91995926Q0009-SOW-Instructions-Eval-NAGB-Aug-2026-QBM.pdf

National Assessment Governing Board August 6-7, 2026, Quarterly Board Meeting

Washington, DC Metropolitan Area

Solicitation Notice: RFQ 91995926Q0009

Conference Space and Lodging Services NAICS Code: 721110 - Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels PSC: X1AB – Lease/Rental of Conference Space and Facilities Set-Aside: Total Small Business Size Standard: $40.0M

Overview

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial services, issued in accordance with Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO) Part 12.201-1 – Simplified Procedures. This announcement serves as the only solicitation. Please read this notice in its entirety and follow all submission instructions carefully.

Eligibility and Submission Authorization Requirements

• Who may submit:

Hotels and any interested, responsible source may submit a quote directly to the U.S.

Department of Education (ED), National Assessment Governing Board.

• Third-party submissions:

• If you are not the hotel or lodging venue, you must include written proof of authorization to submit a binding quote on the venue’s behalf.

o Acceptable evidence: A signed agreement between the venue and the quoter.

o Quotes that fail to provide such evidence shall be deemed technically unacceptable and will not be considered for award.

Background

The National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) is an independent, nonpartisan board that sets policy for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), commonly known “The Nation’s Report Card”. The Governing Board meets quarterly to fulfill its legislatively mandated responsibilities. More information about the Board and its work is available at www.nagb.gov. The Board seeks lodging and meeting services for its August 2026 Quarterly Board meeting in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, including Maryland (Bethesda) and Virginia (Alexandria and Arlington) hotels with ready access to public transportation options offered by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.

• Venues capable of accommodating the room block & requirements listed below.

• The lodging and conference rooms must be at the same general location.

• There is no flexibility with the meeting dates and area of consideration.

http://www.nagb.gov/

Detailed information is available at https://www.nagb.gov/about-us/quarterly-board-meetings.html.

Meeting History

• March 2026: Doubletree by Hilton Houston – Greenway Plaza

• November 2025: Hilton National Landing, Arlington, VA

• August 2025: Hotel AKA, Alexandria, VA

• May 2025: Lyndon Baines Johnson Building, Washington, DC

Requirements

This RFQ pertains only to the August 6-7, 2026, meeting in Washington, DC metropolitan area.

Venues must be able to accommodate the lodging and meeting space requirements outlined below. Both the guest rooms and the conference facilities must be located within the same general property. Please note the meeting dates and geographic area are fixed and non-negotiable.

Lodging

The Governing Board requires a room block of 72 room nights (see nightly allocation below).

The lodging rate must comply with the prevailing federal government per diem for the Washington, DC metropolitan area. ($183 or below for August 2026).

Tuesday

August 4, 2026 Wednesday

August 5, 2026 Thursday

August 6, 2026 Friday, August 7, 2026 # Guest Rooms (King Rooms Preferred)

1 35 35 1

Meeting Space & Set Up Requirements

The requirements for meeting space, set up, food and beverage, and audiovisual (AV) services are outlined below. While NAGB prefers to use the venue’s in-house A/V provider, it reserves the right to contract with an external company. A detailed quote from the AV provider shall be submitted with the quote. Quotes that fail to provide such evidence shall be deemed technically unacceptable and will not be considered for award.

https://www.nagb.gov/about-us/quarterly-board-meetings.html https://www.nagb.gov/about-us/quarterly-board-meetings.html https://www.gsa.gov/travel/plan-book/per-diem-rates/per-diem-rates-results?action=perdiems_report&fiscal_year=2026&state=DC&city=&zip=

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 2026

Event Name Start Time End Time Attendees Set Up Staff Office Wednesday, August 5

9:00 a.m.

Friday, August 7 3:00 p.m.

10 pp

Conference style for 10 people.

Space to store meeting materials and equipment. Will need five keys for staff to secure equipment and access the room during the day and after hours, as needed.

Plenary Set Up

Wednesday, August 5 1:00 pm

Friday, August 7 3:00 pm

60 pp Hollow Square for 25-28 participants. Classroom style seating for 6 on the right side of the hollow square. Classroom style with a center aisle for 24 people below the hollow square. Please refer to the attached diagram for layout details.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 6, 2026

Registration 7:00 am

5:00 pm 2 pp Registration area outside the Plenary room with two 6-foot tables and two chairs. Will need access to power outlet.

Plenary 8:00 a.m.

5:00 p.m. 60 pp Hollow Square for 25-28 participants. Classroom style seating for 6 on the right side of the hollow square. Classroom style with a center aisle for 24 people below the hollow square. Please refer to the attached diagram for layout details.

Breakout

(ADC)

8:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m. 25 pp Conference style seating for 10 at the table, with theater-style seating for 15.

Breakout

(COSDAM)

8:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m. 25 pp Conference style seating for 10 at the table, with theater-style seating for 15.

Breakout (R&D)

8:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m. 30/35 pp Set up conference style seating for 10 at the table, with theater-style seating for 20.

Outgoing Member Farewell

5:30 p.m. 7:00 p.m. 35 pp High-top cocktail tables scattered around the room with a few seats along the perimeter of the room. Standing podium with microphone, house sound, and screen.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 7, 2026

Registration 7:00 am

3:00 p.m. 2 pp Registration area outside the

Plenary room with two 6-foot tables and two chairs. Will need access to power outlet.

Breakout Nominations

7:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. 25 pp Conference style seating for 10 at the table, with theater-style seating for 15.

Plenary 8:00 a.m.

3:00 p.m. 60 pp Hollow Square for 25-28 participants. Classroom style seating for 6 on the right side of the hollow square. Classroom style with a center aisle for 24 people below the hollow square. Please refer to the attached diagram for layout details.

Food and Beverage

Meal Function Anticipated

# people Menu General Menu Discounts – 20% off published menu prices

Thursday – Coffee Service AM & Refresh 50 Regular, Decaf, Assorted Teas Thursday – Working Lunch (Buffet) 40 3-course hot buffet lunch Thursday – Outgoing Member Farewell 35 Light Refreshments Friday – Coffee Service AM & Refresh 50 Regular, Decaf, Assorted Teas

Audiovisual & Technical Requirements

Hybrid Meeting in General Session

Wednesday, August 5, 2026

• Technical run-through for plenary session required

Thursday, August 6 and Friday, August 7, 2026

• Technical run-through required each morning before the start of the meeting

• Microphones:

• 28 push-to-talk microphones (wired)

• 1 handheld microphone

• Projection Equipment:

• 1 screen

• 1 confidence monitor

• 2 OWLS (360° video conferencing cameras)

• NAGB will provide own LCD projector

• Zoom & Hybrid Support

• NAGBs meeting contractor will manage Zoom

• AV contractor to provide technical assistance to monitor video quality, hard-wire connection and sound levels

• Power and Cabling:

• AV contractor to set up extension cords for the plenary session table provided by

NAGB

• Recording & Audio Feed:

• AV contractor to provide the court reporter with an audio feed from the house sound system to support creation of a verbatim transcript

Breakout Rooms

Thursday, August 6, 2026

• Visual Equipment:

• 3 screen packages & projection carts

• NAGB will provide own LCD projectors

• Power and Cabling:

• NAGB will provide power cords for the conference table

Outgoing Member Farewell

• Projection Equipment:

• 1 screen/monitor

• Audio

• Podium with handheld microphone

• House sound system

• NAGB will provide own LCD projector

Preferred Concessions

Lodging

• One (1) complimentary guest room per (50) rooms actualized

• Reduced lodging rate for local staff who commute from a distance and will pay own room, tax, and incidental charges.

• Waive resort fee (if applicable)

Audio Visual and Technology

• At least 25% off in-house AV partner services.

• Complimentary/discounted Wi-Fi in the guest rooms and meeting space

Food & Beverage

• At least 20% discount on the published menu prices.

Parking and Access

• Six complimentary day parking passes for local staff and speakers.

• Discounted daily and overnight parking rates for attendees who will drive to the meeting.

• Complimentary keys to secure materials and access staff office.

Hotel Contract Clauses

• Attrition and Cancellation clauses must be 80% or less with a sliding scale at 30 and 60 days from the arrival date.

• See Contract Clauses section at the end of this document for required terms and conditions to be incorporated in the resulting hotel contract.

Billing

Guest Room Billing and Reservations

• Guest room charges will be billed to the Governing Board’s Centrally Billed Account (CBA) /VISA except where indicated on the rooming list.

• The Governing Board is tax-exempt.

• All reservations will be made via rooming list.

• Each guest is responsible for incidental charges.

Meeting Services and Payment

• Meeting services charges will be billed to a purchase order to include meeting room rental, food and beverage, audio-visual equipment and other meeting services.

• The vendor must submit the final invoice through the Invoice Processing Platform (IPP) at https: //www.ipp.gov for electronic payment.

Instructions to Quoters

This is a total small business set-aside under NAICS Code 721110 – Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels. Quoters must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) and maintain an active registration throughout the life of the purchase order. SAM is accessible at https://www.sam.gov. Quoters must include their SAM Unique Entity ID (UEI) in their quote. Quotes that fail to provide a UEI number shall be deemed technically unacceptable and will not be considered for award. Quotes must:

• Be signed and submitted by an official authorized to bind the organization

• Remain valid for 120 days

• Include the name and email of a designated individual authorized to conduct negotiations

Responses shall include:

1. Technical Response Form

2. Quote Worksheet (Including separate detailed AV Quote)

3. Past Performance Information

4. Teaming Agreement, etc. (If Applicable)

Quotes that fail to follow these instructions shall be deemed technically unacceptable and will not be considered for award.

Technical Response Form

The quoter shall complete the Technical Response Form included with the RFQ with availability details and include the following information:

Meeting Space, Lodging and Food & Beverage:

(a) A description of the proposed meeting space, including names of the exact meeting rooms being offered.

(b) Additional details such as room descriptions, floor plans, capacities, set-up options, daily available times, and links to meeting space on the hotel’s website with specifications for each proposed room. NAGB prefers meeting spaces that are located near each other and are aesthetically pleasing.

(c) Facility must be ADA compliant.

(d) Lodging at per diem rates, accommodations offered, room block pattern, cut-off date and reservation methods available.

(e) Confirm room block and space will be held, or the Governing Board shall be given the first right of refusal for a minimum of 15 days after quote submission date.

(f) Food & beverage menus.

Audiovisual services (AV) and other services:

(g) An itemized quote from the AV provider shall be included, along with the total cost on the pricing sheet. The quote should include any discounts offered and any additional fees that would apply if a provider other than the hotel’s in-house A/V provider is used.

(h) Wi-Fi, internet offerings including bandwidth, capacities, etc.

(i) Information/offerings on all other NAGB requirements such as shipping/receiving, parking, etc.

https://www.sam.gov/

(j) Parking costs per day and overnight.

(k) All special accommodations and concessions being offered.

(l) A cancellation clause or cancellation terms that include a sliding scale that reduces damages for earlier Cancellations and includes a commitment that the hotel will attempt to lessen its harm by reselling the space and functions and credits any revenues received from the resale against the liquidated damages in the amount not to exceed the full amount of such damages.

Additional information may be included such as a one-pager, venue brochure, floor plans, and menus as appendices.

Quote Worksheet

Vendors shall quote costs on a firm-fixed basis with detailed cost assumptions only on the pricing spreadsheet included with the RFQ.

1. A template detailing budget submission is provided as a separate attachment in Microsoft Excel format. The file shall be completed using formula/calculations and returned as part of the quote.

2. If available, a draft proposed facility/hotel contract using the guidance in the RFQ shall be submitted.

3. The quote shall include a statement recognizing that as a federal entity, the Governing Board (U.S. Department of Education) is tax exempt, and therefore State/Local taxes will not be included as part of the overall price. If any specific documentation is required by the hotel to grant tax exemption, this information must be included in the quote.

4. An itemized quote from the AV provider shall be included.

Past Performance

Quoters shall provide at least two references (including name, organization, phone number) from clients for whom the proposed hotel or facility has delivered services of similar scope within the past three calendar years.

In addition, proposed facilities/hotels shall provide examples of government sponsored meetings of comparable size and scope hosted in the last 3 years.

Clarification Questions

The Department will only accept written clarification questions from potential quoters via email.

Clarification questions must be submitted no later than 12:00 pm ET on Tuesday, June 2, 2026. Please submit clarification questions via email only to tony.white@ed.gov. The email subject line shall read:

Clarification Questions – Hotel/Quoter Name - RFQ 91995926Q0009 – August QBM mailto:tony.white@ed.gov

The Department does not guarantee that a response will be given to clarification questions submitted after the due date. All questions received and responses to questions shall be provided as an amendment to the RFQ.

Oral explanations or instructions given by the Government before the award of the contract shall not be binding. Any information given to a prospective quoter concerning a solicitation will be furnished to all other prospective quoters if that information impacts the submission of proposals, or if a lack of information would be prejudicial to any other prospective quoters.

Quote Due Date

The quote is due via email only by 12:00 pm ET, Monday, June 15, 2026, to Tony White, Contract Specialist, Team Lead, at tony.white@ed.gov. The email subject line shall read:

Quote – Hotel/Quoter Name – RFQ 91995926Q0009 – August QBM

A confirmation email shall be sent within 24 hours of receipt. If you do not receive an email confirmation, please email us so that we can ensure that spam filtering does not prevent delivery of your email. Facsimile submissions, modifications, or withdrawals are not permitted, and the Contracting Officer will disregard if any are received. Alternate quotes will not be accepted.

Quotes will be disposed of as follows: The Department will retain one (1) copy of each quote for the official contract file of record, and the remainder will be destroyed. No destruction certificate will be furnished.

Evaluation and Award

Quotes submitted in response to this RFQ will be evaluated in accordance with RFO Subpart

12.203. The award will be based on best value to the Government, with significant consideration given to technical quality and vendor experience, followed by price. The Contracting Officer may issue a purchase order to a vendor other than the lowest-priced quoter.

The Government reserves the right to make an award without discussions and intends to evaluate and award based on initial quotes. Therefore, quoters should submit their best terms—both technical and pricing—in their initial submission.

The Contracting Officer may reject any or all quotes and may negotiate final terms with one or more quoters of the Government’s choosing. Formal source selection procedures under RFO Part 15 shall not be used, and the Contracting Officer will not negotiate with quoters outside of those selected.

The Government will award a purchase order from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose quote conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The following factors shall be used to evaluate quotes:

1) Technical Quality

2) Cost / Price mailto:tony.white@ed.gov

3) Past Performance

When combined, non-price factors are significantly more important than cost or price. However, as differences in technical proposals narrow, price and concessions may become the deciding factor for the award. At the Department’s discretion, quoters may be required to participate in a site visit to verify facilities and confirm adequate accommodations prior to award.

Technical Quality

Technical quality will be evaluated based on the following criteria to determine whether proposed venues meet and/or also exceed the Government’s requirements:

• Exact meeting dates.

• The proximity of the venue to the preferred location in downtown areas. For example, the

Washington, DC Metropolitan area includes hotels located in Washington, DC, downtown Arlington, VA and Alexandria, VA (within 5-10 miles of Reagan National Airport Metro Station), and Bethesda, MD (within 10-12 miles of Reagan National Airport Metro Station).

• Facility capability and suitability, including whether the venue is a full-service hotel/facility offering amenities such as guest rooms, on-site or nearby restaurants, fitness facilities, etc.

• Ability to meet all solicitation’s requirements for sleeping rooms, meeting space, and other specifications. This includes:

o General session room seating 28-30 in hollow square, with 30 classroom style around the perimeter o Breakout rooms that seat at least 10 conference style, with 15 in theater seating on the perimeter.

o Office space that accommodates at least 10 people conference style.

o Quality of meeting space, which may be evaluated through a site visit, prior experience with the venue, or other reasonable means such as online reviews and star ratings.

o Food and beverage offerings, including menu variety and suitability.

o Audiovisual services, evaluated for responsiveness, quality of equipment, and fair and reasonable prices.

o Concessions and complimentary offerings.

o Reasonable cancellation fees.

Cost / Price

Lodging shall be offered at per diem rates with meeting services priced at fair and reasonable costs. The Department will evaluate price by comparing the quoted fixed unit prices for guest rooms, meeting space, Wi-Fi and internet, Audiovisual services (A/V), storage and handling, food & beverage, parking, etc.

Food and beverage pricing will be evaluated based on any discounts offered on a) published menu pricing and the b) the service charge quoted.

https://www.gsa.gov/travel/plan-book/per-diem-rates

A/V pricing will be evaluated by comparing quoted prices and any discounts offered off the in-house providers published pricing. The final contract amount will be determined once final attendance numbers are confirmed.

Past Performance Evaluation

Past Performance will be evaluated focusing on the quoter’s experience hosting government-sponsored meetings. The evaluation may include the contracting officer’s prior knowledge and experience with the venue or services, or outreach to references provided in the quote

Hotel/Venue Contract Clauses

Quoters are responsible for reviewing the full text of these clauses and must ensure that no proposed terms and/or conditions conflict with them. These provisions address changes, disputes, payments, cancellation, etc. and shall be incorporated into the resultant hotel contract.

Please see the Provisions/Clauses in Standard Form 1449 for Purchase Order clauses.

Quotes must be fully compliant with the terms of this RFQ. The Government reserves the right to reject any quote that does not adhere to these terms in all respects.

1. Deposit for Space and/or Cancellation Fee Maximum: It is the responsibility of the contractor to provide all resources needed for performance of the contract. For purchases of commercial items, the financing of the contract is normally the contractor's responsibility. However, since the use of security deposits to secure rooms or meeting space (space) is a commercial practice in this industry, the contracting officer may authorize payment of a security deposit to hold space when doing so will be in the best interest of the Government. Any security deposit or other commercial advance payment that may be appropriate for procuring space from a hotel, shall be limited to 15 percent of the contract price prior to the start of performance.

2. Insurance: The Hotel recognizes that the U.S. Department of Education (Group) is an agency of the United States Government and as such, will assume liability for property damage or personal injury in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Torts Claim Act (28 U.S.C. 2671 et seq.).

3. Indemnification: The Hotel recognizes that the U.S. Department of Education (Group) is a federal agency and as such, will assume liability due to negligence, loss or damage of persons or property in accordance with the Federal Torts Claim Act (28 U.S.C. 2671).

4. Overbooking Prior to Cut-off: If the hotel turns away rooms before the block is full, then the hotel will owe liquidated damages to the group equal to the number of room nights the hotel is unable to accept in the Government’s block, multiplied by 30% of the average Room Rate for each Guestroom Reservation that Hotel is unable to accept prior to the Reservation Cut-off Date. Additionally, the government shall be credited with the number of room nights turned away in the room pick-up report and will not be liable for damages, if any, for any resulting reduction or shortfall in the room pick-up.

5. Impossibility: The performance of this Agreement is subject to termination without liability upon the occurrence of any circumstance beyond the control of either party – such as acts of God, war, government regulations, disaster, strikes (except those involving the employees or agents of the party seeking the protection of this clause), civil disorder, pandemic or other public health outbreak, sequestration, or curtailment of transportation facilities – to the extent that such circumstance makes it illegal or impossible to provide or use the Hotel facilities. The ability to terminate this Agreement without liability pursuant to this paragraph is conditioned upon delivery of written notice to the other party setting forth the basis for such termination as soon as reasonably practical – but in no event longer than ten (10) days – after learning of such basis.

6. Rebook Clause: If the meeting is cancelled and rescheduled at (Hotel) within six months of the cancellation, Hotel will credit one hundred percent (100%) of the cancellation money towards the new meeting (s). If U.S Department of Education attempts, in good faith, to reschedule a meeting with the time frame outlined above, but the Hotel cannot accommodate the planned meeting, the Hotel will extend the time frame allowed by an additional six (6) months

7. Relocation / Walk: If a guaranteed and confirmed reservation is not honored because a room(s) is unavailable on the date of arrival, the Hotel will pay for the first night of the guest’s stay at a comparable property, i.e., hotel of a like standard. The Hotel will pay for the guest’s transportation to and from the other property and return the guest as soon as a room becomes available. In addition, the Hotel shall credit a set ‘liquidated damages amount’ to the Master Account equal to the number of room nights the hotel relocated/walked, multiplied by 30% of the average Room Rate. Under such circumstances the Hotel will not be liable for any indirect or consequential damages and under no circumstances will the liability to the Hotel for a walked guest exceed what has been stipulated herein.

8. Hotel Maintenance: At the time of the Event, Hotel must be the same condition or better than it was at the time this Agreement was executed. In addition, Hotel must maintain its current “star” or “diamond” rating. If Hotel’s rating is lowered, or Hotel is sold or changes management contracts prior to the Event, Government may terminate this Agreement upon written notice with no liability of any kind, and Government shall be entitled to a refund of all amounts prepaid to hotel within thirty (30) days of receipt of cancellation notice by hotel.

9. Meeting Space: Any change of meeting space agreed to at contract award requires written permission from the Government.

10. Brand or Ownership Change Clause: Hotel will promptly notify the Government if there is a change in brand management or ownership of the Hotel prior to or during the program. The government shall have the right to cancel this contract without liability upon written notice to the hotel.

11. Dispute Resolutions: The Hotel recognizes that the U.S. Department of Education (Group) is an agency of the United States Government and as such, agrees that any and all claims, controversies or disputes between the parties which arise out of or relate to in any way to this Agreement shall be resolved in accordance with the Contract Disputes Act (41 U.S.C. Sections 601-613).

12. Liability: The Hotel recognizes that the U.S. Department of Education (Group) is an agency of the United States Government and as such, -will assume liability for property damage or personal injury in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Torts Claim Act (28 U.S.C. 2671 et. seq.). -will assume liability due to negligence, loss or damage of persons or property in accordance with the Federal Torts Claim Act (28 U.S.C. 2671).

13. Arbitration: The Hotel recognizes that the U.S. Department of Education (Group) is an agency of the United States Government and as such, agrees that any and all claims, controversies or disputes between the parties which arise out of or relate to in any way to this Agreement shall be resolved in accordance with the Contract Disputes Act (41 U.S.C. Sections 601-613).

14. Attorney Fees and Costs: Attorney Fees and Costs: The Hotel recognizes that the U.S.

Department of Education (Group) is an agency of the United States Government and as such, agrees that any and all claims, controversies or disputes between the parties which arise out of or relate to in any way to this Agreement shall be resolved in accordance with the Contract Disputes Act (41 U.S.C. Sections (601-613).