DIVISION OF PROCUREMENT

Bureau of Financial Operations 402 Health and Welfare Building | Harrisburg, PA 17105 | 717.783.3767 | F 717.787.7615 | www.dhs.state.pa.us

September 9, 2015 SUBJECT: Request for Application (RFA) 05-15 Reissued The PA Workwear

Program

Dear Prospective Applicant: You are invited to submit an application for the above subject RFA for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Human Services in accordance with the attached Request for Application (RFA) 05-15 Re-issued. All applications must be submitted as follows: Hardcopy:

Technical Submittal: one (1) original and eight (8) copies;

Budget Submittal: two (2) copies (sealed separately from the Technical Submittals); and

CD-ROM/Flash Drive:

Two (2) separate CD-ROM/Flash Drives, each containing complete and exact copies of the proposed submittals; in Microsoft Office or Microsoft Office compatible format and a PDF copy of the Technical (excluding Financial Capability), Budget; and

One (1) CD-ROM/Flash Drive containing a copy of the redacted version of the Technical Submittal in Microsoft Office or Microsoft Office compatible format.

Applications must be submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, Division of Procurement, Room 402, Health and Welfare Building, 625 Forster Street, Harrisburg, PA 17120. Applications must be received at the above address no later than two o’clock P.M. (2:00 P.M.) on October 13, 2015. Late applications will not be considered regardless of the reason. All questions should be directed to William “Mac” Spiker, Project Officer, Department of Human Services, Office of Administration, Bureau of Financial Operations via e-mail RA-pwrfaquestions@pa.gov no later than September 17, 2015. Applicants will be provided with answers to questions asked by any one applicant. Applications must be signed by an official authorized to bind the applicant to its provisions. The Application Cover Sheet (Appendix B) and Grant Agreement Signature Page (Appendix C) must be signed. Also, please include your Federal Identification Number, SAP Vendor Number and the Point of Contact’s email address on the cover

DIVISION OF PROCUREMENT

Bureau of Financial Operations 402 Health and Welfare Building | Harrisburg, PA 17105 | 717.783.3767 | F 717.787.7615 | www.dhs.state.pa.us

sheet of your application. Evaluation of applications and selection of applicants will be completed as quickly as possible after receipt of application. Sincerely,

Daniel R. Boyd Director of Procurement Attachments

REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS FOR

The PA WORKWEAR Program

ISSUING OFFICE

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Human Services Bureau of Financial Operations

Division of Procurement Room 402 Health and Welfare Building

625 Forster Street Harrisburg, PA 17120

On behalf of

Office of Income Maintenance

RFA NUMBER

05-15 Reissued

DATE OF ISSUANCE

September 9, 2015

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REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS FOR

The PA WORKWEAR Program

TABLE OF CONTENTS CALENDAR OF EVENTS Page 3 Part I—GENERAL INFORMATION Page 4 Part II—APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS Page 12 Part III—CRITERIA FOR SELECTION Page 14 Part IV—WORK STATEMENT Page 16 APPENDIX A – PA WORKWEAR Historical Budget Amounts APPENDIX B – Application Cover Page APPENDIX C – Grant Agreement Signature Page APPENDIX D – Budget Submittal APPENDIX E – Referral Form APPENDIX F – PA WORKWEAR Appointment Summary Form Attachment 1 - Grant Agreement Riders Rider 1 Payment Provisions Rider 2 Work Statement Rider 3 Budget Rider 4 Standard Grant Terms and Conditions Rider 5 DHS Addendum to Standard Terms and Conditions Attachment A Audit Clauses A and B Attachment B Lobbying Certification Form and Disclosure of Lobbying Activities

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS

The Commonwealth will make every effort to adhere to the following schedule:

Activity Responsibility Date

Deadline to submit Questions via email to: RA-pwrfaquestions@pa.gov_

Potential Applicants

09/17/2016

Answers to Potential Applicant questions posted to the Department of General Services (DGS) website (http://www.emarketplace.state.pa.us) no later than this date.

Issuing Office

09/24/2016

Please monitor website for all communications regarding the RFA.

Potential Applicants

ONGOING

Sealed application must be received by the Issuing Office at: Department of Human Services Division of Procurement Room 402 Health and Welfare Building 625 Forster Street Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17120

Applicants

10/13/2016

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PART I

GENERAL INFORMATION I-1. Purpose This Request for Applications (RFA) provides to those interested in submitting applications for the subject procurement (“Applicants”) sufficient information to enable them to prepare and submit applications for the Department of Human Services’ (DHS or Department) consideration on behalf of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (“Commonwealth”) for award of grants to entities for the provision of appropriate attire for participation in employment and training activities under the program name of PA WORKWEAR (PAWW) (“Project”). I-2. Issuing Office DHS, Bureau of Financial Operations, Division of Procurement (“Issuing Office”) has issued this RFA on behalf of the DHS’ Office of Income Maintenance (OIM). The sole point of contact in the Commonwealth for this RFA shall be William “Mac” Spiker, RA-pwrfaquestions@pa.gov, the Project Officer for this RFA. Please refer all inquiries to the Project Officer. I-3. Scope This RFA contains instructions governing the requested applications, including the requirements for the information and material to be included; a description of the service to be provided; requirements which Applicants must meet to be eligible for consideration; general evaluation criteria; and other requirements specific to this RFA. I-4. Problem Statement DHS has developed the PAWW Program as part of its efforts to improve quality of life and to promote independence of the individuals and families it serves. Specifically, the PAWW Program provides work appropriate attire to individuals who are receiving Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) benefits for purposes of job interviews, employment and employment and training programs. OIM released a Request for Application (RFA) on May 12, 2015, which was cancelled by the Department on August 10th, 2015. The RFA did not yield applications which were financially acceptable to the Commonwealth. Further, the Department did not receive applications for all grant service areas. Through this revised RFA, DHS is seeking Applicants capable of providing required PAWW services within the PAWW budget for all designated grant service areas. Additional detail is provided in Part IV of this RFA. I-5. Type of Agreement

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DHS intends to award multiple grants as a result of this RFA. For each award made, DHS will enter into the Grant Agreement attached to this RFA as Attachment 1 and which will include the attached Payment Provisions (Rider 1), Standard Grant Terms and Conditions (Rider 4) and the DHS Addendum (Rider 5) and its attachments. Rider 2 Work Statement will consist of Part IV to this RFA and the selected application and Rider 3 Budget will consist of the selected Applicants’ Budget Submittal (Appendix D). DHS, in its sole discretion, may undertake negotiations with Applicants whose applications, in the judgment of the Department, show them to be qualified, responsible and capable of performing the Project. I-6. Rejection of Applications The Department, in its sole and complete discretion, may reject any application received as a result of this RFA and may choose to award grants in all, some or none of the grant service areas.

I-7. Incurring Costs The Commonwealth is not liable for any costs an Applicant incurs in the preparation and submission of its application, in participating in the RFA, or for any service or work performed or expenses incurred prior to the effective date of a fully executed Grant Agreement. I-8. Questions & Answers If an Applicant has any questions regarding this RFA, the Applicant must submit the questions by email (with the subject line “RFA 05-15 Reissued Question”) to the Project Officer named in Part I, Section I-2 of the RFA. The Applicant shall not attempt to contact the Project Officer by any other means. The Issuing Office will post the answers to the questions on the DGS website by the date stated in the Calendar of Events. An Applicant who submits a question after the deadline date for receipt of questions indicated in the Calendar of Events assumes the risk that its application will not be responsive or competitive because the Commonwealth is not able to respond before the application receipt date or in sufficient time for the Applicant to prepare a responsive or competitive application. When submitted after the deadline date for receipt of questions indicated in the Calendar of Events, the Project Officer may respond to questions of an administrative nature by directing the questioning Applicant to specific provisions in the RFA. To the extent that the Department decides to respond to a non-administrative question after the deadline date for receipt of questions indicated on the Calendar of Events, the answer will be provided to all Applicants through an addendum. All questions and responses as posted on the DGS website are considered as an addendum to, and part of, this RFA in accordance with RFA Part I, Section I-9. I-9. Addenda to the RFA

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If the Department deems it necessary to revise any part of RFA #05-15 before the application response date, the Issuing Office will post an addendum to the DGS website at http://www.emarketplace.state.pa.us. Each Applicant must monitor the DGS website for new or revised RFA information. DHS shall not be bound by any verbal information nor shall it be bound by any written information that is not either contained within the RFA or formally issued by the Issuing Office.

I-10. Response Date To be considered for selection, hard copies of applications must arrive at the Issuing office on or before the time and date specified in the RFA Calendar of Events. The Department will not accept applications via email or facsimile transmission. Applicants who send applications by mail or other delivery service should allow sufficient delivery time to ensure timely receipt of their applications. If, due to inclement weather, natural disaster, or any other cause, the Commonwealth office location to which applications are to be returned is closed on the application response date, the deadline for submission will be automatically extended until the next Commonwealth business day on which the office is open, unless the Issuing Office otherwise notifies Applicants. The hour for submission of applications shall remain the same. The Department will reject unopened, any late applications. I-11. Applications To be considered, Applicants should submit a complete response to this RFA to the Issuing Office, using the format provided in Part II, providing one (1) original and eight (8) paper copies of the Technical Submittal and two (2) paper copies of the Budget Submittal. In addition to the paper copies of the application, Applicants shall submit two complete and exact copies of the entire application (Technical and Budget Submittals, along with all requested documents) on CD-ROM or Flash drive in Microsoft Office or Microsoft Office-compatible format. To the extent that an Applicant designates information as confidential, proprietary or trade secret protected in accordance with Part 1, Section 1-16, an Applicant must include one (1) redacted version of the Technical Submittal on CD-ROM or Flash Drive in Microsoft Office or Microsoft Office compatible format. The electronic copy must be a mirror image of the paper copy and any spreadsheets must be in Microsoft Excel. Applicants may not lock or protect any cells or tabs. The CD or Flash drive should clearly identify the Applicant and include the name and version number of the virus scanning software that was used to scan the CD or Flash drive before it was submitted. Applicants should ensure that no budget information is in the Technical Submittal. Applicants should not reiterate technical information in the budget submittal. Each application page should be numbered for ease of reference. An official authorized to bind the Applicant to its provisions must sign the application. If the official signs the Application Cover Sheet (Appendix B to this RFA) and Grant Agreement Signature Page (Appendix C) and the Application Cover Sheet and Grant Agreement Signature page are attached to the Applicant’s application, the requirement is met. For this RFA, the application must remain valid for 120 days or until an agreement is fully executed. If the

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Department selects the Applicant’s application for award, the contents of the selected Applicant’s application will become, except to the extent the contents are changed through Best and Final Offers or negotiations, grant obligations. Each Applicant submitting an application specifically waives any right to withdraw or modify it, except that the Applicant may withdraw its application by written notice received at the Issuing Office’s address for application delivery prior to the exact hour and date specified for application receipt. An Applicant or its authorized representative may withdraw its application in person prior to the exact hour and date set for application receipt, provided the withdrawing person provides appropriate identification and signs a receipt for the application. An Applicant may modify its submitted application prior to the exact hour and date set for application receipt only by submitting a new sealed application or sealed modification which complies with the RFA requirements. I-12. Economy of Preparation Applicants should prepare applications simply and economically, providing a straightforward, concise description of the Applicant’s ability to meet requirements of the RFA. I-13. Alternate Applications The Department has identified the basic approach to meeting its requirements, allowing Applicants to be creative and propose their best solution to meeting these requirements. The Department will not accept alternate applications. I-14. Discussions for Clarification Applicants may be required to make a written clarification of their applications to the Department to ensure thorough mutual understanding and Applicant responsiveness to the solicitation requirements. The Project Officer will initiate requests for clarification. I-15. Prime Grantee Responsibilities The grant will require the selected Applicants to assume responsibility for all services offered in its application whether it produces them itself or by subcontract. The Department will consider the selected Applicants to be the sole point of contact with regard to program matters. I-16. Application Contents

A. Confidential Information. The Commonwealth is not requesting, and does not require, confidential proprietary information or trade secrets to be included as part of Applicants’ submissions in order to evaluate applications submitted in response to this RFA. Except as provided

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herein, Applicants should not label applications as confidential or proprietary or trade secret protected. Any Applicant who determines that it must divulge such information as part of its application must submit the signed written statement described in subsection c. below and must additionally provide a redacted version of its application (hard copy and electronic), which removes only the confidential proprietary information and trade secrets, for required public disclosure purposes.

B. Commonwealth Use. All material submitted with the application shall be

considered the property of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and may be returned only at the Department’s option. The Commonwealth has the right to use any or all ideas not protected by intellectual property rights that are presented in any application regardless of whether the application becomes part of a grant. Notwithstanding any Applicant copyright designations, the Commonwealth shall have the right to make copies and distribute applications internally and to comply with public record or other disclosure requirements under the provisions of any Commonwealth or United States statute or regulation, or rule or order of any court of competent jurisdiction.

C. Public Disclosure. After awards of grant agreements pursuant to this

RFA, all applications are subject to disclosure in response to a request for public records made under the Pennsylvania Right-to-Know-Law, 65 P.S. § 67.101, et seq. If an application submission contains confidential proprietary information or trade secrets, a signed written statement to this effect must be provided with the submission in accordance with 65 P.S. § 67.707(b) for the information to be considered exempt under 65 P.S. § 67.708(b)(11) from public records requests.

I-17. News Releases Applicants shall not issue news releases, Internet postings, advertisements or any other public communications pertaining to this Project without prior written approval of the Department, and then only in coordination with the Department. I-18. Restriction of Contact From the issue date of this RFA until the Department selects applications for award, the Project Officer is the sole point of contact concerning this RFA. Any violation of this condition may be cause for the Department to reject the offending Applicant’s application. If the Department later discovers that the Applicant has engaged in any violations of this condition, the Department may reject the offending Applicant’s application or rescind its grant award. Applicants must agree not to distribute any part of their applications beyond the Department. An Applicant who shares information contained in its application with other Commonwealth personnel and/or competing Applicant personnel may be disqualified.

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I-19. DHS Participation Selected Applicants shall provide all services, supplies, facilities, and other support necessary to complete the Project. The selected Applicants will have access to a Human Services Program Specialist (HSPS) from DHS. This HSPS will be the selected Applicant’s resource for issues related to the PAWW Program as well as any general questions. I-20. Term of Agreement The term of the Grant Agreements will commence on the Effective Date anticipated to be April 1, 2016 and will be for a period of 15 months. Subject to the performance of the selected Applicants and other considerations, DHS may renew a Grant Agreement on the same terms and conditions for up to three additional one-year periods. DHS will fix the Effective Date after a grant has been fully executed by the selected Applicant and by the Commonwealth and all approvals required by Commonwealth grant procedures have been obtained. I-21. Applicant’s Representations and Authorizations By submitting its application, each Applicant understands, represents, and acknowledges that:

A. Applicant’s information and representations in the application are material and important, and the Department may rely upon the contents of the application in making awards.

B. The Applicant has arrived at the price(s) and amounts in its application

independently and without consultation, communication, or agreement with any other Applicant or potential Applicant.

C. The Applicant has not disclosed the price, the amount of the application,

nor the approximate price or amount of its application to any other firm or person who is an Applicant or potential applicant for this RFA, and the Applicant shall not disclose any of these items on or before the application submission deadline.

D. The Applicant has not attempted, nor will it attempt, to induce any firm or

person to refrain from submitting an application, or to submit an application higher than this application, or to submit any intentionally high or noncompetitive application or other form of complementary application.

E. The Applicant makes its application in good faith and not pursuant to any

agreement or discussion with, or inducement from, any firm or person to submit a complementary or other noncompetitive application.

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F. To the best knowledge of the person signing the application for the Applicant, the Applicant, its affiliates, subsidiaries, officers, directors, and employees are not currently under investigation by any governmental agency and have not in the last four (4) years been convicted or found liable for any act prohibited by State or Federal law in any jurisdiction, involving conspiracy or collusion with respect to bidding or proposing on any public procurement, except as the Applicant has disclosed in its application.

G. To the best of the knowledge of the person signing the application for the

Applicant and except as the Applicant has otherwise disclosed in its application, the Applicant has no outstanding, delinquent obligations to the Commonwealth including, but not limited to, any state tax liability not being contested on appeal or other obligation of the Applicant that is owed to the Commonwealth.

H. The Applicant is not currently under suspension or debarment by the

Commonwealth, any other state or the federal government, and if the Applicant cannot so certify, then it shall submit along with its application a written explanation of why it cannot make such certification.

I. The Applicant has not made, under separate contract with the

Department, any recommendations to the Department concerning the need for the services described in its application or the specifications for the services described in the application.

J. Each Applicant, by submitting its application, authorizes Commonwealth

agencies to release to the Commonwealth information concerning the Applicant's Pennsylvania taxes, unemployment compensation and workers’ compensation liabilities.

K. Until the selected Applicant receives a fully executed and approved

written agreement from the Department, there is no legal and valid agreement, in law or in equity, and the Applicant shall not begin to perform.

I-22. Notification of Selection

A. Agreement Negotiations. The Department will notify all Applicants in writing of the selected Applicants after the Department has determined, taking into consideration all of the evaluation factors, the applications that are the most advantageous to the Department.

B. Award. Applicants whose applications are not selected will be notified

of their non-selection. I-23. Debriefing Conferences

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Upon notification of award, Applicants whose applications were not selected will be given the opportunity to be debriefed. The Project Office will schedule the debriefing at a mutually agreeable time. The debriefing will not compare the Applicant with the other Applicants, other than the position of the Applicant’s application in relation to all other applications for the grant service area. I-24. Use of Electronic Versions of this RFA This RFA is being made available by electronic means. If an Applicant electronically accepts the RFA, the Applicant acknowledges and accepts full responsibility to ensure that no changes are made to the RFA. In the event of a conflict between a version of the RFA in the Applicant’s possession and DHS’s version of the RFA, DHS’ version shall govern.

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PART II

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

II-1 Applicant Checklist Applicants must submit their applications in the format outlined below. All cost data should be kept separate from and not included in the Technical Submittal. Each Application shall consist of the following two separately sealed submittals:

Technical Submittal, which consists of a response to RFA Part II, Sections II-2 through II-5.

Budget Submittal, which consists of a response to RFA Part II, Section II-6.

The Department may request additional information or may make investigations which, in its opinion, are necessary to determine the Applicant’s ability to perform the Project, and the Applicant shall furnish to the Department all requested information and data. Applicants may submit applications to provide services in multiple grant service areas; however, an Applicant must submit separate applications for each grant service area in which it wishes to provide services. II-2. Application Cover Page Applicants must complete the Application Cover Page (Appendix B) as provided in RFA Part 1, Section 1-11. In addition, Applicants must identify the specific grant services area for which the application is being submitted on the Application Cover Page (Appendix B). II-3. Work Statement Complete Part IV for Work Statement format. Applicants must address all questions included in RFA Part IV Work Statement. The Applicant may attach additional pages, if the space provided in Part IV is not sufficient for a complete answer. II-4. Implementation Plan and Timeline Applicants must submit an implementation plan, including a timeline anticipated for the planning and the provision of services. In developing the implementation plan, address the requirements of RFA Part IV. II-5. Signature Page

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Applicants must have an individual with authority to bind the Applicant to the Grant Agreement and its Riders and Attachments sign the Grant Agreement Signature Page (Appendix C). Please note THREE Original signature pages must be submitted with each application. The submission of the signed grant agreement with the PAWW Application does not guarantee selection of the Applicant’s application. II-6. Budget Submittal Applicants must complete Appendix D Budget Submittal as provided in this section and in Appendix D. The Budget Submittal has two budget categories: Administration and Program (See Appendix D, for more information). Applicants may include indirect costs in their Budget Submittal and an Applicant’s Administration budget may not exceed 10% of its total Budget. Applicants must place their Budget Submittal in a separate sealed envelope within the Applicant’s sealed application. The submitted budget may not exceed the PAWW budget allocated for each grant service area as designated in Appendix A.

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PART III

CRITERIA FOR SELECTION The Department is seeking qualified entities to provide work appropriate clothing attire to DHS TANF clients for purposes of job interviews, employment and training programs and employment under the PAWW program. III-1. Mandatory Responsiveness Requirements To be eligible for selection, an application must be:

A. Timely received from an Applicant; B. Properly signed by the Applicant.

III-2. Technical Nonconforming Applications The two (2) Mandatory Responsiveness Requirements set forth in Section III-1 above are the only RFA requirements that the Commonwealth will consider to be non-waivable. The Department, may in its sole discretion, (1) waive any other technical or immaterial nonconformity in an application, (2) allow the Applicant to cure the nonconformity, or (3) consider the nonconformity in the scoring of the Applicant’s application. III-3. Evaluation The Department has selected a committee of qualified personnel to review and evaluate timely submitted applications. The Department will notify in writing of its selection for grant award those responsible Applicants whose applications are determined to be the most advantageous to the Commonwealth after taking into consideration all of the evaluation factors. DHS will award grants only to Applicants determined to be responsible in accordance with the most current version of Commonwealth Management Directive 215.9, Contractor Responsibility Program. III-4. Evaluation Criteria The following criteria will be used in evaluating each application:

A. Technical:

DHS has established the weight for the Technical criterion for this RFA as 60% of the total points. DHS’ technical evaluation will include consideration of the soundness of approach, including but not limited to an Applicant’s ability to meet the requirements of the Grant Agreement and its ability to serve the targeted population, and Applicant’s qualifications, including but

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not limited to its experience in providing the required services and its community support and partnerships. In addition, DHS will provide a preference to Applicants who provide weekend and evening hours in addition to daytime hours, who provide services to both male and female clients, who are able to provide services in multiple grant service areas and who can begin services on April 1, 2016.

B. Cost:

DHS has established the weight for the Cost criterion for this RFA as 40% of the total points. The budget must be commensurate with the activity described and may not exceed the budget amount for the grant services area. See Attachment A for the budget amounts for each grant service area.

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PART IV

WORK STATEMENT

I. PA WORKWEAR (PAWW) Grant Service Area

The Department has designated 29 grant service areas, as listed in the following table. Except for the Philadelphia area, the Department will award one grant per grant services area. A selected Applicant must provide PAWW services for the entire service area in which it is awarded a grant.

SERVICE AREAS AND REQUIREMENTS

Area Counties Served Three year average number of clients

served

Indicate service area for the application (mark with an 'X')*

1 Allegheny, Fayette,

Greene, Washington 2,740

2- Area 1

Philadelphia 3,008

2- Area 2

Philadelphia 3,008

3 Delaware 439

4 Adams, Cumberland,

Dauphin, Lebanon, Perry, York

908

5 Erie 752

6 Berks 404

7 Lehigh 411

8 Lancaster 295

9 Lycoming 167

10 Mercer 165

11 Montgomery 156

12 Lackawanna, Wyoming 119

13 Westmoreland 174

14 Lawrence 99

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15 Chester 109

16 Somerset 64

17 Bedford, Cambria,

Huntingdon 184

18 Clarion, Clinton, Elk, Jefferson, McKean,

Potter, Tioga, Warren 136

19 Centre, Clearfield 89

20 Luzerne 94

21 Bucks 91

22 Crawford 78

23 Blair 37

24 Butler 56

25 Indiana 50

26 Beaver 96

27 Venango 37

28 Bradford 11

*Even if you are applying for multiple service areas, please only mark the specific service area for which this application is being submitted. 1. Please describe your capacity to serve the number of clients indicated in

the grant service area for which you are applying. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. Please describe, in detail, your agency’s experience with serving

recipients of TANF and collaborating with the CAOs and low-income individuals and other government agencies.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3. Please describe, in detail, how your agency will provide the services as

listed in Part IV Section II. PAWW Program Requirements and Part IV Section III Program Operations. Please indicate if you will provide services to both men and women.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 4. Please list the days and hours of operations.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

II. PA WORKWEAR (PAWW) Program Requirements

A. Program Description

The goal of PAWW is to promote and help ensure the economic independence of individuals who receive TANF benefits by providing professional attire for job interviews and specific clothing necessary for employment or training in lieu of a special allowance for clothing from the CAO or Employment and Training (E&T) Grantee. To achieve this goal, DHS has provided grant funding to various agencies across the Commonwealth to provide clothing and other attire to TANF clients. The Department will provide CAOs and E&T Grantees (“referring agencies”) with a referral form (Appendix E) that is to be sent to the selected Applicants by the referring agency. A selected Applicant will schedule appointments and provide appropriate clothing to referred individuals for the purpose of employment or training. Selected Applicants will also comply with requests from DHS for information and statistics to help track the performance of this program.

B. Eligible Participants

The CAO and E&T Grantees will refer TANF clients to selected Applicants if the clients have a need for work appropriate clothing, such as an interview outfit for a job search or specific clothing required by the employer for work or training. The CAO or its E&T Grantee will determine a client’s need for clothing.

C. Required Program Components

1. A selected Applicant must provide grant services for the entire grant service

area.

2. A selected Applicant must maintain a clean facility compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements or be able to make arrangements to serve an individual with disabilities at an alternate compliant location.

3. A selected Applicant must have organized clothing displays, dressing room(s)

and a full-length mirror.

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4. A selected Applicant must provide clothing and accessories as follows:

a. Clothing and accessories must be new or gently used and clean. Clothing and accessories must be of a classic or current style and include interview attire, business casual attire, black and khaki pants, white shirts, scrubs, maternity and other specific clothing needed to seek, obtain or be engaged in employment or to participate in an approved training program.

b. A selected Applicant must provide an appropriate interview outfit to referred individuals who are seeking a job. Referred individuals that have successfully secured employment may return to the selected Applicant who must provide a week’s worth of mix-and-match clothing if the job requires attire that the individual does not have. A second referral form from the referring agency is not necessary. Before issuing additional clothing, the selected Applicant must contact the referring agency to verify that the individual is still receiving benefits and is eligible to receive clothing through PAWW.

c. A selected Applicant must provide referred individuals enrolled in a training

program with a week’s worth of clothing if the training requires special attire. Referred individuals that have received clothing for training but need an interview outfit in order to seek employment may return to the selected Applicant who must provide an appropriate interview outfit. A second referral form from the referring agency is not necessary in order for the selected Grantee to provide an appropriate interview outfit. Before issuing the outfit, the selected Grantee is required to contact the referring agency to verify that the individual is still receiving benefits and is eligible to receive clothing through PAWW.

5. A selected Applicant must have PAWW signage clearly marked at the building

entrance or lobby and have adequate parking available or be located on a public transportation route (where available). A selected Applicant must obtain approval from DHS before changing its facility’s location.

6. A selected Applicant must have personal clothing consultants to assist clients

with the selection of attire or specific clothing and accessories necessary to be successful at an interview or on the job site. Personal clothing consultants must be trained to help build confidence during the suiting appointment by making recommendations regarding appearance, affirming the client’s employment or training pursuits, and having a general discussion regarding interview preparation. Personal clothing consultants need not be paid staff.

7. Selected Applicant must attend Local Management Committee (LMC) meetings

at least quarterly. The CAO or E&T Grantee will provide information regarding date, time and meeting location. The LMC coordinates the operation of employment and training programs in each local area.

8. Selected Applicant must seek the approval of the DHS Communication Office at

(717) 787-4592 before marketing, advertising or otherwise promoting the name PA WORKWEAR. Such communications include but are not limited to Provider website, advertising in newspapers, creating brochures or other literature or participating in events that promote the name PA WORKWEAR.

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III. Program Operations – Providing PAWW Services

A. Obtaining Clothing, Accessories and Other Attire

Selected Applicant must:

1. Solicit and accept donations of new and ‘like new’ interview appropriate, business, business casual and other work-related attire. Solicitations may include but are not limited to individual and corporate clothing drives and from retail stores, consignment stores, dry cleaners or other community resources.

2. Develop a process which results in a client being able to acquire specific

footwear required by employers or training facilities such as steel-toed boots and non-skid shoes.

3. Purchase or otherwise obtain clothing items necessary to accept employment or

begin training that may not be readily available by donation, including but not limited to; maternity, petite and plus-size clothing, big and tall clothing, scrubs, steel-toed boots, black and white non-skid shoes, undergarments, industrial duty work shirts and pants, black and khaki pants and white shirts. Selected Applicant must obtain necessary clothing in the most economical manner possible prior to paying retail price.

4. Seek donations of accessories such as belts, ties, purses, jewelry, new makeup,

toiletries and other grooming items to give to clients as may be necessary and available.

5. Establish a relationship with at least one local beauty school or hairdresser for

free or low-cost haircuts and offer to individuals when there is an apparent need.

B. Staffing and Customer Service 1. A selected Applicant must educate clients on how to mix-and-match clothing

items to maximize the clothing they are given as well as how to extend their wardrobe through transitional pregnancy phases.

2. A selected Applicant must be able to communicate with clients with limited

English proficiency as denoted on the PAWW referral form.

3. Hours of Operation.

a. Selected Applicant must be able to accept phone calls and schedule appointments by phone from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm Monday-Friday. Phone lines must have voicemail that identify the voicemail as that of the of PAWW provider.

b. Selected Applicant must be able to schedule appointments and serve

clients within three business days from the date a referral is received, unless prior approval is given by DHS or the E&T grantee or the referred individual is unavailable.

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NOTE: As determined by the number of individuals to be served, DHS may approve reduced hours of operation for a selected Applicant.

c. Selected Applicant must take necessary measures to notify the referring

agency if service to clients will be interrupted due to bad weather or other unforeseen circumstances.

4. Selected Applicant will provide the following follow-up:

Make phone calls to clients 1-2 business days prior to their appointment to remind them of their scheduled appointment.

Make phone calls to clients who do not show for their appointments and attempt to reschedule the appointment at a mutually agreeable time.

Contact the referring agency when a client does not show for a scheduled appointment.

Make follow-up phone calls to clients who don’t call to schedule an appointment within five business days from the date of the faxed referral.

Create a list of clients referred and track whether they show or don’t show for their appointment. The list must include the dates of follow-up calls and letters sent to the client.

5. Selected Applicant will maintain and make available to DHS a list of the

clothing given at an appointment using the PA WORKWEAR Appointment Summary form Appendix F.

C. Communication Tools

1. Selected Applicant must have a computer system with the software necessary

to create a registry of clients who have been referred for clothing.

2. Selected Applicant must have a designated individual with email access to communicate with the DHS and the referring agency.

3. Selected Applicant must have the ability to accept faxed or electronic referral

forms. 4. Selected Applicant must have telephone line(s) to schedule appointments and

make reminder and follow up calls.

D. Participant Referral Process

1. The CAO or E&T Grantee determines if a client has a need for work appropriate clothing.

2. The referring agency will provide a copy of the referral form (Appendix E) to the

selected Applicant. Selected Applicant must request photo identification from the client prior to providing services.

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E. Confidentiality

Selected Applicant must keep all information concerning clients confidential and must inform all employees, volunteers or other individuals who will have access to client information of these confidentiality requirements. Client information must never be conveyed via email unless the selected Applicant obtains secure email from DHS. Without a secure e-mail site, selected Applicants are not permitted to transmit client information via e-mail.

F. Monitoring, Reporting and Technical Assistance

Selected Applicant must:

1. Accommodate requests for monitoring made by DHS, its representatives or

other state or federal agencies as well as participate in meetings, trainings and site visits.

2. Maintain accurate and secured client and fiscal records (electronic and paper)

that are available for audit or monitoring purposes upon request. 3. Store clothing and other attire that has been purchased with PAWW funds in a

secure area and used only for clients referred for PAWW.

4. Submit a monthly Participant Tracking Report, Attachment C, to DHS no later than the 15th of every month. This report collects the number of referrals received and the number of clients served each month.