PreSolicitation Conference for Services under Education Resource Information Center (ERIC)

This contract amendment clarifies the Department of Education’s policies regarding contractor participation in the solicitation erte100038b for services under the Education Resource Information Center (ERIC). Specifically, it addresses concerns about conflicts of interest related to quality assurance and Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) contractors. The Department confirms that no small business currently performing ERIC work is banned from teaming or serving as a prime contractor, but a prime contractor—whether large or small—cannot team with a small business partner. The solicitation erte100038b is set aside exclusively for small businesses, meaning the prime contractor must be a small business. Teaming or partnering between small businesses is permitted, but large businesses are restricted to subcontractor roles only, where the small business must perform at least 51 percent of the work, and the large business subcontractor is limited to no more than 49 percent, in compliance with FAR 52.219-14. The solicitation is classified under NAICS code 518210 and is managed by the Department of Education’s Contracts and Acquisitions Management office, headquartered in Washington, DC. The solicitation was posted on March 8, 2013, with points of contact including Contract Specialist Jennifer Arthur and Contracting Officer Sylvia Reid. The contract requires strict adherence to the small business set-aside rule as per FAR 19.5, ensuring opportunities for eligible small businesses in delivering services under the ERIC program while maintaining necessary oversight and avoiding conflicts of interest related to auditing and quality assurance activities.