Career Services Unit Provider for Gulf Coast Workforce System

Gulf Coast Workforce Board seeks proposals from qualified, eligible, experienced organizations to design and implement innovative workforce development services across three distinct regions within the 13-county Gulf Coast area. This initiative will support the Gulf Coast Workforce Board’s Strategic Plan by embracing business-forward strategies, forging strategic partnerships, enhancing service awareness, and utilizing technology and innovation to improve service delivery.

This solicitation represents a transformative shift toward integrating career services, business services, and youth services into a cohesive and streamlined delivery model. The selected providers will operate within a hybrid framework that integrates in-person, mobile and virtual service options, addressing the diverse workforce needs of urban, suburban, and rural communities across the region.

Service Providers will be expected to provide comprehensive career services for job seekers, employer engagement strategies, targeted youth development programs, and centralized data management to ensure operational efficiency and informed decision-making. Proposals should highlight innovative approaches, data-driven insights, and strategies to address regional workforce challenges while prioritizing inclusivity and equitable access. The operation of the services includes but is not limited to employment and training services under the following workforce programs:

• Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Adults and Dislocated Workers (including Rapid Response activities);
• Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Youth;
• Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) - Choices;
• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment and Training (SNAP E&T);
• Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA);
• Non-Custodial Parent Choices (NCP) Program;
• Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment (RESEA) Program;
• Wagner-Peyser Employment Services;
• Veteran’s Employment Services;
• Pre-Apprenticeships and Apprenticeships;
• Adult Education and Literacy;
• Texas Workforce Commission Vocational Rehabilitation Services;
• Child Care Services;
• Other Grants and Initiatives as directed by the Board;
• Texas Veterans Commission;
• Coordination with sector-based employers and other strategic organizations to maximize resources and avoid duplication of services;
• Operation of computer and resource room for access to technologies by all customers including unemployment compensation customers; and
• Any other related program and Board initiatives.

Responses must demonstrate an integrated and seamless service delivery system that aligns with WIOA’s One-Stop model, ensuring a customer-centered approach that enhances access to workforce, education, and human resource services. The One-Stop system must provide a coordinated, comprehensive network where required partners deliver services through a unified framework, fostering collaboration and eliminating service duplication. This system should ensure universal accessibility, particularly for individuals with barriers to employment, and promote positive long-term employment outcomes. Proposals should also outline strategies to maintain physical and programmatic accessibility, leverage labor market data for informed service delivery, and align with the Scope of Work to optimize workforce engagement and economic mobility. Service Providers will be expected to coordinate with other agencies and programs co-located in the career centers or designated as partners including but not limited to:

• National Dislocated Worker Grant (NDWG) program, authorized under WIOA §170;
• Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP);
• Career and Technical Education Programs authorized under the Carl K. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 USC §2301 et Seq.);
• Texas Veterans Commission (TVC) Veterans Employment Services;
• Educational and vocational training programs through Job Corps, authorized under WIOA Title 1, Subtitle C and administered by DOL;
• Employment and training activities provided through grant recipients of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD);
• Employment and training activities carried out under the Community Services Block Grant Act (CSBG):
• Reintegration of Offenders program, authorized under §212 of the Second Chance Act of 2007;
• Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker (MSFW) programs under the National Farmworker Jobs Program (NFJP), authorized under WIOA §167;
• Native American programs, authorized under WIOA §166;
• YouthBuild programs, authorized under WIOA §171; and
• And other agencies and programs designed by the Gulf Coast Workforce Board as necessary.

The Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) is the region-wide voluntary association of 133 local governments and local elected officials in the 13-county Gulf Coast Planning region of Texas. Local elected officials organized H-GAC in 1966 after authorization by State enabling legislation. Its service area is 12,500 square miles and includes more than 7-million residents. H-GAC is governed by a 36-member Board of Directors composed of local elected officials, who serve on the governing bodies of member local governments. All H-GAC programs are carried out under the policy direction of its Board of Directors.

H-GAC's mission is to facilitate cooperation among local governments, supporting the region's orderly development and ensuring the safety and well-being of its residents. H-GAC serves as the fiscal and administrative agent for the Gulf Coast Workforce Board. In this role, H-GAC is responsible for issuing procurements, managing local, state, and federal grant funds, ensuring compliance with relevant laws, addressing audit findings, preparing financial reports, and providing technical assistance to subrecipients on fiscal issues. H-GAC is the primary contact for fiscal and administrative matters, operating under the guidance of the Gulf Coast Workforce Board.

The Gulf Coast Workforce Board, hereinafter referred to as GCWB or the “Board”, is a workforce development organization established under Section 2308.253 of the Texas Government Code, Workforce Investment Act of 1998 and its replacement, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Public Law 113 Sec. 107 (29 USC 3122). GCWB serves as the governing body for the public workforce system for the 13-county area of the Gulf Coast region of Texas.

The Gulf Coast Workforce Board and its operating affiliate Workforce Solutions together are the public workforce system in the 13-county Houston-Galveston region. Workforce Solutions help employers meet their human resource needs and individuals build careers, so both can compete in the global economy.

Workforce Solutions serves 300,000 to 400,000 people annually and more than 25,000 employers through 28 local career offices, an Employer Service division, and a consortium of adult education providers. Workforce Solutions offers a range of services to help employers find and hire the best candidates for their job openings, develop new or current employees, and get human resources technical advice. Workforce Solutions helps individuals get a job, keep a job, or get a better job with job search assistance, job referrals and placement, career planning, and financial assistance for those who are eligible. For more information about the Gulf Coast Workforce Board and Workforce Solutions, visit http://wrksolutions.com. The Houston-Galveston Area Council, the fiscal agent for the Gulf Coast Workforce Board, is issuing this Solicitation on behalf of the Board and Workforce Solutions.