STRATEGIC PRIORITY: Government Performance & Financial Management
AGENDA DATE: September 28, 2022
COUNCIL DISTRICT(S): All
DEPARTMENT: Office of Procurement Services
EXECUTIVE: Jack Ireland
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SUBJECT
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Authorize a (1) one- year service contract for employment and workforce training services for formerly incarcerated individuals for the Small Business Center - Regional Black Contractors Association of North Texas, Inc. in the amount of $500,000; and (2) two-year service contract for re-entry career pathway services for the Small Business Center - Volunteers of America Texas, Inc. in the amount of $250,000 and First Step Community Empowerment in the amount of $250,000, most advantageous proposers of five - Total not to exceed $1,000,000 - Financing: General Fund ($500,000) and Texas Department of Criminal Justice Grant ($500,000) (subject to annual appropriations)
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BACKGROUND
This action does not encumber funds; the purpose of a service contract is to establish firm pricing for services, for a specific term, which are ordered on an as needed basis.
These service contracts will provide for employment and workforce training services for formerly incarcerated individuals and re-entry services. More than 150,000 individuals were incarcerated in Texas in 2016 and data shows that one in five of Texas inmates released are re-incarcerated within three years of release. Upon release, individuals face a myriad of barriers to successful re-entry into society. These individuals often face limited employment opportunities and are often ineligible for public benefits and other types of assistance, making it difficult to find stability, and self-sufficiency.
The Re-entry Services Program was established by the Texas State Legislature to support projects in Dallas and Houston that strive to support individuals being release from Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) facilities and returnin...
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