McNeely, Pigott & Fox PR, Nashville, Tenn., has defended a $10M, multi-year communications support contract with the U.S. Dept. of Labor’s Office of Job Corps after a competitive RFP process.
Thirteen firms pitched for the year-long contract, which includes four additional option years and is capped at $9,997,000.
The contract specialist overseeing the RFP declined to reveal the other firms that pitched, telling O’Dwyer’s via email that information is “subject to protection from release” and suggesting a Freedom of Information Act request.
Job Corps is a 45-year-old career skills and technical training program for disadvantaged youth like high school dropouts and homeless or runaway kids from 16 to 24 years old.
It runs 122 centers across 48 states and educates in academics, job training and “life skills,” and also houses and clothes participants.
MP&F, which started out handling the account regionally in the southeast in 1995, will guide PR and outreach communications programs for all of Job Corps’ national and regional offices under the sweeping pact, which includes work from media relations and publication writing to speeches and event support. |