FINAL_AVID-J_A_REDACTED_060523.pdf

FAR Part 13.5 Justification for Other than Full and Open Competition

Source Selection Information - See FAR 2.101 AND 3.104 - Official Use Only

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE EDUCATION ACTIVITY

JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

Comprehensive College and Career Readiness System

1. Agency/Contracting Activity: Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA), 4800 Mark Center Drive, Alexandria, VA 22350-1400

2. Description of Action: A firm fixed price contract is planned with a total estimated value of $2,338,223.70. The period of performance is a 12-month base year and four 12-month option years. FY23 Operating and Maintenance (O&M) funds are available for the estimated amount of $422,496.00.

3. Description of Supplies and Services: The Contractor shall provide a comprehensive K-12, research-based college and career readiness system that (1) conducts annual comparative analysis with DoDEA and AVID schools nationwide, (2) provides administrative services that include processes and materials to institutionalize the program, (3) provides consulting and networking services as required, and (4) can be implemented with fidelity worldwide. In the first four years, the AVID program will continue to be delivered to 71 secondary schools worldwide. In the last year, DoDEA will begin the process of implementing the AVID program by preparing to pilot the program in selected grade 5 schools. DoDEA expects to make one award.

4. Authority: FAR 13.501(a), a sole source acquisition under the authority of the special program for commercial items. Only one responsible entity can meet DoDEA’s requirements, and no other supplies or services will satisfy the agency’s requirements.

5. Demonstration of Contractor’s Unique Qualifications or Nature of Acquisition Requiring the Authority Cited

Upon the basis of the following justification, I, as the Contracting Officer, approve this justification for the proposed contract action pursuant to the authority cited above because educational services provided by the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) Comprehensive College and Career Readiness System are essential to the Agency’s requirements and because market research indicates no other entity can meet the Agency's needs.

Background

Since 1992 DoDEA has implemented the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program, a comprehensive college and career readiness system for elementary and secondary schools, that focuses on schoolwide research-based, instructional best practices to support student agency, opportunity knowledge, and rigorous preparedness. One component of this system is the AVID Elective. It is designed to support students in the academic middle who possess individual determination and academic potential but may need additional academic, social, and emotional support to become college and career ready.

Although DoDEA has implemented AVID at the secondary level, AVID also has an elementary component.

Rationale

AVID has officially been a part of DoDEA’s mandatory and approved curriculum for over 30 years. It is the only comprehensive college and career readiness system designed for K-12 students (1) that provide research-based, instructional methodologies to help mid-level academic and traditionally underserved K-12 students become college and career ready and (2) that can be implemented with fidelity across a large school system. AVID is also the only program that meets DoDEA’s requirements to provide academic consistency for our students who, as dependents of military service members and DoD civilian employees, are often affected by deployment and repeated moves/school transitions.

The AVID College and Career Readiness System is comprised of two components: the AVID Elective and its schoolwide instructional best practices. Supporting the diverse needs of all learners, AVID’s schoolwide approach provides an instructional frame termed WICOR – Writing, Inquiry, Collaboration, and Reading – that can be easily adopted and translated into any classroom or content area. This framework affords educators and students opportunities for differentiated support and increasingly high levels of rigor coupled with engagement strategies to support all levels of learning. The other component of this System – the AVID Elective – provides students in the academic middle with a standards-aligned curriculum, teaching best practices, and academic behaviors that support the whole child. AVID is a unique and comprehensive instructional program. There is no equivalent or even near the equivalent system in existence, particularly one that can be implemented with fidelity across a global school system.

DoDEA emphasizes the need for all students to be prepared to be successful in their postsecondary efforts. Preparation, in this sense, also reflects the need to be prepared to succeed in a college or university environment. The loss of the AVID College and Career Readiness System would lead to a critical gap in the education of all students as well as students in the academic middle who are traditionally underrepresented in higher education. AVID’s instructional framework equips students with the academic and social-emotional learning tools to design their post-secondary future. The absence of an AVID Program would minimize the integrative reach of instructional best practices across all content areas and specialties.

DoDEA has over 950 teachers and administrators trained in the AVID program. Even if there were an alternative system, DoDEA would have to undergo an extensive process (including analysis, consultation with stakeholders, and many levels of approvals) to adopt and implement a new curriculum. Implementation would also require several years of professional learning and would, therefore, likely create unacceptable gaps in student learning and achievement for all students, specifically for AVID Elective students who benefit most from the instructional supports that the AVID program serves.

To provide these critical educational services, the Contracting Office has, based on the rationale above, made the determination to issue a sole source solicitation to the AVID Center (CAGE code 1BPN1).

6. Efforts to Obtain Competition: DoDEA has done extensive market research and will publicize a notice as required by FAR Subpart 5.2.

7. Fair and Reasonable Determination: The contracting officer has determined the anticipated costs are fair and reasonable.

8. Market Research

Incumbent: AVID Center, 9797 Aero Drive, Suite 100, San Diego, CA 9212. Monserrat Garcia, Contracts Specialist, 858- 380-4800, mogarcia@avid.org. Not a small business, per SAM.gov. CAGE code 1BPN1.

The following college and career readiness programs do not meet DoDEA’s requirements:

1) US Department of Education, GEAR UP: Gaining Early Awareness for Undergraduate Programs – CFDA 84.334A & 84.3345S. www.ed.gov/gearup/ - Does not meet DoDEA’s requirements because it is a discretionary grant program that only targets low-income populations, and it does not provide strategies, materials, or training — only funds.

2) US Department of Education, Upward Bound - CFDA 84.047. www.ed.gov/programs/trioupbound - Does not meet DoDEA’s requirements because it is a discretionary grant program that only targets students, ages 13 – 19, who meet the following requirements: low-income, first-generation college students, or students at high risk for academic failure.

3) Jason William Hunt Foundation (Batavia, OH) – Does not meet DoDEA’s requirements because the foundation’s college preparation program only targets at-risk populations and provides funds — not strategies, materials, or training.

Internet research found college and career readiness programs for at-risk students and programs to improve student achievement in 1-2 subject areas that were extracurricular in nature. None meet DoDEA’s requirements.

4) Project SEED (American Chemical Society) targets high school students with instruction in mathematics and critical thinking and includes a college scholarship competition. Does not meet DoDEA’s requirements because it only provides summer research experiences for students seeking to advance and enrich chemical science enterprises.

5) S-PREP, State Pre-College Enrichment Program (New York only), targets low-income high school students for science-related academic improvement. Does not meet DoDEA’s requirements because its reach is not global, and the program only targets low-income populations which is not reflective of all of the military-connected students DoDEA serves.

6) STEP, Science and Technology Entry Program, affiliated with various universities, including St. John’s University, Fordham, and the New York State Education, is an extracurricular/summer program targeting low-income students for science-related academic improvement. Does not meet DoDEA’s requirements because it is not a school-based program and only offers a summer-based learning component for students in one content area – science.

7) C2 Education, Duluth, GA. Peter Walker, CEO, 844-374-8007. Not a small business, per Dynamic Small Business Search – Provides tutoring, test preparation, and college admissions counseling so students can get accepted to the college of their choice. It is an after-school program normally paid for by parents. It is not a school-based program and does not meet DoDEA’s requirements.

8) An internet search reveals a plethora of extracurricular college preparation programs that tutor students in small groups or individually. They include short SAT® preparation courses offered by local school systems after school, usually fee-based, and some SAT® preparation courses offered as part of the curriculum. None are comprehensive, school-based programs like AVID.

The Federal Procurement Data Search and Dynamic Small Business Search were searched using the current contract’s NAICS code 611710 (Educational Support Services) with the keywords: college preparation and college readiness.

Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS): Under college preparation was one match — a Department of the Air Force contract with Newpoint Management, LLC, which cannot meet DoDEA’s requirements. Under college readiness were six matches. In addition to AVID, there were the following five entities, none one of which can meet DoDEA’s requirements:

Company Ability to Meet DoDEA’s Requirements Standards Works No. Provides an international and workflow platform for the government.

Reader to Reader, Inc. No. Brings books free of charge to under-resourced school & public libraries.

MPR Associates, Inc. No. Business-focused company dealing with a variety of business needs.

Hobsons, Inc. No. Now a part of Naviance, a college readiness software provider.

American Institutes for Research in the Behavioral Sciences (AIR)

No. Conducts behavioral and social science research and delivers technical assistance to help solve related challenges in the US and internationally.

Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS)

Under college preparation were the six companies shown below:

Xperience Leadership, LLC No. Supports companies amid systemic change.

Professional Tutors of America, Inc. No. Delivers tutoring services to individuals in their homes.

Truth Industries, LLC No. Supports/creates public works projects in underserved communities.

Winward Academy, Inc. No. Supports students in class and homework via its e-learning platform.

Petty Consulting Group, LLC No. Career and management development for education and politics.

XceedPrep, LLC No. Variety of programs focused on the underserved in Georgia.

Under college readiness were the seven companies shown below.

XCalibur Software, Inc. No. Delivers technology-based data management solutions for districts.

Knowsys Educational Services, LLC No. Provides a curriculum and professional learning to maximize learning, including SAT/ACT preparation courses, language mastery, and math.

Vista School Resources, Inc. No. College and career readiness curriculum for school-level stakeholders.

Compass Education Strategies, LLC No. Employer-sponsored programs for executive compensation, etc.

Keturah Kendrick, LLC No. Drafts company-wide documents and proofreads company documents.

Strategic Education Solutions, LLC No. Expertise in special education, self-advocate education, etc.

The College Aide, LLC No. An independent educational consulting firm that supports college counseling/planning, leadership development, and ACT/SAT tutoring.

9. Other Supporting Facts: No

10. Interested Sources: AVID

11. Effort to remove barriers to/increase competition: DoDEA subject-matter experts continually monitor developments in student information system software. DoDEA will perform market research prior to each option exercise to determine whether new sources may result in competition. If a new comprehensive college and career readiness program that meets DoDEA’s requirements comes on the market, DoDEA will ensure that full and open competition occurs.

Comprehensive College and Career Readiness System

CERTIFICATION

Technical Certification: I certify that the supporting data under my cognizance and which forms a basis for this justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Digital Signature/Date: _______________________________________________________________

Joylita Anderson, Contracting Officer’s Representative, Education Directorate

COORDINATION

Legal Review: (required > $250K/SAT): Based on the foregoing, this Justification is legally sufficient.

Digital Signature/Date: _____________________________________________ John Cho, Attorney Advisor, Office of General Counsel

Competition Advocate (required > $700,000)

Contracting Officer: I certify the justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief, and hereby determine the anticipated costs to the Government for this requirement will be fair and reasonable.

Digital Signature/Date: _______________________________________ Alim Koroma, Contracting Officer, Procurement

APPROVAL

Approval is granted subject to the availability of funds and provided that the products/services described herein have otherwise been authorized for acquisition.

Digital Signature/Date: _______________________________________________________________ Denise Blevins, Director, Small Business Programs & Competition Advocate