SINGLE SOURCE JUSTIFICATION 70630-23 (4) Jacksonville Public Education Fund Amd 4.pdf

FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION DEPARTMENT, PROCUREMENT DIVISION

Justification for Single Source, effective 01/2022 Page 1

JUSTIFICATION FOR SINGLE SOURCE (JSS)

Pursuant to the City of Jacksonville Procurement Code§ 126.206 & § 126.312, when requesting a purchase from a vendor subject to the referenced sections, please complete this form to justify your request and submit to Procurement with applicable attachments.

1. Requesting Agency: Kids Hope Alliance

2. Nature and/or description of the requirement being requested.

Identify each item, component or service being procured. (Attach quote/proposal):

Why does the City need these particular goods or services?

Jacksonville Public Education Fund (JPEF) - Campaign for Grade- Level Reading is being contracted to lead the final year of the Literacy Enhanced Afterschool Program (LEAP) pilot evaluation and a new community literacy access initiative in service of the City of Jacksonville. Activities supported under this contract include a rigorous, independent end-of-pilot evaluation of the LEAP model across eight of Duval County's highest-need elementary school communities;

facilitation of eight school-level focus groups and an improved parent voice survey; production of a publicly shareable End-of-Pilot Evaluation Report and companion Recommendations Brief;

administration and coordination of a book vending machine literacy access initiative at the Police Athletic League (PAL) in the Eastside community in partnership with Kids Hope Alliance; and ongoing participation in citywide literacy planning convenings. This effort is in service of the City of Jacksonville, as the most recent 2024-25 Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST) results revealed that only 51% of Duval County 3rd grade students scored at grade level in reading, leaving nearly half of the district's 3rd graders not reading on grade level and continuing to lag behind the state and all six of Florida's other large urban school districts. JPEF's work will ensure that the City and its partners have a definitive, evidence-based account of what the LEAP pilot produced and actionable recommendations to sustain, scale, or evolve literacy supports for the children and families who need them most.

3. Provide a detailed justification as to why the requested goods/services can only be efficiently and effectively procured through the recommended Single Source vendor:

Jacksonville Public Education Fund (JPEF) is uniquely positioned to serve as the independent evaluator and coordinating partner for this work. Over multiple years of the Literacy Enhanced Afterschool Program (LEAP) pilot, JPEF has built deep relationships with each of the eight focus school communities, with the two provider organizations serving those schools (Boys & Girls Club of Northeast Florida and Communities In Schools), and with Kids Hope Alliance (KHA) as the initiative's managing partner. JPEF's research is widely respected for providing independent analysis of student data and highlighting innovative, equity-centered solutions, making it the only partner able to produce a credible, arms-length evaluation of the pilot it has helped monitor throughout. JPEF holds the historical implementation data, action plans, and check-in records gathered across the full arc of the pilot, and possesses the senior, doctoral-level evaluation staff required to design and facilitate the focus groups, integrate parent voice survey data, and produce a professional report the organization stands behind. As a locally based organization headquartered in downtown Jacksonville, within a close mile radius of the eight LEAP focus schools, the Police Athletic League Eastside site, and KHA, JPEF is able to provide the on-the-ground, in-person coordination, focus group facilitation, and school-level outreach this scope requires in a way that a non-local provider could not deliver efficiently or cost-effectively. JPEF also serves as a trusted, independent convener within Jacksonville's evolving literacy landscape, contributing research and strategic insight to citywide collective action alongside the Mayor's office, Duval County Public Schools (DCPS), and other ecosystem partners. Since its inception, JPEF has led similar collective community efforts, including the READJAX campaign and the One By One campaign. No other organization holds this combination of pilot-specific knowledge, established community relationships, local proximity, independent research credibility, and evaluation capacity, making JPEF the only vendor able to efficiently and effectively deliver the required scope of services.

FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION DEPARTMENT, PROCUREMENT DIVISION

Justification for Single Source, effective 01/2022 Page 2

5. Summary of Market Research

[Provide a description of the market research performed, how it was performed, by whom, and market research results. Please spell out acronyms.]

[ Jacksonville Public Education Fund (JPEF) is uniquely positioned to serve as the independent evaluator and coordinating partner for this work. Over multiple years of the Literacy Enhanced Afterschool Program (LEAP) pilot, JPEF has built deep relationships with each of the eight focus school communities, with the two provider organizations serving those schools (Boys & Girls Club of Northeast Florida and Communities In Schools), and with Kids Hope Alliance (KHA) as the initiative's managing partner. JPEF's research is widely respected for providing independent analysis of student data and highlighting innovative, equity-centered solutions, making it the only partner able to produce a credible, arms-length evaluation of the pilot it has helped monitor throughout. JPEF holds the historical implementation data, action plans, and check-in records gathered across the full arc of the pilot, and possesses the senior, doctoral-level evaluation staff required to design and facilitate the focus groups, integrate parent voice survey data, and produce a professional report the organization stands behind.

As a locally based organization headquartered in downtown Jacksonville, within a close mile radius of the eight LEAP focus schools, the Police Athletic League Eastside site, and KHA, JPEF is able to provide the on-the-ground, in-person coordination, focus group facilitation, and school-level outreach this scope requires in a way that a non-local provider could not deliver efficiently or cost-effectively. JPEF also serves as a trusted, independent convener within Jacksonville's evolving literacy landscape, contributing research and strategic insight to citywide collective action alongside the Mayor's office, Duval County Public Schools (DCPS), and other ecosystem partners. Since its inception, JPEF has led similar collective community efforts, including the READJAX campaign and the One By One campaign. No other organization holds this combination of pilot-specific knowledge, established community relationships, local proximity, independent research credibility, and evaluation capacity, making JPEF the only vendor able to efficiently and effectively deliver the required scope of services.

This market research was completed by Karissa Lepley, Fund Development Director for the Jacksonville Public Education Fund. ]

6. Other Documentation (Check and attach all that apply)

☐ Supplier Quote

☐ Single Source Memo signed by Director

√ Other [Scope of Services for Campaign for Grade-Level Reading ]

4. Date of Request 7/8/2026