Bid Specification.docx

SECTION 3 – SPECIFICATIONS

All items listed in this Section are Bid Specifications. A successful Bidder must be able to satisfy all these specifications to be deemed a Responsible Bidder.

3.1 Scope of Work

The State Library of Iowa Is conducting an RFB to select a consultant who will conduct the Five-Year Evaluation of the LSTA plan to meet IMLS requirements. The Bidder shall work with the State Library of Iowa to conduct the following deliverables. In order to best carry out the deliverables, the Bidder shall collect data statewide by way of interviews, surveys, social media, and/or focus groups of grantees, and other stakeholders of the LSTA program, including the Advisory Panel and the State Library staff. The Bidder shall review and reference project data available at the State Library as needed.

The Bidder shall:

• Complete a comprehensive evaluation of the State Library of Iowa’s 2023-2027 LSTA Five-Year Plan that meets IMLS requirements; (listed below)

• Provide the State Library with a preliminary report by December 31, 2026.

• Provide the State Library with a final written report, in print and electronic format, of the evaluation findings by March 30, 2027, using the format outlined by IMLS (below*)

• Provide the State Library with the raw data from the evaluation, the preliminary report and the final report in print and electronic formats.

At the sole discretion and request of the State Library, the Bidder shall provide an in-person presentation of the findings resulting from this contract to the Commission of Libraries and/or the Advisory Panel. The presentation will be at a location determined by the State Library, and the date and time of the presentation will be mutually agreed upon by the Parties.

*The Bidder shall provide the following required documents in the final report:

• Cover page (1 page) o State Library Administrative Agency o Title of the evaluation o Evaluator(s) name and organizational affiliation o Date o Name of the team, branch, unit, or person commissioning the evaluation

• Evaluation Summary (3-5 pages) o Summarize key findings for the three retrospective and three process questions identified o Briefly describe evaluation methodology, referencing the four methodology questions, below

• Evaluation Report (25 pages, max.)

o Answer the first six questions under A. Retrospective and B. Process in order and numbered as provided below.

o Describe the methodology employed, responding to the four questions under C. Methodology, below

· Answer the final four questions under D. Future Planning.

A. Retrospective Questions

A-1. To what extent did your Five-Year Plan activities make progress towards each goal? Where progress was not achieved as anticipated, discuss what factors (e.g., staffing, budget, over-ambitious goals, partners) contributed?

• Organize finding around each goal of the state’s 2023-2027 Five-Year Plan

• Categorize each goal as either 1) achieved, 2) partly achieved, or 3) not achieved

A-2. To what extent did your Five-Year Plan activities achieve results that address national priorities associated with meeting the Measuring Success focal areas and their corresponding intents? (see Appendix for list of focal areas and their intents)

A-3. Did any of the following groups represent a substantial focus for your Five-Year Plan activities? (Yes/No)

• Library Workforce (current and future)

• Individuals living below the poverty line

• Individuals that are unemployed/underemployed

• Ethnic or minority populations

• Immigrants/refugees

• Individuals with disabilities

• Families

• Children (aged 0-5)

• School-aged youth (aged 6-17)

For the purposes of this question, a substantial focus would represent at least ten percent of the total amount of resources committed by the overall plan across multiple years.

For those who answer yes to any of the above groups, please discuss to what extent each group was reached.

If there are important groups that did not meet the ten percent threshold or do not appear in the list above, please consider discussing these as well.

B. Process Questions

B-1. How have you used any data from the State Program Report (SPR) and elsewhere (e.g., Public Libraries Survey) to guide activities included in the Five-Year Plan?

B-2. Specify any modifications you made to the Five-Year Plan. What was the reason for this change?

B-3. How and with whom have you shared data from the SPR and from other evaluation resources? How have you used the last Five-Year Evaluation to inform data collected for the new Five-Year Evaluation? How have you used this information throughout this five-year cycle?

C. Methodology Questions

C-1. Identify how you implemented an independent Five-Year Evaluation using the criteria described in the section of this guidance document called Selection of an Independent Evaluator.

C-2. Describe the types of statistical and qualitative methods (including administrative records) used in conducting the Five-Year Evaluation. Assess their validity and reliability.

C-3. Describe the stakeholders involved in the various stages of the Five-Year Plan Evaluation. How did you engage them?

C-4. Discuss how you will share the key findings and recommendations with others.

• Appendices o List of acronyms o List of people interviewed o Bibliography of all documents reviewed o Copies of any research instruments used for surveying, interviewing, and/or use of focus groups o Optional output of statistical findings o Optional summaries of coding used in any qualitative analyses

D. Future Planning Questions

D-1. What Library goals should be established over the new LSTA period?

D-2. What needs are not currently being met by the current LSTA spending?

D-3. What should be the priorities for serving historically and currently underserved communities?

D-4. What areas of focus should be recommended for the new LSTA plan?