01Maritime and Terminal Operations
Operations, cargo and yard support, maintenance, and safety support
Proposal · RFP 072026-1050
Proposal · Port of Tacoma RFP 072026-1050
PortReady 360
A one-year, four-cohort workforce pathway preparing Pierce County residents for maritime, logistics, manufacturing, construction, and related technology careers.
Proposed Year-One ModelProposed
- proposed cohorts
- training hours
- people trained
- placement outcomes targeted
This page describes a proposal. It is not an awarded contract, a confirmed partnership, or a completed program.
Opportunity · target industries
Four Industries.One Pathway.
PortReady 360 prepares Pierce County residents for entry and advancement across the region's port-connected economy.
01
02Logistics and Warehousing
Warehouse operations, shipping and receiving, inventory, dispatch, and material handling
03Manufacturing and Industrial Technology
Production, quality, maintenance trainee, and robotics-enabled roles
04Construction and Skilled Trades
Entry trades, field documentation, safety roles, and apprenticeship pathways
Role families describe the kinds of work the pathway prepares people for. They are not a list of currently open positions.
Participant pathway
Recruit. Screen. Train.Connect. Place and Retain.
Five connected stages move a resident from first contact to a retained placement. Every stage is staffed, documented and reported.
Proposed
Recruit
Community, workforce, education, veteran, reentry, disability-service, and industry outreach throughout Pierce County.
Screen
Eligibility, career-interest, barrier, safety, and readiness screening, with prospective participants contacted within two business days.
Train
An 80-hour employer-informed occupational training experience.
Connect
Employer meetings, worksite exposure, interview preparation, applications, and work-based learning opportunities.
Place and Retain
Placement support followed by check-ins at 7, 30, 60, and 90 days.
Recruitment and placement
Proposed Year-One Recruitment and Placement Funnel
Targets represent the proposed full-funding service level. They are not current program results.
TargetFull-funding service level · one year · four cohorts
interests generated
eligibility and career screens
participants enrolled
training completers
placement outcomes
Target
90-day retention target
"Interests generated" counts inquiries and expressions of interest, not recruited workers. Each later stage narrows to people who are screened, enrolled, complete training, and reach a placement outcome.
- interests generated180
- eligibility and career screens90
- participants enrolled72
- training completers60
- placement outcomes18
Training experience
The 80-HourTraining Experience.
Five employer-informed modules stack to exactly 80 hours per participant. The standard holds at every funding level.
Proposed
hours per participant
Focus · Career mapping, role selection, readiness baseline, and barrier planning
Focus · Communication, reliability, teamwork, digital workflow, hazard awareness, and safety demonstrations
Focus · Cargo and material flow, terminal and warehouse concepts, documentation, quality, sustainability, and customer impact
Focus · Logistics technology, industrial visualization and robotics, maritime cyber and IT/OT awareness, or construction technology and safety
Focus · Assessment support, résumé development, interviews, work samples, employer meetings, and applications
Credentials
Participants pursue at least one employer-aligned credential, assessment, or documented competency package based on the selected pathway.
Potential credentials vary by pathway. Not every participant receives every credential, and regulated credentials are issued by qualified providers.
Potential credentials may include
- OSHA-10
- First Aid/CPR
- Authorized forklift or flagger training
- Digital skills
- Employer-approved technical assessments
Participant career tools
Tools participants — and anyone in Pierce County — can use today.
Both tools are built and operated by BlackMuse and are available now, independent of this proposal.
Employer activation
Demand Mapped.Employers Activated.
Employer engagement runs as a loop, not a one-time ask: map demand, engage, prepare and match candidates, convert to offers, and retain — then feed what employers say back into training.
Target
1Map Demand
2Engage Employers
3Prepare and Match
4Convert
5Retain
- Targetemployers and prospects engaged
- Targetactive employer partners targeted
- Targetemployer-facing activities per completer
- Targetplacement outcomes targeted
- Target90-day retention target
Outreach may include
- Port and NWSA operators and tenants
- Shipyards and marine-maintenance organizations
- Warehouses and freight forwarders
- Automated-logistics companies
- Manufacturers
- Contractors and skilled-trades employers
- Public operators
Prospective outreach targets — not confirmed partners
- TOTE Maritime Alaska
- NewCold Tacoma
- Tacoma Rail
- Tacoma shipyard employers
- Maritime Blue
- Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA)
Named organizations are outreach targets only. Nothing here implies endorsement, selection, or commitment.
Placement model
Permanent Work First.Paid Bridges When Needed.
Target
total placement outcomes targeted
- 12+At least 12 targeted permanent-employment placements
- ≤6Up to 6 paid internships, apprenticeships, or other advancement work experiences
BlackMuse will prioritize permanent full-time employment. Employment, apprenticeship, internship, and retention outcomes will be tracked and reported separately.
Compensation recorded at placement
Implementation
One Year.Four Cohorts.
A 365-day plan from mobilization to closeout. Every count below is a proposed or targeted figure.
Proposed
- Days 0–3001 / 05
Mobilize
- Confirm protocols
- Validate employer demand
- Activate referral channels
- Finalize curriculum and safety procedures
- Configure the performance dashboard
- Produce the work plan, employer prospect map, referral calendar, and cohort schedule
- Days 31–9002 / 05
Cohort 1
- 15 trained (proposed)
- 4–5 placement outcomes targeted
- First employer-feedback loop
- Days 91–18003 / 05
Cohort 2
- 30 trained cumulatively (proposed)
- 9 placement outcomes targeted
- Semiannual outcome summary
- Days 181–27004 / 05
Cohort 3
- 45 trained cumulatively (proposed)
- 13 placement outcomes targeted
- Days 271–36505 / 05
Cohort 4 and Closeout
- 60 trained (proposed)
- 18 placement outcomes targeted
- Annual report and renewal recommendations
Year-one outcomes
Proposed Year-One Performance Framework
The measures BlackMuse proposes to track and report under this contract. Every figure is a target at the proposed full-funding service level — none is a current result.
TargetProposedLabels shown on every card
- TargetInterests generated
- TargetScreened
- TargetEnrolled
- TargetTrained
- TargetPlacement outcomes
- TargetPermanent placements targeted
- TargetPaid pathway bridges (up to)
- Target90-day retention
- ProposedCohorts
- ProposedHours per participant
Documented record
Verified BlackMuseExperience.
Service-period data from October 2024 through May 2026. These figures are historical service-delivery records — not PortReady 360 outcomes.
VerifiedSource: BlackMuse service-delivery records, October 2024 – May 2026.
- Verifiedunique students with completed hours
- Verifiedvalidated student-hours
- Verifiedcompleted participant-service records
- Verifiedactive delivery sites
- Verifiedparticipants engaged across at least two service periods
- Verifiedparticipants engaged across at least three service periods
Prior example
Prior BlackMuse pathway example — not a PortReady 360 outcome
Through prior career-pathway work, BlackMuse introduced a vocational-rehabilitation participant to maritime asset-protection careers. The experience led to an apprenticeship, a completed cybersecurity project, and acceptance of a SOC Analyst role.
Budget
Fixed, Fully Burdened One-Year Request
Proposed
| Category | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Recruitment and Intake | $25,000 | ≈ 12.8% |
| Training and Credentials | $75,000 | ≈ 38.5% |
| Employer Engagement and Work-Based Learning | $40,000 | ≈ 20.5% |
| Placement and Retention | $40,000 | ≈ 20.5% |
| Management and Reporting | $15,000 | ≈ 7.7% |
| Total | $195,000 | 100% |
The request is fixed and fully burdened, including direct and indirect costs such as instruction, materials, PPE, technology, testing, credentials, participant supports, employer engagement, staffing, reporting, administration, insurance, travel, overhead, taxes, and applicable charges.
Scalable funding scenarios
Same Standard.Scaled Capacity.
Reduced funding changes cohort and employer-engagement capacity while preserving the 80-hour training standard.
Proposed
100% funding
Proposed$195,000
- Cohorts
- 4
- Trained
- 60
- Placement outcomes
- 18
- Permanent placements
- At least 12
- Paid pathway bridges
- Up to 6
All values are proposed targets
75% funding
$146,250
- Cohorts
- 3
- Trained
- 45
- Placement outcomes
- 13
- Permanent placements
- At least 9
- Paid pathway bridges
- Up to 4
All values are proposed targets
50% funding
$97,500
- Cohorts
- 2
- Trained
- 30
- Placement outcomes
- 9
- Permanent placements
- At least 6
- Paid pathway bridges
- Up to 3
All values are proposed targets
Team and accountability
Named Leads.Clear Ownership.
Each area of the contract has an accountable lead at BlackMuse.
David Robicheaux
Founder and CEO
Contract Director, Port liaison, employer strategy, and performance accountability
Taylor Tate, M.A.
Chief Operating Officer
Curriculum and Participant Success Lead, instructor supervision, and retention design
Tabatha Tate
Instructional Coach
Training quality, instructional observation, facilitator coaching, and corrective action
Assigned Specialists
Delivery team
Vocational instruction, career navigation, employer relations, data, and reporting
BlackMuse retains responsibility for all work performed by approved subcontractors and credential providers.
Reporting and risk controls
Reported on Schedule.Risks Watched Weekly.
How BlackMuse would keep the Port informed and how the team would catch problems early.
Reporting cadence
- Twice monthlyContract Manager calls
- Within 2 business daysWritten recap after each call
- MonthlyInvoice support
- SemiannuallyOutcome summary
- Annually · January 15Quantitative report due
- Event-drivenRisk and incident notices
- Six yearsRecord retention
- AlwaysAggregate or de-identified reporting unless authorized
- Within 1 business dayRoutine Port requests acknowledged
Risk controls
Recruitment Shortfall
Monitor inquiries, screenings, enrollment pace, and referral-channel performance.
Attendance and Barriers
Use weekly attendance alerts and initiate re-engagement within 48 hours.
Employer Conversion
Track employer activity, interviews, feedback, offers, and placement conversion.
Schedule and Safety
Monitor staffing, facilities, equipment readiness, incidents, and corrective actions.
Proposed
PortReady 360 for Pierce County.
A one-year, four-cohort workforce pathway preparing Pierce County residents for maritime, logistics, manufacturing, construction, and related technology careers.
This page describes a proposal. It is not an awarded contract, a confirmed partnership, or a completed program.
Questions about this proposal
BlackMuse LLC
Tacoma, Washington