Proposal due date and time: April 29, 2024, at 11:59 PM (Pacific Time)
Proposal Coordinator: Claire Fite, Long-Term Care Policy Associate
Link: file:///C:/Users/cbettencourt/Downloads/24-GAI-411%20Competitive%20Solicitation.pdf
Purpose: The mission of the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board (the
Workforce Board) is to sustain Washington’s economic vitality through a highly skilled workforce.
Under the 2023 Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 5582 (sec. 5), the Workforce Board is
tasked to conduct a competitive solicitation to develop and execute a statewide marketing
campaign promoting educational and training opportunities for nursing professions with the goal
of reducing barriers, expanding educational opportunities, and increasing the supply of nurses in
Washington.
INFORMATION FOR PROPOSAL REQUEST
1. OVERVIEW
1.1 Background
The Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board (Workforce Board) was established
in 1991 with the responsibility for coordinating policy planning and evaluation for the state’s
workforce training system. Among its responsibilities, the Workforce Board staffs the Health
Workforce Council, convenes a standing Long-Term Care Initiative funded through 2025, and
works with the Department of Labor and Industry, the Washington State Board of Nursing, and
multi-sector partners to develop a registered apprenticeship program for nursing assistant-certified
workers (NACs) to earn their licensed professional nurse (LPN) credentials. Additionally, the
Workforce Board created and manages Career Bridge, a website featuring more than 6,500
Washington education programs, a career quiz, job trend forecasts, and resources to help
Washingtonians pay for school and make their education more affordable.
The 2023 Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 5582 (ESSB 5582) is a multifaceted approach
to resolving nursing shortages in the state. The bill charges various agencies, including the State
Board for Community and Technical Colleges, the Washington State Board of Nursing, the
Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, and the Workforce Board, to develop strategies,
establish educational grant programs, and take action to address the shortage of nurses,
especially in rural areas. Specific to the Workforce Board, the bill codifies the LPN
Apprenticeship program and charges the Workforce Board with the development of a marketing
strategy to bolster recruitment into nursing professions, including into rural and LTC facilities.
The Workforce Board was directed in ESSB 5582 (sec. 5) and funded in the 2023 State Operating
Budget to contract with an organization that has expertise in public relations and marketing to
develop and execute a marketing plan about available training opportunities and jobs for various
nursing professions. ESSB 5582 outlines that this statewide marketing campaign must
include:
• Information about available jobs and educational and training opportunities for professions
including, but not limited to:
o certified nursing assistants
o personal care aides
o licensed practical nurses
o licensed vocational nurses
o other related nursing professions
• Information about available jobs and educational and training opportunities might include:
o Postsecondary degree and credential opportunities
o Apprenticeships and training opportunities provided by labor-management
partnership
• Targeted outreach to serve workforce needs in statewide rural and underserved communities and in long-term care facilities.
The objective of this marketing plan is to support the state’s efforts to reduce barriers and expand
educational opportunities to increase the supply of nurses in Washington.
The bidder awarded this competitive solicitation will provide a written proposal for the
development and implementation of a marketing plan that ties into the Workforce Board’s efforts
to promote and expand health workforce opportunities and that meets the requirements of ESSB
5582 and that does not exceed the maximum competitive solicitation budget of $223,000 (Two
hundred and twenty-three thousand dollars). The agency encourages proposals for creative
campaigns, using both traditional channels and a comprehensive digital media toolkit, to connect
with the intended audiences.
1.2 Proposed Peer Review Services to Be Purchased – Reference Material for Technical
Proposal
Scope of Work
The Contractor shall provide the Services and Deliverable(s) as follows:
1. In consultation with the Workforce Board, organize an advisory group and collaborate with
stakeholders to develop the content of marketing plan and marketing materials.
a. Recruit advisory group members, who may include (but are not limited to):
i. Workforce Board staff.
ii. Students preparing to work in the healthcare industry, direct-care providers
or other relevant healthcare workers, or other members of the marketing
plan’s targeted audience.
iii. Healthcare teachers/professors, employers of healthcare workers, or other
healthcare industry representatives.
iv. Government agency representatives with a knowledge of/background in
similar marketing projects.
v. Participants in the Long-Term Care Initiative convened by the Workforce
Board who have expressed an interest in or need for marketing.
b. Convene advisory group to give feedback on items such as the proposed marketing
plan, prepared marketing materials, etc.
c. Incorporate feedback from advisory group into the final marketing plan and
materials.
d. Hold two (2) meetings with the advisory group after launching the marketing plan
to discuss the progress of the plan and any potential need to make adjustments to
the plan.
e. Conduct research into similar current marketing campaigns. Investigate how these
campaigns could be leveraged or expanded upon in this campaign, including
opportunities for collaboration with other marketing efforts.
2. Based on the proposed marketing plan submitted in the RFP bid and feedback from the
advisory group, stakeholders, and the Workforce Board, prepare a finalized marketing plan
for implementation that:
a. Meets the requirements for the Statewide Campaign as outlined in the 2023
Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 5582 (sec. 5). These requirements include:
i. The marketing plan must include information about available training
opportunities and jobs for professions including, but not limited to:
1. Certified nursing assistants,
2. Personal care aides,
3. Licensed practical nurses,
4. Licensed vocational nurses,
5. Related nursing professions.
ii. The marketing plan must include:
1. Targeted outreach to serve workforce needs in statewide rural and underserved communities.
2. Targeted outreach to serve workforce needs in long-term care facilities.
3. Marketing materials containing information about educational and training opportunities including:
a. Postsecondary degree and credential opportunities as well as
b. Apprenticeships and training opportunities provided as
partnerships between employers and exclusive bargaining representatives.
b. Includes information about (and links to, if applicable based on marketing
mediums) Career Bridge as a way for the audience of the marketing plan to find
education programs and other resources.
3. As part of the finalized marketing plan, develop a project schedule/timeline that will ensure
the Contractor will complete the activities outlined in this Scope of Work by the Contract end date of June 30, 2025.
4. Develop a sustainability plan for the marketing plan after the Contract end date.
5. Develop a plan to evaluate the effectiveness of the marketing plan, including developing performance metrics and success indicators.
6. Execute the finalized marketing plan approved by the advisory group, stakeholders, and the Workforce Board.
7. Provide monthly written updates to the Workforce Board on the progress of the marketing strategy execution and other deliverables.
8. Provide the Workforce Board with data and/or relevant information to support the
Workforce Board’s efforts to evaluate the marketing plan.
9. Perform all additional necessary tasks required to complete all items outlined in this Scope
of Work.