OWS RFP Police and Firefighters Career Pathways Plan ECD2529.pdf

Plan for a Police Officer and Firefighter Career Pipeline Program Page 1 of 17

Request for Proposals (RFP)

RFP Name: Plan for a Police Officer and Firefighter Career Pipeline Program

RFP #: 27ECD2529

The Office of Workforce Strategy is soliciting proposals to develop a comprehensive plan for a police officer and firefighter career pipeline program.

Please see the attached materials for additional proposal information.

Proposal Deadline: Friday, September 11, 2026, 5pm EST

Special Submission Instructions: All proposals must be submitted to the Agency Official Contact. No proposals submitted via CTSource will be considered.

The Agency is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Section 1. Overview of the Office of Workforce Strategy ..................................................................................... Page 3

Section 2. Overview of the Request for Proposal ..................................................................................................... Page 3

Section 3. Funding Source & Timeline .............................................................................................................................. Page 4

Section 4. Eligibility & Expectations of Entities ............................................................................................................ Page 4

Section 5. Number of Awards ................................................................................................................................................ Page 4

Section 6. Contact & Submission Information .......................................................................................................... Page 4

Section 7. Proposal Information ........................................................................................................................................... Page 4

Section 8. Budget Template .................................................................................................................................................... Page 7

Section 9. Other Documents ................................................................................................................................................. Page 7

Section 10. Evaluation, Contract Selection, and Execution ................................................................................ Page 8

Section 11. Rights Reserved by the State of Connecticut .................................................................................... Page 10

Section 12. Statutory and Regulatory Compliance ............................................................................................... Page 11

EXHIBIT A: Acronyms & Definitions....................................................................................................................................... Page 14

EXHIBIT B: Documents Required by Proposer & Checklist .................................................................................. Page 15

EXHIBIT C: Cover Page & Acknowledgment ................................................................................................................. Page 16

EXHIBIT D: Statement of Assurances ................................................................................................................................. Page 17

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PROPOSAL INFORMATION

1) OVERVIEW OF OWS

The Office of Workforce Strategy (OWS or the Agency), created under Governor Lamont’s leadership, provides strategic direction and coordinates workforce development policy and programming among state agencies, education institutions and industry throughout the state. Its primary goal is to ensure that all state residents have equitable access to quality jobs, and all Connecticut businesses have the talent they need to innovate and grow. OWS is an executive branch agency that also provides administrative staff to the Governor’s Workforce Council (GWC).

OWS is building a demand-driven workforce ecosystem where business talent needs drive workforce development efforts throughout the state. A significant focus of OWS’s work is building dynamic partnerships among industry, government, K-12, higher education, and community partners to ensure that these key drivers of workforce are collaborating so that industry skill needs are clearly articulated and informing curricula, that training and education are linked to actual jobs, and that learners have opportunities to participate in work-based learning experiences that include mentoring, internships, pre-apprenticeships and more.

2) OVERVIEW OF THE REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

Police departments and fire departments throughout Connecticut continue to experience recruitment challenges driven by demographic changes, retirements, increased hiring competition, evolving workforce expectations, and declining numbers of qualified applicants.

These workforce shortages affect municipalities of all sizes and may impact emergency response capacity, public safety, and long-term workforce sustainability.

The Connecticut Office of Workforce Strategy (OWS) seeks proposals from qualified organizations to develop a comprehensive statewide strategic plan for establishing a Police Officer and Firefighter Career Pipeline Program. OWS seeks a data-driven strategy that provides a landscape of current pipeline programs, analyzes barriers to recruitment and retention, expands awareness of public safety careers, strengthens career pathways, improves recruitment of Connecticut residents, and identifies sustainable investments that will build the future public safety workforce.

This procurement supports Section 74 of Public Act No. 26-12, which requires the Chief Workforce Officer to develop a plan that includes:

• Strategies to increase the number of Connecticut residents pursuing careers as police officers and firefighters;

• Estimated funding required to establish and sustain a statewide career pipeline program.

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The selected contractor will conduct research, engage stakeholders, identify promising practices, and produce recommendations, and write a report for the Connecticut General Assembly due no later than January 1, 2027. The final draft is due to OWS by December 1, 2026, with potential edits and feedback due through March 2027.

3) FUNDING SOURCE & TIMELINE

a) Source. The funding source for this program is state general fund dollars.

b) Use of Funds. Funding can be used to support research, including stakeholder engagement, data collection, policy alignment, and staff.

c) Timeline. Funding shall be deployed immediately and is available through December

31, 2026.

d) Total Amount Available. The total amount of funding available for distribution through this Request for Proposal is $200,000 over a four-month period.

4) ELIGIBILITY & EXPECTATIONS OF ENTITIES

a) Eligibility. Eligible entities are higher education institutions and nonprofit organizations located in the State of Connecticut

b) Contractor Expectations.

a) Experience conducting workforce development research, including labor market analysis, training and education to career pathways, with specific expertise in public safety workforce.

b) Experience with creating detailed budgets.

c) Experience writing reports for a legislative audience.

c) Data and Technology Expectations. Experience with Microsoft tools and online meeting platforms to submit periodic reports, maintain timesheets and progress updates.

5) NUMBER OF AWARDS

a) Awards. One award will be granted. The awards will be granted based on the score of the proposal.

6) CONTACT & SUBMISSION INFORMATION

a) Contacts. All questions and proposal submissions shall be made to grace.suh@ct.gov

b) Deadlines.

a) RFP Released: Wednesday, August 19, 2026

b) Questions Deadline: Tuesday, August 25, 2026, 5pm EST

c) Answers Deadline: Friday, August 28, 2026, 5pm EST

d) RFP Response Deadline: Friday, September 11, 2026, 5pm EST

Questions will be reviewed by the appropriate OWS staff, answered, and provided back to the proposers in the form of an appendix that must be signed by the proposer. The appendix will also be posted online.

7) PROPOSAL INFORMATION

a) The following provides an outline of the proposal requirements including a description, the mailto:grace.suh@ct.gov

Plan for a Police Officer and Firefighter Career Pipeline Program Page 5 of 17 maximum length of the section, and the weight of the section. All pages must be no less than .5” margins and a reasonable readable font size (10-12pt, Times New Roman or Calibri recommended).

Item Description Proposal

Length Weight of Proposal

Cover Page / Signed Proposal (see Exhibit C) Executive Summary An Executive Summary of your organization and the research you intend to conduct to provide a comprehensive plan for building a sustainable talent pipeline into police officer and firefighter careers

1 page 10%

Required Demonstrated Experience

1) Describe the vision, priorities, and problem statements that guide this research work.

2) Describe similar projects you have conducted in the past.

The successful proposer should demonstrate expertise in:

• Workforce development

• Labor market analysis

• Public safety workforce

• Strategic planning

• Facilitation

• Public policy

• Economic analysis

• Data analytics

• Program evaluation

• Experience working with state agencies is preferred.

Attachments (descriptions of programming) are accepted in an appendix and do not count toward the page limitation.

2 pages for the description of experience, samples may go in an appendix with no page limit

25%

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Scope of Work The selected proposer shall develop recommendations that enable Connecticut to build a sustainable talent pipeline into police officer and firefighter careers. Provide a milestone-based SOW which elaborates on the research activities the team will engage in. Objectives include:

• Assess current and projected workforce demand.

• Identify barriers to entering police and firefighter careers.

• Evaluate existing recruitment and training efforts.

• Recommend statewide and regional pipeline strategies.

• Identify opportunities to engage youth and young adults.

• Estimate implementation costs.

• Recommend governance and implementation structures.

• Develop an implementation roadmap.

Identified milestones should also include the following regular activities:

• Participation in biweekly status meetings with OWS

• Other stakeholder meetings necessary

3 pages 45%

Staffing Plan Provide an overview of the staffing plan with the resumes of each individual supporting the project.

1 page for the overview, no limit on resumes

10%

Budget Detail the activities that will be performed.

1 page 10%

Other Documents

a) Other attachments to support your proposal

b) Q&A Addendum (if applicable)

c) Declaration of Confidential Information

d) Conflict of Interest – Disclosure Statement

e) Statement of Assurances, Exhibit D n/a n/a

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8) BUDGET TEMPLATE

a) The budget must be provided in the following format.

9) OTHER DOCUMENTS

a) Declaration of Confidential Information. Proposers are advised that all materials associated with this procurement are subject to the terms of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), the Privacy Act, and all rules, regulations and interpretations resulting from them. If a proposer deems that certain information required by this RFP is confidential, the proposer must label such information as CONFIDENTIAL prior to submission. The proposer must reference where the information labeled CONFIDENTIAL is located in the proposal.

EXAMPLE: Section G.1.a. For each subsection so referenced, the proposer must provide a convincing explanation and rationale sufficient to justify an exemption of the information from release under the FOIA. The explanation and rationale must be stated in terms of (a) the prospective harm to the competitive position of the proposer that would result if the identified information were to be released and (b) the reasons why the information is legally exempt from release pursuant to C.G.S. § 1-210(b). If the proposer has no information it deems confidential, the proposer must affirm such and acknowledge their understanding of applicable rules in the disclosure statement. Example: “[name of

Plan for a Police Officer and Firefighter Career Pipeline Program Page 8 of 17 proposer] understands that all materials associated with this procurement are subject to the terms of the Freedom of Information Act, the Privacy Act, and all rules, regulations, and interpretations resulting from them. No information provided in this proposal is confidential.”

b) Conflict of Interest - Disclosure Statement. Proposers must include a disclosure statement concerning any current business relationships (within the last three (3) years) that pose a conflict of interest, as defined by C.G.S. § 1-85. A conflict of interest exists when a relationship exists between the proposer and a public official (including an elected official) or State employee that may interfere with fair competition or may be adverse to the interests of the State. The existence of a conflict of interest is not, in and of itself, evidence of wrongdoing. A conflict of interest may, however, become a legal matter if a proposer tries to influence, or succeeds in influencing, the outcome of an official decision for their personal or corporate benefit. The Agency will determine whether any disclosed conflict of interest poses a substantial advantage to the proposer over the competition, decreases the overall competitiveness of this procurement, or is not in the best interests of the State. In the absence of any conflict of interest, a proposer must affirm such in the disclosure statement. Example:

“[name of proposer] has no current business relationship (within the last three (3) years) that poses a conflict of interest, as defined by C.G.S. § 1-85.”

c) Statement of Assurances (Exhibit D). Place after Conflict of Interest Disclosure Statement. Sign and return.

10) EVALUATION, CONTRACT SELECTION, AND EXECUTION

a) Evaluation Process. It is the intent of the Agency to conduct a comprehensive, fair, and impartial evaluation of proposals received in response to this RFP. When evaluating proposals, negotiating with successful proposers, and awarding contracts, the Agency will conform with its written procedures for POS and PSA procurements (pursuant to C.G.S.

§ 4-217) and the State’s Code of Ethics (pursuant to C.G.S. §§ 1-84 and 1-85). Final funding allocation decisions will be determined during contract negotiation.

b) Evaluation Review Committee. The Agency will designate a Review Committee to evaluate proposals submitted in response to this RFP. The Review Committee will be composed of individuals, Agency staff or other designees as deemed appropriate. The contents of all submitted proposals, including any confidential information, will be shared with the Review Committee. Only proposals found to be responsive (that is, complying with all instructions and requirements described herein) will be reviewed, rated, and scored.

Proposals that fail to comply with all instructions will be rejected without further consideration. The Review Committee shall evaluate all proposals that meet the Minimum Submission Requirements by score and rank ordered and make recommendations for awards to the Agency Head. The Agency Head will make the final selection. Attempts by any proposer (or representative of any proposer) to contact or influence any member of the Review Committee may result in disqualification of the proposer.

c) Evaluation Criteria (and Weights). Proposals meeting the Minimum Submission Requirements will be evaluated according to the established criteria. The criteria are the objective standards that the Review Committee will use to evaluate the technical merits of the proposals. Only the criteria listed in Section 8 above will be used to evaluate proposals.

d) Proposer Selection. Upon completing its evaluation of proposals, the Review Committee

Plan for a Police Officer and Firefighter Career Pipeline Program Page 9 of 17 will submit the rankings of all reviewed proposals to the Agency Head. The final selection of a successful proposer is at the discretion of the Agency Head. Any proposer selected will be so notified and awarded an opportunity to negotiate a contract with the Agency. Such negotiations may, but will not automatically, result in a contract. Any resulting contract will be posted on the State Contracting Portal. All unsuccessful proposers will be notified by e-mail or U.S. mail, at the Agency’s discretion, about the outcome of the evaluation and proposer selection process. The Agency reserves the right to decline to award contracts for activities in which the Agency Head considers there are not adequate respondents.

e) Debriefing. Within ten (10) days of receiving notification from the Agency, unsuccessful proposers may contact the Official Contact and request information about the evaluation and proposer selection process. The e-mail sent date or the postmark date on the notification envelope will be considered “day one” of the ten (10) days. If unsuccessful proposers still have questions after receiving this information, they may contact the Official Contact and request a meeting with the Agency to discuss the evaluation process and their proposals. If held, the debriefing meeting will not include any comparisons of unsuccessful proposals with other proposals. The Agency may schedule and hold the debriefing meeting within fifteen (15) days of the request. The Agency will not change, alter, or modify the outcome of the evaluation or selection process as a result of any debriefing meeting.

f) Appeal Process. Proposers may appeal any aspect of the Agency’s competitive procurement, including the evaluation and proposer selection process. Any such appeal must be submitted to the Agency Head. A proposer may file an appeal at any time after the proposal due date, but not later than thirty (30) days after the Agency notifies unsuccessful proposers about the outcome of the evaluation and proposer selection process. The e-mail sent date or the postmark date on the notification envelope will be considered “day one” of the thirty (30) days. The filing of an appeal shall not be deemed sufficient reason for the Agency to delay, suspend, cancel, or terminate the procurement process or execution of a contract. More detailed information about filing an appeal may be obtained from the Official Contact.

g) RFP Is Not an Offer. Neither this RFP nor any subsequent discussions shall give rise to any commitment on the part of the State or the Agency or confer any rights on any proposer unless and until a contract is fully executed by the necessary parties. The contract document will represent the entire agreement between the proposer and the Agency and will supersede all prior negotiations, representations or agreements, alleged or made, between the parties. The State shall assume no liability for costs incurred by the proposer or for payment of services under the terms of the contract until the successful proposer is notified that the contract has been accepted and approved by the Agency and, if required, by the Attorney General’s Office.

h) Contract Execution. Any contract developed and executed as a result of this RFP is subject to the Agency’s contracting procedures, which may include approval by the Office of the Attorney General.

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11) RIGHTS RESERVED BY THE STATE OF CONNECTICUT

a) By submitting a proposal in response to this RFP, a proposer implicitly accepts that the following rights are reserved to the State:

i. Timing Sequence. The timing and sequence of events associated with this RFP shall ultimately be determined by the Agency.

ii. Amending or Canceling RFP. The Agency reserves the right to amend or cancel this RFP on any date and at any time, if the Agency deems it to be necessary, appropriate, or otherwise in the best interests of the State.

iii. No Acceptable Proposals. In the event that no acceptable proposals are submitted in response to this RFP, the Agency may reopen the procurement process, if it is determined to be in the best interests of the State.

iv. Award and Rejection of Proposals. The Agency reserves the right to award in part, to reject any and all proposals in whole or in part, for misrepresentation or if the proposal limits or modifies any of the terms, conditions, or specifications of this RFP. The Agency may waive minor technical defects, irregularities, or omissions, if in its judgment the best interests of the State will be served. The Agency reserves the right to reject the proposal of any proposer who submits a proposal after the submission date and time.

v. Sole Property of the State. All proposals submitted in response to this RFP are to be the sole property of the State. Any product, whether acceptable or unacceptable, developed under a contract awarded as a result of this RFP shall be the sole property of the State, unless stated otherwise in this RFP or subsequent contract. The right to publish, distribute, or disseminate any and all information or reports, or part thereof, shall accrue to the State without recourse.

vi. Contract Negotiation. The Agency reserves the right to negotiate or contract for all or any portion of the services contained in this RFP. The Agency further reserves the right to contract with one or more proposer for such services. After reviewing the scored criteria, the Agency may seek Best and Final Offers (BFO) on cost from proposers. The Agency may set parameters on any BFOs received.

vii. Clerical Errors in Award. The Agency reserves the right to correct inaccurate awards resulting from its clerical errors. This may include, in extreme circumstances, revoking the awarding of a contract already made to a proposer and subsequently awarding the contract to another proposer. Such action on the part of the State shall not constitute a breach of contract on the part of the State since the contract with the initial proposer is deemed to be void ab initio and of no effect as if no contract ever existed between the State and the proposer.

viii. Key Personnel. When the Agency is the sole funder of a purchased service, the Agency reserves the right to approve any additions, deletions, or changes in key personnel, with the exception of key personnel who have terminated employment. The Agency also reserves the right to approve replacements for key personnel who have terminated employment. The Agency further reserves

Plan for a Police Officer and Firefighter Career Pipeline Program Page 11 of 17 the right to require the removal and replacement of any of the proposer’s key personnel who do not perform adequately, regardless of whether they were previously approved by the Agency.

12) STATUTORY AND REGULATORY COMPLIANCE

a) By submitting a proposal in response to this RFP, the proposer implicitly agrees to comply with all applicable State and federal laws and regulations, including, but not limited to, the following:

i. Freedom of Information, C.G.S. § 1-210(b). The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) generally requires the disclosure of documents in the possession of the State upon request of any citizen, unless the content of the document falls within certain categories of exemption, as defined by C.G.S. § 1-210(b). Proposers are generally advised not to include in their proposals any confidential information. If the proposer indicates that certain documentation, as required by this RFP, is submitted in confidence, the State will endeavor to keep said information confidential to the extent permitted by law. The State has no obligation to initiate, prosecute, or defend any legal proceeding or to seek a protective order or other similar relief to prevent disclosure of any information pursuant to a FOIA request.

The proposer has the burden of establishing the availability of any FOIA exemption in any proceeding where it is an issue. While a proposer may claim an exemption to the State’s FOIA, the final administrative authority to release or exempt any or all material so identified rests with the State. In no event shall the State or any of its employees have any liability for disclosure of documents or information in the possession of the State and which the State or its employees believe(s) to be required pursuant to the FOIA or other requirements of law.

ii. Contract Compliance, C.G.S. § 4a-60 and Regulations of CT State Agencies § 46a-68j-21 thru 43, inclusive. CT statute and regulations impose certain obligations on State agencies (as well as contractors and subcontractors doing business with the State) to ensure that State agencies do not enter into contracts with organizations or businesses that discriminate against protected class persons.

iii. Consulting Agreements Representation, C.G.S. § 4a-81. Pursuant to C.G.S. §§ 4a-81 the successful contracting party shall certify that it has not entered into any consulting agreements in connection with this Contract, except for the agreements listed below. "Consulting agreement" means any written or oral agreement to retain the services, for a fee, of a consultant for the purposes of (A) providing counsel to a contractor, vendor, consultant or other entity seeking to conduct, or conducting, business with the State, (B) contacting, whether in writing or orally, any executive, judicial, or administrative office of the State, including any department, institution, bureau, board, commission, authority, official or employee for the purpose of solicitation, dispute resolution, introduction, requests for information, or (C) any other similar activity related to such contracts.

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"Consulting agreement" does not include any agreements entered into with a consultant who is registered under the provisions of chapter 10 of the Connecticut General Statutes as of the date such contract is executed in accordance with the provisions of section 4a-81 of the Connecticut General Statutes. Such representation shall be sworn as true to the best knowledge and belief of the person signing the resulting contract and shall be subject to the penalties of false statement.

iv. Campaign Contribution Restriction, C.G.S. § 9-612. For all State contracts, defined in section 9-612 of the Connecticut General Statutes as having a value in a calendar year of $50,000 or more, or a combination or series of such agreements or contracts having a value of $100,000 or more, the authorized signatory to the resulting contract must represent that they have received the State Elections Enforcement Commission’s notice advising state contractors of state campaign contribution and solicitation prohibitions, and will inform its principals of the contents of the notice, as set forth in “Notice to Executive Branch State Contractors and Prospective State Contractors of Campaign Contribution and Solicitation Limitations.” Such notice is available at https://seec.ct.gov/Portal/data/forms/ContrForms/seec_form_11_notice_only.pd f

v. Gifts, C.G.S. § 4-252. Pursuant to section 4-252 of the Connecticut General Statutes and Acting Governor Susan Bysiewicz’s Executive Order No. 21-2, the Contractor, for itself and on behalf of all of its principals or key personnel who submitted a bid or proposal, represents:

a) That no gifts were made by (A) the Contractor, (B) any principals and key personnel of the Contractor, who participate substantially in preparing bids, proposals or negotiating State contracts, or (C) any agent of the Contractor or principals and key personnel, who participates substantially in preparing bids, proposals or negotiating State contracts, to (i) any public official or State employee of the State agency or quasi- public agency soliciting bids or proposals for State contracts, who participates substantially in the preparation of bid solicitations or requests for proposals for State contracts or the negotiation or award of State contracts, or (ii) any public official or State employee of any other State agency, who has supervisory or appointing authority over such State agency or quasi-public agency;

b) That no such principals and key personnel of the Contractor, or agent of the Contractor or of such principals and key personnel, knows of any action by the Contractor to circumvent such prohibition on gifts by providing for any other principals and key personnel, official, employee or agent of the Contractor to provide a gift to any such public official or State employee;

and

c) That the Contractor is submitting bids or proposals without fraud or collusion with any person.

https://seec.ct.gov/Portal/data/forms/ContrForms/seec_form_11_notice_only.pdf https://seec.ct.gov/Portal/data/forms/ContrForms/seec_form_11_notice_only.pdf

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d) Any bidder or proposer that does not agree to the representations required under this section shall be rejected and the State agency or quasi-public agency shall award the contract to the next highest ranked proposer or the next lowest responsible qualified bidder or seek new bids or proposals.

b) Iran Energy Investment Certification C.G.S. § 4-252(a). Pursuant to C.G.S. § 4-252(a), the successful contracting party shall certify the following: (a) that it has not made a direct investment of twenty million dollars or more in the energy sector of Iran on or after October 1, 2013, as described in Section 202 of the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability and Divestment Act of 2010, and has not increased or renewed such investment on or after said date. (b) If the Contractor makes a good faith effort to determine whether it has made an investment described in subsection (a) of this section it shall not be subject to the penalties of false statement pursuant to section 4- 252a of the Connecticut General Statutes. A "good faith effort" for purposes of this subsection includes a determination that the Contractor is not on the list of persons who engage in certain investment activities in Iran created by the Department of General Services of the State of California pursuant to Division 2, Chapter 2.7 of the California Public Contract Code. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to impair the ability of the State agency or quasi-public agency to pursue a breach of contract action for any violation of the provisions of the resulting contract.

c) Nondiscrimination Certification, C.G.S. § 4a-60 and 4a-60a. If a bidder is awarded an opportunity to negotiate a contract, the proposer must provide the State agency with written representation in the resulting contract that certifies the bidder complies with the State's nondiscrimination agreements and warranties. This nondiscrimination certification is required for all State contracts – regardless of type, term, cost, or value.

Municipalities and CT State agencies are exempt from this requirement. The authorized signatory of the contract shall demonstrate his or her understanding of this obligation by either (A) initialing the nondiscrimination affirmation provision in the body of the resulting contract, or (B) providing an affirmative response in the required online bid or response to a proposal question, if applicable, which asks if the contractor understands its obligations. If a bidder or vendor refuses to agree to this representation, such bidder or vendor shall be rejected and the State agency or quasi-public agency shall award the contract to the next highest ranked vendor or the next lowest responsible qualified bidder or seek new bids or proposals.

d) Access to Data for State Auditors. The Contractor shall provide to OPM access to any data, as defined in C.G.S. § 4e-1, concerning the resulting contract that are in the possession or control of the Contractor upon demand and shall provide the data to OPM in a format prescribed by OPM [or the Client Agency] and the State Auditors of Public Accounts at no additional cost.

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EXHIBIT A: ACRONYMS & DEFINITIONS

1) Key Abbreviations / Acronyms

CGS Connecticut General Statutes DESPP Department of Emergency Services & Public Protection DOL Department of Labor (CT) DAS Department of Administrative Services (CT) FOIA Freedom of Information Act (CT) GWC Governor’s Workforce Council (CT) IRS Internal Revenue Service (US) OAG Office of the Attorney General OPM Office of Policy and Management (CT) OSC Office of the State Comptroller (CT) OTG Office of the Governor OWS Office of Workforce Strategy PA Public Act (CT) RFP Request for Proposal

2) Key Definitions

a) Landscape Analysis: systematic assessment of the current state of a field, issue, or ecosystem that identifies key stakeholders, existing initiatives, policies, evidence, funding, gaps, opportunities, and emerging trends. It synthesizes information from multiple sources to provide a comprehensive understanding of the environment and to inform strategic planning, policy development, investment decisions, or future research.

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EXHIBIT B: DOCUMENTS REQUIRED OF PROPOSER & CHECKLIST

The following list includes the documents required for submission.

☐ Cover Page & Signed Proposal Acknowledgment, Exhibit C

☐ Signed Addendums released by the Agency, if applicable

• Examples: If questions are submitted, OWS will aggregate and then release the responses as an addendum of which signature and acknowledgement will be required

• If changes to the RFP are required, they will be released as an addendum of which signature and acknowledgement will be required

☐ Executive Summary, 1 page max

☐ Demonstrated Experience, 3 pages for descriptions, no limit on samples provided in appendix

☐ Employer & Industry Connections, 2 pages for description, no limit on letters of support and commitment provided in appendix

☐ Scope of Work, 2 pages max

☐ Staffing Plan, 1 page max, no limit on resumes provided in appendix

☐ Budget, 1 page max

☐ Proposal Appendix (samples, additional resumes, & information at the discretion of the Proposer)

☐ Declaration of Confidential Information, acknowledged by proposer

☐ Conflict of interest Disclosure Statement, provided by proposer

☐ Signed Statement of Assurances, Exhibit D

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EXHIBIT C: COVER PAGE & ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

RFP Name or Number

Legal Name*

FEIN

Street Address

City, State, Zip Contact Person(s)** (you may list more than one)

Contact Person Title(s)

Phone Number(s)

Email Address(es)

Authorized Official Name***

Authorized Official Title

*Legal Name is defined as the name of provider or vendor submitting the proposal.

**Contact Person is defined as the individual who can provide additional information about the proposal or who has immediate responsibility for the proposal.

***Authorized Official is defined as the individual empowered to submit a binding offer on behalf of the proposer to provide services in accordance with the terms and provisions described in this RFP and any amendments or attachments hereto.

By signing this attached Cover Page, the Authorized Official certifies that they have read and acknowledge the proposal elements for submission.

Print Legal Name of Organization

Authorized Official (Print Name)

Authorized Official (Signature)

Date

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EXHIBIT D: STATEMENT OF ASSURANCES

The undersigned Respondent affirms and declares that:

1) General

a) This proposal is executed and signed with full knowledge and acceptance of the RFP

CONDITIONS stated in the RFP.

b) The Respondent will deliver services to the Agency at the cost proposed in the RFP and within the timeframes therein.

c) The Respondent will seek prior approval from the Agency before making any changes to the location of services.

d) The Respondent did not participate in any part of the RFP development process and had no knowledge of the specific contents of the RFP prior to its issuance.

e) No agent, representative, or employee of the State participated directly in the preparation of the Respondent’s proposal.

f) The submitted proposal is in all respects fair and is made without collusion or fraud.

g) Neither the Respondent or any official or employee thereof nor any subcontractor of the

Respondent or any official or employee thereof has received any notices of debarment or suspension from contracting with the State of Connecticut or the Federal Government.

h) Neither the Respondent or any official or employee thereof nor any subcontractor of the Respondent or any official or employee thereof has received any notices of debarment or suspension from contracting with other states within the United States.

Print Legal Name of Organization

Authorized Official (Print Name)

Authorized Official (Signature)

Date