NTACHE Draft Performanced Work Statement.pdf

Performance Work Statement (PWS) National Technical Assistance Center for the Education of Homeless

Children and Youth (NTACHE)

U.S. Department of Education Office of Elementary and Secondary Education

I. Background

Title VII, Part B (Education for Homeless Children and Youth) program of the McKinney‐Vento Homeless Assistance Act is housed within the Office of School Support and Accountability (SSA, within the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE). SSA’s mission is to help States and local education agencies (LEAs) provide the supports that are necessary for all public school students to be college and career‐ready. SSA administers grants that fall into two categories: 1) formula grants, which provide funds to states, LEAs and other entities based on census data and 2) competitive grants to develop assessments, which allow States and other entities to compete for federal funds.

The SSA Program office activities include but are not limited to four groups: Title I, Part A, State Assessments, 21st Century Community Learning Centers and Teachers, Leaders and Special Populations (TLSP). The TLSP Group is responsible for managing Title II, Part A (Supporting Effective Instruction), the Education for Homeless Children and Youth, and Title I, Part D (Prevention and Intervention Programs for Children and Youth Who are Neglected, Delinquent, or at Risk) programs. SSA Program office activities are subject to change as a result of organizational changes, Departmental priorities, reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and activities are contingent upon the approved budget.

II. Purpose and Objectives

The purpose of this procurement is to obtain administrative, logistical, and technical support in improving educational opportunities and outcomes for children and youth experiencing homelessness in our nation’s school communities. This outcome will be achieved by (1) disseminating information about effective programs and practices related to issues surrounding the education of children and youth in homeless situations, (2) fostering collaboration among various organizations with interests in addressing the education of homeless children in order to promote local awareness of homeless issues, (3) fostering greater understanding of and compliance with the McKinney‐Vento Homeless Assistance Act, and (4) assisting the Department with data collection and analyses.

This procurement will ensure that State educational agencies (SEAs), and local educational agencies (LEAs) have access to training, technical assistance, and resources to improve the education of children and youth experiencing homelessness. This procurement will include planning and hosting an annual State coordinators meeting, conducting several training sessions (online, onsite), and producing and disseminating technical documents (topical briefs, fact sheets, posters, etc.) to educators, administrators, State coordinators and homeless liaisons. This procurement is also needed to provide administrative and logistical support in planning and preparing for annual national meetings on current issues faced with the education of homeless children and youth. Additionally, this procurement will provide administrative and logistical support in assisting the Department with new inter‐agency initiatives involving the EHCY program.

Ultimately, this procurement seeks to bring awareness of the educational rights of children and youth experiencing homelessness afforded to them under the McKinney‐Vento Homeless Assistance Act as well as to disseminating good practices for program implementation and coordination with other homeless child and youth‐serving agencies, organizations, and programs.

III. Legislative Authority

42 U.S.C. § 11431 Title VII, Part B of the McKinney‐Vento Homeless Assistance Act. Section 724(b) “Technical Assistance under “Secretarial Responsibilities” states that “the Secretary shall provide support and technical assistance to a State educational agency to assist such agency in carrying out its responsibilities under this subtitle, if requested by the State educational agency.” Furthermore, Section 724(d), “Evaluation and Dissemination” states that “the Secretary shall conduct evaluation and dissemination activities of programs designed to meet the educational needs of homeless elementary and secondary school students, and may use funds appropriated under section 726 to conduct such activities.”

IV. Scope of Work and Period of Performance

The scope of this procurement is to obtain administrative, logistical, and technical support for the SSA Program Office in an effort to bolster efforts around the education of homeless children and youth. The contractor is required to provide the services described in Section VI – Specific Tasks (see below) of this Performance Work Statement. All tasks are to be interpreted with reference to the information provided in the Background and Purpose and Objectives sections, above. The contractor shall work in coordination with the COR and SSA Program Office, especially during the development phase of all tasks, and the COR will be involved in the review of all deliverables.

The period of performance for this requirement will be a 12‐month base period with 3, 12‐ month option periods, which will be exercised at Department’s discretion and subject to the availability of funds. This is a firm, fixed price contract with many optional subtasks under the five main tasks in the contract. The optional subtasks will be indicated by (optional) and a pricing matrix for subtasks with fixed quantities of deliverables, for example, presentations, will be negotiated with the Department when exercising those optional subtasks during the base period or any option year of the contract.

PWS Overview

Task Subtask Quantity

Task 1 Contract

Management Activities

1a. Start‐up (Annual) 1

1b. Monthly Communications 12

1c. Monthly Reports 12

1d. Project Management Activities 1

1e. Evaluation Activities

1f. Closeout (Contract) [optional] No more than 1

Task 2 Technical Assistance Activities

2a. Annual National Meeting (Hybrid) 1

2b. Annual National Meeting (Virtual) 1

2c. Public Awareness Materials ?

2d Topical Presentations (National & State) 10

2e. Communities of Practice – Regional 5

2f. Communities of Practice – New State Coordinators 1

2g. Individualized TA 6

2h. Helpline 12

2i. Topical Reports [optional] No more than 2

2j. Topical Briefs [optional] No more than 3

2k. Publication Revisions [optional] No more than 5

2l. Topical Webinars [optional] No more than 6

2m. Pre‐recorded Webinars [optional] No more than 3

2n. Communities of Practice – Topical [optional] No more than 3

Task 3 Website & Social Media Activities

3a. Website Maintenance 12

3b. Maintain Extranet 12

3c. Maintain Listservs 12

3d. Blog 12

3e. Maintain Social Media Accounts 12

3f. Website Transfer [optional]

3g. Website Redesign [optional] No more than 1

Task 4 Activities to

Monitor Program Implementation & Emerging Needs

4a. National Partner Coordination 4

4b. Tracking State Policy & Current Events 12

4c. Advisory Panel 2

4d. Coordinated Interagency TA [optional]

Task 5 Activities to Support the

Program Office

5a. Review SEA Websites 4

5b. Data Quality Review Tools 1

5c. Database Maintenance

5d. ED Data Tasks

5e. SEA Data Calls 1

5f. Monitoring Support [optional]

Draft Scope of Work SPECIFIC TASKS (Base Year and, if exercised, Option Years 1‐3)

Task 1: Contract Management Activities

Subtask 1a: Annual Contract Year Start‐up

Within 15 business days of the contract award (or every new contract option year), the Contractor shall deliver a proposed annual plan for the contract year to the program office. The NTACHE annual plan should include, at a minimum, the following information for each proposed deliverable for the contract year: (i) cross‐cutting themes/objectives for NTACHE’s work in the contract year, (ii) a list of NTACHE’s proposed projects, (iii) objectives for each proposed project,

(iv) a target completion date for each proposed project, and (v) tentative NTACHE staff leads for each project. To the extent feasible and practicable, NTACHE should work with the program office to develop the NTACHE annual plan before it is delivered to the program office.

Within 20 business days of the contract award (or every new contract option year), the Contractor shall meet with the COR and program office for a kick‐off meeting. During the kick‐ off meeting, participants will confirm objectives for the contract year, review NTACHE’s proposed annual plan, and clarify routines for executing contract deliverables.

o The Contractor shall submit a draft agenda and draft documents for the kick‐off meeting at least five business days before the kick‐off meeting is scheduled to take place.

o No later than 10 business days after the kick‐off meeting, the Contractor shall deliver a revised NTACHE annual plan that incorporates feedback discussed during the kick‐off meeting.

Subtask 1b: Monthly Communications

The Contractor shall meet with the COR and program office each month to report progress in implementing the NTACHE annual plan.

o The Contractor shall develop submit a draft agenda for each monthly meeting at least three business days before the monthly meeting is scheduled to take place.

o No later than three business days after each monthly meeting, the Contractor shall deliver notes from the monthly meeting.

Subtask 1c: Monthly Reports

No later than the 10th business day of each month, the Contractor shall provide written reports that provide a summary of work and accomplishments on every task in the NTACHE annual plan (as applicable for the given month). The COR will provide the contractor with a report template or sample to which modifications may be made in consultation with the COR.

Subtask 1d: Project Management Activities

The Contractor shall maintain a project management tracker to monitor the status of all deliverable within a contract years. The Contractor should make a version of this tracker available to the program office upon request.

The Contractor shall maintain a tracker to identify the extent to which each SEA participants in NTACHE technical assistance opportunities (across all projects funded under “Task 2: Technical Assistance Activities.”) The Contractor should make a version of this tracker available to the program office upon request.

NTACHE leadership shall be available to meet with the program office to discuss contract deliverables. These meetings can be scheduled at regular intervals (i.e., weekly) or on an as‐ needed basis, and NTACHE and the program office should come to agreement about their shared meeting routines.

o For each such meeting, NTACHE leadership shall develop an agenda for the meeting and deliver notes from the meeting.

NTACHE staff project leads and the program office should meet periodically to discuss the status of current deliverables. These meetings can be scheduled at routine points in the deliverable lifecycle (e.g., project launch) or on an as‐needed basis, and NTACHE and the program office should come to agreement about their shared meeting routines.

Subtask 1e: Evaluation Activities

The Contractor shall provide administrative and technical support in conducting an ongoing evaluation of completed activities and use impact data to provide guidance for the Center to improve its services. For this purpose, the Contractor shall design and implement an evaluation that will collect and analyze data from users of services provided by the Contractor.

o Within 30 business days of the award, the Contractor shall provide a draft of the evaluation plan to the COR.

o The Contractor shall submit a draft of the final evaluation 20 business days prior to the end of each contract year. The COR will review the draft and provide comments within 10 business days of receipt, unless otherwise determined.

o The Contractor shall then provide the final evaluation by the end of the contract year.

The final report must include a summary overview and recommendations of actions to improve the quality of performance on any tasks and deliverables identified for improvement.

o The Contractor shall use information from the annual evaluation to inform the development of the subsequent contract year’s NTACHE annual plan.

On an ongoing basis, the Contractor shall collect analytics from its website (e.g., visitor counts and download metrics) and its listserv (e.g., “click through rates” and “open” rates). The Contractor shall make these analytics available to the program office upon request.

Subtask 1f: Contract Close‐out [Optional Subtask]

The Contractor shall provide administrative support in preparing a list of all materials that are the property of Department or have been identified by Department as government property and arrange to transfer said property to Department or to the newly designated Contractor.

o This list includes but is not limited to the following materials: all pages and uploaded electronic documents on the website; the longitudinal database of Consolidated State Performance Reports (CSPR) data; all records in the longitudinal tracker of technical assistance inquiries; electronic copies of all slides and handouts for conference presentations; and any remaining inventory of NTACHE posters and brochures.

In consultation with the Department, the Contractor shall transfer property within 15 business days of the end of the contract period.

Task 2: Technical Assistance Activities

Annual National Meeting The Contractor shall provide administrative, logistical, and technical support in convening, planning, and managing a three‐day annual national meeting for State coordinators and national organizations at a time agreeable to the COR. The convening shall be of either a hybrid or fully virtual format. The hybrid option will be held in the Washington, DC metropolitan area and include both in‐person and virtual components so that stakeholders unable to attend in person may participate. The virtual option will be provided entirely via a virtual platform. The national meeting will provide an opportunity for State coordinators, the Department, other Federal agencies, and national organizations to discuss critical issues of policy and practice.

Estimated cost data for the event shall be provided to the COR two weeks before the event and revised cost data provided to the COR within 10 business days after event as the Department is expected to report meeting costs internally within two weeks of the event.

Subtask 2a. Hybrid Meeting (Preferred Optional Subtask) Participants may be invited to join panel presentations or give short presentations. The presenters will not be considered keynote speakers and will not be paid an honorarium or have their travel reimbursed.

One half or one full day of the meeting can be targeted as an orientation for State coordinators who have been in the position for less than one year. The Contractor shall not be responsible for costs associated with travel or accommodations by SEA attendees. No meals are to be provided for participants but the Contractor may coordinate meal delivery or arrangements for them. The meeting space will be determined in consultation with the Department.

Subtask 2.a(i). Pre‐Meeting Services The Contractor shall perform the following pre‐meeting activities and report on the status of each activity during phone calls.

Meeting Work Plan, Themes, Taglines and Logos The Contractor shall provide administrative support in facilitating teleconference calls and provide dial in options and setup for meetings. The Contractor shall prepare the meeting agendas in consultation with input from the Department. The Contractor shall prepare a work plan that lays out the planning for the annual meeting from conception to completion. The work plan shall include all of the tasks that the Contractor must perform along with the tasks that EHCY program office is responsible for. The work plan will have a description of the item along with a proposed due date. The Contractor will schedule periodic check‐ins with the program office to update the program office on planning for the convening and ensure that planning progresses according to the schedule established in the work plan.

The Contractor shall develop several themes, tag lines and logos for the meeting. The Contractor can use the notes taken from any meeting planning meetings or solicit input from the program office to develop these items.

Invitations and Confirmations The Contractor shall prepare and distribute invitations letters to invitees/attendees. The format for these materials may be a letter, brochure, or general advertisement via e‐mail. The Contractor shall produce and mail pre‐meeting materials as needed. Such materials may include a meeting website, meeting packets for each participant that will include a final agenda, evaluation form, a list of meeting participants, as well as other meeting materials; and produce nametags for each participant, name tents when appropriate, staff and presenter ribbons, as well as a meeting banner for the registration desk.

The Contractor shall ensure that all materials are shipped to the hotel. The COR will review these materials no later than 5 business days prior to their distribution. The Contractor shall have the capability to register participants online and to provide the COR with updates on the number of participants.

Invitational Travel & Honoraria for Keynote Speakers The contractor is permitted to arrange for transportation (hybrid convenings only), accommodation (hybrid convenings only) and honoraria for up to five national experts in topics pertaining to the education of homeless children and youth to deliver keynote addresses and/or to prepare and lead concurrent sessions at the annual national conference. The honorarium is not to exceed $500 per individual, except with Department approval.

Graphics The Contractor shall produce graphics, PowerPoint presentations, charts and PowerPoint slides related to the meeting. The need for graphics will be specified by the COR and become part of the deliverables to COR, at the completion of the meeting. All presentation slides and handouts shall be submitted to the COR for review seven business days before the meeting and any required revisions submitted three business days before the meeting.

Subtask 2.a(ii). Onsite Support for Meeting The Contractor shall perform the following services for the duration of the hybrid meeting. Onsite or virtual support shall not exceed 4 days for the annual national meeting.

Registration The Contractor shall provide staff to conduct registration and distribution of meeting materials onsite and via the convening’s virtual platform.

Speaker Assistance The Contractor shall provide onsite or virtual assistance services to speakers and other individuals as required. This service shall include speaker confirmation, coordinating the speaker’s room and presentation time and audiovisual, etc. In the case of virtual presenters, the Contractor shall, before the convening, ensure that all virtual presenters are oriented to the virtual meeting platform and understand the technology, and the Contractor shall provide real time support should presenters have technical difficulties during the convening.

Room Monitoring The Contractor shall provide logistical support for the hybrid meeting including the operation of audiovisual equipment as required. This shall include audiovisual setup, coordinating room lighting and temperature with the facilities personnel, placement of meeting materials in the specific room and any other form of logistical support needed for the purposes of the meeting.

Audiovisual Requirements The Contractor shall ensure that virtual attendees are incorporated meaningfully and seamlessly into the annual convening. The Contractor shall secure the necessary audiovisual equipment to ensure that virtual attendees can clearly hear and see all in‐person speakers and presentations. (Similarly, the Contractor shall ensure that the audiovisual set‐up allows in‐person attendees to hear and see all virtual presenters and attendees.) The audiovisual equipment used by the Contractor shall enable virtual attendees and in‐person attendees to effectively engage with one another during the annual meeting.

Virtual attendees shall be able to join the annual meeting via webcam and dial‐in features.

Administrative Support The Contractor shall provide administrative support, including but not limited to photocopying, message taking, and completion of packets containing meeting materials. If warranted by the agenda and directed by the COR, the Contractor may be required to provide facilitation services. The Contractor shall conduct notetaking during the meetings.

Subtask 2.a(iii). Post‐Meeting Services The Contractor shall perform these services following the conclusion of the meeting:

Thank‐You Letters The Contractor shall provide administrative support in sending thank‐you letters to participants and/or speakers as requested within 10 business days following the meeting. The Contractor shall submit any thank you letters to the COR within seven calendar days after the conclusion of the meeting.

Evaluation Report The Contractor shall provide administrative support in preparing the meeting evaluation forms. These forms will be included in the meeting package. The Contractor shall provide a final report of all evaluation forms and comments received regarding the meeting. The final report shall, include statistics collected from the evaluation as well as written comments by the participants. The final report shall not exceed 20 pages in length. The evaluation forms will be reviewed by the COR following the meeting and prior to the Contractor preparing a final report.

Copies of Materials, Handouts and Presentations The Contractor shall collect copies of all materials provided to participants as well as keep copies of presentations and handouts. The Contractor shall then make these items available to all participants through either digital or physical distribution.

Subtask 2b Virtual Meeting (Optional Subtask) In planning a virtual convening, the Contractor shall work with the Department to secure or design a virtual meeting platform that can accommodate the same number of attendees that would attend an in‐ person conference. The virtual meeting platform should enable conference attendees to participate in different types of sessions, including break‐out/small group discussions, panel presentations, and full‐ group discussions; the virtual meeting platform should also allow for all attendees (including Department staff, Contractor staff, presenters, and grantees) to connect via webcam and dial‐in features. Further, the Contractor shall work with the Department to coordinate content and logistics to ensure program and content alignment.

Subtask 2.b(i). Pre‐Meeting Services The Contractor shall perform the following pre‐meeting activities and report on the status of each activity during phone calls.

Meeting Work Plan, Themes, Taglines and Logos The Contractor shall provide administrative support in facilitating teleconference calls and provide dial in options and setup for meetings. The Contractor shall prepare the meeting agendas in consultation with input from the Department. The Contractor shall prepare a work plan that lays out the planning for the annual meeting from conception to completion. The work plan shall include all of the tasks that the Contractor must perform along with the tasks that EHCY program office is responsible for. The work plan will have a description of the item along with a proposed due date. The Contractor will schedule periodic check‐ins with the program office to update the program office on planning for the convening and ensure that planning progresses according to the schedule established in the work plan.

The Contractor shall develop several themes, tag lines and logos for the meeting. The Contractor can use the notes taken from any meeting planning meetings or solicit input from the program office to develop these items.

Invitations and Confirmations

The Contractor shall prepare and distribute invitations letters to invitees/attendees. The format for these materials may be a letter, brochure, or general advertisement via e‐mail. The Contractor shall produce and mail pre‐meeting materials as needed. Such materials may include a meeting website, meeting packets for each participant that will include a final agenda, evaluation form, a list of meeting participants, as well as other meeting materials.

Honoraria for Keynote Speakers The contractor is permitted to invite up to five national experts in topics pertaining to the education of homeless children and youth to deliver keynote addresses and/or to prepare and lead concurrent sessions at the annual national conference. The honorarium is not to exceed $500 per individual, except with Department approval.

Graphics The Contractor shall produce graphics, PowerPoint presentations, charts and PowerPoint slides related to the meeting. The need for graphics will be specified by the COR and become part of the deliverables to COR, at the completion of the meeting. All presentation slides and handouts shall be submitted to the COR for review seven business days before the meeting and any required revisions submitted three business days before the meeting.

Subtask 2.b(ii). Virtual Support for Meeting The Contractor shall perform the following services for the duration of the virtual annual meeting.

Virtual support shall not exceed 4 days for the annual national meeting.

Registration The Contractor shall provide staff to conduct registration and distribution of meeting materials via the convening’s virtual platform.

Speaker Assistance The Contractor shall provide virtual assistance services to speakers and other individuals as required.

This service shall include speaker confirmation, coordinating the speaker’s room and presentation time and audiovisual, etc. The Contractor shall, before the convening, ensure that all presenters are oriented to the virtual meeting platform and understand the technology, and the Contractor shall provide real time support should presenters have technical difficulties during the virtual convening.

IT Requirements The Contractor shall conduct the virtual annual meeting on a platform that ensures only registered users are able to access the meeting sessions and materials. The selected platform should ensure that the virtual meeting is of high quality. The platform shall include:

o The ability for the contractor to turn off the chat function as necessary.

o The ability to provide for shared presentations, power points and other slides and videos.

o The ability for the contractor to make only question and answer functions available.

o The ability for the contractor to register participants by name and other identifiable features such as office, state, and title.

o The ability for the contractor to provide reports such as questions and answers asked by participants during the virtual meeting with the identities of participants who raised questions.

o The ability for the contractor to mute all participants and to let all participants know they are muted at the beginning of the virtual meeting.

o The ability to facilitate whole group and small group sessions.

o The ability to record meeting sessions, upon request by the COR.

To ensure that the platform selected will meet the needs of the convening, the Contractor shall convene a practice session for the virtual meeting at least 10 business days prior to the annual meeting.

Administrative Support The Contractor shall provide administrative support, including but not limited to photocopying, message taking, and completion of packets containing meeting materials. If warranted by the agenda and directed by the COR, the Contractor may be required to provide facilitation services. The Contractor shall conduct notetaking during the meetings.

Subtask 2.b(iii). Post‐Meeting Services The Contractor shall perform these services following the conclusion of the meeting:

Thank‐You Letters The Contractor shall provide administrative support in sending thank‐you letters to participants and/or speakers as requested within 10 business days following the meeting. The Contractor shall submit any thank you letters to the COR within seven calendar days after the conclusion of the meeting.

Evaluation Report The Contractor shall provide administrative support in preparing the meeting evaluation forms. These forms will be included in the meeting package. The Contractor shall provide a final report of all evaluation forms and comments received regarding the meeting. The final report shall, include statistics collected from the evaluation as well as written comments by the participants. The final report shall not exceed 20 pages in length. The evaluation forms will be reviewed by the COR following the meeting and prior to the Contractor preparing a final report.

Copies of Materials, Handouts and Presentations The Contractor shall collect copies of all materials provided to participants as well as keep copies of presentations and handouts. The Contractor shall then make these items available to all participants through either digital or physical distribution.

Subtask 2c: Public Awareness Materials

The Contractor shall maintain a collection of free, printable public awareness materials available via its website. Such public awareness materials should include program brochures (targeted to students and families/caregivers) that explain the basic components of the programs for students experiencing homelessness, including program eligibility requirements.

As feasible, the Contractor shall make public awareness materials available in multiple languages and formats.

The Contractor will not be responsible for printing or distributing public awareness materials to stakeholders.

Each year, the Contractor shall update at least 5 public awareness materials. Updates can include updated content or the creation of additional translations.

Subtask 2d: Topical Presentation (National & State)

The Contractor shall deliver 10 topical presentations each contract year. Topical presentations supported under this task would include presentations to State or regional stakeholders, partner organizations, and presentations at national conferences.

o No more than 3 of the topical presentations each contract year should be delivered to State or regional stakeholders.

o Where the Contractor facilitates multiple presentations at a single national conference, the program office and the Contractor will jointly determine the number of conference presentations that will amount to a single deliverable under this task.

o Topical presentations can be completed through virtual or in‐person facilitation.

With limited exceptions for presentations at national conference, topical presentation supported under this subtask should not repurpose content or materials made available to stakeholders via other NTACHE products. Instead, the content and materials developed for a topical presentation deliverable should be tailored to address the unique needs and context of the target audience.

For each topical presentation deliverable, the Contractor will deliver a draft outline of the presentation to the program office; once the program office approves the draft outline, the Contractor will deliver draft presentation materials (including talking points/script and slides, where needed). The program office shall approve presentation materials before the Contractor completes the topical presentation.

Following the completion of a topical presentation, the Contractor shall, to the extent feasible:

o Administer an evaluation to assess the impact of the topical presentation.

o Within 5 business days, the Contractor shall deliver results of the evaluation, session notes, and an attendee report to the program office.

Subtask 2e: Communities of Practice – Regional

The Contractor shall deliver 5 regional communities of practice (CoPs) each contract year, with the intended goals of (i) providing opportunities for networking between State Coordinators and

(ii) addressing the needs unique to each regional COP’s members.

o State Coordinators are the audience of regional CoPs.

o The Contractor shall assign each State coordinator to a regional CoP based on regional groups of States. (Following the Base Year, it may not be necessary for the Contractor to re‐assign SEAs to regional CoPs.) While participation in regional CoPs will be optional for State coordinators, each State Coordinator will be automatically opted into CoPs and receive communications from the Contractor specific to their assigned regional CoP (even if the State coordinator does not attend meetings).

o The Contractor shall convene each regional CoP at least once each quarter, and regional CoPs can meet virtually, in‐person or through a hybrid approach.

The Contractor shall develop mechanisms for sharing information and resources across regional COPs (including, for example, periodic cross‐CoP meetings, report‐outs at NTACHE’s annual conference, or the sharing of notes/resources developed by each regional CoP.)

The Contractor shall develop an annual work plan for each regional CoP that describes, at a minimum, (i) the regional CoP’s meeting schedule, (ii) the State Coordinators assigned to each regional CoP, and (iii) NTACHE’s facilitator for each regional CoP.

The Contractor shall make notes (and other materials) from the regional CoPs available to participants via the Extranet.

Task 2f: Community of Practice – New State Coordinators [Optional Subtask]

The Contractor shall facilitate a CoP for State Coordinators of Homeless Education programs with less than 1 year of experience in the role, with the goal of helping participating State Coordinators understand the basics of program implementation and build a community of practitioners.

The CoP shall meet at least 6 times in the contract year.

The CoP shall cover basic concepts of program implementation, including (i) the subgrant process, (ii) allowable uses of funds, (iii) collecting, reporting, and analyzing program data, (iv) subrecipient monitoring, and (v) training and technical assistance.

o Each CoP session shall include opportunities for direct instruction from NTACHE subject matter experts, as well as peer‐to‐peer discussion.

The Contractor shall develop a work plan for the CoP that describes (i) the Contractor’s recruitment strategy for the CoP, (ii) draft learning plan/timeline for the CoP, and (iii) the evaluation plan to track the CoP’s impact. The program office must approve the work plan for the CoP before ethe Contractor announces the CoP to the field and begins recruitment activities.

For each meeting of the CoP, the Contractor shall develop a detailed agenda and resource materials that will be provided to attendees. The program office must approve the detailed agenda and resource materials before each meeting of the CoP.

Subtask 2g: Individualized TA

The Contractor shall deliver 6 individualized technical assistance (ITA) deliverables each contract year.

o At lest 2 ITA deliverables each contract year shall be offered to program grantees that the program office has recently monitored, with the goal of assisting each grantee resolve a monitoring finding.

The Contractor shall design each ITA deliverable to provide targeted support to a program grantee that is tailored to the unique needs of the grantee, and the Contractor shall ensure that ITA deliverables result in program‐shifting outcomes for the recipient grantee.

o The Contractor shall design each ITA deliverable so that it uses a “train‐the‐trainer” model of technical assistance; as such, in completing an ITA deliverable, the Contractor will not engage in activities that are typical of program grantees (e.g., delivering trainings to subgrantees or other stakeholders).

The Contractor shall develop an ITA plan for identifying ITA recipients, as part of the NTAHCE annual plan described in Subtask 1a, and the ITA plan should delineate the Contractor’s process for identifying ITA projects (either through direct recruitment or through a request for proposals). The ITA plan should also include a timeline for identifying ITA projects and the criteria that NTACHE will use to make final decisions about ITA projects.

Once the Contractor has confirmed an ITA deliverable with a program grantee, the Contractor shall develop, jointly with the program grantee, an ITA work plan. The ITA work plan should include, at a minimum, (i) the objectives for the ITA deliverable, (ii) a statement of the role of the program grantee and the Contractor, (iii) a draft learning plan/timeline for the ITA deliverable, (iv) deliverables of the ITA project (e.g., work products), and (v) the Contractor’s evaluation plan to track the project’s impact.

o The program office shall approve each ITA work plan before a project officially begins with a program grantee.

Subtask 2h: Helpline

The Contractor shall provide administrative and technical support in establishing, operating and providing phone and online technical assistance through a toll‐free phone line and email (collectively known as the Helpline) on resources for homeless families, children and youth, program grantees and subgrantees, and other stakeholders. The Contractor shall make the phone and online technical assistance operational within 20 business days of the award.

o The Contractor shall publicize the helpline in all products and at all meetings and conferences.

The Contractor shall respond to each request in an accurate, thorough, and timely manner; mail products and information as requested; provide online searches for requested topics; and make appropriate referrals to other agencies and organizations.

o “Timely manner” in this subtask is defined as acknowledgement of a Helpline request in no more than 1 business day from the initial receipt of a request and the provision of an initial response in no more than 5 business days from receipt of the request. If there is a day that the Contractor is not staffing the Helpline (e.g., on Federal holidays), the Contractor shall notify stakeholders via an automated message about its timeline for responding to Helpline requests.

o “Accurate” and “throughout” in this subtask is defined as responses that are aligned with program office and U.S. Department of Education policy, and that are professional in writing style and tone. If the Contractor is unsure how to respond to a Helpline request, the Contractor shall contact the program office for assistance.

The Contractor shall provide the program office a monthly report of all requests fielded via the Helpline. This monthly report should include, at a minimum, (i) the stakeholder type, (ii) the question (verbatim for email inquiries), (iii) the Contractor’s response (verbatim for email inquiries), and (iv) the dates each request was initiated and closed out. The Contractor’s monthly report should also elevate trends in stakeholder questions/needs.

The Contractor shall hold a monthly “office hour”‐style call available to State Coordinators and local liaisons. During the monthly call, the Contractor shall provide a short report out of key questions that it fielded via the Helpline over the previous month, spotlight newly released resources (webinars/publications), and facilitate an open‐ended Q&A with attendees. (Program office lead(s) will participate in the monthly office hour but will not be lead facilitators of the sessions.)

Subtask 2i: Topical Reports [Optional Subtask]

The Contractor shall publish no more than two topical reports during each contract year.

Topical reports will be between 10‐25 pages in length (as dictated by content and publication layout), and the primary audience for topical reports shall be program grantees and subgrantees.

o At least one topical report deliverable each contract year shall be used to provide an Annual Data Summary, which details and unpacks the latest program data.

o At least once during the lifecycle of the contract, the Contractor shall use one topical report deliverable to provide a digest of recent research in the field of homeless education.

For each topical report deliverable, the Contractor shall deliver a draft outline to the program office; upon approval of the draft outline, NTACHE will deliver a draft topical report based upon the content of the outline. The program office shall approve each topical report before the Contractor publishes the final deliverable.

Subtask 2k: Topical Briefs [Optional Subtask]

The Contractor shall publish no more than 3 topical briefs during each contract year. Topical briefs will be between 1‐10 pages in length (as dictated by content and publication layout), and the primary audience of topical briefs shall be program grantees and subgrantees.

o Topical briefs shall unpack discrete concepts within the field of homeless education, and topical briefs may take the form of program spotlights, tip sheets, implementation tools, and/or policy briefs.

For each topical brief deliverable, the Contractor shall deliver a draft outline to the program office; upon approval of the draft outline, NTACHE will deliver a draft topical brief based upon the content of the outline. The program office shall approve each topical brief before the Contractor publishes the final deliverable.

Subtask 2k: Publication Revisions [Optional Subtask]

The Contractor shall revise no more than five of its previously published topical reports or topical briefs each contract year.

For the purpose of this subtask, revisions to previously published topical reports or topical briefs should be relatively minor and include, for example, updates to statutory citations, corrections to hyperlinks, or slight changes to narrative to reflect evolving policy. (Revisions under this subtask would not encompass, however, complete rewrites of previously published topical reports or topical briefs.)

o The Contractor shall collaborate with the program office to ensure the scope of publication revision deliverables remain within the bounds of this subtask.

o Where proposed revisions are beyond the scope of this subtask, the Contractor shall consider using a tropical brief or topical report deliverable to support the project.

The program office shall approve each publication revision before the Contractor publishes the final deliverable.

Subtask 2l: Topical Webinars [Optional Subtask]

The Contractor shall deliver no more than 6 topical webinars each contract year. Topical webinars will be between 60‐90 minutes in length (as dictated by content), and the Contractor shall record each topical webinar. The primary audience for topical webinars shall be program grantees and subgrantees.

o Topical webinars shall explore nuances of program implementation and should not duplicate information available through other NTACHE deliverables (such as pre‐ recorded webinars, topical reports, or topical briefs).

o Topical webinars should include a webinar evaluation that will be administered to attendees immediately at the conclusion of the topical webinar.

The Contractor shall publicize topical webinars at least 6 weeks before the scheduled date for the topical webinar, and the Contractor shall send a reminder message to registered attendees at least 5 business days before the topical webinar takes place.

For each topical webinar deliverable, the Contractor shall deliver a draft outline to the program office; upon approval of the draft outline, the Contractor will deliver a draft topical webinar deck (including talking points/script) based upon the content of the outline. The program office shall approve topical webinar materials before the scheduled date of the topical webinar.

Following the completion of a topical webinar, the Contractor shall, to the extent feasible:

o Within 2 business days deliver results of the evaluation, session notes, and an attendee report to the program office.

o Within 5 business days post to the NTACHE website: (i) the webinar recording (if requested by the program office), (ii) webinar slides (in both PowerPoint and PDF formats), and (iii) related tools and resources (where appropriate).

o Within 5 business days notify webinar attendees that materials from the webinar have been posted to the NTACHE website.

Task 2m: Pre‐recorded Webinars [Optional Subtask]

The Contractor shall deliver no more than 3 pre‐recorded webinars each contract year. Pre‐ recorded webinars will be between 30‐45 minutes in length (as dictated by content). The primary audience for topical webinars shall be program grantees and subgrantees.

o Pre‐recorded webinar deliverables shall explore the basics of program implementation and/or statutory requirements.

The Contractor shall post pre‐recorded webinars to the NTACHE website. Along with the pre‐ recorded webinar, the Contractor shall also post to the NTACHE website the following materials:

(i) the PowerPoint used for the pre‐recorded webinar and (ii) links to resources spotlighted in the pre‐recorded webinar.

For each pre‐recorded webinar deliverable, the Contractor shall deliver a draft outline to the program office; upon approval of the draft outline, the Contractor will deliver a draft topical webinar deck (including talking points/script) based upon the content of the outline. The program office shall approve pre‐recorded webinar materials before the Contractor records the webinar and posts the webinar recording to the NTACHE website.

Task 2n: Communities of Practice – Topical [Optional Subtask]

The Contractor shall facilitate no more than 3 topical CoPs each contract year, with the intended goal of exploring emerging nuances of program implementation. Topical CoPs shall not duplicate information available through other NTACHE deliverables (such as pre‐recorded webinars, topical reports, or topical briefs).

o Program grantees shall be the primary audience of topical CoPs, though a topical CoP can include other stakeholders (e.g., program subgrantees or other stakeholders) as warranted by the content of the topical CoP.

o Each topical CoP shall involve no fewer than 5 participants and no more than 10 participants. In designing each topical CoP, the Contractor shall design a recruitment strategy that ensure participants are suited for meaningful participation in the topical CoP.

o Topical CoPs shall last for at least 6 months and no longer than 10 months.

o Topical CoPs shall involve multiple touch points with participants, including structured meetings and interim communications between meetings. (Interim communications may include, for example, “homework” or one‐on‐one coaching with CoP members between structured meetings.)

The Contractor shall develop a work plan for each topical CoP that describes, at a minimum, (i) the topical CoP’s objectives, (ii) the Contractor’s recruitment strategy for the topical CoP, (iii) a draft learning plan/timeline for the topical CoP, and (iv) the evaluation plan to track the topical CoP’s impact. The program office must approve the work plan for each topical CoP before the Contractor announces the topical CoP to the field and begins recruitment activities.

The Contractor shall make notes (and other materials) from the regional CoPs available to participants via the Extranet.

Task 3: Website & Social Media Activities

Subtask 3a: Website Maintenance

The Contractor shall maintain a website (NTACHE website) containing information related to the education homeless children and youth, and the NTACHE website shall be available to stakeholders continuously (except for short periods required for IT maintenance.) The NTACHE website shall be operational within 180 business days of the award (unless otherwise instructed), and the NTACHE website shall be updated in consultation with the program office.

The NTACHE website shall include, at a minimum: (i) deliverables executed under this contract,

(ii) announcements of upcoming events, (iii) State‐level performance data, (iv) relevant resources from partner organizations, program grantees, and/or other stakeholders, and (v) a Blog (Subtask 3d).

The NTACHE website shall include a national directory of State Coordinators and local liaisons.

o The Contractor shall update the national directory of State Coordinators monthly.

o The Contractor shall update the national directory of local liaisons biannually.

The Contractor shall develop a standard operating procedure (SOP) for posting new resources to the NTACHE website and periodically removing resources from the website. The SOP should include differentiated procedures for various types of resources (e.g., ED resources vs. NTACHE resources vs. non‐Federal partner resources).

The Contractor shall track key metrics from the NTACHE website, including, at a minimum, visits to individual subpages and downloads of individual resources. Metrics from the NTACHE website should be made available to the program office upon request.

The Contractor shall establish and maintain a website of information related to the education of homeless children and youth. The website shall include publications and other documents, announcements of events, State contacts for homeless education, State‐level performance data, State and local resources and links to information on homelessness found on the websites of partner organizations, information for State Coordinators and LEA liaisons, information on the toll‐free help line (see Task 6). The website shall be operational within 180 business days of the award (unless otherwise instructed) and the site shall be updated in consultation with the Department. A list of documents or links to upload to the website shall be submitted to the COR at least 5 days prior to their expected upload.

In addition, the Contractor will maintain a secure extranet with access limited to staff in the Office of Coordinator for every State to access workbooks of their LEA and school level data, upload monitoring‐related documents, and notes and exemplars shared by other States from…