Department of Workforce Development

Madison, Wis. – A total of 62 W-2 agencies have qualified for "fast track" renewal of their service contracts, a state official announced today.

"This means these agencies have been approved for a ‘right of first selection’ and won’t have to participate in open competition for the next contract because of their documented excellent past performance," according to Jean Rogers.

Rogers, Economic Support Division administrator in the State Department of Workforce Development (DWD), said the process being followed to award the next contracts is modeled on the one used to determine the current contractors, the majority of whom are counties.

The agencies still need to agree to new contracts to complete the renewal process.

"It is a pleasure to say that all 75 of our W-2 agencies have done a fine job at serving participants," Rogers said.

"In addition, the 62 agencies approved for the right-of-first selection have done an exceptional job in meeting the program, financial and administrative criteria."

Rogers said the next contracts will be for two calendar years, beginning Jan. 1, 2000.   Current contracts are for 28 months as the program began during a calendar year -- in September, 1997 -- and expire Dec. 31.

The Department administers W-2, or Wisconsin Works, the state’s pioneering work-based welfare reform program.  The agency contracts with service providers, usually within each county, to provide W-2 services.  Five agencies provide services in Milwaukee County, while five counties are served by one consortium and two contractors are Indian tribes.

The remaining agencies -- 13 in all -- remain eligible for renewal of their contracts later this year.  "Those not accorded the ‘right of first selection’ are encouraged to compete and still may be selected if they submit the best proposal," Rogers said.

"These 62 agencies already have competed in the original -- and fairly recent -- selection process for the contracts they now have, and they have met or surpassed the standards we set for an early renewal decision."

The decisions announced today were made by DWD staff based on applications submitted by W-2 agencies and after a review of performance data they provided in support of their request.

The criteria required agency officials to look at the size of caseloads assigned to agency staff, whether W-2 participants had sound employability plans to help them find and keep jobs, the success of those who left the program in developing self-sufficiency, and other factors.

"These criteria were used to determine which agencies demonstrated the best practices during this challenging first-ever W-2 contract period," Rogers noted.

The list of agencies approved for "right of first selection" are (county-managed agencies unless otherwise noted):

Adams, Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Brown, Buffalo, Calumet, Clark, Columbia, Crawford, Dane, Door, Dunn, Eau Claire, Fond du Lac, Forest (Forward Service Corp.), Green Lake, Iron, Jackson, Jefferson, Juneau (Western Wisconsin Private Industry Council), Kewaunee (Forward Service Corp.), La Crosse, Langlade, Lincoln, Marathon, Marinette, Marquette, Menomonie, and Milwaukee (Employment Solutions, MAXIMUS, Opportunities Industrialization Center of Greater Milwaukee {OIC-GM}, United Migrant Opportunities Services {UMOS}, and YW Works).

Also: Oconto, Oneida (Forward Service Corp.), Outagamie, Ozaukee, Pepin, Pierce, Polk, Portage, Price, Racine, Rusk, St. Croix, Sauk, Sawyer, Shawano (Shawano County Job Center), Sheboygan, Taylor, Trempealeau, Vernon, Vilas (Forward Service Corp.), Walworth (Kaiser Group), Washburn, Washington, Waukesha (Curtis and Associates), Waupaca, Winnebago, and Wood, and the Bad River Tribe.

Those remaining eligible for contract renewal in a competitive process later this year are (county-managed agencies unless otherwise noted): Burnett, Chippewa, Dodge, Douglas, Florence, Kenosha, Manitowoc, Monroe, Rock, and Waushara, the W-2 Southwest Consortium composed of Grant, Green, Iowa, Lafayette, and Richland counties, and the Lac du Flambeau and Oneida Tribes.

In the continuing contract process, all agencies will be required to submit a plan describing how they intend to operate the program, subject to Department approval.   This step also parallels the process used in selecting the current contractors.

Rogers said the Department used its W-2 reporting system, nicknamed CARES, as the basis for determining program performance.  CARES stands for Client Assistance for Reemployment and Economic Support.