RFP 2026-03 - IPTN Facilitation FINAL.pdf

STATE OF WASHINGTON

OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION

OLYMPIA, WASHINGTON

PRE-BID CONFERENCE: 10:00 a.m., Pacific Time (PT) on September 2, 2025

PROPOSAL DUE DATE: 3:00 p.m., Pacific Time (PT) on September 16, 2025

ESTIMATED CONTRACT PERIOD: November 17, 2025, through September 30, 2026, with possible renewals through FFY 2027, 2028, & 2029, at the sole discretion of OSPI.

CONSULTANT ELIGIBILITY: This solicitation is open to those Consultants who satisfy the minimum qualifications stated herein and that are available for work in Washington State.

SUBMIT PROPOSAL TO: contracts@k12.wa.us

All communications concerning this RFP must be directed only to the RFP Coordinator via email.

Any other communication will be considered unofficial and non-binding on OSPI. Consultants are to rely on written statements issued by the RFP Coordinator. Communication directed to parties other than the RFP Coordinator may result in disqualification of the Consultant.

This RFP is available at the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) website and at the Department of Enterprise Services, Washington Electronic Business Solution (WEBS)

Procurement website. All RFP amendments and/or Consultant questions and OSPI answers will be posted to these sites. All interested Consultants must be registered with WEBS under the following commodity codes to receive automatic notifications: 918-38: Education and Training

Consulting; 924-05: Advisory Services, Educational; 924-18: Educational Services, Alternative;

924-71: School Operation and Management Services; 924-74: Special Education

OSPI, and its contractors and subcontractors, must not discriminate in any programs or services based on sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, marital status, honorably discharged veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity, disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability, and must comply with state and federal nondiscrimination laws, including Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the

Americans with Disabilities Act, and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Questions and complaints of alleged discrimination should be directed to the Equity and Civil Rights Director at 360-725-6162/TTY: 360-

664-3631; or P.O. Box 47200, Olympia, WA 98504-7200; or equity@k12.wa.us.

Request for Proposals No. 2026-03

Inclusionary Practices Technical Assistance

Network (IPTN) Facilitation mailto:contracts@k12.wa.us https://www.k12.wa.us/about-ospi/contracting-ospi/competitive-procurements https://des.wa.gov/sell/how-work-state https://des.wa.gov/sell/how-work-state mailto:equity@k12.wa.us

RFP No. 2026-03 Page 2 of 72

Rev. 05/24

Table of Contents

Section A. SCOPE & REQUIREMENTS

A.1. DEFINITIONS

A.2. PURPOSE OF REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

A.3. BACKGROUND

A.4. OBJECTIVE AND SCOPE OF WORK

A.5. BIDDER QUALIFICATIONS

A.6. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

A.7. FUNDING

A.8. AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT

Section B. GENERAL INFORMATION FOR BIDDERS

B.1. RFP COORDINATOR

B.2. QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

B.3. ESTIMATED SCHEDULE OF PROCUREMENT ACTIVITIES

B.4. PRE-BID CONFERENCE

B.5. COMPLAINT PROCEDURE

B.6. PROPRIETARY INFORMATION/PUBLIC DISCLOSURE

B.7. ADDENDUMS AND AMENDMENTS TO THE RFP

B.8. SMALL BUSINESS, MINORITY & WOMEN’S BUSINESS ENTERPRISES (MWBE),

AND VETERAN-OWNED BUSINESS PARTICIPATION

B.9. ETHICS, POLICIES, & LAW

B.10. ACCEPTANCE PERIOD

B.11. RESPONSIVENESS

B.12. MOST FAVORABLE TERMS

B.13. CONTRACT AND GENERAL TERMS & CONDITIONS

B.14. COSTS TO PROPOSE

B.15. NO OBLIGATION TO CONTRACT

B.16. REJECTION OF PROPOSALS

B.17. COMMITMENT OF FUNDS

RFP No. 2026-03 Page 3 of 72

B.18. STATEWIDE VENDOR PAYMENT REGISTRATION

B.19. WASHINGTON STATE BUSINESS REGISTRATION

B.20. INSURANCE COVERAGE

Section C. PROPOSAL CONTENTS

C.1. SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS

C.2. PROPOSAL OVERVIEW

C.3. LETTER OF SUBMITTAL

C.4. TECHNICAL PROPOSAL

C.5. MANAGEMENT PROPOSAL

C.6. COST PROPOSAL

Section D. EVALUATION AND AWARD

D.1. EVALUATION PROCEDURE

D.2. EVALUATION AND SCORING

D.3. REFERENCE CHECKS

D.4. INTERVIEW/DEMONSTRATION

D.5. SELECTION OF APPARENT SUCCESSFUL BIDDER

D.6. NOTIFICATION TO BIDDERS

D.7. DEBRIEFING OF UNSUCCESSFUL BIDDERS

D.8. PROTEST PROCEDURE

D.9. ADDITIONAL AWARDS

Section E. RFP EXHIBITS

EXHIBIT A

EXHIBIT B

EXHIBIT D

EXHIBIT E

EXHIBIT F

EXHIBIT G

EXHIBIT H

EXHIBIT I

RFP No. 2026-03 Page 4 of 72

Section A. SCOPE & REQUIREMENTS

This section describes the purpose of the RFP and provides information about this procurement, including the potential scope of the opportunity and requirements.

A.1. DEFINITIONS

Definitions for the purposes of this RFP include:

Agency or OSPI – The Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction; the entity issuing this RFP.

Amendment – A unilateral change to the Solicitation that is issued by OSPI at its sole discretion and posted on WEBS and OSPI’s website.

Apparent Successful Bidder (ASB) – A Bidder submitting a response to this Solicitation that is evaluated and is identified and announced by OSPI as providing the best value to the Agency.

Upon execution of a Contract, the ASB is referred to as the successful Bidder or the Contractor.

Bid – An offer, proposal, or quote for goods or services submitted in response to this RFP.

Bidder – Individual organization, public or private agency submitting a proposal to attain a contract with OSPI. For purposes of this Solicitation, the terms Bidder, Consultant, and Vendor are interchangeable.

Competitive Solicitation – A documented formal process providing an equal and open opportunity to Bidders or Consultants culminating in a selection based on predetermined criteria.

Complaint – A process that may be followed by a Consultant prior to the deadline for bid submission to alert OSPI of certain types of asserted deficiencies in the Solicitation.

Consultant – Individual organization, public or private agency submitting a proposal to attain a contract with OSPI. For purposes of this Solicitation, the terms Bidder, Consultant, and Vendor

Contractor – Individual or company whose proposal has been accepted by OSPI and is awarded a fully executed, written contract.

RFP No. 2026-03 Page 5 of 72

Debriefing – A short meeting an unsuccessful Bidder may request with the Coordinator following the announcement of the Apparent Successful Bidder for the purpose of receiving information regarding the review and evaluation of that Bidder’s Response.

Fiscal Year – In Washington State, a 12-month period extending from July 1 of one calendar year to June 30 of the next calendar year.

Proposal – A formal offer submitted in response to this RFP.

Proprietary Information – Information such as patents, technological information or other related information that the Bidder or Consultant does not want released or shared with the public.

Protest – A process that may be followed by a Bidder after the announcement of the Apparent

Successful Bidder to alert OSPI to certain types of alleged errors in the evaluation of the

Solicitation.

Request for Proposals (RFP) – Formal procurement document in which a service or need is identified but no specific method to achieve it has been chosen. The purpose of an RFP is to permit the consultant community to suggest various approaches to meet the need at a given price.

RCW – The Revised Code of Washington.

Responsible Bidder – An individual, organization, public or private agency, or other entity that has demonstrated the capability to meet all the requirements of the Solicitation and meets the elements of responsibility. (See RCW 39.26.160 (2))

Responsive Bidder – An individual, organization, public or private agency, or other entity who has submitted a Bid that fully conforms in all material respects to the Solicitation and all its requirements, in both form and substance.

RFP Coordinator – An individual or designee who is employed by OSPI and who is responsible for conducting this Solicitation.

Solicitation – A formal process providing an equal and open opportunity for Bidders culminating in a selection based upon predetermined criteria.

Subcontractor – An individual or other entity contracted by a Consultant to perform part of the services or to provide goods under the Contract resulting from this Solicitation. Subcontractors, if allowed, are subject to the advance approval of OSPI.

RFP No. 2026-03 Page 6 of 72

Vendor – Individual organization, public or private agency submitting a proposal to attain a contract with OSPI. For purposes of this Solicitation, the terms Bidder, Consultant, and Vendor

WEBS – Washington’s Electronic Business Solution, the Consultant notification system found at

Washington Electronic Business Solution (WEBS) Procurement website and maintained by the

Washington State Department of Enterprise Services. Consultants are encouraged to register with WEBS to receive automatic notifications about this and other procurements.

A.2. PURPOSE OF REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

The purpose of this Competitive Procurement is to receive competitive bids to evaluate and, as appropriate, award a Contract for the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to procure goods and/or services as set forth herein. Pursuant to Washington’s Procurement Code for Goods and Services, RCW chap. 39.26, state agency purchases of goods and services must be based on a competitive solicitation.

Therefore, OSPI seeks a contractor to expand and mobilize the Inclusionary Practices Technical

Assistance Network (IPTN), composed of state Technical Assistance (TA) Providers and State

Education Agency (SEA) Leaders, to improve inclusion rates specifically for Black students with an Individual Education Program (IEP) and students with an IEP who also have Intellectual and

Developmental Disabilities (IDD). The selected contractor will accomplish this goal by supporting

OSPI by putting a facilitation structure in place for the IPTN design team, support universal, targeted, and individualized technical assistance activities for IPTN member organizations, working with OSPI in establishing an IPTN advisory, and further advancing IPTN infrastructure

(e.g. website, communication tools, and network guidance documents).

A.3. BACKGROUND

Led by Superintendent Chris Reykdal, OSPI is the primary agency charged with overseeing public

K–12 education in Washington state. Working with the state's two hundred ninety-five (295) public school districts, seven (7) state-tribal education compact schools, and public charter schools, OSPI allocates funding and provides tools, resources, and technical assistance so every student in Washington is provided a high-quality public education.

The Inclusionary Practices Project (IPP) was launched in 2019 with the goal of improving

Washington state's inclusionary practices in education. At that time, Washington ranked 44th out of 50 states for inclusionary practices. The state legislature responded by funding the

Inclusionary Practices Professional Development Project to support educator training focused on inclusionary practices. Over four years, the project led to significant increases in inclusion, with statewide inclusion rates rising from 56.6% to 63.4%, and targeted pilot schools seeing an even greater jump from 44.2% to 64.9%.

https://fortress.wa.gov/ga/webs/

RFP No. 2026-03 Page 7 of 72

As the IPP evolved, its impact extended beyond individual schools to a statewide movement. It engaged over 264 school districts, reaching educators, administrators, and community partners through professional development (PD). The project brought together a diverse range of TA providers, all working collaboratively to break down silos and promote systemic, sustainable inclusion across the state.

In 2023, the Inclusionary Practices Project transitioned into the Inclusionary Practices Technical

Assistance Network (IPTN), building on the successes of IPP while expanding its scope and shifting priorities to explicitly target exclusionary practices based on statewide data. The IPTN focuses on addressing disproportionality and eliminating barriers that limit student access to general education, particularly for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and Black students with disabilities as state data show these student groups are disproportionately excluded from general education more than any others. By creating a collaborative network of support, the IPTN seeks to foster meaningful, sustained inclusion in

Washington’s schools. Additional information can be found on the IPTN website.

For greater context, currently, the IPTN is organized with this existing infrastructure and underlying concepts:

i. IPTN Theory of Action

IPTN members engage in tiered actions—reflecting on the aim, learning from advisory input, creating organizational action plans with measurable outputs and outcomes, sharing key learnings through communities of practice, providing targeted technical assistance, and supporting district partners to reimagine inclusion. These actions are expected to produce co-created resources, mobilized TA providers, and early adopter districts. The IPTN’s work is expected to lead to improved inclusion outcomes for students with disabilities, especially students experiencing the highest levels of exclusion from general education in Washington:

students with IDD and Black students with disabilities. Find the IPTN Theory of Action here: How the IPTN Works

ii. IPTN Aim Statement & Populations

Aim Statement:

“The IPTN will provide high-quality guidance, technical assistance, and professional development resources to disrupt segregated systems of disproportionality and reduce exclusionary practices in Washington schools. This will result in improved student outcomes, with additional focus on students with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) and

Black students with disabilities.”

http://www.k12.wa.us/IPTN https://ospi.k12.wa.us/student-success/support-programs/inclusionary-practices-technical-assistance-network-iptn/how-iptn-works https://ospi.k12.wa.us/student-success/support-programs/inclusionary-practices-technical-assistance-network-iptn/how-iptn-works

RFP No. 2026-03 Page 8 of 72

Aim Populations:

• Students with IDD eligible for special education

• Black students eligible for special education.

iii. IPTN Drivers

Six systemic “drivers” focus IPTN efforts through its communities of practice:

1. Data Monitoring & Analysis

2. Strategic Resource Use

3. Evidence-Based Practices & Adaptive Leadership

4. Shared Ownership ("De-siloing")

5. Family & Community Partnerships

6. Educator Recruitment & Retention

iv. IPTN Communities of Practice

These CoPs align with the six identified drivers. They enable TA providers to collaborate, engage in root cause analysis, share strategies, co-create tools, and scale practices statewide, regionally, district-wide, and at the school level.

v. IPTN Roles

• Advisory Group: Includes individuals with lived experience and/or various levels of expertise related to the aim statement to ground the work in real-world perspectives.

• Member Organizations (TA Providers): Deliver research-based and data-informed

TA, lead CoP efforts, and collaborate in one-on-one and universal offerings.

• Design Team: Coordinates network efforts, agendas, and coaching across the Tiered

Support Model.

• District Partners: Engage in pilot programs and demonstration sites to implement strategies and inform CoP learning loops.

RFP No. 2026-03 Page 9 of 72

A.4. OBJECTIVE AND SCOPE OF WORK

A.4.i. Objective: Cocreate a sustainable statewide infrastructure that supports a statewide network that results in improved outcomes for all students by focusing on the inclusion of students experiencing the highest levels of exclusion.

A.4.ii. Scope of Work:

Task 1: Design Team – Recruit two (2) to four (4) new members to the design team with sphere of influence in OSPI web development and general district TA areas. Facilitate design team strategic planning meeting with OSPI to develop five- (5-) year implementation plan, and conduct ongoing virtual one-on-one and team meetings with

OSPI focused on coordinating, facilitating, and problem-solving on IPTN related tasks and activities with progress detailed in quarterly progress reports. The design team meets weekly for one (1) hour and subsets of the team meet regularly to plan for one on ones and the IPTN member and Advisory meetings.

Task 2: IPTN Member Meetings – Create an IPTN Member Meeting Schedule, carry out monthly IPTN meetings (November 2025, through June 2026) and offer TA to IPTN members, co-facilitate communities of practice (CoPs), and support one-on-one meetings with IPTN members—all focused-on coordinating efforts to equip and empower IPTN members to support WA districts apply inclusive practices to have a positive impact on the IPTN aim student populations with progress detailed in quarterly progress reports. There are approximately sixteen (16) member organizations and one on one meetings happen three (3) times per year, and IPTN Member meetings with the comprehensive network occur approximately nine (9) times per year.

Task 3: IPTN Advisory – Create an IPTN Advisory Meeting Schedule, coordinate, and support the IPTN advisory, a board of engaged stakeholders having unique knowledge, experiences, and expertise in the focus of the network aim, to guide the focus of the network toward the actual needs of students in the WA community, especially Black students with disabilities and students with intellectual and developmental disabilities with progress detailed in quarterly progress reports. The IPTN design team meets with the advisory approximately three (3) times per year, but also seeks out their advisory on multiple occasions throughout the course of the year.

Task 4: IPTN Infrastructure – Establish and update IPTN public facing tools and resources such as documents and information for the IPTN web page, IPTN Theory of

Action, and the IPTN at-a-glance. Within these activities, OSPI will create and coordinate needed tools that arise as needed when facilitating the activities of the network.

Task 5: Evaluation – Design and carry out an evaluation plan monitoring the effectiveness of the IPTN’s efforts and the degree these efforts are creating positive http://www.k12.wa.us/IPTN

RFP No. 2026-03 Page 10 of 72 outputs and outcomes related to the network aim for the state that is communicated through a final evaluation report.

A.4.iii. Accessibility & Branding Requirements:

All documents, videos, audio records, presentations, or other deliverables required under the resulting Contract shall be produced in format, compliant with the Americans With

Disabilities Act and follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, OSPI’s formatting standard specified in Exhibit G – OSPI Americans with Disabilities Act

Compliance: Graphics and Colors, OSPI’s Brand Use Policy, OSPI’s Style Guide, and OSPI’s

Videography Style Guide which are hereby incorporated by this reference. For narrative or documentary style videos required under the resulting Contract, the final product and all raw footage shall be mailed to the OSPI Communication and Digital Media office on a hard drive furnished by the Contractor. In the event that the deliverables are not compliant, OSPI may require Contractor to promptly make modifications that will make the deliverables compliant. Additionally, OSPI shall have the right to modify or copy the deliverables in order to make them accessible and/or compliant.

A.5. BIDDER QUALIFICATIONS

Minimum Qualifications:

1. Business License

Licensed to do business in the State of Washington. If not licensed, provide a written intent to become licensed in Washington within thirty (30) calendar days of being selected as the Apparent Successful Bidder.

2. Deep Expertise in Inclusive Education

a. Expertise with evidence-based practices that promote access to general education for students with disabilities, particularly for the students in the IPTN’s aim statement (students with IDD and Black students eligible for special education services).

b. Expertise utilizing a variety of state- and district-wide metrics to evaluate progress toward inclusionary practices and detect patterns of disproportionality, communicating those metrics to a variety of audiences, and facilitating data-based reflection and decision making.

c. Demonstrated capacity to lead and scale inclusionary practices across schools, districts, and regional systems.

3. Expertise Designing Systems to Disrupt School Based Disproportionality

a. Demonstrated expertise and commitment to disrupting systems of disproportionality, with clear frameworks and tools to guide these priorities, across and within levels of systems (within districts, within state organizations, and across districts and organizations across a state).

https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG20/glance/ https://www.k12.wa.us/sites/default/files/public/communications/pubdocs/Agency-Brand-Use-Policy.pdf https://www.k12.wa.us/sites/default/files/public/communications/pubdocs/StyleGuide.pdf https://www.k12.wa.us/sites/default/files/public/communications/pubdocs/OSPI-Videography-Guidelines.pdf https://www.k12.wa.us/sites/default/files/public/communications/pubdocs/OSPI-Videography-Guidelines.pdf

RFP No. 2026-03 Page 11 of 72

b. Lived experience and or experience working directly with and centering the voices of students with IDD and Black students with disabilities, and their families, in systems design and transformation efforts.

c. Engagement and leadership in a body of work, such as a statewide network, theory of change, or a history that demonstrates experience addressing systemic equity challenges in public education systems.

4. Expertise in Implementation and Improvement Science at a Statewide Scale

a. Expertise in applying implementation science and continuous improvement methodologies, including theory of action development, feedback loops, fidelity measurement, and adaptive change strategies in state educational systems.

b. Experience guiding statewide or large multi-district initiatives using improvement science frameworks.

c. Evidence of meaningful involvement in long-term design and development of large statewide inclusion-based systems change in education.

5. Expertise in Washington Systems Change Through State-Level Coordination

a. Demonstrated ability to coordinate efforts by education TA organizations to expand and/or focus their scope of work to reflect the IPTN’s priorities, while maintaining a high degree of authentic collaboration, shared visioning, and co-creation amongst organizations to ensure coherence and growth across and within the network.

b. Demonstrated ability to design, co-lead, and continuously improve a complex, multi-tiered network – involving school districts, educational service districts

(ESDs), higher education, community-based organizations, and students and families – in alignment with the IPTN Theory of Action.

6. Strong Collaborative Orientation

a. Robust history of facilitating cross-sector collaboration, especially across providers of TA and PD, district leadership and staff in both general and special education, multilingual education, individuals with lived experience (including students, self-advocates, and family members) and community partners.

b. Experience engaging in direct coaching and collaboration with technical assistance and professional development providers.

c. History of successful partnerships with SEAs or similar entities, marked by trust, co-design, and transparent communication.

d. Demonstrated ability and willingness to align with OSPI's strategic goals and priorities from a posture of service, not control.

e. Demonstrated ability to engage respectfully and responsively with educators, families, and leaders across diverse geographic and cultural contexts.

RFP No. 2026-03 Page 12 of 72

7. Clear Capacity for Communications, Learning, and Facilitation

a. Expertise developing accessible, equity-oriented guidance, tools, and learning resources for TA and PD for a variety of target audiences in the Washington public education community.

b. Strong facilitation expertise to support statewide learning communities, advisory groups, and one-on-one meetings with individuals from member organizations.

c. Demonstrated ability translating policy, research, and data into actionable strategies for schools and districts.

8. Demonstrated Organizational Capacity, Stability, Longevity, and Responsiveness

a. Sufficient organizational capacity, staffing, infrastructure, and fiscal responsibility to support OSPI in leading a complex multi-year, multi-partner network cascading to all levels of public education in the state.

b. Infrastructure and staffing to coordinate statewide TA efforts, learning communities, advisory councils, and strategic planning related to the IPTN, including co-facilitating a dense ongoing cadence of various partner and design team meetings as directed by OSPI IPTN leadership.

c. Technical and organizational capacity to maintain and/or build upon the current depth, breadth, and complexity of the IPTN’s activities, including collaboratively coordinating and addressing needs for communications and messaging, project management, scheduling, collection of key metrics, and ongoing professional learning for network member organizations.

d. Demonstrated ability to be agile and responsive to emerging needs; policy shifts;

OSPI’s mission, vision, and strategic plan; and feedback from network participants.

9. Capacity and Willingness to Organize Work That Maintains IPTN’s Existing

Structure and Theory of Action

a. Demonstrated capacity and willingness to step into an established and successful body of work, and minimize disruptions to ongoing complex work, by ensuring a deep understanding of its existing theory of action as well as its ensuring efforts, structures, needs, metrics, and roles.

b. Proposals must demonstrate an accurate understanding of the following existing structures and underlying concepts in the IPTN, as described narratively in the

Background section above:

i. IPTN theory of action

ii. IPTN aim statement and aim populations

iii. IPTN drivers

iv. IPTN communities of practice

v. IPTN roles within the network

RFP No. 2026-03 Page 13 of 72

Consultants who do not meet these minimum qualifications will be rejected as non-responsive and will not receive further consideration. Any proposal that is rejected as non-responsive will not be evaluated or scored.

Desirable Qualifications:

To support the statewide implementation of the Inclusionary Practices Technical

Assistance Network (IPTN), OSPI seeks a partnering organization with the following qualifications:

1. Prior experience working with OSPI as a project facilitator with no record of issues on contract evaluations.

2. Demonstrated previous experience drafting and publishing guidance for a variety of audiences and levels of the educational system (e.g., district-level, state-level, students and families, education partners).

3. Capacity and expertise to support the IPTN’s reach and value by educators and partners through support with cohesive branding, packaging and formatting of guidance and other resources, graphic design, and web design.

4. Designated project manager role to support IPTN activities and efficiency.

A.6. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The period of performance of any contract resulting from this RFP is tentatively scheduled to begin on or about November 17, 2025, and end on or about September 30, 2026. The option to extend any contract resulting from this procurement shall be at the sole discretion of OSPI.

As such, OSPI reserves the right to amend to extend the contract for three (3) additional contract years through FFY 2027, 2028, & 2029. Decision to amend shall be based on sustained satisfactory performance as decided by the Contract Manager, successful completion of project objectives, and availability of funding. If OSPI provides a renewal notice to the Contractor, the

Contractor shall be obligated to enter into a contract with the same fiscal obligations as the previous Contract year, provided that OSPI and Contractor shall negotiate any revision of additional services or goals beyond those encompassed in the previous Contract.

Additional services that are appropriate to the scope of this RFP, as determined by OSPI, may be added to the resulting contract by a written amendment mutually agreed to and executed by both parties.

RFP No. 2026-03 Page 14 of 72

A.7. FUNDING

OSPI has budgeted an amount not to exceed two hundred forty thousand dollars ($240,000) for this project; however, OSPI does not represent or guarantee any minimum purchase from the resulting contract. Proposals in excess of this amount will be rejected as non-responsive and will not be evaluated.

Any applicable mileage, meals, lodging, or other travel-related expenses, will be reimbursed in accordance with Washington State travel regulations established by the Office of Financial

Management.

Any contract awarded is contingent upon the availability of funding. Bidders are encouraged to provide their most favorable and competitive cost estimate to perform the work.

One hundred percent (100%) of the funds proposed for this project will be funded using Federal money provided by Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number 84.027A (Award

H027A250074). The selected contractor must therefore comply with Federal Grant Terms and

Conditions.

A.8. AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT

OSPI complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Consultants may contact the RFP

Coordinator to receive this Request for Proposals in an alternative format.

http://www.ofm.wa.gov/policy/10.htm

RFP No. 2026-03 Page 15 of 72

Section B. GENERAL INFORMATION FOR BIDDERS

This section describes the procurement timeline and includes useful information for Bidders such as procurement procedure and state requirements.

B.1. RFP COORDINATOR

The RFP Coordinator is the sole point of contact in OSPI for this procurement. All communication between the Consultant and OSPI upon receipt of this RFP shall be with the RFP Coordinator, as follows:

Contact Information

Name: Kyla Moore

Address:

600 Washington Street South

PO Box 47200

Olympia, WA 98504-7200

Email Address: contracts@k12.wa.us

B.2. QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Any questions or communications concerning this RFP must be directed only to the RFP

Coordinator noted in Section B.1. Questions and/or inquiries must be sent via email and should include the RFP number. Consultants are to rely on written statements issued by the RFP

Coordinator. Communication directed to parties other than the RFP Coordinator will be considered unofficial and non-binding on OSPI, and may result in disqualification of the

Consultant. Answers or other applicable addenda will be posted to OSPI and WEBS in accordance with the schedule in Section B.3.

Bidders are encouraged to make any inquiry regarding the Competitive Solicitation as early in the process as possible to allow OSPI to consider and, if warranted, respond to the inquiry. If a

Bidder does not notify the Procurement Coordinator of an issue, exception, addition, or omission, such matter may be considered to be waived by the bidder for protest purposes.

mailto:contracts@k12.wa.us

RFP No. 2026-03 Page 16 of 72

B.3. ESTIMATED SCHEDULE OF PROCUREMENT ACTIVITIES

SCHEDULE OF PROCUREMENT ACTIVITIES

Action Date

OSPI issues RFP August 7, 2025

Question and Answer period August 7-September 9, OSPI hosts Pre-Bid Conference September 2, 2025 at

10:00 a.m. PT

OSPI posts Question and Answer Addendum or Amendment resulting from Pre-Bid Conference (if necessary) September 8, 2025

Last date to submit questions regarding RFP September 9, 2025

Complaints due September 9, 2025

OSPI posts final Question and Answer Addendum or

Amendment (if necessary) September 10, 2025

Proposals due September 16, 2025 at

3:00 p.m. PT

OSPI conducts evaluation of written proposals September 17-October 1, OSPI conducts oral interviews with finalists (if determined necessary by OSPI)

September 29-October 1, OSPI announces “Apparent Successful Bidder” and sends notification to unsuccessful Bidder(s) October 1, 2025

OSPI conducts debriefing conferences (if requested) As requested, per debriefing instructions

Contract negotiation begins October 1, 2025

Anticipated contract start date November 17, 2025

OSPI reserves the right to revise the above schedule.

B.4. PRE-BID CONFERENCE

A pre-bid conference is scheduled to be held on September 2, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. PT. The purpose of the pre-bid conference is to clarify the Competitive Solicitation as needed and raise any issues or concerns that bidders may have.

The pre-bid conference will be held virtually: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86281932008

All prospective Consultants should attend; however, attendance is not mandatory. Written questions may be submitted in advance to the RFP Coordinator. OSPI shall be bound only to written answers to questions. Any oral responses given at the pre-bid conference shall be considered unofficial until OSPI releases a written copy of the questions and answers from the https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86281932008

RFP No. 2026-03 Page 17 of 72 pre-bid conference. A copy of the questions and answers in the form of an Addendum will be published on the OSPI website and released on WEBS under the commodity code(s) listed on the cover page of this RFP within five (5) business days of the pre-bid conference.

Assistance for disabled, blind, or hearing-impaired persons who wish to attend the pre-bid conference is available with prior arrangement by contacting the Procurement Coordinator.

OSPI has the right to cancel or stop the pre-bid conference if no interested bidders join within thirty (30) minutes of the start.

B.5. COMPLAINT PROCEDURE

The complaint process is available to Consultants interested in this RFP. The complaint process allows Consultants to focus on the Solicitation requirements and evaluation process and raise issues with these processes early enough in the process to allow OSPI to correct a problem before proposals are submitted and time expended on evaluations.

A Consultant may submit a complaint based on any of the following:

• The Solicitation unnecessarily restricts competition;

• The Solicitation evaluation or scoring process is unfair or flawed; or

• The Solicitation requirements are inadequate or insufficient to prepare a proposal.

Consultants may submit complaints up to five (5) business days prior to the proposal due date noted in the Estimated Schedule of Procurement Activities. However, Consultants are encouraged to submit complaints as soon as possible so OSPI can rectify the issue(s) early in the process. Complaints must be submitted to the RFP Coordinator. To be considered a valid complaint, the complaint must meet the following requirements:

• Must be in writing.

• Should clearly articulate the basis for the complaint.

• Should include a proposed remedy.

Complaints not received by the deadline noted in the Estimated Schedule of Procurement

Activities will not be reviewed by OSPI. Failure by the Bidder to raise a complaint at this stage may waive its right for later consideration.

The OSPI Contracts Administrator or an employee delegated by the Contracts Administrator will review valid complaints and respond to the submitter in writing. OSPI will consider all complaints but is not required to adopt a complaint, in part or in full. OSPI’s response to the complaint is final and not subject to administrative appeal. The response, and any changes to the RFP, will be posted as an amendment to WEBS prior to the proposal due date. Any complaint addressed during the complaint process cannot be raised during the protest process.

https://www.k12.wa.us/about-ospi/contracting-ospi/competitive-procurements

RFP No. 2026-03 Page 18 of 72

B.6. PROPRIETARY INFORMATION/PUBLIC DISCLOSURE

Your entire response to this RFP is a public record and will be disclosed consistent with the

Public Records Act, Chapter 42.56 RCW. Bid submissions and evaluations are temporarily exempt from public disclosure until announcement of the ASB(s).

B.6.i. CONFIDENTIAL DOCUMENTS

For the purposes of this RFP, do not include confidential or proprietary information unless specifically requested by OSPI.

If OSPI requests confidential or proprietary information, you must clearly print the word

“Confidential” on the lower right-hand corner of each page containing the confidential or proprietary information.

B.6.i. PUBLIC RECORDS REQUESTS

If a public records request seeks your proposal and the proposal contains pages clearly marked “Confidential”, OSPI will take the following steps:

i. We will notify you. We will identify the requestor and the date that OSPI will disclose the requested records.

ii. We will give you an opportunity to seek a court order to stop OSPI from disclosing the records.

iii. We will not evaluate or defend your claim of confidentiality. We will not withhold or redact your documents without a court order.

If you have any questions, refer to the OSPI Public Records Office.

B.7. ADDENDUMS AND AMENDMENTS TO THE RFP

In the event it becomes necessary to revise any part of this RFP, an addendum or an amendment will be published on the OSPI website. For this purpose, the published Consultant questions and Agency answers, and any other pertinent information, shall be considered an addendum to the RFP. Additionally, all addenda referred to above will be released on WEBS under the commodity code(s) listed on the cover page of this RFP. Only consultants who have properly registered in WEBS will receive automatic notification of amendments or other correspondence pertaining to this RFP. For those not registered in WEBS, it will be the responsibility of interested

Consultants to check the website periodically for addenda and amendments to the RFP.

https://www.k12.wa.us/about-ospi/contact-us/ospi-public-records-request https://des.wa.gov/services/contracting-purchasing/doing-business-state/webs-registration-search-tips

RFP No. 2026-03 Page 19 of 72

B.8. SMALL BUSINESS, MINORITY & WOMEN’S BUSINESS ENTERPRISES

(MWBE), AND VETERAN-OWNED BUSINESS PARTICIPATION

In accordance with the legislative findings and policies set forth in chapter 39.19 RCW, the State of Washington encourages participation in all of its contracts by firms certified by the Office of

Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises (OMWBE). Participation may be either on a direct basis in response to this RFP or on a subcontractor basis. For more information on certification, contact the Washington Office of Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises. However, no preference points will be included in the evaluation of proposals, no minimum level of MWBE participation shall be required as a condition for receiving an award, and proposals will not be rejected or considered non-responsive on that basis.

43.60A.200 encourages the participation of Veteran and Service Member Owned Businesses certified by the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs RCW 43.60A.195. For more information on certification, contact Washington State Department of Veteran Affairs.

Additionally, per Department of Enterprise policy, agencies are encouraged to buy from in-state small business, including microbusinesses and minibusinesses.

Vendors who meet criteria set forth in chapter 39.19 RCW, should indicate status on the

Contractor Intake Form.

B.9. ETHICS, POLICIES, & LAW

This RFP, the evaluation of proposals, and any resulting contract shall be made in conformance with applicable Washington State laws and Policies.

Specific restrictions apply to contracting with current or former state employees pursuant to

RCW 42.52. Bidders should familiarize themselves with the requirements prior to submitting a proposal. Bidders shall indicate on their Contractor Intake Form any current or former state employees who are employed by, or subcontracted with, Bidder.

B.10. ACCEPTANCE PERIOD

Proposals must provide ninety (90) business days for acceptance by OSPI from the due date for receipt of proposals. OSPI may accept such bid, with or without further negotiation, at any time within such period.

B.11. RESPONSIVENESS

All proposals will be reviewed by the RFP Coordinator to determine compliance with administrative and minimum requirements and instructions specified in this RFP- i.e., does the http://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=39.19 http://omwbe.wa.gov/ http://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=43.60A.195 https://www.dva.wa.gov/veterans-their-families/veteran-owned-businesses http://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=39.19

RFP No. 2026-03 Page 20 of 72 bid include each of the required bid submittals, are the submittals complete, signed, legible.

OSPI may reject a Proposal as non-responsive at any time for any of the following reasons:

• Incomplete Response

• Submission of a Response that proposes services that deviate from the scope and technical requirements set forth in this document and Exhibit B, Sample Contract, except as permitted in an amendment to this Solicitation

• Failure to meet the minimum Bidder qualifications or to comply with any requirement set forth in this RFP, including Attachments

• Submission of incorrect, misleading or false information

• History of prior unsatisfactory contractual performance

Bidders whose proposals are found to be non-responsive shall be disqualified from further evaluation and shall be notified in writing.

The RFP Coordinator or evaluator(s) may contact any Bidder for clarification of the proposal. A

Bidder’s failure to provide requested information to OSPI within ten (10) business days may result in disqualification.

OSPI reserves the right to reject any or all bids, or portions thereof, and/or accept any portion of a bid unless the bidder stipulates all or nothing in their bid. If a proposal meets all administrative and Bidder qualification requirements and submittal instructions, OSPI shall continue with the written evaluation and, if applicable, the oral evaluation.

OSPI reserves the right at its sole discretion to waive informalities. An informality is an immaterial variation from the exact requirements of the RFP, having no effect or merely a minor or negligible effect on quality, quantity, or delivery of the goods or the quality, capability, or performance of the services being procured, and the correction or waiver of which would not affect the relative standing of, or be otherwise prejudicial, to bidders.

B.12. MOST FAVORABLE TERMS

OSPI reserves the right to make an award without further discussion of the proposal submitted.

Therefore, the proposal should be submitted initially on the most favorable terms which the

Bidder can propose. There will be no best and final offer procedure. OSPI does reserve the right to contact a Bidder for clarification of its proposal.

The Bidder should be prepared to accept this RFP for incorporation into a contract resulting from this RFP. Contract negotiations may incorporate some or all of the Bidder’s proposal. It is understood that the proposal will become a part of the official procurement file on this matter without obligation to OSPI.

RFP No. 2026-03 Page 21 of 72

B.13. CONTRACT AND GENERAL TERMS & CONDITIONS

The Apparent Successful Bidder will be expected to enter into a contract which is substantially the same as the sample contract and its General Terms and Conditions. In no event is a Bidder to submit its own standard contract terms and conditions in response to this RFP. The Bidder may submit exceptions documented in the Contract Issues Exhibit. OSPI will review requested exceptions and accept or reject the same at its sole discretion.

Should contract negotiations fail to be completed within two (2) weeks after initiation, the

Agency may immediately cease contract negotiations, declare the Bidder with the second highest score as the new Apparent Successful Bidder, and enter into contract negotiations with that Vendor. This process will continue until the Contracts are signed or no qualified Bidders remain.

B.14. COSTS TO PROPOSE

OSPI will not be liable for any costs incurred by the Consultant in preparation of a proposal submitted in response to this RFP, in conduct of a presentation, or any other activities related to responding to this RFP.

B.15. NO OBLIGATION TO CONTRACT

This RFP does not obligate the State of Washington or OSPI to contract for services specified herein. OSPI also reserves the right to cancel or to reissue the RFP in whole or in part, prior to execution of a contract without penalty.

B.16. REJECTION OF PROPOSALS

OSPI reserves the right at its sole discretion to reject any and all proposals received without penalty and not to issue a contract as a result of this RFP.

B.17. COMMITMENT OF FUNDS

Only an authorized representative of OSPI may legally commit OSPI to the expenditures of funds for a contract resulting from this RFP. No cost chargeable to the proposed contract may be incurred before receipt of a fully executed contract.

B.18. STATEWIDE VENDOR PAYMENT REGISTRATION

Consultants awarded contracts as a result of this RFP will be required to register as a Statewide

Vendor (SWV). The SWV file is a central vendor file maintained by the Office of Financial

Management for use by Washington State agencies in processing vendor payments. This allows vendors to receive payments from all participating state agencies by direct deposit, the State's

RFP No. 2026-03 Page 22 of 72 preferred method of payment. All OSPI Contractors are required to register as a Statewide

Vendor; however, participation in direct deposit is optional. For online registration, visit the

Office of Financial Management website.

B.19. WASHINGTON STATE BUSINESS REGISTRATION

Consultants awarded contracts as a result of this RFP will be required to register with the

Washington Secretary of State and/or Washington State Department of Revenue if registration requirements set forth by the Department of Revenue apply.

B.20. INSURANCE COVERAGE

The Apparent Successful Bidder must comply with the insurance requirements identified in the

General Terms and Conditions.

The Contractor shall, at its own expense, obtain and keep in force insurance coverage which shall be maintained in full force and effect during the term of the Contract. The Contractor shall furnish evidence in the form of a Certificate of Insurance that insurance shall be provided, and a copy shall be forwarded to OSPI within fifteen (15) days of the contract effective date.

https://ofm.wa.gov/it-systems/statewide-vendorpayee-services https://dor.wa.gov/open-business/apply-business-license

RFP No. 2026-03 Page 23 of 72

Section C. PROPOSAL CONTENTS

This section identifies how to prepare and submit a bid/proposal for this Competitive

Solicitation. In addition, bidders will need to review and follow the Competitive Solicitation requirements including those set forth in the exhibits, which identifies the information that bidders must provide to the Procurement Coordinator to constitute a responsive bid. By responding to this Competitive Solicitation and submitting a bid, bidders acknowledge having read and understood the entire Competitive Solicitation and accept all information contained within this Competitive Solicitation.

C.1. SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS

Consultants shall submit proposals as an attachment to an email to the RFP Coordinator noted in Section B.1. Proposals must arrive by 3:00 p.m. PT on September 16, 2025. The RFP number must be noted in the email subject line. Attachments to the email shall be Microsoft

Word, Portable Document Format (PDF), or a zipped file. The maximum file size that can be received via email at OSPI is 35MB. Bidders should also be aware of their own service provider's limits which may be more restrictive. Proposals that exceed such limits may be submitted via

OneDrive. OSPI does not assume responsibility for any problems with the electronic delivery of materials, unless it is determined that OSPI’s email system or server was at fault.

Proposals not received by the deadline will not be reviewed. Late proposals will not be accepted and will be automatically disqualified from further consideration. Proposals must respond to the procurement requirements. Do not respond by referring to material presented elsewhere. The proposal must be complete and must stand on its own merits.

Failure to respond to any portion of the procurement document may result in rejection of the proposal as non-responsive. All proposals and any accompanying documentation become the property of OSPI and will not be returned.

C.2. PROPOSAL OVERVIEW

Proposals must be formatted to print on eight and one-half by eleven (8 ½ x 11) inch paper size with individual sections clearly identified. The Letter of Submittal, excluding the signed

Certifications and Assurances and Contractor Intake Form, shall be a maximum of one (1) page.

The four (4) major sections of the proposal are to be submitted in the order noted below:

1. Letter of Submittal including signed certifications, as applicable

a. Certifications and Assurances

b. Contract Issues List (if applicable)

c. Qualification Affirmations

d. Contract Intake Form

RFP No. 2026-03 Page 24 of 72

2. Technical Proposal

3. Management Proposal

4. Cost Proposal

Proposals must provide information in the same order as presented in this document with the same headings. This will not only be helpful to the evaluators of the proposal, but should assist the Consultant in preparing a thorough response.

C.3. LETTER OF SUBMITTAL

The Letter of Submittal shall include introductory remarks, contact information for the Bidder’s point of contact for the proposal, and applicable certifications must be signed and dated by a person authorized to legally bind the Consultant to a contractual relationship, (e.g., the President or Executive Director if a corporation, the managing partner if a partnership, or the proprietor if a sole proprietorship).

C.4. TECHNICAL PROPOSAL

The Technical Proposal must contain a comprehensive description of services including the following elements:

C.4.i. Project Approach/Methodology – Include a complete description of the

Consultant’s proposed approach and methodology for the project. This section should convey Consultant’s understanding of the proposed project.

C.4.ii. Work Plan…