RFP_33201-00926_Amd%202_Schedule.pdf

This is Amendment #2 to Request for Proposals #33201-00926 issued by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) for Data Management and External Evaluation Services for GEAR UP Tennessee. The amendment updates the RFP schedule of events with revised dates for key procurement milestones. The RFP was originally issued on October 15, 2025, with a Notice of Intent to Respond deadline of October 24, 2025, and a Written Questions & Comments deadline of October 31, 2025. The State will respond to written questions and comments by December 8, 2025, with proposals due by December 12, 2025. Technical response evaluations will be completed by January 2, 2026, followed by product demonstrations scheduled for January 19-21, 2026. Cost proposals will be opened and scored on January 23, 2026, with optional negotiations occurring January 26-27, 2026. The State will release its Notice of Intent to Award on January 29, 2026, with the protest period ending February 5, 2026. The contractor signature deadline is February 9, 2026, following contract transmission on February 6, 2026, with an anticipated contract start date in early 2026.

The RFP seeks a comprehensive contractor to implement a data management system and provide external evaluation services for a seven-year federally funded GEAR UP initiative serving approximately 9,000 unique students across ten high schools and eighteen feeder middle schools in Tennessee. Services include configuring a data management system with live dashboards, conducting formative and summative evaluations, delivering professional development, administering biennial student surveys, implementing an embedded dual enrollment research study, and participating in the College and Career Readiness Evaluation Consortium. The program targets two student cohorts (high school graduating classes of 2030 and 2031) with priority given to seniors in program years 2-7. Evaluation criteria emphasize qualifications of the lead evaluator, expertise in education research, data utilization capabilities, quality of work products, and cost-effectiveness. No specific set-aside designations were explicitly mentioned, and the contract will be funded through a federal GEAR UP grant with a payment structure based on the total number of students served each program year.