Draft JA.docx

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE EDUCATION ACTIVITY

JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

Nationally Recognized Assessments for Postsecondary Preparation

DoDEA requires PSAT 8/9 exams for students in grade 8 and 9 and PSAT/NMSQT exams for students in grades 10-11 and provides AP® exams for all students who take AP® courses.

Background DoDEA has based a significant portion of its College and Career Ready resources and a significant portion of high school curriculum in over 30 AP® courses, which are offered systemwide. The only college preparatory assessments aligned to the CCRS are the AP® and AP® Capstone exams and the PSAT 8/9 and PSAT/NMSQT exams.

Rationale The centerpiece of DoDEA’s college and career ready programs at the middle school and high school levels is the testing program that is aligned to DoDEA’s comprehensive AP® program. This program has been in place in DoDEA for over 20 years and has seen considerable growth due to its effectiveness. Most recently, the College Entrance Examination Board was awarded contracts #HE1254-15-D-0001 (AP® Exams) and #HE1254-15-D-0006 (PSAT Tests) to provide the above mentioned examinations and related scoring reports.

The College Board assessment program, including all of the above-mentioned examinations which are used in schools across the nation. Consequently, DoDEA’s AP® program not only prepares students for post-secondary experiences but also helps make the transition to and from other US school systems easier.

Although DoDEA reviewed the market research done four years ago, DoDEA performed new market research for this requirement and the following vendors are the only sources that can meet this requirement.

College Entrance Examination Board, New York, NY. Mike Barry, College Board Senior Director, mbarry@collegeboard.org, 212-373-8726 and Loretta Sanders, College Board Director of Billing and Collections, isanders@collegeboard.org, 571-485-3831 and Dali Adekunle, College Board Associate Director, dadekunle@collegeboard.org, 646-767-8826 College Entrance Examination Board, Reston, VA. Dale Gangaram, Director of SAT Suite of Assessments Contract, Data and Management, dgangaram@collegeboard.org, 646-246-4054, and Loretta Sanders, Director of Billing and Collections, isanders@collegeboard.org, and Dali Adekunle, College Board Associate Director, dadekunle@collegeboard.org, 646-767-8826.

· College Entrance Examination Board, AP® Exams: New York, NY. CAGE #2G889

· College Entrance Examination Board, PSAT Exams: Reston, VA. CAGE #3D2F2 There are no other examinations that meet DoDEA’s requirements. The only other examination that compares to the AP® exam is the ACT. However, the ACT exam does not align with the College and Career Ready Standards (CCRS) and it does not align with the many AP® courses that DoDEA teaches, so it cannot meet DoDEA’s requirements.

a. Using the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS) and Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS) for NAICS #611691 (Exam Preparation and Tutoring) and #611710 (Education Support Services) and the keywords, college preparation, and college prep, yielded the following results:

DSBS

· Under #611691 under college preparation there were four results. Two provided tutoring (A+ Education Center, Inc. and Professional Tutors of America, Inc. Two provided support for companies in professional development, etc. (Petty Consulting Group, LLC and Xperience Leadership, LLC). None can meet DoDEA’s requirement. Under college prep were two matches (Elite Prep Hawaii, LLC and Role Model Mentors, LLC). Neither market nationally recognized college preparatory exams.

· Under #611710 there were six results under college preparation. Three were identical to the ones listed above (Professional Tutors of America, Inc.; Petty Consulting Group, LLC; and Experience Leadership, LLC). The other three—Harvard and Hardship, LLC; Fleck Education Services, LLC; and Ashante Education Ltd.—provide a variety of college and postgraduate preparation services. None market a nationally recognized college preparatory examination. Under college prep were the same two companies listed above under this keyword.

FPDS

· Under #611691 there were no matches for either keyword.

· Under #611710 there were no matches for either keyword.

9. Other Supporting Facts: No

10. Interested Sources: College Entrance Examination Board

11. Effort to remove barriers to/increase competition: DoDEA subject-matter experts continually monitor developments in college preparation programs—curriculum, instruction, and assessments. DoDEA will perform market research every year to determine whether new sources may result in competition. If a new assessment program that meets DoDEA’s requirements comes on the market, DoDEA will ensure that full and open competition occurs.

FAR Part 13.5 Justification for Other than Full and Open Competition Source Selection Information - See FAR 2.101 AND 3.104 - FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY