4-Sole Source Justification Memo OMD.pdf
PDF 40 KB Posted
- Attached to
- Sole Source Public Review - One Million Degrees
- Solicitation number
- WM2604
- Issued by
- Cook County, Illinois
About this file
This is a Sole Source Justification Memo prepared by the Office of Student Experience at City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) on February 18, 2026, requesting approval to engage One Million Degrees (OMD) as a sole source vendor. The memo outlines CCC's intent to contract with OMD, a nonprofit organization, to provide comprehensive student support services designed to improve student retention, persistence, and completion outcomes. The requested services include academic coaching, professional development, financial stipends, and wraparound services delivered through a structured, research-based support model. OMD's program has been successfully implemented across multiple CCC campuses and is specifically tailored to community college students. The justification emphasizes that OMD is already integrated into CCC's advising workflows and student support systems, with staff trained in CCC processes and established data-sharing protocols in place.
The memo establishes pricing reasonableness by noting that OMD, as a nonprofit organization, prices its services to reflect the actual cost of delivering specialized programming, with proposed costs consistent with prior agreements. The justification for sole source procurement is based on OMD's unique qualifications, including their proprietary curriculum and trained volunteer coach network that no other regional vendor replicates; their established operational integration with CCC that would be disrupted by vendor replacement; and their demonstrated effectiveness, supported by a University of Chicago Inclusive Economy Lab study from October 2025 showing that students in OMD's expanded program earned 3.2 times more credits and were 2.6 times more likely to persist from fall to spring than comparison group students. The memo concludes that no comparable alternatives exist among other nonprofit or commercial providers.
View the file
Other files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| 6-Complete with Docusign OMD 26 Announcement.pdf | ||
| 1-Objection template.docx | DOCX document | |
| 2-OMD Quote.pdf | ||
| 3-OMD Sole Source Letter.pdf | ||
| 5-Complete with Docusign Sole Source Justifica.pdf |
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Text version
Sole Source Justification Memo
Vendor: One Million Degrees (OMD) Type of Vendor: Nonprofit Organization Department: Office of Student Experience Prepared by: Adam Price Date: 2/18/2026
Purpose of Request
This memo requests approval to engage One Million Degrees (OMD) as a sole source vendor to provide comprehensive student support services for City Colleges of Chicago. These services are essential to improving student retention, persistence, and completion outcomes.
Description of Services
OMD delivers a structured, research-based support model that includes academic coaching, professional development, financial stipends, and wraparound services. Their program is designed specifically for community college students and has been implemented successfully across multiple CCC campuses.
Sole Source Justification
Unique Qualifications
OMD is the only organization in the Chicago region that provides a comprehensive coaching-plus-stipend model built on a proprietary curriculum, trained volunteer coaches, and a proven framework tailored to community college students. No other vendor offers an equivalent combination of services, structure, and outcomes.
Established Integration With CCC
OMD has an existing partnership with CCC and is already integrated into advising workflows, student support systems, and campus-specific cohorts. Their staff are trained in CCC processes, and the organization maintains established data sharing protocols. Replacing OMD would require significant operational disruption and loss of continuity for current student cohorts.
Demonstrated Effectiveness
OMD has a documented track record of improving retention, graduation, and transfer outcomes for CCC students. Their model has been evaluated and refined over multiple years of partnership, and CCC relies on these outcomes to meet institutional and grant-funded student success goals.
Early results from an October 2025 University of Chicago Inclusive Economy Lab study of the expanded model found that students served by City Colleges and OMD’s program expansion earned 3.2 times more credits and were 2.6 times more likely to persist from fall to spring terms than students in the comparison group.
Lack of Comparable Alternatives
A review of potential alternative vendors found no other nonprofit or commercial provider offering a comparable program. Other organizations do not provide the same integrated coaching model, volunteer network, financial support structure, or community college specific curriculum.
Pricing Reasonableness
OMD is a nonprofit organization, and its pricing reflects the cost of delivering its specialized services. The proposed cost is consistent with prior agreements and is reasonable given the scope, intensity, and proven effectiveness of the program.
Recommendation
Based on the unique nature of OMD’s services, their established partnership with CCC, and the absence of comparable alternatives, I recommend approval of One Million Degrees as a sole source vendor for City Colleges of Chicago.
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