Request for Information Presidential Scholars Program Support Services

The U.S. Department of Education is seeking information on the availability and interest of qualified sources with the capability to meet the Office of Communications and Outreach's (OCO) need for a support services contractor for its U.S. Presidential Scholars Program. See attachment for the draft performance work statement. OCO requires the services of a Contractor to provide technical and logistical support for the annual identification, evaluation, selection and recognition of 161 U.S. Presidential Scholars from an eligible candidate pool of roughly 5,600 graduating high school seniors from across the United States and abroad, as well as to enter data, develop reports, and provide application-related assistance to users of the program's online application OLAS currently provided by WizeHive. The Contractor shall provide expert educational advice on current scholastic assessment practices, standardize testing and the methodology and procedures for identifying high-achieving students, and shall also support the Commission's annual selection and recognition process. Contractor shall provide the following: Design, develop and update candidate identification and evaluation processes; Create data specifications, obtain standardized test scores from ACT, Inc. and The College Board, and conduct psychometric analysis to identify eligible candidates; Provide an electronic file containing eligible candidate information for upload into the online application (OLAS); Design, develop, and distribute application materials and announcements; Verify applicants academic information (as reflected in school records of academic achievement and performance on standardized tests); Track and process all application materials submitted on paper or through OLAS; Provide a Review Committee composed of individuals who meet specified qualifications; coordinate and manage an online review process using OLAS during which the Review Committee selects semifinalists; Train Commissioners to evaluate program candidates, and coordinate and manage an in-person, online or remote review process during which the Commission selects the Scholars; Coordinate and manage travel arrangements for Commissioners, Scholars, and volunteer support staff (Advisors); if circumstances limit in person travel the contractor would coordinate and manage arrangements aspects for a virtual meeting and/or recognition; Develop and prepare management reports, program rosters and labels; Support the program's application process, including serving as administrative users of OLAS to assist student, parent, and school users with application submission and to generate reports for the Department, assisting in testing and validating functionality of OLAS, participating in meetings and activities with ED and other contractor staff, and preparing materials to be included in OCIO-mandated documents, as may be required by the Department; Adhere to and maintain all federally-mandated security, privacy and data integrity requirements and specifications in relation to sensitive data such as dates of birth and other personal identifiers contained in electronic and printed records; Provide technical assistance for the application process for applicants, their school recommenders (teachers, counselors, principals) and family members; Provide customer service for applicants, recommenders, family members and the general public; provide support for Commission business meetings and logistics related to the program's annual National Recognition Program. Because this requirement supports a high profile, annual recognition program affiliated with the White House and has been in continuous operation since 1964, the Department requires a contractor with expertise in working with multiple entities simultaneously such as the Department, the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars members, the student applicants and their families, school staff across the country and the general public. Respondents interested in providing a response to this RFI should read carefully the requirements outlined above and submit information which clearly describes the following: Address questions in the excel attachment. Please ensure that the document is submitted in .xlsx format. Supporting information related to the capabilities addressed in the excel document, including tailored capability statements addressing the particulars of this effort, with appropriate documentation supporting claims of organizational and staff capability. Please name file as follows: [Company Name] RFI-ED-OCO-PSP-FY21-1 This requirement is currently being supported by Scholarship America, Inc. The period of performance on the current contract (EDOCO17C0002) ends 10/20/2021. Please submit RFI responses to Patrick.George@ed.gov and Jennifer.Sokolower@ed.gov and by the response date. Please name the Email Subject as follows: RFI-ED-OCO-PSP-FY21-1 This Request for Information is the initiation of market research under Part 10 of Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). This special notice is for market research and planning purposes only. It does not constitute a solicitation and shall not be construed as a commitment by the Government to award a contract from responses to this announcement. Any information submitted by interested parties is strictly voluntary and the government assumes no financial responsibility for any costs incurred. No monetary compensation will be provided for response preparation for the market survey. Any information that the responder considers proprietary should be clearly marked as such. Your interest in this requirement is appreciated.