Gulfport Job Corps Center W/ OA CTS

On or about February 11, 2025, the US Department of Labor (DOL), Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management (OASAM), Office of the Senior Procurement Executive (OSPE), Job Corps Acquisition Services (JCAS) anticipates issuing a Request for Proposal, (RFP), for Operation of the Gulfport Job Corps Center located at 3300 20th Street, Gulfport, MS 39501, which will include Outreach and Admissions (OA) and Career Transition Services (CTS) for eligible individuals participating in the Job Corps program. The RFP will be posted as a Full and Open Competition. 

The Job Corps program was originally established by the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964; current authorization for the program is authorized under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) of 2014. The Job Corps program is a national residential and non-residential training and employment program administered by the US Department of Labor to address multiple barriers to employment faced by disadvantaged youth, ages 16-24 years, throughout the United States.

This effort requires the contractor to operate the aforementioned Job Corps center which includes provision of academic, career technical, career success and independent living skills, career readiness training, and support services, for a total planned On-Board Strength of 273, consisting of 228 residential and 45 non-residential students. At the beginning of the contract, the planned Onboard Student Strength (OBS) will start at a total of 191 students, and gradually increase to 273 students by the end of the two-year base period as follows:

10/01/2025 – 12/31/2025 (3 months) - Build-up OBS from 191 to 212

01/01/2025 – 09/30/2027 (21 months) - Build-up OBS from 212 to 273

The contractor shall also operate residential quarters (housing) and services for all students as applicable. The Contractor shall provide OA services in the following workforce development areas in the state of Mississippi. Visit https://neapmap.com for the recruitment area map.

Youth screened for the Job Corps program shall come from workforce development areas in the state of Mississippi as follows: Leake, Neshoba, Kemper, Scott, Newton, Lauderdale, Smith, Jasper, Clarke, Jefferson Davis, Covington, Jones, Wayne, Marion, Lamar, Forrest, Perry, Greene, Pearl River, Stone, George, Hancock, Harrison, and Jackson.

Job Corps operators will also be required to participate in the operation of a Job Corps Transition Hub (JCTH) with a student OBS of 15. This Advanced Training (AT) pilot program allows students to extend their enrollment by one full year beyond the current two-year enrollment limitation. Program participants will receive training that allows them to develop higher and more complex skills and competencies than those covered by the basic programs. JCTH-AT programs are designed to offer advanced training as it relates to Career Transition Readiness Services such as housing, transportation, and connection to employers and the workforce system.

The contractor shall ensure the annual arrival of a minimum of 366 students to the Gulfport Job Corps Center through the end of the Base Period of Performance 10/01/2025 – 09/30/2027, and increase to 497 thereafter. The contractor will also be required to provide CTS annually for students enrolled at the Gulfport Job Corps Center, regardless of where the graduate resides or matriculates.

The RFP will be available on the World Wide Web at the government point of entry, Contract Opportunities (FBO) located at https://sam.gov. The RFP will be posted as a Full and Open Competition, will be fixed price, and will have not-to-exceed CLINS for construction, equipment, and career technical skills training. It is anticipated that the resultant contract will have a two-year base period of performance and three, one-year option periods. A pre-proposal conference will be held. The date, time and place of the pre-proposal conference will be identified in the Request for Proposal, (RFP). It is recommended that potential offerors download and read the RFP from the web site prior to attending the pre-proposal conference. All questions must be submitted in writing and will be addressed via an amendment to the RFP.