THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE PROPOSALS. No solicitation will be issued. This is a notice of intent to award a sole source contract in accordance to FAR 6.302-1(a)(2), authorized or required by statue. This is a one-time procurement. The VISN 10 Network Contracting Office intends to award a sole source procurement with the Catalyst Learning Company 310 W Liberty St STE 403, Louisville, KY 40202-3015, Woman Owned Small Business (WOSB) to purchase: A one base year plus four (4), one year options for a blended, remedial training program located at the Cincinnati VA Medical Center, 3200 Vine St., Cincinnati, Ohio 45202. This training requirement is detailed in the Statement of Work below: The procurement will be for the VAMC Cincinnati, Ohio. The estimated amounted is $52,070.00 for the base year plus 4 option years. The Government believes that Catalyst Learning Company is the only company that can satisfy the agency requirements. Therefore, the Government intends to proceed with sole source procurement for this required training program. To the best of our knowledge Catalyst Learning Company is the only source that provides the indicated services. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is 611710 and the size standard is $14.0M. This is not a request for proposals; however, an interested party may e-mail a written capability statement for these required items, which shall not exceed four (4) pages in length. Interested parties may submit their capability statement, which may or may not be considered by the agency via email to
contact@example.gov no later than 4:00 PM EASTERN on Sep 17th, 2014. If no responses are received, the Cincinnati VA Medical Center will proceed with the WOSB; sole source procurement with Catalyst Learning Company. STATEMENT OF WORK Purpose: To provide remedial training for Government employees requiring skills applicable to the performance of their designated work functions through a School at Work (SAW) career development program at the VA Cincinnati Medical Center. Contractor shall provide a blended and comprehensive program of on-line, E-Learning materials delivery and classroom training during designated training times of their normally scheduled work hours and that incorporates longitudinal elements of current School at Work training program in place. The training shall provide learning opportunities to employees in GS-01 thru GS-05 and employees in Wage Grade equivalent. In the School at Work program, employees develop computer skills, math, reading, grammar, writing, medical terminology, patient safety and satisfaction skills, and organizational skills. Currently, VA Cincinnati Medical Center has limited opportunities for employees in grades GS-01 thru GS-05 and equivalent Wage Grades. To improve upward mobility, diversity, loyalty, talent, and patient care, those employees who "feel stuck" in entry-level positions need to be provided with new learning opportunities and better chances to succeed. To improve diversity within the organization and to improve EEO performance, there is a need to have employees learn new tasks and learn how to develop their skills in order to be successful in their career advancement. Program requirements: Contractor is to provide a six month career development system that will be delivered within the a blended learning system: on-line coursework, DVD classroom sessions, and participant workbooks. Contractor will manage a workplace education and E-Learning training program. The curriculum shall focus on two key components: education and career development. Throughout the program, the students develop a Career and Learning Plan (CLP) that helps them identify and achieve personal career goals through self-assessments and other exercises. Contractor shall offer class two hours per week for twenty-two (22) weeks for a total of six months in sessions coordinated with the using service. The provided by the medical center shall provide a Coach and Career Advisor, who facilitates the blended learning system, and can come from a variety of department/positions. The Coach should commit 4 hours per week, two hours in the classroom with the students, and approximately two (2) hours in the management of the program. The coach serves as a project manager for the entire School at Work (SAW) class, oversees and facilitates SAW, works closely with internal SAW support staff, keeps attendance records, and monitors the completion of the online components. The Coach should have good computer skills, strong communication and facilitation skills, previous experience in education, recruiting, or human resources, and must be familiar with the healthcare organization. The Career Advisor will meet one-on-one with students throughout the course to help them map out their Career and Learning Plan. The Career Advisor is recommended to meet with each student one-on-one twice during their six-month SAW class. The meeting should last from 30 minutes to 1 hour. Qualifications for Entry in the Program: Contractor is responsible to conduct a basic competencies assessment of reading skills/reading comprehension and to identify areas of deficiency for each student. Students enrolled in the program have a minimum reading level of 9th grade in order to be successful. VHA High Performance Development Model (HPDM): Contractor shall provide a training program compliant with the VHA High Performance Development Model (HPDM) and the workforce development program 2008. The training program shall use adult learning principles to engage participants and provides curriculum written in healthcare context. Participants in the training program learn personal mastery, interpersonal effectiveness, customer service, flexibility/adaptability, creative thinking, systems thinking, and organizational stewardship. Contractor shall implement a program that interfaces with the MyCareer@VA website and must have a minimum of 8 years direct experience in this capacity working at VA facilities. Students in the program will spend 45 hours over the 6 month period in the classroom and 2 hours per week in self-study on their own time. Most facilities allow students to use two hours clock-time per week to attend class. Student recruiting and testing takes 6 to 8 weeks prior to the start of SAW and requires 3 to 4 hours per week of Coach time to oversee this process. Once classes begin, the Coach will spend approximately 4 hours per week facilitating and managing the program. The contractor shall provide assistance to the Coach through their Client Relations Coordinators who are available every business day, all day, to answer questions, solve problems, and advise for maximum outcome results. Information: Any proprietary or copyrighted information may only be duplicated and disseminated with express written consent of the contractor. Contractor shall ship all materials to the facility prior to the implementation of any training session. Location: Cincinnati Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) 3200 Vine Street, Cincinnati OH 45220 Facility Operational Hours: Monday through Friday, 730am to 5pm (excluding Federal holidays) Period of Performance: Contractor shall provide Firm Fixed Price (FFP) base plus four options year contract. Base: 09/19/2014-09/18/2015 Option year 1: 09/19/2015-09/18/2016 Option year 2: 09/19/2016-09/18/2017 Option year 3: 09/19/2017-09/18/2018 Option year 4: 09/19/2018-09/18/2019
