REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Renewal of Contract with Bill Wilson Center to Provide Youth Workforce Development Services
Report
BACKGROUND
In an effort to assure the most efficient and effective means of providing services to local youth, on May 9, 2013 North Valley (NOVA) Workforce Board issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to solicit innovative youth workforce development programs. Programs were required to serve in- and/or out-of-school youth ages 16-21 residing or attending school in NOVA's seven-city area and who are low-income and have one or more barriers to employment.
The purpose of the RFP was to do a market test to see if other organizations, already providing services to similar youth, could help NOVA reach more youth by leveraging scarce Workforce Investment Act (WIA) resources. The issues considered most important in the review and ranking of proposers were experience with NOVA's target youth population, ability to expand NOVA services and deliver them to the target population in NOVA's seven-city area, and budget. Based on these criteria, the review committee recommended selection of Bill Wilson Center.
On August 13, 2013, in concurrence with NOVA Workforce Board approval, Council approved the award of a contract of up to $600,000 to Bill Wilson Center to provide workforce development services to young people in the NOVA area.
EXISTING POLICY
Council Policy 5.1.1: Socio-Economic - Goals and Policies: Education and Training Goal 5.1F: Provide job training and employment services, within constraints of operative Federal regulations and available Federal funding, to address the locally-determined employment and training needs of economically disadvantaged residents and others with special needs.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
N/A
DISCUSSION
Council awarded funding to Bill Wilson Center to provide services to at-risk youth beginning October 1, 2013. Bill Wilson Center has 38 years of experience in serving at-risk youth, including youth in foster care, homeless and runaway youth, parenting and pregnant youth, youth in the juvenile justice system, gang-involved youth, and youth who have dropped out of school. Their program proposed to recruit youth through their existing network of youth service providers and to provide comprehensive services to 200 youth including counseling, mentoring, housing assistance, and work experience. The term was for one year, with an option to renew the contract for up to two additional years dependent on satisfactory performance. The initial award was for $250,000 pending receipt of NOVA's 2014 youth allocation, with the full award not to exceed $600,000 through September 2014. The contract was modified effective April 1, 2014 to an amount not to exceed $506,041, based on Bill Wilson Center's expenditures to date and projected expenditures through September.
NOVA staff retained responsibility for youth participant eligibility determination and overall program management. Staff worked closely with Bill Wilson Center during the transition of services to that organization. Bill Wilson Center rents a satellite office on the site of the existing NOVA Youth Office. A NOVA youth manager is also located at that site and continues to work with Bill Wilson Center staff for ongoing performance monitoring and Workforce Investment Act compliance.
The NOVA Youth Committee is responsible for advising the NOVA Workforce Board on matters pertaining to youth. The Committee has met to review the performance of the Bill Wilson Center contract to date and recommends renewal effective October 1, 2014 through September 30, 2015 in an amount not to exceed $500,000. The NOVA Workforce Board will be taking action on September 24 and is expected to approve the Committee's recommendations.
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) will be replacing WIA effective July 1, 2015. The impact of the new legislation on current contracts is not yet known; it is possible that the Bill Wilson Center contract will need to be renegotiated at that time.
FISCAL IMPACT
The source of funds for the services in this contract is Workforce Investment Act funds. Since funds are obligated to programs only based upon appropriations dedicated to NOVA, sufficient Workforce Investment Act funds will exist to cover all anticipated obligations of day-to-day program operations. If funding is cut, then staffing and program services will be accordingly reduced.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the Council agenda on the City's official-notice bulletin board outside City Hall, at the Sunnyvale Senior Center, Community Center and Department of Public Safety; and by making the agenda and report available at the Sunnyvale Public Library, the Office of the City Clerk and on the City's website.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Approve the renewal of the contract with Bill Wilson Center in an amount not to exceed $500,000 to provide youth workforce development services from October 1, 2014 through September 30, 2015.
Staff
Prepared by: Jeanette Langdell, Employment Training Manager
Reviewed by: Cindy Stahl, Manager of Job Seeker Services, NOVA Workforce Services
Reviewed by: Robert A. Walker, Assistant City Manager
Approved by: Deanna J. Santana, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
1. Bill Wilson Center Draft Contract