Set-Aside Pulse: 12 InVEST Project IRT Facilitation (DGS Small Business)

Executive takeaway

This Invitation for Bid seeks IRT Facilitation services to support Pennsylvanians enrolled in the InVEST Project, a federal model demonstration grant intended to transition individuals away from Subminimum Wage into Competitive Integrated Employment (SWTCIE). The procurement is reserved for DGS Small Businesses and will award a purchase order to the lowest-cost responsive and responsible bidder—so the most important “capture” move is ensuring your DGS Small Business Certificate is attached and current, and your pricing is structured exactly as instructed.

What the buyer is trying to do

The Department of Labor and Industry is expanding capacity for qualified Integrated Resource Team (IRT) Facilitators. An IRT brings together people around a disabled job seeker (which may include family, caregivers, friends, case managers, and other support professionals) to help the individual overcome challenges that affect progress toward career goals. The desired outcome is stable employment, a sustainable wage, and longer-term career development.

In this solicitation, the facilitator is responsible for the coordination, delivery, continuation, and expansion of IRT Facilitation Services for individuals enrolled in the InVEST Project.

What work is implied (bullets)

• Provide IRT Facilitation services as defined in the Statement of Work (verify full requirements in attachments).
• Coordinate the IRT participants supporting disabled job seekers (e.g., family/caregivers/friends/case managers/support professionals).
• Deliver facilitation sessions/processes that help job seekers address barriers impacting career goals.
• Support the continuation and expansion of IRT facilitation availability for eligible Pennsylvanians enrolled in the InVEST Project.
• Operate under a purchase order framework; no work may be performed without the purchase order being issued.

Who should bid / who should pass (bullets)

• Bid if you are a DGS self-certified small business and can attach the required certificate with the bid.
• Bid if you have demonstrated capability facilitating multi-stakeholder teams supporting disabled job seekers (IRT-style coordination and facilitation).
• Bid if you can compete in an IFB environment where award is to the lowest-cost responsive and responsible vendor.
• Pass if you are not (or cannot remain) a DGS Self Certified Small Business for the initial term and any renewals.
• Pass if you require a start-before-award posture; the buyer is explicit that no work may be performed without the purchase order.

Response package checklist

• DGS Small Business Certificate attached to the bid (required for eligibility).
• Bid response aligned to all requirements in the Statement of Work (verify in attachments).
• Pricing completed exactly as instructed, including the line item guidance for Employment Supports (verify in attachments).
• Acknowledgement of purchase order requirement: no work without an issued purchase order.
• Any additional forms/representations required by the IFB (verify in attachments).

Pricing & strategy notes

This is an IFB with award to the lowest-cost responsive, responsible vendor, so your strategy should focus on compliance-first pricing that still covers delivery. A few practical moves based strictly on the notice language:

• Read the Statement of Work in its entirety before finalizing pricing; the buyer calls this out explicitly.
• Confirm how the bid schedule treats Employment Supports: the notice instructs bidders to submit it with a price of $1.00 and the total quantity needed to complete the project. Make sure your internal cost model still captures real delivery effort in the appropriate, allowable lines.
• Because the contract vehicle is a purchase order, confirm what “quantity” means operationally for your staffing plan (e.g., sessions, participants served, or other units—verify in attachments).
• For pricing research, pull comparable Pennsylvania public solicitations for facilitation/workforce/disability employment supports (where available) and benchmark labor effort assumptions—then adjust to remain competitive in a lowest-price award.

Subcontracting / teaming ideas (bullets)

• Team with organizations that already support disabled job seekers (e.g., providers connected to employment supports) to strengthen delivery capacity while you lead facilitation (verify allowable subcontracting in attachments).
• Consider partnering with firms experienced in multi-party coordination and service navigation to support the coordination aspect of IRT facilitation.
• If scaling is required, line up qualified facilitators as contingent resources to support the buyer’s goal to increase availability of IRT Facilitation Services.

Risks & watch-outs (bullets)

• Eligibility risk: failure to attach the DGS Small Business Certificate makes the bid ineligible.
• Ongoing compliance risk: the awarded vendor must maintain DGS self-certified small business status during the initial term and any renewal(s); failure may result in termination.
• Scope/pricing misalignment risk: the buyer explicitly warns to read the Statement of Work in full—missing a requirement could make the bid nonresponsive.
• Bid schedule trap: the instruction to price Employment Supports at $1.00 with the total quantity needed suggests the pricing worksheet has quirks; handle exactly as instructed and verify the intended unit basis in attachments.
• Start-work risk: no work may be performed without a purchase order; plan staffing and onboarding accordingly.

Related opportunities

• 12 InVEST Project IRT Facilitation

How to act on this

1. Download and review the Statement of Work and all bid attachments; map each requirement to a response element (verify in attachments).
2. Confirm your DGS self-certified small business status is active and attach the certificate to your bid package.
3. Build a compliant pricing file that follows the Employment Supports instruction exactly and validates quantities against the SOW.
4. Do a final responsiveness check (forms, signatures, required attachments) before submission.

If you want a second set of eyes on responsiveness and price-structure compliance for a lowest-cost IFB like this, consider support from Federal Bid Partners LLC.