Industry Skills Cohort Trainings

WorkForce Central is seeking qualified organizations or entities to provide employer-driven, rapid reskill-upskill training delivered to cohorts of participants.

Summary

WorkForce Central is seeking qualified organizations or entities to provide employer-driven, rapid reskill-upskill training delivered to cohorts of participants. This training will prepare individuals to enter living-wage employment in the industry, occupation, and skill development pathways identified as local employer priorities in the RFQQ.

Cohort training resulting from this RFQQ will occur between January 2022 – December 2025. WorkForce Central’s goal is to build a pool of cohort training providers, enabling timely response to employers’ reskill-upskill training needs as they arise over the next three years. We anticipate funding multiple providers and training cohorts during this time period, and the total funding that may be awarded is not yet established. There is no set limit to the amount that may be requested per training; proposed budgets will be assessed based on reasonable cost comparisons, with awareness that costs will vary between training programs.

Because training contracts will be funded by Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Title 1 funds, all training participants must be eligible for WIOA Title 1 services. Ideal respondents will demonstrate previous success with and a plan for training WIOA-eligible individuals, those who belong to communities of color, individuals impacted by poverty, veterans and military spouses, individuals with disabilities, and additional populations facing systemic barriers to employment.

Knowledge of and experience with WIOA is not a requirement. Local WIOA Title I service providers will register training participants in WIOA and WorkForce Central can support training providers with WIOA information. The training providers’ primary focus will be training participants and connecting them to employment.

Key Dates

RFQQ Release	August 12, 2021
Due Date for Questions	September 27, 2021, 5:00 pm PDT
Proposal Package Due	September 29, 2021, 5:00 pm PDT
Notifications to Respondents	On or near November 8, 2021

View the RFQQ

Read Submitted Questions & Answers

Employer Reference Form

Training Participant Reference Form

WFC Assurances & Certifications

Questions & Answers

Please email your questions regarding this RFQQ to [email protected] and include the RFQQ number in the subject line. Questions and answers will be posted to this webpage as they become available. The deadline for questions is September 27, 2021, 5:00 pm PDT.

Does the applicant information and pre-award assessment form require your approval before we can proceed with the proposal submission?

WorkForce Central does not need to approve your Applicant Information and Pre-award Assessment form prior to receiving your proposal. Please include the form as part of your PDF application package.

Please submit a separate proposal for each training program your organization proposes providing. This will enable the Evaluation Committee to assess each training program based on its individual merits. Each proposal must include reference forms from two employers and one training participant. If an organization submits multiple proposals, the reference forms included with the proposals can be completed by the same individuals if the content is relevant for each proposal.

Our program is focused on a 6 month training (beginner through advanced) for students whit no experience, but it’s possible for folks with some prior experience to test in to get through it in less than 4 months. Also, students can find employment after completing both beginner and intermediate level courses (less than 4 months) if they choose, but it’s not been our main focus. Would our programs qualify?

We encourage you to submit a proposal for your training program. Please describe the full 6-month training program in your proposal and clearly explain what elements can be completed within the required 4-month timeframe and lead to skill attainment and employment. Proposing a series of short courses is also allowable.

My nonprofit is based in Seattle, WA, however, our services are accessible across the state. Are we eligible to apply? Or are you seeking to serve organizations only in Pierce County?

We have not placed any geographic restrictions on where training providers are based, as long as the training can be provided in Pierce County and/or online. In addition, the RFQQ states “Ideal respondents will demonstrate connection to Pierce County employers and local, in-demand employment pathways and the ability to link successful trainees with related occupations once cohort trainings are complete.”

To qualify for this contract, is a bidder required to be listed on Washington’s ETPL? Or are bidders exempt from ETPL requirements as this award is to give a training contract for training which meets an exemption from the ETPL requirements under WIOA Section 840.62?

The RFQQ does not require evidence of being on the Washington State Eligible Training Providers List (ETPL) in proposals, but this may be required for some training activities and would be determined prior to contract execution.

Do you require commercial margin to be broken out as a separate line item or can it be included in one of the other cost categories (ie, direct participant costs)?

WorkForce Central is not requiring or recommending specific budget line items or categories in proposals. If the respondent is selected for a training contract, budget details will be decided together during contract negotiations.

Could you please clarify if the awardee of this RFQQ would be characterized as a “contractor” or “subrecipient” as defined by 2 CFR 200.330? Our assumption is the awardee would be designated as “contractor” given the use of that term in both the RFQQ as well as the linked general terms and conditions. However, in your incorporated Workforce Central Policies, specifically the Procurement Policy, at pdf 7, it states that “[i]n compliance with 2 CFR 200.330, WFC will classify providers of WIOA Adult, Dislocated Worker and Youth Services and One-Stop Operators as subrecipients.” Does this subrecipient classification extend to “providers” that will be awarded a contract under this RFQQ? Your response is determinative for understanding if commercial margin can be added to a bidder’s pricing proposal. The RFQQ is not clear if cost analysis allows for profit to be added into the budgeting break out.

Training providers selected to receive a contract under this RFQQ will be contractors, not subrecipients.

Are you able to explain what type of training activities pursuant to an awarded contract would trigger the requirement to be on the WA ETPL? My understanding of WIOA is that WIOA funds primarily should be dispersed to WIOA participants via ITA, in which case a provider needs to be listed on the ETPL. If, by contrast, a training contract is being awarded, then this may suggest that an exemption from ETPL registration may apply to justify the workforce board awarding a contract to a training provider (who may or may not be on ETPL). Is this not accurate?

We are working with WA Employment Security Department now to clearly determine the circumstances under which ETPL registration may not be required.

Our training program lasts for 6-months, which is typical for software engineering bootcamps. That said, it’s longer than 4-months. Is it still okay to submit?

The Industry Skills Cohorts Training RFQQ requires the duration of any single training does not exceed four (4) months, regardless of the number of hours per week the training includes. Your six-month training program might be eligible for funding if it has shorter components which, when completed, result in skill attainment that can lead to employment. If this is the case, please describe the six-month program in your proposal and clearly explain what components can be completed within the required 4-month timeframe and will lead to skill attainment and employment.

We plan to stipend students in Pierce County, however, is it okay to also use funds to stipend students in counties beyond Pierce County?

Funding may or may not become available to WorkForce Central that can be used to for stipends to participants in training cohorts funded by this RFQQ. If this funding becomes available, we anticipate it could only be used for training participants who reside in Pierce County, WA.