Deadlines soon: Maryland DHS pre-employment training + a Maryland refugee/asylee partnership grant (plus other listings)

Executive takeaway

The most actionable “deadline soon” item here is a Maryland Department of Human Services small procurement for Pre-Employment Training Services supporting the Caroline County Department of Social Services Work Opportunities Program, with proposals due 3:00 PM Friday, June 6, 2014. The notice indicates one award, a one-year contract term (July 1, 2014–June 30, 2015), and a “most advantageous” best-value basis (price + technical). If you already deliver adult workforce-readiness training and can document at least two years teaching adults, it’s worth a fast, compliant response.

What the buyer is trying to do

For Caroline County’s Work Opportunities Program, the buyer intends to bring in a provider that can deliver pre-employment training for individuals receiving Temporary Cash Assistance, Food Supplement benefits, or participating in the Non-Custodial Parent Employment Program. The stated end-goal is practical: build the skills needed to seek, obtain, and retain employment and support participants in becoming self-sufficient.

A separate Maryland DHS-related entry appears to reference a Request for Grant Proposals titled The Administration of the Public Private Partnership (control number referenced as FIA/ORA 15-001) and includes a pre-proposal conference transcript snippet. The excerpt indicates Q&A responses would be posted to the agency website, but the full scope and submission requirements are not included in the snippet provided here.

What work is implied (bullets)

• Deliver pre-employment training targeting skills needed to seek, obtain, and retain employment.
• Support multiple participant groups, including individuals receiving Temporary Cash Assistance and Food Supplement benefits, plus participants in the Non-Custodial Parent Employment Program.
• Operate within a defined one-year contract period (July 1, 2014 through June 30, 2015).
• Provide evidence of at least two years’ experience teaching in an adult learning environment (employment-related training experience is preferred).
• Prepare for a single-award outcome and a best-value evaluation (“most advantageous” considering price and technical factors).
• Pull and follow the official solicitation documents from eMaryland Marketplace (the notice points offerors there; verify in attachments).

Who should bid / who should pass (bullets)

• Bid if: you can clearly document 2+ years teaching adults and can show relevant pre-employment / employment-readiness training outcomes.
• Bid if: you can staff and deliver training for participants connected to public benefits and employment programs (Temporary Cash Assistance, Food Supplements, Non-Custodial Parent Employment Program).
• Bid if: you are comfortable competing for a single award and can craft a tight technical approach under a small procurement solicitation format.
• Pass if: you can’t substantiate the minimum two-year adult instruction experience requirement.
• Pass if: you don’t have existing curriculum, instructors, or delivery capability ready to execute within the stated one-year period starting July 1, 2014.

Response package checklist (bullets; if unknown say “verify in attachments”)

• Completed proposal responding to the small procurement solicitation (verify format, page limits, and required forms in attachments).
• Evidence of at least two years experience teaching in an adult learning environment (resumes, project summaries, client references—verify what’s acceptable in attachments).
• Technical narrative describing training approach aligned to: seek, obtain, and retain employment; and participant self-sufficiency.
• Pricing submission consistent with the evaluation method (“most advantageous” considering both price and technical factors)—verify required pricing template in attachments.
• Any required certifications/representations for Maryland procurement (verify in attachments).
• Submission instructions and exact solicitation documents pulled from eMaryland Marketplace (verify solicitation number and all addenda in attachments).

Pricing & strategy notes (how to research pricing; do not invent pricing numbers)

• Because award is based on price and technical factors, do not treat this as a pure low-bid. Build pricing that supports credible delivery (qualified instructors, participant support, materials) and then tighten where it does not harm outcomes.
• Use the official solicitation in eMaryland Marketplace to determine how pricing must be presented (e.g., hourly, per-participant, or fixed-price). Do not guess—verify in the attachments.
• Benchmark internally against similar workforce-readiness training you’ve delivered (adult learners; employment skills) and ensure your staffing model matches the implied service volume (verify volumes/seat counts in attachments if provided).
• Write to the evaluation: explicitly connect cost elements to the stated intent (skills for employment seeking/retention and self-sufficiency), and ensure your narrative supports your price.

Subcontracting / teaming ideas (bullets)

• Team with a local workforce-focused nonprofit or training partner that already serves adult learners, if you need additional instructional capacity (verify whether subcontracting is permitted in attachments).
• Bring in a specialist partner for employment-related training modules (resume/interview/job retention coaching) if your core offering is broader adult education (verify acceptance of subcontracted instructors in attachments).
• If you are a larger provider, consider engaging Maryland Minority Business Enterprises where appropriate; the notice states Maryland encourages MBE participation.

Risks & watch-outs (bullets)

• Minimum experience gate: the notice explicitly requires at least two years teaching adults—failure to document this cleanly could make the proposal noncompetitive or nonresponsive.
• Single award: competition risk is higher when only one award will be made.
• Short runway: proposals are due June 6, 2014, with performance beginning July 1, 2014—ensure staffing, curriculum, and logistics are ready immediately if selected.
• Source-of-truth documents: solicitation documents are referenced as being on eMaryland Marketplace; confirm you have all current documents and any addenda (verify in attachments).
• Scope unknown for the second MD DHS item: the Public Private Partnership RFGP entry is represented by a conference transcript snippet; do not assume requirements—pull the full RFGP before deciding to pursue.

Related opportunities

• Maryland DHS: Pre-Employment Training Services (Caroline County DSS)
• Maryland DHS: Administration of the Public Private Partnership (RFGP / conference snippet)
• Oregon Youth Authority: Transitional Housing – Request for Applications (on-going)
• Secretary of State: Enterprise Data Modeling Tool

How to act on this

1. Open the BidPulsar listing and pull the official solicitation documents referenced for eMaryland Marketplace (verify all requirements in attachments).
2. Confirm you can document 2+ years adult teaching experience and assemble proof (resumes + project summaries).
3. Draft a short, evaluation-aligned technical approach that directly addresses employment seeking, job obtainment, and retention skills.
4. Build compliant pricing in the format required by the solicitation (verify in attachments), then quality-check for consistency with the technical plan.
5. Submit before the stated deadline.

If you want an extra set of eyes on compliance, packaging, and win themes—especially when the solicitation documents live in an external portal—consider support from Federal Bid Partners LLC.