Revised_SOW_Vocational_Training_Alternative_Energy.docx

REVISED ALTERNATIVE ENERGY STATEMENT OF WORK

(AOE Funded Occupational Education Programs) Occupational Training Program Provider

Subject:

FCI Fort Dix intends to award to an accredited post-secondary institution, vocational training or industry-based school that will be responsible for providing instruction in Alternative Energy a fully accredited program for Alternative Energy, Green Technology, Sustainable Technology or a similar field resulting in an Associate’s Degree of Science or an Associate’s Degree of Applied Science. Successful completion of the training program must qualify inmates for at least entry-level employment in a specified field upon release.

Background:

The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) was established in 1930 to provide more progressive and humane care for Federal inmates, to professionalize the prison service, and to ensure consistent and centralized administration. The Federal prison system is a nationwide system of prisons and detention facilities for the incarceration of persons who have been sentenced to imprisonment for Federal crimes and the detention of persons awaiting trial in Federal court. The defined mission of the BOP is as follows:

It is the mission of the Federal Bureau of Prisons to protect society by confining offenders in the controlled environments of prisons and community-based facilities that are safe, humane, cost-efficient, and appropriately secure, and that provide work and other self-improvement opportunities to assist offenders in becoming law-abiding citizens.

As an agency under the Executive Branch of the United States Government, the BOP receives an annual appropriation of funds to accomplish its mission. The public trust demands that this annual appropriation be prudently managed. Monies spent to provide education to the inmate population must reflect the agency’s best efforts to obtain cost-effective services, consistent with community standards.

In 1996, the Bureau of Prisons standardized procedures to (1) select and fund new vocational/occupational training programs, (2) select and fund existing vocational/occupational training programs, and (3) update equipment for existing vocational/occupational training programs. The following Bureau of Prisons Program Statements, which are available electronically at www.bop.gov, are applicable to this contract and are incorporated by reference to the same effect as if they were given in full text.

1. Program Statement 5300.21 – Education, Training, and Leisure Time Program Standards.

2. Program Statement 5353.01 – Occupational Education Programs

Place of Performance:

Occupational training instruction will be performed in two locations within the Education Department (or other area identified by the Supervisor of Education) at the Federal Correctional Institution, Fort Dix, New Jersey. One class of 20 inmates will take place at the East compound and a different class of 20 inmates will take place at the West compound. Two instructors will likely be needed. Classes will be limited to 20 inmates at time.

Schedule of Performance:

The courses shall be instructed utilizing one (1) hour sessions of classroom instruction. Typically, the contractor may provide services Monday through Friday, between 7:30 am and 3:30 pm, excluding Federal holidays; other days/hours may be implemented if necessary to meet program requirements and these days/hours may be adjusted to meet the needs of the institution. Any breaks in service, including lunch breaks, will be unpaid. (Specific dates for the classes will be determined by the Supervisor of Education and the contractor). The sessions are on a requirements basis; therefore, schedule and sessions can change.

Due to the nature of the correctional setting, work sessions may be delayed or cancelled with little notice. The reasons for such delays may include but are not limited to inclement weather and institution emergencies. When an instructor placed on site by the contractor reports to the institution but is unable to deliver services because of such delays, he or she will be paid for one (1) session. Normally, any remaining sessions for that day will be suspended, and the instructor will be free to leave; he or she will not be paid for the remaining unperformed sessions.

In the event of any instructor’s absence, the contractor shall provide replacement coverage. If the contractor fails to provide coverage, the Government may seek contractual remedy.

Supplies and Equipment:

The contractor will provide the following supplies, equipment, and curriculum materials: (1) textbooks necessary for course instruction; (2) laptops for instructor use to deliver course content should the instructor deem it necessary. Instructors will not have access to government computers or computer systems. Flash drives, USB device drives, air cards, or other peripheral equipment will not be allowed in the institution. A PowerPoint or other presentation on the hard drive of a laptop may be permitted with advanced notice and approval. (3) tools, equipment, and supplies deemed necessary for course instruction by the awardee that are not provided by the institution.

The contractor will make recommendations to the Supervisor of Education pertaining to the selection and purchase of additional supplies and equipment.

The institution will provide the following supplies, equipment, and curriculum materials: classroom, audio visual equipment including projector, DVD/VCR player, ELMO overhead document reader, pencils and paper for students, other equipment, tools, and supplies outlined in the approved proposal subject to actual funding received. Consultation will be made with the awardee prior to purchase of tools and equipment to ensure, to the extent possible, compatibility with the course of instruction.

Method of Performance:

The contractor will provide a fully accredited program for Alternative Energy, Green Technology, Sustainable Technology or a similar field resulting in an instruction for an A.S. or A.A.S. in Alternative Energy in accordance with Bureau of Prisons Program Statement 5353.01, Occupational Education Programs, and Bureau of Prisons Program Statement 5300.21, Education, Training and Leisure Time Program Standards.

20 – 40 percent of the curriculum’s competencies must be hands-on replication of the actual work environment. Application of hands-on work must be occupational in nature. An institution live work project may be utilized to demonstrate or apply hands-on competencies. Electronic or computer-based simulation does not satisfy the hands-on or live work requirement.

The Supervisor of Education must approve live work projects.

Marketable programs shall afford inmates the opportunity to gain in demand skills in a specific occupation, industry, or trade. The marketable program must qualify inmate graduates for at least an entry-level position in Alternative Energy. As a precondition of the proposal for the contract, the contractor shall specify in writing to the Supervisor of Education the position(s) of employment for which inmate graduates will be eligible to apply.

VII. Scope of Performance:

The Supervisor of Education shall determine the minimum and maximum number of enrollments. Instructors placed on site by the contractor are responsible for the maintenance of transcripts, student attendance records, statistics, and certification records.

The contractor will provide a written curriculum which establishes measurable behavioral objectives and procedures. The curriculum must include clear criteria which establish minimum expectations for program completion, provisions for the assessment of student progress, must identify the hands-on competencies and must require the students to demonstrate them. In addition to core classes needed to attain an Associate in Science (A.S.) or Associate in Applied Science degree (A.A.S.), the curriculum must also include a course on resume development.

The contractor shall assist in the recruitment of employers affiliated with the identified occupation to participate in the institution’s mock job fair.

VIII. Inmate/Classroom Management:

Provisions of service under this contract will require instructors placed on site to have frequent and unsupervised contact with inmates. Instructors will not be responsible for the management of inmates other than to ensure those inmates involved in activities within the contractor’s scope of work shall abide by all rules in effect to ensure their safety and well-being. Instructors will report any infraction of institutional rules and regulations by inmates to the appropriate institutional staff.

Education Background and Qualifications:

The contractor shall not be a self-employed individual or individual employed by a post-secondary institution. The contract must be between the BOP and a post‐ secondary institution, vocational training school or industry‐based school.

The program should include solar power technology among other types of alternative energy sources such as wind and geothermal.

The occupational education program must fall under the provider’s umbrella of accreditation and lead to transferrable credits resulting in an A.A.S. or A.S. degree. Providers must be accredited by Middle States Commission on Higher Education or a similar organization. If required for employment, certification tests from outside organizations may be administered to individual inmates upon completion of a specific occupational education program. However, the individual skill competency certification will not replace the training program’s overall accreditation.

The occupational education program must lead to a A. S. or A.A.S. qualifying inmates for at least an entry-level position of employment. Credits earned from the A.S. or A.A.S. must be transferrable to a four-year college.

Four-year degree programs and programs in liberal arts/general studies are not authorized, although limited and specific courses of a liberal arts/general studies nature may be permitted if directly related to preparation for a specific occupation or vocation.

Program Management/Institutional Security:

Instructors placed on site by the contractor shall adhere to all institution regulations. New instructors will attend an orientation program for volunteers and contractors prior to the start of classes; all instructors will attend annual refresher training for volunteers and contractors. Instructors will be paid for time spent in required training.

Miscellaneous Information:

Any or all of the following investigative procedures may be applied and appropriate forms completed before any instructors placed on site by the contractor are permitted in the institution:

Instructors placed on site by the contractor shall undergo a urinalysis test (for the detection of marijuana and other drug usage). Instructors who test positive will be excluded from the institution, and the contractor shall provide acceptable replacement, subject to the same security requirements.