Curriculum Development for Employment Staff

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Curriculum Development for Employment Staff

For the

Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) and

Agency of Human Service (AHS) Creative Workforce Solutions (CWS)Initiative

I.Overview

The State of Vermont, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) is a statewide direct service organization within the Department of Disabilities (DAIL), Aging and Independent Living in the Agency of Human Services (AHS). DVR is the lead agency for an AHS legislatively mandated initiative to coordinate employment services and employer outreach across AHS programs called Creative Workforce Solutions (CWS). AHS employment programs are designed to assist a wide range of groupsto access and maintain employment including:

• DVR consumers
• DVR consumers with severe mental illness served through the Vermont Community Rehabilitation and Treatment (CRT) Supported Employment Programs
• DVR consumers who are youth in custody
• DVR consumers with developmental disabilities served through the Vermont Developmental Services (DS) programs
• DVR consumers served by the State Reach Up (TANF) Program
• DVR consumers receiving State General Assistance funds
• DVR consumers who are youth with emotional/behavioral disabilities served through community mental health system

For more information on DVR and CWS please see the attached websites:

The State is seeking a contractor to develop a curriculum for Employment Specialist (ES)staff and Employment Consultant (EC) staff serving the vulnerable populations listed above. ES and EC staff provide competitive employment and placement services in the local community. The majority are employees of community rehabilitation agencies including community mental health agencies, developmental disability programs, community rehabilitation programs and a variety of other non-profit agencies. In general, these staff members perform some or all of the following functions:

• Outreach to employers and job development
• Facilitation of job clubs or other job search groups
• Assistance with work site accommodations such as trainers, interpreters, readers, assistive technology or natural supports
• Identification of work site trainings or situational site assessments of job skills
• Perform job site analyses or transferable skill analyses as appropriate.
• Follow-up job placements to assist the customer and employer in resolving problems they encounter or with post-employment supports
• Provide on site job coaching

The curriculum must be customized for the Vermont service system based on extensive consultation with State staff and community partners. The State anticipates that the curriculum will consist of a combination of in-person training and web-based instruction. However, the State will consider other curriculum designs that are not a combination of web-based and in-person instruction. The curriculum must include a minimum of thirty hours of instruction time. The curriculum must cover a minimum of the following content areas:

Background: historical perspective on the advent of employment services both nationally and in Vermont; person-centered planning; funding sources; best practices; range of service delivery models

Assessment: the engagement process; intake, career planning, strategies to obtain employment; career development and assessment; professional ethics; role clarification between referring counselors and CWS employment specialists

Job Development: the job placement and job search process; job development techniques; employer outreach; employer surveys; customized employment; employer presentations; role clarification between business account managers and CWS employment specialists

Job Acquisition: job seeker preparation; disclosure strategies; facilitating job choice and decision making; negotiating job placements; application of progressive employment strategies

Workplace Supports: job retention; effective entry into the workplace; managing skill acquisition on the job; follow-along and workplace supports; effective customer service

Performance Management and Resource Coordination: performance, case and time management; goal-setting; resource coordination and alignment

The bidder may include other content areas they believe are relevant and would add value to the curriculum. In particular, the State is interested in content that is evidence-based and/or based on nationally recognized best practice standards.

II.Contract Term and Dollar Value

The term of the contract will be one (1) year, with the option for renewal for two (2) additional years.The State does not have an estimated value of this contract and is seeking the market price through this bid process. The bidder’s price quotes must be fixed-price, based on deliverables, and include all expenses (e.g., travel, food, and lodging expenses will not be reimbursed).The bidder must submit a fixed price for each deliverable listed in Section III.

On final delivery, the curriculum will be owned by the State. The State will not consider bids that are based on annual fees or licensing agreements or any other mechanisms whereby the bidder retains ownership of the curriculum.

III.Contract Deliverables

Deliverable One: The contractor will meet, in person or remotely with State staff to plan the development of the curriculum. Within two weeks of thisdevelopment meeting the contractor will submit a plan for curriculum development to the state.

Deliverable Two: The contractor will consult with each of the following individuals and groups, either in person or remotely, in the process of developing the curriculum:

• The State Employment Services Manager
• The Director and Managers of the Vermont Association of Business Industry and Rehabilitation (VABIR)
• The State Business Account Managers
• A select group of employment staff and managers from programs serving the following populations:
• DVR consumers
• DVR consumers with severe mental illness served through the Vermont Community Rehabilitation and Treatment (CRT) Supported Employment Programs
• VR consumers with developmental disabilities served through the Vermont Developmental Services (DS) programs
• DVR consumers served by the State Reach Up (TANF) Program
• DVR consumers receiving State General Assistance funds
• DVR consumers who are youth in custody
• DVR consumers who are youth with emotional/behavioral disabilities served through community mental health system.

It is expected this consultation will take between forty and sixty hours. Deliverable Two will include synopsis of the information gathered during the above meetings, including areas of training considered critical by the partnering programs.

Deliverable Three: The Contractor will deliver a draft of the curriculum to the State. The State will provide feedback on the draft and required revisions.

Deliverable Four: The Contractor willdeliver a final draft of the curriculum to the State.

Deliverable Five: The contractor will provide a minimum of twenty hours consultation to the Contractor selected to deliver the curriculum in the State of Vermont.

IV.Minimum Requirements

The selected contractor will be required by the State to carry $1,000,000 in General Liability Insurance and a minimum of $300,000 in Automobile Liability Insurance. The selected contractor will also be required to accept standard State of Vermont contracting requirements. These requirements are outlined in Attachments C, D, E and F, included herein. The selected contractor will also be required to sign a Consumer Information and Privacy Rule regarding the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) agreement as part of a State contract, which is also included herein.

V.Preferred Qualifications

The State is interested in bidders who have:

1. A background in training and curriculum development for employment services for vulnerable populations.
2. Who have experience developing training materials and curriculum for both in person instruction and web based self directed instruction.

VI. Notice of Intent to Submit a Proposal

All parties intending to compete for this project must submit a formal letter of intent via email to: by 4pm on Friday, February 8, 2013. All letters of intent must include a contact name, email and phone number for the person responsible for submitting the final bid. Bid submissions will ONLY be accepted from entities who have submitted a letter of intent by this date. All parties who have submitted their letter of intent are encouraged to submit questions and/or requests for clarification to: . All responses to questions posed by an entity will be shared with ALL potential bidders who have submitted a letter of intent. The deadline for submission of questions will also be Friday, February 8, 2013 at 4pm. Any submissions after that time will not receive a response.

VII. Instructions for Bid Submission

To apply for this contract bidders must submit:

1.A narrative proposal outlining the bidder’s background and expertise and their overall approach to this project. The narrative should be no longer than ten (10) pages [12 font or greater].

2. A copy of the resumes of all staff who will be working on this project.

3.A sample of training materials or a curriculum (web-based or in-person) previously developed by thebidder.

4. The contact information for three references (do not include written references).

5.The proposed fixed price for each of the deliverables outlined in Section III.

All items identified in section VII above must be submitted via E-mail to 4pm EST on Friday, March 8, 2013. A signed hard copy must also be mailed by March 8, 2013, and must be postmarked bythis date.

VIII. Evaluation Criteria

The State will evaluate applications based on the following criteria:

Final selections will be based upon the above criteria, and reference checks.

Contact Person for Request

Hugh Bradshaw

Vermont Division of Vocational Rehabilitation

Weeks 1 A. 103 South Main Street

Waterbury, Vermont05671

(802) 871-3054

ATTACHMENT C

CUSTOMARY PROVISIONS FOR CONTRACTS AND GRANTS

1. Entire Agreement. This Agreement, whether in the form of a Contract, State Funded Grant, or Federally Funded Grant, represents the entire agreement between the parties on the subject matter. All prior agreements, representations, statements, negotiations, and understandings shall have no effect.

2. Applicable Law. This Agreement will be governed by the laws of the State of Vermont.

3. Definitions:For purposes of this Attachment, “Party” shall mean the Contractor, Grantee or Subrecipient, with whom the State of Vermont is executing this Agreement and consistent with the form of the Agreement.

4. Appropriations: If appropriations are insufficient to support this Agreement, the State may cancel on a date agreed to by the parties or upon the expiration or reduction of existing appropriation authority. In the case that this Agreement is funded in whole or in part by federal or other non-State funds, and in the event those funds become unavailable or reduced, the State may suspend or cancel this Agreement immediately, and the State shall have no obligation to fund this Agreement from State revenues.

5. No Employee Benefits For Party: The Party understands that the State will not provide any individual retirement benefits, group life insurance, group health and dental insurance, vacation or sick leave, workers compensation or other benefits or services available to State employees, nor will the state withhold any state or federal taxes except as required under applicable tax laws, which shall be determined in advance of execution of the Agreement. The Party understands that all tax returns required by the Internal Revenue Code and the State of Vermont, including but not limited to income, withholding, sales and use, and rooms and meals, must be filed by the Party, and information as to Agreement income will be provided by the State of Vermont to the Internal Revenue Service and the Vermont Department of Taxes.

6. Independence, Liability: The Party will act in an independent capacity and not as officers or employees of the State. The Party shall defend the State and its officers and employees against all claims or suits arising in whole or in part from any act or omission of the Party or of any agent of the Party. The State shall notify the Party in the event of any such claim or suit, and the Party shall immediately retain counsel and otherwise provide a complete defense against the entire claim or suit. The Party shall notify its insurance company and the State within 10 days of receiving any claim for damages, notice of claims, pre-claims, or service of judgments or claims, for any act or omissions in the performance of this Agreement.

After a final judgment or settlement the Party may request recoupment of specific defense costs and may file suit in Washington Superior Court requesting recoupment. The Party shall be entitled to recoup costs only upon a showing that such costs were entirely unrelated to the defense of any claim arising from an act or omission of the Party.

The Party shall indemnify the State and its officers and employees in the event that the State, its officers or employees become legally obligated to pay any damages or losses arising from any act or omission of the Party.

7. Insurance: Before commencing work on this Agreement the Party must provide certificates of insurance to show that the following minimum coverage is in effect. It is the responsibility of the Party to maintain current certificates of insurance on file with the state through the term of the Agreement. No warranty is made that the coverage and limits listed herein are adequate to cover and protect the interests of the Party for the Party’s operations. These are solely minimums that have been established to protect the interests of the State.

Workers Compensation: With respect to all operations performed, the Party shall carry workers’ compensation insurance in accordance with the laws of the State of Vermont.

General Liability and Property Damage: With respect to all operations performed under the Agreement, the Party shall carry general liability insurance having all major divisions of coverage including, but not limited to:

Premises - Operations

Products and Completed Operations

Personal Injury Liability

Contractual Liability

The policy shall be on an occurrence form and limits shall not be less than:

$1,000,000 Per Occurrence

$1,000,000 General Aggregate

$1,000,000 Products/Completed Operations Aggregate

$ 50,000 Fire/ Legal/Liability

Party shall name the State of Vermont and its officers and employees as additional insureds for liability arising out of this Agreement.

Automotive Liability: The Party shall carry automotive liability insurance covering all motor vehicles, including hired and non-owned coverage, used in connection with the Agreement. Limits of coverage shall not be less than: $1,000,000 combined single limit.

Party shall name the State of Vermont and its officers and employees as additional insureds for liability arising out of this Agreement.

Professional Liability:Before commencing work on this Agreement and throughout the term of this Agreement, the Party shall procure and maintain professional liability insurance for any and all services performed under this Agreement, with minimum coverage of $___N/A______per occurrence, and $___NA______ aggregate.

8. Reliance by the State on Representations: All payments by the State under this Agreement will be made in reliance upon the accuracy of all prior representations by the Party, including but not limited to bills, invoices, progress reports and other proofs of work.

9. Requirement to Have a Single Audit: In the case that this Agreement is a Grant that is funded in whole or in part by federal funds, the Subrecipient will complete the Subrecipient Annual Report annually within 45 days after its fiscal year end, informing the State of Vermont whether or not a single audit is required for the prior fiscal year. If a single audit is required, the Subrecipient will submit a copy of the audit report to the granting Party within 9 months. If a single audit is not required, only the Subrecipient Annual Report is required.

A single audit is required if the subrecipient expends $500,000 or more in federal assistance during its fiscal year and must be conducted in accordance with OMB Circular A-133. The Subrecipient Annual Report is required to be submitted within 45 days, whether or not a single audit is required.

10. Records Available for Audit: The Party will maintain all books, documents, payroll papers, accounting records and other evidence pertaining to costs incurred under this agreement and make them available at reasonable times during the period of the Agreement and for three years thereafter for inspection by any authorized representatives of the State or Federal Government. If any litigation, claim, or audit is started before the expiration of the three year period, the records shall be retained until all litigation, claims or audit findings involving the records have been resolved. The State, by any authorized representative, shall have the right at all reasonable times to inspect or otherwise evaluate the work performed or being performed under this Agreement.