Transition to Organic Partnership Program Request for Proposal Workforce Development Needs Assessment for the Organic Industry
- This RFP was uploaded by the owner.
The Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP) is a new program funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), overseen by the National Organic Program. To meet the continued and increased consumer demand for organic products in the marketplace, the entire domestic supply chain must expand. A larger and more diverse organic sector workforce is necessary for this growth. We plan to work with companies, educational and training institutions, and other partners to support workforce training and education focused on the organic supply chain. We have put together this RFP to solicit a Workforce Development Needs Assessment for the organic industry within the United States, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. The purpose of this RFP is to provide a fair evaluation for all candidates, and to provide the candidates with the evaluation criteria against which they will be judged.
The primary objective of this needs assessment, evaluation, and summary report is to isolate measurable gaps in training opportunities for future inspectors and reviewers. This should include university programs, the Organic Integrity Learning Center, International Organic Inspectors Association (IOIA) and offerings by both certification agencies and the Accredited Certifiers Association (ACA) as well as other training opportunities. This will build on the extensive work the ACA, IOIA, and OILC have accomplished including but not limited to the 2022 Inspector Retention Working Group Report and a Job Task Analysis of the organic industry.
