The New York City Economic Development Corporation (“NYCEDC”) works to make New York City’s neighborhoods and economy stronger and more inclusive, including by helping to strengthen and grow the workforce of the future. One sector of recent investment is the cybersecurity industry. NYCEDC understands the importance of cybersecurity to the New York City economy, both as a tool that helps businesses to operate safely and securely and as a large and growing sector of the economy that produces thousands of jobs, spurs investments in new companies, and generates billions of dollars in economic output. Furthermore, there are currently an estimated 28,000 vacant positions in New York.

NYCEDC seeks an operator to plan, deliver and manage the Cybersecurity Workforce Pilot Project. This project is designed to fill a gap in the labor market by supporting qualified New Yorkers from underrepresented backgrounds in pursuit of jobs in cybersecurity, an industry with a substantial and growing need for entry-level and mid-level talent. NYCEDC will contract with an operator to: (1) recruit, select and place at least 30 people in paid cybersecurity internships in New York City, and (2) engage companies to host paid interns and participate in this industry-building project. The goal of the project is to help underrepresented New Yorkers secure full-time employment in cybersecurity by providing an internship experience that develops the networks, technical and soft skills needed to land a job.

NYCEDC plans to select an operator based on factors stated in the RFP which include but are not limited to: the quality of the proposal and responsiveness to the project objectives, the respondent team’s qualifications and ability to deliver on the project, a project sustainability plan, and the proposed cost.

It is the policy of NYCEDC to comply with all federal, state and city laws and regulations which prohibit unlawful discrimination because of race, creed, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status and other protected category and to take affirmative action in working with contracting parties to ensure certified Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprises (MWBEs) share in the economic opportunities generated by NYCEDC’s projects and initiatives. Please refer to the Equal Employment and Affirmative Compliance for Non-Construction Contracts Addendum in the RFP.

Respondents may submit questions and/or request clarifications from NYCEDC no later than 5:00 P.M. ET on Friday, October 7, 2022. Questions regarding the subject matter of this RFP should be directed to cyberworkforcerfp@edc.nyc. Answers to all questions will be posted by Friday, October 14, 2022, to https://edc.nyc/rfps/. Questions regarding the subject matter of this RFP will not be accepted after 5:00 P.M. ET on Friday, October 7, 2022, however, technical questions pertaining to downloading and submitting proposals to this RFP may be directed to rfprequest@edc.nyc up until the deadline on or before Friday, October 21, 2022.

Detailed submission guidelines and requirements are outlined in the RFP. To download a copy of the solicitation documents please visit edc.nyc/rfps. Please click the link in the “Deadlines” section of this project’s web page (which can be found on edc.nyc/rfps) to electronically upload a proposal for this solicitation.