and without collusion (G.S. 143-54),

· none of its officers, directors, or owners of an unincorporated business entity has been convicted of any violations of Chapter 78A of the General Statutes, the Securities Act of 1933, or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (G.S. 143-59.2), and

· it is not an ineligible Vendor as set forth in G.S. 143-59.1.

Furthermore, by executing this proposal, the undersigned certifies to the best of Vendor’s knowledge and belief, that:

· it and its principals are not presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible or voluntarily excluded from covered transactions by any Federal or State department or agency.

As required by G.S. 143-48.5, the undersigned Vendor certifies that it, and each of its sub-Contractors for any Contract awarded as a result of this RFP, complies with the requirements of Article 2 of Chapter 64 of the NC General Statutes, including the requirement for each employer with more than 25 employees in North Carolina to verify the work authorization of its employees through the federal E-Verify system.

As required by Executive Order 24 (2017), the undersigned vendor certifies will comply with all Federal and State requirements concerning fair employment and that it does not and will not discriminate, harass, or retaliate against any employee in connection with performance of any Contract arising from this solicitation.

G.S. 133-32 and Executive Order 24 (2009) prohibit the offer to, or acceptance by, any State Employee associated with the preparing plans, specifications, estimates for public contracts; or awarding or administering public contracts; or inspecting or supervising delivery of the public contract of any gift from anyone with a contract with the State, or from any person seeking to do business with the State. By execution of this response to the RFP, the undersigned certifies, for Vendor’s entire organization and its employees or agents, that Vendor is not aware that any such gift has been offered, accepted, or promised by any employees of your organization.

By executing this proposal, Vendor certifies that it has read and agreed to the INSTRUCTION TO VENDORS and the NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS incorporated herein. These documents can be accessed from the ATTACHMENTS page within this document.

Failure to execute/sign proposal prior to submittal may render proposal invalid and it MAY BE REJECTED. Late proposals shall not be accepted.

COMPLETE/FORMAL NAME OF VENDOR:

PRINCIPAL PLACE OF BUSINESS ADDRESS IF DIFFERENT FROM ABOVE (SEE INSTRUCTIONS TO VENDORS ITEM #21):

VALIDITY PERIOD

Offer shall be valid for at least one hundred and twenty (120) days from date of bid opening, unless otherwise stated here: ______ days, or if extended by mutual agreement of the parties in writing. Any withdrawal of this offer shall be made in writing, effective upon receipt by the agency issuing this RFP.

ACCEPTANCE OF PROPOSAL

If your proposal is accepted, all provisions of this RFP, along with the written results of any negotiations, shall constitute the written agreement between the parties (“Contract”). The NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS are incorporated herein and shall apply. Depending upon the Goods or Services being offered, other terms and conditions may apply, as mutually agreed.

FOR STATE USE ONLY: Offer accepted and Contract awarded this________ day of __________, 20____, as indicated on The attached certification, by ____________________________________________________________________.

(Authorized Representative of Alamance Community College)

Contents

1.0 PURPOSE AND BACKGROUND

Alamance Community College (ACC) seeks to contract with a qualified consulting firm to assist ACC in collaborating with Randolph Community College and Guilford Technical Community College in providing workforce training to support advanced manufacturing in the region. The eastern region of the NC Triad has welcomed several new large, advanced manufacturing firms and expects continued growth in this area. In order to meet the expected workforce needs, leverage the investment in the region, and optimize the growth opportunity, the above-named community colleges seek an assessment of the training needs and the potential for a new model of collaboration among the three (3) community colleges that incorporate processes for input from industry partners. The deliverables would consist of two (2) parts: 1) a detailed list of positions and needed skills by industry with a capabilities gap analysis and ranking of significance of need; and 2) analysis of the potential for a Triad East Center for Advanced Technology (TECAT) training facility, recommended collaborative governance, and recommended location to optimally serve the growing and dynamic industries in and establishing in the region.

The intent of this solicitation is to award an Agency Specific Contract.

1.1 CONTRACT TERM

The Contract shall have an initial term of eight (8) months, or until completion and acceptance of all requirements within the scope of work, whichever is earlier and begin on the effective date of final Contract execution (the “Effective Date”) or July 1, 2025, whichever is later.

Proposals shall be submitted in accordance with the terms and conditions of this RFP and any addenda issued hereto.

2.0 GENERAL INFORMATION

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL DOCUMENT

This RFP is comprised of the base RFP document, any attachments, and any addenda released before Contract award, which are incorporated herein by reference.

2.2 E-PROCUREMENT FEE

ATTENTION: The E-Procurement fee may apply to this solicitation. See the paragraph entitled ELECTRONIC PROCUREMENT of the North Carolina General Terms and Conditions.

General information on the E-Procurement Services can be found at: http://eprocurement.nc.gov/.

2.3 NOTICE TO VENDORS REGARDING RFP TERMS AND CONDITIONS

It shall be the Vendor’s responsibility to read the Instructions to Vendors, the North Carolina General Terms and Conditions, all relevant exhibits and attachments, and any other components made a part of this RFP and comply with all requirements and specifications herein. Vendors are also responsible for obtaining and complying with all Addenda and other changes that may be issued in connection with this RFP.

If Vendors have questions or issues regarding any component of this RFP, those must be submitted as questions in accordance with the instructions in the PROPOSAL QUESTIONS Section. If ACC determines that any changes will be made as a result of the questions asked, then such decisions will be communicated in the form of an RFP addendum. ACC may also elect to leave open the possibility for later negotiation of specific provisions of the Contract that have been addressed during the question-and-answer period, prior to contract award.

Other than through the process of negotiation under 01 NCAC 05B.0503, ACC rejects and will not be required to evaluate or consider any additional or modified terms and conditions submitted with Vendor’s proposal or otherwise. This applies to any language appearing in or attached to the document as part of the Vendor’s proposal that purports to vary any terms and conditions or Vendors’ instructions herein or to render the proposal non-binding or subject to further negotiation. Vendor’s proposal shall constitute a firm offer that shall be held open for the period required herein (“Validity Period” above).

ACC may exercise its discretion to consider Vendor proposed modifications. By execution and delivery of this RFP Response, the Vendor agrees that any additional or modified terms and conditions, whether submitted purposely or inadvertently, shall have no force or effect, and will be disregarded unless expressly agreed upon through negotiation and incorporated by way of a Best and Final Offer (BAFO). Noncompliance with, or any attempt to alter or delete, this paragraph shall constitute sufficient grounds to reject Vendor’s proposal as nonresponsive.

2.4 RFP SCHEDULE

The table below shows the intended schedule for this RFP. Alamance Community College (ACC) will make every effort to adhere to this schedule.

2.5 PROPOSAL QUESTIONS

Upon review of the RFP documents, Vendors may have questions to clarify or interpret the RFP in order to submit the best proposal possible. To accommodate the Proposal Questions process, Vendors shall submit any such questions by the “Submit Written Questions” date and time provided in the RFP SCHEDULE Section above, unless modified by Addendum.

Written questions shall be emailed to jlsnyder335@alamancecc.edu by the date and time specified above. Vendors should enter “RFP # 75-06042025: Questions” as the subject for the email. Question submittals should include a reference to the applicable RFP section and be submitted in the format shown below:

Questions received prior to the submission deadline date, the ACC’s response, and any additional terms deemed necessary by the ACC will be posted in the form of an addendum to the electronic Vendor Portal (eVP), https://evp.nc.gov, and shall become an Addendum to this RFP. No information, instruction or advice provided orally or informally by any ACC or State personnel, whether made in response to a question or otherwise in connection with this RFP, shall be considered authoritative or binding. Vendors shall rely only on written material contained in the RFP and an addendum to this RFP.

2.6 PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL

IMPORTANT NOTE: This is an absolute requirement. Late bids, regardless of cause, will not be opened or considered, and will be automatically disqualified from further consideration. Vendor shall bear the sole risk of late submission due to unintended or unanticipated delay. It is the Vendor’s sole responsibility to ensure its proposal has been received as described in this RFP by the specified time and date of opening. The time and date of receipt will be marked on each proposal when received. Any proposal or portion thereof received after the proposal deadline will be rejected.

eVP If applicable to this RFP and using eVP, all proposal responses shall be submitted electronically via the electronic Vendor Portal (eVP). Additional information can be found at the eVP updates for Vendors link: https://eprocurement.nc.gov/news-events/evp-updates-vendors.

If confidential and proprietary information is included in the proposal, also submit one (1) signed, REDACTED copy of the proposal. Such information may include trade secrets defined by N.C. Gen. Stat. § 66-152 and other information exempted from the Public Records Act pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. §132- 1.2. Vendor may designate information, Products, Services or appropriate portions of its response as confidential, consistent with and to the extent permitted under the statutes and rules set forth above. By so redacting any page, or portion of a page, the Vendor warrants that it has formed a good faith opinion, having received such necessary or proper review by counsel and other knowledgeable advisors, that the portions determined to be confidential and proprietary and redacted as such, meet the requirements of the Rules and Statutes set forth above. However, under no circumstances shall price information be designated as confidential.

If the Vendor does not provide a redacted version of the proposal with its proposal submission, the Department may release an unredacted version if a record request is received.

Failure to submit a proposal in strict accordance with these instructions shall constitute sufficient cause to reject a Vendor’s proposal(s). Vendors are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to upload proposals.

Critical updated information may be included in Addenda to this RFP. It is important that all Vendors responding to this RFP periodically check the State’s eVP website for any Addenda that may be issued prior to the bid opening date. All Vendors shall be deemed to have read and understood all information in this RFP and all Addenda thereto.

2.7 PROPOSAL CONTENTS

Vendors shall populate all attachments of this RFP that require the Vendor to provide information and include an authorized signature where requested. Failure to provide all required items, or Vendor’s submission of incomplete items, may result in ACC rejecting Vendor’s proposal, in ACC’s sole discretion.

Vendor RFP responses shall include the following items and attachments, which shall be arranged in the following order:

a) Cover Letter, which must contain the following: (i) a statement that confirms that the proposer has read the RFP in its entirety, including all links, and all Addenda released in conjunction with the RFP, (ii) a statement that the Vendor agrees to perform in accordance with the scope of work, requirements, and specifications contained herein; and (iii) Vendor’s agreement to comply with all instructions, terms and conditions, and attachments.

b) Title Page: Include the company name, address, phone number and authorized representative along with the Proposal Number.

c) Completed and signed version of all EXECUTION PAGES, along with the body of the RFP.

d) Signed receipt pages of any addenda released in conjunction with this RFP, if required to be returned.

e) Vendor’s Proposal addressing all Specifications of this RFP.

f) Completed version of ATTACHMENT A: PRICING

g) Completed version of ATTACHMENT D: HUB SUPPLEMENTAL VENDOR INFORMATION

h) Completed version of ATTACHMENT E: CUSTOMER REFERENCE FORM

i) Completed version of ATTACHMENT F: LOCATION OF WORKERS UTILIZED BY VENDOR

j) Completed and signed version of ATTACHMENT G: CERTIFICATION OF FINANCIAL CONDITION

2.8 ALTERNATE PROPOSALS

Unless provided otherwise in this RFP, Vendor may submit alternate proposals for comparable Goods, various methods or levels of Service(s), or that propose different options. Alternate proposals must specifically identify the RFP requirements and advantage(s) addressed by the alternate proposal. Any alternate proposal, in addition to the marking described above, must be clearly marked with the legend: “Alternate Proposal #___ [for ‘name of Vendor’]”. Each proposal must be for a specific set of Goods and Services and must include specific pricing. If a Vendor chooses to respond with various offerings, each must be offered with a separate price and be contained in a separate proposal document. Each proposal must be complete and independent of other proposals offered.

2.9 DEFINITIONS, ACRONYMS, AND ABBREVIATIONS

Relevant definitions for this RFP are provided in 01 NCAC 05A .0112 and in the Instructions to Vendors found below which are incorporated herein by this reference.

The following definitions, acronyms, and abbreviations are also relevant to this RFP:

ACC: Alamance Community College Carolina Core: “The Carolina Core is a 120+ mile stretch of central North Carolina from west of Winston-Salem to Fayetteville encompassing Greensboro and High Point and in close proximity to Charlotte and the Research Triangle, all along the future Interstate 685.” (Definition taken from nccarolinacore.com) TECAT: Triad East Center for Advanced Technology (name of potential collaborative training facility for which consulting services are sought to guide feasibility, scope, location, and governance)

3.0 METHOD OF AWARD AND PROPOSAL EVALUATION PROCESS

3.1 METHOD OF AWARD

North Carolina G.S. 143-52 provides a general list of criteria ACC shall use to award contracts, as supplemented by the additional criteria herein. The Goods or Services being procured shall dictate the application and order of criteria; however, all award decisions shall be in the ACC’s best interest. All qualified proposals will be evaluated, and awards will be made to the Vendor(s) meeting the specific RFP Specifications and achieving the highest and best final evaluation, based on the criteria described below.

While the intent of this RFP is to award a Contract(s) to a single Vendor, ACC reserves the right to make separate awards to different Vendors for one or more line items, to not award one or more line items or to cancel this RFP in its entirety without awarding a Contract, if it is considered to be most advantageous to ACC to do so.

ACC reserves the right to waive any minor informality or technicality in proposals received.

3.2 CONFIDENTIALITY AND PROHIBITED COMMUNICATIONS DURING EVALUATION

While this RFP is under evaluation, the responding Vendor, including any subcontractors and suppliers, is prohibited from engaging in conversations intended to influence the outcome of the evaluation. See the Paragraph 29 of the Instructions to Vendors entitled COMMUNICTIONS BY VENDORS.

Each Vendor submitting a proposal to this RFP, including its employees, agents, subcontractors, suppliers, subsidiaries and affiliates, is prohibited from having any communications with any person inside or outside the using agency; issuing agency; other government agency office or body (including the purchaser named above, any department secretary, agency head, members of the General Assembly and Governor’s office); or private entity, if the communication refers to the content of Vendor’s proposal or qualifications, the content of another Vendor’s proposal, another Vendor’s qualifications or ability to perform a resulting contract, and/or the transmittal of any other communication of information that could be reasonably considered to have the effect of directly or indirectly influencing the evaluation of proposals, the award of a contract, or both.

Any Vendor not in compliance with this provision shall be disqualified from evaluation and award. A Vendor’s proposal may be disqualified if its subcontractor and/or supplier engage in any of the foregoing communications during the time that the procurement is active (i.e., the issuance date of the procurement until the date of contract award or cancellation of the procurement). Only those discussions, communications or transmittals of information authorized or initiated by the issuing agency for this RFP or inquiries directed to the purchaser named in this RFP regarding requirements of the RFP (prior to proposal submission) or the status of the award (after submission) are excepted from this provision.

3.3 PROPOSAL EVALUATION PROCESS

Only responsive submissions will be evaluated.

ACC will conduct a One-Step evaluation of Proposals:

Proposals will be received according to the method stated in the Proposal Submittal Section above.

All proposals must be received by the issuing agency not later than the date and time specified in the RFP SCHEDULE Section above, unless modified by Addendum. Vendors are cautioned that this is a request for offers, not an offer or request to contract, and ACC reserves the unqualified right to reject any and all offers at any time if such rejection is deemed to be in the best interest of ACC.

At the date and time provided in the RFP SCHEDULE Section above, unless modified by Addendum, the proposal from each responding Vendor will be opened publicly and all offers (except those that have been previously withdrawn, or voided bids) will be tabulated. The tabulation shall be made public at the time it is created. When negotiations after receipt of bids is authorized pursuant to G.S. 143-49 and 01 NCAC 05B.0503, only the names of offerors and the Goods and Services offered shall be tabulated at the time of opening. If negotiation is anticipated, cost and price shall become available for public inspection at the time of the award. Interested parties are cautioned that these costs and their components are subject to further evaluation for completeness and correctness and therefore may not be an exact indicator of a Vendor’s pricing position.

At their option, the evaluators may request oral presentations or discussions with any or all Vendors for clarification or to amplify the materials presented in any part of the proposal. Vendors are cautioned, however, that the evaluators are not required to request presentations or other clarification—and often do not. Therefore, all proposals should be complete and reflect the most favorable terms available from the Vendor.

Upon completion of the evaluation process, ACC will make award(s) based on the evaluation and post the award(s) to the State’s eVP website under the RFP number for this solicitation. Award of a Contract to one Vendor does not mean that the other proposals lacked merit, but that, all factors considered, the selected proposal was deemed most advantageous and represented the best value to ACC.

ACC reserves the right to negotiate with one or more vendors, or to reject all original offers and negotiate with one or more sources of supply that may be capable of satisfying the requirement, and in either case to require Vendor to submit a Best and Final Offer (BAFO) based on discussions and negotiations with ACC.

3.4 EVALUATION CRITERIA: Points Based

In addition to the general criteria in G.S. 143-52 which may or may not be relevant to this RFP, all qualified proposals will be evaluated, and award made based on considering the following criteria, to result in an award most advantageous to the ACC:

Technical (75 Maximum Points) Project Organization (45 Maximum Points) Proposal will be evaluated for project understanding and approach to accomplishing the objectives and tasks described in this RFP. Factors considered will include methodologies proposed to accomplish the work, including the types of information or data to be acquired and the methods for acquiring the data. Proposed schedules will be reviewed for inclusion of appropriate project milestones/benchmarks. Overall proposal evaluation will take into consideration any enhancements or deviations from this RFP. During overall proposal evaluation, ACC will deem the quality of the proposal to be one indication of the quality of the deliverables the firm is able to provide.

Project Team Experience (30 Maximum Points) Proposal will be evaluated on firm references and provision of details about the proposed members of the project team to include proposed team members’ qualifications, experience, skills, and overall team commitment to performing the work. The firm’s recent project experience, specifically for this type of work, level of complexity (including partnerships/collaboration models), and comparability of size with the proposed project will be evaluated. Team members will also be evaluated on whether they were actively involved in the referenced projects. Projects completed by the firm will be evaluated for perceived quality of service by the firm.

Price (25 Maximum Points) ACC will determine low cost by normalizing the scores as follows:

The proposal that accomplishes the stated objectives, deliverables, and tasks at the lowest cost will receive the highest points for this criterion.

The proposal with the lowest cost will receive a score of 25. All other competing proposals will be assigned a portion of the maximum score using the formula:

the cost of proposal being evaluated

3.5 PERFORMANCE OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES

Vendor shall complete ATTACHMENT F: LOCATION OF WORKERS UTILIZED BY VENDOR. In addition to any other evaluation criteria identified in this RFP, ACC may also consider, for purposes of evaluating proposed or actual contract performance outside of the United States, how that performance may affect the following factors to ensure that any award will be in the best interest of ACC:

a) Total cost to the ACC

b) Level of quality provided by the Vendor

c) Process and performance capability across multiple jurisdictions

d) Protection of the ACC’s information and intellectual property

e) Availability of pertinent skills

f) Ability to understand the ACC’s business requirements and internal operational culture

g) Particular risk factors such as the security of the ACC’s information technology

h) Relations with citizens and employees

i) Contract enforcement jurisdictional issues

3.6 INTERPRETATION OF TERMS AND PHRASES

This RFP serves two functions: (1) to advise potential Vendors of the parameters of the solution being sought by the ACC; and (2) to provide (together with other specified documents) the terms of the Contract resulting from this procurement. The use of phrases such as “shall,” “must,” and “requirements” are intended to create enforceable contract conditions. In determining whether proposals should be evaluated or rejected, ACC will take into consideration the degree to which Vendors have proposed or failed to propose solutions that will satisfy the ACC’s needs as described in the RFP. Except as specifically stated in the RFP, no one requirement shall automatically disqualify a Vendor from consideration. However, failure to comply with any single requirement may result in ACC exercising its discretion to reject a proposal in its entirety.

4.0 REQUIREMENTS

This Section lists the requirements related to this RFP. By submitting a proposal, the Vendor agrees to meet all stated requirements in this Section as well as any other specifications, requirements, and terms and conditions stated in this RFP. If a Vendor is unclear about a requirement or specification, or believes a change to a requirement would allow for ACC to receive a better proposal, the Vendor is urged to submit these items in the form of a question during the question and answer period in accordance with the Proposal Questions Section above.

4.1 PRICING

Proposal price shall constitute the total cost to ACC for complete performance in accordance with the requirements and specifications herein, including all applicable charges for handling, transportation, administrative and other similar fees. Complete ATTACHMENT A: PRICING FORM and include in Vendor’s proposal. The pricing provided in ATTACHMENT A, or resulting from any negotiations, is incorporated herein and shall become part of any resulting Contract.

4.2 INVOICES

The Vendor must submit one monthly invoice within fifteen (15) calendar days following the end of each month in which work was performed. Invoices must be submitted to the following address:

Alamance Community College Attn: Accounts Payable PO Box 8000 Graham NC 27253-8000 Invoices must bear the correct contract number and purchase order number, if applicable, to ensure prompt payment. The Vendor’s failure to include the correct purchase order number may cause delay in payment.

Invoices must include an accurate description of the work for which the invoice is being submitted, the invoice date, the period of time covered, the amount of fees due to the Vendor, and the billing address.

INVOICES MAY NOT BE PAID UNTIL AN INSPECTION HAS OCCURRED AND THE GOODS OR SERVICES ACCEPTED.

4.3 FINANCIAL STABILITY

As a condition of contract award, the Vendor must certify that it has the financial capacity to perform and to continue to perform its obligations under the Contract; that Vendor has no constructive or actual knowledge of an actual or potential legal proceeding being brought against Vendor that could materially adversely affect performance of this Contract; and that entering into this Contract is not prohibited by any contract, or order by any court of competent jurisdiction.

Each Vendor shall certify it is financially stable by completing ATTACHMENT G: CERTIFICATION OF FINANCIAL CONDITION. ACC is requiring this certification to minimize potential issues from contracting with a Vendor that is financially unstable. From the date of the Certification to the expiration of the Contract, the Vendor shall notify ACC within thirty (30) days of any occurrence or condition that materially alters the truth of any statement made in this Certification. The Contract Manager may require annual recertification of the Vendor’s financial stability.

4.4 HUB PARTICIPATION

Pursuant to North Carolina General Statute G.S. 143-48, it is State policy to encourage and promote the use of small, minority, physically handicapped, and women contractors in purchasing Goods and Services. As such, this RFP will serve to identify those Vendors that are minority owned or have a strategic plan to support the State’s Historically Underutilized Business program by meeting or exceeding the goal of 10% utilization of diverse firms as 1st or 2nd tier subcontractors. Vendor shall complete ATTACHMENT D: HUB SUPPLEMENTAL VENDOR INFORMATION.

4.5 VENDOR EXPERIENCE

In its Proposal, Vendor shall demonstrate experience with public and/or private sector clients with similar or greater size and complexity to a partnership involving entities such as Alamance Community College, Randolph Community College, and Guilford Technical Community College. Vendor shall provide information as to the qualifications and experience of all executive, managerial, legal, and professional personnel to be assigned to this project, including resumes citing experience with similar projects and the responsibilities to be assigned to each person.

4.6 REFERENCES

Vendor shall provide at least three (3) references, using ATTACHMENT E: CUSTOMER REFERENCE FORM, for which it has provided Services of similar size and scope to those proposed herein. ACC may contact these users to determine whether the Services provided are substantially similar in scope to those proposed herein and whether Vendor’s performance has been satisfactory. The information obtained may be considered in the evaluation of the Proposal.

4.7 BACKGROUND CHECKS

Any personnel or agent of Vendor performing Services under any Contract arising from this RFP may be required to undergo a background check at the expense of the Vendor, if so requested by ACC.

4.8 PERSONNEL

Vendor warrants that qualified personnel shall provide Services under this Contract in a professional manner. “Professional manner” means that the personnel performing the Services will possess the skill and competence consistent with the prevailing business standards in the industry. Vendor will serve as the prime contractor under this Contract and shall be responsible for the performance and payment of all subcontractor(s) that may be approved by ACC. Names of any third-party Vendors or subcontractors of Vendor may appear for purposes of convenience in Contract documents; and shall not limit Vendor’s obligations hereunder. Vendor will retain executive representation for functional and technical expertise as needed in order to incorporate any work by third party subcontractor(s).

Should the Vendor’s proposal result in an award, the Vendor shall be required to agree that it will not substitute key personnel assigned to the performance of the Contract without prior written approval by the Contract Lead. Vendor shall further agree that it will notify the Contract Lead of any desired substitution, including the name(s) and references of Vendor’s recommended substitute personnel. ACC will approve or disapprove the requested substitution in a timely manner. ACC may, in its sole discretion, terminate the Services of any person providing Services under this Contract. Upon such termination, ACC may request acceptable substitute personnel or terminate the contract Services provided by such personnel.

4.9 VENDOR’S REPRESENTATIONS

If Vendor’s Proposal results in an award, Vendor agrees that it will not enter any agreement with a third party that may abridge any rights of ACC under the Contract. If any Services, deliverables, functions, or responsibilities not specifically described in this solicitation are required for Vendor’s proper performance, provision and delivery of the Service and deliverables under a resulting Contract, or are an inherent part of or necessary sub-task included within such Service, they will be deemed to be implied by and included within the scope of the Contract to the same extent and in the same manner as if specifically described in the Contract. Unless otherwise expressly provided herein, Vendor will furnish all of its own necessary management, supervision, labor, facilities, furniture, computer and telecommunications equipment, software, supplies and materials necessary for the Vendor to provide and deliver the Services and/or other Deliverables.

4.10 AGENCY INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS MODIFICATION

A. Default Insurance Coverage from the General Terms and Conditions applicable to this Solicitation:

☐ Small Purchases ☒ Contract value in excess of the Small Purchase threshold, but up to $1,000,000.00 ☐ Contract value in excess of $1,000,000.00

5.0 SPECIFICATIONS AND SCOPE OF WORK

5.1 GENERAL

Alamance Community College seeks to contract with a qualified consulting firm to assist Alamance Community College in collaborating with Randolph Community College and Guilford Technical Community College in providing workforce training to support advanced manufacturing in the region, including supply, logistics, and other related technical occupations in the region. The eastern region of the NC Triad has welcomed several new large, advanced manufacturing firms and expects continued growth in this area. In order to meet the expected workforce needs, leverage the investment in the region, and optimize the growth opportunity, the above-named community colleges seek a comprehensive review of the economic landscape for the region for the next ten (10) years (through June 2036); a critical analysis of the existing and projected capacity and for manufacturing and support industries training unmet needs; and the potential for a new model of collaboration among the three community college and industry partners.

Expected study completion and delivery and presentation of a full comprehensive report of the above analysis is expected within eight (8) months and no later than April 30, 2026.

5.2 SPECIFICATIONS

The specific items and any specifications that the Purchasing Agency is seeking are listed below. Items offered by the Vendor must meet or exceed the listed Specifications to be considered for award.

VENDOR’S RESPONSE

|_| YES |_| NO

|_| YES |_| NO

|_| YES |_| NO

5.3 TASKS/DELIVERABLES

TASKS:

1) Conduct a comprehensive analysis of the current, emerging, and forecasted advanced manufacturing workforce needs that identifies a detailed catalog of positions and needed skills by industry with a capabilities gap analysis; and,

2) Conduct a comprehensive analysis of resources and capabilities of Alamance Community College, Randolph Community College, and Guilford Technical Community College as well as possible sites for a brick-and-mortar centralized and collaborative training facility in order to identify the potential, capacity, and return on investment of a Triad East Center for Advanced Technology (TECAT) that would optimally serve the growing and dynamic industries in, establishing in, and potentially emerging in the region.

3) Propose a cooperative governance structure for the TECAT by Alamance Community College, Randolph Community College, and Guilford Technical Community College that includes a continuing process for industry partners’ input.

DELIVERABLES:

The successful consulting firm shall deliver and present to Alamance Community College, by April 30, 2026:

1) A comprehensive study to identify training needs for advanced manufacturing and supportive industries. The study will document specific needs required now and in the next five (5) to ten (10) years in order for Alamance Community College, Randolph Community College, and Guilford Technical Community College to determine if they have the capabilities to meet the training needs.

2) A report detailing an understanding of what the existing facilities and programs are capable of providing, consistent with specific industry needs in the Carolina Core, focusing on the areas of Alamance, Randolph, and Guilford counties.

3) If a TECAT facility is deemed to be advisable, identification of location(s) that would best serve the population growth, manufacturers, suppliers, and services necessary to develop the workforce.

4) Creation of a proposed governance structure to enhance collaborative and industry-informed training efforts in North Carolina.

5) Completion of the comprehensive written and digital report detailing the above findings and analysis inclusive of any data source citations and any collected data. Report shall include description and details of methodologies and approach employed for gathering and analyzing data to reach the conclusions and recommendations provided to ACC.

1. CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION

All Contract Administration requirements are conditioned on an award resulting from this solicitation. This information is provided for the Vendor’s planning purposes.

6.1

CONTRACT MANAGER AND CUSTOMER SERVICE

The Vendor shall be required to designate and make available to ACC a contract manager. The contract manager shall be ACC’s point of contact for Contract-related issues and issues concerning performance, progress review, scheduling, and service.

Contract Manager Point of Contact

Name:

Office Phone #:

Mobile Phone #:

Email:

The Vendor shall be required to designate and make available to ACC a point of contact for customer service. The customer service point of contact shall be ACC’s point of contact for customer service-related issues.

Customer Service Point of Contact

Name:

Title/Functional Role:

Office Phone #:

Mobile Phone #:

Email:

6.2 POST AWARD PROJECT REVIEW MEETINGS

The Vendor, at the request of ACC, shall be required to meet monthly with ACC for Project Review meetings. The purpose of these meetings will be to review project progress reports, discuss Vendor and ACC performance, address outstanding issues, review problem resolution, provide direction, evaluate continuous improvement and cost saving ideas, and discuss any other pertinent topics. ACC’s proposed milestones are outlined in Attachment A: Cost Proposal, which also correlate with Tasks and Deliverables, outlined in Section 5.3 above. During the first Project Review Meeting, the timeline for meeting agreed-upon milestones and an associated payment schedule will be negotiated.

6.3 PERIODIC, MONTHLY, STATUS REPORTS

The Vendor shall be required to provide project status Management Reports to the designated ACC Contract Manager on a monthly basis, due on the 15th or next subsequent weekday of each month via email. This report shall include, at a minimum, information concerning the work accomplished during the reporting period; work to be completed during the subsequent reporting period; problems, real or anticipated; and notification of any significant deviation from previously agreed upon work plans and schedules. These reports shall be well organized and easy to read. The Vendor shall submit these reports electronically using the format required by the Purchasing Agency.

Within ten (10) business days of the award of the Contract, the Vendor shall submit a final work plan and a sample report, both to the designated Contract Lead for approval.

6.4 ACCEPTANCE OF WORK

Performance of the work and/or delivery of Goods shall be conducted and completed at least in accordance with the Contract requirements and recognized and customarily accepted industry practices. Performance shall be considered complete when the Services or Goods are approved as acceptable by the Contract Administrator.

Acceptance of Vendor’s work product shall be based on the following criteria:

· Professional, statistically sound, and rigorous written report including the requested analysis and recommendations to include underlying assumptions, methods, and results formatted in such as a way to be easily understandable by the leadership of Alamance Community College, Randolph Community College, and Guilford Technical Community College. This report shall include appropriate citations and all underlying data collected in formatted and usable form as agreed upon by the Vendor and ACC and as reviewed by ACC's Director of Research & Institutional Effectiveness.

· Presentation slides to accompany the above report, to the same level of professionalism and quality.

· In-person presentation by the Vendor to the leadership of Alamance Community College, Randolph Community College, and Guilford Community College with opportunity for question and answers and satisfactory responses to those questions, either at the time of the presentation or in writing to the ACC Contract Lead within fifteen (15) working days.

ACC shall have the obligation to notify Vendor, in writing ten (10) calendar days following completion of such work or delivery of a deliverable described in the Contract that it is not acceptable. The notice shall specify in reasonable detail the reason(s) it is unacceptable. Acceptance by ACC shall not be unreasonably withheld; but may be conditioned or delayed as required for reasonable review, evaluation, installation, or testing, as applicable to the work or deliverable. Final acceptance is expressly conditioned upon completion of all applicable assessment procedures. Should the work or deliverables fail to meet any specifications, acceptance criteria or otherwise fail to conform to the Contract, ACC may exercise any and all rights hereunder, including, for Goods deliverables, such rights provided by the Uniform Commercial Code, as adopted in North Carolina.

6.5 FAITHFUL PERFORMANCE

Any Contract may include terms ensuring a Vendor's performance such as: (1) a bond, or similar assurance; (2) liquidated damages; (3) a percentage of the Contract value held as a retainage; (4) withholding final payment contingent on acceptance of the final deliverable; and (5) any other provision that assures performance of the Vendor.

The parties agree that the Vendor shall be subject to the following faithful performance requirements:

Alamance Community College shall withhold the final payment, up to 15% of the total contract amount, contingent on acceptance of the final deliverables, presentation, and acceptable responses to all follow-up questions delivered to ACC’s Contract Manager.

6.6 TRANSITION ASSISTANCE

If a Contract results from this solicitation, and the Contract is not renewed at the end of the last active term, or is canceled prior to its expiration, for any reason, Vendor shall provide transition assistance to ACC, at the option of ACC, for up to three (3) months to allow for the expired or canceled portion of the Services to continue without interruption or adverse effect, and to facilitate the orderly transfer of such Services to ACC or its designees. If ACC exercises this option, the Parties agree that such transition assistance shall be governed by the terms and conditions of the Contract (notwithstanding this expiration or cancellation), except for those Contract terms or conditions that do not reasonably apply to such transition assistance. ACC shall agree to pay Vendor for any resources utilized in performing such transition assistance at the most current rates provided by the Contract for performance of the Services or other resources utilized.

6.7 DISPUTE RESOLUTION

During the performance of the Contract, the parties agree that it is in their mutual interest to resolve disputes informally. Any claims by the Vendor shall be submitted in writing to ACC’s Contract Manager for resolution. Any claims by ACC shall be submitted in writing to the Vendor’s Project Manager for resolution. The Parties shall agree to negotiate in good faith and use all reasonable efforts to resolve such dispute(s).

During the time the Parties are attempting to resolve any dispute, each shall proceed diligently to perform their respective duties and responsibilities under this Contract. The Parties will agree on a reasonable amount of time to resolve a dispute. If a dispute cannot be resolved between the Parties within the agreed upon period, either Party may elect to exercise any other remedies available under the Contract, or at law. This provision, when agreed in the Contract, shall not constitute an agreement by either party to mediate or arbitrate any dispute.

6.8 CONTRACT CHANGES

Contract changes, if any, over the life of the Contract shall be implemented by contract amendments agreed to in writing by ACC and Vendor. Amendments to the contract can only be through the contract administrator.

THE REMAINDER OF THIS PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK

7.0 ATTACHMENTS

**IMPORTANT NOTICE**

RETURN THE REQUIRED ATTACHMENTS WITH YOUR RESPONSE

FOLLOW THE LINKS TO ACCESS EACH ATTACHMENT

ATTACHMENT A: COST PROPOSAL

Complete and return the…