Federal Bonding Program

Background
The Federal Bonding Program (FBP) was developed in the late 1960s by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to assist employment service counselors in placing justice-involved and other at-risk individuals into private sector jobs. The program provides fidelity bonds to employers willing to hire these individuals, protecting them from losses due to theft or other illegal acts. In 2019, DOL expanded the program by providing grant funds to 24 states for purchasing fidelity bonds for ex-offenders.

The goal of this contract is to procure an underwriting company or agency to administer the Federal Bonding Program as defined in the Performance Work Statement.

Work Details
The contractor shall provide all personnel, equipment, tools, materials, supervision, and other items necessary to perform the Federal Bonding Program requirements. Key tasks include:
1. Provide fidelity bonding coverage to justice-involved individuals and others with high-risk backgrounds across all fifty states and six outlying areas.
2. Ensure sufficient professional and administrative personnel are available for all work identified in the PWS.
3. Develop a website for states to electronically purchase and issue bonds, maintaining a secure electronic database that protects confidentiality.
4. Provide quarterly reports detailing bond issuance data, including number of bonds issued by state and claims settled due to dishonest acts.
5. Administer a program of bond purchase awareness for various entities including correctional agencies and non-profit organizations.
6. Provide efficient claims adjustment services with settlements no later than six months from inception.
7. Maintain online system support for technical issues related to bond issuance.

Period of Performance
The period of performance includes one base period of 12 months and four optional periods of 12 months each.

Place of Performance
The work will be performed at the discretion of the contractor.

Bidder Requirements
Bidders must have key personnel with specific qualifications:
- Project Manager: Bachelor’s degree with three years’ experience in project management or four years leading projects.
- Assistant Project Manager: Same qualifications as Project Manager.
- Administrative Assistants (2): Bachelor’s degree with three years’ experience in technology, communication, organization, problem-solving, and training.

Incumbent Analysis (see Incumbents section for more detail)
This opportunity appears to have a confirmed incumbent based on prior award 1605C222C0013, awarded to Oakdale Holdings Corporation for $1,148,396 (03/25/22–03/24/27). That contract required administration of the Federal Bonding Program, including providing fidelity bonds to justice-involved and other at-risk individuals and performing the activities needed to run the program and collect data on reach and impact. The current requirement similarly calls for administering FBP nationwide, maintaining an electronic bond issuance system, providing claims adjustment services, and producing quarterly reporting, which suggests continuity of the same core program functions.