Maryland DHS (Caroline County DSS) seeks pre-employment training services (one-year award)

Executive takeaway

Caroline County Department of Social Services (under Maryland’s Department of Human Services) is seeking pre-employment training services for its Work Opportunities Program. The buyer plans to make only one award and evaluate on a most advantageous basis considering price and technical factors. A hard gate is called out: offerors must demonstrate at least two years’ experience teaching in an adult learning environment, with employment-related training preferred.

What the buyer is trying to do

The Work Opportunities Program intends to acquire training that helps participants seek, obtain, and retain employment and move toward self-sufficiency. The target population explicitly includes individuals receiving:

• Temporary Cash Assistance
• Food Supplement benefits
• Non-Custodial Parent Employment Program participation

The notice indicates a one-year contract period (July 1, 2014 through June 30, 2015).

What work is implied (bullets)

• Deliver pre-employment training focused on employability skills needed to find, secure, and keep a job.
• Provide instruction in an adult learning environment (experience requirement is explicitly stated).
• Support outcomes aligned to participants becoming self-sufficient.
• Coordinate service delivery with a local DSS program (Work Opportunities Program) and its participant flow.

Who should bid / who should pass (bullets)

• Bid if: you can clearly document 2+ years teaching adults and can translate that experience into employment-focused training delivery.
• Bid if: you have experience delivering employment-related training (preferred in the notice).
• Bid if: you are comfortable pursuing a single-award small procurement where both technical narrative and pricing will be weighed.
• Pass if: you cannot substantiate adult-instruction experience (this appears to be a threshold requirement).
• Pass if: you are not positioned to support the target populations described (Temporary Cash Assistance, Food Supplement benefits, or Non-Custodial Parent Employment Program participants).

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

• Completed proposal submission per the small procurement solicitation (verify in attachments).
• Evidence of at least two years teaching in an adult learning environment.
• Description of employment-related training experience (preferred; include if applicable).
• Technical approach explaining how training targets skills to seek, obtain, and retain employment.
• Pricing submission (verify format and any required templates in attachments).
• Confirm submission instructions and location in eMaryland Marketplace (the notice references a solicitation posting there; verify in attachments).

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

• Start with evaluation logic: award is “most advantageous” considering both price and technical factors, so avoid a price-only strategy that undercuts your ability to staff and deliver consistently.
• Use internal cost build-up: map instructor time, curriculum preparation, participant materials, delivery schedule assumptions, and any administrative coordination you expect to perform (then validate against what’s required in the attachments).
• Benchmark locally: review comparable Maryland DHS/DSS small procurements for service-style pricing structure and submission formats—especially those posted in eMaryland Marketplace—so your pricing is packaged the way evaluators expect.
• De-risk by clarifying scope in the official documents: the notice is high-level; confirm deliverables, reporting, and volumes in the solicitation attachments before finalizing rates.

Subcontracting / teaming ideas (bullets)

• Team a training provider with an organization that has direct experience supporting the specified participant groups (verify any allowable subcontracting terms in attachments).
• Add a partner with proven adult-instruction depth if your organization’s experience is adjacent but not clearly “teaching adults” in a classroom/training setting.
• If you have strong instruction capability, consider a local partner to support on-the-ground coordination in Caroline County (verify whether locality is scored or required in attachments).

Risks & watch-outs (bullets)

• Experience threshold risk: failure to demonstrate 2+ years teaching adults could make the proposal noncompetitive or nonresponsive.
• Single award: there’s no “second place” path—ensure your proposal is complete and compliant.
• Scope ambiguity in the notice: training volumes, schedule, reporting, and required curricula are not detailed in the snippet—verify in the full solicitation before pricing and staffing.
• Submission system risk: the notice references eMaryland Marketplace for documents; confirm you can access the solicitation package and follow the submission instructions exactly.

Related opportunities

• Maryland DHS: Unarmed Security Guard Services at Kent County DSS
• Maryland DHS: Unarmed Security Guards – Anne Arundel County Office of Child Support Enforcement
• Maryland DHS: Unarmed Guard Services for Allegany County DSS
• Maryland DHS: Somerset County DSS small procurement for unarmed security guards

How to act on this

1. Pull the full solicitation documents from the referenced posting in eMaryland Marketplace (verify in attachments).
2. Confirm the required proposal format, any forms, and the exact submission method and deadline.
3. Draft a technical narrative centered on adult learning delivery and job-readiness outcomes, and attach proof of the 2+ years adult teaching requirement.
4. Build pricing from your delivery assumptions, then reconcile it against the solicitation’s defined scope and deliverables.
5. Submit a complete, compliant package before the due date/time listed in the notice.

If you want a second set of eyes on compliance, response structure, and pricing positioning for this type of small procurement, contact Federal Bid Partners LLC for proposal support.