https://www.congress.gov/113/bills/hr803/BILLS-113hr803enr.pdf

Addendum No: 1 Addendum Date: November 17, 2017 Request for Proposal No: ILH0018 Request for Proposal Due Date: December 8, 2017 2:00 PM

Commodity or Service:

ILH0018 – Short-term Customized Training Program(s) Revision:

Respond to vendor questions.

Proposers must submit this Amendment 1 with the proposal response to ensure that they have read, understand, and that the proposal of the company is predicated upon the contents of this Addendum.

Please include a signed copy of this addendum with your response.

Signature Date

Questions and Answers

Q1. What is the eligibility for participants?

A1: This training is intended to serve those individuals in the special populations identified. The proposer is responsible for obtaining the appropriate proof that the individual meets the criteria for that population. Definitions for each population are provided in the WIOA references listed below:

• Low-income individuals (as defined in WIOA sec. 3(36));

(36) LOW-INCOME INDIVIDUAL.—

(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘low-income individual’’ means an individual who—

(i) receives, or in the past 6 months has received, or is a member of a family that is receiving or in the past 6 months has received, assistance through the supplemental nutrition assistance program established under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.), the program of block grants to States for temporary assistance for needy families program under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.), or the supplemental security income program established under title XVI of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1381 et seq.), or State or local income-based public assistance;

(ii) is in a family with total family income that does not exceed the higher of—

Department of Workforce Development Division of Operations P.O. Box 7946 Madison, WI 53707 Telephone: (608) 266-1024 Fax: (608) 267-7952

UCD-7352-E (R. 05/2013) http://unemployment.wisconsin.gov

Scott Walker, Governor Raymond Allen, Secretary

(I) the poverty line; or (II) 70 percent of the lower living standard income level;

(iii) is a homeless individual (as defined in section 41403(6) of the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (42 U.S.C. 14043e–2(6))), or a homeless child or youth (as defined under section 725(2) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11434a(2)));

(iv) receives or is eligible to receive a free or reduced price lunch under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.);

(v) is a foster child on behalf of whom State or local government payments are made; or

(vi) is an individual with a disability whose own income meets the income requirement of clause (ii), but who is a member of a family whose income does not meet this requirement.

(B) LOWER LIVING STANDARD INCOME LEVEL.—The term ‘‘lower living standard income level’’ means that income level (adjusted for regional, metropolitan, urban, and rural differences and family size) determined annually by the Secretary of Labor based on the most recent lower living family budget issued by the Secretary.

• Individuals with disabilities, including youth who are individuals with disabilities (as defined in

WIOA sec. 3(25) (includes individuals who are in receipt of Social Security Disability Insurance);

(25) INDIVIDUAL WITH A DISABILITY.—

(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘individual with a disability’’ means an individual with a disability as defined in section 3 of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12102).

(B) INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES.—The term ‘‘individuals with disabilities’’ means more than 1 individual with a disability.

• Ex-offenders (“offender” as defined in WIOA sec. 3(38)); \

(38) OFFENDER.—The term ‘‘offender’’ means an adult or juvenile—

(A) who is or has been subject to any stage of the criminal justice process, and for whom services under this Act may be beneficial; or

(B) who requires assistance in overcoming artificial barriers to employment resulting from a record of arrest or conviction.

Q2. Are the training participants required to be enrolled in WIOA? If so, will they be entered and tracked in ASSET? If not, is it up to the provider to track separately?

A2: No, the participants do not need to be enrolled in WIOA, although it is encouraged that the participants are co-enrolled in WIOA. These participants will not be counted as an existing contractors WIOA performance standards, but will be tracked separately.

Yes, all participants need to be tracked, but will be tracked in the DWD reporting system, ASSET.

DWD will be responsible for granting access and providing training to ASSET to any agency that is not currently using this system.

Q3. What are they expected levels of performance outcomes for the respective providers?

A3: The state has negotiated levels of performance for each Workforce Development Area. The participants included in this effort, will be counted against these measures. See attached document labeled PY 2017 Negotiation Results for more details.

Q4. Are the proposers expected to serve one specific target group, or can it be a combination of groups?

A4: See page 11, section 1.3.

Q5. On page 17, section 7.2.E., please further define DWD's interpretation of "job readiness skills training".

A5: In addition to the technical skills provided, the expectation is that the Job Readiness Skills Training component will focus on those skills needed for workforce readiness. The Job Readiness Skills Training should be targeted to the population and industry the Proposer is addressing. Examples of items that could be considered are materials on workplace interpersonal and professional skills, problem solving and critical thinking, professionalism in the workplace, collaboration and negotiation, workplace discipline, etc.

Q6. The RFP does not address the eligibility of the proposers/eligible applicants. Is this an omission, or is this procurement open to any entity meeting the stated requirements?

A6: Eligible applicants may include private and public entities, secondary or post-secondary education institutions, faith based organizations, for-profit and not-for-profit agencies, Community Based Organizations (CBO), or other entities. Partnerships or consortiums may respond; however, collaborations submitting proposals must identify a lead entity that will be responsible for management, coordination of services, operations, financial accountability, legal obligations and all reporting requirements. This lead entity must demonstrate its capacity to set direction, achieve outcomes, leverage matching or in-kind resources and manage overall operations, including staff oversight, customer services, continuous improvement and achievement of performance outcomes.

Respondents must have the technical competence, expertise in management and administration, professional staff, and administrative and fiscal management systems to accomplish the goals and objectives stated in this RFP and meet high standards of public service and fiduciary responsibility.

Respondents are responsible for being knowledgeable of regulations of the specific funding sources involved and applying them in developing the RFP responses.

Q7. WIOA Title 1 requires 52 weeks of follow up with participants after exit. Who will do this required follow up?

A7: If they co-enroll in Title 1, the Board or its sub-contracted entity is responsible for tracking through the end of the 52 weeks. In order to make this tracking easier, all individuals participating in the trainings should be required to register in JCW. This will allow the state to obtain wage and employment information after the reporting period has ended.

Q8. For sections 5.1 and 6.1.C, if an entity is not listed under service provider subcontracts, is procurement required?

A8: Competitive procurement is required for all federal funds per Uniform Guidance Standards. The type of procurement depends on the amount of the award. Procurement standards are discussed in the Uniform Guidance starting at section 200.317.

Q9. Does the term "customized training" as provided in the Request for Proposals follow the definition of customized training in WIOA section 3 14)? If so, "Customized Training" as defined in WIOA at Section 3

(14) requires the employer to pay "a significant portion of the cost of training, as determined by the local board involved, taking in to account the size of the employer and such other factors as the local board determines to be appropriate…" The Request for Proposal does not indicate where or how the employer contribution should be tracked or who is responsible in determining the contribution. How would this be tracked and who would be responsible for determining the contribution? Also, is there a required employer match for customized training?

A9: This was not intended to be WIOA defined customized training. The term customized in this RFP is intended to be short-term skills training that is targeting the specialized populations and industries identified. To clarify we are removing the word "customized" from the RFP so as to not imply WIOA customized training.

Q10. Does the state have a customized training policy? If so, where can we find a copy of this policy?

A10: To clarify we are removing the word "customized" from the RFP so as to not imply WIOA customized training.

Q11. Is there a required maximum cost per participant for the training?

A11: This is not following the customized training under WIOA. Proposals will be looked at competitively in terms of cost. The cost per trainee is proportional to the planned training. The cost per trainee is a reasonable investment related to project outcomes for the trainees, the employer, and the State.

Q12. Do the expenditures have to follow WIOA guidance? For example, can incentives be built in for adults to participate?

A12: All expenditures have to follow WIOA guidance. Incentives cannot be built in for adults to participate.

Q13. On the budget sheet on page 23, it states "Wisconsin Dislocated Worker Opportunity Grant" in the bottom row. Are these funds Title I Dislocated Worker funds from DOL?

A13: These funds are the WIOA funding and are part of the statewide oversight funds as defined in 20 CFR 683.120(b).

Q14. If the funding for this initiative is not from WIOA Title 1 Dislocated Workers Funds, what is the source of funding for this project?

A14: These funds are the WIOA funding and are part of the statewide oversight funds as defined in 20 CFR 683.120(b).

Q15. If we are targeting the incarcerated/Huber population, can the grant funds be used to pay for jail Huber and processing fees?

A15: No

Q16. Are there restrictions on what the funds can be used for?

A16: Refer to 6.1(D).

Q17. Are there any required match or leverage amounts for this funding?

A17: Not required.

Q18. On page 11, section 2.4 states: "Response to Propose Response Section 5.1 – 7.4 and the narrative required in Section 8." In the request for proposals, the response section goes to 7.5. Should section 7.5 also be included in the response section and put under tab 2?

A18: This is a typo and should be 7.5.

Q19. If submitting an emailed proposal, is the grant still required to be arranged in tabs? If so, would separate files work as tabbed sections? Additionally, are there other requirements when submitting a proposal by email (i.e. file size requirements, required email subject linen statements, etc.)?

A19: Proposers can put a blank page that can be used to indicate the tab. The file size restriction is 20 mgs. The subject line should have the RFP number included in it.

ADM-5120-E (R. 08/2017) http://dwd.wisconsin.gov/asd

Q20. On page 12, section 3.5 has different sections listed under Evaluation Criteria than is shown throughout the proposal. Which section heading should be followed for the response?

A20: Corrections have been made to table in 3.5 to align the numbering with the text of the RFP

Q21. In section 6.3 there is a requirement for 4 references, with 2 required references from organizations that the proposer has previously worked with. Is there a requirement for the other two references?

A21: Two required references from the organization has previously worked with should describe similar work in the last 2 years. The remaining two can be beyond those requirements, but whomever responds to the references should be able to speak to the quality of their work. These letters of reference are not to be confused with the letters of commitment.

Q22. Under section 4.8 on page 14, the proposer is told to supply a copy of their current bond and liability insurance declaration pages. Are these required to be supplied with the submittal of the proposal?

A22: Yes

Q23. For the Certification Regarding Debarment and Suspension, Certification Regarding Lobbying, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities, and Minority Business Participant Report forms found in the request for proposals, if they are applicable, are they required to be submitted with the proposal? If so, how should the forms be submitted (i.e. as a single attached file to an email, attached to the full proposal, etc.)?

A23: Yes

Q24. On page 17, should the second B bullet point (Describe how your outreach plan will include information…) instead be listed as bullet point F?

A24: This should be numbered as F. This correction has been made.

Q25. Based on WIOA requirements, we would have to have an approved policy on customized training before issuing an RFP. Please send me a copy of the DWD Customized Training Policy.

A25: Refer to question 9, above.

Q26. The RFP states WIOA performance metrics will be utilized; however, there is no mention of specific

WIOA eligibility requirements aside from the broad target population categories. Generally, I can foresee a very high likelihood that any participant meeting on e or more of the target population categories would also meet the Title Ib ADULT program eligibility. Must all participants meet (and subsequently enrolled) in an appropriate Title Ib program for inclusion in the customized training funded through this RFP? And if so, is the awardee solely responsible for managing that process (i.e.

case management/service provision documentation, ASSET data entry, provision of basic/individual career services, etc.)?

A26: Refer to question 9, above.

Q27. In my experience, RFP originators will; typically, "state the problem/challenge" in the History/Background section in order to provide context and often serves as the impetus for the RFP, encouraging/stimulating innovation and creativity amongst interested proposers. Can you share any additional information in this context?

A27: No. This was intended as a demonstration RFP that is to help identify solutions for meeting the barriered populations. We are looking for the proposers to define the needs statement to see how they intend to address those needs.

Q28. Is it necessary to have a letter of commitment from a workforce development board or other community partner?

A28: No, this is intended to be any workforce development partner, which could include a workforce development board, but a board letter of commitment is not required.

See 6.4 and 7.3(A): Workforce and educational partners such as, but not limited to, the technical colleges, universities, the local workforce boards, local industry groups, or other community based entities.