NDERFP250826 Intent_to_Award_Letter.pdf

This is an Intent to Award Letter from the Nebraska Department of Education (NDE), Office of Coordinated Student Support Services, regarding a statewide evaluation services contract. The solicitation seeks a qualified vendor to provide comprehensive evaluation services and continuous improvement processes, including web-based tools for grant administration, to support approximately 150 Nebraska educational sites funded by the 21st Century Community Learning Centers and Expanded Learning Opportunity Grant Programs. The primary deliverables include developing an online database for data collection, conducting external site observations, administering surveys, and providing technical assistance to meet federal Government Performance Reporting Act (GPRA) requirements. The RFP required proposals to be submitted by November 4th, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. Central Time, with an anticipated contract award date of December 29th, 2025, and a vendor start date of January 2nd, 2026. The contract structure consists of an initial one-year term with four optional one-year renewal periods, providing a potential five-year engagement.

The vendor will be responsible for all personnel, technical infrastructure, and support necessary for comprehensive data collection, analysis, and reporting, with particular focus on serving students from low-income families and schools with specific demographic characteristics. Pricing is expected to remain fixed for the first two years, with potential price increases of up to 5 percent in subsequent years, subject to NDE approval. While the RFP cost sheet provides a template with zero-dollar entries requiring bidders to complete their own pricing structure, an exact budget is not specified in the solicitation. The contract involves approximately $6.5 million in federal grant funding allocated across the supported programs. No specific incumbent vendor is mentioned, and no explicit set-aside designations or responding organization restrictions are outlined. The project requires sophisticated technological capabilities and substantial technical and analytical expertise to manage the scope of work across multiple educational stakeholders, including school districts, community-based organizations, and non-profit agencies receiving grant funding.