# Request for Proposal: On-Site Rails Training **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [January 21, 2006, 2:42am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/request-for-proposal-on-site-rails-training/63633 "2006-01-21T02:42:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Christopher\_JSMack](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Christopher\_JSMack](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Christopher_JSMack)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2006, 2:42am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/request-for-proposal-on-site-rails-training/63633/1 "2006-01-21T02:42:21Z")
Don’t let the bureaucratic aspects of this RFP bother you: we’re eager to find and work with a good trainer to get our developers up to speed on RoR, and there’s a possibility of a paid Rails-evangelist gig as well. If that sounds like something you would be interested in and qualified for, I hope you will get in touch with us and submit a proposal. --Chris =============== EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Departmental Computing Support Manager at Princeton University in central New Jersey, USA, seeks proposals from qualified training firms or individuals for an on-campus training session for developing web applications in Ruby on Rails. We will consider proposals for any effective, interactive training model (e.g., in-person instruction v. videoconferencing). Proposals are due on Friday, 3 February 2006. BACKGROUND AND GOALS We want to provide our central-IT and departmental web developers with 1 to 3 days of hands-on training, starting from a zero foundation in Ruby/Rails. Our developers range from highly experienced enterprise web programmers (all platforms, no Ruby/Rails experience) to near-beginners. Because our developers work on different operating systems, preference will be given to curriculum that is as platform-neutral as possible; for example, we value instruction that minimizes (and identifies) the use of features of Ruby/Rails that are not available on all platforms; and we would strongly prefer that any instruction making use of a particular IDE employ one that is available on Windows, Linux, and the Mac. Our developers can come prepared with individual/team projects they would like to implement, or they can all participate in parallel development of a single reference/demo application, at your option. NOTE: We particularly value reference applications that have some relevance to the academic enterprise: very few of our people build shopping carts. We have a particular interest in training that will: 1. Introduce our developers to agile/test-first programming in Rails, and 2. Help our developers learn best-practices for properly securing web applications in Rails, including strategies and tools for protecting user data and managing role-based permissions as well as the use of our campus LDAP or Active Directory services for authentication and authorization. You may specify Windows, Mac, or Linux desktops for attendees: we will set everyone up on a single platform or let them each choose their own, at your option. The computer/media classroom and equipment (including Ruby/Rails configured to your specifications) will be provided by us, as will food and beverages during breaks. We strongly prefer clear, well-written, and concise submissions that indicate a good understanding of the particular needs of academic enterprises. We will consider creative alternatives to our stated proposal requirements, provided they promise to meet our goals more effectively. You are welcome to contact either of the individuals listed at the bottom of this message to obtain more information about our needs and objectives: Ms. Roach is the administrative contact; Mr. Mackie is the technical contact. REQUIREMENTS The successful respondent will document substantial experience in delivering effective Rails training in a multi-platform environment, and will provide (along with a proposal document and price quotation): a resume/CV for each trainer and for the curriculum developer(s) (if different); and supporting materials sufficiently detailed to allow us to evaluate the curriculum and the quality of the services offered. Multimedia evaluative materials (e.g., recordings of previous training sessions; interactive training/demo websites) are welcome. The specific days/times are negotiable, but we plan to accomplish this training within the next 30-90 days. We require a flat-fee, not a per-capita, price quotation. If your pricing depends on class size, please specify a flat fee and indicate the maximum acceptable seating capacity. Your proposal should specify: 1. The content to be covered, in what general order, and with approximate time breakdowns. 2. A list of course materials, if any, to be provided by you to the attendees. (Samples are optional, but welcome.) 3. The total number of days and hours/day you propose to conduct training, along with one or more sets of proposed dates for the training. An indication of your availability outside those dates would also be helpful. We will give preference to proposals for dates from 15-Feb to 31-March, but will consider later and slightly earlier dates as well. 4. Equipment and configuration required for the classroom and teacher’s station desktops, including OS versions, Ruby/Rails versions, any Rails add-ins, IDE (if any), and any additional software/configuration. (Acceptable OS versions are Windows XP Professional SP2, MacOS-X “Tiger”, or the Princeton standard Linux image, which is based on RedHat: Linux image details are available on request. You may request only one OS, or permit a mix of all three.) 1. A price quotation covering all charges, including a predetermined, fixed fee for any travel and expenses. (Newark, NJ is the most convenient airport; Princeton has rail service direct to campus from NYC, Washington, and Newark Airport; local hotels average $100/night) Client references will be required prior to contract signing. NOTE: Princeton University encourages proposals from small businesses, minority-owned businesses, and woman-owned businesses. OPTIONS We welcome multi-option proposals (e.g., 1-day, 2-day, and 3-day options) as well as creative, alternative specifications aimed at meeting our needs. If submitting multiple options, you should discuss the relative pros and cons of each and indicate clearly your most-preferred option. Also, we are potentially interested in sponsoring one additional day for Rails evangelism on campus, during which time the evangelist would be expected to speak with at least two wider audiences: one session with a technical demo and one without; both with extensive Q&A. Our goals are to stimulate interest in Rails among campus web developers and increase support for Rails development projects among campus decision-makers. This task, if implemented, will be contracted separately from the training session, and you are not required to bid or to accept it in order to win the training contract; however, the training provider will be given first consideration for the evangelism contract. If you are also interested in this opportunity, please tell us in your proposal and detail your qualifications. Pricing information for the additional day would also be helpful, but is not required as part of this proposal. SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS Your initial proposal and any supporting materials may be submitted via hard-copy, e-mail attachment (PDF strongly recommended), or URL-for-download. Proposals should be directed to: Evelyne Roach Departmental Computing Support Manager Office of Information Technology 87 Prospect Ave. Princeton, NJ 08540 removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid \*\*\* Proposals must be received in our offices no later than 5pm EST (GMT-5) on Friday, 3 February 2006. \*\*\* Please contact Ms. Roach or me with any questions – we look forward to working with you. Christopher J. Mackie Computing Support Manager Department of Politics 130 Corwin Hall Princeton, NJ 08544-1012 removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid ---
**Author:** ![Christopher\_JSMack](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Christopher\_JSMack](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Christopher_JSMack)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2006, 3:03am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/request-for-proposal-on-site-rails-training/63633/2 "2006-01-21T03:03:44Z")
Christopher J. Mackie wrote: > Don’t let the bureaucratic aspects of this RFP bother you: we’re eager > to find and work with a good trainer to get our developers up to speed > on RoR, and there’s a possibility of a paid Rails-evangelist gig as > well. If that sounds like something you would be interested in and > qualified for, I hope you will get in touch with us and submit a > proposal. --Chris If you don’t hear from them, I can recommend the Pragmatic Studio training from Dave T. and Mike C… Well, I haven’t taken the workshop yet, but I’ve been working with them to organize a workshop at our company. I think they’ll be able to provide everything you’re looking for, especially since you are looking for training focused on agile methodology. > **[The Pragmatic Studio](https://pragmaticstudio.com/rails/index.html)** > > Premium video courses for software developers. Real apps. Real code. Really good stuff!