Licensure Examinations- Occupational, Professional & Trades

The Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) issued a Request for Proposal on June 27, 2018, for the development and administration of licensure examinations across 45 occupational, professional, and skilled trades, including barbers, cosmetologists, real estate professionals, plumbers, electricians, and various construction trades. The contractor will be responsible for developing job analyses, creating examination item banks, administering theory and practical examinations, processing candidate registrations, maintaining candidate records and databases, establishing testing sites across five geographic regions (including Southfield, Holt, Grand Rapids, Gaylord, Dearborn, and Marquette), hiring and training examination proctors and practical examiners, and maintaining secure examination facilities. Key deliverables include job analyses conducted regularly throughout the contract term, examination specifications, and comprehensive examination materials, with all examination development content to be jointly copyrighted by the State and contractor and provided to LARA annually and upon contract conclusion. The contractor must obtain ARELLO accreditation for Real Estate examination item banks and maintain AQB Examination Administrator approval for appraiser examinations. Proposals were due on July 23, 2018, at 3:00 p.m. Eastern, with contract performance anticipated to begin September 1, 2018, and continue through August 31, 2021, with options to renew for up to two additional years at the State's discretion. Evaluation criteria consist of technical merit (Statement of Work accounting for 55 percent and prior experience for 35 percent) and vendor questions (10 percent), with proposals requiring a minimum score of 80 points to advance to pricing evaluation, and award recommendations will be posted with a three-business-day protest period.

No set-asides or disadvantaged enterprise designations are noted in the available documentation. Pricing is determined entirely by examination registration fees paid directly by candidates to the contractor, with no State payment obligation and no predetermined budget or award value disclosed; the contractor bears all development, administration, and operational costs and must establish a Michigan Testing, Education & Program Services Staff Training Allocation Fund with initial capitalization of $5,000 funded by a one-dollar fee per examination registration. Examination fees are capped by statute for certain licenses, including skilled trades at $100 per examination and polygraph examinations at $50. The contractor may retain ownership of proprietary technologies and intellectual properties previously developed but must transfer materials and examination content created specifically for the State to LARA upon completion. Required qualifications include the ability to maintain comprehensive insurance coverage, specifically commercial general liability, professional liability of at least $3 million, cyber liability, and crime insurance, with all policies naming the State as an additional insured. No incumbent vendor or current contractor information is provided in the available documentation, and no pre-proposal conference or site visits were scheduled.