JOFOC_signed_redacted_final.pdf

This document contains proprietary or procurement sensitive information related to the conduct of a federal agency procurement and shall not be disclosed to any person other than a person authorized by the Contracting Officer to receive such information.

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Office of the Chief Financial Officer Contracts and Acquisitions Management

JUSTIFICATION FOR

OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

1. IDENTIFICATION:

Agency: U. S. Department of Education Contracting Activity: Contracts and Acquisitions Management

2. NATURE AND/OR DESCRIPTION OF THE ACTION BEING APPROVED:

The U.S. Department of Education (the Department) seeks to revise the scope and to extend the period of performance for Contract ED-VAE-13-C-0066 with StandardsWork Inc. to enhance activities within the current performance work statement (PWS). The contract will expire on September 26, 2016 and the Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education (OCTAE) seeks to extend the period of performance for 12 additional months, September 27, 2016 through September 26, 2017. This action will enable the Department to fulfill evidence-based, professional development requirements for successfully implementing College and Career Readiness (CCR) Standards sustainably and at-scale nationwide. The revisions to the PWS pertain to Task 4 – Develop and Deploy Targeted Training, Technical Assistance, and Leadership Activities. As a result of executing the work under Task 4, the Department now has a clearer understanding of the array of professional development resources that states need to support their efforts to scale up and sustain standards-based instruction across their states. Two key resources should be developed to fully meet the needs of states and the goals and objectives of Contract ED-VAE-13-C-0066. To round out the current collection of professional development materials, the Department proposes the contractor provide the additional products and services:

The development and deployment of a Handbook for Sustaining Standards-Based Education in Adult Education, a how-to guide that will explain the process of large-scale replication of CCR standards-based educational reforms. The handbook will help state leaders fully implement CCR standards in adult education programs. It will include examples of scale-up plans that define the parameters of sustainability and develop a set of action steps to replicate educational reforms statewide. The guide will incorporate the practical experiences of states that are currently implementing methods and materials developed under Task 4. The new guide will further clarify, for states and programs, the steps and stages of CCR standards implementation, based on lessons learned by early implementers.

This document contains proprietary or procurement sensitive information related to the conduct of a federal agency procurement and shall not be disclosed to any person other than a person authorized by the Contracting Officer to

The development and deployment of classroom videos that depict teachers of mathematics and English language arts/literacy providing instruction for adult learners. Classroom videos are a vital training component of an observation system, developed under Task 4. The videos are necessary to teach adult educators how to use the observation protocol. Up until now adult educators have been learning how to use the protocol by watching videos of K-12 classroom instruction. To the best of the Department’s knowledge there are no high-quality videos available of adult education classrooms, that is, videos that depict teachers providing CCR standards-based instruction for adult learners. Videos of adult education classes will greatly enhance the training piece of the observation system. In addition to producing the videos, the contractor will also provide a viewing guide for each video plus the relevant lesson plans and student work samples.

Because the contemplated plans for the videos and video guides are natural continuations of and refinements to the requirements contained in the original PWS, the Department has determined that the most efficient course of action would be to modify the current contract. This action will complete all remaining requirements under the contract and there will not be any additional work. In addition, the work being requested is intertwined with the other work under Task 4 that the current contract has completed and their unique insights and significant familiarity with all other integrated work will enable them to complete this additional work in the most expeditious way. If the Department were to compete this work through a new procurement action, it would jeopardize the continuity of the work and risk the additional work not being completely intertwined with the completed work. In addition, it would require doubling the expense because the Department would require the current contractor to work closely with the new contractor to ensure the necessary continuity with the current work. Adding the additional technical assistance to the current contract avoids creating operational challenges that would result in confusion, delays, poor quality, integration issues, and additional expenses that could be easily avoided by modifying the current contract, which was the result of a competitive procurement.

3. DESCRIPTION OF SUPPLIES OR SERVICES REQUIRED TO MEET THE

AGENCY'S NEEDS:

Project title: Implementing CCR Standards in Adult Education

Description of supplies or services: Contract ED-VAE-13-C-0066 supports the development of educational programs to better prepare adult students for postsecondary and career success through implementation of rigorous academic standards.

Multileveled services and professional development resources have been provided for all states and programs to address how to best integrate CCR standards into adult education.

The Implementing CCR Standards in Adult Education initiative serves the interests of all states to meet the requirements associated with implementing challenging, higher-level standards. Thus far, the project has developed and deployed 14 professional development units—seven to help teachers teach the CCR standards for English Language Literacy/Literacy and seven to help teachers teach the CCR standards for mathematics.

This document contains proprietary or procurement sensitive information related to the conduct of a federal agency procurement and shall not be disclosed to any person other than a person authorized by the Contracting Officer to receive such information.

Objectives:

When this contract was originally awarded, the contractor was instructed to complete the following objectives. The addition of these videos and videos guides are in support of these objectives.

1. Manage the project to ensure accountability and successful outcomes;

2. Develop and deliver a professional development orient all states to CCR standards and the fundamental advances in instruction embedded in the standard

3. Create and identify online resources for teaching and learning to promote implementation of CCR standards

4. Establish a cadre of standards trainers to assist states and programs in the work of implementing CCR standards

5. Provide training, technical assistance and leadership activities to states to support sustainable, statewide implementation of CCR standards through state-level training systems and the delivery of professional development

As a result of this action, the total contract value will be increased from $2,576,011.84 by $446,317.00 to $3,022,328.84.

4. STATUTORY AUTHORITY PERMITTING OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN

COMPETITION: check one

6.302-1, only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements _X___

6.302-2, unusual and compelling urgency ____ 6.302-3, industrial mobilization; engineering; developmental, or research capability; or expert services ____ 6.302-4, International agreement ____ 6.302-5, authorized or required by Statute ____ 6.302-6, national security ____ 6.302-7, Public interest ____

5. CONTRACTOR'S UNIQUE QUALIFICATIONS OR NATURE OF THE

ACQUISITION REQUIRES USE OF THE AUTHORITY CITED:

The work conducted under this contract was initially awarded on September 26, 2013.

As stated above, the scope of the contract is to support the development of educational programs to better prepare adult students for postsecondary and career success through the implementation of CCR standards. To accomplish these goals the contractor has been developing and deploying technical assistance and training activities and materials to

Heather.Watroba Highlight

This document contains proprietary or procurement sensitive information related to the conduct of a federal agency procurement and shall not be disclosed to any person other than a person authorized by the Contracting Officer to support all states and programs in the following priority areas for professional development:

1. Assessment to determine where states are in the standards-implementation process;

2. Fundamentals of standards-based education and priority areas of standards-based reform;

3. Understanding the CCR Standards for adult education;

4. Key advances in the CCR standards and the fundamentally different instruction the standards require;

5. Gaps between current instructional practices and the higher-level academic demands of entry-level postsecondary education and training;

6. Aligning student assignments to standards and translating standards into curriculum;

7. Assessing the extent to which instructors are teaching to the standards and using effective instruction; and

8. Assisting state- and local-program staff to bring education reform education reforms and professional initiatives to full scale and sustainability.

Through the deployment of these professional development activities, the Department identified two other contract requirements, which relate to priorities # 7 and #8, above. They can easily be incorporated into the scope of work for the contract awarded in 2013. Had the Department identified these specific requirements during the pre-award phase of this procurement, these requirements would have easily been incorporated into the scope of work for Contract ED-VAE- 13-C-0066. If the Department were to pursue these two activities as a new competitive procurement, it could result in having two contractors providing related services at the same time, which would result in overlap, duplication of effort, and disruption. In order to create and maintain a cohesive technical assistance model that can accommodate the initial requirement and fully integrate the necessary components, the best procurement solution is to modify the PWS to create a fully developed and integrated technical assistance model.

The contractor is uniquely qualified to do the work for several reasons:

The contractor received a contract award for this work resulting from a full-and-open procurement. The contractor presented the best technical solution at a competitive price.

This additional work is clearly within the scope of work of the original contract award. To develop and deliver a cohesive technical assistance model it is necessary for the additional services and products to become fully integrated into the requirement. The technical assistance resources would be disjointed if it were to be divided.

The contractor has provided technical assistance and content expertise for the Department’s standards-based National Leadership Programs. These have included the following programs:

the Content Standards Warehouse Project; the Support for State Standards in Adult

This document contains proprietary or procurement sensitive information related to the conduct of a federal agency procurement and shall not be disclosed to any person other than a person authorized by the Contracting Officer to

Education Project; the Diffusion of Standards-Based Innovations in Adult Education Project;

and the Promoting CCR Standards in Adult Basic Education Project. Based on past performance and the quality of professional development resources developed, the department believes the current contractor is uniquely qualified to do this work.

6. DESCRIPTION OF EFFORTS MADE TO ENSURE OFFERS ARE SOLICITED FROM

AS MANY POTENTIAL SOURCES AS PRACTICABLE:

If the Department were to compete this work through a new procurement action, it would jeopardize the continuity of the work and risk the additional work not being completely intertwined with the completed work. In addition, it would require doubling the expense because the Department would require the current contractor to work closely with the new contractor to ensure the necessary continuity with the current work.

7. DETERMINATION BY CONTRACTING OFFICER THAT THE ANTICIPATED COST

TO THE GOVERNMENT WILL BE FAIR AND REASONABLE:

Consistent with the contract type for the current contract, this modification to the contract will be awarded on a firm fixed-price. Extensive market research was conducted when these services were procured initially and, as a result, the Department anticipates that the price for these additional services will be competitive and reasonable. In addition, the program office will prepare an Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE) that will leverage the competitive pricing experience from the recent contract award. That will be beneficial in determining that the price for the additional services is fair and reasonable.

CAM will be mitigating risk by performing a detailed price and cost analysis on the business proposal that StandardsWork submits.

8. DESCRIPTION OF MARKET SURVEY AND RESULTS, OR STATEMENT WHY

MARKET SURVEY WAS NOT CONDUCTED:

This contract was awarded, in September 2013, on a full-and-open competitive basis resulting from extensive market research. To the best of the Department’s knowledge it is unlikely that conducting new market research efforts would result in the identification of new potential offerors. Subsequently, the Department has not initiated any additional market research efforts.

Pursuant to FAR Part 6, the information from this Justification for Other than Full and Open Competition will be posted on the Federal Business Opportunity web page. If the Department were to compete this work through a new procurement action, it would jeopardize the continuity of the work and risk the additional work not being completely intertwined with the completed work. In addition, it would require doubling the expense because the Department would require the current contractor to work closely with the new contractor to ensure the necessary continuity with the current work.

This document contains proprietary or procurement sensitive information related to the conduct of a federal agency procurement and shall not be disclosed to any person other than a person authorized by the Contracting Officer to

9. OTHER FACTS SUPPORTING THE USE OF OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN

COMPETITION:

None

10. SOURCES, IF ANY, WHICH HAVE EXPRESSED INTEREST IN THE ACQUISITION

IN WRITING:

None

11. STATEMENT OF ACTIONS, IF ANY, TO REMOVE OR OVERCOME BARRIERS TO

COMPETITION BEFORE ANY SUBSEQUENT ACQUISITION FOR THE SUPPLIES OR

SERVICES:

The period of performance for this action will be September 27, 2016 through September 26, 2017. If there is still an operational need for these services at the conclusion of this current contract, the Department will conduct a more active Departmental review to determine if more than one program office has a business need for these services and include those similar requirements in one procurement to avoid the need for this type of modification.

12. CONTRACTING OFFICER (CO) CERTIFICATION THAT THE JUSTIFICATION IS

ACCURATE AND COMPLETE TO THE BEST OF THE CO'S KNOWLEDGE AND BELIEF,

AND THIS PROCUREMENT IS NOT A RESULT OF A LACK OF PLANNING OR

EXPIRATION OF FUNDS:

I hereby recommend that this justification be approved and that the Department proceeds with the procurement and award of this requirement. I certify that this justification is complete and accurate to the best of my knowledge.

X Pamela Bone Contracting Officer

Pamela Bone Digitally signed by Pamela Bone DN: c=US, o=U.S. Government, ou=U.S.

Department of Education, cn=Pamela Bone, 0.9.2342.19200300.100.1.1=9268309590 Date: 2016.08.09 09:55:43 -04'00'

This document contains proprietary or procurement sensitive information related to the conduct of a federal agency procurement and shall not be disclosed to any person other than a person authorized by the Contracting Officer to

X Stephen H. Scheffer Chief of the Contracting Office

Program Office Certification:

This is to certify that the data supporting this justification is the responsibility of the program office personnel, including verifying the Government's minimum needs or schedule requirements or other rationale for other than full and open competition justification (pursuant to 6.303-2(b)) which form a basis for this justification, and that such data and rationale are accurate and complete.

X Christopher Coro Program Manger

X Ronna Spacone Contracting Officer's Representative

Christopher Coro

Digitally signed by Christopher Coro DN: c=US, o=U.S. Government, ou=U.S.

Department of Education, cn=Christopher Coro, 0.9.2342.19200300.100.1.1=9268435570 Date: 2016.08.09 09:01:48 -04'00' ronna spacone Digitally signed by ronna spacone DN: c=US, o=U.S. Government, ou=U.S.

Department of Education, cn=ronna spacone, 0.9.2342.19200300.100.1.1=9268185970 Date: 2016.08.09 09:13:38 -04'00'

Digitally signed by Stephen Scheffer DN: c=US, o=U.S. Government, ou=U.S. Department of Education, cn=Stephen Scheffer, 0.9.2342.19200300.100.1.1=92685586 Date: 2016.08.09 09:47:34 -04'00'