ED-IES-16-R-0008_Amend0001.pdf

NSN 7540-01-152-8070 STANDARD FORM 30. (Rev. 10-83) Previous Edition unusable Prescribed by GSA FAR (48 CFR) 53.243

Page of Pages AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT 1. Contract ID Code

2. AMENDMENT MODIFICATION NO. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE 4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQ. NO. 5. PROJECT NO. (if applicable)

6. ISSUED BY CODE 7. ADMINISTERED BY (If other than item 6) CODE

(x) 9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NO.

9B. DATED (SEE ITEM 11)

10A. MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT/ORDER NO.

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR (NO., Street, Country, State and ZIP Code)

CODE FACILITY CODE

10B. DATED (SEE ITEM 13)

11. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO AMENDMENTS OF SOLICITATIONS

The above numbered solicitation is amended as set forth in item 14. The hour and date specified for receipt of offers is extended, is not extended.

Offers must acknowledge receipt of this amendment prior to the hour and date specified in the solicitation or as amended, by one of the following methods:

(a) By completing items 8 and 15, and returning ______ copies of amendment; (b) By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted;

or (c) By separate letter or telegram which includes a reference to the solicitation and amendment numbers. FAILURE OF YOUR ACKNOWLEDGMENT TO BE RECEIVED AT THE PLACE DESIGNATED FOR THE RECEIPT OR OFFERS PRIOR TO THE HOUR AND DATE SPECIFIED MAY RESULT IN REJECTION OF YOUR OFFER. If by virtue of this amendment your desire to change an offer already submitted, such change may be made by telegram or letter, provided each telegram or letter makes reference to the solicitation and this amendment, and is received prior to the opening hour and date specified.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA (If required)

13. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO MODIFICATION OF CONTRACTS/ORDERS. IT MODIFIES THE CONTRACT/ORDER NO. AS DESCRIBED IN ITEM 14.

Check One A. THIS CHANGE ORDER IS ISSUED PURSUANT TO: (Specify authority) THE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14 ARE MADE IN THE

CONTRACT ORDER NO. IN ITEM 10A.

B. THE ABOVE NUMBERED CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES (such as changes in paying office, appropriation date, etc) SET FORTH IN ITEM 14, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 43.103(b).

C. THIS SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT IS ENTERED INTO PURSUANT TO AUTHORITY OF:

D. OTHER (Specify type of modification and authority)

E. IMPORTANT: Contractor is not, is required to sign this document and return _______ copies to the issuing office.

14. DESCRIPTION OF AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION (Organized by UCF section headings, including solicitation/contract subject matter where feasible)

Except as provided herein, all terms and conditions of the document referenced in item 9A or 10A, as heretofore changed, remains unchanged and in full force and effect.

15A. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER (Type or print) 16A. NAME AND TITLE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (Type or print)

15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR 16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

(Signature of person authorized to sign)

15C. DATE SIGNED

(Signature of Contracting Officer)

16C. DATE SIGNED

XXXXX

Attachment Page

PAGE 2 OF 36 ED-IES-16-R-0008/0001

United States Department of Education (Department)

Request for Proposals ED-IES-16-R-0008

Study of an Information Strategy to Increase Enrollment in Postsecondary Education

Clarification Questions

1. Offeror question: We are a newly-formed company and, thus, do not yet have contracts to submit for relative past performance. Would it fulfill the requirement to describe previous contracts of two of the founding partners of the company?

Department Response: The Department will consider past performance information regarding key personnel who possess demonstrated, relevant knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA’s) commensurate with the requisite knowledge and skills sets stated in the Performance Work Statement and related solicitation. Past performance will be evaluated in accordance with the evaluation criteria set forth in Section M of the solicitation.

2. Offeror question: Can the Technical Proposal include the total dollars planned to be subcontracted? On page 76, Technical Proposal Format and Contents, Small Business Participation and Plan, the RFP states that the offeror should submit “a small business subcontracting plan that contains all information and elements required by FAR 19.704

Subcontracting Plan Requirements,” and also states that “no cost information shall be provided.” However, FAR 19.704(a)(2) requires subcontracting plans to include a statement of the total dollars planned to be subcontracted, which may be considered “cost information.” Please confirm that the total dollars planned to be subcontracted may be included in the Small Business Subcontracting Plan and that this plan should be included as an appendix to the offeror’s Technical Proposal (Volume I).

Department Response: The Small Business Subcontracting Plan must be included within an offeror’s Business Volume (Volume II), this includes total dollars planned to be subcontracted. The Technical Volume (Volume I) must include the work to be performed by a small business(es), the name of the small business(es) and the socio economic status of each small business concern, (by and for each performance period, inclusive of the option period), however no price/cost information shall be included in the Technical Volume.

Section L – Instructions to Offerors has been updated to clarify the information noted above.

3. Offeror question: Is the Base Period 19 or 18 months? Page 28 states “19 month Base Period,” but page 30 or 86 gives the base period as beginning of June 2016 to end of

November 2017, which is 18 months.

Department Response: The Department anticipates awarding the contract by June 15, 2016 and the base period will run through November 2017.

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Attachment A – Performance Work Statement has been updated to indicate an approximate 18 month period of performance for the base and 57 month period of performance for the optional period.

4. Offeror question: Should the electronic versions of the proposal be emailed, or submitted on a disk along with the hard copy? And if the electronic version should be sent by email, can you please provide the email address to which it should be sent? Page

72 references the limit for email attachments, suggesting that the electronic version should be emailed, but the submission information on page 73 has only a mailing address.

Department Response: Electronic versions of the proposals are to be emailed to

Gibran.Mills@ed.gov and Veronica.Price@ed.gov. It’s at the offerors discretion to submit a disk along with the required number of hard copy proposals.

Section L – Instructions to Offerors has been updated to clarify this information.

5. Offeror question: The RFP states (p. 72) that proposals shall be sent via US Postal Service, UPS, or FedEx, could an offeror hand deliver the proposal instead of shipping it?

If allowed, could you please provide instructions on the logistics for hand delivery?

Department Response: No hard copies of proposals will be accepted via “hand delivery” or courier for this solicitation.

6. Offeror question: Can you please confirm that this contract will include a study in only one TRIO program (the Educational Opportunity Centers program)? The business proposal instructions on Page 78 or 86 reference an optional Talent Search Study.

Department Response: This contract is for a study involving only the Educational

Opportunity Centers Program.

Section L – Instructions to Offerors has been updated to exclude reference to Talent

Search.

7. Offeror question: Can you please clarify ED’s preferred title for this study? The RFP provides two different study titles: (1) “Study of an Information Strategy to Increase Enrollment in Postsecondary Education” (see pp. 28, 50, 71, and 82 of the RFP) and (2)

“The Evaluation of Information Strategies to Improve College Enrollment in TRIO programs” (see page 2 of the RFP).

Department Response: Study of an Information Strategy to Increase Enrollment in

Postsecondary Education is the preferred title for this requirement.

8. Offeror question: The RFP states that double spacing and 12-pont font is required, but we assume that for tables, figures, and other exhibits, offerors may use single spacing and a smaller font size. Could you please confirm?

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Department Response: Smaller font sizes and spacing are permitted for tables, figures, and other exhibits, as long as the font size is legible to the human eye.

9. Offeror question: Referring to the ‘Organizational Capabilities and Experience’ section, the RFP states on p. 75 that “This section shall include an organizational chart with an accompanying description of functional responsibilities, applicable prior corporate experience to carry out those responsibilities, lines of communication, and authority for project management along with mechanisms for quality, timeliness and cost control.”

Normally this requirement would relate to the ‘Management Plan and Timelines’ section.

Can you please clarify where we are to address this requirement?

Department Response: Offerors shall address the requirements as instructed by the

RFP.

10. Offeror question: Can IES kindly confirm the email address for the electronic proposal submission?

Department Response: See Question/Answer #4 for the electronic proposal submission information.

11. Offeror question: In the Business Proposal Instructions on Page 78, reference is made to the “optional Talent Search Study”, although there is no other mention of this study in the solicitation. Can IES kindly provide additional information regarding this component if it is relevant to this proposal?

Department Response: Please see the Question/Answer #6 for clarification regarding the “Optional Talent Search Study”.

12. Offeror question: The instructions for the Small Business Participation and Plan on page 76 state that a Subcontracting Plan providing the information required by FAR 19.704 shall be provided. As this required information regarding the amounts being subcontracted, can IES kindly clarify that the Subcontracting Plan should be submitted in the Business Proposal, and is separate from the Small Business Participation Plan required in the Technical Proposal?

Department Response: See Question/Answer #2 for clarification regarding the Small

Business Subcontracting Plan and related instructions.

13. Offeror question: As the Subcontracting Plan Review Form (Attachment B) provided with the RFP appears to be an evaluation tool for IES, should this form be included with the proposal alongside the Subcontracting Plan? If so, should offerors complete any of this form?

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Department Response: Attachment B shall be completed by offerors and submitted as part of their Small Business Subcontracting Plan in their Business Volume (Volume

II).

14. Offeror question: Page 2 states the Period of Performance for the Base Year and Option Period as 06/15/2016 to 11/30/2017(17.5 months) and 12/01/2017 to 7/31/2022 (56 months), respectively while Page 28 states “ the period of performance shall consist of a

19 month Base Period and 56 month Option Period”. Can IES please confirm the correct Period of Performance for the Base Year?

Department Response: Please see Question/Answer #3 for clarification regarding the period of performance for the base and option contract period.

15. Offeror question: On Page 37, it states that “ED anticipates that the Optional Period, if exercised, will begin in December 2017 and end at the end of July 2022. During this period the contractor shall perform Tasks 8 through 13 below”, however on page 44, Task 14-Reporting Requirements- takes place in Months 20 through 75. Can IES please clarify that Task 14 will occur during the Option Period?

Department Response: Task 14 will occur during the Option Period.

Attachment A – Performance Work Statement has been updated to clarify this.

16. Offeror question: The RFP specifies delivery methods for the final hard copy of the proposal, is hand delivery by an employee of the offeror also acceptable?

Department Response: See Question/Answer #5 for clarification regarding proposal delivery methods.

17. Offeror question: Under General Instructions it states the total page length and what does and does not count towards the total page limit. The Cover sheet and Table of Contents are not mentioned in the description, will they count toward the page limit?

Department Response: Cover sheet and Table of Contents do not count toward the page limit.

18. Offeror question: Under Small Business Participation it states that offers must submit the template and small business subcontracting plan. This is usually submitted as part of the business proposal, we would like confirmation this belongs in the technical proposal.

Department Response: See Question/Answer #2. Section L – Instructions to Offerors has been updated to clarify the information required for each proposal volume.

19. Offeror question: Under Past Performance, are the three past performance contracts covering the prime only or should past performances contracts be provided for both the prime and partners?

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Department Response: Past Performance references must be provided for both the prime contractor and proposed subcontractors. Offerors aren’t limited to providing only three references per prime or subcontractor.

20. Offeror question: Would the Government consider providing the level of effort / workload estimate (in terms of labor hours) for this evaluation?

Department Response: The Level of Effort (LOE) will not be provided for the anticipated contract. Offerors are expected to propose a LOE commensurate with their proposed technical solution.

21. Offeror question: Is this a new requirement, current project or a follow-up to another project?

Department Response: This is a new requirement, and no incumbent exists.

22. Offeror question: Is there a project like this one already being conducted, and if so, what is the project number/contract number?

Department Response: Department Response: This is a new requirement, and no incumbent exists.

23. Offeror question: What is the anticipated start date for this project?

Department Response: It is anticipated that the contract award will be made in June

2016.

24. Offeror question: What is the value of the project?

Department Response: This information will not be released for this procurement.

25. Offeror question: Is there an expected range for response rate?

Department Response: Given the nature of this study’s data collection, the Department expects a virtually 100% response rate.

26. Offeror question: Is there an expected contact rate or incidence rate that vendors should use as a guide for pricing?

Department Response: Offerors should use their best judgment.

27. Offeror question: Are any sample questionnaires available from similar initiatives?

Department Response: The Department does not have an initiative sufficiently similar to the study described in the performance work statement.

PAGE 7 OF 36 ED-IES-16-R-0008/0001

INSTRUCTION TO OFFERORS

STUDY OF AN INFORMATION STRATEGY TO

INCREASE ENROLLMENT IN POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION

NOTICES TO OFFERORS: FAR Clause 52.215-1, Instructions to Offerors –

Competitive Acquisition, shall apply to this submission. The outside of the proposal packaging, the cover of each proposal, and the header of each proposal page should contain the title "Study of Information Strategies to Increase Enrollment in Post-

Secondary Education”. The Government will evaluate proposals in accordance with the evaluation criteria set forth in Section M of this request for proposals. It is understood that proposals and all related questions and responses will become a part of the official contract file.

This Request for Proposal (RFP) does not commit the Government to pay any cost for the preparation and submission of a proposal. In addition, the Contracting Officer is the only individual who can legally commit the Government to the expenditure of public funds in connection with this acquisition. Funds are not presently available for the anticipated contract.

Offerors shall prepare separate technical and business/cost proposals. The technical and business/cost proposals must each be complete in and of themselves so that evaluation and review of one may be accomplished independently of the other. Cost information must be restricted to the business proposal and the technical proposal must not contain reference to specific costs (although resource information may be included so that the offeror’s understanding of the scope of the work may be evaluated).

An official authorized to bind your organization must sign the proposal. Offerors must submit the technical proposal electronically in WORD and PDF format and the cost proposal (including a narrative description of costs) electronically in WORD and

PDF format. The separate proposal volumes must be submitted electronically as separate documents to Gibran.Mills@ed.gov (Contract Specialist) and

Veronica.Price@ed.gov (Contracting Officer). If an email’s attachment size exceeds

20MB, it is recommended that the offeror break up the quote into smaller attachments in separate emails. If the submission exceeds 20MB, the Department may not receive the quotation. In addition, 1 original and 3 hard copies of the technical proposal and 1 original and 1 hard copy of the business proposal must be submitted. The hard copy proposals must be bound. Offerors are encouraged to conserve paper by copying double-sided. Offerors are encouraged to submit proposals on recycled paper with a high post-consumer waste content.

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Proposals are due by 12:00 Noon (Eastern Standard Time) on April 11, 2016 and shall be sent via the US Postal Service, UPS, or FedEx to: and shall be delivered to:

U.S. Department of Education

Contracts and Acquisitions Management

550 12th Street, S.W.

7th Floor, Room 7137

Washington, D.C. 20202-4230

Attn: Gibran Mills, Contracting Specialist

Telephone Number: (202) 245-6072

Proposal Validity Period

The proposal must list the names and telephone numbers of persons authorized to conduct negotiations, and a statement to the effect that the proposal is firm for a period of at least 90 calendar days from the date of receipt of proposals specified within this RFP.

Clarification Questions

The Department will accept clarification questions from potential offerors. Clarification questions must be submitted by the due date, which is 12:00 PM Eastern Standard

Time, on March 15, 2016. The Department does not guarantee that a response will be given to clarification questions submitted after the due date. Offerors will not receive a response until all questions have been received by the due date. All questions and answers will be posted on the Federal Business Opportunities web site (www.FBO.gov).

It is the prospective offeror’s responsibility to monitory this site.

Oral explanations or instructions given by the Government before the award of the contract(s) shall not be binding. Any information given to a prospective offeror concerning a solicitation will be furnished to all other prospective offerors if that information impacts the submission of proposals, or if a lack of information would be prejudicial to any other prospective offerors. This information will be sent to all offerors that respond to the RFP.

General Instructions for the Technical Proposal (Volume I)

Through the technical proposal, the offeror must show a thorough understanding of the goals and activities of the Performance Work Statement (PWS) and demonstrate that the proposed staff has the necessary experience and expertise to meet task objectives. While the intent of each task is spelled out in the PWS, this should be considered a starting point and technical proposals must include detailed work plans and illustrative examples where needed to fully describe the offeror’s plan to accomplish each task and the relevant deliverables. A proposal that simply repeats the language of the PWS without specifying the offeror’s plan will be considered ineligible for award.

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Offerors are encouraged to suggest improvements to the approaches detailed in the PWS, along with a justification of the merits of these alternative approaches. Offerors may find it necessary to make adjustments to the schedule provided in the PWS, in accordance with the newly proposed strategies and/or procedures. In this case, offerors shall clearly identify any changes in the schedule and explain their rationale.

Technical proposals must not exceed 60 double-spaced pages with a 12-point font size and margins of at least 1 inch. The page limit includes the narrative and corresponding tables/graphics, abstracts of current corporate work, and lists of the current contractual commitments of proposed staff. The page limit does not include the appendix containing résumés for key project staff, subcontracting agreements, and letters of commitment. ED is not responsible for reviewing any proposal that exceeds the maximum page limit.

All pages must be numbered consecutively, including appendices. Offerors shall use the format and content requirements detailed below in preparing their technical proposals.

Technical Proposal Format and Contents

Proposals must include, but are not limited to, each of the following sections:

A cover sheet with the name and address of the firm and signed by an officer of the firm.

Table of Contents. The Table of Contents must provide a means of quickly accessing important points of discussion in the proposal. The table of contents must also provide the name of the senior author (and coauthors, if applicable) of each section.

Introduction. The offeror must provide an overview that demonstrates knowledge of: (a) issues relevant to the purpose of the base and option study and

(b) experimental design and data analysis issues relevant to the studies as described within the performance work statement. In addition to demonstrating expertise, the introduction shall also briefly describe the proposal and provide rationale for why the proposed approach will meet the intent and requirements of the contract and should describe ways in which the approach is unique, insightful, or particularly comprehensive.

Technical Approach (Task Descriptions). This section shall completely and concisely explain the strategies, operations, and procedures the offeror proposes to achieve the contract’s objectives, addressing each task and subtask in the order presented in the PWS. This section should include a discussion of any potential issues that might arise and the proposed means to address them. In particular, the offeror shall describe the messaging intervention and plans for adaptation and/or development.

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Management Plan and Timelines. The offeror shall present a proposed timeline that includes start and end dates for each project task and activity. It should be clear when work related to each subtask and deliverable will be accomplished, the key staff responsible for the work, and how time for ED approval of deliverables has been budgeted. In building their timelines, offerors should assume a contract award date of June 15, 2016.

Proposed Personnel. This section shall provide the names of the proposed project director, other key personnel, subcontractors, and consultants. Offerors shall indicate the number of proposed hours for each staff person (including subcontractors and consultants) by task as well as in total and should describe the specific responsibilities of each proposed staff person. A narrative description that clearly describes how staff qualifications relate to the requirements of the performance work statement and proposed task assignments must be included.

To indicate the availability of staff persons to work on the anticipated contract, offerors shall also indicate the proportion of each staff person’s time (including subcontractors and consultants) that is committed to current and pending federal and non-federal projects by year during the anticipated period of performance of this contract. The offeror shall indicate the proposed proportion of each staff person’s time that would be committed to the anticipated contract during this time frame.

Any sub-contracting arrangements shall be described thoroughly and it must be clear which tasks will be completed by sub-contractors and the role that they will play. The offeror shall assure that proposed subcontractors/consultants are free of conflicts of interest that might bias their approach to this work. Letter(s) by proposed subcontractors/consultants indicating willingness to serve, if the offeror is selected, shall be included within the offeror's proposal as an appendix.

This section must be accompanied by an appendix that includes résumés of no more than 4 pages each for key staff members. The resumes shall include educational and professional background and should highlight experience relevant to the contract.

Organizational Capabilities and Experience. This section shall include an organizational chart with an accompanying description of functional responsibilities, applicable prior corporate experience to carry out those responsibilities, lines of communication, and authority for project management along with mechanisms for quality, timeliness and cost control. Applicable prior corporate experience must include evidence of successful experience with projects that are similar to the current project in terms of the specific tasks to be performed and the level of effort required.

In addition, offerors shall provide a complete list of the title, contract or grant number, award date, end date, and dollar amount of all contracts and grants with

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the U.S. Department of Education that are current or ended after November 1, 2011. This list and the discussion of corporate experience shall be provided for any proposed subcontractors and consultants as well as for the proposed prime contractor. For contracts or grants directly relevant to this procurement—either as a basis for corporate qualifications or as a source of potential conflicts of interest—a brief summary of the contract or grant activities shall also be provided.

Small Business Participation and Plan. The Department values an approach where substantive work is performed in a meaningful capacity by small businesses more highly than an approach where only menial work is performed by small businesses. A meaningful capacity for substantive work includes work other than courier services, office supplies, or travel services. Therefore, a valued approach for the anticipated contract will be one where technical, analytical, data collection or another significant service is performed by a qualified small business.

Offerors shall state the work to be performed by a small business(es), the name of the small business(es), the socio economic status of each small business concern, and the percentage of work proposed to be performed by each small business concern (by and for each performance period, inclusive of option periods), but

NO COST INFORMATION SHALL BE PROVIDED. All Offerors who are not designated as a small business in the stated NAICS Code for this requirement must submit a Small Business Subcontracting Plan for review, to satisfy the applicable requirements of 48 CFR 52.219-9 II. A template (Attachment B) has been provided to facilitate this process. Offerors must submit the template and a small business subcontracting plan that contains all information and elements required by FAR 19.704 Subcontracting Plan Requirements.

In accordance with the Government-wide Procurement Preference Goal

Program, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) negotiates with the U.S.

Small Business Administration to develop annual small business procurement goals for both prime contracts and subcontracts.

The Department’s small business goals for Fiscal Year 2016 are shown below. All prime contract small business goal figures are Percentage of Total Prime Contract

Dollars. All subcontracting small business goal figures are Percentage of Total

Subcontracting Dollars.

FY2016 Prime Contract Small Business Goals

Small Business Category Goal

Small Business 25.50% Small Disadvantaged Business 5.00% Women-Owned Small Business 5.00% HUBZone Small Business 3.00% Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business

3.00%

FY2016 Subcontracting Small Business Goals

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Small Business 31.00% Small Disadvantaged Business 5.00% Women-Owned Small Business 5.00% HUBZone Small Business 3.00% Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small

Protection of Human Subjects. Since the anticipated contract involves the collection of data, offerors must be cognizant of the requirements of the

Department of Education’s regulation on protection of human subjects of research. This regulation was published in The Federal Register on June 18, 1991, as The Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects: Notices and Rules.

The regulation is under Title 34, Code of Federal Regulations, Parts 97, 350 and

356. Include in the proposal a statement that your company is cognizant of this requirement and shall comply with it as necessary.

Past Performance

To support the technical proposal, offerors shall submit information about three contracts, completed in the last three years or currently in process but beyond the first year of the contract, which are of similar size, scope, complexity or, in any way, are relevant to the effort required by this solicitation. The "Contractor Performance Information” form

(Attachment C) must be used to collect this information from references. The three contracts may include those entered into with the Federal Government, agencies of State and local governments and commercial customers. Contracts with the parent company or an affiliate of the offeror may not be used.

Each reference is to complete the form and return it to the Contract Specialist, Gibran

Mills, as prescribed on the form. Completed forms from references are due on the same day as Technical & Business Proposals under this solicitation. Request that the reference please return the completed form, by the date on the form, to the following:

Attn: Gibran Mills, Contract Specialist

Contracts and Acquisitions Management

PCP Room 7137

550 12th Street, SW

Washington, DC 20202

Or e-mail to: Gibran.Mills@ed.gov and cc Veronica.Price@ed.gov

The Source Selection Official/Contracting Officer reserves the right to obtain past performance information from other services such as CPARS and FAPIIS. The

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Government also reserves the right to obtain past performance information from other sources. Consideration of the offeror’s reputation in terms of quality, problem resolution, cost control, timeliness, business relations and customer service will be evaluated.

Business Proposal (Volume II)

The Department anticipates awarding a hybrid Cost Reimbursement (CR) Firm-Fixed

Price (FP) contract following a full and open competitive process. The Department anticipates fully-funding the base period at time of award. Subsequently, ED anticipates fully-funding each option period, at the time of exercise. The optional Talent Search

Study will likely also be exercised with option periods, though this depends on the status of future funding increments.

The offeror shall submit proposed costs for each task and subtask and for the project overall, for each performance period. The proposed budget for each task shall include the number of hours each staff person is expected to commit. There is no page limitation for the business proposal. Please verify that the contents of the business proposal are mathematically accurate and the supporting data reconcile in the proposal.

NOTE TO OFFERORS - It is required that the business proposal contain enough information for a cost realism determination to be made. Offerors are expected to use their best business judgment in submitting the necessary information. The Contracting

Officer (CO) can reject an Offeror’s proposal if a negative cost realism determination is made, or if proposed prices are found to NOT be reasonable. Federal Acquisition

Regulation (FAR) 15.404-1 states, “cost realism means the costs in an Offeror’s proposal are a) realistic for the work to be performed; b) reflect a clear understanding of the requirements; and c) are consistent with the various elements of the Offeror’s technical proposal.” As such, Offerors proposals must contain identification of cost or pricing data

(i.e., data that are verifiable and factual) and an explanation of the estimating process.

When applicable, the following items must be specifically identified; e.g., Other

Administrative Data (Refer to FAR 15.408, Table 15-2 I.C.). Please verify that the contents of the business proposal are mathematically accurate and the supporting data reconcile in the proposal.

Business Proposal Contents

Proposals must include each of the following:

A cover sheet with the name and address of the firm and signed by an officer of the firm.

Abstract. A one-page summary is to be provided abstracting the proposal contents in language understandable to an informed layperson. The abstract shall indicate full acceptance of the solicitation requirements or note any Offeror or assumptions justified. A summary chart showing the proposed CR costs and FP

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for each performance period shall be included. Totals for each performance period must be incorporated into the chart.

CR and FP Tasks/Subtask Information. The Department anticipates that the contract will be a hybrid in nature, containing both CR and FP tasks. Offerors shall include the price of each deliverable for those tasks that are FP. Offerors shall propose a Pricing and Payment Schedule for the FP tasks based on the price per deliverable. The Department will pay the corresponding invoice only after the

Department has accepted each FP deliverable.

Cost Accounting, Estimating, and Purchasing System Information. The offeror shall include information on the status of your accounting system, estimating system, purchasing system. If these systems have been reviewed and approved by a Government Agency, include a copy of the approval letter. If they have not, offerors must state so and provide a justification for all proposed costs.

The Government reserves the right to not award a contract to a company that does not have an approved accounting, estimating, and purchasing system.

Breakdowns for Other Direct Costs and Other Resources. Offerors shall submit proposed costs itemized for each task/subtask, as well as a total proposed cost for the entire work to be performed under the task order. The proposed budget for each task and subtask shall indicate the number of hours being proposed for each staff person and breakdowns of direct charges for materials, supplies, consultants, equipment, telephone, copying, travel, and any other major budget items, as well as indirect cost rates used in preparing the cost estimate.

Indirect rates shall be in accordance with your current provisional billing rate agreements. A copy of current indirect rate agreements shall be included with the business proposal.

The business proposal shall also include costs itemized by project year.

Subcontractor Cost(s). Offerors must submit its price/cost analyses of all subcontractors proposed whose costs exceeds the threshold for certified cost or pricing data (as applicable). The following information must be addressed (as applicable):

o If a subcontract proposal exceeds the threshold for certified cost or pricing data (FAR 15.403-4(a)) and is not otherwise exempt from other exceptions in accordance with FAR 15.403-1(b), please include the prime contractor’s price/cost analyses establishing the reasonableness of each subcontract price.

o In accordance with the thresholds in FAR 15.404-3(c) and FAR

15.408,Table 15-2 II.A.(2), Cost and Pricing data, a copy of each subcontractor’s proposal must be provided.

o Identify in the proposal the degree of competition and the basis for establishing the source and reasonableness of price for each subcontract

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priced on a competitive basis (FAR 15.408, Table 15-2 II. A. (1)) exceeding the threshold at FAR 15.403-4(a o Additionally, in accordance with FAR 52.215-22 Limitations on Pass-through Charges – Identification of Subcontract Effort, if applicable, if the

Offeror intends to subcontract more than 70% of the total cost of work to be performed, the proposal must identify (i) the amount of the Offeror’s indirect costs and profit applicable to the work to be performed by the subcontractor(s) and (ii) a description of the added value provided by the

Offeror as related to the work to be performed by the subcontractor(s).

Small Business Subcontracting Plan. All Offerors who are not designated as a small business in the stated NAICS Code for this requirement must submit a

Small Business Subcontracting Plan for review, to satisfy the applicable requirements of 48 CFR 52.219-9 II. A template (Attachment B) has been provided to facilitate this process. Offerors must submit the template and a small business subcontracting plan that contains all information and elements required by FAR 19.704 Subcontracting Plan Requirements.

In accordance with the Government-wide Procurement Preference Goal Program, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) negotiates with the U.S. Small Business

Administration to develop annual small business procurement goals for both prime contracts and subcontracts.

The Department’s small business goals for Fiscal Year 2016 are shown below. All prime contract small business goal figures are Percentage of Total Prime Contract

Dollars. All subcontracting small business goal figures are Percentage of Total

Subcontracting Dollars.

FY2016 Prime Contract Small Business Goals

Small Business 25.50% Small Disadvantaged Business 5.00% Women-Owned Small Business 5.00% HUBZone Small Business 3.00% Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small

FY2016 Subcontracting Small Business Goals

Small Business 31.00% Small Disadvantaged Business 5.00% Women-Owned Small Business 5.00% HUBZone Small Business 3.00% Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small

PAGE 16 OF 36 ED-IES-16-R-0008/0001

Labor Rates. Offerors shall submit their labor rates broken out, not fully loaded.

Offeror’s labor rate must be consistent with their current labor rates. Offerors are permitted to propose discounted rates to improve the competitiveness of their proposal. The labor mix and labor categories proposed should be consistent with the personnel proposed in the technical proposal. Any rate higher than $800 per day for any proposed consultant requires justification.

Conflict of Interest Plan

The offeror and all proposed subcontractors and consultants shall fill out the Conflict of Interest Certification in Section K of this solicitation (K. 10 3452.209-70). All

Conflict of Interest Certifications are to be included with offeror’s Business Proposals.

The Offeror shall submit a Conflict of Interest Plan, providing details on its policies and procedures to identify and avoid potential organizational or personal conflicts of interest

(or apparent conflicts of interest). The Plan shall also address procedures taken to neutralize or mitigate such conflicts, if they have not been or cannot be avoided. The Plan should indicate that such policies and procedures are operative throughout the period of performance of the contract or task order. The policies should address, at a minimum, gifts, outside activities financial interests, or other significant connections or identifications that would establish, or give the appearance of establishing, a conflict of interest. A method for periodically reviewing financial interests of employees, subcontractors and consultants, and their immediate families, in order to assess actual or apparent conflicts of interest shall be included in the plan. In this clause, the term

“potential conflict” means reasonably foreseeable conflict of interest.

The thoroughness, completeness, and effectiveness of the Plan shall be evaluated as part of the offeror’s overall proposal. The Plan will be incorporated into the contract or task order awarded to the successful offeror.

PAGE 17 OF 36 ED-IES-16-R-0008/0001

Performance Work Statement

STUDY OF AN INFORMATION STRATEGY TO INCREASE

ENROLLMENT IN POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION

I. INTRODUCTION

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) requires a study of an information strategy to increase participation in postsecondary education among individuals from low income families and those who are potential first generation college students. It focuses on the use of messaging targeted toward clients of Educational Opportunity Centers (EOCs) regarding college enrollment activities and deadlines. The EOC program is one of ED’s

TRIO programs.

The period of performance shall consist of an approximately 18 19 month Base Period and a 567 month Option Period. If the option period is exercised, the contract will have a total performance period of 75 months.

A. Legislative Authority

Section 402(H) of the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (20 U.S.C. 1070a–18) authorizes the Secretary to make grants or enter into contracts to rigorously evaluate the effectiveness of strategies and practices supported under TRIO programs.

B. Study Background

There has been long-standing public policy interest in increasing college enrollment and completion among disadvantaged individuals. Participation in postsecondary education is associated with numerous positive outcomes, including increased employment rates and higher salaries.

However, high school graduates from low income families are less likely to enroll in postsecondary education than graduates with higher incomes. In 2013, approximately 46% of students from low income families went immediately from high school on to two- or four-year colleges, while approximately 79% of students from high income families did the same.

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Office of Employment and Unemployment

Statistics, unpublished annual average data from the Current Population Survey (CPS), selected years, 2000 through 2014. See Digest of Education Statistics 2014. http://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_cbc.asp, accessed on August 21, 2015.

U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (CPS), March 1996 through

March 2014. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d14/tables/dt14_502.30.asp, accessed on August 19, 2015.

U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (CPS), October, 1975 through

2013. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d14/tables/dt14_302.30.asp, accessed on August 19, 2015.

Attachment A - Performance Work Statement

PAGE 18 OF 36 ED-IES-16-R-0008/0001

The Federal TRIO Programs are a set of eight outreach and student services programs designed to improve the college preparation and success of individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. Together, the programs provide assistance from as early as middle school through the academic pipeline into post-baccalaureate programs.

The TRIO program that is the focus of this study—the Educational Opportunity Centers

(EOCs) program— provides counseling and information on college admissions to adults who want to enter or continue a program of postsecondary education. Grantees—which are largely institutions of higher education—serve individuals who are 19 years and older, most of whom are potential first-generation college goers and who have low incomes.

The study is designed to examine a strategy which may improve EOCs’ effectiveness in meeting the program’s aim of increasing the number of disadvantaged adults who enroll in postsecondary education. EOC grantees provide information and counseling to clients in-person and via telephone. ED seeks to test whether systematic, low-cost messaging can enhance these services. Research has shown that carefully crafted messages incorporating behavioral science insights can be effective in prompting high school graduates to enroll in postsecondary education and college freshman to renew their Free

Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) applications.

Based on this research, a hypothesis is that messages that include timely, personalized information concerning college enrollment activities and deadlines, tips for completing forms and other procedures, and a link back to the center to answer questions and provide further assistance could serve as a low-cost method for the centers to effectively encourage clients toward college enrollment. The messaging also has the potential to enhance

EOCs’ productivity, by freeing up grantee staff time to focus on other grant activities that cannot be accomplished through automated messaging.

C. Key Research Questions

The study will address the following research questions:

1. Does providing personalized messages to EOC clients increase FAFSA completion rates?

2. Do the messages increase the likelihood of EOC clients enrolling in postsecondary education?

D. Evaluation Approach

Castleman, B & Page, L. (2014). Summer Nudging: Can Personalized Text Messages and Peer Mentor

Outreach Increase College Going Among Low Income High School Graduates? EDPolicyWorks Working

Paper, retrieved June 18, 2015 from:

http://curry.virginia.edu/uploads/resourceLibrary/9_Castleman_SummerTextMessages.pdf; Castleman, B

& Page, L. (2014). Freshman Year Financial Aid Nudges: An Experiment to Increase FAFSA Renewal and

College Persistence. EDPolicyWorks Working Paper, retrieved June 18, 2015 from:

http://curry.virginia.edu/uploads/resourceLibrary/29_Freshman_Year_Financial_Aid_Nudges.pdf;

PAGE 19 OF 36 ED-IES-16-R-0008/0001

ED’s assumptions about the study are provided below.

Up to 20 EOC grantees will be recruited to participate in the study.

Across two grant years (beginning in spring 2018 and through spring 2020), a total of approximately 6,000 EOC clients will be recruited to participate in the study.

Clients eligible for the study will be those who are new to the grantee (i.e. have not received services from the grantee in the past) and who intend to enroll at a postsecondary institution by the Fall semester of 2020.

The contractor will randomly assign eligible clients within EOCs to a treatment group that receives the messaging or a control group that does not receive the messaging. Both the treatment and control groups will receive all regular EOC services to which they would normally have access.

The study shall involve the collection of the following types of data.

Client Information. Each Center’s existing client intake form(s) will be augmented as needed in order to: identify clients eligible for the study, collect background information such as demographics, collect information needed for the customization of messages, and obtain client contact information. Client consent to participate in the study will also be needed in order to provide messages to the client should s/he be assigned to the treatment group.

Implementation Information. From the messaging system, the contractor shall obtain implementation information such as the number of messages sent to and from each treatment client and the number of messages sent to/from each EOC staff member who has access to the system.

Federal Aid Application Receipt. Via a matching process conducted through the

Department’s Office of Financial Student Aid, the contractor shall determine whether study clients completed and submitted the FAFSA and the amount of their financial awards.

College Enrollment. Based on data obtained from the National Student

Clearinghouse, the contractor shall determine study clients’ college enrollment status as of Fall 2018, Fall 2019, or Fall 2020, depending on when the client had intended to enroll.

II. SCOPE OF WORK

ED anticipates that the Base Period of performance will begin in June 2016 and end at the end of November 2017. During the Base Period, the contractor shall perform Tasks 1 through 7 below.

Task 1—Communication with ED (Hybrid)

1.1 Kickoff Meeting (Fixed Price)

PAGE 20 OF 36 ED-IES-16-R-0008/0001

The contractor’s project director and key project staff shall meet with the Contracting

Officer’s Representative (COR) and other appropriate ED staff within 10 business days after the effective date of the contract award to discuss details regarding the tasks outlined in the proposal, study design, scheduling activities, and other issues related to the contract. This meeting shall be at ED's offices in Washington, DC. The contractor shall provide an agenda for the meeting at least 3 business days prior to the meeting. The

COR will review the agenda and provide comments at least 2 business days prior to the meeting. The contractor shall submit a final agenda at least 1 business day prior to the meeting. The contractor shall come prepared to identify any areas of concern and to suggest ways of responding to these concerns. Within one week following the meeting, the contractor shall prepare a memo summarizing the key issues and concerns raised at the meeting, and how each shall be addressed in the study.

1.2 Ongoing Communication (Cost Reimbursement)

The contractor shall have conference calls with the COR in order to discuss design decisions, study progress, and address any issues that may arise on the study. The calls shall be held on an as needed basis. For planning purposes, the contractor shall assume biweekly phone calls throughout the base period of the contract.

Deliverable: Draft meeting agenda

Final meeting agenda

Memo summarizing kickoff meeting

Task 2—Technical Working Group (Fixed Price)

2.1 Establish EOC Technical Working Group (TWG)

The role of the TWG will be to advise the contractor on the conduct of the study including, but not limited to: evaluation design, instrumentation, data collection and analysis, and draft evaluation reports.