Attachment_C_Capability_Instructions_Post_HS_Outcomes.pdf

ATTACHMENT C – Capability Statement Instructions

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

POST HIGH SCHOOL OUTCOMES FOR YOUTH WITH DISABILITIES STUDY

FISCAL YEAR 2015 TRACKING #IESE150235AP

SOLICITATION NUMBER ED-IES-15-R-0027

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 anticipated Post High School Outcomes for Youth with Disabilities Study contract. 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 Sources Sought Notice (SSN) may be used to assist the Department in finalizing its acquisition strategy. Submission of Capability Statements, while strongly encouraged, is NOT a pre-requisite for a prospective vendor being able to submit proposals when the Post High School Outcomes for Youth with Disabilities Study solicitation is released for competition.

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 May 6, 2015 by 12:00 noon (ET) via e-mail to the following: Pavan.Mehrotra@ed.gov, and cc: Veronica.Price@ed.gov

Primary Point of Contact:

Pavan Mehrotra Contract Specialist Pavan.Mehrotra@ed.gov Phone: (202) 245-6397 Fax: 202-245-6297

Secondary Point of Contact:

Veronica Price, Sr. Contracting Officer Veronica.Price@ed.gov Phone: (202) 245-6158 Fax: 202-245-6297

Capability Statement Instructions

In response to Attachment B - Draft Post High School Outcomes for Youth with Disabilities Study 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). Interested Parties shall provide responses for the content areas noted below. This information does NOT count against the 4 page Capability Statement page limitation.

BASIC INFORMATION

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

(b) 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.

(c) State whether or not 541720 is the most appropriate NAICS code for the Post High School requirement. Why or why not?

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

Provide the specific small business, socio-economic category in your response.

(e) State whether the requirement appears to be commercial or non-commercial in nature.

(f) 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 personnel, in each of the following areas:

Experience and skill obtaining administrative records simultaneously from multiple sources and analyzing for descriptive studies. Interested parties shall provide evidence of personnel’s successful past experience collecting and analyzing records from various sources, including but not limited to the National Student Clearinghouse and the Social Security Administration. This includes successful past experience summarizing findings across sources to prepare policy-relevant, descriptive reports for a lay audience. Please provide no more than two examples.

Experience and skill conducting large-scale multi-site school records collection efforts over a short time frame. Interested parties shall provide evidence of prior successful experience conducting large-scale collection of school records from multiple districts (over 450 school districts) and within a short time frame. Please provide no more than two examples.

Experience and skill coding and analyzing student transcripts. Interested parties shall provide evidence of personnel’s prior experiences coding transcripts in a cost-effective manner and using analytic techniques to examine student high school course-taking.

Please provide no more than two examples.

Substantive knowledge and experience with relevant special education issues.

Interested parties should highlight experience that equips the contractor with knowledge of secondary and postsecondary education, special education and related services for youth with disabilities, and employment and other relevant post-high school outcomes.

In addition, the capability statement must 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 experiences with past projects that are similar to the current project in terms of the specific tasks to be performed, the level of effort required for a contract of this nature, and the capacity to complete the study according to the timeline required. Please provide no more than two examples.

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 (or the ability to obtain highly skilled staff with relevant experience) to simultaneously conduct large scale, multi-site school records collection, obtain records from other sources, and conduct data preparation and analyses. Data collection and analyses may be conducted during the same timeframe, necessitating sufficient staff with specific skills to contribute time in order to meet study schedule.