TEXAS WORKFORCE COMMISSION LETTER

ID/No: / WD 20-17, Ch. 1
Date: / July 19October 11, 2017
Keyword: / AEL; WIOA
Effective: / Immediately

To:Local Workforce Development Board Executive Directors

Commission Executive Offices

integrated service area managers

From:Courtney Arbour, Director, Workforce Development Division

Subject:Adult Education and Literacy Grant ApplicationProposalReviews—Update

PURPOSE

This revisedWD Letter providesLocal Workforce Development Boards (Boards) with additional information and guidance on Board review ofreviewingproposals submitted by offerors to the Texas Workforce CommissionCommission’s(TWC) for theAdult Education and Literacy (AEL) statewide local provider grant solicitation, issuedunder Title II of the Workforce and Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA), also known as the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA).

RECISSIONS

WD 20-17

BACKGROUND

On August 22, 2017, TWC is issuingissueda grant solicitationas Request for Proposals (RFP) 320-18-01 for local AEFLA services to begin July 1, 2018. The grant solicitation was published on the website Electronic State Business Daily, at The website is managed by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts.

TWC is required to follow the grants award process for AEFLA grants outlined in WIOA regulation §463.20, which. The process includes a requirement that TWC consider the degree to which an offeror demonstrates alignment between AEL activities and services, and the strategy and goals of the BoardBoard’splan as required by WIOA. The grant solicitation will be posted on the online Electronic State Business Daily website, managed by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, at in late summer or early fall 2017.

Per WIOA regulation §463.21 (b), requiresBoards willtoreview proposals submitted to TWC within the designated timeframe to provide TWC with any recommendations related to alignment with the BoardBoard’splan. The BoardBoard’s proposalreview process for alignment with the Board’s planis separate from the proposal evaluation process. TWC will review Board responses to proposals after TWC completes the separate TWC proposal evaluation and thescoring process is complete. Boards will make recommendations to TWC to promote alignment with the Board planplans in accordance with WIOA regulation §463.20.

PROCEDURES

No Local Flexibility (NLF): This rating indicates that Boards must comply with the federal and state laws, rules, policies, and required procedures set forth in this WD Letter and have no local flexibility in determining whether and/or how to comply. All information with an NLF rating is indicated by “must” or “shall.”

Local Flexibility (LF): This rating indicates that Boards have local flexibility in determining whether and/or how to implement guidance or recommended practices set forth in this WD Letter. All information with an LF rating is indicated by “may” or “recommend.”

NLF:Boards must follow the review process explained below:

  • By October 16, 2017, the Board’s executive director or designee must:

designate a point of contact for the review and notify TWC of the contact at ;

identify one or more of the Board’s members or staff members, which may also be aware the point of contact, to review the proposals of local AEL providers; and

submit to TWC for each identified reviewer the Nondisclosure and Conflict of Interest Statement (Attachment 1) by sending an e-mail to TWC at .

  • On or after November 2, 2017, TWC will send each Board the narrative portion of all proposals submitted for consideration to TWC from within the local workforce development area (workforce area). Board areas affected by Harvey, as defined in Amendment I of RFP 320-18-01, will receive the narrative portion of the proposals on or after November 10, 2017. Proposal budgets will not be sent to the Board for review. TWC will send AEL proposals only to Boards that TWC will conduct the AEL have submitted a Nondisclosure and Conflict of Interest Statement for each individual designated to review proposals and make recommendations.
  • By November 21, 2017, or as otherwise directed by TWC, the Board must submit the AEL Local Service Provider Grant Review and Comment Form (Attachment 2) for each proposal review process after the submission deadline for proposals to TWC.to TWC at .

NLF:Boards must not review the following proposals, to avoid potential conflicts of interest:

  • Proposals submitted by a Board
  • Proposals that include a signed formal letter of agreement with a Board as part of a consortium
  • Proposals that include a signed formal letter of agreement with a Board as a partner

NLF:Boards must review all proposals submitted to TWC for the Board’s workforce area, unless there is a conflict of interest,and provide TWC with recommendations to promotealignment with the BoardBoard’splan, but must not evaluate and score proposals or sections of proposals.

NLF:Boards must have a committee Staff designated by the Board to review proposals, which may include Board for alignment with the Board plan must use the AEL Local Service Provider Grant Review and Comment Form (Attachment 2) for the review.

NLF:Staff members and/or Board staff. TWC will facilitate designated by the Board review process as follows:to review local AEL proposals must review the responses submitted by local offerors in response to RFP 320-18-01, §20.4, Alignment with Boards, Texas Workforce System, and Community Partners.

The narrative portion of the proposal will be submitted to the Board in the local workforce development area (workforce area) for which the offeror has submitted a proposal. Proposal budgets will not be sent to the Board for review.

If an offeror has submitted proposals for multiple workforce areas, the proposal relevant to each workforce area will be sent to each Board.

NLF:Staff members designated by the Board to review local AEL proposals must not divulge information about the grant proposal review to anyone other than the authorized TWC contact (listed on page 83 of TWC’s Request for Proposal, 320-18-01) or the Board’s review committee.

NLF:Boardswill review proposals using a form included as an appendix to the AEL grant solicitation, for submission by the due date designated on the form or as directed by TWC.

NLF:Conflicts of Interest: Board Review Process for Proposals That Include Boards

To avoid potential conflicts of interest, Boards that have submitted a proposal to become an AEL provider, or to must provide services as part of a consortium or a partner, must not review applicationsTWC with any recommendations related to alignment with the Board plan. TWC staff will review proposals in workforce areas for which using the Board has submitted such proposals. Additionally, a Board review committee must not include a member representing any real, apparent, or organizational conflicts of interest.

NLF:The Board executive director or designee must identify a review team of no fewer than three members to form a review committee. The committee must:

designate a point of contact from the review team; and

provide TWC with confidentialityAEL Local Service Provider Grant Review and/or conflict of interest statements from each member of the review team. Comment Form (Attachment 2).

LF:Boards may, and are encouraged to, review the entire proposal.

NLF:Boards must be aware thatsend any inquiries onthe following considerations of the extent to which the offeror is responsive to alignment with Boards and Workforce Solutions partners are most relevant to the Board plan:

Regional needs and services and the strategies and goals identified in the Board plan;

Serving individuals in the community identified in the Board plan as most in need of adult education and literacy activities, including individuals who:

have low levels of literacy skills; or

are English-language learners;

The activities and services of Workforce Solutions partners;

Providing access to and promoting concurrent enrollment in Board or Vocational Rehabilitation Services; and

Coordinating with community education, training, and social service resources in development of the career pathways described in the proposal, through the establishment of strong links with elementary and secondary schools; postsecondary educational institutions and institutions of higher education; Boards and Workforce Solutions Offices; job training programs and social service agencies; business and industry; labor, community-based, and nonprofit organizations; and intermediaries.

NLF:Boards mustRFP review responses to certain questions in the grant solicitation. TWC will identify these questions, as well as the required date for Boards to submit their review recommendations, once the AEL statewide local grant solicitation is released.process to .

INQUIRIES:

Send inquiries regarding this WD Letter .

REFERENCE(S):

ATTACHMENTS

Attachment 1: Nondisclosure and Conflict of Interest Statement

Attachment 2: AEL Local Service Provider Grant Review and Comment Form

Attachment 3: Revisions to WD Letter 20-17 Shown in Track Changes

REFERENCES

Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act

Adult Education and Family Literacy Act

20 United States Code §3321(e)(10)

WD Letter 22-16, Change 1, issued December 5, 2016, and entitled, “Local WorkforceDevelopment Board Planning Guidelines for Program Years 2017–2020—Update”

Request for Proposals 320-18-01

WD Letter 20-17, Ch. 11