Operation of the Excelsior Springs Job Corps Center with Outreach, Admissions and Career Transition Services

Sources Sought Notice for Request for Information (RFI) No. SSDOLOCMNO2011-0001. The government reserves the right to compete any acquisition resulting from this survey among small businesses or to make award to an 8(a) firm, based on the responses received. 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. All qualified small businesses including 8(a) businesses are invited to participate. Small businesses currently operating center contracts need not respond to this RFI. The United States Department of Labor is conducting market research for an upcoming procurement requirement for the operation of the Excelsior Springs Job Corps Center with an Outreach, Admissions, and Career Transition Services (OA/CTS) components for the Employment and Training Administration (ETA). The NAICS code for this procurement is 611519, with a size standard of $35.5M. The procurement will involve the management and operation of the residential training and employment programs at the main Job Corps center located in Excelsior Springs, Missouri and an Alternate Training Location (ATL) located in Kansas City, Missouri, and OA/CTS services. The current contracted capacity is 369 students at the main center, 126 at the ATL, OA goals of 116 male students and 184 female students and CTS goals of 370 graduate students and 185 former enrollees. The type of contract will be cost-reimbursement, incentive fee, with 2 base years and 3 unilateral option years. Contractors will be expected to provide all material, services, and necessary personnel to operate a Job Corps center and OA/CTS services as set forth in Title 1, Subtitle C of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, and the Job Corps Policy and Requirements Handbook (PRH). The PRH is available at http://jobcorps.dol.gov. Job Corps is a national residential training and employment program administered by the Department of Labor to address the multiple barriers to employment faced by disadvantaged and at-risk youth throughout the United States. Job Corps provides educational and career technical skills training and support services. The unique combination of services provided in the 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: Center: 1. Academic, career technical, social and employment readiness skills, counseling, health services, safety, recreation and work-based learning; 2. Operation and management of government facilities; 3. Residential management, supervision, meals, and support services; 4. Trained and professional staff; 5. Center operations integrated with the local workforce development systems, employers and the business community. 6. Center oversight, financial and program management. OA: 1. Outreach to local communities about the Job Corps Program; 2. Recruitment to eligible youth in assigned geographical areas; 3. Information to eligible applicants about the Job Corps Program; 4. Eligibility screening and application processing for Job Corps enrollment; 5. Enrollment, assignment and arrival of a specified number of Job Corps eligible youth to centers as assigned by the contract; 6. Trained and professional staff; 7. Integration with local workforce development systems; 8. Project oversight, financial and project management. CTS: 1. Career transition support resulting in placement in careers aligned with training; 2. Job placement assistance and transitional support services of specified number of graduates and former enrollees as defined by the PRH and contract; 3. Job development and referral services; 4. Follow up placement services to graduates and former enrollees; 5. Transition support with housing, childcare, and transportation for Job Corps graduates during the specified service window; 6. Trained and professional staff; 7. Project oversight, financial and project management. Interested contractors responding to this RFI No. SSDOLOCMNO2011-0001 will be required to indicate their ability to successfully manage and operate a Job Corps center and OA/CTS contract by responding to the five Qualifications/Capabilities requirements stipulated below: 1. Provide experience for the most current three years which is relevant/equivalent in content, scope and/ or complexity to the requirements of operating a combined Job Corps center and OA/CTS contract. 2. Provide "demonstrated" past experience information, to include contract value of each contract, for the most current three years for the management and operations of similar contracts, and how such experience demonstrates the ability to perform a cost-reimbursement type contract. 3. Provide information demonstrating access to financial resources to satisfy requirements of operating a combined Job Corps center and OA/CTS contract or the ability to obtain them. 4. Describe your organizational experience with a co-enrollment program at a site more than 30 miles away from the main center. 5. Describe your organizational experience in managing and ensuring data integrity. All interested parties who believe they can provide the above mentioned information are invited to submit in writing, by the closing date indicated below for receipt of responses, a package entitled "Statement of Qualifications / Capabilities. The Statement of Qualifications / Capabilities package must be transmitted under a cover letter. The Cover Letter must cite the following information at a minimum: 1. Response to RFI No. SSDOLOCMNO2011-0001; 2. Company Name, Address, Contact Person Information; 3. DUNS Number; 4. Business Size Standard/Classification and socio-economic category of your company. The closing date for the receipt of responses is Friday, May 27, 2011 at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Send your responses to Ronald Daitoku at email address: daitoku.ronald@dol.gov and Peni Webster at email address: webster.peni@dol.gov No questions pertaining to this notice will be entertained; please only submit your responses to the Qualifications and Capabilities requirements. All contractors doing business with the Federal Government shall be registered in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) database. The website for registration is www.ccr.gov.