NDERFP250213 - Nebraska Leads Literacy-SolicitationIntenttoAwardNotice.docx

This is a Notice of Intent to Award issued by the Nebraska Department of Education, Office of Teaching, Learning, and Assessment for solicitation NDERFP250213, the Nebraska Leads Literacy program. The solicitation seeks qualified vendors to establish a vendor pool under a Master Agreement for a comprehensive, multi-year literacy training system designed to support up to 1,800 education leaders including principals, superintendents, and district and higher education leaders through a hybrid cohort model incorporating virtual, in-person, and leadership coaching components. The training system is grounded in the science of reading and aligned with the Nebraska Literacy Project and the NDE's Comprehensive Literacy State Development grant. The solicitation opened on March 18, 2026, with written questions due March 4, 2026, responses posted March 11, 2026, and electronic opening scheduled for March 18, 2026 at 2:00 PM Central Time. Evaluation occurred March 23-27, 2026, with optional vendor demonstrations April 6-13, 2026. The Intent to Award was posted May 12, 2026, and the State intends to award the contract to AIM Institute and SPED Strategies, with contract finalization scheduled for May 11-22, 2026 and official award on May 29, 2026. The vendor start date is June 1, 2026, with the first cohort commencing July 1, 2026. The contract term is one year with options to renew for four additional one-year periods, up to a maximum of five years.

Pricing is fixed for the first year with subsequent price increases not to exceed five percent, submitted at least 60 days prior to contract period end, and pricing information is submitted by vendors using the mandatory NDE Vendor Cost Sheet. No specific budget range or award value is identified in the available documentation. All bidders must be registered with the Nebraska Secretary of State and comply with state registration requirements. Vendors are required to maintain specified insurance coverage including workers' compensation, commercial general liability, and commercial automobile liability with minimum limits and must provide evidence of coverage prior to commencing work. The NDE reserves the right to establish a non-exclusive vendor pool for potential future contracts up to eighteen months from the Intent to Award date and may contract for similar services from other sources, meaning multiple vendors may be selected. The contract includes a funding-out clause allowing the NDE to terminate or reduce consideration if legislative appropriations become unavailable. No incumbent vendors or current contractors are identified, and no specific set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises are noted.