CAPE AND ISLANDS WORKFORCE INVESTMENT BOARD (WIB) REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT POLICY BLUEPRINT UPDATE

SUBMISSION DEADLINE 5 PM May 3, 2002

2 I. OVERVIEW OF THE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BLUEPRINT UPDATE

The Cape and Islands Workforce Investment Board (WIB) seeks a qualified individual or organization to update the Workforce Development Policy Blueprint for Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. The WIB serves the communities of Barnstable, Bourne, Brewster, Chatham, Chilmark, Dennis, Eastham, Edgartown, Gay Head, Gosnold, Harwich, Falmouth, Mashpee, Nantucket, Oak Bluffs, Orleans, Provincetown, Sandwich, Tisbury, Truro, Wellfleet, West Tisbury and Yarmouth. The update has three (3) components: 1. Examine Changes in the Occupational/Industrial Mix Since the Blueprint was updated most recently in 1997/1998, changes in the Occupational/Industrial mix of the region may have occurred. The selected individual or organization will examine all relevant LMI, Census, and other relevant data available since the most recent update of the Blueprint. At a minimum, the reports produced by the Division of Employment and Training, the Cape Cod Commission, the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce and the Cape Cod Economic Development Council, as well as local economic development councils and occupational and industrial data available through the most recent census will be used to prepare the analysis. In addition, the selected bidder may have to conduct primary research that could include a job vacancy survey, regarding the make up of the business community in the above referenced region. The data will be used to analyze whether or not the current critical or emerging critical industries identified in the 1997/1998 Blueprint should be excluded from the updated report and whether or not new industries should be added. 2. Determine the local education agencies (colleges, vocational schools, comprehensive schools, private education/training organizations, etc.) capacity to meet the occupational training needs of the current critical and emerging industries. The selected bidder will update the previous information concerning the local education agencies capacity to meet the training needs of the updated critical and emerging industries 3. Develop recommendations on the WIB's Employment and Training strategy relative to changes in the occupational/industrial mix. Based on the information obtained through the activities outlined above, a series of recommendations will be prepared for the WIB which reflect the implications of the changes, if any, in the industrial and occupational mix to the skills requirements of the local industries. . In addition, gaps in training capacity will be identified and further recommendations will be made to the WIB on what training programs or services may be needed to fill these gaps.

3 Proposals must be received by the Cape and Islands Workforce Investment Board, Barnstable Municipal Airport, 480 Barnstable Road, Hyannis, MA 02601 by 5 PM, May 3, 2002. Late proposals will not be reviewed and will be returned to the responder. The Cape and Islands Workforce Investment Board reserves the right to reject any and all proposals which are not responsive, in whole or in part, or not deemed in the best interests of the WIB. The WIB also reserves the right to waive any aspect of the Request for Proposal requirements. II. PROPOSAL REVIEW AND AWARD PROCEDURE

The WIB may award a contract without discussion with the offerer. Therefore, submissions should describe all aspects of the project and should be submitted in the most favorable terms, from a price and technical standpoint, which the offerer can make. The WIB reserves the right to request additional data in support of the proposal or to ask the offerer to make a presentation. The WIB may require that the successful offerer participate in negotiations or submit any budget, technical or other provisions of the proposal prior to executing a contract. The WIB is not responsible for costs incurred to prepare a response to the RFP or that are incurred prior to the execution of a contract. The Planning and Evaluation Committee of the Cape and Islands Workforce Investment Board of will review all proposals and make recommendations to the Executive Committee of the WIB who will present a final vendor for the project to the full Board of Directors. Award letters will be issued by June 1st, 2002. The Updated Workforce Development Blueprint will be due on August 15, 2002. III. FORMAT

1. Proposals should be typed and single spaced and should not exceed five (5) pages excluding cover sheet, budget and attachments. Topics should be presented in the same order as discussed in the RFP. Clarity and completeness is essential. An original and five (5) copies of the proposal must be provided. 2. Proposal submissions should contain at a minimum: a. Identification and resume of each individual performing work within the proposal, identification of the lead individual and names of the organization's officers, directors and owners. b. A description of the team composition, organization, management and a chart depicting organization of the project team.

4 c. A list of the current or completed projects similar to this that have been completed in Massachusetts in the past three (3) years. d. A list of three (3) references for similarly completed work within the last five (5) years, including contact person, telephone number and a brief description of the project. e. A detailed description of the proposer's methodology for accomplishing each of the components of the Blueprint Update, addressing the issues outlined in the specifications. f. A budget which details the costs of the project and a budget narrative that details the costs. IV. AUTHORIZED SIGNATORY

The proposal must be signed by an official authorized to bind the offerer and must contain name, title, address, and telephone number of the individual with authority to negotiate and contractually bind the offerer. All signatures are required to be handwritten in ink. The individual must be available during the two week period of May 6 - 17, 2002 to answer questions regarding the proposal. V. CONTRACT PAYMENT TERMS

The vendor will be paid upon the receipt and acceptance by the WIB of the completed Workforce Development Policy Blueprint Update. The maximum contract amount is $20,000.00. VI. WITHDRAWAL OF PROPOSALS

Proposals may be withdrawn on written or telephone request at any time prior to the closing date. All proposals and costs will be considered firm and may not be withdrawn for thirty (30) days from the date of opening. VII. SELECTION CRITERIA

1. Minimum selection criteria include the following: a. All documentation specified within this RFP. b. Favorable responses on all references provided. c. Professional members of the project team have direct relevant experience. d. The project team exhibits the capacity to complete the project as scheduled. 2. Proposals which meet the minimum selection criteria will be comparatively evaluated using the following criteria:

A. Quality of proposal: The proposal will be evaluated based on the quality of its content as follows: a. A proposal which excels with respect to technical approach to the proposal, format and responsiveness to the RFP will be rated as "Highly Advantageous". b. A proposal which is clear and complete with respect to the criteria will receive a rating of "Advantageous". c. If a proposal is not clear or complete with respect to the areas mentioned, it will receive a rating of "Not Advantageous". d. If a proposal is non responsive or is not clear or complete, it will be rated as "Unacceptable". VIII. SPECIFICATIONS FOR THE FINISHED BLUEPRINT UPDATE The Blueprint update should include: 1. Identification of the five industries which are currently most important to the economic health of the Cape and Islands Workforce Investment Boards region (Current Critical Industries). 2. Identification of the five industries which are expected to play a critical role in the economic development of the Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket region over the next five (5) years (Emerging Critical Industries). Note: It may be appropriate to include the same industries on both charts. 3. A brief description of the process used to identify the Current critical and the Emerging Critical industries. 4. A list of specific companies in the region which are members of each industry. The list should be a representative sample of the industry, not all inclusive. 5. Identification of the major training needs of each of the current critical industries and emerging critical industries. 6. A brief description of the process that was followed to identify these training needs. 7. A review of the local education and training institutions capacity to provide or develop programs to respond to the training needs of the Current Critical and Emerging Critical Industries, including a list of job vacancies in the Current Critical Industries.

6 8. A sector analysis of the Marine Science/Technology cluster, mostly located in the Falmouth/Woods Hole area, and its relationship to other Marine based industries. 9. A brief description of the process used to determine the capacity of the local training and educational providers to respond to the training needs of the Current Critical and Emerging Critical Industries. 10. A list of the names of the education and training institutions in the region that currently have the capacity to develop programs to meet the training needs identified. 11. A list of the names of the education and training institutions in the region that have the potential to develop programs to meet the training needs identified. 12. Recommendations on the WIB's employment and training strategy based on the skill requirements of the updated current and emerging critical industries.