Oregon WTDB Continuous Improvement Committee Assessment 2026: bid/no-bid signals and response plan

Executive takeaway

This OregonBuys RFP is for a focused assessment tied to the Workforce Talent and Development Board’s Continuous Improvement Committee (CIC), run through the Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) Office of Workforce Investments. It’s a single-award consulting services engagement with an estimated 12-month term and an estimated cost of $200,000. The buyer is explicit that travel expenses are not an allowable cost, so firms with strong remote facilitation and Oregon public-sector governance assessment experience are best positioned.

What the buyer is trying to do

The Workforce Talent and Development Board (WTDB) describes a mission centered on equitable prosperity and building an inclusive, coordinated training and education system responsive to workforce and employer needs. The Continuous Improvement Committee supports that mission by promoting transparency through public meetings, aligning mission/vision, and advancing continuous improvement.

This procurement seeks an outside consultant to conduct the WTDB Continuous Improvement Committee Assessment 2026, presumably to evaluate how the CIC is performing against WTDB’s stated goals such as accountability among public workforce partners, avoiding duplication of services, identifying barriers and solutions, and scaling best practices statewide.

What work is implied (bullets)

• Plan and execute an assessment of WTDB’s Continuous Improvement Committee (CIC) within the broader WTDB context (mission, governance, public meetings, transparency, partner coordination).
• Engage with relevant workforce, education, and training stakeholders (including alignment with Local Workforce Development Boards as referenced in the RFP snippet).
• Analyze how CIC activities contribute to WTDB goals such as accountability, mission/vision alignment, reducing duplication, and continuous improvement.
• Deliver findings and recommendations suited to a statewide body (scalable best practices across multiple regions).
• Operate without charging travel as an allowable cost (implying remote-first methods or local presence at proposer expense).
• Perform work under an estimated 12-month contract term, with the possibility of amendments for related services/time at HECC’s discretion.

Who should bid / who should pass (bullets)

Who should bid

• Consulting firms with demonstrated experience assessing committees, boards, or governance/continuous improvement functions in public-sector or workforce systems.
• Teams that can credibly support stakeholder engagement and facilitation in a transparent, public-meeting environment.
• Small businesses and minority-owned businesses that can leverage the stated set-aside positioning and meet OregonBuys requirements.
• Firms with strong remote delivery capabilities (given travel is not allowable).

Who should pass

• Firms whose delivery model requires reimbursable travel to succeed (the RFP states travel expenses will not be allowable).
• Teams without clear experience in workforce-development ecosystem coordination, accountability, or continuous improvement work tied to boards/committees.
• Vendors seeking multi-award or staff augmentation work; this is positioned as a single contract for an assessment-focused engagement.

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

• OregonBuys RFP response forms and instructions (verify in attachments).
• Technical approach describing how you will assess the CIC and connect findings to WTDB’s mission elements (verify required format in attachments).
• Work plan and schedule aligned to an estimated 12-month term (verify submission requirements in attachments).
• Team structure and qualifications relevant to committee/board assessment and continuous improvement (verify required resumes/templates in attachments).
• Cost proposal aligned to the stated estimated cost and with no travel costs included.
• Certifications/representations related to set-aside status (Small Business, Minority-owned) if applicable (verify in attachments).
• Any required references, past performance narratives, or similar engagement summaries (verify in attachments).

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

The opportunity states an estimated cost of $200,000. Use that figure as a boundary condition to structure your level of effort and deliverables.

• Build a price-to-workplan crosswalk: tie each major assessment activity (planning, stakeholder engagement, analysis, reporting, presentations) to hours and outputs so evaluators can see what the budget buys.
• Account for the “no allowable travel” constraint by designing remote methods (virtual interviews, remote facilitation, document review) and limiting any in-person components unless you can absorb them.
• Research comparable Oregon consulting engagements via OregonBuys history and public award summaries (where available) to calibrate labor mix and fixed-fee vs. time-and-materials approach (verify contract type in attachments).
• Use a “risk-controlled” structure: define assumptions (number of interviews, workshops, meetings) and price optional add-ons if the solicitation allows (verify in attachments).

Subcontracting / teaming ideas (bullets)

• Partner with a local Oregon-based facilitation or stakeholder engagement specialist if the assessment benefits from region-specific context while still keeping travel costs out of the proposal.
• Team with a workforce policy/analysis boutique to strengthen alignment to statewide workforce governance and accountability themes referenced in the RFP snippet.
• Use a minority-owned or small business subcontractor (or prime, if applicable) to align with the stated set-aside positioning.

Risks & watch-outs (bullets)

• Travel is not allowable cost: do not include travel line items; ensure your methodology works remotely.
• Scope details likely live in the full RFP: the snippet is limited; confirm required deliverables, evaluation criteria, and submission formats in the attachments.
• Single-award dynamic: differentiators matter—expect evaluation emphasis on approach, credibility, and fit for a public-facing committee environment.
• Potential amendments: HECC reserves the right to amend for related services/time; clarify in your plan what is included vs. out of scope (within what the RFP allows).

Related opportunities

• Workforce Talent and Development Board Continuous Improvement Committee Assessment 2026 (OregonBuys #S-52500-00016064)

How to act on this

1. Download the full RFP and attachments from OregonBuys and confirm submission instructions and mandatory forms.
2. Design an assessment approach that explicitly maps to WTDB’s stated mission and CIC’s role (continuous improvement, transparency, accountability, alignment).
3. Build a budget and work plan that stays within the stated estimate and excludes travel.
4. Submit by March 19, 2026 at 3:00 PM Pacific Time.

If you want a fast bid/no-bid recommendation and a compliance-focused response outline built from the solicitation package, contact Federal Bid Partners LLC for capture and proposal support.