Capability_Instructions.docx

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Impact Evaluation of Parent Messaging Strategies on Student Attendance

# ED-IES-16-R-0010

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 Impact Evaluation of Parent Messaging Strategies on Student Attendance requirement. This notice is NOT a request for 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 March 31, 2016 by 11:00 AM (ET) via e-mail to the following: Elizabeth.Price@ed.gov, and cc: Veronica.Price@ed.gov Primary Point of Contact:

Elizabeth Price Contract Specialist Elizabeth.Price@ed.gov Phone: (202) 245-6185 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 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 four 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 4 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. State if the requirement should be set-aside for small business, and why (or why not)?

1. Provide a suggested contract type, or confirm that the Hybrid Contract Type (combination of Cost-Reimbursement and Fixed-Price tasks) 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 leading, managing, designing and conducting large-scale complex random assignment studies of interventions designed to improve educational outcomes. Interested parties should provide evidence of key personnel’s successful past experience designing and implementing multi-site impact studies of interventions designed to improve educational outcomes. This should include demonstrated experience managing costs, leading recruitment, data collection, and timeliness.

· Experience and skill in designing and analyzing data from evaluations using sequential, multiple assignment, randomized trial (SMART) designs. Interested parties should provide evidence of key personnel’s past experience on projects that utilized a SMART design, similar to that described within the Performance Work Statement.

· Experience and skill in authoring well written, policy relevant publications with clear take-home messages for wide audiences. Interested parties shall provide evidence of key personnel’s involvement with authoring publications that clearly summarize complex experimental and implementation findings and present them in a manner such that they can be understood and used by a wide, non-technical audience.

· Substantive content knowledge relevant to the intervention described within the Performance Work Statement, including behavioral nudges, low-cost technology-based messaging and student attendance/absenteeism. Interested parties should provide evidence that key personnel have substantial relevant knowledge to design the messaging intervention, particularly capitalizing on what is known from the behavioral and information sciences, and that they have knowledge regarding the literature on student absenteeism and achievement.

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.