Supporting Accountability in Adult Ed Technical Support for the National Reporting

U.S. Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE) TAEP200001AP Title of Project: Supporting Accountability in Adult Education: Technical Support for the National Reporting System (NRS) General Information: This REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) is for market research and planning purposes only and shall not be an obligation by the Government to acquire any products or services. The market research RFI pertains to a procurement called - Supporting Accountability in Adult Education: Technical Support for the National Reporting System (NRS) which is also referred to by its internal U.S. Department of Education tracking number TAEP200001AP. Any response(s) to this RFI will help the Department determine whether this procurement should be a small business set aside or open to all EDTASS vendors. Pursuant to 48 C.F.R. Part 10, the Government is conducting market research to: Determine what sources exist that can satisfy the Government's requirements listed below, Determine the capabilities of potential contractors, Determine the size and status of potential sources, and Determine the level of competition. The market research RFI is the first step in satisfying these requirements. Capability Statements from interested small-business vendors are requested, however, all businesses are welcome to submit a response. (See instructions below). While the precise acquisition strategy is to be determined, the Department is contemplating a firm-fixed-price task order award and intends to issue a solicitation this winter with an anticipated award date in the 3rd quarter of the fiscal year. This is a re-compete of a prior contract or task order. The anticipated NAICS codes are 541611, Administrative Management and General Management Consulting. These will be reviewed and may change before the solicitation is released. Structure of Capability Statement Responses: Interested offerors are asked to provide a brief response to this Request for Capability Statements which are no longer than 10 pages (excluding cover page, double-spaced, no smaller than 12-point font, a minimum of one-inch margins) with the information detailed below. No additional appendices or separate documents (except comments on the PWS) will be accepted. 1. Company name, DUNS number, company mailing address, company website (if applicable), and point of contact information (one person's name, telephone number and e-mail address). 2. Company's applicable socioeconomic status and available contract ordering vehicles (include contract numbers), if available. 3. Capabilities Statement that clearly aligns the capabilities of the company to the requirements contained in the draft PWS. Please include evidence of relevant experience and expertise. 4. Comments regarding the draft PWS. As much as possible, please refer to a section number or page number with your questions/comments. If submitting PWS Comments as a separate document, please note in this section that - comments were submitted separate from the capability statement. 5. Any barriers to making this contract fixed-price, as opposed to time-and-materials. Any such feedback should specifically identify which tasks would be difficult to fix-price and why. 6. Any additional information which the company deems important and relevant to this Notice, including but not limited to, any perceived barriers to competition, discussion of any proposed teaming arrangements with partners/subcontractors/consultants, or any proposed solutions that the Department may not have considered. 7. Please comment on the appropriateness of the NAICS code and PSC code. Also please indicate your interest in responding to a solicitation when released. 8. Please comment on whether you believe this can be set aside for small businesses. Offerors should submit Capability Statements and/or PWS Comments by e-mail to the Contract Specialist, copying the Contracting Officer, by no later than 2:00 PM EST, on April 9, 2020. The Contract Specialist is Colin Alleyne: Colin.Alleyne@ed.gov and the Contracting Officer is Pamela Bone: Pamela.Bone@ed.gov. Background of Requirements: Adult education programs are authorized under Title II of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), which was authorized in 2014 and became effective on July 1, 2015. Adult education programs are managed by the Division of Adult Education and Literacy within the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) of the U.S. Department of Education (Department). OCTAE distributes Title II funds based on an established formula and then States are required to compete the funds to a variety of local service providers including, but not limited to, community colleges, nonprofit organizations, and local school districts. At the local level, Title II funds support Adult Basic Education (ABE) programs for adults seeking to improve their basic skills in reading/language arts and math. Many adults participate in ABE programs to prepare for high school credential tests. Title II funds also support English as a Second Language (ESL) programs for recent immigrants and others seeking to improve their English language skills. The National Reporting System (NRS) is the accountability system for the Title II adult education program. It includes an on-line tool through which States report enrollment, demographic, and performance outcome data related to their adult education programs. The URL for this on-line reporting system is nrs.ed.gov. The tasks associated with this project are intended to support OCTAE's responsibilities to manage the NRS accountability system. Tasks 2 and 3, which require the contractor to provide technical assistance to States and local service providers, are of critical importance. Task 2 supports OCTAE's responsibilities under section 242(b)(1) of WIOA to provide technical assistance to help States meet the requirements of the new accountability system. Task 3 supports OCTAE's responsibilities under Section 242(b)(2) to provide technical assistance to help local educational service providers (described in statute as - eligible providers) use the NRS and data systems for program improvement. Capability Requirements: Since the tasks associated with this project are mandated by law and vital to the success of the grantees funded under the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA), title II of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), applications must provide descriptions of staff qualifications, or subcontracting plans, that will meet ALL of the following requirements: A minimum of 3 years of experience providing technical assistance related to performance accountability requirements of WIOA; Demonstrated knowledge of the performance accountability requirements in section 116 of WIOA, its implementing regulations, and related guidance released by the Department; Experience designing training courses in a variety of mediums; Experience creating and applying advanced statistical models to predict program outcomes; Experience developing and maintaining a federal website, including the application and maintenance of an Authority to Operate (ATO); and, Experience with psychometric reviews of assessments and objectively determining their suitability for measuring improvement in content areas. Draft Performance Work Statement (DPWS): Attached for your review is a Draft Performance Work Statement, which includes background, purpose of the task order, legislative authority, scope of work, and tasks and deliverables. Disclaimer: PARTICIPATION IN THE MARKET RESEARCH IN NO WAY INFLUENCES THE SOURCE SELECTION FOR THESE SERVICES. This is not an invitation for bid, request for proposal or other solicitation. The sole purpose of this Notice is to inform industry of this procurement and to begin conducting market research for procurement planning purposes. This Notice is not to be construed as a commitment on the part of the Government to award a task order nor does the Government intend to directly pay for any information or responses submitted as the result of this Notice. Any task order that might be awarded based on information received or derived from this Notice will be the outcome of the competitive process.