ATTACH_C_Capability_Instructions_(i3_FY_2014-2016_Cohorts)_FINAL.docx

ATTACHMENT C – Capability Statement Instructions

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

EVALUATION OF INVESTING IN INNOVATION:

FY 2014 – 2016 COHORTS

SOLICITATION # ED-IES-14-R-0046

CAPABILITY STATEMENT INSTRUCTIONS

The U.S. Department of Education (the Department) is conducting market research to determine if sufficient interest and capability exists in the marketplace for the Evaluation of Investing in Innovation (i3) FY 2014 - 2016 Cohorts requirement. This notice is NOT a request of proposals, but is an invitation for potential offerors to express interest and provide information regarding their relevant knowledge, skills and capabilities. Information submitted in response to this Request for Information (RFI) may be used to assist the Department in finalizing its acquisition strategy.

Disclaimer: The Department will not pay for the provision of any information nor will it compensate any respondents for providing this information. This notice in no way obligates the Government to award any contract to any interested party. Feedback will not be provided to any interested party who submits information to the Department in response to this notice.

Capability Statement Submission Deadline The deadline for submitting Capability Statements is July 28, 2014 by 12:00 noon (ET) via e-mail to the following: Barakat.Shakir@ed.gov, and cc: Veronica.Price@ed.gov Primary Point of Contact:

Barakat Shakir Contract Specialist Barakat.Shakir@ed.gov Phone: (202) 245-6822 Fax: 202-245-6297

Secondary Point of Contact:

Veronica Price, Contracting Officer Veronica.Price@ed.gov Phone: (202) 245-6158 Fax: 202-245-6297 Capability Statement Instructions In response to the attached Draft i3 Performance Work Statement (PWS), the Department hereby solicits capability statements from eligible, interested parties. Capability Statements shall be no longer than 4 pages (single-spaced, with a minimum of one-inch margins and 12 point font). Contractors should include up to five resumes in the appendix. Only resumes for potential key personnel that would work on the anticipated contract are to be included. Each resume must clearly document that individuals have the experience and expertise described below. Each resume must be no longer than 5 pages. The resumes will not be counted as part of the 4 page limit for the capability statement.

Vendors shall provide responses for the content areas noted below. This information does NOT count against the 4 page Capability Statement page limitation.

BASIC INFORMATION

1. Please state your business/company name and address. Include contact information such as a corporate email address and website URL.

1. Please state your business size status (i.e. large or small) in the stated NAICS code of 541720. Also provide all socio economic categories for your company and the corresponding NAICS code.

1. Confirm that 541720 is the most appropriate NAICS code for the i3 requirement.

1. State if the requirement should be set-aside for small business, and why (or why not)?

1. State whether the requirement appears to be commercial or non-commercial in nature.

1. Provide a suggested contract type, or confirm that the Hybrid Contract Type (Cost Reimbursement and Fixed Price) is appropriate and provide a brief, supporting statement.

CAPABILITY STATEMENT CONTENT AREAS

The capability statement must describe the collective expertise and experience of key personnel, in each of the following areas:

· Experience and skill in designing, managing, and conducting rigorous evaluations of the implementation and effectiveness of education interventions, including the successful completion of large-scale randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental design studies. Interested parties shall provide evidence of key personnel’s successful past experience designing, managing and conducting randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-experimental design (QED) studies in education on the scale funded by i3. This information shall include the sophisticated and nuanced technical and practical knowledge gained from direct, “hands on” experience conducting RCTs and QEDs in school settings (designing studies, managing site recruitment, data collection (including classroom observations), data analysis, and report writing).

· Expertise on and experience using What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) evidence standards (requires staff with WWC reviewer certification) to assess the strength of studies and to provide technical assistance to evaluators on meeting these standards. Interested parties shall provide evidence of key personnel’s WWC reviewer certification.

· Experience and skill in the use of analytic techniques to summarize results across education evaluation studies clearly and accurately. Interested parties shall provide evidence of key personnel’s successful past experience conducting data analysis that summarizes evaluation findings across studies, such as meta-analysis, and procedures for categorizing relevant features of interventions across PK-grade 12 education.

· Experience and skill providing technical assistance on the technical and logistical elements of conducting rigorous evaluations of education interventions (including randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental design studies). Interested parties shall provide evidence of key personnel’s successful past experience providing technical assistance to evaluators of varying technical expertise on the design and conduct of randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental design studies. Interested parties shall also provide evidence of key personnel’s successful past experience providing technical assistance to evaluators on the development of logic models and measurement of fidelity of intervention implementation.

· Substantive knowledge of programs, practices, and strategies, as well as measurement, in the wide range of education content and reform areas (preschool through grade 12) covered by the i3 program. Interested parties shall provide evidence of key personnel’s content knowledge regarding the wide-variety of education content and reform areas pre-K through grade 12 covered by the i3 program. This information should demonstrate that potential key personnel possess the substantive knowledge to develop data collection forms, select data collection instruments, and recommend policy-relevant analyses.

In addition, the capability statement should address the following experience and capacity at the corporate level:

· Experience conducting projects similar in nature to that described in the Draft PWS. Interested parties shall provide evidence of successful corporate experience with past projects that are similar to that described in the Draft PWS in terms of the specific tasks to be performed and the level of effort required.

· Sufficient capacity in terms of numbers of highly skilled staff. Interested parties shall provide evidence that they have a sufficient number of highly skilled staff (see the criteria listed above) to provide technical assistance to at least 30 grantees' local evaluators (possibly as many as 100); to analyze and report summary findings on this number of evaluations; to create a firewall to maintain independence between staff providing technical assistance and staff conducting cross-site analysis and reporting of findings; and to create a firewall between any staff who are acting as an i3 independent evaluator and the staff providing technical assistance and staff conducting the cross-site analysis and reporting.