youth workforce experience programming 2014
common Application and instructions
1. Proposal Deadline and Pre-Submittal Conference
A. Submission Information
The due date for submission of proposals is February 4, 2014 by 4:00pm.
Proposals will be accepted prior to the due date, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday – Friday at the same location. All proposals must be complete. Incomplete proposals may not be reviewed. In-person or bonded messenger delivery of proposals is encouraged. Time stamped receipts will be issued as proof of timely submittal.
One (1) original and two (2) copies must be delivered in a sealed envelope or box to:
Jennifer Axelrod
Deputy Commissioner of Youth Services
Department of Family and Support Services
1615 West Chicago Avenue, 3rd Floor
Chicago, IL 60622
Additionally, please e-mail an exact and complete scanned copy of your proposal, budget and ALL attachments to: by February 4, 2014, 4:30 p.m. Both the paper original and e-mailed copies are required for the submission to be considered complete.
No proposal will be considered complete and therefore reviewed unless the original copy is delivered and received at DFSS offices.
Proposals received after the due date and time may be deemed NON-RESPONSIVE and, therefore, subject to rejection.
B. Questions
Respondents are strongly encouraged to submit all questions and comments related to the RFP via e-mail. For answers to program-related questions please contact:
Lisa Davis:
All other questions regarding the administrative aspects of this RFP may be directed to: Julia Talbot:
C. Bidders Conference
A Bidders conference will be held on January 16, 2014, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. at the Department of Family and Support Services, 1615 W. Chicago Ave., 1st Fl. Conference Room.
OSC Plus SEL Providers and Workforce Provider: 9:30 am to 11:00am
Summer Youth Employment Program and Greencorps 11:00 am to 12:30 pm
If you are submitting a proposal for both areas, please plan to attend the entire conference time. Attendance at this conference is not mandatory but is highly advised. To request reasonable accommodation for the pre-submittal conference, please contact, Aurora Reyes, . Requests for accommodations will be accepted up to 48 hours prior to the event.
D. Timeline
This is the anticipated timeline for the funded programming:
Proposal Release Date: / January 7. 2014Bidders Conferences: / January 16, 2014
Proposal Due: / February 4, 2014
Award Notification Date: / March 3, 2014
Anticipated Contract Start Date: / April 1, 2014
2. Application Requirements
A. Format of the Proposal
In addition to the requested information stated in accompanying application and budget files (constituting the narrative and budget portions of the proposal), Respondents must supply the following additional information in their response to this RFP identified in the list below in items 4-9). The proposal should consist of the following items, in this order:
1. A proposal cover sheet signed by an authorized representative of the Respondent’s organization (found in the accompanying application packet).
2. Written responses and supporting documentation to questions (found in the accompanying application packet).
3. An itemized budget request developed using the guidelines and budget forms (found in the accompanying application packet/files).
4. A System for Award Management (SAM) number. For information on how to obtain a SAM number for your organization, please refer to the following website: https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/
5. For non-profit applicants only: proof of 501(c)3 Good Standing from the IRS. This can be accomplished by filling out the following form and printing the result for inclusion in your application packet. http://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/mainSearch.do?mainSearchChoice=pub78&dispatchMethod=selectSearch
6. Copy of Official Articles of Incorporation
7. A copy of the applicant’s most recent fiscal audit report
8. Certificate of Insurance
9. A Certificate of Economic Disclosure will be required for all awarded contracts but is not required at the time of submission.
B. E-Mail Submissions
Often large files cannot be quickly or successfully electronically submitted to us. If your application packet consists of these files, we highly recommend the use of a file compression software such as Win Zip (which can be downloaded for a free trial period at http://www.winzip.com/downwz.htm) or any other similar software in order to keep your e-mail submissions to a single e-mail.
If you find yourself working with files that are not easily compressed or are compressed but still very large, we suggest considering a file location service such as Drop Box https://www.dropbox.com/ or Google Drive https://www.google.com/intl/en_US/drive/start/index.html (which provide free storage for a limited number of GB) or any similar service which will allow you to upload the necessary file to a virtual location and send us a link allowing access to your submission folder. The City of Chicago does not in any way endorse or require the use of any specific program of this type.
C. Formatting
Please submit ONE complete proposal for each program. Submitted proposals must adhere to all of the following requirements:
· One complete set of the proposal containing original signatures signed by an authorized representative of the organization will be marked “Original” plus two complete copies
· One complete scanned copy of the proposal will be emailed to the following address by February 4, 2014 at 4:30.
· Recycled paper appreciated but not mandatory
· 8 1/2 x 11 letter size
· Double-sided printing
· One inch margins
· At least 1.5 -spaced
· At least 11-point font
The complete application packet should consist of the following items, in this order:
1. Agency Application Information Form (page 7)
2. Executive Summary (2 page limit, page 8)
3. Program Narrative (20 page limit, page 8)
4. Budget Instructions (page 12)
5. Attachments
The Narrative portion of the proposals should be no longer than 20 pages in length.
Failure to submit a complete proposal and/or to respond fully to all requirements may cause the proposal to be deemed unresponsive and, therefore, subject to rejection.
Receipt of a final proposal does not commit the department to award a grant to pay any costs incurred in the preparation of an application.
D. Evaluation and Selection Procedures
1. Proposal Evaluation Process
An evaluation committee selected by DFSS will evaluate and rate all proposals based on the evaluation criteria outlined below. Each proposal will be evaluated on the strengths of the proposal and the responsiveness to the selection criteria outlined below. DFSS reserves the right to consult with other city departments or public or private funders during the evaluation process. Selected Respondent must be ready to proceed with proposed program at the time of contracting.
The Commissioner, upon review of recommended agencies, may reject, deny or recommend agencies that have applied for grants based on previous performance and/or area need. Selections will not be final until the City and the Respondent have fully negotiated and executed a contract. The City assumes no liability for costs incurred in responding to this RFP or for costs incurred by the Respondent in anticipation of a fully executed contract.
2. General Selection Criteria
The Proposals will be evaluated on the Respondent’s ability as defined in this RFP. The following criteria will be used in evaluating all proposals:
a. Previous Programmatic Experience
Respondent will demonstrate knowledge of the populations to be served or similar populations and the way in which these populations should be served as evidenced by previous or current operation of a successful program of a similar nature.
b. Administrative/Fiscal Capacity and Experience
Respondent will demonstrate the resources and expertise to assume and meet all administrative and fiscal requirements. This includes the Respondent’s fiscal (including financial management systems), technological, management, administrative and staff capabilities
c. Program Design and Administration
Respondent will show program and administrative design relevant to the goals of the program.
3. Additional Evaluation Criteria
· Agency’s mission, programs and services, and resources specifically targeting youth.
· Demonstrate evidence of experience working with at-risk youth and/or youth involved in the juvenile justice system.
· Quality and variety of Respondent’s references concerning past performance.
· Quality and variety of Respondent’s current and planned service linkages and resources.
· Evidence of appropriate linkage agreements with potential employers and service providers.
· Evidence of an operating budget of greater than $500,000.
· Prior experience managing programs of similar size and scope.
· Proof and amount of match funding if required.
· Demonstrate effectiveness of current programming.
· Quality of youth engagement strategies to recruit and retain youth.
· Quality of training provided to staff.
· Quality of proposed plan for supervision.
· Quality of proposed plan for staffing.
· Willingness and capacity to participate in the evaluation component/data collection.
· Geographic region, linguistic or cultural specificity.
The Proposals will be evaluated on the Respondent’s ability to provide programming as defined in this RFP. The Respondent will qualify based demonstrated capacity, competency and a successful history of meeting the requirements outlined in this RFP. Past performance on similar services will be considered as part of the evaluation process. Eligible proposals will be evaluated on the basis of completeness of application.
DFSS reserves the right to seek clarification of information submitted in response to this Application and/or to request additional information during the evaluation process and make site visits and/or require Respondents to make an oral presentation or be interviewed by the review subcommittee, if necessary.
DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY AND SUPPORT SERVICES
Youth Workforce Experience Programming 2014
Common Agency Application Information Form
Legal Name of Applicant Agency / FEIN NumberAdministrative/Mailing Address / DUNS Number
Executive Director / Executive Director’s Phone Number
Executive Director’s Fax Number / Executive Director’s Email Address
Contact Person for Proposal / Contact Person’s Phone Number
Contact Person’s Fax Number / Contact Person’s Email Address
Type of Organization (check one)
Not-for-Profit Agency / For-Profit Agency / Faith-Based AgencyOther, if yes Description:
Amount Requested: $______
Program applying to in this application (please check ONE):
___ Summer Youth Employment Program
___ One Summer Chicago PLUS - Workforce
___ One Summer Chicago Plus – SEL Provider
___ Greencorps Youth Program
Agency Statement of Certification
This proposal has been duly authorized by the governing body of the proposed. The proposed activities, dates, availability of resources, staff, cost, and all statements made are true and correct. The applicant will comply with all rules and regulations of the funding agency and will revise this proposal if necessary.
Authorized Signer’s Name / Authorized SignatureAuthorized Signer’s Title / Date Signed
Application
A. Executive Summary – Required for all program applications
Please attach an Executive Summary, which briefly describes your organization, proposed program model, and experience in providing youth workforce experiences. The Executive Summary may be no more than two pages.
B. Program Narrative - Required for all program applications
Write a narrative that provides information and description about your organization’s capacity, vision and plans on the following areas in reference with respect to operating a Youth Workforce Experience program in 20 pages or less. The 20 page narrative should include the overall program narrative questions as well as the program specific questions.
a. General Administrative Capacity
1. Provide a narrative overview of your agency. The narrative should minimally address the following items: brief history of your agency; agency’s philosophy and mission; your organization’s specific experience serving at-risk youth, and/or providing work experiences for young people ages 16-24 and a brief overview of the services you provide.
2. Describe your organization’s programmatic, fiscal and administrative capacity for operating and managing the proposed program, if funded. This should include a detailed explanation of how you will successfully execute a timely and accurate payroll for the youth participants and mentors.
3. Describe your experience with workforce development programs or contracts of comparable size and scope, identifying the number of years providing workforce development or similar services, demonstrated impacts of programming, and types of job skills training you have developed and offered to youth.
4. Describe your proposed staffing plan for the program and describe how mentors will be recruited and supervised.
5. Include as an attachment job descriptions and resumes for the program manager and all other key staff. Please identify the person who will act as the project leader for this program.
6. Describe the professional development provided to staff working with youth.
7. Attach a minimum of three (3) to five (5) verifiable current references regarding your agency’s performance (references can be from a variety of sources, i.e., funding sources, social service agencies or other professional agencies or community groups) on that agencies’ letterhead.
8. Describe your agencies preferred age group to provide workforce services (16-18, 19-21, 21-24) and your experience working with youth in that age bracket.
9. Has the organization ever been declared deficient in the operation of a grant? If so, explain.
b. Fiscal Capacity
1. What evidence exists of the soundness of your agency’s past fiscal performance?
2. Does your agency currently or intend to sub-contract the payroll portion of this program to a third party? If yes, to whom and what qualifications will you use to determine their ability to meet payroll.
3. How does your organization intend to meet the youth payroll obligations given the reimbursement nature of this contract? What resources will be leveraged? What safety nets are in place to ensure that youth are paid in a timely manner?
4. Describe your organization’s accounting procedures (include the name of your fiscal officer and accountant) and system of fiscal oversight.
5. Include your agency’s most recent annual audited budget and financial statements.
Attach a table describing the past three years of grant funding (City, State, Federal)
Name of program / Source of funding (please be as specific as possible) / Grant Amount / Grant start/end dates / Number of Youth ServedPlease expand as needed.
c. Recruitment and Retention
1. How are youth identified to participate in services by your organization, include a description of your recruitment activities, outreach and initial determination of potential program participants?
2. Describe your experience providing access to actual summer employment opportunities. If you have not previously provided summer employment, describe your summer enrichment programming. Please be specific (e.g., dates, times, number of youth enrolled)