RFI - IES Peer Review Support_ DRAFT.pdf

FAR 16.505 Toolkit Template Version 1.0 Page 1

U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences

Request for Information (RFI) Scientific Peer Review Support for the Institute of Education Sciences (IES)

January XX, 2026

PLEASE NOTE: All information contained in this notice is preliminary in nature and subject to change. This notice is issued solely for information and planning purposes and does not constitute a Request for Proposals (RFP), Request for Quotations (RFQ), Invitation for Bids (IFB), or a commitment on the part of the Government to conduct a solicitation in the future. All information provided is strictly voluntary and no reimbursement will be made by the Government for any costs associated with providing a response to this notice or otherwise participating in market research activities. Further, the U.S. Department of Education offers no assurance that a solicitation will result from this notice.

1. Overview The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) possibly plans to award a new contract or task order for integrated support of its scientific peer review activities. This includes the scientific review of discretionary research grant applications, and external scientific peer review of report manuscripts, unsolicited grant applications, and grant supplement applications. In addition to the peer review activities, the contract will provide information technology support to operate and maintain the online application processing, peer review management and applicant notification system providing critical infrastructure for IES known as PRIMO (Peer Review Management Online). IES seeks written information from vendors about their capability to manage and execute the full scope of peer review operations as described in the attached draft Performance Work Statement (PWS).

2. Description of the Requirement As required by the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA), IES conducts rigorous scientific peer review of applications to IES research grant competitions and of IES reports prior to publication. Such peer review is one of the ways that IES ensures that we fund high quality research that will result in trustworthy evidence on which to ground education policy and practice.

The contractor will be responsible for:

• Managing virtual and in-person scientific peer review panels for research grant applications.

• Maintaining and supporting the Peer Review Information Management Online (PRIMO) system.

• Operating a help desk and providing technical support.

• Supporting grant application processing, external reviewer recruitment, onboarding, honorarium processing, and conflict of interest tracking.

• Coordinating panel logistics, reviewer communications, and training.

• Preparing peer review summary statements for each application, and scoring reports.

• Communicating with applicants through the Applicant Notification System module of

PRIMO

• Ensuring compliance with federal IT, accessibility, cybersecurity, and privacy standards.

The contractor must be able to support a high volume of research grant applications and external peer reviewers across multiple review cycles annually, as well as a smaller number of reviews of IES reports, unsolicited grant applications, and applications for grant supplements, and be able to operate within a firm fixed price contract structure.

3. Information Requested The Institute of Education Sciences is requesting responses to the questions below:

(a) Please provide a brief description of your organization’s prior experience in managing research grant scientific peer review panels and in managing scientific peer review activities for report manuscripts; If you can, please describe at least two examples of successful past experience managing all aspects of scientific peer review activities. Please Include details on the specific tasks performed and the level of effort required.

(b) Please describe your organization’s experience operating and maintaining a web-based platform that supports all aspects of scientific peer review of research grant applications, from receipt of applications through facilitating activities during the peer review panel meetings and post-review activities, including operating a helpdesk, and a portal through which applicants can receive review feedback; and all aspects of report manuscript scientific peer review, including receiving report manuscripts and making these manuscripts and other reviewer materials available to reviewers, and receiving completed reviews. Please include examples of any systems you have experience with that support reviewer and applicant portals. Please Include details on the specific IT operations and maintenance support provided and the level of effort required.

(c) Please provide any feedback or questions you may have related to this requirement and the draft Performance Work Statement, including considerations and ideas for structuring the procurement as a firm fixed price contract.

(d) Please describe your organization’s experience complying with federal requirements relevant to this work, including the Paperwork Reduction Act, Section 508 accessibility standards, cybersecurity protocols, and privacy regulations.

(e) Please indicate whether the services and labor categories required are available on an existing ED contract or your current GSA Schedule. Include the relevant contract number and your business size status at the time of award.

(f) Please indicate whether you believe that the DRAFT Peer Review PWS contains any unduly restrictive language or content. Why? Please cite specific examples and provide feedback.

4. Submission Instructions Responses shall not exceed 8 pages. All responses are to be submitted via email to the POC listed below.

Responses to the RFI are due no later than 12pm ET, February 4, 2026. Responses shall be submitted via email to the POC listed below.

5. Contact Information

Points of Contact

Name Role Title E-mail

Primary Point of Contact

Anastasia Jones Contract Specialist

Anastasia.Jones@ed.gov mailto:Anastasia.Jones@ed.gov