SHRIVER - RFI - Sources Sought Notice - FFP Job Corps Center Operations w OACTS.doc

General Information

Contracting Office Address

U.S. Department of Labor

Employment & Training Administration

200 Constitution Avenue, NW

Suite N-4643

Washington, DC 20210 Description Sources Sought Notice for Request for Information (RFI) Number 1605JE-20-N-00006. The government reserves the right to compete any acquisition resulting from this notice. This sources sought notice is for planning purposes only and does not commit the Government to pay for the information requested, issue a solicitation, or award a contract. No solicitation document exists at this time. A determination by the Government to proceed with the acquisition as a set-aside is within the discretion of the Government. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

The United States Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration is conducting market research for the upcoming procurement requirement for the operation of Shriver Job Corps Center. The NAICS Code is 611519, with a size standard of $41.5M. It is anticipated that a fixed price type contract with two base years and three option years will be awarded. The procurement will involve the operation and management of a residential education, training and employment program at Shriver Job Corps center located in Devens, MA. The procurement will also involve Outreach and Admissions (OA) and Career Transition Services (CTS).

Contractors will be expected to provide all material, services, and necessary personnel to operate this JCC as set forth in Title 1, Subtitle C of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998. Please note that beginning July 1, 2015, contractors will be expected to provide all material, services, and necessary personnel to operate this JCC as set forth Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) of 2014. WIOA supersedes the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 and authorizes the Job Corps program.

Contractors are also required to comply with the Job Corps Policy and Requirements Handbook (PRH). The PRH is available at https://eprh.jobcorps.gov/Pages/Home.aspx.

Job Corps is a national residential training and employment program administered by the U.S. Department of Labor to address the multiple barriers to employment faced by at-risk youth, 16-24 years of age, throughout the United States. Job Corps provides educational and career technical skills training and support services. The unique combination of services provided by Job Corps is intended to better prepare youth to obtain and hold gainful employment, pursue further education or training, or satisfy entrance requirements for careers in the Armed Forces. The contractor shall provide:

1. Outreach & Admissions;

2. Academic, career technical, social and employment readiness skills, counseling, health services, safety, recreation and work-based learning;

3. Operation and management of government facilities;

4. Residential management, supervision, meals, and support services;

5. Career Transition Services/Job placement assistance and transitional support services;

6. Training and professional development staff;

7. Center operations integrated with the local workforce development systems, employers, and the business community; and

8. Center oversight, and financial and program management

The on-board strength (OBS) for the Shriver Job Corps Center is 300, consisting of 272 residential and 28 non-residential students. The center is located on 270 Jackson Road, Devens, MA 01434.

The Contractor shall provide OA services in the following workforce development area in the State of Massachusetts and shall ensure the arrival of a minimum of 450 students to the Shriver Job Corps Center, 102 students to the New Hampshire Job Corps Center, 105 students to the Grafton Job Corps Center, 220 students to the Loring Job Corps Center, 100 students to the Northlands Job Corps Center and 110 students to the Westover Job Corps Center.

The contractor shall also provide Career Transition Services (CTS) for all graduates and former enrollees of the Shriver Job Corps center, regardless of where the graduate or former enrollee resides or matriculates, and former enrollees within their eligibility period that separated under the prior operator.

All contractors doing business with the Federal Government shall be registered in Central Contractor Registration (CCR) database which is located on the System for Award Management website, SAM.gov. The website for registration is https://www.sam.gov. All active CCR records have migrated to SAM. ALL QUALIFIED SMALL BUSINESSES INCLUDING 8(A) FIRMS ARE ENCOURAGED TO PARTICIPATE.

Interested contractors responding to this RFI will be required to indicate their ability to successfully manage and operate a Job Corps Center operation by responding to the capability requirements listed below. The contractor should also indicate the number of students/program participants served for each described contract. If the contractor references a Job Corps contract, the contractor should also provide the referenced center’s On Board Strength at the time that the contractor held the contract. FOR A CONTRACTOR TO BE DEEMED CAPABLE, THE CONTRACTOR MUST BE FOUND CAPABLE IN ALL 15 REQUIREMENTS LISTED BELOW.

Capabilities Requirements

1. Describe your organizational experience in operating a large scale residential job training program similar in size and scope to the Shriver Job Corps Center. Demonstrated experience should encompass key aspects of operating a similar program to include: providing food services; medical, dental, and mental health care; facility and property management including facility maintenance and repairs; providing residential management and supervision of at risk youth; recreational programming; student transportation; oversight and purchase of Government owned property; managing GSA fleet vehicles; and protecting Personally Identifiable Information (PII).

2. Describe the strong fiscal controls your organization has in place to ensure proper accounting of federal funds, and a description of how your organization will meet the requirements of WIOA Section 159(a). FAR Section 159(a) requires each operator to maintain funds received in accounts in a manner that ensures timely and accurate reporting as required by the Secretary of Labor.

3. Describe your ability to comply with all health and safety standards in the residential, food preparation area and dining hall to remediate impediments in these areas.

4. Describe your organizational experience in procuring, managing and executing multiple major facilities repairs/improvements in excess of $600,000 in a timely manner. Add any experience with timeworn and/or historic buildings and aging infrastructure.

5. Describe your organizational experience with the management and administration of academic and skill training programs that are accredited and state recognized including high school or general equivalency diplomas.

6. Describe your organization’s experience in monitoring hands on student training projects to ensure they are completed timely and accurately.

7. Describe your organizational experience with implementing effective behavioral management programs and implementation of Zero Tolerance (ZT) policies that support student retention.

8. Describe your organization’s infrastructure for corporate oversight and support with respect to multiple operations at multiple center locations, to include career training, academic instruction, career preparation, work-based learning and transition services, and job placement.

9. Demonstrate your organization's ability to access financial resources sufficient to satisfy requirements of operating a Center with Outreach and Admissions, and Career Transition Services operation for the first 60 days of operation or the ability to obtain them prior to award.

10. Describe your organization’s experience conducting outreach and admissions services to attract participants to the program, screen for eligibility, and arrange for admission placement into the program.

11. Describe your organizational experience in providing career planning and placement services for at risk youth to include program graduates and former enrollees (those who may not have successfully completed). Experience should include: assessments, counseling, resume development and interviewing techniques; transition support with housing, childcare and transportation during the specified service window; job development and referral services; and follow up placement services.

12. Describe your organization’s demonstrated record of finding and establishing employment and post-secondary education opportunities for at-risk youth that aligns with a specific career pathway.

13. Describe your organization’s experience in collaborating with training provider(s) to identify trade-specific employers to hire center graduates into meaningful careers related to the training completed.

14. Describe your organization’s experience in identifying industry specific employers and/or providing apprenticeship opportunities for students and graduates. Describe your experience in collaborating with the local American Job Centers.

15. Describe your organizational experience in developing and maintaining strong relationships with local and state workforce development stakeholders that result in direct referrals to the training program to Job Corps or similar programs, as well as experience with employer and college-based training programs to ensure industry and labor market driven training opportunities for students.

All interested parties are invited to submit in writing, by the closing date indicated below for receipt of responses, a package entitled "Statement of Qualifications / Capabilities Statement (which must include the contractor's indication of their ability to fulfill requirements). The Statement of Qualifications / Capabilities Statement package must be transmitted under a cover letter. The response must be specific to each of the capability requirements listed above. The submittals shall not exceed 15 pages, TOTAL. The capabilities statement package must cite the following information at a minimum:

1. Response to RFI No. 1605JE-20-N-00006 (Shriver);

2. Company Name, Address, and a Company Point of Contact;

3. DUNS Number;

4. Business Size Standard/Classification, and socio-economic status, if applicable;

5. NAICS code certifications.

The closing date for the receipt of responses is Wednesday, October 14, 2020 at 2:00 PM, Eastern Standard Time. Send your responses to POC at the following email address, JC-Procurement-Boston@dol.gov. PLEASE NOTE: THE SUBJECT LINE OF YOUR EMAIL MUST STATE: “Response to Sources Sought Notice 1605JE-20-N-00006 (Shriver).

No questions in connection with this notice will be accepted. Only submit responses to the Qualifications and Capabilities requirements provided above.

Primary Point of Contact Steven A. Fusco Jr Contracting Officer Boston Region Job Corps Acquisition Services US Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration

Office of Contracts Management, Division of Job Corps Procurement

25 New Sudbury St, Boston MA 02203