Request For Proposal (RFP) #GC24-003

Provision of vocational rehabilitation services for students, youth, and adults with disabilities. Services include pre-employment transition services (Pre-ETS), entry services, assessments, employment preparation, job placement, supported employment, assistive technology, driver rehabilitation services, and related adjunct services. Note:  Potentially Eligible Pre-ETS services will now be provided under this contract.   All existing Potentially Eligible Pre-ETS services will end 12/31/23; to continue providing Potentially Eligible Pre-ETS services after that date these vendors will need to apply for this CRS RFP.   

Eligible applicants include new and current vendors, but are not limited to, sole proprietors, tribal nations, not-for-profit organizations, community rehabilitation programs, independent living centers, educational institutions,  for-profit organizations, entities providing vocational training services, and those who are interested in providing any or all of the following vocational rehabilitation services: Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) (Postsecondary Counseling, Job Exploration Counseling, Instruction in Self-Advocacy Skills, Workplace Readiness Training, Work-Based Learning Experience), entry services, assessment services, employment preparation, job placement, supported employment assistive technology, driver rehabilitation and related adjunct services to individuals with disabilities, including students and youth with disabilities, to enable individuals to obtain, maintain or advance in competitive integrated employment. Applicants must provide a plan on how the selected service(s) will be delivered. Please review the Description of Services section of this RFP for capacity requirements prior to applying.  Should a current ACCES-VR CRS 2.0 and/or a current Potentially Eligible Pre-ETS vendor wish to be considered for this contract, applying to this RFP is required.

No applicant will be awarded a contract under CRS for services they would ordinarily provide without charge, including but not limited to employment agencies that obtain fees from the employer; school districts and local education agencies that receive funding for transition services; One Stop Career Centers that provide employment assistance services to the public; postsecondary disability services offices, etc. Unless the applicant can clearly document value added services.

A Bidders’ Conference will be held on June 15, 2023, to provide potential applicants with details of the application process and allow an opportunity for questions and clarification on this RFP process. Organizations or individuals planning on participating in this session, must pre-register with your name, agency name and location at CRS2024@nysed.gov. Please include in the email if an accommodation is needed to participate.  Participation in the Bidder’s Conference is not mandatory but is highly recommended. 

All questions must be sent by email to CRS2024@nysed.gov  no later than June 16, 2023.  A complete list of all Questions and Answers will be posted to the ACCES Procurement Opportunities webpage no later than June 30, 2023.      

The Notice of Intent (NOI) is not a requirement for submitting a complete application by the application date, however, NYSED strongly encourages all prospective applicants to submit an NOI to ensure a timely and thorough review and rating process. For non-profit applicants the NOI will also help to facilitate timely review of prequalification materials. The NOI is an email notice sent by the organization stating the organization’s legal name, its intent to submit an application for this grant, and its NYS Vendor ID. Please send the NOI to CRS2024@nysed.gov. The due date for the NOI submission is July 5, 2023. Please put NOI in the subject line of your email.

The State of New York has a statewide prequalification process (described on the Grants Management website) designed to facilitate prompt contracting for not-for-profit vendors.  All not-for-profit vendors are required to pre-qualify by the grant application deadline. This includes all currently funded not-for-profit vendors. The prequalification must be completed by all not-for-profit organizations by the application deadline in order to receive an award under this RFP. Please review the additional information regarding this requirement in the Prequalification for Individual Applications section below.

Submit an electronic copy (WORD or PDF) of the application by email to CRS2024@nysed.gov by the July 17, 2023 deadline.  The subject line of the email must read as follows: RFP #GC24-003 with the legal name of organization or individual. 

NYSED will deem applicants to be “non-responsive” if required forms are not submitted.  Only applicants that submit the Basic Information Form (Attachment 1) will be eligible for an award.  Only applicants that submit the appropriate CRS Individual Service Forms (Attachments 1-A through 1-I) AND the Capacity Summary Form (Attachment 2) will be eligible for a contract award for the applied for service(s). These Attachments are posted with the RFP in separate files. Please thoroughly review submission instructions in Section 2 below. Applicant submissions of any of the above forms will not be accepted after the due date of July 17, 2023.

Program: Nancy DeLaMater

Fiscal: Monica Foley

CRS2024@nysed.gov