Attachment 3 - Technical Question Form R0010 Science A0002_0002.xlsx
XLSX spreadsheet 23 KB Posted
- Attached to
- Science Assessment for BIE Federal contract opportunity
- Solicitation number
- 140A2321R0010
About this file
This document contains questions and answers related to a solicitation for a science assessment for Bureau of Indian Education schools. Key details include that the solicitation is for a full and open competition with no set-asides or subcontracting requirements. Services required over base and option years include online test administration, paper testing, item development, standard setting, and up to 40 hours per year of web-based training. Deliverables comprise PDF and Excel reports. The period of performance overlaps between July and September each year to allow time for assessment processing and school year wrap-up.
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Other files for this federal contract opportunity
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| Attachment 2 - Science Assessment SOW A0002_0002.pdf | ||
| Sol_140A2321R0010_Amd_0002.pdf | ||
| Sol_140A2321R0010_Amd_0001.pdf | ||
| Attachment 2 - Science SOW 4.19.21.docx | DOCX document | |
| Attachment 1 - Pricing.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| Sol_140A2321R0010.pdf | ||
| Attachment 3 - Technical Question Form.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet |
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Sheet1
| Science Assessment for BIE Schools | |||||
| RFP No. 140A2123R0010 | |||||
| Attachment 3 - Question Submission Sheet | |||||
| Q# | Document | Page | Section | Question | Government Response |
| 1 | Sol_140A2321R0010 | 1 | Box 10 | For this solicitation, is there any required level of participation and/or Set Aside amount for companies/vendors designated as Small Business, HUBZONE Small Business, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business, Women-Owned Small Business, EDWOSB and/or 8(A)? | There are no set-asides, or subcontracting requirements. This is a full and open competition. |
| 2 | Sol_140A2321R0010 | 28 | FAR 53.212.5 (b) (i) 52.219-4 | Is it correct that there will be no price evaluation preference for HUBZone Small Business Concerns used in this solicitation? | There are no preferences being used. |
| 3 | Sol_140A2321R0010 | 71 | L.2 | May bidders include appendices with the proposal to supplement the page-limited sections? | An appendix will be allowed for resumes only not to exceed 20 pages. Individual resumses cannot exceed 2 pages each. |
| 4 | Attachment 2 Science SOW | 1 | Introduction | Are assessments for students in any Alaska Native villages included in this solicitation? | No. |
| 5 | Attachment 2 Science SOW | 1 | 2.0 | Is an alignment of the test to the NGSS required to be submitted with the proposal? | Yes, the BIE currenlty uses National Science Standards. |
| 6 | Attachment 2 Science SOW | 3 | 3.0 | How many weekly web-based trainings for test coordinators will be needed in all? | The Government may require up to 10 onsite workshops and up to an additional 40 hours of web based training during each year. |
| 7 | Attachment 2 Science SOW | 3 | 3.0 | Component 7 (Test Item Development) is listed as "Option Years" and components 8a-c (Interim Assessments, Dashboard, and Research Papers) are listed as "Option Item". Do option year and option item both indicate that these services would start at the beginning of Option Year 1? | There are both option years and additional options within specified years. The base services are listed on the pricing schedule which are anticipated to be required each year. In addition to the base service, there are optional services which may or may not be exercised during the specified years. |
| 8 | Attachment 2 Science SOW | 4 | 4.0 (1) A | What is the expected number of paper/pencil test takers for each grade level being assessed? | Due to the pandemic, we have had few schools able to test. We would ask schools in the Fall for their preference. Enrollment numbers are provided in the RFP which would indicate the anticipated maximum numbers. Paper testing and other material will be reimbursed under the materials CLIN at cost. |
| 9 | Attachment 2 Science SOW | 4 | 4.0 (1) A | Other than formats aligned to ELLs as well as a Paper/Pencil version, does BIE have any other accommodation requirements? | We expect for our Science assessment to also have the required accomodations for those students who are cognativly disabled. |
| 10 | Attachment 2 Science SOW | 4 | 4.0 (1) A | How many distribution points are anticipated for paper/pencil materials and score report shipping/receiving? | Maximum is 166 distribution points. However, schools will be surveyed to confirm who needs paper versus computer based assessments. |
| 11 | Attachment 2 Science SOW | 4 | 4.0 (1) A | Does BIE have an anticipated administration window for Spring 2022 testing? | It is anticipated assessments will start as early as February and continue through late March. |
| 12 | Attachment 2 Science SOW | 4 | 4.0 (3) A | In what format does BIE expect the electronic copies of the student and district reports? | Adobe PDF reports for schools and teachers; Microsoft Excel for data files. |
| 13 | Attachment 2 Science SOW | 6 | 4.0 (3) A | In Section 2.0 (page 1) it says the test must have a completed standard setting, yet in Section 4.0 it states the vendor will conduct standard setting in July. Why must the standard setting be completed if another standard setting is required? | Standards setting is expected for the off-the-shelf initial version of the assessment. If and when BIE customizes the assessment, then standards setting would take place again. There is not a definite timeline for customization. |
| 14 | Attachment 2 Science SOW | 7 | 4.0 (4) A | Will the Contractor have any banquet or logistical responsibilities for the (up to) 10 on-site trainings other than training facilitation? | BIE will provide the facility. BIE will ask participants to pay for their own meals and refreshments. Contractor shall bring printed materials, laptop and projector and own hot spot given facilities may not have good bandwidth and may have firewalls. All cost associated with the training shall be incorporated into the per unit price on the price schedule. |
| 15 | Attachment 2 Science SOW | 8 | 4.0 (6) | For help desk support, is "local time" defined as the local time of the location where the contractor's help desk is located? | The helpdesk will support all the schools, so Pacific, Mountain, Central, and Eastern time zones will need to be supported. |
| 16 | Attachment 2 Science SOW | 8 | 4.0 (6) | How many technical support and customer service calls and emails does the current vendor typically receive by week? Can any information be shared about the nature of the calls (e.g., % of calls requesting password reset) and how many calls are escalated? | Given the pandemic, it is difficult to assess. It is estimated there will be more calls towards the registration time and administration. Approximaelty only 30 schools tested in SY 20-21. |
| 17 | Attachment 2 Science SOW | 8 | 4.0 (7) | For optional test item development, does BIE have any requirements for item type (clustered items, standalone items) or response format (selected-response, constructed-response, technology-enhanced)? | Not at this time. |
| 18 | Attachment 2 Science SOW | 8 | 4.0 (7) | Can BIE provide any indication of the expected volume of new assessment items to be developed annually after the conclusion of the Base Year? | Estimating 5-10. |
| 19 | Attachment 2 Science SOW | 8 | 4.0 (7) | The SOW includes "Facilitate BIE educator workgroup(s) for item writing" as a possible task under Component 7. Would BIE prefer that all new items be developed by BIE teachers with training and feedback from the vendor, or would it also be acceptable to have the vendor develop some or all of the new items? | The vendor will develop some items with BIE's input and review items which are developed by BIE educators. |
| 20 | Attachment 2 Science SOW | 9 | 4.0 (8) a | For the optional fall testing window, what is the purpose of this administration? Is this a re-test administration for High School testers or is this an alternate administration for all grades that may allow for the reuse of the preceding spring tests? | The statement has been removed from the SOW. Should we encounter a situation similar to the COVID-19 pandemic, delays in assessments for the year will be addressed on a case by case basis. |
| 21 | Attachment 2 Science SOW | 9 | 4.0 (8) b | Can BIE provide any further detail about the desired design of the optional interim assessments, such as their length in terms of total number of items or total testing time? | Testing time for interim should be no more than 1 hour. Interim assessment should be aligned to the NGSS. |
| 22 | Attachment 2 Science SOW | 9 | 4.0 (8) b | Would the interim assessments be secure? Is the expectation that the items for the interims assessments would be drawn from the same bank as the items for the summative forms? | Yes, questions can be from the summative bank. |
| 23 | Attachment 2 Science SOW | 9 | 4.0 (8) d | Could BIE provide any more details about the guiding questions for research papers? | The contractor will need to look at special populations (English Learners and Students with Disabilities); Collaborative effort based on BIE's current needs; and what data is currently available |
| 24 | N/A | N/A | N/A | In order to meet the section page limits, may we include an Appendix as part of our response for large supporting information such as key personnel resumes? | An appendix will be allowed for resumes only. Individual resumes cannot exceed 2 pages each up to a maximum of 20 pages. |
| 25 | SOW | 4 | 4.1 | Does scope include any accommodated online and/or paper based forms? If yes, which specific ones? | BIE wishes to include in the Scope accommodated online and/or paper based forms e.g., online (embedded): color contrast [background/font color], text-to-speech, etc. for mathematics and ASL, closed captioning, text-to-speech for ELA/literacy, etc; Hard copy accommodated forms (braille edition, paper-based edition, large print edition, etc.) Also, BIE wishes to include any other forms commonly available in the assessment industry that are not explicitly identified. |
| 26 | SOW | 6 | 3 | Does BIE wish to perform standard setting virtually, or should costs be included to support in-person standard setting? | If there is no pandemic, in person is preferred; however, virtual can be utilized. All paper copies and related material will be reimbursed at cost under the materials CLIN. |
| 27 | SOW | 8 | 7 | Approximately how many items would be expected in the optional Test Item Development? | See Question 18 above. |
| 28 | SOW | N/A | N/A | Should costs for pilot testing, equating, and test construction be included with Optional Test Item Development? Should we assume the Year 1 only is a licensed tests, and subsequent years are custom tests? | Yes, off the shelf for the first year and then custom tests may be an option for the following years but not guaranteed. |
| 29 | SOW | 4 | 4.1 | What ratio of online to paper students test should we assume? | This will be dependent on the schools' preference made in early fall. Paper copies and related material will be reimbursed at cost under the material CLIN for actuals. |
| 30 | Solicitation | 21 | H.6 | The RFP references FAR 52.227-14, Rights in Data—General, and otherwise states that IA will retain the right to use, modify, reproduce, perform, display, release, or disclose the data in whole or in part for any purpose or to have or authorize others to do so. Contractor understands that all newly developed intellectual property created by Contractor or a third party for IA pursuant to this contract will be owned by IA, but we presume that the Contractor, or any third-party licensors, will retain ownership of all pre-existing intellectual property (including COTS) and any derivatives or modifications thereof. Is this correct? If not, please explain. | BIE will have no ownership of the COTS items. The entirety of H.6. has been removed. |
| 31 | SOW | 7 | Under option 7, should we assume a COTS product is administered in 2022 and 2023 along with the 2023 pilot? | This will be addressed with the U.S. Department of Education and Tribal stakholders. | |
| 32 | Attachment 1, Pricing | What is the purpose of line item 11 (Optional Service Materials (Plug Number))? | Examples are provided on the pricing schedule, they include: travel not related to onsite workshops, paper copy testing material, other related materials. | ||
| 33 | Solicitation | 74 | 1.6.1 | Please confirm vendors should only include pricing info in the yellow highlighted cells in Attachment 1. | Correct, the other fields are actually locked. Formulas are set up to autocalculate. Please let us know should you find an error in one of the formulas. |
| 34 | Statement of Work | 2 | 3.0 | What differences does BIE anticipate between the individual student reports and the parent report? | The Parent Reports should be at a higher level and written to address their student and their highlights. The student report should show their scores, easy to read and alignment to NGSS. |
| 35 | Statement of Work | 3 | 3.0 | How many weeks, or weekly events, of web-based training will be required each year? | Up to 40 hours of web based training per year will be required. |
| 36 | Statement of Work | 4 | 4.0 (2) | What is the BIE's current student information system? Who is the Contractor for this system? | BIE currently uses Infinite Campus and it is referred to as the Native American Student Information System. |
| 37 | Statement of Work | 4 | 4.0 (2) A. i | Is BIE requiring a programmatic interface (i.e., automated data transfer) between the BIE SIS and the Contractor's online administrative portal, or simply the ability for BIE to upload student information to the online administrative portal? | The ability for BIE to upload student information. |
| 38 | Statement of Work | 6 | 4.0 (3) A | What does "machine readable" mean in reference to printed student reports? | Standard formats such as Adobe PDF. |
| 39 | Statement of Work | 9 | 5.0 | Please confirm the period of performance for each contract year. We note that there is an overlap in each period of performance from July through September. | This overlap is on purpose as it is anticipated there will not be enough time to process the assessment results and wrap up the school year before it is time to prep for the next school year. |
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