Evaluations are conducted for the purpose of improving
the management and effectiveness of employment and training programs carried
out under the Workforce Investment Act. Such evaluations address: the general
effectiveness of training programs in relation to their costs, the
effectiveness of performance measures, the effectiveness of service delivery
structures and mechanisms, the impacts of programs on communities and
participants, the extent to which programs meet the needs of various
demographic groups and other factors. Evaluations are required to use
appropriate methodologies and research designs, including random assignment.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:
Applicant Eligibility: There
are no formal guidelines or conditions applicants must meet other than that
they have demonstrated financial responsibility and competence to fulfill the
terms of the contract and demonstrated employment and training evaluation
skills.
Beneficiary Eligibility:
Anyone/general public.
Credentials/Documentation:
None.
APPLICATION AND AWARD PROCESS:
Pre-application Coordination:
None. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.
Application Procedure: For
most evaluations, the competitive contracting process is used. As topics are
determined, requests for proposals are announced in the Commerce Business
Daily and subsequently issued in hardcopy and posted on the world wide web at
www.doleta.gov.
Award Procedure: Procedures
for each evaluation are specified in the applicable request for proposals.
Deadlines: Not applicable.
Range of Approval/Disapproval Time:
From 45 to 90 days.
Appeals: Procedures for
each evaluation are specified in the applicable request for proposals.
Renewals: Extensions
available upon approval: Renewals are not applicable.
ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS:
Formula and Matching Requirements:
None.
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance:
Most evaluations last one to two years and are cost-reimbursable contracts.
POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Reports: Each evaluation
contractor is required to submit a report to the Secretary of Labor containing
the results of the evaluation. The Secretary is required to submit the draft
of this report to the Committee on Education and the Workforce of the U. S.
House of Representatives and the Committee on Labor and Human Resources of the
U.S. Senate not later than 30 days after it is completed. The final version of
this report must be submitted to the committees within 60 days of its
completion.
Audits: In accordance with
the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133 (Revised June 24, 1997) "Audits
of States, Local Governments, and Nonprofit Organizations," nonfederal
entities that expend financial assistance of $300,000 or more in Federal
awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year.
Nonfederal entities that expend less than $300,000 a year in Federal awards
are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in
Circular No. A-133.
Records: Contractors are
required to maintain books, records, documents and other evidence of
accounting procedures and practices sufficient to reflect properly all direct
and indirect costs of whatever nature claimed to have been incurred for the
performance of the contract. Records are to be retained for 3 years from the
date of final payment or until the contracting officer authorizes earlier
disposal.
FINANCIAL INFORMATION:
Account Identification:
16-0174-0-1-504.
Obligations: (Contracts) FY
01 $9,098,000; FY 02 est $9,098,000; and FY 03 est $9,098,000.
Range and Average of Financial Assistance:
From $80,000 to $24,000,000. Average: $500,000.
PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
In fiscal year 2001, approximately 15 evaluations were
on-going and approximately 5 new evaluations were initiated.
REGULATIONS, GUIDELINES, AND LITERATURE:
None.
INFORMATION CONTACTS:
Regional or Local Office:
Contact the nearest Employment and Training Administration regional office
listed in Appendix IV of the Catalog.
Headquarters Office:
Division of Evaluation and Skills Assessment, Employment and Training
Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Ave., N. W., Room
N-5637, Washington, DC 20210. Contact: Daniel Ryan. Telephone: (202) 693-3649.
E-mail Dryan@DOLETA.gov.
Web Site Address:
http://www.doleta.gov
EXAMPLES OF FUNDED PROJECTS:
"Study of the Implementation of WIA" (a
process evaluation of the implementation of title I of the Workforce
Investment Act), "National Job Corps Study" (a net impact evaluation
of the effects of Job Corps participation on earnings and other
employment-related outcomes), "Evaluation of the Youth Opportunity
Initiative" (an evaluation of the effects of the Youth Opportunity grants
on the communities they serve).
CRITERIA FOR SELECTING PROPOSALS:
Criteria for each evaluation are specified in the
applicable request for proposals. Typically criteria include the quality of
the technical approach, the quality of staff proposed for the evaluation, the
contractor's past performance and cost.
