OPERATING AGREEMENT
The following Operating Agreement (the Agreement) sets forth the terms of agreement for cooperative operation and management with regard to collocation of the Workforce Development Council and the Employment Security Department (the Agencies) located at WorkSource Whatcom, 101 Prospect Street (the Center). 1. Purpose of Agreement
It is the purpose of this Agreement to establish a cooperative and mutually beneficial management and operating relationship between the Workforce Development Council, herein after referred to as the “One-Stop Operator”, and the Employment Security Department, herein after referred to as “ESD, collocated partner” collocated at 101 Prospect Street, referred to in this Agreement as “the Center” and to set forth the relative responsibilities of the Agencies insofar as they relate to managing and operating within the Center and planning and implementation of individual and mutual duties, obligations, and responsibilities under the Workforce Investment Act. 2. One Stop Career Center Commitments
For the Center located at 101 Prospect Street each of the agencies party to this agreement support the following one stop career center operation policies and procedures: C C C C C agreement with the WDC’s designated one-stop operator agreement with the use of the Center Use Team as the onsite management approach on behalf of the Partnership agreement with the policies and procedures to manage onsite collocated staff agreement with the protocols for operations, customer interactions, and staff interactions agreement to operate in accordance with the WDC certification quality standards.
The agreements above were part of the Memorandum of Understanding and are further described below. ONE STOP OPERATOR ROLE/FUNCTION. The role of the One-Stop Operator is equivalent to that of managing partner. In that role, the One-Stop Operator identifies issues that need to be addressed that have to do with service delivery. The One-Stop Operator works with collocated partners to form a solution, but is empowered to make the final call when a decision cannot be reached or when timing to make a decision requires an immediate decision. The One-Stop Operator is responsible for ensuring that the integrated service delivery system at the Center supports all of the WDC policies related to oversight and implementation of the one-stop delivery system. Additionally, the One-Stop Operator is responsible for ensuring the service delivery system at the Center fully integrates the
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Northwest Partnership for Workforce Development’s products, protocols, and quality standards. The WDC, as the One-Stop operator, performs these functions for the Center. The WDC management continues to operate their internal organization as required, working, as will all partners, to align the internal agency practices with the practices required to provide quality services through the Center and the one-stop system. As the One-Stop Operator, the WDC supports the Northwest Partnership for Workforce Development’s structure for design and implementation issues within the workforce preparation system. The Partners jointly fund and share the position of Partnership Coordinator/Center Coordinator. Therefore, the contact person for all staff with regard to service issues is the Center Coordinator. Service issues are items that have to do with scheduling of staff, customer flow, changes to service delivery, etc. The Executive Director of the WDC is the contact person for WDC policy issues. The Deputy Director of the WDC is the contact person for WDC program issues. LEASEHOLDER. The Leaseholder identifies and acts upon issues with the Center’s infrastructure (building issues). The Leaseholder contact person for all staff with regard to facilities issues is the WDC Operations Manager. Facilities issues are items that have to do with the lease, maintenance and repair of the building. CENTER COORDINATOR ROLE/FUNCTION. The Center Coordinator’s role is to provide operational oversight to the Center. The Coordinator for the site is responsible for operational management, ensuring that services are being delivered in accordance with the Partnership’s products and processes and use of the Continuous Quality Improvement initiatives of the Partnership. The Coordinator has primary responsibility for ensuring the tools and strategies developed by the Center Use Team are implemented. The Coordinator is responsible for ensuring that the integrated service delivery system at the Center supports all of the WDC policies related to oversight and implementation of the one-stop delivery system. The Coordinator provides direction to collocated staff with regard to day-to-day operational needs. The Coordinator ensures all staff operate within the agreed upon policies and procedures to manage onsite collocated staff; with the agreed upon protocols for operations, customer interactions, and staff interactions, and operate in accordance with the WDC certification quality standards. MANAGEMENT GROUP ROLE/FUNCTION. This is specifically a management group, not a team. Their role is to facilitate communication among all staff, identify issues, and insure that work/issues are placed in the appropriate team, person, or agency. For issues of customer flow, customer service, Center operations, and CQI, they function like a “switching station”, ensuring that issues are being dealt with either through the Center Coordinator, Center Use Team, the Design Team, the Leadership Team, existing work teams or process improvement teams.
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The work that they will do is focused on personnel issues (not of individual agencies, but problems arising among staff across partners), customer grievances, One Stop and Partner performance management, and issues of the moment that may be readily resolved. Decisions shall be made by a consensus of the Management Group or in consultation with the executive directors of the WDC and Employment Security, except as otherwise established in this Agreement with regard to the Center Coordinator and the Center Use Team. The executive directors of the WDC and Employment Security will assign members of this group. CENTER USE TEAM ROLE/FUNCTION. The Center Use Team’s primary role is to develop tools and strategies and to deploy them within the Center and to identify training and skill development needs for Resource Specialists. They will develop and maintain operational policies, procedures and practices around customer flow, customer services, operations, and continuous quality improvement. The Center Use Team works to align all service practices with performance management for WIA and all partners programs. They are responsible for ensuring that the integrated service delivery system at the Center supports all of the WDC policies related to oversight and implementation of the one-stop delivery system. STAFF INTEGRATION. The staff of the One-Stop Operator and ESD as a collocated Partner will integrate service functions as required to deliver universal services as envisioned by the existing Memorandum of Understanding and the Workforce Investment Act. This service integration will be defined over time through the work of the Center Use Team and the Executive Directors of the Agencies. 3. DURATION OF AGREEMENT
The Agreement will commence on the 24th day of April, 2001, and shall remain in full force and effect until the 30th day of June 2006 or until the Agreement is canceled by the Employment Security Department or the Workforce Development Council in accordance with the terms set forth herein. 4. TERM
This Agreement shall take effect when collocation occurs and shall remain in effect until terminated in accordance with this paragraph. Any party may terminate this Agreement by giving advance written notice to each of the other parties on or before January 1 of the year in which termination is to occur. Termination shall be effective June 30.
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Termination of this Agreement shall not effect the liabilities incurred prior to the termination date. 5. AMENDMENT
This Agreement may be amended at any time by the written, signed consent of all the parties. 6. MEETINGS
The Executive Directors of the parties shall meet regularly and at such times as are deemed necessary by either party. The Management Group shall meet twice monthly and at such other times as are deemed necessary by any member of the Group or the Executive Directors. The Center Use Team shall set a regular meeting schedule in advance and provide notification to the Agencies. 7. SEVERABILITY
Should any part of this Agreement be invalidated otherwise rendered null and void, the remainder of this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect. 8. AUTHORITY
The undersigned officials are authorized to execute this Agreement on behalf of the parties. The undersigned Agencies bind themselves to the faithful performance of this Agreement. It is mutually understood that this Agreement shall not become effective until executed by all Parties involved. NORTHWEST WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL By: ______________________________ Executive Director Date: ________________________________ Employment Security Department By: _________________________________ Area Administrator Date: ________________________________
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