Appalachian Challenge Academy AMP

The Commonwealth of Kentucky, Department of Military Affairs, issued a Request for Proposal on October 16, 2019, seeking an Admissions, Mentoring, and Placement (AMP) Coordinator for the Appalachian Challenge Academy located in Harlan, Kentucky. The primary objective is to recruit and support at-risk candidates aged 16 to 18 years through flexible work within assigned regional areas, requiring up to 140 hours per month with considerable in-state travel. The selected contractor must serve one of three regional territories: Northeastern Kentucky (14 counties including Greenup, Boyd, and Lewis), Southeastern Kentucky (13 counties including Pike, Floyd, and Harlan), or Central/Southeastern Kentucky (13 counties including Fayette, Madison, and Pulaski). Key deliverables and responsibilities include recruiting qualified candidates, mentoring support, and placement assistance, with emphasis on report writing and application support services. The required qualifications include a minimum of five years of previous recruiting experience and demonstrated qualifications and expertise working with youth aged 16 to 18. Evaluation criteria allocate 100 points to technical merit, distributed as 25 points for recruiting experience and 75 points for youth-related qualifications and expertise, while cost proposals are valued at 60 points with the lowest-cost proposal receiving maximum points and remaining proposals scored proportionally. Critical deadlines include October 23, 2019, for written questions, October 25, 2019, for Commonwealth responses, and November 1, 2019, at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time for proposal submission. The initial contract term runs from December 1, 2019, through June 30, 2020, with the Commonwealth reserving the right to renew for up to one additional two-year period subject to approval from the Finance and Administration Cabinet Secretary and the Legislative Research Commission Government Contract Review Committee.

No incumbent contractor was identified for this procurement. Bidders must comply with Kentucky business authorization requirements and may claim resident bidder status with supporting documentation; qualified bidder status preferences apply per KRS 45A.470 and 200 KAR 5:410. The RFP does not specify set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises or minority-owned businesses. Submission requirements include one original hard copy and three copies on thumb/flash drives in Microsoft Word, Excel, or PDF format, along with signed and notarized affidavits, proof of Kentucky business authorization, a transmittal letter, and a completed solicitation form. Compensation includes service fees plus travel reimbursement in accordance with state government travel regulations (200 KAR 2:0006), with out-of-pocket expenses reimbursable upon submission of original or certified receipts; the Academy will provide basic administrative and marketing supplies. The RFP does not provide an explicit budget range or award value, leaving the total contract cost to be determined through the cost proposal evaluation process.