Request for Information (RFI) Number 1630J2-19-KEYSTONE_REDROCK

The Government reserves the right to compete any acquisition resulting from this notice. This 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. A determination by the Government to proceed with the acquisition as a set-aside is within the discretion of the Government. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL.

The United States Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration is conducting market research for the upcoming procurement requirement for the operation of the Keystone and Red Rock Job Corps Centers. The NAICS Code is 611519, with a size standard of $38.5M. It is anticipated that a fixed price type contract with two base years and three option years will be awarded. The procurement will involve the operation and management of a residential education, training and employment program at the Keystone and Red Rock Job Corps Centers located in Drums, PA and Lopez, PA. The procurement will also involve Outreach and Admissions (OA) and Career Transition Services (CTS).

Contractors will be expected to provide all material, services, and necessary personnel to operate these JCCs as set forth in Title 1, Subtitle C of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998. Please note that beginning July 1, 2015, contractors will be expected to provide all material, services, and necessary personnel to operate these JCCs as set forth Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) of 2014. WIOA supersedes the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 and authorizes the Job Corps program.

Contractors are also required to comply with the Job Corps Policy and Requirements Handbook (PRH). The PRH is available at https://eprh.jobcorps.gov/Pages/Home.aspx.

Job Corps is a national residential training and employment program administered by the U.S. Department of Labor to address the multiple barriers to employment faced by at-risk youth, 16-24 years of age, throughout the United States. Job Corps provides educational and career technical skills training and support services. The unique combination of services provided by Job Corps is intended to better prepare youth to obtain and hold gainful employment, pursue further education or training, or satisfy entrance requirements for careers in the Armed Forces. The contractor shall provide:

1. Outreach & Admissions;
2. Academic, career technical, social and employment readiness skills, counseling, health services, safety, recreation and work-based learning;
3. Operation and management of government facilities;
4. Residential management, supervision, meals, and support services;
5. Career Transition Services/Job placement assistance and transitional support services;
6. Training and professional development staff;
7. Center operations integrated with the local workforce development systems, employers, and the business community; and
8. Center oversight, and financial and program management.

The on-board strength (OBS) for the Keystone Job Corps Center is 431, consisting of 431 residential and 0 non-residential students. The OBS for the Red Rock Job Corps Center is 264, consisting of 264 residential and 0 non-residential students. The Job Corps centers are located in Drums, PA (Keystone) and Lopez, PA (Red Rock).

The Contractor shall provide OA services in the following workforce development areas in the state of Pennsylvania, as follows:

Northwest                   Lackawanna County
North Central              Pocono County
Central                       Berks County
Northern Tier              Lehigh County
South Central              Luzerne/Schuylkill Counties
Southern Alleghenies   Lancaster County

The contractor shall ensure the arrival of a minimum of 700 students to the Keystone Job Corps Center; 460 students to the Red Rock JCC; and 200 students to the Pittsburgh JCC.

The contractor shall also provide Career Transition Services (CTS) for all graduates and former enrollees of the Keystone and Red Rock Job Corps centers, regardless of where the graduate or former enrollee resides or matriculates, and former enrollees within their eligibility period that separated under the prior operator.

All contractors doing business with the Federal Government shall be registered in Central Contractor Registration (CCR) database, which is located on the System for Award Management website, SAM.gov. The website for registration is https://www.sam.gov. All active CCR records have migrated to SAM. 

ALL QUALIFIED SMALL BUSINESSES INCLUDING 8(A) FIRMS ARE ENCOURAGED TO PARTICIPATE. 

Interested contractors responding to this RFI will be required to indicate their ability to successfully manage and operate a Job Corps Center operation by responding to the capability requirements listed below. The contractor should also indicate the number of students/program participants served for each described contract. If the contractor references a Job Corps contract, the contractor should also provide the referenced center's On Board Strength at the time that the contractor held the contract.

FOR A CONTRACTOR TO BE DEEMED CAPABLE, THE CONTRACTOR MUST BE FOUND CAPABLE IN ALL REQUIREMENTS LISTED BELOW.

CAPABILITIES REQUIREMENTS

1. Describe your organizational experience in operating a large scale residential job training program similar in size and scope to the Keystone and Red Rock Job Corps centers. Demonstrated experience should encompass key aspects of operating a similar program to include: providing food services; medical, dental, and mental health care; facility and property management including facility maintenance and repairs; providing residential management and supervision of at risk youth; recreational programming; student transportation; oversight and purchase of Government owned property; managing GSA fleet vehicles; and protecting Personally Identifiable Information (PII).

2. Describe the strong fiscal controls your organization has in place to ensure proper accounting of federal funds, and a description of how your organization will meet the requirements of WIOA Section 159(a). FAR Section 159(a) requires each operator to maintain funds received in accounts in a manner that ensures timely and accurate reporting as required by the Secretary of Labor.

3. Describe your ability to comply with all health and safety standards in the residential, food preparation area and dining hall to re-mediate impediments in these areas.

4. Describe your organizational experience in procuring, managing and executing multiple major facilities repairs/improvements in excess of $600,000 in a timely manner. Add any experience with timeworn and/or historic buildings and aging infrastructure.

5. Describe your organizational experience with the management and administration of academic and skill training programs that are accredited and state recognized including high school or general equivalency diplomas.

6. Describe your organization's experience in monitoring hands on student training projects to ensure they are completed timely and accurately.

7. Describe your organizational experience with implementing effective behavioral management programs and implementation of Zero Tolerance (ZT) policies that support student retention.

8. Describe your organization's infrastructure for corporate oversight and support with respect to multiple operations at multiple center locations, to include career training, academic instruction, career preparation, work-based learning and transition services, and job placement.

9. Demonstrate your organization's ability to access financial resources sufficient to satisfy requirements of operating a CTS operation for the first 60 days of operation or the ability to obtain them prior to award.

10. Describe your organization's experience conducting outreach and admissions services to attract participants to the program, screen for eligibility, and arrange for admission placement into the program.

11. Describe your organizational experience in providing career planning and placement services for at risk youth to include program graduates and former enrollees (those who may not have successfully completed). Experience should include: assessments, counseling, resume development and interviewing techniques; transition support with housing, childcare and transportation during the specified service window; job development and referral services; and follow up placement services.

12. Describe your organization's demonstrated record of finding and establishing employment and post-secondary education opportunities for at-risk youth that aligns with a specific career pathway.

13. Describe your organization's experience in collaborating with training provider(s) to identify trade-specific employers to hire center graduates into meaningful careers related to the training completed.

14. Describe your organization's experience in identifying industry specific employers and/or providing apprenticeship opportunities for students and graduates. Describe your experience in collaborating with the local American Job Centers.

All interested parties are invited to submit in writing, by the closing date indicated below for receipt of responses, a package entitled "Statement of Qualifications / Capabilities Statement" (which must include the contractor's indication of their ability to fulfill requirements). The Statement of Qualifications / Capabilities Statement package must be transmitted under a cover letter. The response must be specific to each of the capability requirements listed above. The submittals shall not exceed 15 pages (TOTAL). The capabilities statement package must must cite the following information at a minimum:
1. Response to RFI 1630J2-19-KEYSTONE_REDROCK;
2. Company Name, Address, and a Company Point of Contact;
3. DUNS Number;
4. Business Size Standard/Classification, and socio-economic status, if applicable;
5. NAICS code certifications.

The closing date for the receipt of responses is August 8, 2019 at 12:00PM ET. Send your responses to Emily Giardino at the following email address: [email protected]. PLEASE NOTE: THE SUBJECT LINE OF YOUR EMAIL MUST STATE: "Response to Sources Sought Notice 1630J2-19-KEYSTONE_REDROCK."

No questions in connection with this notice will be accepted. Only submit responses to the Qualifications and Capabilities requirements provided above.