ATTACH_C_Capability_Instructions_WWC_R2D2.docx

ATTACHMENT C – Capability Statement Instructions

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

WHAT WORKS CLEARINGHOUSE: REVIEWS, REPORTING, DISSEMINATION, & DEVELOPMENT

FISCAL YEAR 2015 TRACKING #IESE150212AP

CAPABILITY STATEMENT INSTRUCTIONS

The U.S. Department of Education (the Department) is conducting market research to determine if sufficient interest and capability exists in the marketplace for the anticipated What Works Clearinghouse Reviews, Reporting, Dissemination, and Development (R2D2) contract. This notice is NOT a request of proposals, but is an invitation for potential offerors to express interest and provide information regarding their relevant knowledge, skills and capabilities. Information submitted in response to this Request for Information (RFI) may be used to assist the Department in finalizing its acquisition strategy. Submission of Capability Statements, while strongly encouraged, is NOT a pre-requisite for a prospective vendor being able to submit proposals when the WWC R2D2 solicitation is released for competition.

Disclaimer: The Department will not pay for the provision of any information nor will it compensate any respondents for providing this information. This notice in no way obligates the Government to award any contract to any interested party. Feedback will not be provided to any interested party who submits information to the Department in response to this notice.

Capability Statement Submission Deadline The deadline for submitting Capability Statements is March 3, 2015 by 12:00 noon (ET) via e-mail to the following: Jeffrey.Browne@ed.gov, and cc: Veronica.Price@ed.gov Primary Point of Contact:

Jeffrey Brown Contract Specialist Jeffrey.Browne@ed.gov Phone: (202) 245-6079 Fax: 202-245-6297

Secondary Point of Contact:

Veronica Price, Contracting Officer Veronica.Price@ed.gov Phone: (202) 245-6158 Fax: 202-245-6297 Capability Statement Instructions In response to the attached Draft WWC R2D2 IDIQ Statement of Work (SOW), the Department hereby solicits capability statements from eligible, interested parties. Capability Statements shall be no longer than 4 pages (single-spaced, with a minimum of one-inch margins and 12 point font). Vendors shall provide responses for the content areas noted below. This information does NOT count against the 4 page Capability Statement page limitation.

BASIC INFORMATION

1. Please state your business/company name and address. Include contact information such as a corporate email address and website URL.

1. Please state your business size status (i.e. large or small) in the stated NAICS code of 541720. Also provide all socio economic categories for your company and the corresponding NAICS code.

1. State whether or not 541720 is the most appropriate NAICS code for the WWC R2D2 requirement. Why or why not?

1. State if the requirement should be set-aside for small business, and why (or why not)? Provide the specific small business, socio-economic category in your response.

1. State whether the requirement appears to be commercial or non-commercial in nature.

1. Provide a suggested contract type, or confirm that the Hybrid Contract Type (Cost Reimbursement and Fixed Price) for task order is appropriate and provide a brief, supporting statement.

CAPABILITY STATEMENT CONTENT AREAS

The capability statement must describe the collective expertise and experience of personnel, in each of the following areas:

· Experience and skill in applying the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) Evidence Standards (requires staff with WWC reviewer certification) and the WWC Systematic Review process in assessing research. Interested parties shall state whether personnel possess WWC reviewer certification, as well as provide evidence of staff contributions to the review of individual studies and reviews for products that synthesize results across a given intervention, program, or practice,

· Experience and skill in the use of analytic techniques to summarize results across education evaluation studies clearly and accurately. Interested parties shall provide evidence of personnel’s successful past experience conducting data analysis that summarizes evaluation findings across studies, such as meta-analysis, and procedures for categorizing relevant features of interventions across PK-grade through postsecondary education.

· Experience and skill in issues relevant to the assessment and design of a range of education evaluations. Interested parties shall provide evidence of their company’s experience with randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental designs involving a matched comparison group, regression discontinuity designs, and single case designs.

Additionally, evidence of personnel’s successful past experience in considering issues that arise when assessing the merit of or conducting randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental designs involving a matched comparison group should be discussed. Experience with regression discontinuity and single-case designs is also preferred.

· Substantive knowledge of programs, practices, and strategies, as well as measurement, in the wide range of education content and reform areas (preschool through postsecondary education) covered by potential grant review programs. Interested parties shall provide evidence of personnel’s content knowledge regarding the wide-variety of education content and reform areas pre-K through postsecondary education. This information should demonstrate that potential key personnel possess the substantive knowledge to assess the merit of research designs across these areas according to WWC design and evidence standards.

In addition, the capability statement must address the following experience and capacity at the corporate level:

· Experience conducting projects similar in nature to that described in the Draft WWC R2D2 IDIQ SOW. Interested parties shall provide evidence of successful corporate experience with past projects that are similar to that described in the Draft WWC R2D2 IDIQ SOW in terms of the specific content areas to be performed, complexity, and the level of effort required.

· Sufficient capacity in terms of numbers of highly skilled staff. Interested parties shall provide evidence that they have a sufficient number of highly skilled staff (or the ability to obtain highly skilled staff with relevant experience) to conduct reviews of individual studies for overlapping grant competitions. Evidence reviews for these grant competitions have the potential to operate during the same timeframe, necessitating staff that can contribute significant time on a short-turn around basis.