SOW-VT Residential Building Trades.pdf

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FEDERAL BUREAU OF PRISONS

ESTABLISHMENT OF A RESIDENTIAL BUILDING TRADES CURRICULUM,

CERTIFICATION & CREDENTIALING PROGRAM

STATEMENT OF WORK

MISSION

The mission of the Federal Bureau of Prisons Education Branch is to offer inmates the opportunity to participate in a variety of education, job training post-secondary education courses, and other self-improvement courses to meet the needs and interests of the inmate population, provide option for the positive use of inmate time, and enhance successful reintegration into the community. Code of Federal Regulation (CFR) §544.20 and CFR §544.50 encourage inmates to participate in career and technical education (CTE) courses which have been determined to be appropriate for safety and security.

The Bureau of Prisons recognizes the importance of career and technical education (CTE) training at both secondary and post-secondary levels for the inmate population for successful post-release employment and higher education. With few exceptions, all Bureau of Prison institutions offer CTE programs. Types of programs and credentials offered vary from institution to institution, due to location, access to higher education institutions, funding availability, as well as inmate interests and needs.

BACKGROUND

The Bureau of Prisons is an agency of the Department of Justice. It consists of 122 institutions throughout the United States, including Hawaii and Puerto Rico, six regional offices, a Central Office (headquarters), two staff training centers, and 24 Residential Reentry Management offices.

The Bureau of Prisons is responsible for the custody and care of approximately 169,000 adult Federal offenders. Approximately 84% of these inmates are confined to Bureau-operated facilities, while the balance in secure privately-managed or community-based facilities and local jails.

The following Bureau Program Statements, which are available electronically at http://www.bop.gov/, are applicable to this contract.

Program Statement 5300.21 – Education, Training, and Leisure Time Program Standards- Program Statement 5353.01 – Occupational Education Programs Program Statement 5354.03 – Postsecondary Education Programs for Inmates

SERVICES TO BE PERFORMED

The Federal Bureau of Prisons, Central Office Education Branch, Washington, DC, intends to make an award to a Vocational Training (VT) company for the provisions of a standardized curriculum which would include a nationally or industry-recognized certification and credentialing for our federal inmate offender population, as well as provide training for our current staff who teach within the Residential Building Trades field. All residential building trades companies and organizations wishing to participate

2 | P a g e are encouraged to submit a proposal that will consist of detailed information about the residential building trade program that would be offered, the credential testing process, and the industry recognized certification that each inmate will earn after completion of the program courses. The proposal should also include a training plan for current building trades vocational training staff. A universal curriculum in the residential building trades field would allow the Education Branch to further expand career and technical education opportunities to the federal inmate offender population.

ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE AND/OR SPECIAL QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

The Vocational Training company offering the contact shall be recognized as having a nationally or industry-recognized curriculum and certification within the Residential Building Trades field. The contractors must possess expertise in the related field. The purpose of the standardized curriculum and certification is to train students for careers in the Residential Building Trades work force and to provide necessary knowledge and skills for future entry level positions upon release from incarceration.

Credentialing and/or certificates will be awarded upon successful completion of all required course work.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

The manner and method of performing the task outlined in the statement of work is the sole responsibility and within the sole discretion of the contractor; provided, however, that the contractor shall perform in accordance with standards and methods normally accepted by the contractor’s field of expertise.

The contractor will make available, on a nondiscriminatory basis, a proposed Residential Building Trades curriculum, credentialing and certification. The contract will be consistent with the requirements of this solicitation. The rules and procedures of the proposed contract and all applicable Federal and State laws and regulations in effect during the term of this contract will be adhered to.

The contractor shall be responsible for, but is not limited to the following:

Vocational Training Standardized Curriculum

1. Provide curriculum instruction for the Residential Building Trades field, based on current industry recognized standards.

2. Instructor taught curriculum, with student workbooks and performance-based learning within the academic area.

3. Vocational and academic skills and mentorship to the inmate population for on the job training.

4. Database to track both training and assessments of participants while enrolled in the program.

5. The language versions of the standardized curriculum.

Vocational Training Credentialing

1. Due to the diverse inmate population, many inmates will not release to the same state in which they were incarcerated, and the certification needs to be recognized by employers and postsecondary schools located in the U.S. and its territories.

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2. Provide information about the following services:

Paper-based standardized test (PBT) batteries in various components of the residential building trades fields (including but not limited to construction, carpentry).

Option to upgrade contract to include computer-based standardized test (CBT) batteries for the residential building trades field.

The language versions of all PBT and CBT tests shall be available in English and Spanish.

Supply standardized forms, examiner's policies and procedures manuals, in person and electronic training media and any additional supplies necessary for Bureau personnel to administer VT certification testing requirements at various Bureau institutions.

Score all test, record and maintain all records, and provide statistical reports as requested.

Provide special reports utilizing the actual test results of the federal inmates for developing instructional lesson plans/curriculums to improve test outcomes.

Provide VT credentialing for interested federal prison inmates who have been identified as having a verified high school diploma or equivalent. The credentials are recognized by all United States and Territories, military services, overseas installations, U.S. higher education institutions, and foreign entities.

3. Inmates may take certification tests at one Bureau institution and transfer to another BOP institution with a residential building trades training program. Bureau staff can request that their study and scores be combined.

SUPPLIES AND EQUIPMENT

The offeror will provide a list of all course titles, textbooks, and cost for each student for each quarter or semester for the entire program in the proposal. All required textbooks will need to be available in paper-based format without metal book binding materials. In addition to the specific curriculum, certification, and credentialing, the contractor is expected to include all itemized fees in the proposal.

NON-PERSONAL SERVICES/COMMON LAW EMPLOYEE INFORMATION

This service is a contractual arrangement and not a personnel or Civil Service Appointment. As specified in FAR 37.101 “Non-personnel Service Contracts” means a contract under which the personnel rendering the services are not subject, either by the contract’s terms or by the manner of its administration, to the supervision and control usually prevailing in relationships between the Government and its employees. The service does not constitute an employer/employee relationship.

The contractor will not be subject to Government supervision, except for security related matters.

However, contractor performance shall be monitored. All duties outlined in this Statement of Work shall be performed in accordance with standards and methods generally accepted within the Contractor’s own field of expertise.

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The contract shall consist of one base period with four option years.

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COURSE DELIVERY

Contractors will provide Residential Building Trades training to designed Bureau of Prisons Vocational Training instructors for implementing curriculum coursework, certification and credentialing. Training will be held at the designed Federal Bureau of Prisons training site (MSTC – Aurora, CO). Once trained, Bureau of Prisons Vocational Training instructors will be able to teach inmates wishing to gain knowledge in the residential building trades field. Inmates will need to meet the minimum necessary enrollment requirements, indicated by current institutional policy.

CREDENTIALS

The contractor shall make arrangements for the issuance of certificates for those who successfully complete the programs. On behalf of the Bureau of Prisons, the contractor shall provide paper documentation.

The contractor shall provide two hard copies of the official certificate, one hard copy of credentials, via United States Postal Service regular mail to the SOE within fifteen (15) business days after inmate students complete the program. At the end of each Residential Building Trades program, one hard copy of certificates for all students enrolled in the program will be provided to the SOE. The completion certificates and credentials shall be part of the contract fee. No additional fee shall be required.

For a fee, upon request (written or verbal) from the Contract Officer Representative (COR), Central Office Assistant Education Administrator, or Central Office Education Administrator, the contractor shall provide duplicate paper documents (certificate and credentialing) to the addressee and address indicated in the request. The exchange of records and personal identification information between the contractor and any requesting agency shall adhere to the United States Department of Justice and Bureau of Prisons information and security requirements.

Upon release from federal custody, former inmates/students may request, at their own expense, accounts and official documents (certificates and/or credentialing) from the contractor for an indefinite period of time. The contractor shall provide accurate instructions for former inmates/students released from Bureau of Prisons custody to request official documents.

SUPPORT

The contractor shall provide updates of the course requirements as they become available to the Contracting Officer Representative. The contractor shall provide all class syllabus and lesson plans. All classroom instruction materials, with the exception of textbooks and consumable materials (pens, pencils, highlighters, calculators, notebooks, etc.), and other necessary materials will be provided by the contractor.

The contractor shall dedicate a resource staff specifically to address all issues associated with this contract. No additional costs shall be incurred for the dedicated resource staff’s time and services. The dedicated resource staff will coordinate and address contract administration and operations matters such as processing Bureau of Prisons requests, addressing course content and credentialing, etc. The contractor shall provide, on a monthly or quarterly basis, an itemized invoice for services rendered and delivered sent via e-mail to the Bureau Central Office Business Office and the COR.