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SOLICITATION ADDENDUM ONE
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
SOLICITATION NUMBER: NDERFP260213
Nebraska Leads Literacy Opening Date: 3/18/26, 2PM Addendum Effective Date: 3/11/26
Questions and Answers
Following are the questions submitted and answers provided for the above-mentioned solicitation. The questions and answers are to be considered as part of the solicitation. It is the responsibility of bidders to check the State Purchasing Bureau website for all addenda or amendments.
| Section Reference |
| Page Number |
| Questions |
| Answer |
| Not provided |
| Not provided |
| Does this include professional development training for early literacy skills? |
| No |
| Not provided |
| Not provided |
| Would trainings for prekindergarten teachers/staff fall under this RFP? |
| No |
Section V, Project Requirements / G. Work Plan
| 33 |
| Section V states that "the selected vendor(s) will already have |
an evidence-based professional learning training program for leaders developed that is grounded in the Science of Reading." Does this requirement mean that vendors must have a fully packaged, off-the-shelf program ready for immediate deployment? Or are vendors eligible to apply if they possess the relevant expertise, experience, and component resources — such as experience developing and leading similar state-specific programs grounded in the Science of Reading for other states — that would be customized and assembled into a Nebraska-specific program during the planning phase described in the Work Plan section?
Vendors should have fully developed training programs that can be deployed, with planning including specific scheduling and timeline considerations vs. developing custom materials.
| Not provided |
| Not provided |
| Will the contract be awarded to one vendor or multiple vendors? The scope of work on page 33 of the RFP describes one contractor leading the project, however, under the project overview on page 32 there is mention of establishing a vendor pool. |
| The contract may be awarded to multiple vendors that would be deployed as part of a coherent and cohesive professional learning project. |
| Not provided |
| Not provided |
| If our organization is unable to lead the full project and scope of work because we have a narrow work product and mission, specifically that we evaluate the quality of educator preparation programs and provide technical assistance for improvement, should we submit a proposal to this solicitation to be considered for inclusion in the vendor pool? |
| That decision lies with the vendor. |
| Not provided |
| Not provided |
| How does NDE plan to confirm that all "100% of Nebraska educator preparation programs are implementing evidence-based instruction for teachers grounded in the science of reading"? Will a formal evaluation be performed? |
| That decision lies with the Nebraska Department of Education and does not involve the vendor. |
| Not provided |
| Not provided |
| Are the expectations of the training to be a general overview of the science of reading or a more specific digging into the science of reading for secondary classrooms? |
| The training will cover a broad range of topics related to leadership of comprehensive literacy instruction and should include elements of any level of relevant instructional practice and practitioners. |
| Not provided |
| Not provided |
| Can NDE clarify whether this solicitation will result in a single statewide award or the establishment of a vendor pool from which vendors may be selected on a cohort-by-cohort basis? |
| The latter is correct. |
| Not provided |
| Not provided |
| How does NDE anticipate allocating work among selected vendor(s), if multiple vendors are awarded? |
| That would be determined after the selection of vendors has been completed. |
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| Not provided | |
| 1. | Does the NDE expect the participant group to remain consistent across all three years? |
| o | If the participant group remains consistent, will the selected vendor develop new, customized content each year that builds upon prior learning? | |
| o | If the group will change each year, is the NDE’s vision that the selected vendor repeat prior-year content for new participants (e.g., one year of programming that 3 cohorts participate in over years 1-3)? | |
| o | If the group will remain mostly consistent, with some new participants joining, should the selected vendor plan for a reduced time make-up sequence for prior-year content (e.g., a series of summer sessions)? | |
Participant groups will remain consistent for multi-year learning if possible, as well as fluid as new cohorts are formed. This will be determined further after vendor selection has been completed.
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| Not provided | |
| 2. | Does NDE have an expectation for the amount of live training or coaching that each stakeholder group (principals, superintendents, and/or other leaders) should participate in (e.g., 5 days of training over the year, 4 half-day coaching sessions)? |
| Proposed training schedules will be considered and may be revised after final vendor selection is completed. | |
| Not provided | |
| Not provided | |
| 3. | What other organizations are currently supporting NDE with their early literacy implementation efforts? |
| Numerous entities are supporting NDE early literacy implementation efforts. Deeper discussions will occur with the selected vendor after selection is finalized. | |
| Not provided | |
| Not provided | |
| 4. | Is NDE seeking an “out of the box” training program, or a training program that is highly customized based on NDE’s tools, resources, and expectations? |
| Any models proposed will be considered. | |
| Not provided | |
| Not provided | |
| 5. | What is the total annual budget for this project? Is the annual budget expected to remain the same for all 3 years? |
| Budget considerations are not part of the initial proposal phase. NDE funding will match the scope of the work over the designated timeline of the final project. | |
| Not provided | |
| Not provided | |
| 6. | We are interpreting sustained coaching cycles as one-on-one coaching. Is that a correct assumption, or would other types of coaching, such as group coaching, be possible? Please provide details on preferences. |
| Coaching may include multiple scenarios. Group coaching will be expected, and individual coaching may follow. Proposals may include any coaching models. | |
| Glossary of terms |
| 5 |
| Can vendors anticipate that if contracts are renewed in subsequent years, can the vendor assume that the renewal contracts begin in June and continue for 12 months, or is their another time period for renewals? |
| Contracts will be negotiated when the scope of the project has been identified. |
| General |
| 18 |
| The RFP notes that the “final Contract” will include “NDE Appendix B – Contract for Services.” After the Master Agreement, will the “final Contract” for services be with NDE or with districts, or is some other mechanism involved? |
| The final contract will be with the Nebraska Department of Education. |
| Scope of Services |
| 1 |
| The RFP says “the purpose of selecting qualified bidders to establish a vendor pool under a Master Agreement for a comprehensive multi-year literacy training system for school, district, and other education leaders.” How many vendors does NDE expect to award a Master Agreement? Is there a minimum or maximum number of bidders that NDE expects to award? |
| There is no established minimum or maximum number designated. |
| V.C. Project Environment |
| 32 |
| The RFP says that the project will be implemented with “up to 1800 education leaders.” Should each bidder assume that they should propose a project that would serve up to 1800 leaders over the 5-year project, or should bidders propose a project that services only a subset of the 1800? |
| The project should assume the full scope of the designated number of Nebraska education leaders. |
| V.C. Project Environment |
| 32 |
| The RFP says that the project will be implemented with “up to 1800 education leaders.” Will NDE require leaders to participate? If not, will NDE recruit leaders to participate, or will the Vendor be responsible for recruiting participants? |
| Leaders will not be required to participate. The NDE will partner with the selected vendor(s) to provide introductory materials and information designed to attract and retain participants. |
| V.C. Project Environment |
| 32 |
| The RFP says that the project will be “based on a cohort model.” Will there be one cohort each year? If not, how many cohorts does NDE anticipate participating each year? |
| The number of cohorts will be determined after final vendor selection through the planning phase. |
| V.C. Project Environment |
| 32 |
| The RFP says that the project will be “based on a cohort model.” How many participants per cohort does NDE anticipate? Will there be a minimum and/or maximum number of participants per cohort? |
| This will be determined after final vendor selection. Proposals may include required or preferred numbers of cohort participation. |
| VI.A.1.h Summary of Bidder’s Corporate Experience |
| 36 |
| Should the summary matrix list only 3 previous projects? Or should the matrix include a longer list of relevant projects, supplemented with three narrative project descriptions? |
| This is at the vendor's discretion. The three most relevent would be sufficient but more may be provided. |
| Section V — Project Environment |
| Not provided |
| The RFP states the project will be implemented with 'up to 1,800 education leaders.' Will NDE provide a target participation breakdown by role (e.g., building principals, superintendents, district leaders, instructional coaches) and/or by district size or region to inform cohort design and recruitment planning? |
| Yes. |
Section V — Project Environment
| The RFP identifies the target audience as 'PK-12 building principals, superintendents, and/or other leaders that may include other district leaders and higher education faculty.' Should bidders design a single unified program serving all of these roles, or design differentiated tracks by role? Is the inclusion of higher education faculty a primary or optional scope element? |
| Either or both models may be proposed. Higher education faculty would not be considered as a primary participant, but an allowable group that may be included. |
Section V — Work Plan
| The RFP requires that 'Work must be ready to commence with the first cohort in summer 2026.' Does 'commence' require a full in-person session, the first virtual session, or a planning convening? Please clarify the minimum acceptable activity that satisfies the July 2026 start requirement. |
| The NDE desires to begin training opportunities with the summer of July 2026 with minimal time needed to finalize plans. |
Section V — Perform Implementation
| The RFP requires 'evidence of implementation of literacy supports in classrooms including measurable gains in student achievement.' Given that leaders (not teachers) are the direct participants, what level of evidence will NDE accept for student achievement impact — for example, school-level screening trend data, teacher observation data, or district-level NSCAS trend analysis — and over what timeframe is this expected to be measurable? |
| School-level screening trend data, classroom observation data, especially as measured by NDE's Instructional Practice Guides (IPGs). The timeframe for reading screener assessment data would be between administrations (administered 3x per year in grades K-3) and classroom observation data would be at semester intervals. |
Section V — Post-Implementation Support
| The RFP requires 'support for leaders to implement literacy practices... for a period of time after the cohort has ended for at least one (1) year.' Does this requirement apply beginning immediately after the last session of each cohort, or from the conclusion of the full contract term? What forms of post-cohort support will satisfy this requirement (e.g., optional community of practice sessions, coaching check-ins, access to recorded materials)? |
| This would be at the vendor's discretion, based on what has worked previously. The intent is for leaders to have some ongoing support as they apply information gained through their participation in a cohort. |
Section V — Project Requirements
| The RFP states the contractor 'will work in close partnership with NDE staff and operate within a hybrid engagement model that includes both in-person and virtual activities and onsite coaching.' How many in-person events per year does NDE anticipate, and what geographic locations are preferred? Will NDE provide venue support, or is the contractor responsible for identifying and contracting venues? |
| The number of events will be determined after final vendor selection is finalized. NDE will provide venue support including idenfying and contracting as needed. |
Section V — Project Requirements
| Regarding onsite coaching: is NDE expecting individual school-site visits to participants' buildings, or group-based in-person coaching sessions at a central location? Or is either acceptable? Clarification on the format and frequency of the expected coaching model will meaningfully affect both program design and cost. |
| Vendors should propose their ideal scenario or current model that has provided effective coaching with demonstrated results. |
Attachment A — Cost Sheet (Years 1–5)
| The Vendor Cost Sheet is structured around three deliverable categories (Project Planning & Management; Participant Engagement and Support; Coaching for Leaders) with per-cohort pricing requested for the latter two. For the purposes of bidder comparability, does NDE have a minimum or target cohort size, or should bidders propose a cohort size as part of their response and price accordingly? |
| NDE has no established minimum or target cohort size. Vendors should propose the desired cohort size with corresponding costs. |
Attachment A — Cost Sheet
| The cost sheet spans five years (Year 1 through Year 5). The RFP's business requirements state that work must be ready for Cohort 1 in summer 2026 'with a plan for additional cohorts through 2028,' which suggests a three-year delivery window. How should bidders interpret Years 4 and 5 of the cost sheet — are these intended for post-cohort support, continued new cohorts, or a contract renewal option? Alignment with the CLSD grant term (through September 30, 2029) would also be helpful context. |
| Vendors should be able to provide an initial three-year overview to support multiple cohorts of leaders. Contracts will be issued on a one-year basis, with renewal options for up to four additional one-year periods. This project may extend beyond Nebraska's CLSD grant period at the discretion of NDE. |
Section V — Deliverables
| The RFP requires alignment to 'CLSD grant expectations (if applicable).' Could NDE clarify which specific CLSD reporting or compliance requirements this contract will be subject to, and whether CLSD-specific data collection or reporting formats will be required of the selected vendor? |
| The NDE is committed to coherence among literacy initiatives and seeks alignment with the CLSD goals of 1) Cohesion and alignment of statewide tools and resources; 2) Statewide teacher and leader training and preparation in structured literacy and the Science of Reading encompassing strategies from early childhood through adult literacy; and 3) Support the selection, implementation, and continuation of high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) and evidence-based practices to promote adequacy in resources for underserved students in school settings. CLSD-specific data collection or reporting formats will not be required of the selected vendor. |
Section V — Project Overview
| The RFP states NDE is 'selecting qualified bidders to establish a vendor pool under a Master Agreement.' Does NDE anticipate selecting multiple vendors, and if so, how will work be allocated across the pool (e.g., by region, by cohort, by participant role)? Would vendors in the pool compete for individual task orders, or would the full scope (or identified elements of the scope) be awarded to a single primary vendor? |
| That would be determined after the pool is established. |
Section VI — Corporate Experience
| The RFP requires 'demonstrated experience providing literacy leadership training on a statewide basis.' Does 'statewide' require experience within Nebraska specifically, or will comparable statewide experience in other states be evaluated as meeting this requirement? |
| Comparable statewide experience is acceptable. |
| V. Project Description and Scope of Work |
| 32 |
| Regarding the hybrid delivery model, does the NDE anticipate a larger proportion of onsite interactions over remote interactions? What is the preferred ratio between remote and onsite interactions, if any? |
| There is no preferred ratio, and the capacity to do both formats well is the priority. |
| V. D. Project Requirements |
| 32 |
| Is there a requirement that any project staff reside in Nebraska (e.g. Project manager, facilitators, coaches)? |
| There is no requirement that project staff reside in Nebraska. The vendor proposal should reflect sufficient onsite work to accomplish the goals of the project. |
| V. F. Scope of Work |
| 33 |
| What is the recommended, minimum and/or maximum number of participants per cohort? |
| Proposals may include required or preferred numbers of cohort participation. |
| V. F. Scope of Work |
| 33 |
| Are there specific requirements or preferences regarding engagement models or cohort-based delivery that should inform our proposal design? |
| No |
| NA |
| NA |
| Is there an anticipated pilot phase before full implementation? What would be the duration? |
| No |