ANSWERED QUESTIONS
Please define a 'Rhode Island-based applicant' per Section 5--Eligible Applicants. I live and work in RI, but my company is headquartered in MA and NY. Would our proposal be eligible for the 15 bonus points?
- Barry Richman
In order for a bidder to be considered “RI based” and eligible for the 15 bonus
points, it must either have a corporate/principle office located in Rhode Island or have a
facility where it provides training/services located in Rhode Island.
The RI Works IT Bootcamp RFP contains several unique components. If an organization specializes in a few of the training related components, is it possible to submit for just those areas of the RFP? How will this affect awarding of the contract?
- Anonymous
Proposals submitted must include all program components (RFP Section 3: “Proposals Requested”/Page 4). If a bidder has the expertise to deliver a few of the components, then they should seek out organizations that can provide the other components. This would be done through the development of a partnership agreement (RFP Section 17: “Proposal Response Package”/Page 12 and PR-7 Partnership Agreements/Page 21).
Proposals submitted without responding to all components will not be considered during the rating/review process.
Regarding IT Partners - will internships be limited to TechCollective member companies only
- Anonymous
Experiential learning opportunities are not limited to only Tech Collective members. The first preference will be placements at IT partner companies that are participating in the Industry Skills Development Initiative (ISDI) grant - all of which are members. Once those placements have been determined, other companies (including members and non members) can be recruited for the remaining placements.
Will you make available list of potential partners mentioned in the RFP that are interested in delivering one or more elements (i.e., soft skills training)?
- Anonymous
The companies that expressed an interest in participating in the instruction of some of
the components (i.e. soft skills) are IT partner companies involved in the ISDI grant.
The names of these companies will not to be made available until a vendor is
selected. These companies are not outside organizations or training vendors that would
require a partner agreement as part of the RFP process.
Can you confirm that selection of candidates will be initiated by NetworkRI and then final selection confirmed by TechCollective, Vendor and IT Partners Companies? If so, which partner companies? Partners of vendor or just IT member companies of TechCollective?
- Trudy@tcplearning.com
There are 3 parts to this answer- refer to “Component # 1: Recruitment, Assessment, Selection” of the RFP in Section 7: Proposal Narrative (Page 6).
RECRUITMENT: The vendor who is contracted will work with the Tech Collective and IT partner companies participating in the Industry Skills Development Initiative grant to finalize the criteria for potential candidates. The vendor will work with the organizations that candidates are being recruited from to make sure that their staff understand the program and criteria. Those organizations, using the criteria, will refer potential candidates to the vendor. The netWORKri Career Centers are only one type of organization that candidates could be recruited from (refer to Recruitment paragraph on page 6).
ASSESSMENT: The vendor will then assess the potential candidates that have been recruited to determine if they are appropriate for inclusion in the program. The type(s) of assessments utilized would be approved by the IT partner companies and Tech Collective during the procurement/contracting process for this program.
SELECTION: Based on the results of the assessments, the selected vendor would work with the IT partner companies participating in the ISDI grant and Tech Collective to make final determinations of which candidates would be selected to participate in the program. This process will be determined/finalized during the contracting process.
The names of the IT partner companies participating in the grant will not to be made
available until a vendor is selected.
Organizations that the vendor has partnered with to provide services through a partner agreement may potentially be included in the selection process.
Would the TechCollective representative, already working with NetworkRI, or any other representative of your organization be involved in the candidate recommendation process?
- Trudy@tcplearning.com
Yes. Tech Collective staff working with any organization, agency, or company that may have potential candidates will refer those to the selected vendor during the recruitment
process. Also, Tech Collective staff working with individuals who may be potential candidates, will refer those individuals to the selected vendor for assessment.
Do we assume that the IT Skills Gap includes all required skills training? Bullet #2 top of pg 4 reads..."skills identified as critical by the local IT industry and through the IT Skills Gap Report." Are there other skills not included in this report?
- Trudy@tcplearning.com
The RFP refers to the section of the Skills Gap Report (page 3) that lists the skill
demands of RI Information Technology employers. The chart lists the skills that were
identified by the local industry as being important and/or of the highest priority in
business (soft) and technical (hard) skills. It also lists the skills that employers are
currently hiring, outsourcing, or will need to hire in the next 2-5 years. While the list is
extensive, it most likely does not include every skill needed by every level of worker-
which also can change dramatically depending upon the latest technology
developments.
Do we assume that development of this program as part of a certification process is a long-term objective? (First paragraph...last bullet..develop into an industry-accepted certification...".)
- Trudy@tcplearning.com
Yes.
Do all internships (experiential learning) have to be with companies that are members of the TechCollective?
- Trudy@tcplearning.com
No. Experiential learning opportunities are not limited to only Tech Collective members. The first preference will be placements at IT partner companies that are participating in the ISDI grant- all of which are members. Once those placements have been determined, other companies (members and non members) can be recruited for the remaining placements.
Using the Information Technology Competency Model, your IT Boot Camp appears to focus only on User and Customer Support. Since there are other entry level jobs, can preparation somehow be included in the curricula as long as it remains within the timeframe allowed?
- tcplearning
The entry level positions that are focused on in the RFP are those that RI employers have targeted. These are positions that most companies have or project to have as needs in the future whether it is working with internal and/or external customers. They also can position workers who are successful with opportunities to then move into other technical areas.
If a bidder includes in their proposal activities/training to develop skills for other types of entry level jobs, these cannot take away from any of the required activities/training or reduce the number of hours spent on them. These activities will be considered during the proposal review/rating process and final decisions regarding their inclusion will be made by the Tech Collective and IT partner companies participating in the ISDI grant.
What criteria will be used by NetworkRI for screening of candidates? Based on our experience, they will not refer individuals who "fail" the typing test which we believe is not a valid criteria for measuring the potential success in the IT field?
- Anonymous
The criteria to be utilized by netWORKri or any other organization, agency, company, etc… to determine if a person might be a potential candidate for the program will be the criteria that is established by the Tech Collective, the IT partner companies involved in the ISDI grant, and the selected vendor.
Will the vendor be able to work with NetworkRI to select and/or establish the criteria for selection of the candidates?
- Anonymous
The criteria to be utilized will be established by the by Tech Collective, the IT partner companies, and selected vendor. The vendor will recruit potential candidates from organizations, agencies, companies, etc… The vendor would work with the staff of these groups to educate them about the program and criteria, so that the most appropriate candidates will be referred for assessment.
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