1-TS Gold Literacy Module 26 27.pdf

Salt Lake City School District Purchasing Department 995 West Beardsley Place, Salt Lake City, UT 84119 Phone: 801-974-8368 Fax: 801-974-8375 www.slcschools.org

AWARD OF CONTRACT WITHOUT ENGAGING IN A STANDARD

PROCUREMENT PROCESS REQUEST FORM

Provisions for Use

1. Award of a contract/purchase without engaging in a standard procurement process (bids/quotes) is appropriate if it can be determined in writing that:

i. there is only one source for the procurement item;

ii. transitional costs* are a significant consideration in selecting a procurement item;

iii. or the award of a contract is under circumstances, described in Utah Administrative Code R33-8, that make awarding the contract through a standard procurement process impractical and not in the best interest of the procurement unit.

2. An urgent or unexpected circumstance, need or requirement for a procurement item does not justify the award of a contract/purchase without engaging in a standard procurement process.

*"Transitional costs"- means the costs of changing from an existing provider of a procurement item to another provider of that procurement item; or from an existing type of procurement item to another type; includes training costs; conversion costs;

compatibility costs; costs associated with system downtime; disruption of service costs; staff time necessary to implement the change; installation costs; and ancillary software, hardware, equipment, or construction costs; and does not include the costs of preparing for or engaging in a procurement process; or contract negotiation or drafting costs.

Authorizations Required BEFORE Making a Purchase

1. For requests exceeding $1,000 this form must be completed, approved and signed by the applicable Principal/Administrator.

2. Email this completed form along with a copy of the quote from the vendor to the purchasing agent in Purchasing responsible for the needed item

3. Upon notice of approval from Purchasing, a requisition should be entered for the purchase.

Form Instructions

1. Complete each section and provide as much information as possible to fully respond. Please click on the grey fields to insert your information. Use your tab key to advance to the next field. Please complete all fields below.

2. For professional service purchases/contracts – attach the proposed scope of work, contract, or memorandum of understanding that has been developed as part of this Intent to Award a Contract without Engaging in a Standard Procurement Process Request Form.

3. For products – attach the quote received from the vendor, so that Purchasing can confirm the quote. Quotes cannot be marked as confidential, as they may be published.

4. Requests missing information will be rejected and returned to the contact person for completion. Purchasing may seek additional information from the contact person.

This first page will not be publicly posted; however, all subsequent pages may be posted, as is, for public notice and comment. Please be complete in your answers.

Revised 12/20/2016 http://www.slcschools.org/

NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD A CONTRACT WITHOUT ENGAGING IN A STANDARD PROCUREMENT

PROCESS

The Salt Lake City School District (SLCSD) Purchasing Department is publishing this notice pursuant to the Utah Procurement Code. The requesting department submitted this form to the Purchasing Department claiming that it intends to award a contract without competition if it is determined by the Purchasing Department, in writing, that:

• there is only one source for the procurement item;

• transitional costs are a significant consideration in selecting a procurement item; or

• the award of a contract is under circumstances, described in rules adopted by the applicable rulemaking authority, that make awarding the contract through a standard procurement process impractical and not in the best interest of the

SLCSD.

In the subsequent pages, the requesting department has identified its justification for wanting to award a contract without engaging in standard procurement process.

Determination of Other Interested Vendors

The intent of this notice is to determine if there are any other interested and qualified vendors that meet the specifications of this notice. Any such vendors must submit the following information:

• The name of the contesting qualified vendor; and

• A detailed explanation, including documentation, showcasing any other competing sources for the procurement item.

In addition, a qualified vendor should include:

• Documentation that vendor can provide a comparable or better procurement item that meets or exceeds the specifications;

• Documentation that vendor can also provide the same proprietary procurement item or an equivalent procurement item; and

• If transitional costs are identified as the justification for this notice, submit a cost comparison of the identified transitional costs with vendor’s anticipated transitional costs.

Regardless of any prior communications with SLCSD or the Purchasing Department, all vendors interested in responding to this notice must submit a response to this posting containing complete responses to all of the information requested above.

DO NOT CONTACT THE CONDUCTING PROCUREMENT UNIT. Any questions regarding this notice, including obtaining additional information, can be obtained through the Purchasing Department during the publication period. No action is required if you agree with this Notice.

If, after the public notice period has passed, the Purchasing Department determines that there are other interested and qualified vendors that meet the specifications of this notice, the Division of Purchasing will not award a contract pursuant to this notice.

If, after the public notice period has passed, no valid challenges have been received, then the Purchasing Department may award a contract to the identified vendor without competition.

Please read the entire form very carefully before responding to this notice.

Salt Lake City School District Purchasing Department 995 West Beardsley Place, Salt Lake City, UT 84119 Phone: 801-974-8368 Fax: 801-974-8375 www.slcschools.org http://www.slcschools.org/

Department/School Contact Information Department/Division Name: Teaching and Learning / Early Childhood

Contact Person and Title: Audrey Powell, Supervisor / Tiffany Hall, Executive Director

E-mail Address: Audrey.Powell@slcschools.org Telephone Number: 801.974.8396

Does the requestor or anyone at the requesting department/school have any personal, financial, or fiduciary relationship with the proposed vendor? No

Item or Service Description of procurement item to be purchased: Teaching Strategies Gold (T.S. Gold) Kickstart Literacy

Estimated value of the contract/purchase order: $13,549 one-time materials / $2,095.50 professional development August 2026 / $5,451 cloud license (ongoing)

Freight Cost (F.O.B. Destination, Freight Prepaid): $862

Contract

1. Insert requested term of contract: 5 years and renewal options: (The standard contract term is five (5) years. If the requested term will be longer than five years, written justification is required.)

2. The Department/School may not make the procurement until the solicitation process is completed and a contract is written and signed by the Department/School, the vendor, and the Purchasing Department.

Purchase Order 1. If the total purchase will be greater than $1,000.00 the Department/School may not make the procurement until after the solicitation process is completed, the PO is signed by the Purchasing Department, and the PO is delivered to both the Department/School and the vendor.

Vendor Information Vendor Name: Teaching Strategies V0014930

Vendor Contact Person: Laura Schwartz

Vendor E-mail Address: Laura.S@teachingstrategies.com

Vendor Telephone Number: 240.226.7158

Vendor Ordering Address: 80 M Street, SE, Site 1010

Vendor Remittance Address:

All items in the above section are required.

Complete the following if no vendor number exists in BusinessPLUS (IFAS):

Vendor Federal Tax ID# (TIN): (9 Digits):

Type of Vendor:

CHECK THE BOX THAT IDENTIFIES WHY A CONTRACT/PURCHASE ORDER SHOULD BE AWARDED

WITHOUT ENGAGING IN A STANDARD PROCUREMENT PROCESS:

There is only one source for the procurement item. Complete section A

Transitional costs are a significant consideration in selecting a procurement item and the results of a cost-benefit analysis demonstrate that transitional costs are unreasonable or cost-prohibitive, and that the award of a contract without engaging in a standard procurement process is in the best interest of the procurement unit

Complete section B

The award of a contract is under circumstances, described in Utah Administrative Code R33-8, that make awarding the contract through a standard procurement process impractical and not in the best interest of the procurement unit.

Complete section C

X

X

SECTION A: ONLY ONE SOURCE

1. What is unique about this procurement item to justify an award of contract without engaging in a standard procurement process? (Explain in detail why the service or product is only available from a single supplier.)

Salt Lake City School District currently uses Teaching Strategies GOLD as part of its early childhood assessment and reporting system.

Adding Kickstart Literacy™ by Teaching Strategies® is a more efficient and lower-burden implementation than adopting a separate literacy program from a new vendor because it is part of the same Teaching Strategies ecosystem. Teaching Strategies describes Kickstart Literacy as a pre-K literacy curriculum that can be used alongside its existing curriculum and is connected to the same broader platform of curriculum, assessment, reporting, and instructional supports.

Because staff are already familiar with Teaching Strategies GOLD, this addition would allow the district to build on existing user accounts, reporting structures, professional learning systems, and administrative workflows rather than requiring teachers and administrators to learn an entirely new platform. This reduces implementation time, limits disruption for teachers, and supports a smoother ramp-up for administrators, coaches, and early childhood staff.

Kickstart Literacy also aligns with the district’s current need to strengthen early literacy instruction in preschool using a science-of-reading-based approach. The program includes 180 lessons aligned with the Science of Reading and focused on phonological awareness, phonemic awareness, phonics, and writing.

2. Could the procurement item be reasonably modified to allow for competition?

Selecting this add-on allows the district to maintain consistency in data collection, reporting, training, and support while expanding literacy resources for teachers. Purchasing a different program would require additional training, separate reporting processes, possible duplication of data systems, and increased implementation complexity. The add-on approach allows the district to expand early literacy support while preserving continuity in reporting, administrator access, teacher workflow, and existing professional learning structures.

For these reasons, adding Kickstart Literacy to the district’s existing Teaching Strategies GOLD system is the most efficient and practical option.

3. Explain the market research performed.

An online review of the early childhood market shows that comparable products generally function as replacement or parallel platforms rather than simple extensions of the district’s current system. Examples include COR Advantage/Kaymbu, Frog Street/Lilypad/AIM, Galileo Pre-K Online, and Work Sampling Online. These systems offer various combinations of curriculum, observation-based assessment, reporting, family engagement, and instructional planning tools.

Kaymbu + COR Advantage / HighScope COR Advantage is a whole-child early childhood assessment system. Teachers use anecdotes, photos, and videos to document development and use the data for individualized lesson planning. Kaymbu also provides assessment, planning, family engagement, and daily care tools. This is an observation-based assessment and reporting platform, but moving to it would require retraining staff and changing all assessment/reporting workflows.

Frog Street + Lilypad + AIM Observational Assessment offers comprehensive infant–Pre-K curriculum, family engagement, professional development, and assessment connections. Its Lilypad platform provides aligned lesson plans, classroom activities, digital books, assessments, and instructional supports. However, the district is not considering a larger curriculum-and-platform replacement.

It would not be a simple add-on to the current TS GOLD reporting system.

Galileo Pre-K Online / Imagine Learning Birth–PreK has been described as an online system that integrates curriculum, assessment, reporting, and classroom management tools. Its current login is housed under Imagine Learning Birth–PreK. Adoption would mean parallel or replacement systems for assessment/reporting.

Pearson Work Sampling System / Work Sampling Online is an early childhood assessment for ages 3 through grade 3. Pearson describes it as a tool teachers use to evaluate children’s skills and guide instruction; the online system is designed to support assessment and reporting. This does not tie to the full Teaching Strategies curriculum ecosystem.

4. What research have you conducted to ensure the requested procurement item is not available on an existing district or state cooperative contract?

At this time, Teaching Strategies GOLD/Kickstart Literacy is not available through a Utah State cooperative contract. However, Teaching Strategies is the current provider of the district’s existing GOLD platform, and Kickstart Literacy is an add-on within the same system. Because this purchase expands an already-implemented instructional and assessment platform rather than introducing a new stand-alone program, it preserves current reporting structures, teacher workflows, administrative access, data processes, and professional learning investments. A separate product would require additional procurement review, implementation planning, training, rostering, reporting alignment, and technical support.

5. If there is only one source for the procurement item, list the names of other similar vendors contacted, contact person, and a summary of their response, SECTION B: TRANSITIONAL COSTS – If you have selected Section B you must also complete Attachment A – Cost Benefit Analysis

1. Describe the existing equipment, technology, software, accessories, replacement parts, or service, hereafter referred to as equipment; include the original purchase price and date of purchase for the existing equipment.

2. Please supply the following:

a. Procurement method that was used to purchase the existing equipment/service? (IFB, RFP, Sole Source)

b. Bid number, P.O. number, Requisition number, or sole source number for the existing equipment/service:

c. Contract number for the existing equipment/service:

3. Complete “Attachment A - Cost-Benefit Analysis”, as required by Utah Procurement Code §63G-6a-802 that demonstrates transitional costs are unreasonable or cost-prohibitive.

SECTION C: STANDARD PROCUREMENT PROCESS IMPRACTICABLE

1.

Cite the applicable rule from Utah Administrative Code R33-8 that provides awarding the contract through a standard procurement process as impractical and not in the best interest of the procurement unit under the circumstances; including any supporting documentation.

The applicable Utah Administrative Code provisions are R33-8-101(1)(a), R33-8-101a(2)(b), and R33-8-101c(1)(c). This procurement is for Kickstart Literacy, an add-on/component within the district’s existing Teaching Strategies GOLD/Teaching Strategies platform.

Because the district already uses Teaching Strategies GOLD for early childhood assessment, documentation, reporting, and administrative access, compatibility with the existing platform is the overriding consideration.

Awarding this purchase through a standard procurement process is impractical and not in the best interest of the procurement unit under these circumstances because a competing product would not function as an integrated add-on to the district’s current Teaching Strategies GOLD system. A separate vendor or stand-alone literacy product would require a separate implementation process, separate user training, separate rostering and access management, separate reporting structures, and additional administrative support. It would also create duplication of data systems and increase the burden on teachers and administrators Kickstart Literacy allows the district to expand early literacy instructional supports while maintaining the existing Teaching Strategies platform, reporting structure, teacher workflow, administrative access, and professional learning investment. Because this purchase is intended to extend the functionality of an already implemented system rather than replace the system, procuring a separate program would create unnecessary transition costs and operational inefficiencies. For these reasons, the purchase is justified as a compatible component/add-on to the existing Teaching Strategies platform and is in the best interest of the district.

2. Please supply the following, if applicable:

a. Procurement method that was used to purchase the existing equipment? (IFB, RFP, Sole Source): Sole Source in 2018

b. Bid number, P.O. #, Requisition #, or sole source number for the existing equipment/services: P260126

c. Contract number for the existing equipment/services

Administration Approval:

6/24/2026

Authorized Department/School Administrator Date

Recommend Award: Final Approval by Purchasing Director:

SLCSD Purchasing Agent Date Tyler Barnes, Asst. Director of Purchasing (or designee) Date

THIS SECTION TO BE FILLED OUT BY SLCSD PURCHASING DEPARTMENT

The public notice period shall be (Check the box that applies):

a. If the cost of the procurement exceeds $50,000 then the publication of the notice must be made in accordance with Section 63G-6a-112.

b.

Procurements under $50,000.00 are not required to be published, but may be published at the discretion of the SLCSD Director of Purchasing Published: Not Published:

c. Publication is not required for a procurement pursuant to a trial use contract.

d.

Publication is waived for an award of contract without engaging in a standard procurement process procurement:

For any procurement item identified in Utah Administrative Code R33-8-101(7)(b)(i-viii);

For award to a specific supplier, service provider, or contractor is a condition of a donation that will fund the full cost of the supply, service, or construction item;

For other circumstances as determined in writing by the chief procurement officer or head of a procurement unity with independent procurement authority.

The Terms and Conditions that will be attached to the awarded agency contract/purchase order:

District Contract: Goods Services IT for DTS only Att. B IT Non-DTS (include DTS Exception Form, if applicable) Purchase Order: Goods Services IT for DTS only Att. B IT Non-DTS (include DTS Exception Form, if applicable)

For Purchasing Department Use After the Public Posting Period: Agent:

Notice#:

Commodity Code(s):

# of Vendors Sent To:

Additional Research & Comments:

Summary of Contest(s) Received & Determination:

Wendy Kemp

WK2677-TS-SS

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