B-53245 Staff Development and Training Investigation and Response to State Special Education Complaints Question and Answer Addendum 1.docx

This is a Question and Answer Addendum document issued by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) for IFB 26-586SBE-CHFED-B-53245, which seeks a vendor to provide staff development and training services for investigation of and response to state special education complaints. The procurement requests annual initial and refresher training sessions delivered to ISBE complaint investigators and contracted staff via virtual platforms (Zoom or Microsoft Teams only), supplemented by up to twelve on-demand remedial training sessions annually. Training content addresses federal and state regulations governing special education complaints, proper complaint submission procedures, formal complaint criteria, and complaint investigation and resolution processes. Initial training must occur within three months of contract execution and in September or October of each funded year, with refresher training scheduled March through May annually. All trainings require ISBE approval prior to deployment, and vendors must submit participant evaluation feedback within thirty days of completion. Questions were due July 27, 2026, with bids due August 10, 2026. The contract term runs through June 30, 2029, with a maximum ten-year total including any renewals or extensions.

The estimated contract value is $375,000 over three years with a maximum of $125,000 annually, with indirect costs allowed at 8 percent, and pricing must remain firm for 180 days from opening. This is a Small Business Enterprise (SBE) set-aside procurement; bidders must be registered in the Illinois Small Business Set-Aside Program to be eligible. The contract is entirely federally funded through Special Education-Grants to States (ALN: 84.027). Vendors must demonstrate at least two years of experience in professional development and training related to state special education complaints and must evidence experience gathering and analyzing evaluation data from training participants. Insurance requirements include General Commercial Liability of $1,000,000 per occurrence, Auto Liability of $1,000,000 per occurrence, Professional Liability of $1,000,000 per claim and aggregate, and Cyber Liability of $2,000,000 per claim and aggregate. Vendors must comply with FERPA, ISSRA, SOPPA, and FOIA; encrypt confidential data with AES 256-bit minimum; and store data in the continental United States. The addendum addresses the question of whether school law firms representing school districts in special education complaints may bid, with ISBE confirming that no vendor restrictions exist and that training should be universal without creating conflicts of interest.