Request for Proposal: Trainer/Facilitator: WTS Signature Leadership Training

Submission Information And Timeline: Questions about the request for proposal or the program should be directed to [email protected]. Submissions must be submitted by April 29. Please note: WTS is no longer accepting proposal submissions past the extended deadline; we appreciate your interest in the program.

Download the full request for proposal (RFP) here.   

Dates:

• Mid-Career Training: October 18–20, 2022, with ½ day on 20th
• Executive Training: October 19–22, 2022, with ½ day on 22nd

Location: The Darcy Hotel, Washington, D.C.

1. Purpose

The purpose of this request for proposal is to invite leadership development trainers and facilitators who can assist Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS) in refreshing and advancing their Signature Leadership Training program.  The overall goal is to deliver premier leadership training to mid-career and executive cohorts of women in the transportation industry to prepare them to advance their careers and manage high-functioning teams.  This program is unique as it is the only female-centered leadership training in the industry.

 

2. Signature Leadership Training Background

The Future Is Moving Fast—Learn How to Lead It

Transportation is an essential part of ensuring security, accessibility, and opportunity in a rapidly changing world. To accomplish these transformative goals, a new generation of leaders will require skills like innovation, creativity, ability to measure risk, and compassion.

The WTS International Signature Leadership Program prepares women to lead the transportation industry into the future by developing professional expertise in personnel and organizational management, vital skills for the advancement of the transportation industry as a whole and for those who use it.

WTS International began its Mid-Career Leadership Program, Leadership for the 21st Century, in 2000. The program has grown into one of the organization’s premier leadership development opportunities for women in transportation, and has been expanded to include the Executive Leader Program, a first of its kind for transportation industry female executives.

 

3. Target Audiences
   1. Mid-Career Program: 50-60 mid-career women with 5-10 years of professional experience looking to advance and prepare themselves through professional development for executive/ C-suite leadership opportunities.
   2. Executive Leader Program: 30-40 female leaders with 10-20 years of professional experience.  These candidates should currently manage a team, and have set a professional goal to grow as a manager and advance their careers.

 

4. Project Details & Scope

Develop two leadership programs- a 3.5 day executive leadership program and 2.5 day mid-career program that both work to develop the leader as a whole, with focus on issues and challenges specific to women in the workplace and female leadership.  Program should balance both soft skill training (i.e. emotional triggers, well-being and managing stress) with key leadership training topics of developing your leadership brand, negotiation, and developing a high performing team, as examples.

Proposals should include a detailed agenda broken out by day with topics, descriptions, and any assessments or evaluations for the participants included for each program.  An additional add-on to be considered for the executive program is a one-hour executive coaching session for each executive leader training participant- either prior to or after the training, provided by WTS. 

Proposals should include resume and bio of proposed facilitators as well as 2-3 samples/examples of similar project work.

 

5. Constraints on Budget, Schedule, and Design

Schedule

October 17: Mid-Career Participants Arrive in DC

October 18: Full-day Mid-Career Training, Evening Panel & Dinner (Planned by WTS)

                        Executive Participants Arrive

October 19: Full-day Mid-Career Training

Full-day Executive Training (Potential for joint workshop/ session between two programs)

Networking Reception with both programs

October 20: ½ day Mid-Career Training- participants head home

                        Full-day Executive Training, Evening Panel & Dinner (Planned by WTS)

October 21: Full-day Executive Training, Dinner (Planned by WTS)

October 22: ½ day Executive Training- participants head home

 

Budget

$55,000-70,000

Budget includes development of and facilitation of both programs as well as an hourly executive coaching session for each of the 30-40 executive participants.

Proposals should break down budget into at least the below categories:

• Facilitation of program- 4.5 days total for 2 facilitators
• 1 hour executive coaching for Executive Program participants
• Program Development & Creation

Not included in above budget and to paid separately or covered by WTS:

• Assessments or evaluations administered to participants
• Travel to and from training for facilitators
• Hotel and Per Diem for Facilitators
• Printing of program workbooks
• Supplies needed for deployment of program on site- i.e. markers, flip charts, pens

 

Design

As described in the schedule, the two programs are run simultaneously.  Therefore, a minimum of two trainers are needed.  Proposals should include a detailed agenda with topics, descriptions, and any assessments provided to the participants for each program (Executive and Mid-Career).  An additional add-on to be considered for the executive program is a one-hour executive coaching session for each executive leader training participant- either prior to or after the training, provided by WTS. 

6. Resources Provided

• WTS will provide the venue and rooms for training with input on layout provided by facilitators.
• WTS will provide all technical and audio-visual needs of the trainers for deployment of program.  Please specify needs in proposal.
• WTS will manage and deploy any skill or personality assessments to participants and provide reports to facilitators.
• WTS will manage applications and acceptance to program.
• WTS will provide lodging and per diem for facilitators as well as coverage of travel to and from Washington, DC for the program dates.
• WTS will provide supplies for on-site training including flip charts, markers, pens, etc. as described by the facilitators.  Please specify any large supply needs in proposal.
• WTS will aid facilitators in design of program workbook for participants and creation of power point slides branded under WTS with credit to facilitators (not to be reproduced or used by WTS outside of program).

 

7. Criteria for Evaluating Success of the Training

WTS implements a comprehensive participant evaluation survey following each program.  An 80%+ positive rating on the overall evaluation of the program would be consider a successful program with anecdotal feedback that would encourage others to apply for future programs and that participants would participate in future WTS programs.  A 90% rate of consensus that participants left the training with tangible learnings and valuable skills to implement in their personal and professional lives.

 

8. Criteria for Selection

WTS will use a qualitative-based selection process using the following criteria:

• Proposal review including experience and expertise of facilitators
• Proposed agenda and topics for each program
• Inclusion of female-specific training techniques or topics
• Perspective of imbedding equity, diversity, and inclusion in management training into the program
• Connection of the proposal to the purpose as defined in Section 1.
• Cost. While high priority for any non-profit organization, WTS is not bound to go with the lowest bid, or any big, during this process.

The proposal should not exceed 10 pages including facilitator bios. WTS values companies with existing relationships with WTS and our chapters.  However, this program is unique to WTS International, and proposals should highlight how such companies would elevate or expand on programming offered at chapters, if applicable.

 

9. Requests for Vendor Suggestion or Creativity

The WTS Signature Leadership Program is the premier leadership program for women in the transportation industry.  Within its 22-year history as a program of WTS, the training has adopted many formats.  We value new approaches to training designed specifically for women that goes beyond discussion of work/life balance, emotional intelligence, and wellbeing and into real challenges of being a women leader like imposter syndrome, breaking glass ceilings in a male dominated industry, and how to manage workplace biases. We encourage proposals to speak to unique training techniques and topics that are specific to developing female leaders.

In addition, equity, diversity, and inclusion are engrained in everything WTS does. Building in context for today’s current social environment and social justice causes and how it may relate to strong management and being a leader to all is welcomed.  We encourage proposals to speak to how equity, diversity, and inclusion can be embedded into the program- not as the key focus but rather as an underlining theme as it relates to our attendees’ leadership journeys.

As the program has been produced by different facilitators, each brings their unique perspective to leadership skill and personality assessments. We’ve included assessments such as Myers-Briggs, StrengthFinders and 360 Evaluations.  We are open to recommendations of assessments for each career level program.

WTS is open to a multi-year partnership with facilitators, pending successful completion of program in first year.

 

10. Submission information and Timeline

Questions about the request for proposal or the program should be directed to [email protected]. 

Issuance of RFP: April 1, 2022

Proposals Due: April 29, 2022

Potential Shortlist Interviews: May 2–13, 2022

Award of Contract: By May 31, 2022

June-August: Development of Program

Applications to Program Open: June 13, 2022

Applications Close: August 5, 2022

Selection of Applicants for 2022 Cohort: By August 26, 2022

Pre-Program Activities (including any assessments and/or executive coaching): September/October 2022

Program: October 18–22, 2022