REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Award of Contract to the San Mateo County Community College District and to modify an existing contract with Open Access to Implement the State of California-funded SlingShot Compact
Report
BACKGROUND
The California Workforce Development Board (CWDB) has granted NOVA Workforce Development a series of awards under its SlingShot initiative to develop and implement training programs that connect job seekers from diverse backgrounds with career opportunities in the heart of Silicon Valley’s innovation economy. In this SlingShot initiative, NOVA is acting on behalf of the Workforce Innovation Network (WIN), a regional partnership that includes public workforce agencies in San Jose and San Francisco.
The CWDB designed SlingShot to promote regional economic prosperity, income mobility and enhanced career opportunities for individuals from populations that are currently underrepresented in regional economic activities. NOVA’s SlingShot project is focused on the region’s innovation industries, specifically occupations requiring DevOps and digital advertising skills.
CWDB has granted NOVA two major SlingShot grants. An initial $100,000 planning grant on April 15, 2016, enabled NOVA to contract with Open Access on April 1, 2017, for $30,000. Open Access is leading the DevOps initiative. On May 30, 2017, under the City Manager’s contract approval authority, NOVA and Open Access modified that initial agreement to increase the contract to $60,000 and provide resources for additional planning activities. In March 2017, CWDB granted NOVA a $900,000 implementation grant. This grant enables NOVA to expand the scope of the Open Access contract from planning to implementation and enables NOVA to engage the San Mateo County Community College District (SMCCCD) to implement the digital advertising initiative for incumbent workers.
NOVA identified SMCCCD as its lead digital advertising training partners because of its ongoing partnership with NOVA and the Interactive Advertising Bureau to create and sustain an entry-level digital advertising program at the College of San Mateo. NOVA identified Open Access because of its unique and exclusive relationships with companies that hire DevOps workers and because of its relationships with the state and regional community college systems. Both were included in the Slingshot compact approved by the CWDB.
Open Access is working with the City College of San Francisco to develop a DevOps program. NOVA’s existing contract with Open Access is to identify and establish lead project partnerships within the college system, establish key stakeholder relationships within the Bay Area Community College Consortium for regional collaboration, identify and establish lead industry partners to co-design curricula and participate as industry council founding employers, begin outreach to prospective industry council members, identify key subject matter areas for DevOps Career Pathway curriculum development and begin developing a framework for a DevOps Career Roadmap.
Pursuant to federal law (29 USCA Section 3122), the City Council is the “chief elected official”, and the “local grant recipient” and “fiscal agent” for NOVA and the Local Workforce Development Board. In filling these functions, City Council’s past practice for contracts exceeding $100,000 has been to approve the award of the contract and authorize the City Manager to execute the contract.
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
The action being considered does not constitute a “project” within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15378(b)(5) in that it is a governmental, organizational or administrative activity that will not result in direct or indirect changes in the environment.
DISCUSSION
As a result of the CWDB planning grant, NOVA submitted a SlingShot compact to CWDB on February 1, 2017, detailing its plan for creating a DevOps program with Open Access and digital advertising with the SMCCCD. CWDB approved the compact in March, 2017 and allocated an additional $900,000 to NOVA’s SlingShot initiative with the understanding that the creation of new training programs will be contracted to Open Access and the SMCCCD.
After completion of the planning phase, NOVA is now seeking City Council approval to modify its Open Access contract for an additional amount of up to $300,000 for the following tasks: develop curriculum asset map and identify gaps, modify existing curricula and create new courses, identify course prerequisites, identify assessment tools, assist in creating and developing Summer Bridge and Adult School programs, identify, assess and recruit adjunct faculty, assist in content development, vet and onboard industry council partners, identify work-based learning opportunities for students and report on programmatic delivery.
NOVA is further seeking City Council approval to enter into a contract with SMCCCD for up to $237,000 for the following tasks: industry engagement, project planning with industry and subject matter experts, overseeing instructional design and alignment to student learning outcomes, overseeing curriculum development, overseeing evaluation and review of curriculum prototypes, course packaging, program implementation, student tuition and fees and post-program certification preparation and exam fees.
The remaining $303,000 from the implementation grant will be used for NOVA costs and potential future contracts for WIN partners San Jose and San Francisco.
FISCAL IMPACT
The source of funds for the services is WIOA funds. Since funds are obligated to programs only based upon appropriations dedicated to NOVA, sufficient WIOA funds will exist to cover all anticipated obligations of day-to-day program operations. If funding is cut, then 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
Authorize the City Manager to executive a contract with the San Mateo County Community College District for an amount not to exceed $237,000 and with a term ending March 31, 2018 and to execute Modification No. 2 to an existing contract with Open Access to increase the not to exceed amount from $60,000 to $360,000 with a term ending March 31, 2018.
Staff
Prepared by: Luther Jackson, Program Manager
Reviewed by: Kris Stadelman, Director, NOVA Workforce Services
Reviewed by: Walter C. Rossmann, Assistant City Manager
Approved by: Deanna J. Santana, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
1. Agreement No. 001-1051-18
2. Modification #2 to Agreement No. 002-1051-17