UNSPSC 81103207: Research and development external collaborations research service

A research and development (R&D) Agreement is an agreement, usually a contract, between two entities to conduct research and development, Work jointly with others or together in an intellectual and research and development endeavor.

UNSPSC 81103207 Research and development external collaborations research service is a Commodity code that state and local education agencies are using to procure educational evaluation, program assessment, and research services supporting K-12 and higher education initiatives. Recent solicitations show school districts and state education agencies buying comprehensive program evaluations, curriculum review and approval services, specialized assessment platforms, academic enrichment and support service delivery, and institution-specific research—often framed as "research collaboration" or "external evaluation" rather than internal staff or consulting retainer work. The issuing bodies are predominantly large independent school districts (Stockton Unified, Katy ISD, DeKalb County Schools, Austin ISD, Pinellas County Schools), state education agencies (Texas Education Agency, Michigan Department of Education, Oregon Department of State Fire Marshal), and regional or community college systems (City Colleges of Chicago, Mt. Hood Community College). Repeat buyers include Katy ISD and state education agencies in Texas, which have posted multiple solicitations in this category in recent months. Work is being solicited by school districts for student support programming (mentorship, enrichment, intervention), specialized staffing (educational diagnosticians, school psychologists, interpreters), and professional development; by state agencies for statewide platform development (career pathways CTE systems, physical fitness data systems, instructional materials review), program evaluation (afterschool centers, partnership district models, teacher incentive programs), and research infrastructure.

Geographic concentration is heaviest in Texas (Texas Education Agency, Katy ISD, Austin ISD, Stockton Unified in California, and districts across Florida, Georgia, Michigan, and Oregon. Representative recent solicitations include Stockton Unified School District's RFP 26-27-02 (posted July 15, 2026, due August 4, 2026) for academic, extracurricular, and emotional support services for at-risk students, requiring three years' prior K-12 experience and offering set-aside encouragement for DBE, SLBE, and SELBE vendors; Katy ISD's RFP #2516YT (posted July 9, 2026, due August 13, 2026) for certified Educational Diagnosticians and Licensed School Psychologists across multiple campuses on hourly or full-time basis; Muscogee County School District's RFP 26-024 (posted June 29, 2026, due August 27, 2026) for design and delivery of Career-Infused Curriculum for middle grades with separate technical and financial proposals, 600-point technical scoring rubric, and optional revenue-share structure reflecting the district's intent to resell to other jurisdictions; Texas Education Agency's RFO 701-26-006 (posted June 24, 2026, due July 9, 2026) for a web-based SaaS physical fitness assessment platform serving up to 2 million K-12 students across 9,000 campuses; and the Michigan Department of Education's RFP 26-1728 (awarded May 22, 2026 to University of Michigan at $829,345.14 over three years) for evaluation of Michigan's Partnership District Model. Most solicitations require proof of liability insurance, background clearances, FERPA compliance, and submission through electronic procurement portals (OpenGov, Bonfire, IonWave); several include HUB subcontracting requirements (Texas procurements) or DBE/MBE/WBE goals (federal or state-funded initiatives). Activity is active and ongoing as of July 2026.