Youth_Build_TA_RFP_DOL-ETA-15-R-00093-signed.pdf

DOL-ETA-15-R-00093

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10/14/2015 X

To all offerors

1400 ES 11/12/2015

Daveana Johnson johnson.daveana@dol.gov

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10/14/2015

Request for Proposal (RFP) DOL-ETA-15-R-00093

A. SOLICITATION/CONTRACT FORM

A.1. CLAUSES

55.204-14 Service Contract Reporting Requirements (JAN 2014)

B. SUPPLIES OR SERVICES/PRICES

B.1 SERVICES AND PRICE/COSTS

This is a Time and Materials type Contract. For time and materials type task orders, payment to the Contractor for the work performed and accepted by the Government will be solely at the rates set forth in Section B.2.

Solicitation/Contract Title: "YouthBuild Technical Assistance"

The U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (DOL/ETA) is soliciting proposals to select a Contractor to provide YouthBuild grantees with technical assistance for DOL-funded YouthBuild programs that will improve program performance and program outcomes for participants in the following areas: placement in employment or education; attainment of a degree or certificate; retention in employment and education; skills gains toward credential or employment;

median earnings in unsubsidized employment; and effectiveness in serving employers.

The period of performance for this contract is sixty (60) months from the date of contract execution. This includes twelve (12) months for the base year plus four one-year options at the discretion of the Government.

This solicitation is unrestricted. However, pursuant to WIOA sec.171(I)(9), only Qualified National Nonprofit Agencies are eligible for this contract award. The term “qualified national nonprofit agency” means a nonprofit agency that (A) has significant national experience providing services consisting of training, information, technical assistance and data management to YouthBuild programs or similar projects; and (B) has the capacity to provide those services. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code is 541611, with a $15 million size standard.

Please be advised that it is the sole responsibility of the offeror to continually view the website for any amendments to this solicitation.

B.2 PRICING SCHEDULE The Contractor will perform this effort on a time-and-materials basis. Please submit one schedule for each of the five years (base year and four optional years) including discounts and annual cost of living adjustments, if appropriate.

Base Year 0 Month - 12 Months Labor Category Name Rate Hours Total Project Director 1488 Coaching Coordinator 1312 Coaches (up to 22 Coaches)

Assistant Project Director(s)

Knowledge Manager(s)

Electronic Resources Coordinator

Logistics Coordinator 875 Help Desk Specialist 875 Administrative Assistant

On-Site Administrative Support

ODC’s NTE $ 650,000 Travel Costs NTE $ 180,000 G&A on ODCs % $

Total Estimated Costs $

Please Note:

* The pricing schedule reflects the Government’s estimate of the Level of Effort required.

However, the contractor may propose a different labor mix to fulfill this requirement.

** The contractor must provide a detailed cost breakdown of ODCs to be approved by the Government.

Year 2 (Option Year 1) 13 Months-24 Months Labor Category Name Rate Hours Total Project Director 1488 Coaching Coordinator 1312 Coaches (up to 22 Coaches)

Assistant Project Director(s)

Knowledge Manager(s)

Electronic Resources Coordinator

Logistics Coordinator 875 Help Desk Specialist 875 Administrative Assistant

On-Site Administrative Support

ODC’s NTE $ 650,000 Travel Costs NTE $ 180,000 G&A on ODCs % $

Total Estimated Costs $

Year 3 (Option Year 2) 25 Months-36 Months Labor Category Name Rate Hours Total Project Director 1488 Coaching Coordinator 1312 Coaches (up to 22 Coaches)

Assistant Project Director(s)

Knowledge Manager(s)

Electronic Resources Coordinator

Logistics Coordinator 875 Help Desk Specialist 875 Administrative Assistant

On-Site Administrative Support

ODC’s NTE $ 650,000 Travel Costs NTE $ 180,000

Year 4 (Option Year 3) 37 Months-48 Months Labor Category Name Rate Hours Total Project Director 1488 Coaching Coordinator 1312 Coaches (up to 22 Coaches)

Assistant Project Director(s)

Knowledge Manager(s)

Electronic Resources Coordinator

Logistics Coordinator 875 Help Desk Specialist 875 Administrative Assistant

On-Site Administrative Support

ODC’s NTE $ 650,000 Travel Costs NTE $ 180,000

Year 5 (Option Year 4) 49 Months-60 Months Labor Category Name Rate Hours Total Project Director 1488 Coaching Coordinator 1312 Coaches (up to 22 Coaches)

Assistant Project Director(s)

Knowledge Manager(s)

Electronic Resources Coordinator

Logistics Coordinator 875 Help Desk Specialist 875 Administrative Assistant

On-Site Administrative Support

ODC’s NTE $ 650,000 Travel Costs NTE $ 180,000 G&A on ODCs % $

Total Estimated Costs $

B.3 TRAVEL

The Government will not provide travel reimbursement to the Contractor for employees performing their primary duties on-site at DOL facilities. The Contractor will propose travel costs based on Federal Travel regulations if travel is required.

B.4 SEGREGATION OF COSTS

a. The “Payments under Time-and-Materials and Labor-Hour Contracts” clause provides for reimbursement to the Contractor of costs incurred for certain items and services purchased directly for this contract, subject to certain limitations set forth in the clause. Such items may include the lease/purchase of equipment, travel expenses for Government-directed travel, consumable materials, tuition and registration fees for specialized training, and other services or items acquired for the Government’s account under the Government Property clause. The items and services which the Contractor is authorized to purchase on a cost-reimbursement basis will be limited to only those specific items and services described in the contract issued to the Contractor as authorized for purchase.

b. The Contractor will segregate costs associated with materials and other items authorized to be purchased on a cost-reimbursement basis (to be specified in each order) from other costs associated with the performance of this contract in such a manner that at any time the costs subject to reimbursement under each order will be readily ascertainable.

c. The “Ceiling Price” referred to in the “Payments under Time and Materials and Labor-Hour Contracts” clause will be the ceiling price as stated in the contract.

C. DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/STATEMENT OF WORK

C1. BACKGROUND

The recently enacted Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) (PL 113-128) replaced the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). The Department has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to implement WIOA in the spring of 2015. WIOA authorizes the YouthBuild program under section 171.

YouthBuild is a workforce development program that provides employment, education, registered apprenticeship, leadership development, and training opportunities to disadvantaged youth. The program also benefits the larger community by providing new or rehabilitated affordable housing for low-income and homeless populations, thereby decreasing the incidence of homelessness in those communities. The program recruits youth between the ages of 16 and 24 who are predominantly high school dropouts and a member of a low-income family, a youth in foster care, a youth who is homeless, a youth or adult offender, a youth who is an individual with a disability, a child of an incarcerated parent, or a migrant youth. While enrolled in a YouthBuild program, participants split their time between a construction site and a classroom, where they earn their high school diploma or a state equivalency degree, learn to be community leaders, and prepare for college and/or other postsecondary training opportunities. Additionally, programs that have been previously funded by the Department may include occupational skills training in other in-demand industries in addition to construction skills training. This expansion into additional in-demand industries such as health care or information technology is referred to as the “Construction Plus” component of the program. The YouthBuild model also includes an increased focus on energy efficiency and green building with the passing of WIOA.

Both National and Regional Office staff handle the Department's administration of the program.

In the National Office, liaisons are assigned to work with regional Federal Project Officers (FPOs) to provide grant oversight and respond to questions and problems of the YouthBuild grantees. The FPOs are a critical component of the Department's overall coordination of technical assistance and program compliance and guidance. The Contractor will be expected to work with DOL staff administrating the YouthBuild program. The Contractor will provide technical assistance to approximately 200 or more grantees per year.

C.2 YOUTHBUILD TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE GOALS & OBJECTIVES

The overarching goals of YouthBuild Technical Assistance are to 1) support the success of YouthBuild grantees within their periods of performance; 2) improve performance outcomes; and 3) help replicate DOL-funded YouthBuild best practices across the country. Within these three overarching goals, specific objectives include:

Orienting DOL-funded YouthBuild programs quickly and effectively early in their grant period, so project implementation can begin as early as possible;

Supporting YouthBuild grantees throughout their period of performance to ensure that innovations are implemented on time and challenges are resolved quickly;

Helping grantees improve and achieve performance outcomes and their grant deliverables;

Support efficient grant implementation by facilitating knowledge sharing among the

YouthBuild grantees;

Providing effective, state-of-the-art communication strategies that result in the adoption of innovative practices among YouthBuild programs nationwide;

Helping grantees sustain their partnerships, ensuring that collaboration continues after the YouthBuild grants end;

Supporting grantees during WIOA implementation; and Quantifying grantees’ success and impacts and highlight promising practices and lessons learned, helping spur replication of cutting-edge approaches nationwide among YouthBuild programs.

Areas of focus for Technical Assistance will include, but are not limited to, the following based on the needs of the field:

YOUTHBUILD

Improve academic programs Increase post-secondary placements

Facilitate Registered

Apprenticeship connections

Integrate energy efficiency training

Use data to manage programs

Strengthen Construction

Plus programs

Ensure high-performing work sites

Increase business engagement

Improve case management components

Support leadership development

Leverage federal partnerships

C.3 STRUCTURE OF THE YOUTHBUILD TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

DOL plans to deliver a comprehensive menu of technical assistance support to the DOL YouthBuild grantee community through a variety of vehicles: grantee convenings, peer-to-peer sharing, individual grantee performance coaching, electronic resource management, and knowledge management strategies.

The main engine for developing relevant and comprehensive support will be the formation of a YouthBuild technical assistance team. In the past, DOL’s YouthBuild program staff have used a Content Innovation Group (CIG) model that consists of teams composed of selected Contractor staff, subject matter experts, DOL staff and other members as identified by DOL. The teams are aligned with the key areas of content for the program model, including Construction, Youth Leadership, Case Management, Post-Program Placement and Retention, Data Management, Education, and Organizational Capacity. The focus of the CIGs is to oversee the development of a comprehensive set of tools, knowledge, networks, trainings, webinars, handbooks, and other resources to help guide grantees towards excellence in project implementation. DOL and Contractor staff develops an annual technical assistance workplan that includes deliverables for each CIG. The workplan is reviewed by DOL quarterly or more often, as needed, to assess progress, identify emerging issues and make adjustments as necessary. Individual CIGs determine how to meet workplan deliverables and report on emerging issues and best practices in the field.

The Offeror may propose a similar model or a different approach that achieves the same goals. More details on Content Innovation can be found in Task Area #3-Content Innovation.

Evaluation, Feedback and Trends Comprehensive technical assistance support for successful YouthBuild grantees will begin immediately after the contract is awarded. DOL’s YouthBuild program is currently entering its ninth year of grants. The Contractor shall support all DOL YouthBuild grantees past and present, including the Program Year (PY) 2015 class, whose period of performance will begin concurrently with this contract award. The comprehensive technical assistance delivery, over a 60-month period, will increase the effectiveness of YouthBuild grant projects by provided content and support that is well-designed, relevant, and innovative for YouthBuild programs.

On an annual basis, the Contractor shall gather feedback from grantees sufficient to evaluate the effectiveness of the technical assistance provided under the contract, learn how the technical assistance has been used, and refine ongoing technical assistance in the remaining months of the contract period. The results of this assessment will be included in a more general quarterly trends report to inform DOL on the innovations, benchmarks, and challenges of grantees throughout the year.

As the end of the 60-month contract cycle approaches, the Contractor shall be required to develop a detailed final report based on information and data gathered over the grant cycles and informed by all tasks and activities contained within the proposed structure of technical assistance. The final report will build on each year of support and outline policy recommendations that inform future rounds of grant award. Recommendations will provide insight into the core elements outlined in YouthBuild Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs).

C.4. TASKS

This Statement of Work (SOW) defines the structure and related tasks required to complete the technical assistance strategy in a smooth and consistent manner for the 60-month life cycle of the contract. The selected Contractor shall work closely with DOL and partners to ensure that deliverables are in line with expectations of Federal staff and provide a robust system of grantee support that achieves the long-term objectives of the YouthBuild program.

There are six (6) task areas associated with the YouthBuild technical assistance structure. The six areas are:

Task Area #1-Contract Staffing & Coordination Task Area #2-Performance Coaching Task Area #3-Content Innovation &Partnership Development Task Area #4-In-Person and Virtual Technical Assistance Convenings Task Area #5-Electronic Resource Management Task Area #6-Management Information System (MIS) Help Desk

C.4.a Task Area #1-Contract Staffing & Coordination The Contractor shall put in place a core contract management team (Management Team) to oversee the work of YouthBuild technical assistance. The team will consist of three contract staff members and must include, at a minimum, a Project Director. The Management Team will manage all aspects of the YouthBuild technical assistance contract from oversight to contract deliverables to implementation of grantee convenings, performance coaching, and facilitated peer sharing.

In addition, the Management Team will ensure that DOL staff is consulted with and apprised of contract progress on a regular basis via weekly meetings with staff and monthly meetings with management. They will also ensure that the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) is informed appropriately and his/her input is built into all aspects of the work.

A designated member of the contract staff will provide administrative support and staffing to the Management Team. The Management Team will focus on key content areas, as defined in the YouthBuild FOAs, and as they emerge from grantee input. The Management Team will work with the technical assistance team described in C.3 to help manage content and the technical assistance strategic focus for all YouthBuild technical assistance activities.

Key Deliverables Convene the Management Team to oversee the work of YouthBuild technical assistance.

Provide staffing to Management Team meetings, including agenda development, meeting logistics, minutes and timely dissemination of minutes to team members.

Develop and manage the technical assistance plan and provide regular updates on progress.

Ensure that DOL staff is consulted with and apprised of contract progress on a regular basis.

Oversee the development of a comprehensive set of tools, knowledge, networks, trainings, webinars, handbooks, and other resources to help guide grantees towards excellence in project implementation through the TA Team.

Manage the work of the technical assistance team described in C.3 to ensure strategic direction of technical assistance activities and resources for all YouthBuild grantees.

C.4b Task Area #2-Performance Coaching

The Contractor shall deliver performance coaching to active YouthBuild grantees. Performance coaching by the Contractor shall be individualized to meet the needs of each YouthBuild grantee.

The Contractor may have this coaching expertise among their own staff, or may partner with individuals or organizations that have access to this expertise. Specialized coaching efforts will be provided as needed in areas such as the following:

Familiarity with current Workforce regulations Use of data to manage programs Partnership strategies with the public workforce system, including working with the workforce system to access data Models of career development and business engagement, as well as career pathway planning Academic program components Labor Market Information and credentialing Construction work site management and partnership development (i.e. Habitat for Humanity, Public Housing Authorities) Registered Apprenticeship best practices and pathways at the local level Leadership development Case management for performance and youth counseling Energy efficiency components Best practices and learning strategies for adult learners, contextualized education, and project-based learning

Performance coaching by the Contractor shall include the use of remote and on-site monitoring and data analysis. The Coaching Coordinator will take the lead, with DOL staff input, to schedule virtual site visits. As a result of the virtual site visits, the team may determine that the appropriate methods for providing additional technical assistance are technical assistance phone calls or additional virtual solutions focused on specific topics, such as engaging with the public workforce system or planning for career pathways. When this remote monitoring identifies: (a) the need for corrective action, (b) better facilitation of relationship-building among and between grantee project partners, and/or (c) barriers to successful grant implementation, an on-site technical assistance visit can be made available. In addition, the Coaching Coordinator will work in conjunction with ETA to devise strategies to help grantees address any areas of deficiency that are uncovered.

Onsite technical assistance for grantees experiencing challenges with project implementation will be reserved for active YouthBuild grants, based on factors such as the needs identified among the grantees and time left in their periods of performance. In conducting on-site technical assistance visits, the Contractor should be prepared to assess grantee progress and determine appropriate next steps or courses of action. This may involve procuring additional expertise to address specific needs. Wherever possible, such additional outside expertise should be used efficiently to benefit multiple grant sites. Site visits might also be used to learn from those grantees demonstrating exemplary progress through intensive technical assistance.

The Contractor shall also conduct onsite visits of grantees with promising models. The purpose of these visits will be to document these models and the keys to their success, so that this information can be shared with other YouthBuild programs to replicate them.

To provide the most effective technical assistance strategy to a YouthBuild grantee, the Contractor shall develop protocol to ensure there is a technical assistance feedback loop and evidence of customer satisfaction. It will include communication between Coaches and Federal Project Officers to ensure Coaches are keeping Federal Project Officers current on any issues or challenges. This protocol will include assess the grantees’ plans, reports, and deliverables produced as a result of the grant. The Contractor shall then be expected to summarize each grantee’s status and baseline parameters and get sign off from the Federal Project Officer before undertaking the TA approach. In addition, coaches will be required to attend an annual DOL

YouthBuild Technical Assistance Coaches Training that will be implemented through Task Area 4, to ensure that they are up-to-date with and fully understand DOL YouthBuild policies and procedures, as well as the forthcoming regulations under WIOA.

Key Deliverables Technical Assistance Feedback Protocol /Standard Operating Procedures Deliver two (2) performance coaching calls for each new (first-time-funded)

YouthBuild grantee annually Deliver one (1) performance coaching call annually for each active but previously-funded YouthBuild grantee experiencing challenges Identify and procure additional expertise as needed to address grantee performance coaching needs Conduct in-person site visits to YouthBuild grantee projects, one per year, as identified with the Management Team and required DOL staff Provide the Management Team with quarterly coaching schedule Provide site visit and performance coaching reports, to be delivered to require

DOL staff no later than two weeks after each coaching and site visit activity Provide evidence of customer satisfaction with coaches.

C.4.c Task Area #3-Content Innovation & Partnership Development

I. Content Innovation The purpose of this task area is to increase the efficiency of grant implementation by assisting grantees throughout the grant period, and to effectively communicate about the success factors of each strategy and promote the broad adoption of these success factors among the workforce system and YouthBuild programs nationwide. The scope of this task includes the provision of comprehensive support to grantees that will increase the awareness of innovative practices and strategies. Further, DOL, the workforce system and YouthBuild programs nationwide will gain an increased understanding of evidence-based practices in order to further strengthen the effectiveness of technical assistance and ensure that promising practices are shared across youth-serving programs under WIOA.

Through this task area, the technical assistance team (see C.3) will collect information, develop products containing that information, and disseminate the information both internally to DOL and externally to grantees and other stakeholders throughout the workforce and YouthBuild systems.

The technical assistance teams will develop and distribute YouthBuild grantee resources, such as trainings and manuals (i.e., Best Practices for a Successful Grant), webinars, workgroup and policy analysis papers and toolkits, grantee case studies and success stories, grantee newsletters, and annual updates for the workforce system and YouthBuild nationwide. In addition, the technical assistance teams will be responsible for reviewing and analyzing performance and anecdotal data about grantee progress for the effective understanding of grant implementation and performance.

All of these strategies will capture innovative content and best practices that help grantees strengthen their programs.

The Contractor shall provide an annual technical assistance strategy including a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) that dictates how best practices will be collected and shared with the field; this SOP will also include input from identified National and Regional DOL YouthBuild staff.

Key Deliverables Comprehensive plan for best practice generation and dissemination

Creation of one Grantee Support Guide (Best Practices for A Successful Grant)per year over the contract period

Creation of a menu of technical assistance resources available to YouthBuild grantees, updated semi-annually

Identification of promising practices through quarterly review of grantees’ quarterly narrative reports and coaches’ reports to inform the delivery of technical assistance

Collection and dissemination of emerging practices across the spectrum of youth development research and literature for material and other subject matter expertise

Creation of four Toolkits on content areas identified by the Management Team or selected ETA staff over the 60-month contract period

Creation of monthly newsletters for grantees, to be housed on www.workforceGPS.org Creation of an annual packet containing case studies of grantees exhibiting best practices and success stories Creation of 10 comprehensive fact sheets per year on a wide range of topics for all grantees as identified through a variety of means, including analysis of grantee reports, emerging practices from the youth development field, and other technical assistance activities that leverages the expertise of partner organizations and other additional research, as appropriate

Apprenticeship placements, partnering under WIOA, and other topics as specified by DOL

Development of eight general policy papers outlining strategies for technical assistance and improved performance over the 60-month contract period on topics such as Construction Plus, employer engagement with YouthBuild programs, and other topics as specified by DOL

Delivery of twelve Webinars per year on content-related topics for all grantees as identified through a variety of means, including discussion with the technical assistance team, analysis of grantee reports and other technical assistance activities

Collection of construction best practices, green building, business development and work site safety

Assistance with the completion of the YouthBuild Annual Report and other urgent requests, as needed

Development of resources necessary to conduct an evaluation of Contractor technical assistance scope and impact, such as evaluation materials, trends analysis, and assessment of performance outcomes

Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) that dictates how best practices will be collected and shared with the field

II. Partnership Development Partnerships are a core component for successful technical assistance support to YouthBuild grantees. The Contractor shall help to develop partnerships and, where appropriate, Memoranda of Agreement (MOAs) with national partners to support the success of DOL YouthBuild grantees.

The Contractor, with the support of DOL staff, will work to develop national and local partnership MOAs to support the YouthBuild model. These will include working with Habitat for Humanity and regional/local Registered Apprenticeship programs. The goal of these partnership MOAs is to develop national partnership agreements to both support the pipeline of qualifying work sites for youth construction training and the career pipeline of apprenticeship opportunities. The Contractor may be asked to support the development of additional partnership opportunities that emerge over the 60-month contract.

C.4.d Task Area #4-In-Person and Virtual Technical Assistance Convenings

The scope of this task area includes in-person and virtual convenings. National DOL staff and FPOs for each of the six regions (Boston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago, and San Francisco) will annually identify any virtual event/in-person convening needs that provide grant management guidance, learning networks, and peer sharing environments for grantees. Virtual events/in-person convenings will give grantees the opportunity to share best practices, build knowledge, brainstorm solutions, and troubleshoot challenges that might occur during the grant period. These events will enhance grant performance outcomes and create strong program practices that ultimately benefit YouthBuild programs and the youth workforce system. Per Federal guidance, all YouthBuild program in-person convenings are required to be held in Federal space, either within Washington, D.C. or within the regions.

I. Types of Convenings The types of virtual event/in-person convening to be requested by DOL Regional and National staff at the beginning of each contract year are the following:

New Grantee Orientations (NGO). NGOs will be provided for each round of grant awards and are targeted for all YouthBuild programs that are newly funded by DOL’s YouthBuild program, as well as previously-funded programs that may have new staff. These orientations will cover financial administration of the grant under DOL, standard grant policies and procedures, performance expectations, and grantee networking. There will also be a separate training, in coordination with the NGO, in the use of the YouthBuild MIS. These orientations will target Project Directors and Financial Management staff at minimum, as well as data managers for the MIS component. NGOs occur annually in the fall and are estimated to host up to 200 participants.

Management Information System (MIS) trainings. MIS trainings will be intensive hands-on trainings in a computer lab for YouthBuild grantee staff on the use of the Web-based case management and performance system. These intensive trainings will be offered regionally and will train those staff with primary responsibility for data management and reporting. New data management staff are required to receive MIS training before being given access to the system.

Construction and Safety Certifications. Construction and Safety Certification trainings allow program construction trainers to earn industry-recognized teaching credentials and certification so they can further certify young people at their programs. The construction certification trainings to be offered will include certification programs from: Home Builders Institute Pre-Apprenticeship Certificate Training (HBI PACT);

National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER); Multi-Craft Core Curriculum (MC3); and Building Performance Institute (BPI); as well as other industry-recognized credentials. In addition, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) mandatory 8-day site safety training will be offered. Other industry-recognized credentials and safety training may be offered in Construction Plus industries such as health care, IT or advanced manufacturing. The construction and safety certification trainings are provided annually and the number and type of trainings will be identified at the beginning of each contract year.

Regional Peer-to-Peer (P2P) convenings. P2Ps are small regional convenings that address one or several topical areas designed for small groups. These convenings should be interactive and highlight best practices among YouthBuild grantees and provide tools that participants can use in their daily work. P2Ps are planned at the discretion of each of the six regions (Boston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, and San Francisco). Regions can choose to focus on all active YouthBuild grantees in their region, a subset of YouthBuild grantees, or to partner with other related youth development/workforce development training activities occurring in the region (i.e., broader trainings on project-based learning or career pathways). Regional offices have the flexibility to determine the best convening for their region and may choose to instead host a virtual convening. P2Ps will be identified at the beginning of each contract year and a maximum of six P2Ps will occur in a contract year. The Offeror is expected to develop personalized content for each region’s needs, which will be reviewed and modified by the region as needed through the on-going process of agenda development.

Skills Trainings: Virtual or in-person convenings that focus on YouthBuild staff development and program development. The trainings will feature in-depth learning for grantees to build the skills of program staff and to help grantees better run their programs. Areas of focus may include project management, project based learning, collaboration and leadership. Trainings are estimated to occur twice a year based on need. Skills training topics are identified at the beginning of each contract year and will be developed collaboratively through the work of the technical assistance team.

Coaches Trainings: The Coaches Training is an in-person training that will provide an overview of the role and responsibilities of DOL YouthBuild coaches, required policies and procedures, performance expectations and definitions, best practices in supporting FPOs, and navigating DOL resources for grantee referral. Coaches Trainings are estimated to occur two times per year and will be identified at the beginning of each contract year.

YouthBuild Pilots: Potential pilot projects may be requested for the Contractor to develop and support on emerging areas of focus over the 60-month contract. The Contractor will work with DOL staff on the goals of the pilot and deliverables of the pilot. In addition, the Contractor will provide logistics support and subject matter experts where needed. There will be two pilot projects during the 60-month contract period and only as needed.

Key Deliverables

Provide high-quality in-person and virtual events or convenings that utilize logistics management experience and high-quality speakers and trainers

Utilize high-performing YouthBuild grantees as peer teachers at each virtual event/in-person convening

Provide adult learner best practices to help support successful learning environments for YouthBuild grantees and impactful technical assistance delivery

Host one in-person New Grantee Orientation per year, starting in fall of 2015 through fall of 2019

Provide Construction Trainings that offer train-the-trainer opportunities, resulting in industry-recognized credentials including OSHA, construction credentials, and other industry-recognized credentials related to Construction Plus in-demand industries, as needed.

Develop, support, and staff skills trainings/learning convenings annually, as needed, in collaboration with the technical assistance team and DOL YouthBuild staff.

Work with FPOs on P2P events to develop content and support logistics, as requested.

Implement annual DOL Coaches training with final agenda approved by YouthBuild Program Director.

Support development and logistics for YouthBuild pilot projects, as needed.

II. Logistic & Trainer Support

The Contractor shall provide event management for all YouthBuild virtual and in-person convenings, which will facilitate peer and subject matter expert learning networks for grantees to share information on promising practices and forums for problem solving to overcome challenges. The technical assistance team will craft an annual learning agenda which will be implemented by the Contractor. The Contractor shall be responsible for working with DOL staff to shape each convening agenda.

Agendas should support innovative practices and contain input from YouthBuild grantees and assessment of broadly-seen trends to identify issues relevant to successful implementation of each project.

The Contractor shall be required to provide logistical support, which will involve the following requirements:

• Hotel and/or conference facility identification and arrangements

• Support of DOL conference approval process, including delivery of timely post-conference costs

• Coordinating audio-visual arrangements

• Supporting on-line electronic registration that is housed on DOL’s www.workforceGPS.org site or, if not possible, developing and hosting a DOL YouthBuild Registration page that is electronically linked to the DOL www.workforcGPS.org YouthBuild page

• Marketing and outreach to DOL YouthBuild grantees for participation in training events

• Ensuring all public materials such as logos, websites, printed materials, online materials and any other DOL YouthBuild public items have an official DOL approved logo and design only

• Production of all related conference materials including signage, nametags, binders, etc.

• Design, layout, and distribution of all printed materials

• Securing computer lab space for MIS Trainings, when necessary

• Supporting DOL national and regional staff in the scheduling, development and implementation of Webinars, including identifying speakers and using DOL's existing infrastructure, www.workforceGPS.org, for the delivery of Webinars

• Supporting DOL national and regional staff in the development of agendas, content, and the identification of and support for content providers

• Providing technical assistance on best practices for adult learning for in-person and virtual trainings to speakers and presenters

• Securing space for on-site construction training activities

• Helping to identify and manage presenter/trainer lists including résumés, connections to past YouthBuild presentations and copies of past evaluations, where appropriate

• Update and manage Standard Operating Procedures for events with final sign off from DOL

Key Deliverables

Offer high-quality events that utilize logistics management experience Host virtual or in-person convenings, as determined useful to grantees through meetings with DOL staff Evaluate all attendee feedback, with a goal of 85% or higher grantees satisfaction with the convening overall Identify YouthBuild grantee staff members at each national and peer convening to serve as peer teachers/mentors to facilitate training sessions and provide coaching assistance to peers

Provide timely event data, such as attendance, evaluation, and event costs, to support DOL reporting on YouthBuild events

Develop Standard Operating Procedures for events and trainer/speaker support

C.4.e Task Area #5-Electronic Resources Management

Critical components of the YouthBuild technical assistance strategy are to facilitate peer-to-peer learning networks and to share common knowledge gained from grant implementation. To accommodate time and budget constraints, virtual networks and electronic tools have proven to be effective methods to maximize technical assistance delivery.

To create an efficient and effective interface for communication with grantees, the Contractor will be expected to manage YouthBuild’s web presence on DOL’s on-line technical assistance platform, www.workforceGPS.org, with the capacity to post technical assistance materials and resources and to allow for grantee communication with each other, YouthBuild program office staff, and the Contractor. This web presence will serve as the grantee access point for knowledge exchange, peer learning and regular communication with DOL and the Contractor.

The Contractor shall engage in a discovery process regarding the effectiveness of this platform and how it may be optimally used. In addition, the Contractor shall abide by all rules of DOL’s www.workforceGPS.org system and assist with system development and maintenance of the grantee performance reporting system, as requested.

Electronic Resource will include the following:

Webinars: YouthBuild webinars may be held to provide information to grantees on strengthening components of the YouthBuild program, improving program performance, or on various emerging practice topics. The infrastructure for webinars is provided through DOL’s www.workforceGPS.org portal. The Contractor will not be responsible for the technical production of webinars but will be responsible for scheduling, developing content and materials (i.e., Power Points), and for identifying presenters for the webinars. The Contractor will also be responsible for delivering webinars that include best practices for adult learning in a virtual environment and researching emerging and best practices from the field to share. The Contractor is expected to deliver fourteen webinars annually.

YouthBuild Community of Practice: DOL utilizes an electronic platform for its Community of Practice (CoP) on DOL’s www.workforceGPS.org portal. This CoP is designed to meet the needs of the DOL YouthBuild grantee community. The Contractor will be required to maintain the CoP, using the current infrastructure/platform and Standard Operating Procedures to ensure continuity of service. The Contractor will be responsible for the day-to-day management of COP content, including maintenance, uploading of materials, uploading of all postings (blogs and discussion posts), training and layout for optimal user-ease of information and peer sharing. In addition, the Contractor will be responsible for an on-line electronic registration to be housed on www.workforceGPS.org if possible. If not readily available, the Contractor must develop and host a DOL YouthBuild Registration page to be electronically linked to www.workforcGPS.org’s YouthBuild page. The Contractor, in coordination with DOL, will develop a Standard Operating Procedures Handbook on COP management and content delivery.

The Contractor will also provide, manage and update an internal content strategy to ensure the CoP is kept current and includes up-to-date resources, event schedules and ongoing discussions or blogs. The Contractor will also ensure that the CoP is clearly identified and represented as solely the domain of the Department of Labor.

YouthBuild Database: DOL currently utilizes a Microsoft Access database to track grantee contacts, FPO assignments, grant award amounts, and other information necessary for the day-to-day management by DOL of the YouthBuild program. The Contractor will be required to update and maintain the database using the current infrastructure/platform or to offer a similar supportable platform that has the same level of functionality, with no gaps in use from the current YouthBuild contract to the new contract. In addition, the Contractor will be responsible for the day-to-day management, maintenance, and required enhancements of the database.

Electronic Manuals/Tool Kits: The Contractor may be required to develop manuals or tool kits to be housed on the YouthBuild CoP that cover specific aspects of the YouthBuild model, as well as special topic areas of broad interest to the workforce system, such as energy efficiency or business engagement. These manuals or toolkits should be highly interactive and feature hyperlinks, videos, and graphics and should appeal to a broad variety of learning styles. DOL anticipates that four manuals will be produced during the 60-month contract.

Key Deliverables Design and drive grantee presence on DOL’s online technical assistance platform to generate knowledge sharing and peer-to-peer communication Update the communication strategy annually using an assessment of prior year(s) implementation Deliver 12 annual interactive and innovative webinars designed for optimal adult learning practices Update and maintain YouthBuild grantee database Design and oversee the YouthBuild Community of Practice on www.workforceGPS.org to support resource sharing, peer networking, and innovative practices appealing to a broad spectrum of youth practitioners, including YouthBuild grantees, the broader workforce system, and other youth-serving programs

Develop and manage CoP registration page on www.workforceGPS.org or an alternate platform, if needed

Deliver manuals and/or tool kits as requested, based on the needs of the field Develop Standard Operating Procedures for electronic resources

C.4.f Task Area #6-Management Information System (MIS) Help Desk

DOL supports a Web-based management information system (MIS) that all DOL YouthBuild grantees are required to use to report enrollment and demographic data, services provided, and performance outcomes. Under this task area, the Contractor will support DOL to identify and trouble shoot necessary system fixes and functional enhancements. As well, the MIS task order is expected to support a distinct technical assistance team to focus on the innovative use of performance data for program improvement, the use of data analysis to identify trends and issue areas, and to support the implementation of the new WIOA performance measures, as determined through the regulatory process and effective in July of 2016.

The specific tasks which may be provided by the Contractor under the MIS Help Desk task area may include, but are not limited to, the following:

Delivery of technical assistance to YouthBuild grantees to build staff knowledge in data management including providing grantee training and ‘help desk’ support

Development of effective practices for using MIS data to improve the YouthBuild program

Ongoing recommendations for enhancing and improving the YouthBuild MIS system Testing of enhancements and troubleshooting system functionality Supporting training and development of needed system enhancements related specifically to the new, yet to be defined, WIOA performance measures for youth Develop Standard Operating Procedures for MIS support/communication

Additionally, the Contractor is required to staff an MIS Help Desk with regular hours in order to provide training and support to individual grantees in the use of the YouthBuild MIS. The Contractor will provide assistance to grantees over the phone, via email, and through the use of screen sharing during small and large webinars. The specific tasks that will be provided through the Help Desk include:

Management of a dedicated toll-free phone line and email address for questions about the use of the MIS with staffing support during standard Monday–Friday business hours

Providing hands-on instruction to groups in the use of the system Conducting Webinars and other on-lining training opportunities as well as six in-person training events each year Sharing written tools and materials to support MIS training and data best practices Supporting content for the Community of Practice, including blogs and discussions of best practices for data management and performance outcomes on www.workforceGPS.org

C.5. DELIVERABLES

The Contractor shall be responsible for the submission of reports and key deliverables as delineated in the Tasks Section (C.4).