Q and A - COMMBUYS 10.13.26.docx
DOCX document 107 KB Posted
- Solicitation number
- BD-27-1026-DOE02-DOE01-134176
- Issued by
- Essex County, Massachusetts
About this file
This is a Questions and Answers document issued by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) for a statewide contract opportunity (COMMBUYS Bid #: BD-27-1026-DOE02-DOE01-134176, Alternate ID: 27TALLB2) regarding teacher apprenticeship support and professional development services. The contract requires the selected vendor to deliver services including monthly new-journeyworker training sessions from September through April, two annual convenings (with the fall convening scheduled for November 20, 2026), curriculum development and module revision for 19 Rise 360 training modules, monthly individual coaching appointments for journeyworkers, four Cohort 1 site visits across Massachusetts districts, and year-three curriculum work. The scope includes support for Cohort 1 (approximately 41 apprentices with corresponding journeyworkers across seven districts, comprising approximately 27 returning and 14 new journeyworkers) and planning-year support for Cohort 2 (10 districts without yet-registered apprentices). The proposal deadline was October 20, 2026, with a Q&A close date of October 13, 2026 at 12:00 PM. The contract encompasses fiscal year 2027 with a proposed continuation into fiscal year 2028.
Bidders may demonstrate required qualifications through employees, consultants, and subcontractors performing the relevant work, with experience from separate documented projects accepted for qualification criteria. DESE and the selected vendor will coordinate logistics for convenings and determine access to Rise 360 modules, including licensing and technical support needs. Bidders should clearly identify technology assumptions, vendor travel requirements, and staffing or subcontracting arrangements in their proposals. The vendor will assume transition responsibilities after contract finalization, with DESE staff continuing to support coordination and implementation. Performance measures include thresholds ranging from 85% to 90% with a Year 1 goal of meeting the stated measure as written. Any proposed staff or subcontractors working outside the United States must be identified with descriptions of their work and whether they require access to DESE systems or participant information, subject to Commonwealth and DESE privacy and data security requirements. Participant travel and stipends should not be included in budgets unless specifically identified in the RFP.
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Other files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| FY26 State Forms - April 2026.pdf | ||
| Attachment B - Contact Form~1.docx | DOCX document | |
| RFR - Required Specifications from OSD 10.1.21.docx | DOCX document | |
| 27TALLB2- Bid - final.docx | DOCX document | |
| DESE Required Language 10-2025.docx | DOCX document | |
| 27TALLB2- Measures - Final.docx | DOCX document | |
| IT RFR Required Specifications.doc | DOC document | |
| 27TALLB2 - Attachment A - Final.docx | DOCX document | |
| 27TALLB2- Scorecard - Final.docx | DOCX document | |
| IP Language.docx | DOCX document | |
| Small Business Program Plan Language.docx | DOCX document | |
| Prompt Pay Discount - PPD Form.docx | DOCX document |
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135 Santilli Highway, Everett, MA 02149 | 781.338.3000 | TTY: N.E.T. Relay (800).439.2370
Questions and Answers
Questions submitted on COMMBUYS, via the Q & A tab
Alternate ID: 27TALLB2 COMMBUYS Bid #: BD-27-1026-DOE02-DOE01-134176 Q & A Close Date: 10/13/26 Q & A Close Time: 12:00 PM
Date submitted on COMMBUYS
Question
Answer
| 1 |
| 10/6/26 |
| May the required qualifications be demonstrated collectively through the prime contractor's proposed employees and named consultants/subcontractors who will perform the relevant services, including experience those individuals gained in prior employment? Please identify any required qualification that must instead be demonstrated through contracts previously performed by the prime organization itself. |
| Yes. Bidders may demonstrate relevant experience through the individuals who will be doing the work, including employees, consultants, and subcontractors. Please clearly identify each person’s role and the experience they bring to the project. |
| 2 |
| 10/6/26 |
| For required qualification 4, concerning sustainable mentor systems and educator-preparation partnerships, may bidders demonstrate the mentor-system and partnership components through separate documented projects? Please clarify whether school-based induction and supervising-practitioner/teacher-candidate partnership experience may satisfy this criterion, or whether districtwide system-development experience is required. |
| Yes. These experiences can come from separate projects. Relevant experience may include school-based mentoring or induction, supervising practitioner and teacher candidate partnerships, EPP partnerships, or broader mentor-system development. Please explain how the experience connects to the work outlined in the RFP. |
| 3 |
| 10/6/26 |
| Attachment A specifies eight monthly new-journeyworker sessions from September through April, although the proposal deadline is October 20, 2026. What contract start date and remaining FY2027 session schedule should bidders use for planning and pricing? Have any September/October activities already been delivered, and what transition responsibilities will the selected vendor assume? Please also provide the anticipated November convening date, if established. |
| September and October activities have already been planned or delivered. The selected vendor will begin supporting the remaining activities after the contract is finalized. DESE will work with the selected vendor on the transition and remaining schedule. The fall convening is scheduled for November 20, 2026. |
| 4 |
| 10/6/26 |
| Will the selected vendor receive editable access to all 19 Rise 360 modules and accompanying source materials? Please clarify responsibility for Articulate licenses, hosting/LMS access, integration, technical support, and accessibility testing/remediation. Are existing module samples, an accessibility assessment, or an anticipated revision list available to inform bidders' estimates? |
| Yes. The selected vendor will receive access to the existing training materials needed to complete the work. DESE will work with the selected vendor to determine access to the Rise 360 modules and address licensing, hosting, accessibility, and technical needs. Bidders should identify any technology or licensing assumptions included in their proposal. |
| 5 |
| 10/6/26 |
| Please provide the anticipated numbers of new journeyworkers, returning journeyworkers, and program coordinators to be served in FY2027, and clarify which services include Cohort 2 planning-year districts. For monthly individual coaching, what total availability or number of 15-minute appointments is expected across the two scheduling options, and what DESE staffing support should bidders assume? |
| Cohort 1 currently includes approximately 41 apprentices and journeyworkers across seven districts, including both new and returning participants. Cohort 2 includes 10 districts/awardees in the planning year and does not yet have registered apprentices or journeyworkers. Coaching for returning journeyworkers is optional, so the number of appointments will depend on participation. DESE staff will continue to support coordination and implementation. |
| 6 |
| 10/6/26 |
| Attachment A calls for support of four Cohort 1 site visits, then describes one joint DESE/vendor visit and a second DESE-led visit. Please clarify the total number of visits across districts, the number requiring vendor attendance, and the expected preparation and follow-up for DESE-led visits. Please identify locations or geographic coverage, if available. |
| The selected vendor should plan to participate in four Cohort 1 site visits as outlined in the RFP. DESE may conduct additional site visits without the vendor. There may be some follow-up from those visits that connects to the vendor’s work with journeyworkers. The Cohort 1 districts are located across Massachusetts, so bidders should plan for in-state travel for the four required visits. |
| 7 |
| 10/6/26 |
| Within the all-inclusive FY2027 ceiling, which party is responsible for venue, catering, audiovisual services, accessibility accommodations, materials, participant travel/stipends, and registration logistics for the two convenings? For the proposed FY2028 budget, please provide any planning ceiling or assumptions concerning participant numbers, the year-three curriculum work, convenings, and module-development volume. |
| DESE and the selected vendor will coordinate the logistics for the two convenings. Bidders should focus their budget on the services and deliverables outlined in the RFP and clearly identify any assumptions they are making about venue, food, materials, audiovisual needs, accessibility, or registration. Participant travel and stipends should not be included unless specifically identified in the RFP. For FY28, bidders should provide a reasonable proposed budget based on the anticipated continuation of the work, including year-three curriculum and module development. |
| 8 |
| 10/6/26 |
| May proposed specialists perform research, instructional-design, or content-review services remotely from outside the United States when the prime and on-site delivery team provide the required Massachusetts services? Please identify applicable restrictions or approval requirements concerning work location, access to DESE platforms or participant information, and subcontractors. Could specialists working only with public or non-identifiable content be treated differently from personnel accessing restricted data? |
| Any proposed staffing or subcontracting arrangement must meet applicable Commonwealth and DESE requirements, including requirements related to privacy and data security. Bidders should identify any staff or subcontractors who would be working outside the United States, the work they would perform, and whether they would need access to DESE systems or participant information. DESE will review those arrangements as part of the procurement and contracting process. |
| 9 |
| 10/6/26 |
| In the Performance Measures document, several measures specify thresholds such as at least 90% or 85%, while the Year 1 goal column states 100%. Should 100% be interpreted as full achievement of the stated threshold, or as a separate requirement that all participants/districts achieve the outcome? Please clarify the intended denominators and evidence sources. |
| The 100% Year 1 goal means meeting the performance measure as written. For example, if the measure says at least 90% of participants will meet an outcome, achieving that 90% threshold would mean the measure was fully met. It does not mean that 100% of participants must meet the outcome. DESE and the selected vendor will work together to confirm the appropriate data sources and documentation for each measure. |
| 10 |
| 10/9/26 |
| Thank you for the clarification in Answer 5. For staffing and budget planning, does "approximately 41 apprentices and journeyworkers" refer to approximately 41 individuals combined, or approximately 41 apprentices with corresponding journeyworkers? Approximately how many new and returning journeyworkers should bidders plan to support? |
| The 41 refers to approximately 41 apprentices, each supported by a corresponding journeyworker. For planning purposes, bidders should anticipate supporting approximately 41 journeyworkers in total, including approximately 27 returning journeyworkers and 14 new journeyworkers. The exact breakdown may vary based on district staffing and apprentice placements. |
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