ED-IES-17-R-0031 Feasibility Study for an Impact Evaluation of Paraprofessional Reading Tutors

This is a Request for Information notice only; the purpose of this notice is to acquire knowledge about potential sources qualified to complete all work described in the attached draft Performance Work Statements (PWS). The U.S. Department of Education (the Department) is conducting market research to support a requirement for the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE). The acquisition title is "Feasibility Study for an Impact Evaluation of Paraprofessional Reading Tutors." This notice is NOT a request for proposals, but is an invitation for potential offerors to express interest and provide information regarding their relevant knowledge, skills and capabilities. Information submitted in response to this Sources Sought Notice may be used to assist the Department in finalizing its acquisition strategy. The Department needs to determine if there are small business sources with the knowledge, capabilities, and demonstrated successful experience to complete the work required for this acquisition. Small businesses are encouraged to team with other large or small businesses for this requirement. The Department has identified the NAICS code for use in this acquisition. Please identify any other appropriate NAICS codes assigned to your company for the Department's consideration. Disclaimer: The Department will not pay for the provision of any information nor will it compensate any respondents for providing this information. This notice in no way obligates the Government to award any contract to any interested party. Feedback will not be provided to any interested party who submits information to the Department in response to this notice. Capability Statement Submission Deadline The deadline for submitting Capability Statements and Basic Information responses is May 12, 2017 by 11:00 am (EST) via e-mail to the following individuals: Joseph.Gibbs@ed.gov, and cc: Helen.Chang@ed.gov. Primary Point of Contact: Joseph Gibbs Contract Specialist Joseph.Gibbs@ed.gov Secondary Point of Contact: Helen Chang Contracting Officer Helen.Chang@ed.gov Capability Statement Instructions In response to the attached DRAFT Paraprofessional Study Performance Work Statement (PWS), the Department hereby solicits capability statements from eligible, interested parties. Capability Statements shall be no longer than 3 pages (single-spaced, with a minimum of one-inch margins and 12-point font). Interested Parties shall provide responses for all content areas noted below. The information requested in the Basic Information Section ONLY does NOT count against the 3-page Capability Statement page limitation. BASIC INFORMATION (a) Please state your business/company name and address. Include contact information such as a corporate email address and website URL. (b) Please state your business size status (i.e., large or small) in the stated NAICS code of 541720. Provide all socioeconomic categories for your company and the corresponding NAICS code, and a statement as to whether NAICS code of 541720 is the most appropriate code. (c) State if the requirement should be set-aside for small business (or not), and why (or why not)? (d) State if your business believes that a current Department of Education Blanket Purchase Agreement would be a viable procurement tool. (e) State if your business believes that GSA OASIS contracts are a viable procurement tool; and if so, under which pool? (f) State if your company believes that the DRAFT Paraprofessional Study PWS contains any unduly restrictive language or content? Why? Please cite specific examples and provide feedback. (g) State if the DRAFT Paraprofessional Study PWS content provides opportunities for small business subcontracting (or not). Why (or why not)? CAPABILITY STATEMENT CONTENT AREAS The capability statement must describe the collective expertise and experience of your company's personnel, in each of the following areas: - Experience and skill in leading feasibility/design studies for large-scale, multi-site random assignment impact evaluations of education interventions, and experience and skill in conducting such evaluations. Interested parties shall provide a minimum of two examples of personnel's successful past experience in this area. Interested parties shall provide demonstrated experience successfully leading feasibility/design studies for large-scale, multi-site impact evaluations of the type described in the DRAFT Paraprofessional Study PWS, in particular studies that involve recruitment of multiple districts and hundreds of schools under tight timelines, as well as complex data collection over multiple years. Interested parties shall also provide a minimum of two examples of personnel's successful conduct of such impact evaluations. - Experience and skill in authoring well written, policy relevant publications with clear take-home messages for wide audiences. Interested parties shall provide a minimum of two examples of personnel's involvement with authoring publications that clearly summarize experimental findings and present them in a manner such that they can be understood and used by a wide audience. Interested parties shall also provide at least one example of personnel's involvement with authoring documents that present clear and detailed design options for a large-scale impact evaluation of an educational intervention. - Substantive knowledge relevant to the intervention described within the DRAFT Paraprofessional Study PWS, including paraprofessionals, reading instruction, professional development, and evaluation methodology. Interested parties shall provide a minimum of two examples showing that personnel have relevant knowledge to effectively study the intervention, particularly capitalizing on what is known from the research literature. In addition, the capability statement shall address the following experience and capacity at the corporate level: - Experience with projects similar in nature to that described in the DRAFT Paraprofessional Study PWS. Interested parties shall provide evidence of successful corporate experience with a minimum of two past projects that are similar to that described in the DRAFT Paraprofessional Study PWS, in terms of the specific tasks to be performed and the anticipated level of effort required.