Updated 10.13.2026
AS OF 10/13/2026, WE HAVE RESPONDED TO ALL QUESTIONS RECEIVED. RESPONSES ARE BEEPOSTED BELOW.
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The question period for the FAST AI RFQ ended on October 2, 2026. A single consolidated set of all questions and responses will be posted below by no later than October 13, 2026. Answers to questions received have been added to this page on a rolling basis. We will update this page confirming all questions have been responded to by the 13th.
Responses will address all questions received by the deadline and will be published without identifying the submitting organization. CommCorp will not provide individual written or verbal responses to questions outside of the posted responses below.
Any information conveyed outside of the posted responses is not binding on CommCorp, excluding technical support with application tools. CommCorp reserves the right to modify, consolidate, or decline to answer any question. All potential Applicants are advised to check the CommCorp website periodically for additional information and updates until submissions are due. CommCorp may publish additional guidance, corrections, or amendments to this RFQ at any time prior to the submission deadline. It is the Applicant's responsibility to review any such postings before submitting.
The below questions and responses have been organized to correspond with the Sections in the FAST AI RFQ. You can find a copy of the FAST AI RFQ here.
Additional RFQ resources (including the required Program Narrative and Budget Form Template), can be found here.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
RFQ Section 2.1: Eligible Training Provider Applicants
| Q: Are private, nonprofit Institutes of Higher Education eligible to submit a FAST AI RFQ? |
| A: Yes, private, nonprofit Institutes of Higher Education are eligible to be considered for a FAST AI grant, as long as all other training provider and course requirements are met. |
| Q: Are single-member LLCs eligible to apply? |
| Sole proprietorships and single-member limited liability companies (LLCs) are not eligible to apply. FAST AI requires training providers with demonstrated organizational capacity to continuously engage employers and deliver quality training over a multi-year contract. This includes continued delivery of training regardless of personnel changes or unexpected disruptions, and meeting the program's documentation, reporting, and monitoring requirements. |
| Q: Experience. Is there a minimum number of years in business, a minimum number of prior AI or workforce trainings delivered, or a references requirement for providers? |
| Per Section 2.1 of the RFQ, applicants should have been in operation for at least 2 years as a training provider delivering training services, either in AI or in other related topics. Applicants will be asked to upload instructor resumes for all courses included in your RFQ application, as well as three employer references. Please review Section 5.4 of the RFQ for additional document requirements of this application. |
| Q: May an applicant to the FAST AI RFQ be headquartered outside of Massachusetts, and if so, are there any compliance documents that must be satisfied before application or contracting? |
| A: Per Section 2.1 of the RFQ, eligible applicants must be based within the United States, and easily able to offer ongoing training courses to Massachusetts-based employers either in-person or virtually. Applicants outside the state of Massachusetts will still need to provide compliance documents as outlined in Section 2.1 of the RFQ. Additional guidance to obtain a Certificate of Good Standing (COGS) from the Massachusetts Department of Revenue (DOR) can be found here. Applicants should be able to obtain a COGS from the DOR even if they are not based in Massachusetts or currently doing business in the state. |
| Q: Are independent/out-of-state providers eligible if delivery is remote or hybrid for Massachusetts employers? |
| A: Yes, out-of-state applicants are eligible to for FAST AI funds if delivery is remote or hybrid for Massachusetts employers/employees, as long as all other training provider and course requirements are met. |
Q: The FAST AI RFQ eligibility requirement in Section 2.1(6) states that an applicant must “have been in operation for at least 2 years as a training provider offering training services, either in AI or in other related topics.”
Must the applicant's legal entity itself have been operating as a training provider for at least two years, or can this requirement be satisfied through the prior training experience of the applicant’s principals and/or proposed instructors? |
| A: The Applicant must meet all Provider Minimum Qualifications on its own, including being in operation for at least two years. The requirement cannot be satisfied through prior training experience of the applicant's principals and/or proposed instructors. |
| Q: May an Applicant use subcontractors or teaming partners to develop or deliver FAST AI courses, and include their qualifications in its response? |
A: Each application must be submitted by a single Applicant, which will be the sole contracting party if selected. Joint or co-applicant submissions will not be accepted. An Applicant may use subcontractors or training partners to provide instructors, curriculum, or other training delivery services, subject to the following:
a) The Applicant is the sole contracting party and remains fully responsible for all courses, reporting, employer eligibility verification, slot-cap tracking, billing, and contract compliance, including work performed by subcontractors; and
b) The Applicant must meet all eligibility requirements on its own. Subcontractor experience may not be used to satisfy them. |
| Q: Must subcontractors or training partners be named in the application, or may they be added after award? |
| A: Strong applications will include ample information about qualified instructors and curriculum based on best practices in adult learning and workforce training. Trainers can be internally-sourced, or you can engage subcontractors to augment your capacity and expertise. Applicants should identify any subcontractor or training partner that will provide instruction, curriculum, or other training delivery services, and describe the subcontractor(s) role. Resumes are required for instructors you intend to engage in training, including those provided by a subcontractor or training partner. If approved, there will be an opportunity to add qualified instructors, subcontractors, or training partners, which will require CommCorp's written approval. |
Q: May one organization serve as a subcontractor or training partner to more than one Applicant?
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| A: Yes. The RFQ does not prohibit an organization from serving as a subcontractor or training partner to more than one Applicant. Each application is reviewed on its own merits, and each Applicant remains solely responsible for its courses and contract compliance. The same training for the same trainee may not be funded more than once. |
| Q: Must a corporation with no Massachusetts office register with the Secretary of the Commonwealth before applying, in addition to providing a Department of Revenue Certificate of Good Standing? |
A: Applicants are responsible for complying with all laws that apply to their organization, including any registration requirements for doing business in Massachusetts. CommCorp cannot advise on whether a specific organization must register; Applicants should consult their own counsel.
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| Q: May Applicants use subcontracted training firms or independent instructors? If so, what must the application include, such as names, resumes, or letters of commitment? |
| A: Applicants may use subcontractors or training partners, including independent instructors, subject to the posted response on subcontractors and training partners. Applicants should identify in the Program Narrative any subcontractor or training partner that will provide instructors, curriculum, or other training delivery services, and describe its role. A resume is required for each instructor, including instructors provided by a subcontractor or training partner. |
| Q: Is a franchisee eligible to apply, and may CommCorp consider the training track record of an affiliated organization, such as the Applicant's franchisor, when evaluating the Applicant's experience and capacity? |
A: Franchise status does not by itself make an organization ineligible. A franchisee may apply if it meets all baseline eligibility requirements in Section 2.1 on its own as a legal entity, including at least two years in operation as a training provider. The experience of a franchisor or other affiliated organization's experience, operating history, or employer clients may not be used to satisfy eligibility requirements. In scoring under Section 6.2, the review committee evaluates the Applicant's own organizational background, capacity, and track record. Applicants may provide information about prior use of curriculum that was developed and delivered by a franchisor or other partner, and the role that franchisor or partner will play, but an affiliated organization's track record will not substitute for the Applicant's. |
| Q: Must instructors, or the organization that employs them, be based in the United States? May instructors based outside the United States deliver live virtual training to Massachusetts employers? |
| A: The requirement in Section 2.1 to be based within the United States applies to the Applicant. The RFQ does not require individual instructors to be based in the United States. The Applicant remains fully responsible for all training delivery and for protecting trainee and employer information in accordance with Section 4.9, including when instructors are provided by a subcontractor or training partner. |
| Q: What documentation demonstrates that an Applicant is Massachusetts-based, and does a Massachusetts home office owned or leased by the Applicant's owner and used for company operations count as a physical location? |
| A: Applicants qualify as Massachusetts-based if they meet the definition in Section 2.1, item 3a. Provide the Massachusetts location in the Organizational Profile section of the application. No additional documentation is required at submission, but CommCorp may request verification during review. Consistent with Section 2.2, a location owned or leased by the Applicant's ownership and used for company operations, including an owner's home office, counts as a physical location. P.O. boxes and virtual office addresses do not. |
| Q: Does experience training an organization's own employees count toward the requirement of two years in operation as a training provider? May a course designed for a single occupation meet the RFQ's criteria? |
| A: No. Section 2.1 requires at least two years in operation as a training provider offering training services to clientelle. Training delivered only to an organization's own employees does not meet this requirement. The Applicant must meet this requirement on its own, and it cannot be satisfied through a partner organization (see the posted responses on subcontractors and training partners). Yes, a course designed for a specific occupation may meet the RFQ's criteria; occupation-specific use cases are a preferred course characteristic under Section 3.2. |
| Q: If a university applies, should the university be the Applicant, and may the application reflect the training history of a center or department within it? May more than one center, school, or department of the same university apply separately? |
| A: The Applicant must be the legal entity that holds the FEIN, provides the required compliance documents, and signs the contract, which for a university is generally the university. The application may describe the center or department that will deliver the training, including its training history, employer relationships, and instructors. CommCorp will accept one application per FEIN, so units of the same legal entity may not apply separately. Each Applicant is subject to the 20-course limit and the $400,000 maximum award. |
RFQ Section 2.2: Eligible Employers and Trainees
| Q: Must trainees work in Massachusetts? Are employees of a Massachusetts employer who work remotely from another state eligible? |
| A: Trainees must be Massachusetts W-2 payroll employees of the eligible employer. Remote employees may be eligible if payroll taxes for the trainee are filed in Massachusetts. During the employer enrollment process, employers will be guided on which of their employees are eligible for FAST AI. Grantees will be required to verify eligibility with employers before enrolling trainees in their course. |
Q: What types of employers are eligible to enroll employees in FAST AI courses?
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| A: See section 2.2 of the FAST AI RFQ for info on eligible employers. |
Q: Employer eligibility: Are Massachusetts employers required to contribute to the Workforce Training Fund to be eligible for FAST AI? |
| A: Massachusetts employers are not required to contribute to the Workforce Training Fund to be eligible for FAST AI courses. Full employer eligibility can be found in Section 2.2 of the RFQ. |
| Q: Is the "FAST AI Employer Certificate of Registration" in Section 2.2 the same document as the "Eligibility Confirmation Memo" in Section 4.2? How long is employer eligibility valid? |
| A: Yes, they are the same document. Each certificate shows the employer's FEIN and an expiration date, and the employer's eligibility is valid through that date. Before enrolling any trainee, selected Applicants must confirm that the employer's certificate is current (Section 4.2). Employers with an expired certificate may renew eligibility by submitting updated compliance documents through the FAST AI Employer Registration Form. |
| Q: How long does it typically take employers to obtain the required compliance documents (DOR Certificate of Good Standing and DUA Certificate of Compliance), and how long does employer registration take? |
| A: Processing times for the Certificate of Good Standing and the DUA Certificate of Compliance are set by the Department of Revenue and the Department of Unemployment Assistance and vary by employer. Employers should request these documents before starting the FAST AI Employer Registration Form. After submission, CommCorp will review complete employer registrations promptly and send a notice to the company in 21 days or less. Employer registration is anticipated to open in January 2027 (Section 1.1). |
| Q: May a FAST AI course offering include participants who are not funded through FAST AI, such as self-paying participants, employees of public-sector or out-of-state organizations, or attendees enrolled outside the program? |
| A: An offering of an approved course may include participants who are not funded through FAST AI. If such participants are included: (a) CommCorp reimburses only training slots for eligible trainees of employers with an approved FAST AI Employer Eligibility Memo, and (b) attendance and completion records must identify which participants are FAST AI trainees. Participants who are not funded through FAST AI are not subject to FAST AI eligibility requirements. |
RFQ Section 3: Eligible AI Training Courses
| Q: Do courses have to be delivered in person in Massachusetts? |
A: Per Section 3.1 of the RFQ, the following course delivery requirements must be met:
- Training must be instructor-led by qualified and experienced personnel.
- Virtual, in-person, and hybrid formats are permitted.
- Live virtual delivery is expected to comprise many offerings.
- Asynchronous/self-paced content may only be a limited, supplemental component.
- Courses must include meaningful interaction with the instructor and guided practice.
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| Q: May a respondent propose a customized program or series designed for a specific employer or cohort, built on participants' live workflows? What does "employer customization capability" mean in Section 3.2 of the RFQ? |
| A: Courses in the FAST AI Training Directory must be standard offerings that any Approved Employer can select. Each course must have a fixed curriculum, learning objectives, total hours, delivery format, and price per participant. Within those parameters, instructors are allowed reasonable variance to apply context, examples, and exercises based on participants' actual use-cases, industries, occupations, or roles so that trainees gain realistic experience and practical skills. FAST AI does not fund consulting or bespoke services. This includes assessing an employer's operations, designing a program for a single employer, building AI tools, workflows, or other deliverables for an employer, implementation support and/or related services. FAST AI seeks to serve as many employers as possible across the program. Competitive proposals will include training expected to appeal to multiple employers. "Employer customization capability" in section 3.2 refers to the ability to apply context, examples, and exercises based on participants' actual use-cases, industries, occupations, or roles so that trainees gain realistic experience and practical skills. |
| Q: May a provider tailor exercises to an enrolled employer's own tools and sample (non-confidential) work tasks, as long as the deliverable is skills training and not a custom work product? |
| A: Please see answer above! |
| Q: What does “training slot” mean in the context of the landing page saying costs “may not exceed $300 per instructional hour per training slot, or $3000 per person per course, whichever is less”? Can a course be charged as a flat group rate? |
| “Training slot” refers to one trainee seat, and the subsidy caps are defined at the training slot level (for example, if you propose an 8-hour course, the max we can reimburse is $2400 per training slot. However, proposals that are not competitively priced will not be selected, even if they are below limits. We will reimburse providers (the grantee) based on the number of eligible training slots completed. All FAST AI courses should be priced on a per-person basis, not as a group rate. |
| Q: Can you provide examples of how the course cost caps are applied? Some providers price training per day or per cohort rather than per trainee. |
A: Course cost caps apply per training slot, meaning per trainee enrolled in a course. The maximum cost per slot is $300 multiplied by the number of course hours, or $3,000, whichever is lower. The per-slot price a provider proposes is the full price of the training. Providers may not charge employers or trainees for any portion of the cost of a FAST AI course.
Providers who price training per day or per cohort must convert that price to a per-slot price at or below the applicable cap.
Examples:
1. An 8-hour course may be priced at up to $2,400 per slot ($300 x 8 hours). Delivered to a cohort of 12 trainees, the maximum reimbursement for that delivery is $28,800.
2. A 16-hour course is capped at $3,000 per slot, since $300 x 16 hours ($4,800) exceeds the $3,000 limit.
Please note:
a. Proposals that are not competitively priced will not be selected, even if they are below the limits.
b. Reimbursement is based on actual completed enrollments. Slots that are not filled or not completed are not reimbursed, including within cohort-priced deliveries.
c. All reimbursements to a provider across all approved courses are subject to the maximum award amount per provider. |
Q: Are there minimum or maximum class sizes?
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A: CommCorp does not set a minimum or maximum class size. Applicants state the maximum number of training slots for each course offering in their application.
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| Q: Can a course with a fixed group price be proposed under FAST AI? How should price and planned training slots be entered in the Budget Form, and how does reimbursement work if attendance differs from the planned group size? |
A: No. All FAST AI courses must be priced on a per-person basis, not as a group rate. Applicants whose pricing schemes normally use fixed group rates should set a per-person price that meets requirements in Section 3.2 including: no more than $300 per hour per training slot, or $3,000 per person per course, whichever is less.
In the Budget Form, enter the per-person price for each course and the maximum number of training slots for each offering. CommCorp reimburses the per-person price for each eligible trainee who attends and completes the course. There is no minimum payment per session. Grant funds may not be used to pay for unfilled slots or slots for trainees who do not complete a course. Providers may not bill employers or trainees for the any costs related to training funded via FAST AI. Applicants should set pricing competitively with this in mind. |
| Q: Course structure: Are there minimum or maximum instructional hours per course, and minimum or maximum class sizes? May one course be offered as an open-enrollment cohort mixing employees from several employers? |
A: There are no minimum or maximum instructional hours or class sizes per course. Courses must meet the guidelines in Section 3 of the RFQ. Additional consideration will be given to applicants offering competitive per-slot pricing
FAST AI is designed as a marketplace of courses available to as many employers and employees as possible, with particular emphasis on making training accessible to small and medium-sized businesses. Training will be offered through open-enrollment cohorts, typically bringing together employees from multiple employers. A cohort may consist of employees from a single employer, but the course must remain listed and accessible to other eligible employers. Approved training providers should not reserve future slots for a specific employer when other employers are ready to enroll.
Proposals that demonstrate a realistic plan to serve a range of employers, especially small and medium-sized businesses, will be most competitive. Such plans may include outreach, scheduling, and delivery formats that work for smaller businesses.
Training providers working with eligible employers that have large-scale or customized training needs are encouraged to support them in developing training plans and applying to the Workforce Training Fund General Program (https://commcorp.org/subprogram/wtfp-general-program/), which offers grants of up to $200,000 for customized, strategic incumbent worker training. |
| Q: Does instructor-guided practice in a simulated or sample environment count toward instructional hours, and does it meet the requirement that training be applied to a trainee's own tools and role? |
| A: Instructor-led guided practice counts toward instructional hours, including practice in a simulated or sample environment. Courses must still meet the Section 3.2 minimum that training be applied to the trainee's own tools, role, and operations. Simulated practice alone does not meet that requirement. Whether a specific course meets the minimum qualifications will be determined in review. |
| Q: Does a certificate of completion issued by the provider count as an "industry-recognized credential"? |
| A: A certificate issued by the training provider will not be considered an industry-recognized credential unless a training provider is accredited to award specific certifications by an established credentialing or licensing body that is broadly recognized in the relevant industry. Industry-recognized credentials are typically issued or recognized by a third party, such as an industry association, credentialling body, licensing authority or licensed vendor. |
| Q: Do assignments, simulations, or exercises that trainees complete between live sessions count toward a course's instructional hours? |
| A: No. Only instructor-led time counts toward instructional hours, including instructor-led guided practice. Assignments, simulations, or exercises completed between live sessions without an instructor may be included as a limited, supplemental component of a course, per Section 3.1, but do not count toward instructional hours or the per-hour pricing limit in Section 3.2. |
| Q: Are there minimum enrollment or utilization requirements tied to a provider's award amount? |
| A: CommCorp does not set a minimum enrollment requirement. As noted in the response on payment above, the grant award is a maximum amount, not a guaranteed payment, and providers are reimbursed only for eligible completed training slots. |
| Q: Sector focus: May courses be built for a specific industry or role, such as telecommunications field operations or tribal and municipal government staff? |
A: Yes, courses may be built for a specific industry or role, and this is a preferred characteristic of a course, as outlined in Section 3.2 of the RFQ. Please review the employer eligibility requirements in Section 2.2 as only private employers are eligible to send their employees to FAST AI courses. |
| Q: If the same core course is adapted for different industries, occupations, or languages, does each version count as a separate course toward the 20-course limit? |
| A: A course that keeps the same curriculum, learning objectives, instructional hours, delivery format, and per-slot price is one course. A version adapted to a specific industry or occupation and offered under its own title (for example, one version for optical engineering and another for pharmaceutical and life sciences engineering) must be submitted as a separate course with its own Course Details, and each version counts toward the 20-course limit. Within a single course, instructors may tailor examples and exercises to the employers and trainees in a given cohort (see the posted response on employer customization). A single course may be offered in more than one language; list the languages in the Course Details. A version with different learning objectives, curriculum, instructional hours, delivery format, or price must also be submitted as a separate course. |
| Q: How should providers contextualize training to participants' roles, tools, and operations in cohorts that include employees of multiple employers, while protecting each employer's confidential information? |
| A: Providers determine how to apply training to participants' roles, tools, and operations. Approaches may include role- or industry-based examples, guided practice using sample or de-identified materials that reflect participants' work, and individual exercises in which participants apply techniques to their own work without sharing it with the cohort. Courses should not require participants to disclose an employer's confidential information to the instructor or to other participants. See also the response on use of employer data. |
| Q: May providers require employers or trainees to supply AI tools, software licenses, or platforms needed for a course? |
| A: The cost of any tools, licenses, sandboxes, or platforms the provider supplies for a course must be included in the per-slot price, and providers may not charge employers or trainees for them. A course built around a specific tool that employers license themselves, such as an enterprise AI assistant, may list access to that tool as a trainee prerequisite in the Course Details, so employers can select courses that fit the tools they already use. |
Q: Would a course that teaches businesses to use AI tools to support proposal or grant writing be eligible, or would it fall under "AI research," which is out of scope?
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| A: A course that teaches workers to apply AI tools to a business task, such as proposal development, may be eligible if it meets the course requirements in Section 3.2. "AI research" in the list of out-of-scope services refers to research on AI itself, not training workers to use AI tools for research or writing tasks. Whether a specific course meets the minimum qualifications will be determined in review. |
| Q: How is reimbursement calculated when a course is delivered to multiple cohorts, and how should multiple offerings be entered in the Budget Form? |
| A: Reimbursement is calculated per completed training slot. For each offering, CommCorp reimburses the per-slot price multiplied by the number of eligible trainees who complete the course. In the Budget Form, list each course once and enter the cumulative planned number of training slots across all offerings during the contract period (Section 5.4, Attachment 2). The Budget Form calculates the total request from the per-slot price and the cumulative planned slots. Timing of reimbursement is determined during contracting. |
| Q: Is a course eligible if it devotes initial instructional hours to the digital skills needed to operate an AI tool (such as device setup, account access, and browser use) and most hours to applied, hands-on use of generative AI for specific job tasks? Would the digital skills component count as foundational AI literacy? |
| A: CommCorp considers basic digital skills, such as device setup, account access, and browser use, to be foundational training concepts and not eligible for FAST AI, which is focused on applied AI skills training content. Eligible employers should consider using the WTFP General or Express Programs to support these and other basic skills training for their employees. |
| Q: If a course is approved for both FAST AI and the WTFP Express Course Directory, can it be offered through either program depending on employer eligibility? If so, does the pricing need to be the same across both programs? |
| A: Yes. A course approved in either FAST AI or WTFP Express may be offered through the other program to employers eligible for that program, but the same training for the same trainee may not be funded by both programs. FAST AI per-slot prices must meet the pricing limits in Section 3.2 and are scored for competitiveness under Section 6.2. |
RFQ Section 4: Administrative Requirements (Including Questions About Reimbursement)
| Q: Insurance. What insurance types and limits are required, and at what stage (application or contracting)? |
| A: Providers are responsible for maintaining any insurance coverage required by applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations. |
| Q: How and when are providers paid (per completed trainee, per cohort, monthly invoice), and are payments tied to attendance or completion thresholds? |
A: Selected providers will be paid for training slots following the completion of a cohort. Payment will only be made for eligible participants who have completed a course. Reimbursement is tied to verified participation and completion, evidenced by attendance records. Providers may not bill employers or trainees for training that was not completed or no-show slots. Providers will submit reimbursement requests to CommCorp using a Financial Status Report (FSR) form, and payments are made by Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). CommCorp will not pay for training delivered to any participants or employers without a valid Eligibility Confirmation Memo. CommCorp will not pay for training that exceeds the 100-slot per-employer cap. Reimbursement frequency will be detailed in the grant contract if selected. The grant award is a maximum amount, not a guaranteed payment. Providers are reimbursed per eligible completed training slot, up to the award amount.
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| Q: After award, may providers market their approved FAST AI courses directly to Massachusetts employers, and are there branding rules for doing so? |
| Yes, per Section 4.10 of the RFQ, selected applicants are expected to market their FAST AI courses to Massachusetts employers and to support CommCorp outreach efforts. We expect some eligible employers to find courses through the CommCorp website via a FAST AI Course Directory. But most engagement will result from direct marketing efforts of the training providers selected by CommCorp. CommCorp may request review of selected applicants’ materials that reference FAST AI before use. Additional branding guidelines and support will be provided to selected applicants during contracting and onboarding. |
| Q: What are the reporting requirements for selected providers, and on what timeline? |
| A: Reporting requirements are described in Section 4 of the RFQ. The reporting schedule, reimbursement frequency, and the system providers will use to submit data will be detailed in the grant contract and provided during contracting and onboarding. Grant contracts are expected to run from February 1, 2027 through January 30, 2029. |
| Q: Are providers permitted or encouraged to measure pre- and post-training outcomes, such as AI proficiency, productivity, time savings, work quality, confidence, or adoption? |
| A: Yes. Applicants are encouraged to measure learner outcomes and should describe their approach in the "How Learner Outcomes Are Measured" field of the Course Details form. Outcome data from prior training may also be submitted to support an applicant's track record, as described in the response on evidence of prior training performance above. Selected providers will also be required to meet the reporting requirements in Section 4 of the RFQ. |
| Q: Is the attendance roster the only proof for billing against the grant that is required. What about evaluations? If required, do you have guidelines for questions and/or statement that should be followed? |
| A: Per Section 4.1 of the RFQ, selected applicants for FAST AI will be required to manage recruitment, enrollment, and scheduling for their own courses using their own systems. To be reimbursed for completed training slots, grantees must report enrollment, attendance, and completion data to CommCorp on a recurring basis. The reporting schedule, required data fields, and submission method will be established at contracting. Each reported training slot must be traceable to an employer (identified by FEIN), and individual trainee, and an approved course. Verified attendance and completion are the basis for reimbursement.
In terms of evaluations, CommCorp expects to collect feedback from trainees on course quality and from employers on training impact and worker retention. Grantees are expected to support this, which may include distributing surveys or sharing contact information consistent with applicable privacy requirements. Grantee responsibilities will be addressed in contract documents. |
Q: Will CommCorp provide its standard grant contract terms before the application deadline? |
A. Selected Applicants will be subject to CommCorp's standard contract terms and conditions (Section 4.11). Contract documents will be provided to selected Applicants during contracting. Program requirements Applicants should plan for, including reporting, monitoring, records retention, and privacy, are described in Section 4 of the RFQ. For insurance, see the posted response on insurance. |
| Q: Which course updates may be made without CommCorp approval, and which changes require written approval? |
| A: Selected Applicants may update tools, tool versions, prompts, examples, exercises, and demonstrations to keep pace with changes in AI without CommCorp approval, as long as the course's learning objectives, core topics, instructional hours, delivery format, and per-slot price do not change. Changes to any of those elements require CommCorp's written approval before the revised course is offered (Section 4.7). Selected Applicants must keep course directory information current (Section 4.4). |
| Q: May providers set a minimum enrollment for a cohort, and may a cohort be postponed, combined, or cancelled if the minimum is not met? |
| A: Yes. Selected Applicants manage scheduling for their own courses (Section 4.1) and may set a minimum enrollment for an offering. If the minimum is not met, a cohort may be postponed, combined with another offering of the same approved course, or cancelled. Providers should communicate minimum enrollment and scheduling terms to employers before enrollment. CommCorp monitors performance across the contract, including enrollment and timely delivery of training (Section 4.7), so providers should plan schedules that give employers access to courses within a reasonable time. |
| Q: Is there a minimum frequency at which an approved course must be offered, or a required timeframe for making training available to employers? |
| A: CommCorp does not set a minimum offering frequency or response time. Selected Applicants are expected to offer approved courses often enough to serve interested employers and deliver their planned training slots during the contract period. Timely delivery of training is part of performance monitoring under Section 4.7. |
| Q: What counts as course completion for reimbursement, and may a trainee who misses a session make it up? |
| A: Completion requirements for each course are described by the Applicant in the Course Details ("How Learner Outcomes Are Measured") and finalized in the executed contract. At minimum, attendance records must show the trainee attended all instructional hours of the course, and the trainee must complete any assessment or activity the course requires. A trainee who misses a session may make it up through a make-up session or by attending that session with another cohort of the same approved course, as long as all required hours are completed and documented during the contract period. A slot may be reimbursed only once per trainee per course. |
| Q: Do slots for trainees who withdraw, do not start, or do not complete a course count toward the employer's 100-slot cap? May an employer substitute another employee? |
| A: The 100-slot cap applies to slots reimbursed by CommCorp. Slots for trainees who withdraw, do not attend, or do not complete a course are not reimbursed and do not count toward the cap. Before a course begins, an employer may replace an enrolled trainee with another eligible employee, and providers may set a substitution deadline. Once a course begins, a slot may not be transferred to another trainee (Section 1.3). |
| Q: May an employee take more than one FAST AI course, and what happens if a trainee leaves the employer before completing a course? |
| A: Yes. An employee may complete more than one FAST AI course, subject to the employer's 100-slot cap with each provider. Trainees must be W-2 employees of the eligible employer and be paid regular wages during training hours (Section 2.2). A slot is not reimbursable if the trainee is no longer employed by the eligible employer when the course is completed. |
| Q: May providers shift training slots between approved courses or increase their slot allocation? |
| A: Reimbursement across all approved courses is limited to the provider's maximum award amount. Selected Applicants may request to shift planned training slots among their approved courses within the award amount based on employer demand; shifts require CommCorp's written approval. Increases to an award may be made at CommCorp's discretion, subject to funding availability and satisfactory performance (Section 1.5). |
| Q: Is funding for the full contract period committed at award, or is funding after FY27 subject to availability? |
| A: The award amount in the executed contract is the maximum available to the provider for the full contract period, February 1, 2027 through January 31, 2029. Reimbursement depends on completed training slots and is not guaranteed. Any increase beyond the award amount is subject to funding availability (Section 1.5). |
| Q: What data privacy and security requirements apply to trainee and employer data, and may participants use their employer's data and workflows during hands-on training? |
| A: Section 4.9 describes privacy and data security requirements, including compliance with G.L. c. 93H. Specific requirements, including records retention and breach notification, will be set in the grant contract. During training, participants may apply techniques to their own work only as permitted by their employer's policies. Providers should not collect, store, or require access to an employer's confidential data, and should use sample, synthetic, or de-identified data for instructor demonstrations and shared exercises. |
| Q: Who owns course curriculum and materials, and what rights will CommCorp, employers, and trainees have to use them? |
| A: Providers retain ownership of their curriculum and course materials. CommCorp may publish course information submitted by providers, such as course descriptions, in the FAST AI course directory and in program outreach. Trainees may keep and use materials provided to them during a course for their own learning and work, unless the provider states otherwise. Recording of course sessions requires the provider's permission. Final terms will be set in the grant contract. |
| Q: What accessibility standards apply to training materials and delivery, and who pays for learner accommodations? |
| A: Selected Applicants must comply with applicable federal and state accessibility and nondiscrimination laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act. The cost of providing reasonable accommodations is the provider's responsibility and may not be charged to employers or trainees. Any additional requirements will be set in the grant contract. |
Q: Can an approved Applicant offer the same course independently, outside of FAST AI, before or alongside the program, provided those enrollments are not billed through FAST AI? Relatedly, does the standard contract include any exclusivity provisions restricting an awarded provider from marketing or delivering the same course commercially outside the program during the contract term?
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A: Yes. Selected Applicants may offer the same course outside FAST AI, as long as enrollments outside the program are not billed to FAST AI and the same training for the same trainee is not funded more than once. Selected Applicants will be subject to CommCorp's standard contract terms and conditions (Section 4.11).
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| Q: Are there accountability mechanisms for employers that enroll employees who then do not attend or complete training, and are there provisions to encourage enrolled participants to complete a course? |
| A: Employers agree to FAST AI terms and conditions when they register. Selected Applicants manage enrollment for their own courses and may set reasonable enrollment, cancellation, and substitution policies. |
RFQ Section 5: Application Instructions (Including Questions about Compliance and Other Required Documents)
| Q: Are Community Colleges required to submit a Certificate of Good Standing (COGS) from the Massachusetts Department of Revenue (DOR) when submitting an application? |
| A: No, per Section 2.1, public higher education institutions, including community colleges, state universities, and university systems, are not required to provide a COGS from the DOR. For the COGS upload section of the application, public higher education institutions may upload a blank placeholder pdf file to meet the upload requirement on the page. All other applicants are required to upload a valid COGS. Compliance guidance can be found here. |
| Q: Does an out-of-state applicant with no Massachusetts tax filing obligations to date still have to provide a Certificate of Good Standing from the MA Department of Revenue? If DOR processing is pending at deadline, may the certificate follow? |
| A: Yes, all applicants are required to provide a valid Certificate of Good Standing from the MA, Department of Revenue, except for Massachusetts-based community colleges / higher education institutions. We recommend applicants start the process of obtaining the document as soon as they can to ensure they can upload a valid copy prior to our November 6th application deadline. |
| Q: How much is a provider reimbursed if a course is not fully enrolled, or if an enrolled trainee does not complete the course, including for reasons outside the provider's control. |
A: Reimbursement equals the per-slot price in the executed contract multiplied by the number of eligible trainees who attend and complete the course. Unfilled slots are not reimbursed. Slots for trainees who do not complete the course are not reimbursed, regardless of the reason for non-completion.
Providers may not bill employers or trainees for incomplete or no-show slots.
As noted in the response on training slots above, FAST AI courses are priced per person, not as a group rate divided across a cohort. The Section 3.2 limit applies to each slot. For a 10-hour course, the per-slot price may not exceed $3,000 ($300 x 10 hours). For example, if a 10-hour course is priced at $300 per slot and 5 eligible trainees complete it, maximum reimbursement is $1,500 (5 x $300). |
| Q: What documentation of instructor expertise is required, and may instructors be added after award? |
| A: Applicants must upload a resume for each instructor of each course, per Section 5.4. Resumes should show the instructor's relevant AI expertise and training delivery experience. CommCorp does not require specific certifications. Instructors may be added or changed after award with CommCorp's prior written approval. |
Q: May an employer reference be from a nonprofit organization, and must references be clients of the Applicant itself
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| A: Employer references must be from past or current employer clients of the Applicant itself. Nonprofit organizations may serve as references. |
| Q: May an employer provide a qualifying reference if an owner, executive, or manager attended the Applicant's prior training, rather than other employees? |
| A: Yes. A reference may come from an employer whose owner, executive, or manager attended training delivered by the Applicant. The letter must meet all other requirements for employer letters of reference in Section 5.4, Attachment 6. |
| Q: Who can I obtain an Employer Letter of Reference from? |
| A: Applicants should select references that best demonstrate their ability to meet the provider and course standards described in the RFQ. CommCorp is unable to provide guidance beyond what is stated in the RFQ. |
RFQ Section 6: Proposal Evaluation Process and Criteria
| Q: What evidence of prior training performance is expected from Applicants? Are client references, participant counts, completion rates, learner feedback, sample curricula, or outcome data preferred or required? |
| A: Per Section 2.1, Applicants should provide performance metrics for courses offered within the past year, such as the number of participants trained and completion rates, and at least three letters of reference from past or current employer clients (see Attachment 6 in Section 5.4). Applicants may also include learner feedback or outcome data to support their track record, which is scored under Section 6.2. Sample curricula are not required; course content is described in the Course Details component of the Program Narrative and Course Details Form. |
| Q: Beyond the three required employer letters, what other evidence of employer demand is helpful? Must references and other evidence come from Massachusetts employers, and will Massachusetts evidence be weighted more heavily? |
| A: Applicants may support employer demand with any credible evidence in the Program Narrative section of their application. References and other evidence may come from employers outside Massachusetts. Section 6.2 scores credible evidence of employer demand for the proposed courses in Massachusetts sectors and occupations of scale, so evidence of demand from Massachusetts employers will be most relevant in review. Proposals that show a realistic plan to serve a range of employers, especially small and medium-sized businesses, will be most competitive. |
Miscellaneous Questions (not directly tied to RFQ Sections)
| Q: May prospective respondents meet individually with CommCorp staff before the question deadline to discuss fit? |
| A: No. To keep the process fair to all respondents, CommCorp staff cannot hold individual meetings or give individual guidance during the RFQ period. Please submit questions in writing to fastai@commcorp.org by October 2, 2026. All questions and answers will be published. CommCorp reserves the right to modify, consolidate, or decline to answer any question. |
| Q: May a provider with approved courses in the WTFP Express Directory apply to FAST AI? May employers use both programs? |
| A: Yes. Current WTFP Express providers may apply to FAST AI and must meet all FAST AI provider and course requirements. FAST AI and WTFP are separate programs, and employers may participate in both. The same training for the same trainee(s) cannot be funded by both programs. |
| Q: Will there be provider intake periods after this RFQ, and will the two-year operating requirement apply to them? |
| A: CommCorp hopes to request qualifications for additional FAST AI training as soon as next year if additional funding is available. Eligibility requirements for any future opportunity will be included in a public procurement when released. |
| Q: May providers use anonymized, aggregated FAST AI outcome data for independent research or publication? |
| A: Use of FAST AI program data by selected providers will be addressed in the grant contract. |
| Q: The RFQ lists a contract end date of January 31, 2029, while other program materials state that CommCorp will prioritize training completed by June 30, 2028. Through what date should Applicants plan training slots and budgets? |
| A: FAST AI contracts with Training Providers are expected to cover February 1, 2027 through January 31, 2029. Training is expected to be completed by June 30, 2028. Training Providers will have until January 31, 2029 to complete remaining contractual obligations. |