Questions and Responses.doc

Technical Assistance for Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy Questions Solicitation No: ED-ESE-11-R-0040

1. Are the Small businesses that are eligible to respond to this RFP limited to GAS approved contractors? Or can any certified small business apply?

· The assumption is that you are referring to GSA schedule contractors. All certified small businesses may reply. This is not limited to GSA schedule holders.

2. The webpage seems to indicate the response to the SRCL RFP is due May 17th at 2PM but the first page of the solicitation document (ED-ESE-11-R-0040) indicates May 25th at 1PM. Would you please clarify this discrepancy?

· The response to the SRCL RFP is date that is listed in the solicitation document, May 25th at 1:00 p.m.

3. Can ED provide examples of the difference between "technical assistance" and "consultative assistance" as used in Tasks 3 and 4?

· An example of general “technical assistance” would be a TA provider addressing/working with a grantee or group of grantees on a topic applicable to all. “Consultative assistance” is in-depth technical assistance fine-tuned for a specific grantee’s need.

4. Is it expected, under Task 4, that technical assistance in the form of site visits, phone calls, videoconferences, and other suitable means will be provided to all 46 formula grantees?

· Yes.

5. Can ED provide the names of the 46 states included in the group of SRCL formula grantees?

· Not at this time, the list of SRCL formula states will be made available to the awardee when the selection process is finalized.

6. How many days will the Summer Literacy Institute last?

· The Summer Literacy Institute will last approximately three days.

7. Are the annual meetings for discretionary and formula grantees to be held at the same time or are these separate meetings (different dates, locations)?

· The SRCL program office anticipates the annual meetings for the discretionary and formula grantees may be held separately (different dates and locations).

8. Is there a pre-determined location (city) for the grantee annual meetings? For the Summer Literacy Institute?

· No, there is no pre-determined location for the annual meetings or for the Summer Literacy Institute.

9. For the Task 2 grantee meetings, the estimated number of attendees is the same for the formula grantee meeting as for the discretionary grantee meeting. However, there are 46 formula grantees and only approximately 10 discretionary grantees. For budgeting purposes, is there a more accurate estimate of the number of attendees at each meeting?

· The Performance Work Statement states the discretionary grantee meeting is for approximately 50 to 100 individuals and the formula meeting is for between 100-225 individuals.

10. The Level of Effort estimate found on page 37 of 47 of the Solicitation notes an estimate of "15,000 non-administrative hours" to undertake the tasks in the PWS. Please clarify the meaning of "non-administrative".

· Non-administrative hours refer to level of effort provided by various types of content specials associated with the contract.

11. What is the response due date? The Fed Biz Opps notice states it is May 17; the Solicitation Cover sheet states May 25.

· The response date for the Solicitation is May 25, 2011 (at 1:00 PM ET).

12. Does ED envision and APR from the formula grantees or only the states that receive competitive awards?

· APR’s will be submitted by the discretionary grant recipients only.

13. Do small businesses need to have approved indirect cost rates at the time of proposal submission or can these be established after award?

· The Department anticipates the award of a firm-fixed price contract. Therefore, indirect cost rates are not applicable.

14. Might the requirements for the Project Director in the RFP be covered by more than one individual- such as an administrative lead and program lead with the appropriate content expertise? If two individuals are permissible, must both be affiliated with the prime contractor or might one be a subcontract lead?

· The Performance Work Statement lays out the role of the Project Director who shall have the following:

1. A Ph.D. or equivalent experience in education or other relevant field; and

2. Be capable of representing the Department in substantive conferences and meetings; and

3. Be familiar with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, the SRCL grant programs and the current administrative, research, and policy issues related to the birth to pre-K and pre-K-12 educational issues; and

4. Be the supervisor of all staff and responsible for budget issues; and

5. Be responsible for overall management of the work of the contract; and

6. Coordinate the work to ensure that there is a cohesive scope of work and that each task is aligned with others; and

7. Possess strong management skills; and

8. Proactive in identifying grantee needs and capable of responding to and meeting those needs.

9. Responsible for working closely with ED program contact and COR

10. Provide technical assistance services to SRCL grantees and;

11. Assist in planning the annual conferences and Webinars for the grantees.

The purpose of this position is to ensure that the contract as a whole is greater than its individual tasks.

15. Should the contractor plan for OMB clearance for GPRA/APR forms as well as, any needs assessment data collection?

· The contractor should plan for OMB clearance for GPRA/APR forms associated with the collection of assessment data.

16. In estimating the level of effort, does the 15,000 non-administrative hours include labor (professional and support) as well as, other direct costs including conference meeting expenses?

· The estimated level of effort costs represents approximate non-administrative hours for both professional and support staff; these hours include the cost of logistical support personnel for conference meetings. This is a new program; all level of effort hours are estimates. Offerors should expect to adjust the level of effort per task categories as work commences.

17. Can you provide an estimated level of effort in terms of professional FTEs?

· This is a new program; all level of effort hours are estimates. Offerors should expect to adjust the level of effort in each task category as work commences. Our estimations for the level of effort per job category and task (i.e. the Project Director (PD), Assistant Director (AD), and Technical Assistance Provider (TAP)) are as follows:

T=Task hrs=hours

PD

80 hrs (T1) 2000 hrs (T2) 600 hrs (T3) 500 hrs (T4) 150 hrs (T5)

AD

40 hrs (T1) 2,000 hrs (T2) 600 hrs (T3) 500 hrs (T4) 200 hrs (T5)

TAP

0 hrs (T1) 0 hrs (T2) 1000 hrs (T3) 800 hrs (T4) 0 hrs (T5)

18. Please confirm the beginning and ending dates of the base period. Are they July 18, 2011-July 17, 2012 with 3 one year option periods?

· Yes, the beginning and ending dates of the base period are estimated to be July 18, 2011-July 17, 2012 with three one year option periods. This is a new program; offerors should expect to be flexible as the work on the Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy contract commences.

19. Clarification – page 2 of 14 of the PWS attachment states that 46 formula grants were awarded then on page 4 of 14 Task 2 it states that the contractor shall provide logistical support for an annual grantee meeting for 150 – 275 people. Attendees will include 7-10 participants from each grant, speakers, contractor staff, and ED staff. If there are 46 grant awards with 7-10 people attending from each should the logistics support provided be for 322-460 people instead of the before mentioned 150-275?

· This is a new program; all PWS figures for grant meetings are estimates. Offerors should expect that adjustments will be made to the number of attendees hosted at each meeting. Offerors should be flexible as the work on the Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy contract commences.

· The number of States participating in a formula grantee meeting will vary; however 48 formula grants have been awarded and there is possibility of having 100-150 attendees for this meeting.

· The discretionary grantees have not been selected. We anticipate between 3-18 grantees. For planning purposes, the offeror should plan on approximately 150 participating discretionary grantees, will attend an annual grantee meeting.

20. Page 2 of the PWS tells us to use 10 Discretionary Grantees for use of budget, which at 7-10 participants from each grant would put the meeting size at 70 – 100, but page 4 tells us to plan on 150-275 attendees for this meeting. Which numbers do we use?

· Refer to the response to question 19 above.

21. “Preparing and processing papers and proceedings from each meeting” and “Meeting Minutes” – Will the meeting sessions need to be recorded and or transcribed?

· This is a new program; offerors should expect that adjustments will be once the work commences on the Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy contract. The program office does anticipate that some meeting sessions might need to be recorded and/or transcribed.

22. In PWS Task 3 is pertaining to discretionary grantees (3.3) and Task 4 is for formula grantees (4.4) but in Attachment D it says TA to formula grantees is 3.3 in Deliverable 1 and TA for discretionary grantees is 4.4 in Deliverable 2. Which one is it?

· Task 3 relates to discretionary grantees; Task 4 relates to formula grantees.

23. The solicitation/contract/order for commercial items has a due date of May 25, 2011 at 1:00 PM, which contradicts the Fedbizops posting which gives a May 17, 2011 2:00 PM due date. Which is correct?

· The due date for the solicitation package is May 25, 2011 at 1:00 PM ET.

24. What is the assigned dollar value for a non-administrative hour? Is it a fixed amount or a range?

· The assigned dollar values for the respective labor categories are based on the statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor (http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm#25-0000).

The estimated dollar value for non-administrative pay per hour ranges from $48.00 to $80.00 per hour.

25. Is there a preference as to the location(s) where the two annual grantee meetings and the Summer Institute will be held?

· The program office does not have a preference for where the annual grantee meets or the Summer Institute will be held. The meeting site should be easily accessed, by air travel, for all attendees.

26. Was there a similar contract to provide technical assistance for the previous cycle of Striving Readers grantees? If so, who was the vendor? Is this vendor eligible to compete for this contract?

· The Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy grant program shares the name “Striving Readers” for a previous Department of Education grant program. However, these programs are uniquely different. There was not a previous cycle of Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy grantees; nor was there a previous contract.

27. What is the anticipated effective date of the contract for this project?

· The anticipated effective date of the contract is July 17, 2011.

28. How many days is the Annual Grantee Meeting?

· The program office anticipates that the Annual Grantee Meeting could last between two-and-one-half days to three full days. This is a new program; offerors should be flexible and understand, once work commences on the Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy contract, some adjustments to schedules and timelines might be required.

29. How many days is the Summer Literacy Institute?

· The Summer Literacy Institute is estimated to take place over a period of three days. This is a new program; offerors should be flexible and understand, once work commences on the Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy contract, some adjustments to schedules and timelines might be required.

30. The RFP states that “the contractor shall pay travel expenses for conference speakers and presenters (3 – 10 people).” Does that include hotel and per diem expenses?

· Yes, “the contractor shall pay travel expenses for conference speakers and presenters (3-10 people)”. That contractor should expect to pay conference speakers hotel and per diem expenses as well.

31. How many site visits do you expect the contractor to make to each SCRCL discretionary grantees?

· This is a new program; offerors should be flexible and understand, once work commences on the Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy contract, some adjustments to schedules and timelines might be required. Approximately two site visits per grantee could take place over the three year period of the grant. However, the number of site visits depends on several factors which will be determined after the grantees have been selected.

32. Will the monthly news bulletin be in electronic format only?

· Yes, the monthly news bulletin will only be published in an electronic format.

33. The FBO posting for this solicitation states that responses are due by May 17 at 2:00 PM Eastern. However, the solicitation itself states that the offer due date is May 25 at 1:00 PM eastern. Which of these is the correct due date?

· Please refer to question twenty-three above for a response to this question.

34. Page five of the SOW states that the “Contractor shall pay travel expenses for conference speakers (3-10 people).” Is that per meeting (1 annual SRCL formula grantees meeting, 1 annual SRCL discretionary grantees meeting, and 1 annual Summer Literacy Institute), for a total of 9-30 people across all conference speakers?

· Offerors should expect to pay for travel expenses for conference speakers for all SRCL grantee meetings as-well-as the Summer Literacy Institute. This is a new program; offerors should be flexible and understand, once work commences on the Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy contract, some adjustments to the total number of conference speakers required for the above meetings. The program office anticipates that the number of required speakers annually is closer to nine individuals, rather than the estimated thirty, stated in the question above.

35. On page five of the SOW, for pre-meeting services, is there an estimate (in total pages) of the volume of workshop handouts that are expected for identification and coordination?

· The program office does not have an estimated number of total pages in mind for the conference/workshop notebook that the offeror would be expected to identify and coordinate for distribution to meeting participants.

36. On page six of the SOW, regarding Task 3, Technical Assistance to SRCL Discretionary grantees, what is the estimated number of site visits, phone calls, and videoconferences required by ED or that have been required by similar projects in the past?

· This is a new program; offerors should be flexible and understand, once work commences on the Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy contract, some adjustments to the number of site visits, phone calls and video-conferences might need to be adjusted. Approximately two to three site visits per grantee could take place over the three year period of the grant. However, the number of site visits depends on several factors which will be determined after the grantees have been selected. The estimated number of phone calls and video-conferences will vary depending on several factors including, the number of discretionary grantees selected, their proposed program activities, objectives and goals, and the results of their needs assessment.

37. On page seven of the SOW regarding Deliverable 3.1, Conduct a needs assessment – is there a previous need assessment that can be shared to better understand the types of needs present in the past?

· The program office does not have a previous needs assessment that can be shared with the offerors.

38. Regarding Task 5 on page 9 of the SOW, is there a template or standardized format of the Monthly News Bulletin that can be shared?

· The program office does not have a template or standardized format of the Monthly News Bulletin that can be shared with the offerors. No standardized format has been predetermined by the program office for the Monthly News Bulletin.

39. Does the RFP award preclude the sale of professional development and/or products to the SEA and LEA grant recipients during the contract term?

· The sale of professional development and/or products to any SEA and/or LEA by the awarding contractor would be seen as a conflict in interest. One goal of the contract is to prove research and content related technical assistance to the grantees to improve their student outcomes in literacy.

40. Is there an incumbent contractor?

· No, there is not an incumbent contractor.

41. If yes, please identify the firm and provide the value of the current contract, including all modifications.

· N/A

42. If yes, has the statement of work (SOW) for the new solicitation been changed in any way?

· N/A

43. Has the level of effort (LOE) for non-administrative staff been increased or decreased for the new solicitation?

· N/A

44. This project will require extensive support from expert consultants to help design and deliver TA. We estimate that we will need approximately 80 pages for staff and consultant resumes and consultant letters of commitment. We request that the Government exclude staff and consultant resumes and consultant letters of commitment from the technical proposal’s page limit of 85 pages.

· The offeror should consider submitting five page resumes for the Project Director and other key staff members. Detailed position descriptions should be provided as an alternative to submitting comprehensive staff and consultant resumes. The offeror should consider limiting the number of letters of commitment from consultants or determine another possible format for providing this information to the solicitation review board.

45. Re the title for this solicitation -- the Performance Work Statement (PWS) and Attachment D, the government’s Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP), both show the title as “Technical Assistance for Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy (SRCL)”- without the phrase, “and Logistical Support,” but including the subtitle, “Grants Funded Under the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA).” The last page of the SF 1449 does not include the words “and Logistical Support” or the subtitle. Should both the words “and Logistical Support” and the subtitle be considered part of the formal title (i.e., for use on the cover of our proposal)?

· In your solicitation package, the decision to include or exclude the subtitle or the words “and Logistical Support” as part of the formal title, is left to your discretion. It is important to include the solicitation number (ED-ESE-11-R-0040) as a way of communicating that your solicitation package corresponds to the Striving Reader Comprehensive Literacy solicitation request issued by the U.S. Department of Education through the Contracts and Acquisition Management Office.

46. Article B.2, Contract Definition (page 6) states that this will be a firm, fixed price contract. We are concerned about the selection of this contract type, since the LOE for several of the tasks cannot be known at this time. This is particularly true for Task 3, Technical Assistance (TA) to SRCL Discretionary Grantees, and Task 4, TA to SRCL Formula Grantees, BIE, and Outliving Areas, where we do not know the type, number, and complexity of TA interventions that will be required. We request that the Government revise the contract type to cost plus fixed fee, or some other form of cost-reimbursable contract.

· You concern around the selection of a firm, fixed price contract for the contract type is noted. Offerors should make every effort to address the Tasks using the information provided in the PWS and submit a comprehensive solicitation package based on the information provided therein.

47. Re Article, F.1, Report of Consultants (page 9) -- how frequently is this report to be provided, and to whom is it to be provided? (Note that this report is not mentioned in Task 7, Periodic Progress and Expenditure Reports, or in the Schedule of Deliverables.)

· As stated in the clause the report is to be maintained and updated when necessary.

48. Re Article G.1, Contract Administrator (page 10) -- are offerors to name a Contract Administrator in their proposals or does only the successful offeror do so, after contract award?

· The Department will request this information from the successful offeror, at time of award.

49. Re Article H.2, Redacted Proposal (page 11) - re the requirement for the successful contractor to provide a redacted technical proposal, the text states that the proposal will be provided to ED within “five (15)” days after contract award. Is this deliverable due 5 days or 15 days after contract award?

· The correct reading should state 15 days after contract award.

50. Re Article J.I, List of Attachments (page 24) - Please provide the referenced Attachment B, Conflict of Interest (COI) Plan. Also, please state if a COI plan is to be submitted with offerors’ proposals or after contract award.

· The COI Plan will be requested from the successful offeror at time of award.

51. Regarding Section K, Representations and Certifications (pages 25 -34) -- can the government provide a file for a blank Section K in Microsoft (MS) Word (rather than a pdf file), so that offerors can fill this in and submit it as Volume III, Section K Documents?

· Section K, Representations and Certifications is not available in a Word document. The offeror may copy and paste the clause from www.acquistions.gov.

52. Re Article L.1, Proposal Instructions, Section E, Level of Effort (LOE) -- the text states that the government’s estimate of the LOE for the base year for non-administrative hours is 15,000 person hours. What is the government’s estimated LOE for non-administrative hours for each of the contract’s three option years?

· Option Year 1 – Option Year 3 is 12,500 LOE for each option year.

53. Also re the government’s estimate of 15,000 non-administrative hours, does this figure include the support provided by consultants (even though consultant hours are another direct cost and not staff labor hours)?

· Included in the 15,000 non-administrative hours is an approximation of the level of effort provided by consultants.

54. Re the second bullet, “plan and support Webinars,” does this refer solely to the use of Webinars as a method of delivering TA, or are any other Webinars to be planned by the contractor? (Please also see our questions about Webinars under Task 3 and 4.)

· The program office anticipates that webinars would be used as one means of providing technical assistance to grantees. The SRCL is a new program; offerors should be flexible and understand, once work commences on the Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy contract, some adjustments to how webinars might be used could be required.

55. The term “consultative assistance” is introduced in the fifth bullet (which says that consultative assistance is to be provided to States and districts) and used later in the PWS. Please clarify what ED sees as the difference between this consultative assistance and the technical assistance that the contractor is to provide to discretionary grantees and State Literacy Teams (referenced in the third and fourth bullets).

· An example of general “technical assistance” could be TA addressing/working with a grantee or group of grantees on a topic applicable to all. “Consultative assistance” might include in-depth technical assistance fine-tuned for a specific grantee’s need.

56. The tenth bullets reads, “Create and implement a plan for professional development.” This activity does not appear to relate to any of the tasks described later in the PWS. Please describe what services are being requested here.

· Professional development might take place as a part of a technical assistance workshop/meeting provided to a grantee or group of grantees around a specific content subject. Likewise, technical assistance may be provided to a grantee or group of grantees after taking part in some type of content specific professional development. At times professional development and technical assistance may be synonymous; other times these terms will define very different types of work provided to grantees.

· Bullet seven under Task 3 speaks to the “Development of professional development systems aligned with State content standards…” The offeror should plan on creating a plan for the grantees offering various types of professional development around common literacy topics. The needs assessment may be one of many resources used by the contractor when ascertaining the types of professional development needed/desired by grantees focusing on content specific subjects.

57. Re Task 2, it appears that, other than a limited number of speakers/presenters at each meeting, all other attendees pay their own travel, lodging, and per diem costs to attend the three referenced meetings (the annual grantee meeting for formula grantees, annual grantee meeting for discretionary grantees, and the Summer Literacy Institute). Please confirm that this is correct.

· Yes, all other participants will pay their own travel, lodging, and per diem costs when attending the three referenced meetings for the SRCL grant program.

58. For all three of the Task 2 meetings, for budget purposes, offerors need to know all of the following:

59. Will the meetings be in the Washington, DC, area?

· Not necessarily.

60. If not, in what geographic region will the meetings be convened?

· The geographic locations of the three SRCL meetings have not been determined thus far.

61. How many days will each meeting be?

· The program office anticipates that the Annual Grantee Meeting could last between two-and-one-half days to three full days. The Summer Literacy Institute is estimated to take place over a period of three days. This is a new program; offerors should be flexible and understand, once work commences on the Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy contract, some adjustments to schedules of meetings might need to be adjusted.

62. For how many nights lodging for each meeting should the contractor budget for the estimated 3-10 speakers and presenters per meeting?

· It depends; conference speakers might require lodging for the duration of the meeting or they may only fly in to present and not require any lodging. This is a new program; offerors should be flexible and understand, once work commences on the Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy contract, some adjustments to the nights of lodging required might need to be adjusted.

63. Are there any other supported attendees (other than the 3-10 supported speakers and presenters per meeting)?

· There are no other supported attendees, other than the conference speakers/presenters, that the program staff is currently aware of. However, this is a new program; offerors should be flexible and understand, once work commences on the Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy contract, some adjustments to the number of supported attendees might be required to be adjusted.

64. Are speakers to receive any honorarium? If yes, how much?

· Speakers might receive honoraria; the amount of the honorarium would depend on multiple factors including, the level of expertise and experience provided by the conference speaker. The program office would work with the contractor in ascertaining the amount of honoraria paid to conference speakers.

65. For budgeting audiovisual (A/V) costs, how many (on average) plenary and break-out sessions will each event comprise?

· Offerors should expect to budget for audiovisual (A/V) costs for SRCL meetings. This is a new program; offerors should be flexible and understand, once work commences on the Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy contract, the number and types of audiovisual (A/V) cost will be better determined when meeting agendas are established. Generally, audiovisual services may be expected as a part of any plenary meeting.

66. What are the typical types of A/V equipment that are needed for each type of session?

· Typical types of A/V equipment needed to support plenary meetings, including such items as a lap top, screen, projector and sound system. The offerors should be flexible and understand that the A/V needs for the SRCL will be better determined once meeting agendas are established. SRCL is a new grant program and there are few A/V equipment specifics laid out for upcoming annual meetings.

67. For budgeting the costs of preparing advance meeting materials, how many pages of material, on average, will need to be edited, formatted, duplicated, and assembled for each event?

· The program office does not have any preconceived ideas on the types of meeting materials, number of pages, what may or may not need to be edited, formatted or duplicated and assembled for each event. This is a new program; offerors should be flexible and understand, once work commences on the Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy contract, the number and types of materials for each meeting will be better ascertained once meeting agendas are established.

68. Is the contractor to provide onsite note takers at each meeting?

· The program office may require the contractor to provide onsite note takers at each annual meeting. This is a new program; offerors should be flexible and understand, once work commences on the Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy contract, the program office will be in a better position to determine whether or not onsite note takers will be needed at annual meetings. The offeror should budget for onsite note takers at SRCL meetings.

69. Are the meetings to be recorded and are transcripts provided?

· Meetings may need to be recorded and transcripts provided to the program office. This is a new program; offerors should be flexible and understand, once work commences on the Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy contract, the types of meeting support will be better determined when meeting agendas are established.

70. Should offerors budget for sign language interpreters for the hearing impaired?

· Yes, the offerors should budget for sign language interpreters for the hearing impaired if this service is need at various SRCL meetings.

71. Will any onsite foreign language translation services need to be provided?

· Onsite foreign language translation services will not be provided for SRCL meetings.

72. Re Task 2, regarding the bullets that list the onsite services to be provided (page 5) please provide more detail about the fifth bullet, “preparing and processing papers and proceedings from meetings.” Our questions include the following:

Will the contractor need to issue a call for abstracts?

· The contractor should be flexible and understand that SRCL is a new program and the range of possible onsite services depends on the various types of activities required for the scheduled meeting. The program office anticipates that the contractor may need to issue a call for abstracts as just one means of support for the Summer Literacy Institute.

Will the contractor be involved in soliciting and/or selecting papers to be presented, based on the abstracts submitted?

· The contractor could possibly be involved in soliciting and/or selecting papers to be presented depending on the areas of expertise. The program office would have final authority in the selection of any/all papers to be presented; or in the selection of conference presenters/speakers.

73. How many papers will the contractor need to process, per meeting?

· This is a new program; offerors should be flexible and understand, some items, such as knowing the number of papers that might need to be processed for a conference is an unknown entity, as yet.

74. Will the contractor need to provide any production assistance, such as editing (substantive or copyediting) or formatting the papers?

· Yes, the contract would need to provide production assistance with any editing or formatting of such papers.

75. How may Government review cycles should be budgeted for processing each paper?

· The production assistance for any papers shouldn’t require more than one or two Government review cycles prior to finalizing the paper for production.

76. What does the reference to “proceedings” mean, in the context of onsite services (since proceedings are usually produced after a meeting)?

· “Proceedings” does indeed refer to materials produced after the meeting.

77. Also re Task 2, regarding the bullets on page 5 that list the post-meeting services to be provided), we have the following questions:

Is the contractor to design and provide the meeting evaluation form, or will ED provide it?

· The contractor would design and provide the meeting evaluation form or any meetings, workshops or technical assistance visits conducted. The program office would have final authority in the content and substance of the meeting evaluations provided by the contractor.

Regarding the third bullet, more details are needed in order to price this service -- “identifying and preparing materials and notes for posting on ED’s Web site”: What types of “materials and notes” are envisioned? How many pages? Are editing and/or formatting services to be provided? Will these items require review by ED and revising by the contractor before they are posted? For how long after each meeting is the contractor to continue to offer this service?

· The program office envisions the following types of “materials and notes” for meetings, however this list is not all inclusive:

*PowerPoint presentations

*Agendas

*Papers

*Conference Notebooks

*Evaluations

*Journal Articles

*Contact Lists

*Technical Assistance Materials

*Calendars

*Graphic Organizers

This is a new program; offerors should be flexible and understand, some items, such as knowing the number of papers that might need to be processed for a conference is an unknown entity, as yet.

The offeror would be expected to provide editing and/or formatting services.

All items would be reviewed by the program office and revisions made by the contractor, if necessary, prior to the materials being posted.

Task 2.3 states that contracts have twenty working days after any meeting or conference to prepare and post any meeting proceedings.

In the fifth bullet, the term “meeting minutes” is used. Are these minutes the same as Deliverable 2.2, the summary of the meeting, which is due within 10 working days of the meeting?

· The terms “meeting minutes” and “summary” may be used interchangeably. However, this is a new program; offerors should be flexible and understand, in some instances the terms “meeting minutes” might refer to a very detailed report of the meeting proceedings, while a meeting “summary” might be a condensed version of the meetings proceedings.

78. Please clarify the difference, if any, between meeting “proceedings” (referred to in the list of onsite services) and meeting “minutes” or “summary.” Are these all references to the same deliverable?

· Please read the response to question 82.

79. Re the meetings in Task 2, the PWS states that only working meals will be provided. The PWS also states that the contractor is only supporting (i.e., paying expenses for) an estimated 3-10 speakers and presenters at each meeting. But in order to budget for the possibility of working meals (since the anticipated contract is firm, fixed price), we need to be given an estimated number of individuals for whom these working meals may need to be provided, per meeting, and the number of meals per meeting (i.e., just lunch? lunch and dinner?). Please provide this information.

· The contractor should be flexible and understand that SRCL is a new program and the range of possible onsite services, including planning for possible working meals, is an estimated number for the discretionary grantees as these applications have not yet been selected through the peer review process. The program office estimates that a maximum 150 grantees would attend either the formula or discretionary grantee meetings. The Summer Literacy Institute could have 1000 attendees; however, there would not be a working lunch for this conference.

80. Specifically regarding the Summer Literacy Institute, has a similar meeting been convened by ED before? If so, when and where? If a contractor was involved in the planning, who was the contractor?

· Meetings similar in concept to the Summer Literacy Institute have been hosted by Ed previously. The Miko Group acted as the contractor and the last such meeting which was held in Anaheim, California in 2010.

81. Re Task 3, TA to SRCL Discretionary Grantees, we have several questions (several of which are related to the budget):

· At the beginning of the description of Task 3 on page 6, the text states that “the contractor shall provide and coordinate ongoing technical assistance to SRCL discretionary grantees (States and sub grantees).” However, the footnote at the bottom of this page states that offerors should budget for providing technical assistance to 10 grantees. Should the contractor plan for, and budget for, providing technical assistance only to the States themselves or also to the States’ subgrantees?Is there a number of discretionary grants that the States are required to award? If not, what is the Department’s estimate of the number of sub grants that will be awarded? (This figure will be useful in quantifying the amount of TA to the States for which the contractor will need to budget.)

· Task 3 centers on providing technical assistance to discretionary grantees. Technical assistance would be provided to discretionary grantees; who are State Education Agencies. The program office estimates that the range of possible grantees is between 3-18; however, offerors should budget for providing technical assistance to 10 grantees.

· There is no set number of sub-grants States are mandated to make and there is no way of providing an estimated number of sub-grants that will be awarded at this time. SRCL is a new program and the contractor should be flexible and understand that many of these questions will be answered after the peer review competition and the number of discretionary grants has been determined.

82. On page 6, the last bullet on the page (describing the types of TA to be provided under Task 3) refers to the development of a State evaluation system and the use of sub grantee evaluation systems. Please clarify exactly what is meant by a "State evaluation system." Does this mean the contractor is to develop a plan to evaluate, for each discretionary grantee, their program implementation and outcomes?

· The contractor would develop and evaluate, for each discretionary grantee their Annual Performance Report (ARP) data as well as grantees’ Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) program implementation and outcome data.

83. Are Charter Schools eligible for discretionary grants?

· No, the eligible entities for the SRCL grant are State Educational Agencies

84. What is the total number of technical assistance events to be budgeted under Task 3?

· SRCL is a new program and the contractor should be flexible and understand that many of these questions will be answered after discretionary grantees have been determined through the peer review process. The total number of technical assistance events depends on several factors which will be determined after the grantees have been selected including, the number of discretionary grantees selected, their proposed program activities, objectives and goals, and the results of their needs assessment.

85. Of this total, how many are to be site visits, phone calls, videoconferences, Webinars, and/or other types of events? (We realize this is difficult for the government to estimate, but these assumptions are needed for the purposes of the budget.)

· This is a new program; offerors should be flexible and understand, once work commences on the Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy contract, some adjustments to the number of site visits, phone calls and video-conferences might need to be adjusted. Approximately two to three site visits per grantee could take place over the three year period of the grant. However, the number of site visits depends on several factors which will be determined after the grantees have been selected. The estimated number of phone calls and video-conferences will vary depending on several factors including, the number of discretionary grantees selected, their proposed program activities, objectives and goals, and the results of their needs assessment.

86. For site visits, how many days should be budgeted, and for how many staff/experts per visit?

· See response to the previously bulletined questions.

87. What is the approximate length of the possible videoconferences?

· The anticipated length of any possible videoconferences is approximately between one and two hours.

88. Webinars are mentioned as a possible TA delivery mechanism -- how many, of what length, should be budgeted?

· This is a new program; offerors should be flexible and understand, once work commences on the Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy contract, some adjustments to the number of video-conferences might need to be adjusted. The program office anticipates that webinars might be held quarterly. However, the number of webinars held annually depends on several factors which will be determined after the grantees have been selected, including the number of discretionary grantees selected, their proposed program activities, objectives and goals, and the results of their needs assessment.

89. Re Task 4, Technical Assistance to SRCL Formula Grantees, BIE, and Outlying Areas, we have very similar questions:

· What is the total number of technical assistance events to be budgeted under Task 4?

· This is a new program; offerors should be flexible and understand, once work commences on the Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy contract, some adjustments to the number of technical assistance events might need to be adjusted. Approximately SRCL Formula Grantees would attend an annual grantee meeting and other TA events. However, the number of TA events depends on several factors which will be determined after the State’s begin implementing their State Literacy Plans. The estimated number of various TA events will vary depending on several factors including, the plans proposed program activities, objectives and goals.

· Of this total, how many are to be site visits, phone calls, videoconferences, Webinars, and/or other types of events? (We realize this is difficult for the government to estimate, but these assumptions are needed for the purposes of the budget.)

· This is a new program; offerors should be flexible and understand, once work commences on the Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy contract, some adjustments to the number of site visits, phone calls, videoconferences, Webinars, and/or other types of TA events might need to be adjusted. It is extremely difficult to estimate the amount of site visits, phone calls, videoconferences, Webinars, and/or other types of TA events as these events depend on several factors; which will be determined as State’s begin implementing their State Literacy Plans. The estimated number of various TA events will vary depending on each State’s proposed program activities, objectives and goals outlined in their plans.

· For site visits, how many days should be budgeted, and for how many staff/experts per visit?

· This is a new program; offerors should be flexible and understand, once work commences on the Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy contract, some adjustments to schedules and timelines might be required. Approximately two site visits per grantee for approximately three days could take place over the three year period of the grant. However, the number of site visits depends on several factors which will be determined after the grantees have been selected.

· What is the approximate length of the possible videoconferences?

The anticipated length of any possible videoconference is approximately between one and two hours.

· Webinars are mentioned as a possible delivery mechanism -- how many, of what length, should be budgeted?

· This is a new program; offerors should be flexible and understand, once work commences on the Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy contract, some adjustments to the number of video-conferences might need to be adjusted. The program office anticipates that webinars might be held quarterly. However, the number of webinars held annually depends on several factors which will be determined after the grantees have been selected, including the number of discretionary grantees selected, their proposed program activities, objectives and goals, and the results of their needs assessment.

90. Re both Task 3 and Task 4, does the Government have a limit (hourly or daily) on the rate that can be paid to expert consultants who are used to deliver technical assistance?

· This solicitation opportunity is a Firm Fixed Priced contract and as such the offeror should be cognizant that the rate paid for expert consultants delivering technical assistance to grantees should be in line with other content experts exhibiting the same level of education and experience. No unnecessary charges should be invoiced against the contract.

91. Also re Task 3 and Task 4, two TA Plans (Deliverables 3.2 and 4.2, respectively) are to be developed and delivered following the needs assessments that are to be performed (Deliverables 3.1 and 4.1). The PWS states that these TA Plans are to be submitted 30 days after the contractor submits the results of the needs assessments. However, since ED will need to review and provide comments on the need assessments before the contractor develops TA Plans, we believe that the more equitable due dates for the TA Plans are 30 days after receipt of ED comments on the needs assessments. Would ED consider revising the deliverable due dates for the two TA Plans?

· This is a new program; offerors should be flexible and understand, once work commences on the Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy contract, some adjustments to the due dates for deliverables. It might be possible to revising Task 3.2 due date; however, revising the dates of various tasks should not be the first priority of the contractor.

92. Also re Task 3 and Task 4, the TA Action Plans for Tasks 3 and 4 (Deliverables 3.3 and 4.3, respectively) are cited in Attachment D, the Government’s Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) as “key deliverables.” Attachment D explains that ED will conduct a formal review of all key deliverables, using the evaluation forms provided as Exhibits A through C to the QASP. We assume that the contractor will be required to revise both of the TA Action Plans, based upon ED’s comments as documented on the evaluation form. But there are no deadlines or timeframes given for revising the TA Action Plans and this step is not discussed (either in the task descriptions in the PWS or in the Schedule of Deliverables). Will the contractor be required to revise these key deliverables, based on feedback from ED? If yes, how long will the contractor have to make any changes requested by ED?

· The contractor will be required to revise these key deliverables, based on feedback from ED. The length of time for these revisions would be approximately ten working days.

93. Re Deliverables 3.4 and 4.4, the Monthly Progress Reports for Task 3 and Task 4, respectively, on what day of the month are these reports due (if they are separate reports from Deliverable 7.1)?

· The Monthly Progress Report would be due to ED the first of each month.

94. Re Task 5, involving the development of a monthly news bulletin (Deliverable 2.3.5), we have several questions:

95. The last bullet in Task 5 says that the contractor will submit the draft bulletin to ED for “final editing, additions, deletions, and approval.” Does ED take responsibility from this point on for the final production of the bulletin, or will it come back to the contractor for finalizing?

· The monthly news letter would go back to the contractor for any final revisions. ED will post the monthly news letter on the ED website.

96. Is the contractor responsible for distributing the bulletin?

· The contractor might be responsible for distributing the newsletter electronically.

97. If yes, is the bulletin to be designed for distribution in hard copy? electronically? or both?

· The newsletter will be designed to be distributed electronically.

98. If hard copies are to be printed and distributed, please provide estimated specifications for the bulletin - e.g., number of pages, page size, whether four-color printing will be required, etc.

· There are no plans to produce hardcopies of the newsletter.

99. If hard copy distribution is required, will the government provide the mailing list?

· Hard copy distribution is not required.

100. How many copies are to be distributed?

· Only electronic copies will be distributed.

101. If the bulletin is to be mailed, will the contractor need to pay the postage, or will ED distribute the newsletter via government mail?

· If the contractor is asked to provide a hard copy by ED, the contractor would need to pay the postage for that mailing. This is a new program; offerors should be flexible and understand, once work commences on the Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy contract, some adjustments might need to be made; for example, the mailing of a requested copy of the newsletter.

102. If the bulletin is to be distributed via e-mail, does an e-mail distribution list already exist? If yes, how many recipients are on the list? If no, is the contractor to develop and maintain a distribution list?

· ED has a group e-mail distribution list with approximately fifty States on it and also has a listserv with approximately 300 subscribers. The contractor is not expected to develop and maintain the listserv distribution list.

103. Re Task 6 (page 9) the text reads: “The contractor shall facilitate the collection of APR data, verify the data for internal consistency and completeness, and generate descriptive statistics suitable for use by ED.” Has ED established a specific…