Request for Information (RFI) School Choice Education Voucher Platform.pdf

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION - HE125426RFI0007

School Choice Education Voucher Platform

1.0 Description

1.1 The Department of War Education Activity (DoWEA) seeks information on how an interested contractor could provide a commercially available, proven platform to administer proposed school choice education voucher program. This program is expected to support approximately 11,000 dependents of military personnel located at US bases/installations. The annual budget is estimated at $175 million.

1.2 DoWEA anticipates making one award for a one base year and four option years. The anticipated NAICS code for this requirement is 518210 (Data Processing, Hosting, and Related Services). Note: Release of formal solicitation is contingent on the enactment of pending legislative authority and appropriation of funds.

1.3 This request for information (RFI) is issued solely for information and planning and does not constitute a request for quote (RFQ) or a promise to issue an RFQ in the future.

The Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this RFI;

i.e., all costs associated with responding to this RFI are solely the responder’s responsibility.

Not responding to the RFI does not preclude a contractor from responding to a future RFQ/RFP. If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized on the SAM.gov website. Potential responders are responsible for monitoring the relevant site for additional information pertaining to this requirement.

2.0 Overview

2.1 Agency Background: DoWEA provides PK-12 instruction in 160 schools to approximately 65,000 dependents of active-duty military and civilian employees globally. Our network spans the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and the Pacific. DoWEA also operates a fully accredited virtual high school. While DoWEA has considerable experience administering large-scale grant and tuition payment programs, this specific voucher structure represents a new initiative.

2.2 Legislative Contingency: The Department of War submitted a FY 2027 legislative proposal to authorize a school choice pilot program for active-duty Service members. As stated above, program execution is strictly contingent upon the enactment of the necessary legislative authority and funds appropriation.

2.3 Requirements: Interested vendors must have a commercially available, proven solution with enterprise-level financial controls capable of supporting rigorous federal audit standards. The platform must adhere to all Federal cybersecurity mandates, including FedRAMP authorization and DoD Cloud SRG Impact Level 4 (IL4) or higher for the protection of Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). DoWEA anticipates the successful solution will meet or exceed the following requirements:

Core Platform Capabilities

Mechanisms

Voucher Management System

Baseline Standards: Proven framework to ensure participating schools, tutors, and homeschool‑support entities meet legal, health, and safety standards.

Family & Student Portal

Verification: Mechanisms requiring providers to follow reporting requirements (e.g., enrollment reporting, test submission, participation confirmation).

School & Provider Management

Homeschool Oversight: Enhanced oversight of homeschool vouchers to ensure adherence to applicable state laws and documentation of tutor hours.

Financial Processing & Compliance

Rule-Based Spending: Ensuring spending is strictly rule-based, tracked in real-time, and maintained in an audit-ready posture at all times.

Fraud Prevention Audit Regime: Robust risk-based, random, and triggered audits initiated by suspicious purchases, complaints, or missing documentation. Includes reviews of total funds distributed, program compliance, and internal controls.

Data & Outcomes Tracking

Reporting: Secure mechanisms to aggregate student performance and program utilization data to assess efficacy and to meet reporting requirements, while protecting user privacy (CUI).

Core Platform Capabilities

Mechanisms

Support & Communication Tools

Accessibility: Automated archiving of all platform communications (helpdesk tickets, disputes) to support eDiscovery, dispute resolution, and Section 508 accessibility compliance.

AI-Driven Optimization Transparency: Framework to ensure AI/ML models used for fraud detection or fund optimization are transparent, auditable, and allow for Human-in-the-Loop (HITL) review and override.

3.0 Responses

3.1 Interested parties are requested to respond to this RFI using Microsoft Word or a compatible format. We fully realize that you will be able to give a much more refined answer once the solicitation is released, but we hope you can provide some general information in this regard based on your experience. Please include the following information:

3.1.1 Administration & Subcontracting

Company name, DBA name (if applicable), mailing address, CAGE code, unique entity identifier (UEI), and North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes.

Designated point of contact’s name, title, phone number, and email address.

Describe, if applicable, any subcontracting possibilities.

3.1.2 Capability: Describe your proposed proven solution in terms of the following:

1) Technical Capability: What is the quality of its system architecture, scalability, API integration, and uptime history?

2) Product Effectiveness: How well does it meet the needs of families, schools, and administrators as measured by user engagement, independent reviews, usability for diverse populations, processing speed/accuracy, and parent satisfaction.

3) Operational Capacity: What is its record for large-scale deployments, client relationships/ customer support, and implementation methodology?

4) Financial Strength: What is your company’s financial health in terms of revenue stability, growth trajectory, financial controls, and audit history?

5) Security: To what extent does your solution meet or exceed Federal and state laws and regulations to include meeting privacy and US citizenship requirements. Note: All Contractor personnel, including any third-party penetration (PEN) or security testers, who have access or may potentially have access to Agency data in any form shall be US citizens or US nationals as defined by 8 U.S.C.

§1408 or shall be US persons as defined by 22 C.F.R. §120.62.

6) Onboarding & Training: Briefly describe your recommended training/onboarding for both direct support staff and senior leadership to include approximate time required for each category.

7) Success: To what extent is your proposed solution unique and how does that uniqueness contribute to program success?

3.1.3 Federal Support: What level of Government staffing is required to support your solution? Please specify probable GS levels and time commitments (e.g., GS 9-11 @0.5 FTE).

3.1.4 Pricing: Provide a non-binding price estimate or estimated range—that will be kept confidential— for a base year and four option years. Please show a detailed breakdown of your pricing.

3.1.5 Recommendations: Please provide any recommendations you believe might improve the Government’s performance work statement.

3.2 Proprietary information, if any, should be minimized and be clearly marked. Please segregate the proprietary information. Note: All submissions become Government property and will not be returned.

4.0 Industry Discussions

DoWEA representatives may or may not choose to speak with potential offerors. Such discussions would only be intended to get greater clarification on such things as capability and pricing.

5.0 Questions

Questions regarding this announcement shall be submitted by email to Contract Specialist, Emilio Silva-Figueroa at emilio.silvafigueroa@dodea.edu & ShaHannah Brown, Contracting Officer, at shahannah.brown@dodea.edu.

Verbal questions will not be accepted. Questions will be answered via email and will not contain proprietary or classified information. The Government does not guarantee that questions received after Thursday, June 11 will be answered.

6.0 Summary

This RFI is issued solely for information and planning and does not constitute an RFQ/RFP. The information herein is subject to change and not binding on the Government. Release of this RFI is not a commitment that DoWEA will issue an RFQ/RFP in the future or that it authorizes costs to be incurred for which reimbursement would be required or sought. All submissions become Government property and will not be returned.

SUSPENSE

Submit your RFI response no later than 1PM EST on Thursday, June 18. Please email your responses to Contract Specialist, Emilio Silva-Figueroa at emilio.silvafigueroa@dodea.edu & ShaHannah Brown, Contracting Officer, at shahannah.brown@dodea.edu.