ED-IES-17-R-0001_0001.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

Attachment Page

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The purpose of this amendment is as follows:

1. Post the Department’s responses to clarification questions received from potential offerors.

2. The following solicitation clause is added:

FAR 52.216-8 FIXED FEE (JUN 2011)

3. The following solicitation clause is revised:

EDAR 3452.239-72 DEPARTMENT SECURITY REQUIREMENTS (MAY 2011)

4. The following solicitation clauses are deleted:

K. 11 310-6 DUPLICATION OF COST (MARCH 1985)

K. 12 310-9 APPROVAL OF ACCOUNTING SYSTEM (MARCH 1985)

K. 13 310-10 GENERAL FINANCIAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL INFORMATION (APRIL 1984)

L. 10 311-7 PROVISION FOR EVALUATION FACTOR AMENDMENTS (MARCH 1986)

L. 11 311-9 COMMENTS ON SMALL BUSINESS REGULATORY ENFORCEMENT (JUNE 1998)

5. The following solicitation attachments are revised:

Section L – Instruction to Offerors

Attachment A – Performance Work Statement (Version Date January 6, 2017)

Attachment C – Past Performance Evaluation Form

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United States Department of Education (Department)

Request for Proposals ED-IES-17-R-0001

International Early Learning Study Pilot (iELS)

Clarification Questions

1. Offeror question: May we include a list of all current and recently ended contracts with the U.S. Department of Education as well as our four past performance reports in a separate volume or as an appendix to the technical volume so as to exclude this from the

50-page technical proposal limit?

Department Response: The Department contract’s list and past performance reports may be included as an appendix.

2. Offeror question: May we submit the technical proposal in PDF only and the cost proposal in Excel for the budget spreadsheets and PDF for the entire volume including other required documents?

Department Response: Offerors may submit the technical proposal in PDF OR Word format, and the cost proposal in Excel for the budget spreadsheets and PDF for the entire volume including other required documents. Section L has been updated accordingly.

3. Offeror question: There seem to be 13 subtasks listed under “Task 3: Data Collection”, however the numbers “3.8” and “3.12” are not listed. Should the numbering of the subtasks be revised to show numbers 3.1 through 3.11, or should we utilize the numbering as shown in the RFP?

Department Response: There are 13 subtasks in Task 3: Data Collection. The table of contents has been updated to reflect this.

4. Offeror question: On page 95, Attachment C indicates “Forms are due by 12:00 Noon

(Eastern Standard Time) on January 17, 2017.” On page 134, it indicates “Completed forms from references are due on the same day as Technical & Business Proposals under this solicitation.” Please clarify that the due date for the completed PPI forms is January

23, 2017.

Department Response: The Past Performance Evaluation Forms are due January 23, 2017. Attachment C has been updated accordingly.

5. Offeror question: Would the Department of Education consider allowing CPARS to be submitted instead of questionnaires?

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Department Response: Offerors may submit CPAR evaluations in lieu of the Past

Performance Evaluation Form (Attachment C). Section L has been updated accordingly.

6. Offeror question: Would the Department consider excluding exhibits from the 50-page limit? Alternatively or additionally, would you consider allowing us to include the project timeline in an appendix?

Department Response: Exhibits are excluded from the 50-page limit and the project timeline may be included as an appendix. Section L has been updated accordingly.

7. Offeror question: During the webinar held on November 15, 2016, ED indicated the sample would include only 5 to 5.5 year olds, and that there would not be a need to identify additional (younger), non-kindergarten, sample. Would you please confirm that optional Task 6 is still required?

Department Response: Yes, this optional task is still required.

8. Offeror question: Will the “electronic data capture” for the child assessment require use of touch-screen devices or will standard laptops be sufficient for running the programs supplied by the international contractor?

Department Response: The IELS device specifications are still to be determined.

9. Offeror question: Field test and main study months are listed as October-November on

p. 36 under “Timeline.” Field test months are listed as Sep – Oct on p. 76, and main study dates as Sep – Nov on p. 77. Can you confirm which administration months we should assume for the field test and main study, or clarify that they are not yet final?

Department Response: Appendix A has the tentative international timelines. It is expected that in the United States the data collection will be in October and November for both the field test and main study, although the exact start and end dates will be negotiated with the international contractor.

10. Offeror question: In the Instructions to Offerors, it asks for a staff skills matrix for key staff under the Project Management section. Page 131 asks for a staff skills matrix without specifying key staff, under the Proposed Personnel section. Should the staff skills matrix include all staff or key personnel only?

Department Response: Please provide a staff skills matrix that includes key personnel.

Including other staff is optional.

Table of Contents

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SECTION H SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

H. 1 3452.239-72 DEPARTMENT SECURITY REQUIREMENTS (MAY 2011)

SECTION I CONTRACT CLAUSES

I. 1 52.216-8 FIXED FEE (JUN 2011)

SECTION J LIST OF ATTACHMENTS

J. 1 Addendum to J.1 List of Attachments

SECTION L INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS, AND NOTICES TO OFFERORS

L. 1 Section L - Instructions to Offerors

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SECTION H

SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

H. 1 3452.239-72 DEPARTMENT SECURITY REQUIREMENTS (MAY 2011)

(a) The contractor and its subcontractors shall comply with Department security policy requirements as set forth in the "Bidder`s Security Package: Security Requirements for Contractors Doing Business with the Department of Education" at www.ed.gov/fund/contract/about/bsp.html.

(b) The following are the contractor employee positions required under this contract and their designated risk levels:

High Risk (HR): N/A Moderate Risk (MR): Project Director, Key Staff Low Risk (LR): N/A

(c) All contractor employees must undergo personnel security screening if they will be employed for 30 days or more, in accordance with Departmental Directive OM:5-101, "Contractor Employee Personnel Security Screenings." The type of screening and the timing of the screening will depend upon the nature of the contractor position, the type of data to be accessed, and the type of information technology (IT) system access required. Personnel security screenings will be commensurate with the risk and magnitude of harm the individual could cause.

(d) The contractor shall--

(1) Ensure that all non-U.S. citizen contractor employees are lawful permanent residents of the United States or have appropriate work authorization documents as required by the Department of Homeland Security, Bureau of Immigration and Appeals, to work in the United States.

(2) Ensure that no employees are assigned to high risk designated positions prior to a completed preliminary screening.

(3) Submit all required personnel security forms to the contracting officer`s representative (COR) within 24 hours of an assignment to a Department contract and ensure that the forms are complete.

(4) Ensure that no contractor employee is placed in a higher risk position than that for which he or she was previously approved, without the approval of the contracting officer or the COR, the Department personnel security officer, and the Department computer security officer.

(5) Ensure that all contractor employees occupying high-risk designated positions submit forms for reinvestigation every five years for the duration of the contract or if there is a break in service to a Department contract of 365 days or more.

(6) Report to the COR all instances of individuals seeking to obtain unauthorized access to any departmental IT system, or sensitive but unclassified and/or Privacy Act protected information.

(7) Report to the COR any information that raises an issue as to whether a contractor employee`s eligibility for continued employment or access to Department IT systems, or sensitive but unclassified and/or Privacy Act protected information, promotes the efficiency of the service or violates the public trust.

(8) Withdraw from consideration under the contract any employee receiving an unfavorable adjudication determination.

(9) Officially notify each contractor employee if he or she will no longer work on a Department contract.

(10) Abide by the requirements in Departmental Directive OM:5-101, "Contractor Employee Personnel Security Screenings."

(e) Further information including definitions of terms used in this clause and a list of required investigative forms for each risk designation are contained in Departmental Directive OM:5-101, "Contractor Employee Personnel Security Screenings" available at the Web site listed in the first paragraph of this clause.

(f) Failure to comply with the contractor personnel security requirements may result in a termination of the contract for default.

(End of Clause)

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SECTION I

CONTRACT CLAUSES

I. 1 52.216-8 FIXED FEE (JUN 2011)

(Reference 52.216-8)

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SECTION J

LIST OF ATTACHMENTS

J. 1 Addendum to J.1 List of Attachments

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT

U.S. IMPLEMENTATION OF OECD INTERNATIONAL EARLY LEARNING STUDY

Contents

List of Exhibits

Introduction

Overview

Background

Study Elements

Timeline

Purpose of Procurement

Legislative Authority

Period of Performance

Requirements

Core Tasks

Task 1: Contract Administration (Firm-fixed Price)

1.1 Project initiation and planning

1.1.1 Post-award conference

1.1.2 Produce master schedule

1.1.3 Project Management Plan

1.1.4 Staffing Plan

1.1.5 Data Security Plan

1.1.6 Staff Security Requirements

1.1.7 Transmittals of study products and quality of deliverables

1.1.8 Study brochure

1.2 Contract management

1.2.1 Project update meetings with contractor

1.2.2 Other meetings with NCES/ED

1.2.3 Monthly study progress and financial reports

1.2.4 Project management portal

1.2.5 Maintenance of data files

1.2.6 Relationship of the contractor to NCES and other agencies

1.2.7 Readiness for work under conditions of unusual speed and flexibility

1.2.8 Quality control measures

1.3. Obtain OMB clearance for field test data collection

1.4. Obtain OMB clearance for the main study data collection

1.5. Briefings and descriptive materials

Task 2: Study Design and Instruments (Cost Reimbursable)

2.1. Field test sampling plan and sample

2.2 Main study sampling plan and sample

2.3. Adapt, prepare, and produce field test instruments

2.4. Adapt, prepare, and produce main study instruments

Attachment A - Performance Work Statement Version Date: January 6, 2017

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Task 3: Data Collection (Cost-reimbursable)

3.1. Recruit Schools and Students for Field Test

3.2. Recruit Schools and Students for Main Study

3.3. Recruit and train data collectors for field test

3.4. Recruit and train data collectors for main study

3.5. Collect data for field test

3.6 National Quality Assurance Monitors – field test

3.7. Collect data for main assessment

3.8 National and International Quality Assurance Monitors – main study

3.9. Produce field test dataset

3.10. Produce main assessment dataset

3.11. Code questionnaire data – field test

3.12. Code questionnaire data – main study

3.13. Field test data review memo

Task 4. Prepare and Disseminate Results (Firm-fixed Price)

4.1 Survey operations/technical report

4.2 Non-response bias analysis report

4.3. Develop and Produce IELS U.S. national report

4.3.1. National report analysis plan and table/figure shells

4.3.2 Produce national report

4.4. Produce main study electronic public-use and restricted-use datafiles and user’s guides

Optional Tasks

Task 5 (Optional): Use Expert Help (Cost-reimbursable)

Task 6 (Optional): Additional Sample (Cost Reimbursable)

Task 7 (Optional): Additional Dissemination of Results (Firm-fixed Price)

Task 8 (Optional): Parent Instrument in Spanish (Cost-reimbursable)

8.1 Field test administration of Spanish-language parent instrument

8.2 Main study administration of Spanish-language parent instrument

Task 9 (Optional): IELS school-level reports (Firm Fixed Price)

Task 10 (Optional): Lessons learned and improvement recommendations for IELS-2 development (Cost-reimbursable)

Appendix A. Tentative Timeline for IELS

Appendix B. Data Confidentiality, Security, Quality Control, and Contractor Staff Security Clearances

B-1. Overview of IES/NCES Confidentiality Statutes Confidentiality of Individuals and Institutions Protection and Security of Data

B-2. Data Security Plan Definition of Personally Identifiable Information and Direct Identifiers Development of Data Security Plan Implementation of Data Security Plan

B-3. Adherence to NCES Statistical Standards

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NCES Statistical Standards

B-4. Quality Control Measures Requirement Quality Control Measures

B-5. Contractor Employee Security Screening Contractor Employee Security Screening Requirements

B-6. Requirement of Affidavit of Nondisclosure Affidavit of Nondisclosure

B-7. Security and Confidentiality Training for Contractor Staff Security and Confidentiality Training

B-8 Information Collection Request (ICR) Requirement

Appendix C. Disclosure Analysis Plan

List of Exhibits Exhibit 1

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International Early Learning Study

(IESE16014AP)

Introduction

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) of the U.S.

Department of Education (ED) supports a variety of international activities to collect and report data on education in the United States and other countries. It is the NCES’ goal to provide valuable comparative information about the U.S. educational performance in an international context. NCES participates in international student assessments in order to:

provide comparable indicators on student performance and schooling practices across countries in order to benchmark U.S. student performance; and suggest hypotheses about the relationship between student performance and factors that may influence performance and about areas where students have particular strengths or weaknesses.

The study covered by this procurement is part of the larger international program that NCES has participated in through collaboration with a variety of international organizations and partners, such as the Organization for

Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the International Association for the Evaluation of

Educational Achievement (IEA), and ministries of education and other government agencies throughout the world.

Through its participation, NCES seeks to strengthen the quality, consistency and timeliness of international data. To continue this effort, the United States must follow through with well-organized and well-executed data gathering activities within our national boundaries. These efforts will allow NCES to provide policy-relevant data for comparisons of the U.S. education system with education systems in other countries, and to help inform decision making on the part of national, state, and local policy makers.

This Performance Work Statement (PWS) is written in three sections. The first section provides an overview of the International Early Learning Study Pilot (hereafter referred to as IIELS), including its purpose, its enabling legislation, and general parameters of the work to be done under this contract. The second section specifies the core tasks, subtasks, and deliverables associated with this work. The third section describes a set of optional tasks and subtasks.

Overview

Background

The IIELS is a new initiative of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), an intergovernmental organization of industrialized countries, The OECD also coordinates the Program for

International Student Assessment (PISA), an assessment of 15-year-olds; the Program for the International

Assessment of Adult Skills (PIAAC); and the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS). The IELS, sometimes referred to as the Child Well-being and Early Learning Study or Pilot, or sometimes as the Early

Learning Outcomes Study, has its origins in the work of the OECD’s Early Childhood Education Network, which has undertaken work on assessing quality in early childhood education. The idea of measuring child outcomes across countries was raised during the Network’s 2012 priority rating exercise. During 2015, the

OECD Secretariat developed a conceptual framework on measuring early learning outcomes, in collaboration with interested countries. This framework has informed countries’ efforts to develop a study that would address child outcomes at the end of early childhood education, as children are transitioning to primary school. More specifically, countries’ objectives for the study are to better understand:

Children’s early learning and development in a broad range of domains, including social and emotional skills as well as cognitive skills

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The relationship between children’s early learning and children’s participation in early childhood education and care (ECEC)

The role of contextual factors, including children’s individual characteristics and their home backgrounds and experiences.

The study has a system-level focus and will not allow the identification of individual institutions, staff, children or parents.

Large-scale international, comparative assessments of school-aged children and adults have been successfully conducted for decades. The OECD’s PISA and PIAAC assessments are two examples. Others include the

Trends in International Mathematics and Science (TIMSS) and the Progress in International Reading Literacy

Study (PIRLS), which assess children in grades 4 (TIMSS and PIRLS) and 8 (TIMSS). Although there are examples of national assessments of young children (e.g., NCES’ Early Childhood Longitudinal Study), and there are assessment instruments that have been validated for use across multiple countries and languages, there is little experience with cross-national assessments of younger children for the purpose of providing comparative data such as that yielded by PISA, TIMSS and PIRLS. While the study will build on the experiences of other large-scale international assessments, a large body research on young children, and experience measuring skills in young children, this is a new study without an established set of instruments, protocols, and standards. It is a pilot effort among 3-6 countries that will provide a model that can be expanded upon in future years.

The IELS is managed by the OECD with guidance from participating countries (Early Learning Group of

Countries) that meet regularly to provide input on the direction of the study. The IELS will be implemented internationally by organizations contracted by the OECD. The OECD has overall managerial responsible for

IELS internationally, including overseeing contractors that implement the international activities. The OECD has contracted with one or more organizations (hereafter referred to as the international contractor” or

“international contractors”) to carry out IELS development, implementation, analysis, and overall coordination across countries. In this PWS, all mention of relevant international contractors, organizations, or sponsors refer to these institutions. As in other OECD large-scale assessments like PISA and PIAAC, each country will appoint a National Project Manager (in the United States this is a representative from NCES) to manage the study in the country. The OECD and international contractors will provide countries with study instruments and a series of manuals and technical standards that document the procedures and requirements of the study, which will be available to the contractor.

Study Elements

Although some design specifications, instruments, protocols, and standards are still to be developed, the following provides an overall picture of the direction of the study.

Age range

Countries that have been involved in scoping this study have expressed a clear preference for an age-based rather than stage-based target population, to support valid international comparisons of children’s early learning outcomes. Countries have agreed that the assessment should occur at the point where “nearly all” children are in some form of education or care provision. Countries have agreed on an age band between 5 to 5.5 years, although not all countries will be able to assess children across this entire age band. For the United States, the expectation is that children enrolled in Kindergarten will be assessed near the beginning of the

Kindergarten school year (on average, 5.5 years old). This is the point at which it is feasible to reach at least 95 percent of children through a school-based sampling approach and this is an important transition point for children.

It is expected that as part of this pilot the international contractor will develop a methodology based on age adjustments and weightings to ensure comparability and validity of the data across countries.

Domains

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It is expected that the domains to be assessed will represent a balance of both cognitive and social-emotional skills that, as a package, will provide coherent and reliable insights into children’s early learning. Six possible domains were identified as having high potential, based on an analysis of early skills that are predictive of positive life outcomes and through consultation with interested countries. The specific list of domains to be included in the study may be a subset of these six, or may include some of these and alternative domains.

Oral Language/emergent literacy

Mathematics/numeracy

Executive function

Social/emotional skills

It is expected that the IELS will include direct and indirect assessments of children’s skills.

Contextual information

Contextual information provides insights into the relationships between children’s learning and development and important demographic, social, economic and educational variables.

Although the specific contextual data to be collected and methods to be used are still to be determined, it is expected at this time that data on the following categories will be collected from teachers and parents: ECEC participation, home learning environment, and individual characteristics.

ECEC Participation

Information on the child’s ECEC history could include:

The age of entry to ECEC

The intensity of the child’s ECEC participation, e.g., part-time, full-time

The duration of ECEC participation, e.g., number of months

Continuity, i.e., the number and duration of breaks between periods of participation, and the number of different providers/settings the child has attended, and

Type of provision, such as the type of setting and pedagogical approach.

Home learning environment

Aspects of the home learning environment (HLE) that are of particular interest are:

The learning and development-related activities parents undertake with their children and the frequency of these activities. Such activities are likely to include some or all of the following: reading books, singing, telling stories, playing games, doing puzzles and doing art and crafts

The extent to which parents are actively engaged in their child’s ECEC experiences, where the child is participating in ECEC. This includes the extent to which parents and ECEC staff share information and strategies to support the child’s learning and development.

Individual characteristics

The aspects of children’s individual characteristics to be collected relate to each child’s:

Gender

Ethnicity

Linguistic background

Migration history and status

Socio-economic and family background

Disabilities and special learning needs.

Timeline

Although the specific timeline of the study is still to be determined, it is expected that participating countries in the northern hemisphere will field-test instruments and procedures in 2017 (October-November 2017 in the

United States) and in the southern hemisphere in April 2018. The operational data collection will be conducted in 2018 in the northern hemisphere (October-November 2018 in the United States) and in 2019 in the southern

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hemisphere. Results will be reported in early 2020. Appendix A includes a tentative timeline of key milestones for the study.

Purpose of Procurement

NCES requires a contract to implement the IELS in the United States. The overall goal for the procurement is data collection in the United States that meets all international and NCES guidelines and that makes available on a timely basis high-quality internationally comparative assessment data. Furthermore, the study shall result in a report presenting U.S. data and the international comparisons from the perspective of an American constituency. The core contract is for the U.S. data collection for a nationally-representative sample of children meeting the international requirements for the target population.

The IELS will follow the established design and standards set forth by the OECD, the Early Learning Group of

Countries, and the OECD’s contractor(s). The design and standards will cover, but are not limited to, administration procedures, sampling guidelines and requirements, survey instruments, data collection, and data coding and processing. The OECD and international contractors also establish the overall study schedule and key deadlines to which the U.S. data collection activities must adhere. The OECD and international contractors provide manuals, guidelines, and technical standards that stipulate the study procedures and standards. The contractor shall follow the international guidelines for the IELS and shall meet established NCES standards and procedures (NCES standards can be found at http://nces.ed.gov/statprog/).

The contractor shall be clear that NCES is the sole authority to manage the IELS in the United States and to negotiate with the OECD or international consortium on any issues related to the study. The contractor shall not use the study instruments or any part of them for any other purposes without NCES’ written consent. Under no circumstances shall the contractor conduct any activities related to IELS, including conducting the assessment in sub-national jurisdictions (e.g., states or school districts), without permission from NCES.

Legislative Authority

The authority for this study can be found in NCES’ longstanding mission to “collect, and analyze and disseminate statistics and other information related to education in the United States and in other nations”

(stated in section 406 of the General Education Provisions Act, as amended (20 U.S.C. 1221e-1) and in the

Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (P.L. 279-107, Part C, Sec. 153):

(a) GENERAL DUTIES.-The Statistics Center shall collect, report, analyze, and disseminate statistical data related to education in the United States and in other nations, including…(6) acquiring and disseminating data on educational activities and student achievement (such as the Third International

Math and Science Study) in the United States compared with foreign nations.

(See http://www.ed.gov/policy/rschstat/leg/PL107-279.pdf for the full Education Sciences Reform Act.)

Period of Performance

The anticipated period of performance for this contract is sixty (60) months.

Requirements

Independently and not as an agent of the United States Government, the contractor shall provide all personnel, materials, services, and facilities necessary for the project and perform the tasks as described below.

The contract includes (1) preparing and conducting a field test of the IELS instruments, (2) preparing and conducting the main study or main assessment for IELS, and (3) producing public- and restricted-use release files, data documentation, and analytic and methodology reports. It may also include various optional tasks, such as assessing an expanded sample, administration of the parent instrument in Spanish, and dissemination.

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A preliminary timeline for IELS, with major events and activities, is in appendix A. The contractor shall note that the timelines are subject to change. Reference below to “the study” or “the project” means the IELS (and may include the optional tasks). Due to the timing of the IELS, some activities at the international level may have begun by the time the contractor begins work.

Core Tasks

Task 1: Contract Administration (Firm-fixed Price)

The contractor shall work closely with the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) to implement the design of the study included under this procurement and the approach presented in the proposal.

1.1 Project initiation and planning

Within the first week of the start of the contract, the contractor’s project director(s) and key staff will have reviewed the known technical methods and procedures of IELS (to be provided by NCES when available), as well as the international operations and production of past administrations of PISA, which may serve as a broad model for some of the procedures and requirements of the IELS. Appendix A of this PWS also provides tentative scheduling information about the IELS.

1.1.1 Post-award conference

Within 2 weeks of the contract award, as approved by the COR, the contractor’s project director and other key staff members who would be able to answer questions about sampling issues, data collection processes, costs, etc., from the contractor project team shall hold a meeting in Washington D.C. at facilities made available by

ED. The meeting will include the COR and key NCES project staff and the ED Contracting Officer (CO) and

Contracting Specialist (CS). The contractor shall focus the meeting to review the overall contract tasks, identify potential problems and possible solutions in the project and contract, and discuss areas of concern related to the proposed project staffing plan and other management requirements. The primary purpose of this meeting is to refine the management, staffing, and scheduling plans. These refinements shall provide management information for use by both the contractor and the government in monitoring the work to be performed. This meeting shall also provide the opportunity for ED staff to share project experience and materials with the contractor. The contractor shall prepare and bring all necessary materials for a productive and successful initial meeting (1.1.1).

Deliverables: 1.1.1 Post-award meeting materials.

1.1.2 Produce master schedule

The contractor shall produce a project schedule that details key milestones; critical tentative dates specified in appendix A and the “Schedule of Deliverables (SOD)” and the contractor’s production deadlines for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) clearance, instrument revision and adaptation, assessment administrator training, data collection, scoring/coding, if applicable, data file preparation and submission, analysis and reporting. The project schedule shall include the following information in an easy-to-understand format:

Start and end dates of all tasks and subtasks;

Key milestone dates;

Completion dates of subtasks, drafts, or other events;

Key deliverable dates.

The master schedule shall make clear the primary leads and contact person for each task, subtask, or deliverable

(as applicable).

The contractor shall submit a revised master schedule for the field test within 2 weeks of contract award (1.1.2), and thereafter submit a revised master schedule to the COR at each update meeting (see subtask 1.2.1). The

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revised schedule and all schedules going forward must reflect the international contractor milestones and deliverables, which are subject to change throughout the course of the study. The contractor shall submit a revised master schedule for the main study no later than 7 months prior to contacting schools for recruiting. The contractor shall be prepared to update the schedule within 24 hours of a request for it by the COR.

Deliverables: 1.1.2.1 Revised master schedule for field test;

1.1.2.2 Revised master schedule for main study

1.1.3 Project Management Plan

The project management plan shall detail the management techniques that will be employed to ensure timely, efficient, and cost-effective instrument preparation, data collection, processing, analysis, and reporting. The plan shall reflect the requirements specified in the contract or describe and justify any revisions to the original plan specified in the contract and approved by NCES. These might include changes in data collection approach, data processing, plans for analysis and reporting, as well as changes in the proposed project organization, staffing plan, and schedule. The plan will fully describe the rationale for any proposed changes.

The contractor shall prepare and submit the project management plan to the COR within 3 weeks of contract award (1.1.3.1). The COR will provide comments on the plan within 2 weeks of receipt. The contractor shall incorporate the changes necessary to respond to the concerns raised by the COR and submit a revised plan within 3 weeks of receipt of COR comments. Once the project management plan is approved by the COR, the contractor shall manage the project in accordance with the approved plan (1.1.3.2) and, if a change to the plan is needed, shall notify the COR of such change(s) before implementing such.

Deliverables: 1.1.3.1 Draft project management plan;

1.1.3.2 Final project management plan

1.1.4 Staffing Plan

The staffing plan shall detail the project’s overall staffing, including contractors and subcontractor staff dedicated to the study, as well as the training or preparatory activities to ensure that all staff are familiar with and abide by the requirements of the study (including, but not limited to, the study’s need for high quality and timely completion of all activities and for strictly enforced confidentiality procedures).

The ability of the COR to obtain timely and accurate information and decisions from contractor staff is considered of the utmost importance, and will remain a high priority for the contractor. The contractor shall be responsible for the timely and satisfactory completion of work carried out by subcontractors, and shall convey to subcontractors the need to comply with the rules, regulations, guidelines, standards, timelines, and deliverable schedules of all tasks and sub-tasks included under this procurement.

The contractor shall prepare and submit a staffing plan to the COR within 3 weeks of contract award (1.1.4.1).

The COR will provide comments on the plan within 2 weeks of receipt. The contractor shall incorporate the changes necessary to respond to the concerns raised by the COR and submit a revised plan within 3 weeks of receipt of COR comments. Once the staffing plan is approved by the COR, the contractor shall implement the plan (1.1.4.2) and, if a change to the plan is needed, shall notify the COR of such change(s) before implementing such.

Deliverables: 1.1.4.1 Draft staffing plan;

1.1.4.2 Final staffing plan

1.1.5 Data Security Plan

NCES is required by law to develop and enforce standards designed to protect the confidentiality of individually identifiable respondents, including students and schools. These requirements cover the collection, reporting, and publication of data; they are described in detail in appendix B. The contractor shall ensure that all contractor-led operations, including those of subcontractors, adhere to federal laws and standards in this regard.

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To describe how the contractor will do this, the contractor shall prepare and submit a draft data security plan to the COR within 3 weeks of contract award (1.1.5.1). The COR will provide comments on the plan within 2 weeks of receipt. The contractor shall incorporate the changes necessary to respond to the concerns raised by the COR and submit a revised plan within 3 weeks of receipt of COR comments. Once the data security plan is approved by the COR, the contractor shall implement the plan (1.1.5.2) and, if a change to the plan is needed, shall notify the COR of such change(s) before implementing such.

The security of this study’s data is of utmost importance to NCES and the security plan will be reviewed by

NCES’ Chief Statistician. For a detailed discussion of the data security requirements of the contract, see appendix B.

Deliverables: 1.1.5.1 Draft data security plan;

1.1.5.2 Final data security plan

1.1.6 Staff Security Requirements

All contractor staff to work on the project for 30 days or more must complete a series of security forms and undergo a federal background check per OMB requirements, with higher levels of security clearance required for those who visit schools or who may come in contact with confidential data. The contractor shall ensure that all staff who may come in contact with confidential data shall (a) be trained in the proper handling of confidential data and (b) first sign and then notarize an affidavit of nondisclosure before having access to any data with confidential information. The contractor shall execute these affidavits of nondisclosure and retain them in a secure location. The contractor shall provide a list to the COR of all the individuals who have signed affidavits, the position in the organization of the person, and the person’s relationship to the study, within 4 weeks of the award of the contract (1.1.6).

As new persons are assigned to the project, the security forms shall be filled out and an affidavit shall be executed for them on the first working day of assignment to the study and an updated list provided to the COR, no less than on a quarterly basis. The contractor shall notify the COR if any contractor staff leave the project.

The contractor shall be aware of and comply with all contractor personnel security regulations and all

Department IT security policy requirements, as described in appendix B.

Deliverables: 1.1.6 List of all personnel with signed Affidavits of Nondisclosure

1.1.7 Transmittals of study products and quality of deliverables

The contractor shall transfer and retrieve study-related documents and files through the Internet, to or from

NCES, or other designated contractors. The ability to transfer and retrieve documents through the Internet is important to maintaining the integrity of electronic versions of documents that may eventually be posted on the

NCES web site or distributed internally. Thus, it is imperative that the contractor works closely with NCES web site personnel to set up and ensure that all transfer protocols are followed and that transfer and retrieval of documents (especially from the contractor’s management website, see subtask 1.2.4, and the NCES secure data server on the NCES Member’s website) is completed to the satisfaction of NCES. The contractor shall conduct a test of its transfer/retrieval system(s), within 4 weeks of the award of the contract and prior to making use of the system for key contract deliverables, and shall eliminate any problems found to ensure a trouble-free system

(1.1.7).

For the contract, the contractor shall transmit all correspondence directly to the NCES COR via e-mail that is compatible with Microsoft Outlook. Compatibility will extend to the ability to access attachments sent as part of e-mails. As of 2016, NCES uses Microsoft Office 2010: Word, PowerPoint, and Excel as its primary software packages for communicating documents, charts, and tables. NCES uses the Department of

Education’s Microsoft Outlook software as its communications package. All deliverables are to be delivered in native file format, in the version of Word, PowerPoint, Excel, or other software packages used by NCES.

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All final deliverables that are to be assigned a NCES publication number or that will be made public through the

NCES website will be delivered in PDF format (or another appropriate format approved by the COR) in accordance with the NCES requirements published in “Policies, Guidelines, Standards and Procedures for Web

Publishing for IES and NCES” (available at https://members.nces.ed.gov/ webstandards/), and must adhere to

Section 508 requirements for accessibility. More information on accessibility is available through the Federal

IT Accessibility Initiative at: http://www.section508.gov.

Although the term “draft” is used throughout this PWS, it is important that the contractor understand what the

Government means, and does not mean, by “draft.” A draft is a complete product of high quality that the contractor (and the government) can publish with confidence as to its accuracy and usefulness. A “draft” is not simply what is available on the due date—regardless of completeness or quality. NCES anticipates that only minor changes to drafts will be needed for them to become final deliverables. If the contractor has a subcontractor who is preparing deliverables, the prime contractor shall review and stand by the subcontractor’s work.

Every final deliverable will be sent with a cover memorandum signed or initialed by the project director or someone of higher corporate stature than the project director. The cover memorandum will certify that the contractor’s organization stands behind the quality of the product. This holds for all final versions of products—even those prepared primarily by consultants or subcontractors. At no time will the government take direct delivery of a product from a consultant or subcontractor.

All draft deliverables will be due at the office of the COR and the CS on or before their due date. Deliverables must be sent in both electronic copy and, if requested by the COR, hard copy format. Hard copies of deliverables must be sent to the COR such that they arrive on or before their due date. Unless otherwise specified, three copies of each hard copy deliverable will be required.

Deliverables: 1.1.7 Test of transfer/retrieval system(s)

1.1.8 Study brochure

The contractor shall assist NCES in developing an informational brochure for the study that will describe the study’s general goals. At a minimum, it will identify the purpose of the project, the sponsoring organizations, the types of data to be collected, and the data collection schedule. The brochures will be distributed to individuals and organizations requesting information about the study and will be included as part of the information packet used to secure cooperation of study participants. The brochure should use bright colors, and photos and other graphics as appropriate. The contractor shall also make the content of the brochure available in a format that can be posted on the NCES website.

The contractor shall submit a draft of the brochure 6 weeks after contract award (1.1.8.1). The COR will review the drafts and provide comments and suggestions within 2 weeks. NCES will provide the contractor with an electronic version of the logo of the study, which the contractor shall use in the production of the brochure and other published materials. Based on initial COR comments, the contractor shall revise the draft of the brochure and will resubmit it for full NCES review (see Exhibit 1, under Task 4, for a description of the NCES review process). Once approved, an electronic version of the brochure will be delivered within 3 weeks, along with the final print copies, for inclusion on the NCES web site (1.1.8.2). The electronic version of the brochure will meet NCES web site design and formatting guidelines, which currently requires PDF and HTML formatting, with graphics as .jpg or .gif files. The contractor shall produce enough copies of the final, printed brochure for all information packets needed to secure cooperation of study participants and deliver an additional 50 copies to the COR for NCES.

Deliverables: 1.1.8.1 Draft informational brochure;

1.1.8.2 Final informational brochure

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1.2 Contract management

Because this contract includes a series of time-sensitive and complex activities, it is critical that it be monitored and managed effectively. To that end, NCES requests the following general study management activities.

1.2.1 Project update meetings with contractor

For the life of the contract, the contractor will hold regular weekly or biweekly (or less frequently, if the COR so determines) meetings for key contractor staff to update the COR or other NCES staff on the project’s progress. The COR may propose to hold these meetings via telephone conference calls, over the Internet, or face-to-face if the meeting is critical. For budget purposes, the contractor shall plan up to 40 meetings a year throughout the contract, of which up to 12 meetings a year may be face-to-face. The contractor shall participate in the development of the goals and agenda for each meeting. The contractor shall be responsible for distributing the agenda and other meeting materials, including the current version of the project’s master schedule, to no more than 12 meeting attendees. Materials to be distributed will be approved, in advance, by the COR.

Deliverables: 1.2.1 Regular project meetings materials including master schedule

1.2.2 Other meetings with NCES/ED

The contractor shall send one representative to all National Project Manager (NPM) meetings for the study;

there are typically two each year. The contractor shall send the Project Director to the meetings, or the staff member who has primary responsibility for conduct of the study. Additional personnel may be sent, if needed, upon approval of the COR. For costing purposes, the contractor should assume 5 international NPM meetings in a foreign location over the course of the contract. For each NPM meeting attended, the contractor shall submit to the COR and CO a trip report that documents the purpose and outcomes of the meeting, along with any follow-up actions required, within 3 business days after the end of the meeting. The contractor will work with the COR to develop a common format to be used for such trip reports for the first NPM meeting attended by the contractor.

Deliverables: 1.2.2 NPM meeting trip reports

1.2.3 Monthly study progress and financial reports

The contractor shall submit to the COR and CS a regular monthly progress report, by the 15th day of the month following the month the report covers. This report shall be delivered before or concurrent with the contractor’s monthly billed invoice so that it is available to check and approve each month’s invoice. At a minimum, in each monthly progress report, the contractor shall include information on the following aspects of the study and its operation:

The past month’s work, including a description of continuing work, new work, and completed work, with key dates on which tasks or activities were initiated or completed during the…