FUTURO RFP for Online Pathways 

FUTURO RFP for Online Pathways 

Request for Proposal (RFP)  

Educational Curriculum Development for Professional Development Workshops for First-Generation College Students

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A presentation version of the RFP is available here: https://www.canva.com/design/DAGYQsZLa1c/p6Tu6p_pzzcbDYv74xq10w/view?utm_content=DAGYQsZLa1c&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=hfd38b947d1 

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1. Introduction

• ABOUT FUTURO: 
  • FUTURO is an inclusive nonprofit organization dedicated to college success, career readiness, and professional development. Through initiatives like the FUTURO Select 100, Fast Track Program, and Leadership Conferences, we connect students to opportunities for career exploration, networking, internships, and employment, empowering them to achieve their professional goals.
  • Our career readiness programming equips students with the tools and confidence needed to transition successfully from academics to the workforce. By combining career exploration, skill-building, and job search support, FUTURO ensures participants graduate with both a degree and a clear path to their professional future.
  • Focused on career exploration and job readiness, the FUTURO Select 100 program challenges students to earn 100 points across key developmental areas focused on exploration, experience, networking, service, and leadership. This gamification approach provides students with a roadmap to career success. 

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• The Fast Track program is for participants who have completed the Select 100 program and whose goals are to secure an internship/job with support navigating the application process, interviews, and personal/career success. Students develop a greater understanding of entering the workforce with the support of guest speakers, guided exercises, thoughtful discussion, and a paired professional mentor who is encouraged to discuss personal roadmaps to success and provide practical recommendations for career-specific areas. Key areas of this program are professional planning, leadership development, financial literacy, and support in finding internships. This program builds on students' social-emotional skills as they make the college-career transition, often difficult for first-generation students.

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• To ensure success, we partner with employers and organizations within the community throughout Tennessee. Our Employer Advisory Board (EAB) provides a direct hiring pipeline for student leaders, recent graduates, and alumni of our program. These partners are committed to diversifying their employee pool and is an opportunity for organizations to have a direct pipeline to hire diverse, ambitious, determined, passionate graduates eager to begin their professional careers. Having more than a dozen Fortune500 companies as sponsors and EAB committee members reinforces our students' career opportunities in Tennessee, particularly in the growing industries of healthcare, technology, and manufacturing. Our EAB connects with our students through networking fairs, FUTURO Conferences, mentorships, and through our robust alumni connections. The EAB affords employers the chance to recruit for internships, full-time jobs, and careers in a targeted and culturally relevant way, a priority that FUTURO is committed to in order to provide talented and diverse candidates upon college graduation. 

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• FUTURO believes in creating a more equitable workforce which is why we actively work to forge connections with businesses in growing industries who value workplace diversity. One aspect that distinguishes FUTURO from other organizations is our unique partnership as well as our combined social, academic, and career focus. FUTURO strongly emphasizes building connections by expanding networks and with employers. 

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• ABOUT THE PROJECT: 
  • This project aims to increase access to a proven workforce development training program by converting delivery from in-person to online and hybrid through the FUTURO Online Pathways. This project is an initiative designed to prepare students in Tennessee for their future by addressing attrition rates among underserved student populations, with a focus on first-generation and Hispanic/Latino communities. We seek to partner with a qualified vendor to develop a professional development curriculum and create a virtual learning platform that supports the unique needs of our target audience.

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• The grant will support the virtual implementation of our FUTURO Select 100 program, a points-incentive and rewards system for high school graduates and college student members that challenges participants to earn 100 points. The FUTURO Online Pathways, assigns points to activities in three developmental categories: professional development, networking, and career exploration and readiness. Participants earn points by completing micro-learnings assigned points value, such as writing a resume, attending networking events, and seeking experiential learning opportunities.  Participants actively prepare for their careers by earning participation points. With a goal of each student reaching 100 points, this system provides a measurable way to determine engagement and career competency growth.
• Currently, the program runs mostly in-person. This project will create a series of online learning modules that participants can access asynchronously. The virtual conversion will be supported by a vendor that will be selected through the Request for Proposal process. 

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• The ideal contractor is a consulting agency that focuses on virtual education implementation with a culturally competent focus on the client experience. We are searching for a contractor that will develop an LMS platform that will enable individuals to customize the pace of their learning, their path for their desired career field, and access to micro-learning virtual video modules and resource libraries. 

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• This platform will provide culturally-relevant and engaging learning around career readiness and exploration. With the FUTURO Online Pathways program, students will have a framework for career education to help with the college-to-career transition. The online platform will provide students with micro-learning courses, community-building, and a roadmap to prepare for today’s workforce. Completing such micro-learnings will contribute to students’ FUTURO Select 100 points-earning.

• To support virtual FUTURO participants, a digital navigator will help with program enrollment, navigation and provide check-ins to ensure retention and completion. We aim to work collaboratively over the two-year period with the contractor to develop the program. 

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2. Project Scope

• The selected vendor will develop an educational curriculum tailored to professional development workshops for first-generation college students. The vendor will also be responsible for creating a virtual platform that allows users to customize their learning paths, utilizing culturally relevant micro-learning video modules. The platform should include features for tracking progress and a comprehensive resource library. The project will run from Spring 2025 through Summer 2026.

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3. Requirements

• Curriculum Development: Design and implement a curriculum that addresses professional development for first-generation college students, with culturally relevant content to Hispanic/Latino communities.
• Virtual Platform: Develop a customizable online learning platform that includes micro-learning video modules, progress tracking, and a resource library.
• Content Creation: Produce high-quality video content and online design elements that resonate with the target audience that live in the platform that will be designed by your company.
• Experience: Demonstrated expertise in educational content development, virtual learning environments, and cultural competency in serving Hispanic/Latino communities.

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4. Submission Guidelines

• Format: Proposals should be submitted in PDF format and include the following sections:some text
  • Executive Summary
  • Vendor Qualifications
  • Proposed Approach and Methodology
  • Detailed Project Timeline
  • Cost Breakdown
  • Examples of Similar Projects
  • References
  • Submission Method: Proposals should be emailed to jennifer.novo@futuroisnow.com with the subject line "FUTURO Online Curriculum Development Proposal."
  • Contact Information: For any questions regarding this RFP, please contact Jennifer Novo at 615-601-0783 jennifer.novo@futuroisnow.com.

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5. Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Alignment with project goals and cultural relevance.
• Quality and innovation of the proposed curriculum and virtual platform.
• Vendor’s experience and qualifications.
• Cost-effectiveness and feasibility.
• Demonstrated understanding of the needs of first-generation and Hispanic/Latino students.
• References and past project success.

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6. Timeline

• RFP Issuance Date: December 6th, 2024
• Proposal Submission Deadline: December 20th, 2024
• Vendor Selection: January 15th, 2024
• Project Kickoff: February 1st 2025
• Project Completion: Summer 2026

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7. Terms and Conditions

• Award Amount: $160,000 will be awarded to the contractor, this will include all costs associated with the project
• Payment Terms: Payment will be made in installments tied to project milestones, as agreed upon in the final contract.
• Confidentiality: All proposals and project-related information must remain confidential. Required to sign a nondisclosure agreement. 
• Contractual Obligations: The selected vendor will be required to sign a contract detailing the scope, deliverables, timeline, and payment terms.
• Dispute Resolution: Any disputes arising from this project will be subject to mediation or arbitration in accordance with Tennessee and United States law.
• State and Federal Grant: This project is funded by the Tennessee Department of Economic and Development Digital Skills and Workforce Development Grant (reimbursement grant). Proper receipts and billing is necessary for state and federal compliance. 

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This RFP represents an exciting opportunity to impact the future of underserved students in Tennessee. We look forward to reviewing your proposals and selecting a partner who shares our commitment to educational excellence and cultural relevance.

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For questions regarding this RFP - please schedule an appointment with Jennifer Novo - Executive Director, jennifer.novo@futuroisnow.com. 

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