Request for Proposals for: Ohio TechNet Employer Engagement Facilitator Ohio Technical Skills Innovation Network (OhioTechNet) RFP Issue Date: January 20, 2017 Response Due Date: February 10, 2017 Table of Contents Invitation...2 Notice!!...2 I. Introduction...3 II. Purpose Statement / Objective...3 III. Goals / Activities / Deliverables & Outcomes...3 IV. Expectations of Selected Provider(s)...4 V. Submittal Requirements...5 VI. The Selection Process...6 VIII. Supplemental Information...7 IX. Appendix...7
Invitation REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS Lorain County Community College (LCCC) is extending an invitation for Proposals pertaining to the facilitation of the development of communication and outreach strategies that most effectively reach the target audience(s) in the State of Ohio manufacturing sector within a limited time frame and budget. Notice!! In order to receive any Addenda or supplemental information, you MUST register with the LCCC Purchasing Office, either by mail, at 1005 Abbe Road North, Elyria, Ohio 44035-1691, by telephone at 440-366-7788, by fax at 440-366-4648, or by email (preferred) to Laura Carissimi at lcarissi@lorainccc.edu; purchase@lorainccc.edu. The following information is required: Name of Firm Contact Name Street Address City, State Zip Telephone Fax Phone Email address Page 2 of 7
I. Introduction This Request for Proposal (RFP) is issued by the Ohio Technical Skills Innovation Network (Ohio TechNet program); Ohio TechNet is designed to transform the way in which higher education works with employers to better align education and training for Advanced Manufacturing in Ohio with industry needs. Led by Lorain County Community College (LCCC) on behalf of a consortium that includes 11 colleges across the state, Ohio TechNet partners provide comprehensive education and training to workers who are in transition or need upskilling due to the impact of foreign trade, as well as returning military personnel. The program focuses on five occupations that are in high demand: welding, machining, industrial maintenance, digital design/industrial automation, and occupational safety. The goals and strategies of the initiative are to better identify businesses most pressing needs, align and accelerate training programs to fill the skills gap, and support transformation and alignment of the state s workforce and higher education delivery systems. II. Purpose Statement / Objective Ohio TechNet is partnering with LIFT, Ohio Department of Higher Education and The Ohio Manufacturers Association to develop and implement a statewide employer engagement strategy to assist manufacturers in identifying available training resources, suggesting ways to tap these resources and providing a forum to discuss expansion and improvement of training. Goals include, but are not limited to, increased employer participation in work-based learning programs, creation of manufacturing career pathways, and development of a standardized Manufacturing Foundations curriculum. This project will require frequent contact and extensive feedback loops for employer, educator, and workforce input. As Ohio TechNet s lead partner, LCCC is charged with facilitating employer engagement throughout the 71- county footprint of the consortium; expanded outreach to Ohio s remaining counties expands the impact of Ohio TechNet. LCCC is seeking to supplement its present team with additional facilitation capacity. The work described in this Request for Proposal is on a tight budget and scheduled; LCCC reserves the right to designate a dual award if needed to accomplish the project as set forth below. III. Goals / Activities / Deliverables & Outcomes Goals In general, the facilitation of employer engagement is intended to: 1. With project partners, coordinate regional and statewide employer meetings 2. Follow-up and develop next steps as a result of these meetings 3. Work with Ohio TechNet, Ohio Manufacturing Careers Council s Image Committee, Ohio Department of Higher Education, Ohio Department of Education, JobsOhio, Ohio Department of Job & Family Services, Mahoning Valley Manufacturers Coalition and Ohio Manufacturers Association to create an implementation strategy. 4. Create/validate Manufacturing career pathways aligned to in-demand careers 5. Utilize employer feedback to inform the creation of Ohio s Manufacturing Foundations program 6. Help identify/establish new employer partnerships that lead to potential employment opportunities for Ohio TechNet participants 7. Create strategies/tools that communicate opportunities to Ohio TechNet navigators, project managers and partners. Page 3 of 7
Activities The facilitation of employer engagement should include but not be limited to the following activities: 1. Organize meetings identified below (this includes suggesting meeting format; developing agendas; overseeing selection of locations, distribution of invitations, tracking of responses, etc.) a. Regional Listening Sessions for manufacturers in conjunction with project team to identify: 1. Common Needs and Interests 2. Priorities for in-demand careers 3. Promising/Proven Solutions b. Local/Regional Manufacturing Champions Meetings c. Statewide Manufacturing Meeting 2. Utilize feedback obtained during employer sessions to create an implementation strategy. 3. Organize smaller group employer meetings to continue progress in regional/local efforts 4. Utilizing employer input, develop Manufacturing career pathways. There s a lot of momentum statewide surrounding the creation of pathways. Collaboration with others who have a head start in pathway creation is recommended. 5. Utilize employer feedback to assist Ohio TechNet in creation of Ohio s Manufacturing Foundations program, which includes a goal to have employer recognition of nationally portable credentials. Deliverables and Outcomes The following anticipated as the minimum Deliverables and Outcomes resulting from the facilitation of employer engagement activities: 1. Meetings planned 2. Strategy created and implemented 3. An increase in the number of manufacturers statewide involved in Workforce Development 4. Manufacturing pathways created 5. Manufacturing Foundations launched IV. Expectations of Selected Provider(s) 1) Have the talent available to meet the aggressive schedule 2) Be able to work within the non-negotiable, overall maximum fee allowance of $65,000 with the additional constraint, per grant requirements, of a maximum consultant fee not to exceed $585/day. 3) Be able to dedicate personnel to this initiative for the duration period of 3/1/17 through 3/31/18 Page 4 of 7
V. Submittal Requirements 1) Inquiries and Information Requests Prior to Submission The LCCC Purchasing Office will act as the clearinghouse for all inquiries and information requests. All inquiries and information requests must be submitted electronically to Laura Carissimi, Director of Purchasing, lcarissi@lorainccc.edu. The answers to all inquiries will be provided to all registered parties by Purchasing. All answers will be electronically distributed to all those registered or invited. Addendums will also be posted on the College website with the original Proposal document. Any other responses to questions, not via the Purchasing Office Addenda, are considered casual and not binding. 2) Timeline The schedule for submittal evaluation, selection and implementation is as follows; Key dates may be altered by the College; registered parties will be updated via Addendum should any alteration occur: Issuance of RFP First ad January 20, 2017 Second Ad January 27, 2017 Last day for question submittal February 1, 2017 Final Addendum issued February 3, 2017 Submittals Due February 10, 2017 Notification of Vendor/Vendors Selection* February 17, 2017 Commence work March 1, 2017 *Respondents should be prepared for tele-conference in the week of February 13, 2017, as the selection committee may have additional questions based on the review of your submittal. Make sure you provide a valid contact name, email and phone. 3) Proposal Contents: must include (you may also provide supplemental information at your discretion): Section 1: Proposed Team; provide the information of the composition of your proposed team and their experience. Include resumes. Section 2: Similar Project Experience; submit up to (6) representative projects within the previous five (5) years to create a portfolio. Select projects of similar, or greater, program/intent, size and scope to represent this section; include project that show the ability to work with a limited budget and an aggressive timeline. Section 3: Detail of proposed expenses: Include a proposed budget which includes hourly rates and projected hours for each person assigned to this scope of work. 4) Submittal of Complete Proposal: Respondents shall electronically submit their proposal containing all the requested information to the Lorain County Community College Purchasing Office: Becky George rwulfhoo@lorainccc.edu, OR Laura Carissimi lcarissi@lorainccc.edu, by February 10, 2017 by 4:00 P.M., Local Time. a) Late responses may be deemed unresponsive. At its sole discretion, the College reserves the right to reject any proposal not deemed satisfactory and to waive any and all irregularities in the procedure. Omission, inaccuracy, or misstatement may be sufficient cause for a proposal to be deemed unresponsive and/or irresponsible. b) There will be NO public opening; submittals may be viewed by appointment with Purchasing. Page 5 of 7
VI. The Selection Process 1) Evaluation of Proposals Scoring by the evaluation committee will be via the Evaluation form included in the Appendix. 2) Evaluation/Selection Committee Name/Title Institution Contact Information Terri Sandu LCCC tsandu@lorainccc.edu Bernie Gosky LCCC bgosky@lorainccc.edu John Magill or designee ODHE Manufacturing Employer (TBD) VII. Disclaimers and Disclosures Disclaimers In its sole discretion, the College may withdraw the RFP either before or after receiving submissions, may accept or reject submissions, and may accept submissions which deviate from the RFP as it deems appropriate and in the College s best interest. In its sole discretion, the College may determine the qualifications and acceptability of any party or parties submitting in response to this RFP. Following submission of a RFP, the respondent agrees to deliver such further details, information and assurances, including financial and disclosure data, relating to the response and/or the respondent, including the respondent s affiliates, officers, directors, shareholders, partners and employees, as requested by the College in its discretion. The College and its advisors shall have no obligation or liability with respect to this RFP, the selection and award process contemplated hereunder, or whether any award or recommendation will be made. All costs incurred by a respondent in preparing and responding to this RFP are the sole responsibility of the respondent. Any recipient of this RFP who responds hereto, fully acknowledges all the provisions of this disclosure and disclaimer and agrees to be bound by the terms hereof. Any response submitted pursuant to this RFP is at the sole risk and responsibility of the party submitting such response. Respondents are advised that participation in the design of evaluation strategies might result in exclusion or restriction from participation in other phases. Disclosures The College is governed by the Ohio Open Records Law and all responses and supporting data shall be subject to disclosure as required by the law. All submittals will be available for review by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Employment and Training Administration. Lorain County Community College complies with all DOL regulations in purchasing equipment. Selected vendor, in accepting a Purchase Order or entering into an agreement with any of the Ohio TechNet colleges, agrees to comply with DOL regulations and cost principles as per TAACCCT grant agreement, sections 8-11. The grant agreement can be found at www.lorainccc.edu/ohiotechnet. Page 6 of 7
VIII. Supplemental Information The following supplemental information can be found at www.lorainccc.edu/ohiotechnet Ohio TechNet Executive Summary TAACCCT project narrative, including both work plan activities and deliverables and target participant outcomes Description of the Employment Results Scorecard (to DOL ETA by Lorain County Community College and its 11 partners) Evaluation plan narrative submitted with proposal request (to DOL ETA by Lorain County Community College and its 8 partners) www.ohiotechnet.org is also a useful reference. The LCCC Code of Conduct is applicable to all participants and awarded vendors, and may be viewed at: http://www.lorainccc.edu/campus+security/code+of+conduct.htm IX. Appendix Evaluation Matrix Organizational qualifications and experience Possible Research projects of similar, or greater, program/intent, size and scope 20 Ability to work with a limited budget and an aggressive timeline 10 Work plan and timeline Plan to accomplish the scope of work (includes description of established relationship with key collaborators to accomplish goals of this RFP) 50 Personnel and their Qualifications Composition of your proposed team and their experience 20 Total 100 Page 7 of 7