YOUTH PROGRAM SERVICES BIDDER’S MEETING

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REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR YOUTH PROGRAM SERVICES Submission deadline 3/14/14

PROPOSERS CONFERENCE Tuesday, February 18, 2014 555 Union Boulevard, Allentown 2:00 P.M.

AGENDA 1. Welcome 2. Request for Proposals Review 3. Questions and Answers [email protected] www.lvwib.org

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LVWIB Website

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LVWIB is interested in funding the following types of innovative initiatives: In-School Youth

• School to work based • Juniors and seniors • Work Readiness and Life Skills • Not conducted during school hours

Out-of-School Youth

• HPO Targeted Industry Clusters • Youth not attending school • Work Readiness and Life Skills • Ages 16-21

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Population to be Served

Both programs will serve economically disadvantaged youth – with barriers to employment.

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Recruitment of Lehigh and Northampton County eligible youth:

• Recruit and enroll youth in sufficient numbers to assure expenditure of eighty-five percent (85%) or more of the funds awarded. • Proposer(s) serving in-school youth must serve high school juniors and seniors in-school in a 50 / 50 ratio.

• Proposers serving out-of-school youth may serve youth who are at least 16 but not yet 22 and are not in traditional, online or alternative schools. • Unemployed. • Programs serving out-of-school youth must assure seventy-five percent (75%) enrollment of youth within 45 business days and one hundred percent (100%) enrollment of youth within 60 business days. • In-school youth programs must assure seventy-five percent (75%) enrollment of youth within 45 business days and one hundred percent (100%) of enrollment within 60 days.

• Coordinate with existing programs in the community for referral of the youth.

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Eligibility

• Commonwealth Workforce Development System (CWDS) Age Income Barriers 16 to 21 (who have not yet reached the age of 22) Economically Disadvantaged (WIA Section 101 (13))

Appendix 1.

Must meet one of the following:

● Deficient in basic literacy skills ● School dropout ● Homeless, runaway, or foster child ● Pregnant or a parent ● An offender who is, or has been, subject to any stage of the criminal justice process, or who requires assistance in overcoming artificial barriers to employment resulting from a record of arrest or conviction ● Additional barrier definition for WIA eligible youth who require additional assistance to complete an educational program or to secure and hold employment to include: • Youth at risk of dropping out of school • Youth who lack a significant work history • Youth of incarcerated parents • Youth aged out of foster care 7

Eligibility

• Meet economic eligibility as defined in WIA 101 (25) - Low-income youth must meet the definition and provide verification source for

ONE

of the following low-income categories: ● ● Cash Public Assistance Family income at or below the Poverty Line or 70% of the Lower Living Standard Income ● Level (LLSIL) Receives Food Stamps or was determined eligible to receive in the six months prior to ● registration Homeless per 103(a) and 103 (c) of the McKinney Act ● Publicly-supported Foster Child ● Disability and income at or below the Poverty Line or 70% of the LLSIL

Size of Family 26-week Maximum Income 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

$ 5,745 $ 8,521 $11,695 $14,437 $17,039 $19,925 $22,811

$25,243

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Youth Program Services

Provide services for in-school youth:

The LVWIB is seeking proposers to deliver school-to-work based after-school activities for eligible Juniors and Seniors in order to retain them in school and offer activities that will ensure their graduation into a job or post-secondary education, training, or the military. Proposers are required to provide a work experience for participants. This includes the development of worksites and monitoring their time in the work experience.

Provide services for out-of-school youth:

The LVWIB is seeking proposers to provide out-of-school youth, as defined by the WIA, that will assist them in finding employment or in moving on to post-secondary education or training. An emphasis on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) based activities is preferred.

Proposers must provide remediation in the event that youth enrolled are

basic skills deficient (scoring below 8.9 on a TABE test)

to ensure they improve a functional grade level within twelve (12) months, attain a GED or high school credential and be placed in employment, post-secondary education and/or the military. Programming must assure supervised youth participation in program activities.

Out-of-school youth may receive occupational skills training through an Individual Training Account (ITA). ITAs must be for an occupational skills training program on Pennsylvania’s Statewide Training Programs/Providers List. All training must prepare youth for employment in a high priority occupation within Lehigh Valley Targeted Industry Clusters. ( www.lvwib.org

). If eligible, youth must apply for Pell Grant funding. If proposer(s) offers training that results in an industry-recognized certificate/credential and is not listed on the Pennsylvania Statewide Training Eligible Provider List, all costs must be itemized on the budget. This training is subject to LVWIB approval.

Proposer(s) may not subcontract training. They must either provide the training or refer youth to ITA providers. All youth should receive client-centered Case Management designed to 1) to prepare comprehensive employment plans, including service strategies for participants to access needed workforce activities and supportive services; and 2) to provide job and career counseling during the program and after job placement.

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Program Design Requirements

Recruitment of Lehigh and Northampton County eligible youth.

Youth eligibility determination, assessment, development of individual service strategy and career pathway plan, case management, and collection/completion of supporting documentation.

5) 6) 7) 8) 1) 2) 3) 4)

In School Youth will receive

Case Management Career Awareness Life Skills and Work readiness Work Experience Assessment of Reading and Math Basic Skill Remediation High School Diploma 12 month follow-up 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) 9) 10)

Out of school Youth will receive

Case Management Career Awareness Life Skills and Work readiness Work Experience Occupational and OJT Credential Attainment Assessment of Reading and Math Basic Skills Remediation Literacy & Numeracy Gain 12 month follow-up Referral of youth to providers for services the proposer does not provide, including any of the 10 WIA youth elements (see page 8) that are not a part of the proposer(s) program, and coordination of those services for the youth.

Performance Measures and Reporting.

Data entry of all youth activities into the Commonwealth Workforce Development System.

Program Monitoring and Evaluation.

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WIA Ten Program Elements

Proposer(s) must provide (1) basic skills remediation for out of school as needed, (2) life skills and employability skills training, and (3) services or referral of the WIA 10 Program Elements as follows: 1. Dropout Prevention (ISY)

2. Alternative Education 3. Summer Youth Employment Opportunities Directly linked to Academic and Occupational Learning

4. Work Experience

5. Comprehensive Guidance and Counseling 6. Occupational Skills Training 7. Leadership Training

8. Support Services

9. Mentoring

10.Twelve (12) Month Follow-up

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Referral

Referral of youth to providers for services the proposer does not provide, including any of the 10 WIA youth elements not a part of the proposer(s) program on an as needed basis and coordination of those services for the youth.

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In-School Performance Measures and Reporting

Performance Measures A. Placement in Employment, Post-Secondary Education, or the Military B. Attainment of a Degree/Certificate C. Literacy and Numeracy Gains (Achievement of 9 th grade levels) D. Participant Enrollment Levels

70% 85%

E. Program retention F. Attendance in Structured Activities G. Increase in Employability Skills H. Enrollment on Commonwealth Workforce Development Systems database

70% In-School: (75%) enrollment of youth within 45 business days from the start of contract and one hundred percent (100%) of enrollment within 60 business days from start of contract.

85% 85% 85% 100% 13

Out-of-School Performance Measures and Reporting

Performance Measures A. Placement in Employment, Post-Secondary Education, or the Military B. Attainment of a Degree/Certificate C. Literacy and Numeracy Gains (1 EFL Gain) D. Participant Enrollment E. Program retention F. Attendance in Structured Activities G. Increase in Employability Skills H. Enrollment on Commonwealth Workforce Development Systems database Levels

70% 85% 70% Out-of-School: 75% enrollment within 45 business days from start of contract and 100% enrollment within 60 business days of enrollment.

85% 85% 85% 100% 14

Training and Employment Guidance Letters (TEGL)

(TEGL 17-05) http://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/corr_doc.cfm?

DOCN=2195 (TEGL 17-05 Change 2) http://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/corr_doc.cfm?

DOCN=2759 (TEGL 15-10) http://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/corr_doc.cfm?

DOCN=2967

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Data Entry and Program Monitoring

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Data entry of all youth activities into the Commonwealth Workforce Development System

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LVWIB Monitoring

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Number to be Served and Funds Available

• $4,000 per youth national average • Capacity to serve a minimum of 20 youth

General Information

• Who may apply • Accessing the RFP Document and Attachments • Proposal Due Dates and Review Process • RFP Response Package • Inquiries and Questions About the Application • Cure Process • Selection Criteria • Administrative Requirements • Progress Reports • The Agreement • Cost Parameters • Grievance • Conflict of Interest • Interference with the Procurement Process • Compliance • LVWIB Right to Reject or Accept 17

Application for Youth Funds

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AGENCY DETAILS RECRUITMENT OF LEHIGH AND NORTHAMPTON ELIGIBLE YOUTH

If an in school program is proposed, describe Proposer’s recruitment plan and strategy to encourage eligible juniors and seniors who are in-school youth to participate in the program year round. Have these strategies been successful in the past?

ELIGIBILITY DETERMINATION AND ASSESSMENT

How will Proposer provide a second level supervisory review for participant eligibility and documentation?

What strategy will be employed to collect eligibility documentation from the youth? 18

Application for Youth Funds

PROGRAM DESIGN

What services will be provided to the youth by Proposer or identified Community Partner(s) and who will provide the following, if applicable:

Provided by Proposer Provided by Indentified Community Partner(s)

Basic skills remediation In-School Youth Drop-out prevention Work Experience Job Shadowing Part-time Jobs Internships Life Skills Training Leadership training Entrepreneurial Training Family planning education Matching youth with caring adults/mentors 12 month follow up Employability Skills Training Other (Please specify) 19

Application for Youth Funds

CASE MANAGEMENT FOLLOW UP STAFFING PERFORMANCE MEASURES AND REPORTING DATA ENTRY AND MONITORING CONTRACT AND BUDGET INFORMATION

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Section J: Contract and Budget

J-1. Will any of the proposed materials or supplies be purchased from a related, affiliate or subsidiary company of the Proposer? Yes_____ No_____

RFP-Supplies and/or materials proposed may not be purchased from proposer(s) or proposer(s) organization or from a subsidiary, or related company or corporation unless they are sold to the general public at the same price as offered under this RFP.

J-2. Does your organization have a cost allocation plan? What is the basis for the cost allocation? Attach a copy of your cost allocation plan.

• Cost allocation means the process of assigning to two or more programs the costs of an item shared by the programs.

• The goal is to ensure that each program bears its fair share, and only its fair share, of the total cost of the item.

• Cost allocation plan means a written account of the methods used by the grantee agency to allocate costs to its various funding sources.

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Section J: Contract and Budget

J-3. Does Proposer own the building in which the program proposed is to be operated?

RFP-Lease agreements may not be from proposer(s) or proposer(s) organization or from a subsidiary, or related company or corporation unless they are leased to the general public at the same price as offered under this RFP.

RFP-Proposer(s) requiring leased space must consult with LVWIB before leasing space.

RFP-Proposer(s) who will be leasing space must competitively procure the space unless the space is already leased. Payments for leased space in proposer(s) owned buildings will be subject to the Office of Management and Budget Circulars guidance.

J-4. If Proposer wants to propose an indirect cost rate, include the agreement entered into with the federal cognizant agency, otherwise, indirect or overhead must be direct charged and described with detail in the budget.

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Section J: Contract and Budget

J-5. Program Budget - Proposers must complete the budget section of the proposal using the required forms. (Attachment 2)

RFP- Proposers must complete the budget section of the proposal using the forms provided for in this package. RFP responses, which do not include the budget forms or which include non-conforming budget worksheets will be deemed non-responsive. The Budget is part of the RFP and can be downloaded from the LVWIB website at www.lvwib.org

as

Attachment 2

. Paper copies will not be available.

• No equipment purchases are allowed. Leasing arrangements for property or staff must be competitively procured and approved during negotiation of the contract.

• Charges for proprietary services such as assessment are not allowed.

• Charges for proprietary management information systems are not allowed. LVWIB only recognizes the Commonwealth’s MIS system called Commonwealth Workforce Development System (CWDS). 23

Section J: Contract and Budget

• For profit organizations, profit is capped at a rate of eight (8%) percent. At this time profit is an allowable cost. Profit may be allocated to the cost categories.

Profit is only available as a budget line item for commercial organizations. Total profit paid may not exceed the percentage of profit negotiated, and determined reasonable during contract negotiations. Profit is limited to eight percent (8%) of the contract budget excluding, (1) any funds budgeted for payments to other providers for services not offered by proposer(s), (2) any payments for support services, stipends, work experience, incentives or other participant payments, and (3) tuition.

• Administrative costs are limited to five percent (5%) based on the executed contract amount.

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Section J: Contract and Budget

J-6. If staff costs are going to be allocated to several cost categories and/or programs, please show this on the budget pages

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RFP-All costs, including salaries and merit increases, are subject to negotiation as a part of the contracting process. LVWIB will compare salaries and other costs proposed with costs and salaries for similar positions and responsibilities within Lehigh and Northampton Counties in arriving at reasonable negotiated costs. The federal government has imposed salary caps based upon the federal executive level ll position levels. Salaries reimbursed or partially reimbursed under contracts funded as a result of this RFP may not exceed the federal salary cap. (FEDERAL EXECUTIVE LEVEL II SALARY CAP EFFECTIVE 1/1/14 IS $181,500. This is also covered in Section A (A-2).

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Section J: Contract and Budget

OTHER:

• Proposers may not subcontract training.(OSY RFP PAGE 7) • Youth may be provided subsidized Work Experience at a wage of $7.25 an hour.

LVWIB is the employer of record and pays the youth.

• Incentives may be provided to youth. Incentives should not exceed

$250 per youth

. Incentives must be based on attendance and performance.

• Proposer(s) must have the capacity to serve a minimum of 20 youth.

• Should additional funds become available, LVWIB reserves the right to fund proposers at greater or lesser amounts than requested or to fund additional providers. Based on national best practices, the average cost of serving youth that results in a positive outcome is $4,000.

• Respond to every question asked.

• A copy of your most recent Audit and Financial Statement must be made available upon request by LVWIB,

and does not need

to be completed in the proposal. 26

Section J: Contract and Budget

AUDIT: All organizations funded whether public or private, commercial or not-for-profit, receiving at least

$500,000.00

annually through federal grants regardless of the funding source will be required to conduct and submit an audit annually. Commercial organizations will have the option of providing a program specific audit or submitting an organization wide audit in accordance with OMB Circular A-133. This will be determined during negotiations. All other providers must submit an A-133 audit.

Funds may not be included in the budget for an annual audit if proposer(s) does not receive at least $500,000.00 of federal funds annually.

• CURE PROCESS: LVWIB has established

the option

to cure minor omissions in submitted proposals within forty-eight (48) hours of notification by the LVWIB via email to the proposer’s contact named in the application

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Failure to provide the requested information within the allotted time shall result in a “fatal flaw.” This process is provided by LVWIB as a courtesy, and as such, LVWIB is not responsible for notification of any omissions or errors in any documentation submitted by the applicant agency in response to the RFP.

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Section J: Contract and Budget

• • • • INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS: Please contact your agent or carrier. (See Section 8 Administrative requirements.) This RFP does not commit or obligate LVWIB to pay for any costs incurred in the preparation of a response or in advance of the execution of a contract.

Implementation of this program may not occur prior to the start date of the contract document except as authorized. Nothing starts until the contract is signed by subcontractor’s signatory. Any costs incurred within the approved budget, as outlined in this agreement, shall be reimbursed when the LVWIB office receives a fully executed copy of this contract.

Proposer(s) whose main headquarters are located out of the workforce area and who maintain their books and records outside of the workforce area must specify in their proposal how they will make their books and records accessible at the LVWIB offices for monitoring and audit purposes.

It will not be sufficient to state that LVWIB may visit contractor’s site, the records must be available at the LVWIB offices

. Failure to do so may result in the proposal being deemed non responsive.

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Section J: Contract and Budget

• • • • • All contracts negotiated as a result of this RFP will be

cost reimbursement

. This is a contract format wherein all allowable costs detailed in the budget attached to the executed contract are reimbursed upon submission of documentation, which substantiates the expenditures. Allowable means allowable under both the grant funding stream supporting the contract expenditures and the executed contract.

It is a policy of LVWIB not to provide advance payments.

Initial in-school youth contracts will be written from August 4, 2014 through June 30, 2015 and subsequent renewals may be written for three (3) one-year periods.

Initial out of school youth contracts will operate from May 19, 2014 through June 30, 2015 and subsequent renewals may be written for three (3) one-year periods.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST: All applicants must disclose the name of any officer, director or employee who is a member of the LVWIB governing boards or an employee of LVWIB. All applicants must disclose the name of any LVWIB employee who owns, directly or indirectly, any interest in the applicants’ business or any of its branches. Such disclosure must be

submitted in a separate letter included with the Application for Youth Funds, no later than the proposal deadline.

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Proposal Order of Documents

A. Application for Youth Program Services - Attachment 1

i.

Completed Proposal Application ii.

Organizational Charts iii. Work Activity Schedule iv. Staff resumes or position qualifications if staff are not yet hired

B. Budget Forms

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Attachment 2 C. Required Federal and State Forms Attachment 3

i.

Certificate Regarding Lobbying ii.

Vendor Information Tax Payer Identification Verification iii. Certification regarding Debarment Suspension iv. Certification regarding Drug Free Workplace 30

Application for Youth Funds Evaluation Criteria

CRITERIA AGENCY DETAILS RECRUITMENT OF LEHIGH AND NORTHAMPTON ELIGIBLE YOUTH ELIGIBILITY DETERMINATION AND ASSESSMENT CASE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES FOLLOW UP STAFFING PERFORMANCE MEASURES AND REPORTING DATA ENTRY AND MONITORING CONTRACT AND BUDGET INFORMATION 100 POINTS 5 POINTS 10 POINTS 10 POINTS 10 POINTS 20 POINTS 5 POINTS 5 POINTS 15 POINTS 5 POINTS 15 POINTS

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Proposal Schedule

EVENT

RFP Issued to the Public

DATE/TIME Thursday, February 6, 2014

Proposers’ Conference & RFP Training Deadline for Submitting Written Questions to LVWIB Deadline for Proposal Submission

Tuesday, February 18, 2014 @ 2:00 p.m.

Thursday, March 13, 2014 @ noon Friday, March 14, 2014 @ noon

In-School Youth Contract Start Out-of-School Youth Contract Start In-School/Out-of-School Youth Contract End

August 4, 2014 May 19, 2014 June 30, 2015

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Questions and Answers

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