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Request for Proposal

Requests at The Grand Forks Region EDC

Want to learn more about open requests for proposals at the EDC? Find open postings below.

Open Requests

Workforce Study & Action Plan Process

Manufacturing and Unmanned & Autonomous Systems (UAS) Sectors

Posting Date
Thursday, March 7, 2024

Responses Due Date
Monday, April 15, 2024

Available Budget To Complete Both Plans
$100,000

Proposals and Questions
Becca Cruger | Director of Workforce Development
beccac@grandforks.org
701.738.0009

120 N 4th St
Grand Forks, ND 58203
grandforks.org

Partnership
This RFP is issued in partnership with the Chamber of Grand Forks/East Grand Forks and the Red River Regional Council.

Notice

Notice is hereby given that the Grand Forks Region Economic Development Corporation (GFREDC) will accept written proposals for a workforce action planning process focusing on the manufacturing sectors and unmanned and autonomous systems sectors through April 15, 2024.

Overview

The purpose of the Request for Proposal (RFP) is to solicit proposals from an agency with national perspective, an expertise in workforce development research and talent attraction solutions, and a willingness to think outside traditional boxes to find innovative approaches. The selected agency will work alongside Grand Forks Region EDC, the Chamber of Grand Forks/East Grand Forks, and the Red River Regional Council to conduct two workforce action planning processes for North Dakota’s Region 4. Each action planning process will have a maximum budget of $50,000, for a total project budget of $100,000. Our organizations are seeking an opportunity to take a proactive and innovative approach to attracting talent for our manufacturing and unmanned and autonomous systems sectors.

About the Grand Forks Region Economic Development Corporation

The vision of the GFREDC is to work collaboratively to foster an environment that attracts innovative people and business investment to Grand Forks County and the surrounding region, enhancing economic vitality for long-term prosperity and growth.

The GFREDC’s successful efforts help expand the economy, create new employment opportunities and improve the quality of life in the region.

The EDC, a 501 (c)(6) non-profit corporation, is funded by the City of Grand Forks, Grand Forks County, and more than 150 regional private sector companies. To learn more about the GFREDC, visit https://grandforks.org

In addition to traditional business development, GFREDC also runs talent attraction marketing efforts for Grand Forks County through Greater Grand Forks: Way Cooler than You Think! For more information visit https://gfiscooler.com

About the Chamber of Grand Forks East/Grand Forks

The Chamber creates an environment that encourages business success while enhancing the quality of life in our region. The Chamber is a catalyst for positive growth and prosperity of the Grand Forks and East Grand Forks region. The Chamber received 4-star accreditation in 2012 and 5-star accreditation in 2017 and again in 2022 which is the highest ranking possible. This means the GF/EGF Chamber is among the top 140 chambers out of over 7,000 nationwide.

The Chamber is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization and is funded by membership fees from more than 1,000 Chamber members. For more information about the Chamber, visit https://gochamber.org

About the Red River Regional Council

The Red River Regional Council (RRRC) is one of eight regional planning councils in North Dakota established in 1973 to enhance the ability of local governments to jointly plan, address issues, and seize opportunities that transcend individual boundaries.

RRRC is an independent quasi-governmental consulting group assisting local governments, business owners, homeowners, landowners, healthcare providers, and educational institutions in solving problems, creating holistic solutions, planning, and making dreams come true.

In addition, RRRC helps direct the work of Real. Good. Northeastern North Dakota, a talent attraction and destination marketing initiative focused on Walsh, Nelson, and Pembina Counties. For more information visit https://realgoodnd.com

About North Dakota Region 4​

Four counties comprise North Dakota’s Region 4: Grand Forks, Walsh, Nelson and Pembina Counties. It borders Canada and has 92,609 residents across 41 communities. Region 4’s counties have experienced significant demographic and economic shifts locally and nationally over the last decade, intensified by the pandemic.

The area’s resilience hinges on diversifying local economies and enhancing collaboration between the growing metropolitan hub and rural communities.

North Dakota counties are broken up into 8 different regions.

Higher education plays a large role in the region, which houses the University of North Dakota, Lake Region State College. Bordering counties also contain Northland Community and Technical College, Mayville State University and the University of Minnesota Crookston. The region also houses the Grand Forks Air Force Base, home to the 319th Reconnaissance Wing and Cavalier Space Force Station, home to the 10th Space Warning Squadron.

Unmanned & Autonomous Systems in Region 4

The development of the unmanned aerial system (UAS) industry began in 2005 when the Grand Forks Air Force Base’s (located in Emerado, ND – 25 miles from Grand Forks metro) mission was realigned to the Global Hawk mission. At this time, GFAFB entered a shared-use agreement with Grand Forks County and a portion of land on base was used to develop the Grand Sky UAS business park. This lease was the first of its kind in the nation.

Since that time, aerospace giants Northrop Grumman and General Atomics have built out operations at Grand Sky. The State contributed funding to build out a statewide Beyond Visual Line of Sight network and has worked with the FAA to receive airspace waivers. This has resulted in the Grand Forks region becoming a hub for UAS research and development. Over the same time, the University of North Dakota (UND) and Northland Community & Technical College began developing UAS-related aviation programs to complement the needs of the burgeoning industry.

The ecosystem was additionally strengthened by work at the Center for Innovation and the establishment of the Hive UAS & Tech Accelerator which has resulted in a sharp increase in the number of UAS and related technology companies, as well as number of jobs. Over the past 10 years, jobs in this sector have grown by 179% and the sector now employs approximately 2,000 people. Planned expansion announcements and the establishment of the Test Resource Management Center are expected to increase the number of employees by a minimum of 600-900 over the next two years.

The type and number of employees needed to sustain this sector’s growth has put a strain on local workforce ecosystems. Many roles such as cloud engineering, senior software engineering, senior project management, cybersecurity, and airframe mechanics are hard to fill from local talent pools. Currently, attracting external talent is necessary to ensure the continued growth of this sector.

Manufacturing in Region 4

Both agribusiness and manufacturing have been key sectors of all counties in region 4, with rural counties often having an employment overdependence on manufacturing. Manufacturing ranks as the second-largest industry in rural counties at 17% GDP, with Grand Forks ringing in at 9% of GDP and 2,586 jobs. Walsh and Pembina Counties have the eighth- and ninth-largest manufacturing industries in North Dakota.

Unlike many other industries, area manufacturers often only look at internal markets vs. seeking talent from external markets. While online job opening reports indicate that there are 93 open jobs in the region in the manufacturing sector, we know through business retention and expansion visits with area employers that the true number is likely more than 500 open positions. Lack of available workforce and the necessity to pay higher than average wages are beginning to impact our region’s ability to stay competitive in attracting business relocation, establishment, or expansion projects in the manufacturing industry.

Major employers in this sector include Cirrus Aircraft, LM Wind Power, Philadelphia Macaroni, North Dakota Mill, American Crystal Sugar, Steffes, Retrax, PS Industries, Simplot, Ideal Aerosmith, Hood Packaging, Technology Applications Group, Motor Coach Industries, Marvin Windows, Plasticom, Kringstad Ironworks, and Harriston-Mayo.

Project Deliverables

  1. Using research and analysis, national best practices, create and present a comprehensive action plan to address immediate and 3-to-5-year workforce needs for the unmanned and autonomous systems sector of North Dakota’s Region 4, broken down by county.
  2. Create and present a comprehensive action plan to address immediate and 3-to-5-year workforce needs for the manufacturing sector of North Dakota’s Region 4.
  3. Identify areas of the country where talent attraction marketing efforts would be most effective for the manufacturing workforce.
  4. Identify areas of the country where talent attraction marketing efforts would be most effective for the unmanned and autonomous workforce.
  5. Identify key messages, decision-making indicators, and incentives that may resonate with external talent and entice them to move to Region 4.

Project Components

Research and Analysis
  1. Labor Market Analysis – By county, conduct a detailed labor market analysis for both manufacturing & unmanned and autonomous systems sectors to identify important trends, labor shed, skills gaps, wage and benefit competitiveness, and cost of living competitiveness, etc.
  2. Systems Analysis – Understand current workforce systems, organizations, and partners operating in each County. Identify specific barriers to employment by assessing housing, childcare, access to broadband, and other quality of life indicators.
  3. Educational Opportunity Analysis – Understand and analyze current opportunities offered by high school, apprenticeship, and post-secondary institutions. Identify career education/training opportunities by county and what the gaps are in connecting skilled talent with employment opportunities.
  4. Target Market Analysis – Identify areas of the U.S. with a higher concentration of the types of skilled labor needed in the region, that also lack competitive advantage due to wages/cost of living/community amenities, etc. Identify competitors’ workforce and incentive programs.
  5. Focus Groups – At a minimum, each industry sector study should include focus groups of the following:
    • A. Regional Employers – These focus groups should be comprised of employers across Region 4. The goal would be to gauge perceptions, identify real challenges, and understand future growth.
    • B. Students Nearing Graduation – These focus groups should be comprised of students nearing high school, technical school or college graduation. The goal would be to gauge perceptions of the region; knowledge of area employers and job opportunities: and identify marketing and awareness opportunities. Answer the question: What would make you stay in North Dakota?
    • C. Potential Relocators – These focus groups should be comprised of those employed in our targeted sectors who live outside of the Grand Forks region in communities identified by the target market analysis. The goal would be to gauge perceptions of the region, identify marketing and awareness opportunities, and answer the question: What would get you to move to NorthDakota?
  6. Marketing Opportunity Identification – Identify best practices to market to external talent in targeted sectors. This talent should be located within the communities identified by the target market analysis.
Findings & Recommendations
  1. Using research and analysis, develop recommendations based on national best practices, broken down by county.
  2. Create a written, research-driven action plan with key findings and recommendations for EACH sector, broken down by county.
  3. The selected firm must meet on a monthly basis with the project team (GFREDC,Chamber, RRRC) to apprise them of the progress and direction of the action plan.
  4. Present key findings and recommendations to regional leadership at the completion of the project.

Submittals

Responses submitted should include the following components:

  1. Description of the firm and areas of expertise, particularly as they relate to this project.
  2. Names and resumes of staff members assigned to the project, including billing rates and anticipated level of participation (i.e., hours).
  3. Outline of your research and action planning strategy
  4. Proposed budget for services.
  5. Timeline for the project activities. *Please note: This project must be completed no later than December 15, 2024.
  6. List of current and former clients who have undergone a similar project.
  7. Three references, including phone numbers and email addresses.
Schedule

Proposals must be received by GFREDC no later than 5:00 pm CDT on April 15, 2024. Proposals received after such time and date will not be accepted and will be returned unopened. Proposals shall be in a sealed envelope plainly marked with the project name. The proposal package should include five hard copies of the proposal.

The proposal may be mailed or hand-delivered to:

Becca Cruger 120 N 4th St Grand Forks, ND 58203 (701) 738-0009 beccac@grandforks.org

*All questions relating to this RFP can be directed to Becca Cruger.