Growing Quality Registered Apprenticeship Programs through Industry Intermediaries

Solicitation / RFP / RFQ

This solicitation seeks services from multiple offerors to grow Registered Apprenticeships (RA) in new and high-growth industries and occupations. The goal is to rapidly develop RA programs and provide quality technical industry expertise. The Department of Labor (DOL) aims to expand and modernize RA as a workforce training model to connect Americans to good-paying jobs, aligning with Executive Orders focused on skilled trades and critical industries.

Offerors will provide personnel, equipment, tools, materials, and supervision to perform tasks outlined in the Performance Work Statement (PWS). Key activities include:

• Conducting sector-based outreach and recruitment.

• Advancing "RA Accelerator" models and providing registration support.

• Expanding Degreed RA programs, including integration with post-secondary education.

• Developing and implementing business-driven, sector-based strategies to expand apprenticeships in target industries (e.g., Agriculture, Energy, Defense Industrial Base, Education, Healthcare, Telecommunications, Cybersecurity, Advanced Manufacturing, and non-industry specific sectors).

• Promoting innovation in RA models and practices.

• Providing Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) and facilitation.

• Developing curricula, RTI outlines, and occupational outlines.

• Sustaining new RA programs and partnerships.

• Contract Type: Fixed Price.

• Period of Performance: One 12-month Base Period and four 12-month Option Periods.

  • Base Period: June 1, 2026 – May 31, 2027
  • Option Period 1: June 1, 2027 – May 31, 2028
  • Option Period 2: June 1, 2028 – May 31, 2029
  • Option Period 3: June 1, 2029 – May 31, 2030
  • Option Period 4: June 1, 2030 – May 31, 2031

• Place of Performance: Remote/telecommuting (work at home).

• Proposal Submission Deadline: May 1, 2026, 1500 ET.

• Proposals must be submitted electronically via email.

• Evaluation Factors: Technical (most important), Past Performance, and Price. Technical is weighted more heavily than Past Performance and Price combined. All subfactors under Technical are of equal importance.

• Offerors must achieve an "Acceptable" rating for Factor I (Technical) and its subfactors to be considered for award.

• The Government may award without discussions.

• NAICS Code: 611513 (Professional and Management Development Training).

• Size Standard: $11.5 million.

• The acquisition is unrestricted.

• Attachments include a Pricing Schedule, Question and Answer Spreadsheet, and Past Performance Questionnaire.

• Offerors must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov).

• Key Personnel requirements are detailed, including Project Director, Project Manager, Senior Subject Matter Expert, and Marketing & Business Development Specialist.

• Security Requirements: Offerors must possess or be eligible to receive and maintain a Public Trust clearance.

Form / Attachment / Pricing Sheet

This document is an Excel file containing an Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE) template, sample, and instructions. It is designed to assist government personnel in developing cost estimates for procurements. Bidders should review this document to understand how the government is estimating costs, which may inform their own pricing strategies.

• Instructions Sheet: Details the required data fields for the IGCE, including Originating Office, Date Submitted, Project No., Contract No., Purpose, Estimated By, Base and Option Periods, Description of Work, Quantity, Unit of Measure, Unit Price, Subtotals, Labor Categories, Per Hour rates, Base/Option Period Totals, and Escalation percentages.
• IGCE Sample Sheet: Provides a filled-out example of the IGCE, demonstrating how to input data for materials, supplies, and labor across base and option periods. It includes sample data for "Statistical Publication A" and "Statistical Publication B" with associated labor categories like Economist, Statistician, and Program Manager.
• IGCE Template Sheet: The blank template for users to complete.
• Costing Details: The sample shows a base period and four option periods, with annual escalation applied. The sample includes a GSA Schedule as the source for the estimate and a narrative rationale for the cost calculations.

This IGCE provides insight into the government's estimated costs for the requirement, including labor categories, quantities, unit prices, and escalation assumptions. Bidders can use this information to understand the government's cost expectations and to benchmark their own proposed pricing. The sample data illustrates the structure and types of costs the government anticipates for similar work.

Solicitation / RFP / RFQ

This document provides instructions and conditions for bidders responding to Request for Proposal (RFP) 1605C2-26-R-00004. It outlines the requirements for preparing and submitting proposals to the Department of Labor (DOL).

Proposals must demonstrate understanding of the PWS, technical capability, and proposed methods. Specific requirements include:

• Conducting a minimum of twenty (20) national industry Apprenticeship Accelerator convenings annually.

• Providing industry technical expertise and developing presentations.

• Registering a minimum of fifteen (15) new employers into existing multi-employer national programs annually, with specific enrollment and state participation targets.

• Assisting a minimum of twenty (20) existing employers annually to expand into new occupations.

• Serving as a national program sponsor for at least two (2) multi-employer programs or five (5) individual employers.

• Providing subject-matter expertise to Industry Associations, RA sponsors, and affiliated employers.

• Reviewing and identifying at least three (3) apprenticeable occupations for new RA pathways.

• Vetting a minimum of 20 apprenticeable occupation requests per year.

• Proposals must be valid for 120 days from the date specified for receipt.

• The document references an SF1449 for the proposal due date, but the date is not explicitly stated in this section.

• Proposals must be submitted electronically via email to the Contracting Officer (CO) and Contract Specialist (CS).

• The subject line for submission must include: 1605C2-26-R-00004-VPickard / A.Johnson.

• Proposals consist of three volumes: Volume I - Technical, Volume II - Past Performance, and Volume III - Price.

• Technical Volume page limit: 25 pages (excluding covers, title pages, executive summaries, and table of contents). Staffing charts, diagrams, and graphs do not count against this limit.

• Resumes and Letters of Intent do not count against the 25-page limit (each resume max 2 pages).

• Proposals exceeding page limits will be considered non-responsive.

• Questions regarding the RFP must be submitted via email by April 10, 2026, 12:00 PM ET. Responses will be provided via amendment by April 17, 2026, 05:00 PM ET.

• Past Performance Questionnaire Part I must be completed by the offeror, and Part II by the technical representative. Both must be submitted electronically by May 01, 2026, 3:00 PM ET.

• All prospective Offerors must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov).

• Points of Contact: Valerie Pickard (CO) and Alexis Taylor Johnson (CS).

• Telephone questions are not accepted.

• The government will evaluate past performance based on 3 current or previous contracts (within the last 4 years) of similar scope, complexity, and dollar value. Information may be obtained from centralized databases and sources other than those identified by the offeror.

• The Price proposal must be submitted as an Excel document detailing labor categories, hours, and rates.

Questions & Answers / Clarifications

This document contains questions and answers related to Solicitation RFP 1605C3-26-R-00004 for the Growing Quality Registered Apprenticeship Programs through Industry Intermediaries opportunity.

This spreadsheet appears to be a template for submitting questions and receiving government responses. However, the provided text does not contain any specific questions or answers. It only shows the column headers: 'Question Title', 'Section Number', 'Question Detail', and 'Government Response'.

As no specific questions or answers are provided in the extracted text, there is no impact on the solicitation requirements, due dates, or submission rules to report at this time. Bidders should refer to the full document for any actual Q&A content.

Form / Attachment / Pricing Sheet

This document is a Past Performance Questionnaire intended to gather feedback from references on a contractor's performance. Offerors will complete Section 1, providing details about the contract and customer. Section 2 is to be completed by the past performance reference, evaluating the contractor's performance across several categories.

• Offeror Information: Company name, customer reference, contract number, period of performance, brief description of requirement, and NAICS code.
• Reference Evaluation Categories: Quality of Services, Cost Control, Schedule/Timeliness, Management/Business Relations, Small Business Subcontracting, Regulatory Compliance, and Overall Performance.
• Rating Scale: Exceptional, Very Good, Satisfactory, Marginal, Unsatisfactory, and Neutral, with definitions provided for each.
• Commentary: Space for detailed comments to support each rating.
• Re-hire Question: "Would you do business with this company again?"
• Questionnaire Completion Details: Name, title, address, phone, email, and signature of the person completing the questionnaire.

This questionnaire is crucial for bidders to provide to their past performance references. The feedback collected will be used by the government to evaluate the bidder's past performance, a key factor in source selection. Bidders should ensure they provide this form to appropriate references well in advance of the due date and guide their references on providing thorough and accurate evaluations.