Promising Neighborhoods Training and Technical Assistance

This notice serves to provide details for an upcoming pre-solicitation vendors' conference, request Company Profiles, and provide advance copies of the draft Statement of Work, draft Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan, and draft Sections L and M of the forthcoming solicitation. The purpose of the Pre-solicitation Conference is to meet with all prospective vendors interested in responding to the forthcoming Request for Proposal (RFP), answer questions regarding the requirement, perform market research, and clarify requirements. Promise Neighborhoods (PN) provides competitive grants to eligible nonprofit organizations, institutions of higher education, and Indian tribes to support the development or implementation of a feasible, sustainable plan that combines a continuum of effective family and community services, strong family supports, and ambitious, comprehensive education reforms - with high-quality schools at the center - to improve the educational and life outcomes for children and youth, from birth through college. The purpose of Promise Neighborhoods is to significantly improve the educational and developmental outcomes of children and youth in our most distressed communities, and to transform those communities by (1) increasing the capacity of eligible entities that are focused on achieving results for children and youth throughout an entire neighborhood; (2) building a complete continuum of cradle-to-career solutions of both educational programs and family and community supports, with great schools at the center; (3) integrating programs and breaking down agency "silos" so that solutions are implemented effectively and efficiently across agencies; (4) developing the local infrastructure of systems and resources needed to sustain and scale up proven, effective solutions across the broader region beyond the initial neighborhood; and (5) learning about the overall impact of the Promise Neighborhoods program and about the relationship between particular strategies in Promise Neighborhoods and student outcomes. Program funds support 1-year planning grants that enable grantees to conduct activities to facilitate the development of a feasible plan for providing a continuum of services and supports appropriate to the needs of children and youth within the target neighborhood, as well as implementation grants to support the implementation of a well-conceived plan. The Department of Education (ED) is seeking a contractor to provide ongoing training and technical assistance to PN implementation and planning grantees, aspiring grantees and the field. This meeting will give ED the opportunity to talk about this requirement and to ensure a clear understanding of the work and expectations. The conference will also allow ED to receive feedback on the draft SOW and identify areas that need additional details or specification. Although the Department intends to award this under the GSA Schedule 874-1 (Mission Oriented Business Integrated Services - Consulting Services), this conference shall afford both GSA Schedule holders and non-GSA Schedule holders the opportunity to meet and, potentially, form partnership strategies before award. Please find the logistical information below: Purpose: Promise Neighborhoods: Technical Assistance Bidder's Conference Date: Tuesday, November 8, 2011 Time: 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM Location: 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington DC 20202 Room #: TDC Room 105 Webinar Link: https://educate.webex.com/educate/onstage/g.php?d=747678582&t=a Please send an RSVP via electronic mail to Jake von Reyn at jake.vonreyn@ed.gov and a copy to Janet Mata-Hitz (janet.mata-hitz@ed.gov) by 12:00 PM Noon EST, November 4, 2011. Please state if your firm plans to attend in-person or via the webinar. All companies interested in attending this conference should submit a Company Profile no longer than two, single-spaced pages to include the following: - Name of Company - Point of Contact - GSA Schedule Number (if applicable) - NAICS Code/Codes - Business Size - Other Than Small Business (OTSB) or Small Business (SB); if SB, state whether your business qualifies under a set-aside Program - Current/Previous Clients - where business has performed similar work Companies are encouraged to respond with comments regarding the draft documentation uploaded with this posting. This Pre-solicitation Conference Notice and request for Company Profiles is issued solely for market research purposes. It does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP in the future. This pre-solicitation notice does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service whatsoever. It is the responsibility of the interested parties to monitor the GSA's E-Buy website for additional information pertaining to this pre-solicitation notice. It is the Department's intent to award a contract by December 23, 2011. The resulting contract would be comprised of one, one year base period and four, one-year option periods. The proposed NAICS Code is 541690 - Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services.