The San Diego Workforce Partnership (Workforce Partnership) is issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) to entities that support the education and training programs in EMS (Emergency Medical Services) and Fire. These entities may include San Diego-based community colleges and their foundations, non-profits and community-based organizations (CBOs), employers, and joint apprenticeship committees to support their EMS and Fire students/trainees and programs. The Workforce Partnership desires to retain multiple partners who justify how funding will support diverse outreach and recruitment, retention, the removal of barriers to continue in a career pathways, and sustainability of their programs. The maximum Individual Award Value under this solicitation is $75,000.
The funding behind this solicitation is from a grant via the State of California and the California Workforce Development Board (CWDB). This grant directs SDWP to lead a regional initiative to help diversity the regional EMS and Fire career pathways, identify leveraged funding sources, and promote overall collaboration and sustainability to better connect the talent pipeline.
Questions and Answers about the RFP
All questions about this RFP must be emailed to procurement@workforce.org with the name of the RFP in the subject line (EMS-Fire PP) and we will respond in three business days. The last day to submit questions is May 8, 2024.
Q: Can an entity submit more than one application?
A: Yes, an entity can submit more than one application for consideration, however doing so does not increase the chances of funding of any submission. Each application must clearly have separate scopes of work and follow all guidelines laid out in the RFP.
Q: Is the full Service Agreement and Attachments A and B supposed to be completed and submitted along with our application or will these documents be submitted if our proposal is funded? Or, do we just need to make a statement in our proposal that we agree with the terms of the Service Agreement and that we will complete Attachment A and B if our proposal is funded?
A: Service Agreement and Attachments A and B are for review purposes and are not required to be completed along with your proposal submission. The purpose of including these attachments is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the contractual provisions and expectations.
We believe that reviewing these documents will assist you in crafting a more informed and tailored proposal that aligns with our objectives.
Once a proposal has been selected, we will proceed with the execution of the attached Service Agreement template, attachment A and B as part of the contractual agreement.
Q: Similarly, regarding the Certificate of Insurance. We do not need to include it with our proposal. We just make a statement in our proposal that we will provide a Certificate of Insurance. Correct?
A: No need to include a Certificate of Insurance (COI) with the proposal, the COI is required in the contract execution phase. Submitting your proposal means that you agree to adhere to and abide by our contractual provisions and all applicable regulations.
Q: If our proposal is approved, is there any upfront funding that Workforce Partnership provides to the Contractor, or must the Contractor incur all the costs and then seek reimbursement? Is there a provision to request Advance Funding for some of the expenses and then additional Advance Funding as the project moves forward?
A: Service Agreement’s Invoicing and Deliverables are uniquely structured and organized based on need and project/program structure. In some cases the Scope of Work, Invoicing and Deliverables (Attachments A & B) may reflect upfront fund disbursement.
Respondents Office hours
A virtual office hour session will be held on Friday, May 3, 2024 at 1pm and will last for up to one hour over Zoom. This is an opportunity for potential respondents to drop in to request additional clarity on the RFP. Register in advance for this meeting. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Submittal of Proposal
The Workforce Partnership must receive proposals no later than May 13, 2024 by 5 p.m. PT. PDF versions of written and signed proposals should be sent to procurement@workforce.org with the title of “EMS-Fire PP (Insert Organization’s name) response”. Late proposals will not be accepted.
Miscellaneous Requirements
Service agreement template
By submitting a proposal, you are agreeing to the terms outlined in the Attachment labeled “Service Agreement Template” should you be selected as a successful bidder.
Conflict of interest
Bidders are required to list any and all individuals who contributed to the preparation of the proposal in the attachment labeled “Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form.” Disclosure of any actual or potential conflicts of interest relative to this competitive proposal is required. All bidders must fill this out and submit even if there are no actual or potential conflicts of interest.
Certificate of insurance
Bidders are required to complete the attachment labeled “Certificate of Insurance (COI)”, that includes the language “San Diego Workforce Partnership Inc, City of San Diego and County of San Diego are listed as additional insured and certificate holders.”