25MASFSJL1 Questions and Answers 7.10.24.docx

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Questions and Answers

Alternate ID #: 25MASFSJL1 COMMBUYS Bid #: BD-24-1026-DOE02-DOE01-98286

Questions and Answers Feb 28, 2024

Confirm that the lengthy response time of December 31, 2027, that is shown within COMMBUYS for BD-24-1026-DOE02-DOE01-98286 25MASFSJL1 Approval Preschool Language and Literacy Assessments Departmental MA is the accurate date.

Answer: Bids will be considered on an on-going basis. To be considered for the preschool language and literacy master agreement, bids may be submitted anytime between now and by 12:00 PM ET on December 31, 2027.

Scorecard, #11, Supplier Diversity Program Plan. The scorecard states that, “Any Bidder responding to an RFR Bid, valued over $250,000 annually, must submit the SDP Form.” Since the Master Agreement (MA) is for an approved list of preschool and language assessments, vendors will not know the value until after a contract has been awarded. Further, the services needed to support the contract may vary. Please clarify if 1) the SDP plan applies to this MA.

Answer: Yes, the SDP applies to 25MASFSJL1 and 2) if vendors can commit to providing such details upon an award.

Answer: The lack of a completed SDP will impact the total score when we review and evaluate the submission.

Scorecard, #11, Supplier Diversity Program Plan. If the evaluation will include the SDP plan criteria, please clarify if vendors may still be listed regardless of the commitment percentage.

Answer: Bidders will need to meet the minimum threshold of the scorecard to be considered for an award. No bidder will be awarded unless they commit to an SDP percentage amount and upon award name a partner.

The State anticipates the minimum contract value for listed vendors to be $250,000 annually, and that is the dollar amount we should use for determining the percent of SDP commitment?

Answer: DESE estimates the entire annual contract value to exceed $250,000 across all awarded vendors. Percentage commitments in the SDP form are based on individual bidders’ commitment to partners selected. The percentages paid to the partner will be based on the individual bidder’s funding earned, if an award to an RFQ is made in any given fiscal year. Bidders should provide a practical response on the SDP form that aligns with their companies’ needs. Partners may be directly related to the services provided under an RFQ award or ancillary which relates back to the business needs overall.

Questions and Answers March 8, 2024

The Evidence Form guidance is that, “Evidence may include screenshots with visible page numbers for the technical or other relevant manual, or development and/or validation study that document this requirement (full manual and/or study may be linked or submitted as an attachment with your proposal).” Please clarify if vendors may include page numbers and document titles, rather than screenshots. For example, “Please see pages 50-53 in the IED II Standardized Technical Manual in the appendix.”

Answer: Bidders may include page numbers. However, we recommend that the evidence corresponding to a criterion is clearly highlighted and detailed within a submitted document/manual. Otherwise, we will score the criterion based on what we find.

Will the approved Pre-K assessments (and or assessment providers) be asked/required to share PreK assessment data with DESE?

Answer: Districts, licensed childcare providers, and assessment providers may be required to share district preschool language and literacy assessment data with DESE in accordance with requirements clearly stated in grants and professional development opportunities.

Will Pre-K assessments be designated as "Approved" and "Partially Approved" as has been the case for other MA lists?

Answer: Preschool language and literacy assessments meeting all of the required qualifications criteria will be reviewed and either identified as “approved” or “not approved.” There will not be a third designation of “partially approved.”

Questions and Answers March 22, 2024 Can DESE provide insight into the number of public sites in the state, the type of site they are, and/or the number of Preschool students Massachusetts currently serves?

Answer: Data for EEC’s licensed childcare programs can be found at https://www.mass.gov/lists/data-on-massachusetts-child-care-programs; current Pre-Kindergarten data for public preschool programs can be found at School and District Profiles - Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

The first Usability requirement asks for "baseline and ceiling guidance." Can the state clarify if this refers to benchmarks, or if another form of guidance is being sought here?

Answer:

Developers are asked to submit ceiling and baseline guidance on the starting and ending points for administering test items. “Baseline” guidance might be criteria or rules for where a test administrator might begin from in administering items while “ceiling” guidance might be criteria or rules for ending the administration session.

Questions and Answers July 10, 2024 Can the roles of the prime vendor within the Master Agreement be changed once the vendor product is accepted to the listing?

Answer: Prime vendors cannot be changed. Roles may be shifted amongst the Prime and subcontract, however changes to the approved assessment measure need to be submitted to DESE for review to determine whether such changes affect the quality of the measure as originally approved for the Master Agreement.

Does the Master Agreement allow for the prime vendor to change or remove their subcontractor?

Answer: The prime vendor submitting the assessment for consideration must remain the same for the duration of the Master Agreement. The vendor may propose changing subcontractors, but such changes must be approved by DESE prior to implementing.

In the case a prime vendor can be changed, are there any pricing or shipping considerations other than maintaining the set price through 2029?

Answer: A prime vendor cannot be changed and all pricing must remain as approved for the life of the contract.

What, if any, are the penalties related to the first 3 questions applicable to MA DESE Master Agreement listing?

Answer: Changes not approved by DESE will lead to removal of the assessment measure from the Master Agreement and LEAs and CBOs will be notified of the change.

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