ESBD_File_343721_Pre-Proposal Meeting_23-017.pdf

Pre‐Proposal Meeting

RFQ 701‐23‐017, PRODUCTION OF ACCESSIBLE

ELECTRONIC FILES FOR TEXAS PUBLIC SCHOOLS

December 2023

House Keeping

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Q&A will be held at the end of this pre‐proposal meeting.

Additional questions asked after this meeting will be addressed in an addendum and posted on the ESBD.

Solicitation Highlights

• RFQ 23‐017

• TEA is seeking responses for the Production of Accessible Electronic Files for Texas Public Schools

• The submission deadline is January 4, 2024, 2:00 PM CST

Solicitation Highlights Section 1.1

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is seeking responses from qualified contractors to produce accessible electronic files for Texas public schools. Each contractor will be evaluated solely on the firm’s experience, technical competence, capability to perform, past performance, and other relevant factors submitted in the response to this RFQ.

The awarded contractor(s) will be responsible for producing master files in braille‐ready format (BRF) from instructional materials adopted by the State Board of Education (SBOE) in November 2023 under Proclamation 2024. The awarded contractor(s) may also produce master BRF files for instructional materials approved by the SBOE in future Instructional Materials Review and Approval (IMRA) cycles, for future proclamations, or other instructional materials, such as TEA‐developed open education resources (OER), at TEA’s sole discretion.

Anticipated Schedule of Events Section 1.4

DATE EVENT

November 29, 2023 Publication of solicitation in the Electronic State Business Daily (ESBD) at:

https://www.txsmartbuy.com/esbddetails/view/701‐23‐017 Questions must be directed to TEASolicitations@tea.texas.gov or the HUB Office HUBOffice@tea.texas.gov, as appropriate.

December 7, 2023 Pre‐Response Meeting scheduled for 1:00 p.m. CST on Microsoft Teams (Link) Attendance is highly encouraged to attend to have a better understanding of the requirements of this RFQ.

December 14, 2023 Last day to submit written questions about this solicitation no later than 2:00 P.M. Central Time to TEASolicitations@tea.texas.gov

December 19, 2023 Final publication of questions and answers in the ESBD at: http://www.txsmartbuy.com/esbd

December 22, 2023 TEA preferred date to receive a Notice of Intent to submit a Response January 4, 2024 Response(s) due no later than 2:00 P.M. Central Time January 4, 2024 ‐January 26, 2024

Response Check‐In, Evaluations, and Oral Presentations (if required)

January/February 2024 Commencement of contract negotiations with selected contractor(s)

February 15, 2024 Anticipated start date of contract

Submission Requirements Section 2.2

TEA will only accept responses using ShareFile as a secure electronic submission method. Once uploaded, the ShareFile application will notify TEA of the upload and send confirmation of the submission to the contractors' email address entered prior to document upload. The file(s) will be date and time‐stamped upon upload.

This RFQ will require sample brailed material to be sent to TEA for the evaluation of the project. Each Contractor must send sample materials by certified mail with delivery signatures required to remain in consideration for award. TEA will not accept hand‐ delivery of Braille Samples. The shipping package must prominently display the solicitation number (RFQ 701‐23‐017) and include the contractor’s name/organization and return address.

Response Checklist Section 3.1

RESPONSE CHECKLIST

Response Cover Page Attachment D

Table of Contents N/A

Understanding of the Project, Methodology, and Technical Components Section 3.2

Management Plan, Experience, and Qualifications Section 3.3

Task, Activity, Deliverable, and Budget Plan Section 3.4, Attachment E

Hard Copy Braille Samples Section 3.5, Attachment J

Signed Contract Terms, Conditions and Affirmations, Response Preferences, and Execution of Offer

Attachment B

HUB Subcontracting Plan Attachment C

Conflict of Interest Analysis Form including all attachments (i.e. organization charts, resumes, etc.)

Section 2.5, Attachment G

HUB Subcontracting Section 2.4 & Attachment C

• In alignment with state law and public policy, TEA encourages contracting and subcontracting opportunities for HUBs in all contracts. If TEA determines that subcontracting opportunities are probable, then a HUB Subcontracting Plan (HSP) is a required element of the response.

• Manufacturers, suppliers, and other vendors, including Historically Underutilized Businesses, may be found on the Centralized Master Bidders List (CMBL) / HUB Directory at:

https://comptroller.texas.gov/purchasing/vendor/cmbl/.

• Contact with the TEA Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) office is allowed solely for the purpose of addressing HUB Subcontracting Plan (HSP) questions or seeking assistance with completing the HUB Subcontracting Plan. The TEA HUB Office may be reached at HUBOffice@tea.texas.gov .

Reminders

• To maintain a level playing field, all communication regarding this RFQ must be sent to TEA Contracts and Purchasing Division via TEASolicitations@tea.texas.gov. Program staff or other non‐procurement professionals are not permitted to have contact with potential contractors. If a contractor fails to observe this restriction, the response is subject to disqualification.

• Requests for clarification must be submitted before the deadline for questions.

TEA will post additional information regarding this procurement on the ESBD at https://www.txsmartbuy.com/esbddetails/view/701‐23‐017

• An Addenda will be published for any changes or corrections to the solicitation based upon this pre‐proposal meeting or emailed questions submitted. The Addenda is a very important document because it may change and/or append information cited in the original solicitation.

Questions