SOURCES SOUGHT
R -- Technical Assistance for Strengthening Working Familes Initiative Grantees
- Notice Date
- 5/26/2016
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541611
— Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Labor, Employment Training Administration, Division of Contract Services, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Room N-4655, Washington, District of Columbia, 20210
- ZIP Code
- 20210
- Solicitation Number
- DOL-ETA-16-N-00041
- Archive Date
- 6/29/2016
- Point of Contact
- DaVeana M. Johnson, , Evon M. Pollack,
- E-Mail Address
-
johnson.daveana@dol.gov, pollack.evon@dol.gov
(johnson.daveana@dol.gov, pollack.evon@dol.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- Sources Sought Notice for Request for Information (RFI) No. DOL-ETA-16-N-00041 The U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (DOL/ETA), Office of Workforce Investment (OWI) is conducting market research for qualified contractors that can provide technical assistance to the new H-1B funded Strengthening Working Families Initiative (SWFI) grant program, which will provide employment and training assistance to parents who face barriers to training, such as care giving responsibilities, and are in need of increasing skills and competencies that will either prepare them for entry into an H-1B-aligned career pathway or advancement along an H-1B-aligned career pathway and into middle- or high-skilled jobs. The 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. The Government reserves the right to compete any acquisition resulting from this survey among small businesses based on the responses received. We encourage firms that qualify under the Small Business Programs mentioned in Federal Acquisition Regulation Subpart 19, including 8(a), HUBZone and Service Disable Veteran Owned Small Business to respond to this Notice. In the case that your firm is not a small business, the Government also invites you to submit a response to this Notice. When submitting your response, please indicate under which Small Business program(s), if any, you meet. Background SWFI supports providing low- to middle- skilled parents opportunities to advance in their careers in high-growth or in-demand H-1B industries, addressing barriers to accessing training and employment faced by those with child care responsibilities. Programs will provide access to education and job training to help move parents along a career pathway that will lead to better paying jobs. Simultaneously, programs will develop and implement a plan for the applicant's community or region that helps families better navigate the existing complex systems of supportive services, including increased access to child care. The SWFI grant program is authorized under the American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act (ACWIA). With the help of additional public or private funding that grantees will leverage, these grants will promote greater availability of activities that address barriers to accessing training and employment, such as co-location of training and child care services, increased access through unconventional training delivery times or locations, flexibilities related to scheduling and child care exigencies, and improved access to child care and other related participant supportive services. These grants will result in more working parents moving along a career pathway to secure higher wage jobs by addressing the significant barriers to participating in and completing training, and in acquiring affordable, quality child care-including emergency child care-while attending skills training programs. Objective The SWFI technical assistance (TA) contract is designed to offer intensive and ongoing technical assistance to SWFI grantees to support grantees in effectively addressing education and job training barriers for low- to middle-skilled parents by prioritizing the needs of this targeted population; addressing child care needs for parents seeking education and training; increasing access to child care resources; and utilizing systems integration best practices to bridge the gap between the workforce development and child care systems. Further, this contract will serve to support administrative functions provided by Departmental staff to ensure timely responses and effective grants management. Capabilities DOL/ETA OWI seeks to identify a technical assistance provider that can support the SWFI grant program. This RFI seeks responses to the inquiry statements found below to assist DOL/ETA OWI in identifying a comprehensive methodology to implement technical assistance and grants management support for the SWFI grant program. Expertise The following inquiry statements require responses as part of this Request for Information. 1. Describe your expertise in supporting Federal staff in grants management and grantee technical assistance support for Federally-funded grant initiatives that provide training and employment services. 2. Describe your knowledge in developing or delivering technical assistance for employment and training programs that lead to employment in middle- and high-skilled jobs, assist participants in gaining the skills and competencies needed to obtain employment in in-demand or high-growth H-1B occupations and industries, and provide training along a career pathway that leads to an industry-recognized credential and employment in well-paying, middle- and high-skilled, high-growth jobs across a diversity of H-1B industries. 3. Describe your experience working on projects that serve the target population which include low- to middle-skilled parents seeking education and training. • How have you supported projects in addressing the target populations' challenges and barriers to education and employment? • What are the unique characteristics and strengths of the target populations that can be utilized for their success? • What types of supportive services do these target populations need to be successful in achieving the goals and objectives of the SWFI grant program? • What are a few of the more successful strategies projects used for outreach, recruitment and communications? • What successful strategies did projects use for participant retention in federally-funded training programs? • What effective training strategies are there to support the educational attainment needs for the target population(s)? • More broadly, what are additional strategies used to successfully help the target populations overcome barriers to find employment opportunities along a career pathway? • Include specific examples of treatments or interventions such as assessment, coaching and counseling, short-term or accelerated training, and longer-term training leading to degrees and/or industry-recognized credentials that successful projects provided to the target populations that contributed to their long-term success and employability. 4. Describe your expertise and experience in delivering technical assistance on providing parents seeking education and training with access to child care services in coordination with training activities. 5. Describe your expertise in delivering coordinated workforce development technical assistance and training through the use of staff and/or consultants as Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). 6. Describe the expertise needed to provide technical assistance in bridging the gap between workforce development and childcare systems by developing cross-system linkages between child care providers, education and training service providers, and employers. 7. Describe the expertise needed to provide technical assistance on navigating the existing complex systems of supportive services, including accessing local, state, and federally funded child care resources, as well as services such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Head Start. This description should include how an interested firm or organization would provide grantees with assistance in braiding childcare and related funding resources. 8. Describe your expertise in developing and delivering workforce training strategies using non-traditional methods and alternative approaches, including on-site technical assistance visits, virtual training platforms, and national and regional training events to support grantees that serve the target populations of the SWFI grant program. 9. Describe your experience with tracking, analyzing, and supporting the collection of grantee performance data, including working with data collection developers and Federal staff to provide technical assistance, developing performance reporting-related training materials, and aggregating data and compiling and presenting grantee performance reports. Capability Statement Submittal All interested parties are invited to submit a capability statement. The response must be specific to each of the capability requirements listed above to show that the respondent has the necessary skills and experience. The submittals shall not exceed 10 pages, TOTAL. One (1) electronic copy of the capability statement shall be emailed to the following e-mail address ETA.Lockbox@dol.gov. In the subject line of this email please use "DOL-ETA-16-N-00041 Strengthening Working Families Initiative by (contractor company name)". All submissions must be received NO LATER THAN Day Month June 14, 2016, by 2:00 PM, E.T. Zone. This electronic copy of your Technical Proposal must be word-searchable. A determination by the Government to proceed with the acquisition as a set-aside is within the discretion of the Government. Please be advised that telephone inquiries will not be accepted. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL. The capabilities statement package must be transmitted under a cover letter. The Cover Letter must cite the following information at a minimum: 1. Response to RFI No. DOL-ETA-16-N-00041 2. Company Name, Address, Contact Person with phone number and email address 3. Contractor's DUNS Number 4. Business Size Standard/Classification All contractors doing business with the Federal Government must be registered in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) database. The website for registration is https://www.sam.gov. Sources Sought Notice for Request for Information (RFI) No. DOL-ETA-16-N-00041 The U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (DOL/ETA), Office of Workforce Investment (OWI) is conducting market research for qualified contractors that can provide technical assistance to the new H-1B funded Strengthening Working Families Initiative (SWFI) grant program, which will provide employment and training assistance to parents who face barriers to training, such as care giving responsibilities, and are in need of increasing skills and competencies that will either prepare them for entry into an H-1B-aligned career pathway or advancement along an H-1B-aligned career pathway and into middle- or high-skilled jobs. The 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. The Government reserves the right to compete any acquisition resulting from this survey among small businesses based on the responses received. We encourage firms that qualify under the Small Business Programs mentioned in Federal Acquisition Regulation Subpart 19, including 8(a), HUBZone and Service Disable Veteran Owned Small Business to respond to this Notice. In the case that your firm is not a small business, the Government also invites you to submit a response to this Notice. When submitting your response, please indicate under which Small Business program(s), if any, you meet. Background SWFI supports providing low- to middle- skilled parents opportunities to advance in their careers in high-growth or in-demand H-1B industries, addressing barriers to accessing training and employment faced by those with child care responsibilities. Programs will provide access to education and job training to help move parents along a career pathway that will lead to better paying jobs. Simultaneously, programs will develop and implement a plan for the applicant's community or region that helps families better navigate the existing complex systems of supportive services, including increased access to child care. The SWFI grant program is authorized under the American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act (ACWIA). With the help of additional public or private funding that grantees will leverage, these grants will promote greater availability of activities that address barriers to accessing training and employment, such as co-location of training and child care services, increased access through unconventional training delivery times or locations, flexibilities related to scheduling and child care exigencies, and improved access to child care and other related participant supportive services. These grants will result in more working parents moving along a career pathway to secure higher wage jobs by addressing the significant barriers to participating in and completing training, and in acquiring affordable, quality child care-including emergency child care-while attending skills training programs. Objective The SWFI technical assistance (TA) contract is designed to offer intensive and ongoing technical assistance to SWFI grantees to support grantees in effectively addressing education and job training barriers for low- to middle-skilled parents by prioritizing the needs of this targeted population; addressing child care needs for parents seeking education and training; increasing access to child care resources; and utilizing systems integration best practices to bridge the gap between the workforce development and child care systems. Further, this contract will serve to support administrative functions provided by Departmental staff to ensure timely responses and effective grants management. Capabilities DOL/ETA OWI seeks to identify a technical assistance provider that can support the SWFI grant program. This RFI seeks responses to the inquiry statements found below to assist DOL/ETA OWI in identifying a comprehensive methodology to implement technical assistance and grants management support for the SWFI grant program. Expertise The following inquiry statements require responses as part of this Request for Information. 1. Describe your expertise in supporting Federal staff in grants management and grantee technical assistance support for Federally-funded grant initiatives that provide training and employment services. 2. Describe your knowledge in developing or delivering technical assistance for employment and training programs that lead to employment in middle- and high-skilled jobs, assist participants in gaining the skills and competencies needed to obtain employment in in-demand or high-growth H-1B occupations and industries, and provide training along a career pathway that leads to an industry-recognized credential and employment in well-paying, middle- and high-skilled, high-growth jobs across a diversity of H-1B industries. 3. Describe your experience working on projects that serve the target population which include low- to middle-skilled parents seeking education and training. • How have you supported projects in addressing the target populations' challenges and barriers to education and employment? • What are the unique characteristics and strengths of the target populations that can be utilized for their success? • What types of supportive services do these target populations need to be successful in achieving the goals and objectives of the SWFI grant program? • What are a few of the more successful strategies projects used for outreach, recruitment and communications? • What successful strategies did projects use for participant retention in federally-funded training programs? • What effective training strategies are there to support the educational attainment needs for the target population(s)? • More broadly, what are additional strategies used to successfully help the target populations overcome barriers to find employment opportunities along a career pathway? • Include specific examples of treatments or interventions such as assessment, coaching and counseling, short-term or accelerated training, and longer-term training leading to degrees and/or industry-recognized credentials that successful projects provided to the target populations that contributed to their long-term success and employability. 4. Describe your expertise and experience in delivering technical assistance on providing parents seeking education and training with access to child care services in coordination with training activities. 5. Describe your expertise in delivering coordinated workforce development technical assistance and training through the use of staff and/or consultants as Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). 6. Describe the expertise needed to provide technical assistance in bridging the gap between workforce development and childcare systems by developing cross-system linkages between child care providers, education and training service providers, and employers. 7. Describe the expertise needed to provide technical assistance on navigating the existing complex systems of supportive services, including accessing local, state, and federally funded child care resources, as well as services such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Head Start. This description should include how an interested firm or organization would provide grantees with assistance in braiding childcare and related funding resources. 8. Describe your expertise in developing and delivering workforce training strategies using non-traditional methods and alternative approaches, including on-site technical assistance visits, virtual training platforms, and national and regional training events to support grantees that serve the target populations of the SWFI grant program. 9. Describe your experience with tracking, analyzing, and supporting the collection of grantee performance data, including working with data collection developers and Federal staff to provide technical assistance, developing performance reporting-related training materials, and aggregating data and compiling and presenting grantee performance reports. Capability Statement Submittal All interested parties are invited to submit a capability statement. The response must be specific to each of the capability requirements listed above to show that the respondent has the necessary skills and experience. The submittals shall not exceed 10 pages, TOTAL. One (1) electronic copy of the capability statement shall be emailed to the following e-mail address ETA.Lockbox@dol.gov. In the subject line of this email please use "DOL-ETA-16-N-00041 Strengthening Working Families Initiative by (contractor company name)". All submissions must be received NO LATER THAN Day Month June 14, 2016, by 2:00 PM, E.T. Zone. This electronic copy of your Technical Proposal must be word-searchable. A determination by the Government to proceed with the acquisition as a set-aside is within the discretion of the Government. Please be advised that telephone inquiries will not be accepted. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL. The capabilities statement package must be transmitted under a cover letter. The Cover Letter must cite the following information at a minimum: 1. Response to RFI No. DOL-ETA-16-N-00041 2. Company Name, Address, Contact Person with phone number and email address 3. Contractor's DUNS Number 4. Business Size Standard/Classification All contractors doing business with the Federal Government must be registered in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) database. The website for registration is https://www.sam.gov.
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FBO.gov Permalink
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