27TALAP1 - Due Diligence - Final UPDATED.docx

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Due Diligence Posting

|_| Education Secretariat (EEC, EOE, DHE, CTF, DOE)

Renewal Option: |_| Yes / |_| No If yes: of Renewals (up to a maximum of 12 months for each renewal option) Renewal Dates: From: to

Anticipated Expenditures, Funding or Compensation for Expected Duration:

|_| Contract will have a Maximum Obligation Amount (Initial Duration Amount Only):

|_| Contract will be based on Rates (For use with Departmental Master Agreements (MA) only):

|_| Contract will be of no cost to the Commonwealth Total Contract Amount (Initial Duration PLUS Renewal Amount):

Appropriation / Account #: | Unit Code: | Federal Program Code:

*This information is subject to change prior to and/or during award

Bid opening date: 10/19/2026 | Bid opening time: 12:00 (Eastern Time) |_| AM / |_| PM

Due Diligence Posting of Notice of Intent to Accept a Best Value Offer

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (“DESE” or “Department”) of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts announces its intent to Accept a Best Value Offer pursuant to the Commonwealth’s Due Diligence Posting policy, to accept the following from the Community Funding Accelerator (“CFA”), managed by Delivery Associates (“Offeror”), pending the results of this Notice of Intent (“Notice”):

Description The Department seeks to accept pro bono technical assistance from the Community Funding Accelerator (CFA), managed by Delivery Associates, to support implementation of the Department’s Education Innovation and Research (EIR) Grant and strengthen the infrastructure supporting DESE-sponsored tutoring.

CFA proposes to provide the Department four months of technical assistance, from approval through December 2026, at no cost. The engagement will include project management and three implementation-support workstreams. The parties will reassess the partnership after the first two months of work to confirm alignment before proceeding with the next phase. Services will include, but may not be limited to, the following activities:

The Department is posting this Notice rather than conducting a full procurement because the Department believes this pro bono technical-assistance opportunity represents best value to the Commonwealth and is utilizing this Due Diligence Posting to ensure that the process is open, fair and competitive.

Determination of Other Interested Vendors The intent of this posting is to determine if there are any other interested and qualified vendors. Any such vendors must submit documentation that they can provide a comparable or better offer.

Response Requirement and Deadline All Interested Vendors and Offerors interested in responding to this Notice, regardless of prior communications with the Department, must submit a Response to this posting containing evidence of their qualification and interest, and a proposed scope of technical assistance that is comparable to or exceeds the value of the services proposed by Watershed Advisers. All required information must be submitted by 12:00PM] (prevailing Eastern Time) on 10/19/26 as follows:

If, after the posting deadline has passed, interest is generated by this Notice, the Department will review all Responses and will determine whether they will: accept the offer from the Offeror.

Quote Submission Method Online Quote Submission via COMMBUYS is required. All Interested Vendors and Offerors must submit Quotes online using tools available only to Sellers registered in COMMBUYS. COMMBUYS provides Seller registration functionality at no charge. To register, go to www.COMMBUYS.com and click on the “Register” link on the front page. All Interested Vendors and Offerors who are awarded a contract resulting from this Notice, if any, will be required to maintain an active account during the duration of the Contract, by reviewing their registration information regularly and maintaining its accuracy.

COMMBUYS Quote Submission Training and Instructions The following resources are provided to assist Interested Vendors and Offerors in submitting Quotes:

· An online job aid on How to Create a Quote;

· Webcast video on How to Find Bids (Solicitations) and Submit Quotes (Responses) through COMMBUYS;

· Instructor-led trainings (ILT) and live webinar sessions on “How to Locate and Respond to Bids” may also be available. Check the OSD Training Courses schedule for Sellers/Business Entities for available locations, dates and times. Note that space is limited and pre-registration for trainings is required to attend. Follow instructions on the course schedule to register.

COMMBUYS Support Technical assistance is available during the procurement process. Every effort is made to respond to inquiries within one business day.

· Website: Go to https://www.commbuys.com/bso/view/login/login.xhtml and select the COMMBUYS Resource Center link offered under Key Resources.

· Email: Send inquiries to the COMMBUYS Helpdesk at OSDHelpDesk@mass.gov.

· Telephone: Call the COMMBUYS Help Desk at 1-888-MA-STATE (1-888-627-8283). The Help Desk is staffed from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Friday Eastern Standard or Daylight time, as applicable, except on federal and state holidays.

Interested Vendors and Offerors are advised that COMMBUYS will be unavailable during regularly scheduled maintenance hours of which all users will be notified.

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