RFI-21st CCLC Statewide Evaluation.pdf

BIDDER MUST COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING

By signing this Request For Information form, the bidder guarantees compliance with the provisions stated in this Request for Information.

FIRM:

COMPLETE ADDRESS:

TELEPHONE NUMBER: FAX NUMBER:

SIGNATURE: DATE:

TYPED NAME & TITLE OF SIGNER:

State of Nebraska

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION FORM

RETURN TO:

Jan Handa 21st CCLC Statewide Coordinator Nebraska Department of Education 500 South 84th Street PO Box 94987 Lincoln, NE 68509-4987 Phone: 402-219-3878

SOLICITATION NUMBER RELEASE DATE

RFI NDE-21st CCLC-2023 July 10, 2023

OPENING DATE AND TIME PROCUREMENT CONTACT

July 25, 2023 2:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time Jan Handa

This form is part of the specification package and must be signed in ink and returned, along with information documents, by the opening date and time specified.

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY!

SCOPE OF SERVICE

The State of Nebraska (State), Department of Education, 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program, is issuing this Request for Information RFI NDE-21st CCLC-2018 for the purpose of gathering information to consider providers of statewide program evaluation services and continuous improvement processes, including web-based tools for grant administration.

Written questions are due no later than July 19, 2023, and should be submitted via e-mail to jan.handa@nebraska.gov.

Sealed information must be received in the Department of Education on or before July 25, 2023, 2:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time, at which time information will be publicly opened.

Bidder should submit five (5) originals of the entire RFI response.

Sealed RFI responses should be received by the date and time of RFI opening indicated above. No late information will be accepted.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION FORM ............................................................................................................ i TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................................................... ii

I. SCOPE OF THE REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

A. SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

II. RFI RESPONSE PROCEDURES

A. OFFICE AND CONTACT PERSON

B. GENERAL INFORMATION

C. COMMUNICATION WITH STATE STAFF

D. WRITTEN QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

E. SUBMISSION OF RESPONSE The following describes the requirements related to the RFI submission, handling and review by the State

F. PROPRIETARY INFORMATION

G. REQUEST FOR INFORMATION OPENING

III. PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND SCOPE OF WORK

A. PURPOSE AND BACKGROUND

B. INFORMATION REQUESTED

Form A Vendor Contact Sheet

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I. SCOPE OF THE REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

The State of Nebraska, Department of Education, 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program is issuing this Request for Information, RFI NDE-21st CCLC-2023 for the purpose of gathering information to consider providers of statewide program evaluation services and continuous improvement processes support, including web-based tools for grant administration to meet federal reporting requirements.

ALL INFORMATION PERTINENT TO THIS REQUEST FOR INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND ON

THE INTERNET AT: http://das.nebraska.gov/materiel/purchasing.html

A. SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

The State expects to adhere to the tentative procurement schedule shown below. It should be noted, however, that some dates are approximate and subject to change.

ACTIVITY DATE/TIME

1 Release Request for Information July 10, 2023 2 Last day to submit written questions July 19, 2023 3 State responds to written questions through Request for

Information “Addendum” and/or “Amendment” to be posted to the internet at:

http://das.nebraska.gov/materiel/purchasing.html

July 20, 2023

4 RFI opening Location: Nebraska Department of Education 500 South 84th Street Conference Room 230 Lincoln, NE 68509

July 25,2023

2:00 PM

Central Time http://das.nebraska.gov/materiel/purchasing.htm http://das.nebraska.gov/materiel/purchasing.html

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II. RFI RESPONSE PROCEDURES

A. OFFICE AND CONTACT PERSON

Responsibilities related to this Request for Information reside with the State Purchasing Bureau.

The point of contact for the RFI is as follows:

Name: Jan Handa Agency: Nebraska Department of Education Address: 500 South 84th Street Lincoln, NE 68509

OR

Address: PO Box 94987 Lincoln, NE 68509-4987 Telephone: 402-219-3878 E-Mail: jan.handa@nebraska.gov

B. GENERAL INFORMATION

A subsequent Request for Proposal (RFP) may not be issued as a result of this RFI. There will not be a contract as a result of this RFI and the State is not liable for any cost incurred by vendors in replying to this RFI. If an RFP is issued, the information provided will assist the State of Nebraska in developing the Request for Proposal. This RFI does not obligate the State to reply to the RFI responses, to issue an RFP, or to include any RFI provisions or responses provided by vendors in any RFP.

C. COMMUNICATION WITH STATE STAFF

From the date the Request for Information is issued and until RFI opening (as shown in the Schedule of Events), contact regarding this RFI between potential vendors and individuals employed by the State should be restricted to written communication with the staff designated above as the point of contact for this Request for Information.

The following exceptions to these restrictions are permitted:

1. written communication with the person(s) designated as the point(s) of contact for this

Request for Information;

2. contacts made pursuant to any pre-existing contracts or obligations; and

3. state-requested presentations, key personnel interviews, clarification sessions, or discussions.

Violations of these conditions may be considered sufficient cause to reject a vendor’s response to the RFI. No individual member of the State, employee of the State, or member of the Interview Committee is empowered to make binding statements regarding this RFI. The State of Nebraska will issue any clarifications or opinions regarding this RFI in writing.

D. WRITTEN QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Any explanation desired by a vendor regarding the meaning or interpretation of any Request for Information provision should be submitted in writing to the “Agency” and clearly marked “RFI Number NDE-21st CCLC-2023; 21st CCLC Evaluation Questions”. It is preferred that questions be sent via e-mail to jan.handa@nebraska.gov

It is recommended that Bidders submit questions sequentially numbered, include the RFI reference and page number using the following format.

mailto:as.materielpurchasing@nebraska.gov

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Question Number

RFI Section Reference

RFI Page Number

Question

Written answers will be provided through an addendum to be posted on the Internet at http://das.nebraska.gov/materiel/purchasing.html on or before the date shown in the Schedule of Events.

E. SUBMISSION OF RESPONSE

The following describes the requirements related to the RFI submission, handling and review by the State.

To facilitate the response review process, five (5) originals of the entire RFI response should be submitted. RFI responses should be submitted by the RFI due date and time in a sealed envelope labeled:

BID PROPOSAL RFI NDE-21ST CCLC-2023

DO NOT OPEN

Place the sealed envelope within another envelope labeled with the delivery information.

A separate sheet must be provided that clearly states which sections have been submitted as proprietary or have copyrighted materials. RFI responses should reference the request for information number and be sent to the specified address. Please note that the address label should appear as specified on the face of each container. If a recipient phone number is required for delivery purposes, 402-219-3878 should be used. The Request for Information number must be included in all correspondence.

F. PROPRIETARY INFORMATION

Data contained in the response and all documentation provided therein, become the property of the State of Nebraska and the data become public information upon opening the response. If the vendor wishes to have any information withheld from the public, such information must fall within the definition of proprietary information contained within Nebraska’s public record statutes. All proprietary information the vendor wishes the state to withhold must be submitted in a sealed package, which is separate from the remainder of the response. The separate package must be clearly marked PROPRIETARY on the outside of the package. Vendor may not mark their entire Request for Information as proprietary. Failure of the vendor to follow the instructions for submitting proprietary and copyrighted information may result in the information being viewed by other vendors and the public. Proprietary information is defined as trade secrets, academic and scientific research work which is in progress and unpublished, and other information which if released would give advantage to business competitors and serve no public purpose (see Neb. Rev. Stat. § 84-712.05(3)). In accordance with Attorney General Opinions 92068 and 97033, vendors submitting information as proprietary may be required to prove specific, named competitor(s) who would be advantaged by release of the information and the specific advantage the competitor(s) would receive. Although every effort will be made to withhold information that is properly submitted as proprietary and meets the State’s definition of proprietary information, the State is under no obligation to maintain the confidentiality of proprietary information and accepts no liability for the release of such information.

G. REQUEST FOR INFORMATION OPENING

The sealed responses will be publicly opened and the responding entities announced on the date, time, and location shown in the Schedule of Events. Responses will be available for viewing by those present after the opening. Vendors may also contact the state to schedule an appointment for viewing RFI responses.

http://das.nebraska.gov/materiel/purchasing.html

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III. PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND SCOPE OF WORK

The bidder should provide the following information in response to this Request for Information.

A. PURPOSE AND BACKGROUND

The Nebraska Department of Education, 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) federal grant program has contracted for statewide evaluation and continuous improvement processes with the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Monroe-Meyer Institute (MMI) since 2002. This information will be used to review whether the 21st CCLC program should undertake a new procurement action and issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a new statewide evaluation contractor.

MMI staff developed and implement all statewide evaluation and continuous improvement processes and provide technical assistance for 141 Nebraska sites funded by approximately $6.3 million in 21st CCLC federal grants, as well as over 150 sites offering supplemental services funded by a state-funded Expanded Learning Opportunity Grant. The current contract with MMI includes enhancement of and support for the MMI-developed online database that is used by all Nebraska grantees to collect required data. The current annual contract amount is $221,619 and includes all statewide evaluation services including external observations of approximately 60 sites per year, survey administration and data utilization including the annual Continuous Improvement Process Data Snapshots. The contract also includes assisting grantees completing the federally-required Annual Performance Report, conducting selected on-site consultative meetings at grantee sites and coordination of measurement tools, including online survey development and dissemination, development of survey reports and training activities.

The current annual contract includes demonstrated capacity to meet federal security criteria to continue API process providing required data to the US Department of Education. The current contract also includes development of a comprehensive report celebrating 20 years of Nebraska 21st CCLC.

B. INFORMATION REQUESTED

1. Describe your organization and its experience providing statewide evaluation services for a 21st CCLC program in any state.

2. Provide a description of your organization’s experience providing evaluation services for other federal grant-funded programs with similar size and scope as 21st CCLC.

3. Provide a list of federal programs in Nebraska and other states that you currently work with, including scope of work and length of tenure.

4. Provide a description of your organization’s experience providing site level evaluation services to afterschool and summer program providers.

5. Describe the capacity of your organization to provide technical assistance to approximately 55 grantees providing services in over 140 sites.

6. Provide a description of how your organization would utilize a continuous improvement process for program improvement in afterschool and summer programs.

7. Provide a description of your organization’s experience synthesizing available research and information, including stakeholder input, to formulate a short and long-term plan to develop and pilot a new initiative.

8. Provide a description of your organization’s experience developing and administering on-line measurement tools to collect information from K-12 students, parents, teachers, staff and community partners.

9. Provide a description of your organization’s experience designing and implementing a program evaluation plan, coordinating all data gathering and analysis activities, and completing site-level and statewide annual evaluation reports.

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10. Describe your organization’s capacity to train staff to reliability on an observation tool and oversee the site observations at various locations across Nebraska.

11. Describe the expertise of your organization to analyze data to create an annual evaluation report that identifies trends, key concepts and areas for improvement.

12. Describe your organization’s capacity to participate in monthly technical assistance Zoom calls and travel to annual regional and statewide meetings to share resources developed to support implementation of evaluation and reporting tools.

13. Provide a description of your organization’s expertise designing, maintaining and providing assistance to new and veteran users of online databases.

14. Describe how you work with current clients to resolve issues encountered at the state or local level.

15. Describe your organization’s experience creating a culminating multi-year retrospective report.

16. Describe your organization’s past experience that demonstrates flexibility to adapt to new initiatives or revised federal reporting requirements.

17. Describe your organization’s expertise and capacity to provide research support for an Education Innovation Research grant-funded study of the social-emotional strategies developed by Harvard University’s EASEL Lab to be implemented in up to 90 Nebraska 21st CCLC sites.

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Form A

Vendor Contact Sheet

Request for Information Number NDE-21st CCLC-2023

Form A should be completed and submitted with each response to this solicitation document. This is intended to provide the State with information on the vendor’s name and address, and the specific persons who are responsible for preparation of the vendor’s response.

Preparation of Response Contact Information Vendor Name:

Vendor Address:

Contact Person & Title:

E-mail Address:

Telephone Number (Office):

Telephone Number (Cellular):

Each vendor shall also designate a specific contact person who will be responsible for responding to the State if any clarifications of the vendor’s response should become necessary. This will also be the person who the State contacts to set up a presentation/demonstration, if required.

Communication with the State Contact Information Vendor Name:

Vendor Address:

Contact Person & Title:

E-mail Address:

Telephone Number (Office):

Telephone Number (Cellular):