Performance Work Statement 84.421F EBS Draft.docx

TABLE OF CONTENTSFederal Fiscal Year 2024 (FFY24) Disability Innovation Fund (DIF) Program Evidence Building Support Contract

Performance Work Statement Acquisition #

Office of Special and Rehabilitative Services Rehabilitation Services Administration

ABSTRACT

Contractor services to support evidence building for the FFY24 DIF program

Version 1

March 29, 2024

Background……………………………………..………………………………………….. 3

Authorizing Statue……………….………………………………………………………… 3

Period of Performance…….......................……………………………………………… 3

Purpose………………………………………………………………………………….…. 3

Scope of Work……………………………………………………………………………… 4

Task 1. Project Management… ………………..………………………………………… 5

Task 2. Progress and Performance Measurement.…………………………………………. 6

Task 3. Support and Assess Grantee Evaluation/Evidence-Building……….…………… 7

Task 4. Describe Project Implementation and Outcomes……………………………

Task 5. Reporting ……………………………………………………………………………… 10

Task 6. Quick Turnaround Time on Demand……………………………………………….. 12

Task 7. Perform Closeout…………………………………………………………….………. 12

Federal Fiscal Year 2024 (FFY24) Disability Innovation Fund (DIF) Program Evidence Building Support Contract

The U.S. Department of Education’s (ED or Department) Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA), Training and Service Programs Division (TSPD) requires one Contractor to support RSA’s evidence-building through technical assistance for performance measurement and grantee evaluations as well as describing program implementation and outcomes for the Federal Fiscal Year 2024 (FFY24) Disability Innovation Fund (DIF) program.

BACKGROUND

The FFY24 DIF program provides grants to State vocational rehabilitation (VR) and other State agencies that intend to carry out model demonstration projects designed to develop, implement, refine, assess, and disseminate innovative[footnoteRef:2] or substantially improved strategies or programs geared toward increasing competitive integrated employment (CIE) for individuals with disabilities. In furthering its mission to obtain CIE for individuals with disabilities, there are State programs that work with employers of all types, including those offering non-traditional, flexible, and freelance opportunities. The FFY24 DIF program assists State agencies to provide supports and training to individuals with disabilities to support their full inclusion in the workforce by preparing them for and facilitating their engagement in employment opportunities that meet all criteria in the definition of CIE[footnoteRef:3]. [2: “Innovative” means featuring new methods, ideas, or approaches.] [3: “Competitive Integrated Employment” is defined in 34 C.F.R. 361.5(c)(9)]

For purposes of this contract, the Department defines “competitive integrated employment” to be consistent with the use of that term for purposes of the State Vocational Rehabilitation Services program and to mean that work is performed: (1) on a full-time or part-time basis (including self-employment) and for which an individual is compensated at a rate that: (a) is not less than the higher of the rate specified in section 6(a)(1) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 206(a)(1)) or the rate required under the applicable State or local minimum wage law for the place of employment; (b) is not less than the customary rate paid by the employer for the same or similar work performed by other employees who are not individuals with disabilities and who are similarly situated in similar occupations by the same employer and who have similar training, experience, and skills; (c) in the case of an individual who is self-employed, yields an income that is comparable to the income received by other individuals who are not individuals with disabilities and who are self-employed in similar occupations or on similar tasks and who have similar training, experience, and skills; and (d) is eligible for the level of benefits provided to other employees; and (2) is at a location typically found in the community; and where the employee with a disability interacts for the purpose of performing the duties of the position with other employees within the particular work unit and the entire work site, and, as appropriate to the work performed, other persons (e.g., customers and vendors), who are not individuals with disabilities (not including supervisory personnel or individuals who are providing services to such employee) to the same extent that employees who are not individuals with disabilities and who are in comparable positions interact with these persons; and (3) presents, as appropriate, opportunities for advancement that are similar to those for other employees who are not individuals with disabilities and who have similar positions[footnoteRef:4]. [4: Authority: Sections 7(5) and 12(c) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended; 29 U.S.C. 705(5) and 709(c)]

Each DIF grantee is required to report on their project’s performance and outcomes, which includes data related to the number of individuals who participate in the project and who obtain CIE. Grantees may track additional measures in order to better understand how their demonstration projects are progressing and to inform their ongoing project improvement. Finally, grantees must cooperate with RSA and their support contractor to develop and implement program-level performance measures that help to benchmark whether DIF is achieving its objectives and to describe and assess program implementation.

AUTHORIZING STATUTE

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (Pub. L. 117-328) authorized the Department to use amounts that remained available following the reallotment of funds to States under Section 110(b)(2) of the Rehabilitation Act to conduct innovative activities aimed at increasing competitive integrated employment (CIE) as defined in section 7 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Rehabilitation Act) (29 U.S.C. 705(5))[footnoteRef:5] for youth and other individuals with disabilities. In addition, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, authorized the Department to use up to 15 percent of fiscal year 2023 DIF funds[footnoteRef:6] for evaluation of, and technical assistance for, DIF activities. [5: See 34 CFR 361.5(c)(9) for the regulatory definition of "competitive integrated employment," which further clarifies the definition in the Rehabilitation Act.] [6: The fiscal year 2023 DIF funds remain available for obligation through September 30, 2024. This document refers to these funds as FFY 2024 DIF program funds to align to the period of availability.]

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The period of performance for this firm-fixed price requirement shall be 60 months.

PURPOSE

The FFY24 DIF program is intended to demonstrate innovative training and career pathways programs and strategies that transition individuals with disabilities to CIE. Although the FFY24 DIF Notice Inviting Applications (NIA) has not yet published, information pertaining to previous DIF programs, such as the 84.421C Career Advancement Model Demonstration Projects, 84.421D Subminimum Wage to Competitive Integrated Employment Projects, and the 84.421E Pathways to Partnership Projects NIAs that were published in the Federal Register and DIF program awardees is located on the RSA website at https://rsa.ed.gov/ under the RSA Programs, Demonstration Projects.

The Contractor will assist RSA and FFY24 DIF grantees in assessing annual performance and implementation. These efforts shall include developing, collecting data, and reporting on performance measures to provide meaningful information about whether individual grantees and the overall FFY24 DIF program are making progress towards program goals. The contractor shall also describe grantee project activities and the extent to which these activities are similar or different in their project approaches, focus on key populations, challenges encountered, or other important aspects of implementation. Finally, the contractor shall provide technical assistance on grantee evaluations. RSA expects to award FFY24 DIF grants to approximately 20 to 30 State agencies.

SCOPE OF WORK

The scope of work performed under this contract shall be defined by the following tasks and/or subtasks. The Contractor will apply generally accepted industry and/or government program/project management standards to managing work and completing deliverables. Both draft and final documents shall be professionally edited for spelling, grammar, punctuation, and table/text consistency prior to submission to the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) and Program Manager (PM). Where unspecified, allow a minimum of five calendar days for the review and approval of all contractual deliverables. Unless otherwise specified, one (1) electronic copy of all reports shall be submitted according to the approved schedule of deliverables. For some subtasks, identified below, the contractor shall submit deliverables to the Contracting Officer (CO) or Contracting Specialist (CS).

Task 1. Project Management

The Contractor shall arrange and participate in meetings and engage in other communication, with the COR and PM to ensure the successful management of contract activities. For the first year of the contract, weekly meetings will be conducted with the contractor; in the proceeding years of the contract, meetings will be conducted bi-weekly or as determined by the COR.

The COR and PM will identify the date, time, and location for all virtual or in-person meetings at Department offices in Washington, D.C. and will assume responsibility for inviting appropriate Department staff, as needed. The Contractor shall arrange an initial planning meeting, within 14 days of contract award, with RSA and other relevant Department officials to discuss the details of the contract and provide clarification as needed. The Contractor shall prepare for and actively participate in monthly and quarterly calls with the FFY24 DIF program grantees. The Contractor shall prepare for and participate in a briefing for relevant stakeholders, such as ED program staff and program project directors, to summarize the Evidence Report developed under Task 4. The COR and PM shall specify whether the briefing shall be in person in Washington, DC or conducted virtually via video conference. The Contractor shall develop and update the project management plan and management matrix annually. The Contractor, with the COR and PM’s input and approval, shall provide an agenda for the meeting(s) identified in the deliverables below, including the management matrix that was submitted with the proposal and the schedule of deliverables and payments. The Contractor shall come prepared to identify any areas of concern and to suggest ways of responding to them. The Contractor shall provide meeting minutes documenting the major decisions made at this meeting.

Deliverables

1.1 Development of a Project Management Plan. The Contractor shall develop a project management plan document, within thirty days of FFY24 DIF program contract awarded and updated as warranted annually, that outlines how a project will be executed, monitored, quality controlled, and closed.

1.2 Management Matrix. The Contractor shall develop a management matrix, within thirty days of FFY24 DIF program contract awarded and updated as warranted annually, that outlines the management structure and responsibilities of all contractors and subcontractors. The management matrix must include the name, job title, position description, full-time or part-time, and level of effort, assigned to each person, and must show the staffing under each major function of the contract: data collection, data analysis and reporting, etc. The Contractor will maintain the list of contractors, subcontractors, background investigation status (including expiration and renewal dates), training completion dates, and other fields in support of OFO-O: 5-101 which will be provided by the COR.

1.3 Early Contract Planning and Kick-Off Meeting with RSA Staff. The Contractor and key project staff shall meet with the COR and PM and other appropriate Department staff within the specified timeframe as indicated by RSA to discuss details regarding the tasks outlined in the proposal, scheduling activities, and other issues related to the contract. The Contractor shall prepare a PowerPoint presentation for the Kick-Off meeting.

1.4 Kick-Off Meeting with FFY24 DIF Program Grantees and Evaluators. The Contractor and key project staff shall meet with the COR and PM, other appropriate Department staff, and FFY24 DIF program grantees and evaluators within 30 days of the grant awards being made for the purpose of expectations for both the grantees and contractor.

1.5 Ongoing Communication with the Department. The Contractor shall participate in weekly meetings during the first year and bi-weekly for years 2-5 with the COR and PM. The Contractor shall provide updates on progress of the deliverables and identify issues or problems primarily through email. These calls and/or emails will be used to update the COR and PM on the progress of task activities and to discuss any issues or anticipated problems and proposed solutions to those problems.

1.6 Coordination Meetings. The Contractor shall meet with the COR, PM, other ED officials or Contractors to coordinate evidence building support activities and/or discuss evidence building support and program evaluation results and recommendations monthly or as directed by the COR.

1.7 Monthly Office Hours with FFY24 DIF Program Grantees and Project Evaluators. The Contractor and key project staff shall coordinate and facilitate monthly office hours with the FFY24 DIF program grantees and project evaluators to provide evidence building support to the FFY24 DIF program grantees.

1.8 Coordinate and Facilitate Quarterly Project Evaluator Meetings. The Contractor shall support the DIF Program Officers with the coordination and facilitation of quarterly virtual and/or onsite meetings with the grantees’ project evaluators.

1.9 Planning Meeting Agendas For 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, and 1.8. The Contractor shall prepare and email the COR and PM an agenda for the initial planning and other meetings at least one week prior to the meeting. The agenda will be accompanied electronically by any discussion or support documents for the meeting, including the draft management matrix.

1.10 Written Meeting Summaries for All Meetings in Task 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, and 1.8. The Contractor shall prepare 508 compliant written meeting summaries of each teleconference or in-person meeting, including highlighting major decisions in Task 2, submitting the summaries to the COR and PM within one week for review and approval.

Task 2. Progress and Performance Measurement

The Contractor shall collaborate with grantees and RSA on both project-specific progress measures and indicators or program-wide performance.

Deliverables

2.1 Refine Grantee Project Logic Models. The Contractor shall review the grant applications, including the required project logic models, the evaluation plans, and any relevant updated information from RSA about each FFY24 DIF program grantee in order to understand the planned projects, their key milestones, and expected outcomes. The contractor shall discuss the logic model included in the application with each grantee project director and evaluator, either at an early project director meeting or through virtual meetings, in order to update or fill in the model as needed to best reflect early project expectations. Each logic model should graphically depict the relationship and expected sequencing of the project’s resources, activities, and its expected interim and final outcomes. The contractor shall submit the refined logic models and a one to two-page narrative accompanying each one to the COR and PM within six months of contract award. The contractor shall respond to comments from the COR and PM within two weeks of receiving them.

2.2 Collaborate with Grantees to Develop or Refine Project Progress Measures. Grantees are required to identify targets for, track, and report twice a year on key outcomes including the number of individuals to be served, referred for services, actively participating, and achieving CIE. Grantees may also develop additional measures and targets that are relevant to their specific project objectives, such as those that align with their logic models. As part of the collaboration with grantees on their project logic models (Task 2.1), the contractor shall assist grantees in refining the required project-level performance measures and targets or in developing additional ones. These additional measures could include interim indicators of progress, to help grantees identify potential issues or delay. For example, it may be possible to set targets for and track monthly or quarterly project participation, so that if there are problems grantees have the opportunity to take corrective action before submitting the biannual reports to RSA. The contractor shall prepare tables summarizing each grantee’s project performance and progress measures within six months of contract award.

2.3 Develop FFY24 DIF Program Performance Measures. Drawing across the project-specific measures and in collaboration with the Department and the FFY24 DIF program grantees, the contractor will identify and refine FFY24 DIF program performance measures within the first six months of the FFY24 DIF program grants being awarded. Program performance measures may, for example, include indicators of whether the project services will be sustained beyond the FFY24 DIF program grant period. Within six months of contract award, the contractor shall submit a memo to RSA that summarizes these program-level performance measures.

Task 3. Support and Assess Grantee Evaluations/Evidence-Building

The Contractor will assess and provide technical assistance to the grantees and their evaluators in their evidence-building efforts. Grantees are required to design and carry out evaluations that can demonstrate whether their projects have “promise” i.e., by assessing the relationship between participants’ engagement with or use of specific project strategies and key expected outcomes.

Deliverables

3.1 Initial and Annual Project Evaluation Assessment. In collaboration with the COR and PM, the contractor shall develop a series of tables and a memo format for documenting and assessing each project’s evaluation features. Building on activities conducted under Task 2 and any early revisions made after grantee awards, the contractor shall use the approved format to assess each project’s planned evaluation and submit a memo to the COR and PM within four months of contract award. The contractor shall update the information for and status of each grantee evaluation annually and submit a memo highlighting the changes and progress to the COR and PM each year. These descriptions and annual assessments shall include, but not be limited to:

· Can the project strategy(ies) be implemented in the intended ways (with fidelity)?

· Can the grantee clearly identify who will/did receive the project services/strategies?

· Is the evaluation on track? What barriers to progress are there?

· Does the evaluator have the skills and capacity to collect the data and perform the needed analyses?

· Can the FFY24 DIF project participants be compared in a credible way to those served generally in the VR and other existing programs as identified in FFY24 DIF NIA, when published?

3.2 Technical Assistance. The contractor shall provide technical assistance and other supports to assist the FFY24 DIF program grantees in meeting the requirements and expectations the Department set for their evaluations. The contractor shall review and recommend improvements to each project evaluations’ ways of identifying participant and non-participant groups, data collection strategies, instruments and measures, and analysis methods. This technical assistance may be provided to grantees/evaluators, as needed, in the following ways[footnoteRef:7]: [7: The contractor may wish to consult or use evaluation technical assistance tools and guidance already developed by the Department’s Institute of Education Science, such as those at https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/projects/evaluationTA.asp.]

3.2a Technical Assistance to Individual Grantees: Primarily through quarterly virtual meetings or calls or written feedback on initial and updated evaluation plans or draft project evaluation materials.

3.2b Technical Assistance to Groups of Grantees through Webinars, Meetings, or Conferences: Where evaluation issues are common or cross-cutting, for example through sessions organized by the contractor and presented at the project director meetings, as part of webinars organized and delivered by the contractor.

3.3c Technical Assistance to Groups of Grantees via Guidance Documents or Tools: For conveying certain instruction or recommended procures to all grantee evaluators.

Task 4. Describe Project Implementation and Outcomes

The contractor shall develop a summative evidence report about the FFY24 DIF program grants and their outcomes. The report shall draw on information collected as part of this contract’s Tasks 2 and 3, key deliverables from the contractor providing technical assistance on grantee strategies, the Annual Performance report and End of Year Performance reports grantees submit to the Department, and new data collected from grantee project directors as approved by the COR. In describing program implementation and outcomes, the contractor shall both highlight the individual grantee projects and cross-cutting elements and lessons learned.

Deliverables

4.3 Develop and Conduct Systematic Interviews or Surveys with Project Directors. The Contractor shall develop a semi-structured interview protocol or survey instrument to collect information about implementation from project directors each year. The protocol or survey shall allow the contractor to tabulate information across the grantees as well as to collect examples of or additional detail about grantee strategies, common components, or challenges. The contractor shall submit a draft protocol or survey instrument to the COR and PM along with the final data collection and analysis plan within 8 months of the contract award, demonstrating how the individual questions and response categories in the protocol or instrument will be used to address the report’s research questions. The contractor shall respond to the COR’s comments and prepare a version that can be submitted as part of Task 4.3 below.

Once the protocol or instrument is approved as specified in Task 4.3, the contractor shall administer it to each grantee project director in years 2-4 of the FFY24 DIF grants.

4.4 Prepare Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Forms Clearance Package. The Contractor shall prepare a forms-clearance package to receive approval from OMB for any data collection that has been approved by the COR and that includes more than 9 respondents. The Contractor shall ensure that the clearance package follows the required OMB format, justifying the necessity for collecting data and comprehensively responding to each required item in the instructions, including: (1) the objectives of the program, (2) the evidence report’s research questions, (3) a crosswalk between the research questions and the information to be collected, (4) instructions to participants in the data collection, (5) discussion of questions likely to be deemed “sensitive” by OMB, (6) limitations and the potential use for policy decisions, and (7) table shells indicating how data will be tabulated and analyzed.

All forms clearance packages shall be 508 compliant, brief, clear, and well written without errors. Each package shall include the forms – draft data collection instruments and protocols --and instructions that will be used to obtain data. The contractor shall submit a draft forms clearance package to the COR and PM within the first 12 months of contract award and respond to comments within one month.

The COR and PM will submit the final package to begin the OMB approval process. The information collection request is required to go through a 60-day public comment period while pending in the Department of Education followed by a 30-day public comment period when submitted to Office of Management and Budget (OMB). During this period, the Contractor shall pretest the data collection forms so that burden information can be updated in the final package. The Contractor shall be prepared to revise forms and justification as required during the approval process. The Contractor may be responsible for tracking, responding, and managing public comments at the discretion of the COR, PM, and/or ED Department Officials.

4.5 Prepare Evidence Report Describing Project Implementation and Outcomes. The Contractor shall conduct analyses according to the approved Data Collection and Analysis Plan (Task 4.2) and prepare a report that follows the approved Report Outline (Task 4.1). The Contractor shall borrow the introduction and study design description from the final analysis plan, rather than developing this from scratch to the extent that it meets COR and PM approval.

The Contractor shall make sure that the report is written and organized so that it is accessible (i.e., 508-compliant) to policy makers and research-savvy practitioners, with information on the technical aspects of the study included in appendices. To the extent feasible, the report shall include visually intuitive figures and graphics that are accessible and include alt-text, rather than tables. The Contractor shall also include a one-page, stand-alone summary of the report that contains enough information to form the basis for a press release, as specified by the COR, PM, or ED officials.

Both the draft report and one-page summary will be submitted to the COR and PM for approval. The Contractor shall be responsive to RSA’s comments and revise the report until it clears the RSA review process. After the report and one-page summary are cleared by RSA, the Contractor shall provide web-ready (i.e., 508-compliant) versions of the report and the one-page summary.

Task 5. Reporting

The Contractor shall maintain communication with the COR and PM and provide up to date and accurate information when requested. The Contractor shall engage in ongoing communication with RSA primarily through reporting (monthly, quarterly, and annually). The Contractor shall work with the COR and PM to develop a template for the monthly, quarterly progress, and annual reports. The Contractor shall submit a monthly, quarterly progress, and annual reports, during each year of this contract. Each report shall include the following information: (1) the status of each ongoing task; (2) a log of all questions from FFY24 DIF program grantees and others, including stakeholders, and a summary of Contractor’s responses, including date and time that the request was received and the response was provided (links to secure logs are expected); (3) a discussion of any major barriers encountered that may affect the time and quality of deliverables and associated tasks and plans to resolve any discrepancies; and (4) a discussion of any decisions/actions required by the Department.

Deliverables

5.1 Schedule of Deliverables. The Contractor shall provide, five days prior to the initial planning meeting (Kick-Off Meeting), a schedule of deliverables and payments with firm calendar dates. COR and PM review and approval are based on timeframes set forth in this PWS.

5.2 Submitting Deliverables for Approval. The Contractor will consult with RSA and develop a method or system for routinely submitting completed deliverables to the COR and PM for approval. All deliverables must be approved by the COR or PM prior to being added to an invoice.

5.3 Monthly Reporting. The Contractor shall submit one copy of the following reports each month to the COR and PM.

5.3a Monthly Progress Reports/Exception Reports. The Contractor shall submit monthly progress reports. The reports shall summarize the major activities and accomplishments for the reporting period. In addition, they shall provide information for each project task regarding significant findings and events, problems encountered, and staff use. The reports shall also specify the extent to which the project is on schedule, briefly describe the activities planned for the next month, identify, and discuss significant deviations from the substantive and time factors in the management plan, and identify and discuss any decisions which may be needed from RSA. If there are no exceptions, the reports shall state that there are no exceptions. If there are exceptions to the management plan, the Contractor shall describe the plan for resolving the problems.

5.3b Monthly Expenditure Reports. The Contractor shall submit monthly expenditure reports or as otherwise directed by RSA. These reports, prepared and signed by project director, shall summarize the actual personnel assignments for the month just completed, showing for each staff member the hours charged by task. The reports shall also exhibit expenditures, segregating project costs for each task and for each subtask, and specifying for all travel the locations, duration, and personnel for each trip. A final expenditure report will be required at the end of the contract.

5.3c Paid Report of Checks, Gift card and other forms of Payment to TWG Members and Survey Participants. The Contractor shall submit a monthly report regarding checks, gift card and other forms of payments, payments of attendee expenses, reasonable accommodations (i.e., reader services), etc.

5.3d Monthly Invoicing. The Contractor shall submit a monthly invoice using the Standard Form (SF) 1035- Public Voucher for Services Other than Personal along with the corresponding monthly progress report via the ED Department’s payment system with only the approved deliverables. An electronic copy of the invoice should also be sent directly to the COR and PM. The Contractor shall collaborate with the COR and PM to determine the format of the invoice and the required items to be included in the invoice. The Contractor and COR and PM will mutually decide on a submittal timeframe for the invoice.

5.3e Monthly OSERS Contracting Maintenance Forms. The Contractor shall collaborate with the COR and PM to ensure the various monthly OSERS contracting maintenance forms (i.e., OSERS Contracting Tracking form, OSERS Role Based Training Contractors form) are accurate and UpToDate.

5.4 Annual Reporting of Overall Contract Performance to RSA. The Contractor shall prepare an annual comprehensive report on the annual contract activities and outcomes of the analyses conducted. These reports shall include appropriate charts, tables, and graphs of all analysis’s outcomes accompanied by the research question that each analysis addresses and explanatory text. Sections also include challenges and recommendations.

5.5 ED Departmental Required Reporting. The Contractor shall support the COR, PM, Department officials in the development of required departmental reports, as warranted.

5.6 Final Report at the Conclusion of Contract. In lieu of an annual report, during the final year of the contract, the Contractor shall prepare a report that includes, but is not limited to, a summary of all years of the contract, cumulative data, challenges to implementation and reporting, and recommendations to RSA for areas of improvement. The final report shall be accompanied by an executive summary. Appendices to the report shall provide other related information that pertains to the center’s operations. The Contractor shall submit the final report, executive summary, and the final expenditure report to the COR and PM 30 days prior to the conclusion of the contract. It is anticipated that this report will be approximately 35-40 pages in length, not including appendices. The report shall be professionally edited for spelling, grammar, punctuation, formatting, and table/text consistency prior to submission to the COR and PM. Following a 15-day review by the COR and PM, the Contractor shall submit the final report to the COR and PM 10 days prior to the conclusion of the contract.

Task 6. Quick Turnaround

The Contractor shall respond to requests from the COR and PM for up to 24 additional deliverables per year. These COR and PM requests for deliverables could be brief data reports (two-pages) summarizing data for specific years or from a group of grants, data from previous collection years, or other analyses at the request of the COR and PM. These requests shall include, but will not be limited to, presentations to be held in the Washington, D.C. area or by a virtual conference platform provided by RSA.

The Contractor shall submit data in the format or style requested by the COR and PM based on deadline for request. These reports on demand are useful for several purposes, for example, a report on data requested by the Secretary or a Congressional member, a presentation by the COR, PM, or RSA designee. Deliverables under this task must be delivered electronically and 508 compliant.

Deliverables

6.1 Data, Reports, Documentation, and Presentations. The Contractor shall prepare, in print and other formats, as required, all charts, tables, data, reports, etc., that are 508 compliant and written without errors, within one week of the date of request. At the discretion of the COR and PM the information shall be presented either via conference call or on site at the ED Department in Washington, DC, and shall be presented in collaboration with the COR and PM. The Contractor shall submit all requested materials to the COR and PM within the respective timeline, unless otherwise directed by the COR, PM, or other ED officials.

6.2 RSA Approved Products. The Contractor shall routinely submit products and materials (including but not limited to evaluation or TA tools), research, practices etc. to the COR, PM, and other Department officials for approval. The approved RSA products may be made available to a variety of databases to reach a wider audience and extend the application and use of materials.

Task 7. Perform Close-Out

The Contractor shall provide the COR and PM with a close-out plan 90 business days prior to the end of the contract to ensure that RSA has access to all materials and operations associated with the central repository after the conclusion of the contract. The Contractor will schedule a virtual (using a platform such as MS Teams) or in-person meeting with the COR and PM to review and discuss this plan. The close-out plan should include a directory of materials and trainings, including a brief description of each material or training, web links, and all technically relevant information such as file size, type of software and version, if applicable, date material or web-based training was developed/delivered, author, and any other information that would be critical to assist RSA with sustaining the central repository.

Deliverables

7.1 Close-out. Close-out plan (option year four, 90 business days before the end of the contract).

7.2 RSA Meeting. Schedule a meeting with RSA.

7.3 Other Deliverables Not Specified. Other deliverables as directed by the COR, PM, and/or other Department officials.

image1.wmf