Single Source Provide for Newsela

The Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind is procuring a three-year, non-competitive license for Newsela’s proprietary educational software platform covering the All Access PD Pass, ELA, Science, Social Studies, and Writing products for fiscal years 2026 through 2029, with a not-to-exceed budget of $47,000. This acquisition is justified as a sole source due to Newsela’s exclusive ownership of a unique combination of copyrighted content from partners such as the Associated Press, Washington Post, National Geographic, Scientific American, and the Smithsonian, integrated into a platform that delivers differentiated reading levels, embedded formative assessments, and customizable close-reading tools—all of which are not replicable by any other education SaaS provider. The software is delivered electronically, eliminating the need for physical packaging, marking, or shipping terms, and performance is fully realized within Florida where the school will implement and utilize the platform to support its curricular goals. The procurement follows Florida statutes permitting sole-source acquisitions when competition is impracticable, and while no formal contract clauses, evaluation factors, or detailed pricing line items are included, the process allows for a 15-business-day public notice period during which other vendors may submit evidence of equivalent capability. All responses must be submitted via email to Kim Whitwam, the Director of Purchasing, by July 29, 2026, and no competitive bidding, inspection criteria, or technical acceptance standards are specified because the uniqueness and proprietary nature of the platform itself serve as the basis for award. No payment details, accounting codes, invoicing protocols, or certification requirements from the vendor are provided in the documentation, and the contract administration is overseen solely by the FSDB purchasing office without formal appointment of a contracting officer or technical representative.