ESBD_File_336314_RFP2023-011 Employer of Record for PWE Questions and Answers.docx

Request for Proposal #2023-011 Employer of Record for PWE

Official Responses to Questions from Potential Respondents

September 20, 2023

Proposal submission deadline September 27, 2023 by 4 pm CDT.

Workforce Solutions North Texas is an equal opportunity employer/program.

Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities.

Relay Texas: 800-735-2989 (TDD), 800-735-2988 (Voice) or 711.

1.

Is there a current solution in place for these 11 counties? How long was the current contract?

Yes, there is an incumbent vendor. This initial contract for Employer of Record for PWE started in 2020 and final renewal ends on 9/30/2023.

2. Who was the incumbent contractor for this service?

The incumbent contractor is MS/ Wichita Falls, Inc dba MyStaf.

3. Was this regular procurement or terminated contractor?

This was the regular procurement cycle for services. The contract did not terminate early.

4. What is the funding volume per year?

The current contract has processed 4203 hours of payroll during this period.

5. Could you please provide us with the total amount spent on services by Workforce Solutions of North Texas in the previous fiscal year?

Wages and payroll fees paid out for last fiscal year are $19,508.72.

6. If so, what was the total spend for 2021/22?

Wages and payroll fees paid out for last fiscal year are $19,508.72.

7. What was the total number of clients served?

The number of participants served in 2021-2022 was 18.

8. What is the volume of workers to be payrolled annually?

The average volume of workers is 9 to 18.

9. Can you share an impact statement or census?

Work experience services allow a customer to be placed at a business or agency within the community to learn skills for long-term, competitive, integrated employment.

10. We would like to inquire about the standard payment terms for invoices submitted by your organization.

What are the payment terms from the Board to the EOR?

PWE participants are paid weekly by EOR. Invoices from Employer of Record may also be submitted weekly to the Board. Payment to Employer of Record is usually within a week through our Fiscal Agent.

11. Will you issue the award to multiple vendors?

No, we are looking for one vendor.

12. Are these jobs remote or on-site?

The placements are developed by Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) as on-site, but remote is an option.

13. What types of placements have been used in the past?

What types of work will these individuals be performing (Admin/Clerical, General Labor, Warehouse, Landscaping, IT, etc.)?

Most placements have been Admin/Clerical, with a few Warehouse placements.

14. What was the participation headcount in 2021?

The participation headcount in 2021 is 12.

15. What was the participation headcount in 2022?

The participation headcount in 2022 is 12.

16. What was the previous program spend in 2021?

The program spent in 2021 is $17,352.20.

17. What was the previous program spend in 2022?

The program spent in 2022 is $20,265.13.

18. What are the average participants hours worked each week?

It varies, average in 2023 is 13 hours per week. PWE assignments do not exceed 20 hours per week per participant.

19. What age group to be served under the contract?

For the VR program, the student must be 14–22 years of age and must be younger than 22 years of age as of the previous September 1. TWC-VR recognizes that students under age 16 may have infrequent opportunities for PWE; however, when such opportunities arise, students 14 and 15 years of age may participate in PWE.

20. What is the average length of the assignment?

How many hours a week does an individual work?

What is the average assignment duration?

Will any of these workers be working full-time and benefit-eligible?

PWE assignments do not exceed 12 weeks per participant per worksite. PWE assignments do not exceed 20 hours per week per participant. A VR participant may participate in more than one PWE assignment if the VR counselor determines that additional assignments will help the participant with career exploration and the development of workplace readiness skills. The additional PWE may not be for the same type of position and must give the participant the opportunity to learn and develop a new set of skills. The additional PWE may be consecutive but not concurrent with any other PWE assignment.

21. What percentage of this workforce is under 18 years of age?

Historically, most are over 18 years of age.

22. To confirm, the Pay Rate is $9.00 per hour?

Yes, the current pay rate is $9.00 per hour.

23. Do these individuals require workplace accommodation? If so, is there a current procedure in place to ensure success?

What types of ADA accommodation requests does the program generally receive from the employees?

VR oversees the ADA accommodations for the participants. This RFP is for payroll services.

24. What is the program generally able to accommodate?

Not applicable.

25. Are you willing to provide flexible hours/time off?

Not applicable.

26. Are you able to provide ergonomic equipment if requested?

Not applicable.

27. Are the worksites ADA compliant?

Not applicable.

28. What will Workforce Solutions of North Texas expect of the EOR with regard to ADA accommodation requests?

Not applicable.

29. Can the Board specify if the use of our system to capture time and approvals is sufficient or will they require the use of their system? if their system is it electronic or paper timecards?

An electronic timekeeping system is allowable with guidelines per Invoicing for Payment section. Currently, a scanned timesheet is used for payroll processing.

30. Because this is through Vocational Rehabilitation, is there additional reporting or outside agency involvement?

Under section Documentation and Recordkeeping – retention period of seven years after employment termination date. Currently, there is no other reporting or outside agency involvement.

31. Under the question “Describe your process for new hire documents, status changes, billing, background checks, drug testing, benefits, etc.” can you please define and/or elaborate on what “status changes” means? (Proposal Template > Organizational Design > 2nd bullet point) The status change refers to any updates needed on the participant record after enrollment.

32. Does attachment D need to be notarized?

Are you requesting that Attachment D to be notarized?

Yes

33. Does this RFP enable the Awardee to support other programs within the North Texas region in which the Board supports? Ex: Adult & Youth, SEAL, et cetera?

This RFP is specifically for the PWE program.

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