24Q0005_Attachment9_Questions and Answers_112123.pdf

Question # Solicitation Reference Question Answer

Please confirm the set-a-side and NAICS code for the above solicitation.

We noticed on the sam.gov website the above solicitation is listed as a total small business set-a-side with NAICS code 513130 , but on the SF1449 block 10 the 100% set-a-side is check off for Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business with NAICS code 611710.

This is a full and open (SDVOSB) Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business and the correct NAICS Code 513130.

Please consider this an official request that this solicitation be set-aside for Total Small Business, Women-Owned Small Business, Black American Owned businesses. We are excited to work as a sub-contractor on this project.

The set aside is as stated in section 10 of the 1449.

I have some questions regarding this solicitation - E125424Q0005 - Support for DoDEA's Leadership Development Pipeline (LDPP) Protocols. On the SF1149, the solicitation is indicated as set-aside for SDVOSB. However, in the SAM solicitation posting, the solicitation is set-aside for Total Small Businesses. Could you clarify if the solicitation is SDVOSB or SB set-aside

This is a full and open (SDVOSB) Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business and the correct NAICS Code 513130

Good day! In regards to the requirement below, can you kindly provide an estimated timeframe for Solicitation issuance? Any information that you may provide will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Please check SAM.gov and search for “HE125424Q0005” or “Support for DoDEA's Leadership Development Pipeline (LDPP) Protocols.” Alternately, the following link should take you directly to the solicitation: SAM.gov This was done on 01 November 2024

•Regarding the design of a three-year School Administrator Program, are we developing a single, integrated three-year School Administrator Program that serves both new principals and assistant principals, or are we designing two distinct programs specifically tailored to each of these roles

Yes, there is the School Administrator Leadership Program that is for educational leaders who are either new the roles of assistant principal or principal.

•Develop a one-year Aspiring Leader Academy to prepare DoDEA teachers and educators above the school level for roles such as instructional systems specialists, assistant principals, and principals. Should this be structured as a single integrated program or as separate, specialized programs?

This is one program, the Aspiring Leader Academy, whereby participants are exploring their avenues for leadership and need essential leadership knowledge, skills, and dispositions to perform well in any role above school level they accept, initially and in their careers.

•What are the high school gradua on requirements (e.g., 24 credits including 4 credits each in math, science, and social studies)?

The Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children is part of our DoD Instruction 1342.29 (searchable online): Here is the link:

https://www.dodea.edu/education/student-services/graduation-requirements

8 •Describe the typical daily schedule for elementary, middle, and high school students.

DoDEA students are engaged in an American educational system that is much like a U.S.A.-based school district. The primary difference is that the schools are on military bases.

9 •Outline the primary responsibilities of the assistant principal and principal (e.g., managing transportation, IT, and departmental support).

School level administrators (AP and P) are instructional leaders and federal managers. Their evaluations are in the following 5 areas: Student Achievement, Management, Continuous Professional Development, Partnerships and Communication, and Leadership.

•Are you reques ng a framework for just the first year or for the full five-year program of study?

The framework is for the 5-year program and updated as necessary.

11 •Is attendance mandatory for leaders once they are enrolled in the program? Yes.

HE1254-24-Q-0005-LDPP Attachment 9-Questions and Answers

12 •What types of instructional feedback models are currently employed (e.g., 'Seven Keys to Effective Feedback')?

Annual formal appraisal for teachers based on DoDEA teacher performance standards and informal feedback is offered via Learning Walkthrough (LWTs) Principals are formally appraised with the DoDEA principal performance standards. See Attachment 10 for more information.

13 •Does the PD Learning Management System (LMS) currently in use have a certification or badging capability?

No.

`•For the leadership development programs, which delivery model is preferred: en rely asynchronous, hybrid, or fully in-person?

We have planned the kick off meetings for each program to be fully in-person in each region.

The delivery models for the quarterly modules will be determined collaboratively between the vendor and DoDEA contract leaders.

•What observa on and evalua on models are currently u lized for assessing teachers

(e.g., the 'Framework for Teaching' by Danielson)?

Teachers are assessed with teacher performance standards created by DoDEA.

•Are there any programs in place to iden fy the strengths and weaknesses of leaders (e.g., StrengthsFinder)?

None at this time.

•How do teachers assess the effec veness of current leaders/administrators (e.g., using the Val-ed assessment through Vanderbilt)?

Leaders are assessed by their immediate supervisors (superintendents) with through their annual appraisal program with DoDEA principal performance standards.

•Is the Na onal Educa onal Leadership Prepara on (NELP) Standards framework u lized in your institution?

PSEL has been adopted but not implemented yet.

19 •Is there a one-year meframe allocated for the development of the framework?

The framework will be developed first in 2024, and all leadership development programs will flow from it with a tentative start date in Fall 2024.

•Is there a secondary educa onal associa on that you are currently partnered with (e.g., the National Association of Secondary School Principals - NASSP)?

Not Available-N/A

•Is travel expected to be a requirement for the professional development of your leaders

(e.g., attending conferences such as ACTE or ITEEA)?

Travel for in person participation will be required within leaders regions (Pacific, Europe, America)

22 •What formats are used for lesson planning (e.g., the 5E model)? DoDEA does not have a template or format requirement for lesson plans.

•Could you provide access to your administra ve policies, procedures handbook, and the students' rights and responsibilities handbook?

DoDEA policies, including Students' Rights and Responsibilities are available online at https://www.dodea.edu/offices/office-dodea-policy. DoDEA procedures handbook is not available for release.

24 •Are there any current partnerships with educa onal associa ons? N/A

25 •Have all leaders been provided with a work laptop for use during observa ons?

All leaders have been issued their own laptop.

•Are there established protocols for informal learning walks (e.g., is it permissible to conduct unannounced observations)?

Yes, we have Learning Walk Throughs (LWTs) implemented across the agency, an agency designed informal instructional observation and feedback tool. See Attachment #10.

On the SAM.gov portal, the NAICS Code is given 513130 - Book Publishers, while in the Solicitation document in the SF Form, it is given 611710. Please clarify the actual NAICS for this RFQ.

513130 is the correct NAICS Code.

28 Over the SAM.gov and C2P portals, Set Aside is Total Small Business, but in the Solicitation document, it is given as SDVOSB. Please clarify the actual Set Aside for this RFQ.

This is a full and open (SDVOSB) Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business and the correct NAICS Code 513130

29 Is this opportunity related to RFI HE125423RFI0011? Yes

Given the inconsistencies in SAM.gov and the agency documents, will the government consider an extension to the due date?

Currently, no. the due date is listed on the 1449 in section 8

Who is responsible for sending out past performance evaluations, the bidding contractor or the government?

The quoting vendor/s reference is responsible for the submission

Given the Holiday, will the government consider extending when past performance evaluations are due

For the references the govt will accept a week grace period

Please provide clarification and insight on the government's vision for awarding contracts.

Will multiple contracts be awarded, and will each contract have an awarded value ? How will workshare be determined with PWS?

See the solicitation provision ADDENDUM 52.212-2 – EVALUATION – COMMERCIAL ITEMS to see how this contract will be awarded

Given that the government plans to award one or more contracts, will the government consider expanding the set-aside to include other small businesses that are not SDVOB?

No. We plan on keeping set aside as stated on 1449 section 10

Will the government accept a cover letter, and if yes, will the government consider excluding the cover letter from the page count?

Page 34 2.1.1 Volume 1 of the solicitation details all acceptable docs and an administrative cover letter is one of them

Can the government please provide more insight on how each volume will be weighted and evaluated, meaning will any volume or section be given higher weight or will each volume to include pricing be equal?

See the solicitation provision ADDENDUM 52.212-2 – EVALUATION – COMMERCIAL ITEMS to see how factors will be evaluated.

1. Can the government please identify the location of the on-site meeting for each region?

2. Will the contractor be expected to secure the location to include room and logistics?

3. What is the expected number of participants?

4. How many on-site visits are expected throughout the contract, and to what locations?

The vendors will not be attending on site meetings in the three regions, but will develop the framework, modules, facilitator guides and facilitator preparation for the regional leaders to deliver to the pipeline participants of all three programs. The vendor will take DoDEA contract leader feedback and work in collaboration online and potentially, in person, at the DoDEA HQ location in Alexandria, VA. DoDEA will be responsible for all logistics associated with the in-person professional learning experiences in each region. There are no site/regional field visits designed in this contract. The number of participants in each region and in total are TBD, and only projected at this time.

1. Are there preferred topics or themes for each quarterly session, or should the content be adaptable based on emerging needs?

2. Are there specific platforms or formats preferred for delivering webinars and digital modules?

The exact topics of the webinars and whether they will be synchronous or asynchronous will be determined post-award in consultation with the Contractor. DoDEA has Microsoft Teams for synchronous webinars. SCORM packages are accepted for asynchronous modules.

1. Are the following key functions (Liaisons, Project Leader and Organizational Leadership Specialist(s)) required to be available virtually or In-Person?

Please Clarify.

Virtually, see PWS for more information.

1. Is the table to be included in the Attachment 5.

Yes, make tables are permissible.

41 1. Do we have to provide answers to the questions in Attachment 5 only?

Attachment #5, Present and Past Performance Questionnaire shall be completed by the vendor reference to submitted to the POC of the RFQ on or before the quote due date. It's extended to 12/5/23.

1. Please clarify do we have to provide responses to questions 2, 3, and 7 only in Attachment 7, or do we have to provide responses to all the questions?

2. Whether detailed response is needed for these three questions (2,3,7) only?

1. You have to provide answers to all the questions in attachment 7 to include questions 2, 3 and 7.

2. Yes, please be as detailed as possible in all questions

43 1. Could you please explain it in detail? Is this to be provided with Attachment 7? Seek answer in question 42

1. The Pricing Spreadsheet specifies “AVID STEM Academy Subscription (per school)”.

Please explain the relevance of this cost and whether it should indeed be included in the pricing.

Please disregard this information. See updated pricing sheet (Attachment #1)

45 1. As it relates to the previous question: DoDEA has 159 brick-and-mortar schools. Does every school need the “AVID STEM Academy Subscription?”

Yes.

3.Are there any other schools that are not brick-and-mortar schools that need the subscription? If so, how many?

The only school that would need this curriculum is our virtual high school. So, 1 in total.

The following rows in the pricing spreadsheet does not specify the CLIN Type; please clarify:

1. 1001AA Observe and Compile Data, Year 1 2.2002AD Technical Support The following rows in the pricing spreadsheet do not have Quantity; please confirm that pricing is not needed for these rows

1. 1002 Prepare DoDEA Facilitators (Year 2)

2. 1003 Prepare DoDEA Facilitators (Academy)

3. 2002 Prepare DoDEA Facilitators (Year 3)

These are all Firm Fixed Price. See solicitation section B and pricing sheet for more information(Attachment #1)

48 Does DoDEA have a preferred platform for delivering webinars? DoDEA does not have a preferred platform for webinars.

The contract activities appear to be delivered virtually and the pricing spreadsheet does not have a placeholder for travel. Does DoDEA anticipate any travel associated with this contract? If so, please provide any parameters to guide estimating the cost for travel.

All training at this point are planned to the performed virtually.

As it relates to the previous question: The solicitation states, “Note: Costs associated with attending any face-to-face meetings shall be handled/paid for as stated in the contract.”

How many face-to-face meetings are expected and in what regions/locations?

All training at this point are planned to the performed virtually.

51 Solicitation Page 3 Listing for Item numbers 0001, 1001, 2001, 3001, and 4001. Is it the customer's intent that each of these CLIN's be represented in the pricing work sheet as totals of all the sub-CLINS for each respective year

These CLINS are considered informational CLINS. Vendors shall provide price quotes for the price CLINS see the price sheet.

52 Solicitation Page 6 Does "ITEM NO 0002AG" correspond to Clin 0002AD listed in the pricing worksheet? This CLIN has to be re structured the sequence is off

53 Solicitation Page 23 -26 CLIN's 0001, 0002, 1001, 1002, 1003, 2001, 2002, 3991, & 4001 are all identified as having no SHIP TO ADDRESS in the solicitation. Is it the government's intent that no pricing is to be submitted for these CLIN's in the pricing worksheet?

These CLINS are considered informational CLINS. Vendors shall provide price quotes for the price CLINS see the price sheet.

54 Solicitation Page 23 -26 All CLIN's listed - None of the CLIN's listed on these pages have quantities identified, yet many of the these same CLIN's on the pricing worksheet list quantities of 1 each. Which identification is correct?

These CLINS are considered informational CLINS. Vendors shall provide price quotes for the price CLINS see the price sheet.

55 Solicitation Page 36

CONTEXT: This quote volume shall:

Be in the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet titled, “Attachment 1, Pricing Sheet”. All items must have a price or be marked “NSP” for “Not Separately Priced.” Each item will state the description including item descriptions (make, model, and etc.), quantity, unit, unit price, and extended total. A final total for a 5-year base and four 1-year option periods are required in the Excel Spreadsheet. (Attachment 1, Pricing Sheet). This volume should also include a completed CLIN Breakdown Tab . QUESTION: It is indicated the base year is five years and 4 one-year option periods however on Attachment 1, Pricing Sheet (Document labeled, “24Q0005_ATTCH1_PricingSheet_103123_Final”) CLINS tab, the base year is indicated as “Base Period -15 Feb 24 to 14 Feb 2025.” Can there be clarification as to long how the base period is for this opportunity?

This requirement is for 12 months base period and four 12 months option periods. See updated Pricing Sheet( Attachment #1)

Is it to be assumed that the tasking to prepare DoDEA educational leaders to facilitate the components of the programs will occur virtually and that travel for in-person support by the contractor to each region should not be budgeted?

That is correct.

Are the kickoff meetings and quarterly meetings that are to occur in each region to support the implementation of the two programs attended only by the DoDEA facilitators and educators, or is the contractor to attend these virtually?

Virtually

58 Solicitation Page 42

Is it the government's internet that task orders issued will align with the prices for each CLIN as proposed by the vendor? Doe the customer anticipate issuing task orders with scope that is modified from the solicitation to a degree that would require revised pricing by the vendor?

The government plans to issue task order aligned with the vendors quoted prices and which is aligned with the task identified in the PWS