Schools of Hope:
Attention Contractors with the City of Grand Rapids
The City of Grand Rapids has adopted an Equal Business Opportunity Construction Policy, which gives bid discounts in four areas, including tutoring with the Schools of Hope Reading Tutor Program. Construction contractors can receive a 1% bid discount for having 10% of their permanent workforce volunteering in the Schools of Hope Reading Tutor Program. Final regulations are found below.
To meet the City of Grand Rapids requirement for contractor discount points for participation in Schools of Hope, the contractor must obtain a certificate from Heart of West Michigan United Way that attests the contractor has had 10% of its permanent workforce participating in Schools of Hope for the preceding year. To qualify the contractor must:
- Calculate 10% of its permanent workforce using the same numbers provided to the city pursuant to the contract compliance workforce data.
- Have at least 10% of its permanent workforce trained as Schools of Hope volunteers.
- Provide Schools of Hope tutoring sessions based on the following formula
- # of weeks Schools of Hope is in session × 10% workforce number × 80% minimum participation rate
- Example: Company A has 150 permanent workers and there are 34 weeks of Schools of Hope, 34×15×.8= 408
- Company A would have to provide 408 sessions in one year's time.
- The same 15 people would not have to provide all sessions. Some companies train substitutes. Some busy employees share students.
- The counting starts at the official start date of the company. For example, a company could start and end in March.
- No "frontloading" is allowed. For example, in the example above, the company could not complete 300 sessions in the first six months and 108 sessions in the second. A year of consistent participation is expected.
- All employees of a company wishing to earn the credit will be assigned to the same school. They will have a separate sign-in sheet. No credit will be given for sessions that are not recorded, i.e. the employee failed to sign in.
Procedure
Each company must complete an application with Heart of West Michigan United Way stating that they are going to apply for the bid discount prior to starting the program. This will trigger special record keeping that can not be started retroactively.
Each company must designate a key contact. An orientation session will be provided to that person.
A training session will be provided to all Schools of Hope teachers with volunteers in the program.
Special sign-in sheets will be developed for this program. No credit will be given for sessions that are not recorded, i.e. the employee failed to sign in.
All Schools of Hope teachers will submit the originals of the sign-in sheets to Heart of West Michigan United Way monthly. Each sheet must bear the signature of the teacher certifying that all sessions have been completed.
United Way will keep all originals until the city has officially granted or denied the bid discount for the participating company.
Heart of West Michigan United Way will keep the official tally of sessions against the number needed to qualify.
A company contact may request a running tally of sessions from Heart of West Michigan United Way at any time.
The company must request the certificate at the end of the year.
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