HHS Industry Day

The purpose of this industry day is to familiarize industry with the projected opportunity, determine industry capabilities, identify potential sources, and receive industry feedback. The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Head Start, through the Program Support Center (PSC), has a requirement to procure twelve (12) Regional Training and Technical Assistance contracts that will provide local grantees with high-quality, sustained, and intensive training and technical assistance that, "to the maximum extent practicable," improves the capacity of local programs to deliver services that, at a minimum, meet or exceed the priority areas described in section 641 (A)(a)(1) of the Head Start Act, as amended December 12, 2007: correction of findings identified through the federal monitoring system; school readiness; and, training/professional development needs of staff.

The place of performance for all contract staff shall be at a physical location within a state in the region for which the awarded contract is providing services. To provide economies of scale, the use of home offices is strongly encouraged. Virtual offices may not be substituted for a physical presence in the region. 

The twelve ACF Regions include the following states and entities:

• Region 1 - Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont 
• Region 2 - New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands
• Region 3 - Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia 
• Region 4 - Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee 
• Region 5 - Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin 
• Region 6 - Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas
• Region 7 - Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska
• Region 8 - Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming
• Region 9 - Arizona, California, Nevada, and Hawaii/Outer Pacific (American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Republic of Palau)
• Region 10 - Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington
• Region 11 -American Indian/Alaska Native grantees in 26 states across the country
• Region 12 - Migrant and Seasonal grantees in 38 states across the country

Each ACF Region will include several Early Childhood (EC) Specialists, with the number of EC Specialists proportionate with the number of grantees and delegates within that region. The work of these specialists shall be directed toward two of the three priority areas: school readiness and the training/career development needs of teaching staff.

The Early Childhood (EC) Specialist position requires a minimum of a BA or BS Degree, with a preference for a Master's degree. The degrees for at least 75% of the EC Specialists must be in Early Childhood Education/Development or related field. If the highest degree was awarded more than ten years ago, the resume should be specific regarding courses, conferences, seminars attended that ensure the specialist remains current in the field of early childhood education/development.

EC Specialists must have a minimum of 5 years' experience in programs for young children. The experience of some of the EC Specialists must be specific to programs serving infants and toddlers. Experience should include the provision of training and technical assistance to teachers/home visitors and/or education managers in early childhood programs.

In addition, the government is seeking to secure the services of several Grantee Specialists for each region. These specialists shall be deployed by the regional office to work on the third priority area: deficiencies identified through the monitoring system. Grantee specialists may also be deployed to work with grantees with multiple areas of noncompliance, grantees with concerns raised through risk management meetings, or grantees about which concerns have been raised though other data sources, such as the Head Start Program Information Report (PIR).

The Grantee Specialist position requires a BA or BS Degree, with a preference for a Master's degree. A minimum of 5 years of experience related to program design and management of fiscal operations in or with Head Start/Early Head Start programs and the development and implementation of comprehensive management systems.

In each region, there shall be a Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) Coordinator who will work with federal personnel to coordinate the work of the various states and provide ongoing supervision of TTA staff. The TTA Coordinator shall also be responsible for the implementation of quality assurance processes to ensure the appropriate provision of TTA and contract deliverables.

The TTA Coordinator position requires a BA or BS Degree, with a preference for a Master's degree in a field related to program design and management. A minimum of 7 years' experience is required with 10 years preferred. This experience must include at least 3 years with the provision of high-level technical assistance and consultation to Head Start programs; 3-5 years of progressive supervisory/management experience with a preference for experience managing remote-located staff/teams; and expertise and experience in budget oversight and management.

Services may be provided off-site, on-site, through virtual media, or a combination thereof. Other places of performance include, but are not limited to, contractor physical locations, Head Start grantee facilities, hotel meeting rooms, ACF Regional Offices, at third-party sponsored conferences and other locations throughout the U.S.

Twelve cost-reimbursement type contracts will be awarded for a 12 month base period and four 12 month option periods for a total of 60 months. Responses to the Request for Proposal package will be due within 60 calendar days following the actual date of issuance of the RFP. Award of this requirement is anticipated by July 1, 2020. All responsible sources may submit a proposal which shall be considered by the PSC.