First Follow-Up of the High School Longitudinal Study:2009

The First Follow-Up of the High School Longitudinal Study: 2009 is a five-year performance-based contract awarded by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics. The project focuses on tracking student transitions from high school to postsecondary education and employment through a series of critical data collection milestones, including 11th grade data collection in 2012, a college update in 2013, high school transcript collection in 2013, and a second follow-up field test in 2014. To ensure high-quality results, the contract requires strict adherence to NCES Statistical Standards and utilizes an award fee plan that provides monetary incentives based on the quality of deliverables such as OMB clearance packages and integrated monitoring systems. This agreement is structured as a hybrid contract, combining fixed-price and cost-reimbursable tasks to balance risk between the government and the contractor. This financial structure allows the government to maintain longitudinal studies on student outcomes while sharing the risk on tasks where costs are difficult to predict. The contract administration includes rigorous performance evaluations focusing on quality, cost control, and timeliness, and requires large businesses to submit a Small Business Subcontracting Plan to meet specific agency goals for disadvantaged, woman-owned, and HUBZone small businesses.