Solicitation

TO: Prospective Offerors

DATE: September 8, 2021

SUBJECT: Request for Information- Tier 1 District-Wide K-5 Writing Resource and/or Tier 1 6-12

Writing Resource and/or Special Education Adaptive Writing Curriculum

You are invited to submit Information for Tier 1 District-Wide K-5 Writing Resource and/or Tier 1 6-12 Writing Resource and/or Special Education Adaptive Writing Curriculum for Henry County Schools.

Henry County Schools is a political subdivision of the State of Georgia, by and through the Henry County Board of Education.

Attached are the general conditions, technical specifications, and submittal format.

The written requirements contained in this Request for Information (RFI) shall not be changed or superseded except by written notice from Henry County Schools. Failure to comply with the written requirements for this RFI may result in disqualification of the offeror from proposal events related to this solicitation.

It shall be the responsibility of the offeror to meet all specifications and guidelines set forth herein, in addition to all applicable laws and regulations. Henry County Schools, at its discretion, determines the proposals deemed acceptable for further consideration No damages shall be recoverable by any challenger as a result of these determinations or decisions.

Henry County Schools will leverage an electronic sourcing tool to administer this RFI and all offeror responses must be submitted electronically in accordance with the instructions contained in Section 1.B.2 “Submission Instructions”.

Your interest and participation in the Henry County Schools’ solicitation process is appreciated.

Sincerely, Teresa Adams- Purchasing Manager

HENRY COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION

Learning & Performance Division, Instruction & Learning Department 33 N. Zack Hinton Parkway

McDonough, GA 30253

SOLICITATION NO. RFI-2022-170000-0908

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

FOR

Tier 1 District-Wide K-5 Writing Resource and/or Tier 1 6-12 Writing Resource and/or Special Education Adaptive Writing Curriculum

Opening: September 8, 2021 at 4:30 p.m.

Closing: October 8, 2021 at 11:00 a.m.

This coversheet must be signed and submitted to be considered for offeror information. Required addenda are defined within this document; additional requests may be communicated via Henry County Schools’ website. It is the responsibility of the offeror to ensure that they review and submit all applicable addenda with their solicitation. Offerors should not expect to be individually notified.

Company name:

Date:

Mailing Address:

Phone:

City:

Fax:

State: Zip:

SSN or Federal Tax ID:

Email:

Title of Authorized Representative:

Printed Name:

Authorized Signature:

SECTION I - REQUEST FOR INFORMATION OVERVIEW

A. PURPOSE

Henry County Schools is seeking to acquire resources to support writing instruction for Grades K-5 and/or Grades 6-12. Additionally, we are seeking an adaptive writing curriculum for students with significant cognitive disabilities. To facilitate planning for our goals, Henry County Schools is soliciting information from vendors interested in providing Tier 1 District- Wide K-5 Writing Resource and/or Tier 1 6-12 Writing Resource and/or Special Education Adaptive Writing Curriculum. This Request for Information (“RFI”) is intended to identify one or more responsible vendors who meet or exceed the base requirements identified within this document. This RFI will not result in contract award. Instead, this RFI will establish a list of one or more qualified vendors who will be eligible to participate to win future contracts from HCS. Within this document, the terms Respondent, Offeror, Vendor, and/or Contractor are synonymous and refer to the person, entity or firm that submits a response to this RFI.

B. INFORMATION TO OFFERORS

1. RFI OVERVIEW AND TIMETABLE

The RFI is a informational process intended to identify one or more responsible vendors who can supply the requested information to provide the goods and/or services outlined in this RFI. All interested vendors are invited to participate by submitting responses, as further defined below.

After evaluating all vendor responses received prior to the closing date of this RFI, including the names of those respondents who were identified as interested vendors. Only these interested vendors will be eligible to participate in any future solicitations posted by HCS for the identified goods/services within this RFI. For general informational purposes, dates below are prospective and may be subject to change. Any such change will be publically communicated via the Henry County Schools website and shall be made at least 48 hours prior to the event beginnings.

Event Timing Release of RFI 9/8/2021 at 4:30 p.m. EST

Deadline for Questions 9/14/2021 at 4:00 p.m. EST

Responses to Questions Posted 9/17/2021 at 4:00 p.m. EST

RFI Submission Deadline 10/8/2021 at 11:00 a.m. EST

Evaluation Period 10/13/2021 – 10/20/2021

Notification to all Vendors 10/20/2021- 10/27/2021

Recommendation to the Board 11/8/2021

2. SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

All offerors that desire to respond to this solicitation must register on Bonfire – Henry County Schools’ eSource portal provider. Offerors can access the electronic platform by accessing the direct link for this RFI or by visiting the Henry County Schools Purchasing website as follows:

• HCS portal link: https://henryk12.bonfirehub.com/portal/

• Henry County Schools Solicitations page:

https://schoolwires.henry.k12.ga.us/Page/128846

Once a potential offeror reaches the Henry County Schools portal hosted by Bonfire, the offeror can register for free by clicking on “Create your free Bonfire account” on the ‘Log In’ tab, or using the ‘Log In’ button in the top right-hand corner of the portal, then clicking on “Create your free Bonfire account”. Once registered, offerors can use this portal to view open projects and details and create a submission for a specific project. Informational addenda have been included on the Bonfire Registration process and contact details for technical support. Henry County Schools utilizes but is not responsible for the operational capabilities of the Bonfire platform. It is the offeror’s responsibility to contact Bonfire for all support needs. Offerors are encouraged to start submissions in advance of the deadline to gain familiarity with the platform and limit risk of technical complications in the offeror’s submittal.

Potential offerors are encouraged to use commonly accepted software programs to create electronic files. Henry County Schools has the capability of viewing documents submitted in the following format: Microsoft Word or WordPad, Microsoft Excel, portable document format file (PDF), and plain text files with the file extension noted in parentheses (.txt).

Unless the RFI specifically requests the use of another type of software or file format than those listed above, please contact the Issuing Party identified below prior to utilizing another type of software and/or file format. In the event Henry County Schools is unable to open an electronic file because Henry County Schools does not have ready access to the software utilized by the offeror, the offeror’s response may be considered incomplete and disqualified from further consideration. If Henry County Schools is unable to open an electronic file due to a virus or because the file has become corrupted, the offeror’s response may be considered incomplete and disqualified from further consideration.

a) RFI SUBMISSION CHECKLIST

The following components constitute a complete submission:

Requested Information Category Required Document Cover Sheet Signed RFI Coversheet Licensing Affirmative response and evidence of appropriate licensure Insurance Affirmative response and evidence of appropriate insurance https://henryk12.bonfirehub.com/portal/ https://schoolwires.henry.k12.ga.us/Page/128846

Required Addenda A – Signed “Execution of Proposal”

Required Addenda B – Signed Completed “Offeror Information” Form

Required Addenda C – Signed “Certification of Non-Collusion”

Required Addenda D – Signed “Certification of Non-Discrimination”

Required Addenda E – Signed “Addenda Acknowledgement”

Information F – Bonfire Support Information

b) SUBMITTING QUESTIONS

All questions concerning this RFI must be submitted in writing via the electronic platform’s message feature for “Opportunity Q&A”. No questions other than written will be accepted.

No response other than written will be binding upon Henry County Schools. All offerors must submit questions by the deadline identified in the RFI TIMETABLE above for submitting questions. Offerors are advised that Henry County Schools may or may not respond to late questions.

c) AUTHORIZED PARTY

The table on the coversheet to this RFI shall be completed and signed by the offeror. The coversheet to the submittal must be signed by a company officer who is legally authorized to enter into a contractual relationship in the name of the submitting firm.

d) NOTICE OF GEORGIA OPEN RECORDS ACT

By responding to this RFI, each offeror expressly acknowledges and agrees that Henry County Schools is obligated to timely comply with requests for information pursuant to state and federal laws and regulation, including the Georgia Open Records Act ('"GORA"), O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 et seq. Henry County Schools will comply with GORA at its discretion and is not required to notify any offeror prior to compliance. Each offeror also agrees to comply with GORA and to make records subject to GORA, as determined by the Henry County Schools, available for inspection as required by law, unless otherwise exempt under other provisions of the GORA.

Further, if any offeror intends to reserve any record or information as confidential, trade secret, proprietary, or otherwise permissibly exempted under GORA or public record production, the offeror agrees that any such record will be labeled “PROPRIETARY TRADE SECRET” conspicuously on the records submitted in the platform; and it shall be the offeror’s sole obligation to notify Henry County Schools of asserting such exemption. A “public copy” of the offer – including any appropriate redaction or modification to preserve the offeror’s asserted confidential, trade secret, and/or proprietary information – shall be mailed to Henry County Schools (33 N. Zack Hinton Parkway;

McDonough, GA 30253) and addressed to the attention of the issuing party of this solicitation. Henry County Schools must receive the public copy within three (3) business days following the submission deadline outlined within the RFI Timetable. It shall be Henry County Schools’ intention to supply this “public copy” in response to public records requests including any such request made under GORA.

3. ISSUING PARTY DETAILS

The solicitation lead is Kathleen Truitt, Assistant Superintendent of Instruction and Learning for Henry County Schools. Any question which arises must be submitted via the electronic portal prior to the DEADLINE FOR QUESTIONS due date outlined above.

4. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION/ADDENDA

Henry County Schools will issue responses to submitted questions, inquiries and any other corrections or amendments it deems necessary in written addenda issued prior to the submission deadline. Offerors should not rely on any representations, statements or explanations other than those made in this RFI (which shall include any addendum). Where there appears to be a conflict between the RFI and any addendum issued, the last addendum issued will prevail.

Offerors must acknowledge any issued addenda defined within the electronic platform.

Responses which fail to acknowledge the offeror’s receipt of any addendum may result in the rejection of the offer or result in the disqualification of the prospective offeror’s submittal.

Offerors are not to include brochures, flyers, screenshots, or the like in the body of the scored questionnaire(s). Any supporting document(s) may be included in the “Additional Information” section of the electronic platform. A table of contents should be included to reference each document and index it to the corresponding topic and question.

5. LATE SUBMITTAL, LATE MODIFICATIONS AND LATE WITHDRAWALS

Submittals received after the due date and time will not be considered. Modifications received after the due date will not be considered. Bonfire has an automatic closing of proposal submissions at 11:00am est.- even if you are in the process of submitting***

C. GENERAL PROCUREMENT INSTRUCTIONS

1. Henry County Schools is governed by the Henry County Board of Education and is a recognized governmental entity. The Henry County Schools Purchasing Policy (Board Policy DJE) is incorporated into this solicitation in Section 2.E “Addenda” by reference. By participating in this solicitation an offeror agrees to be bound by the Henry County Schools Purchasing Policy on any issue or action related to this solicitation or subsequent contract resulting from this solicitation.

2. Henry County Schools must receive all submittals no later than the date and time listed in this RFI. Each offer must be signed and dated by an official authorized to bind the firm. Late submissions will not be considered for award.

3. Information requested must be submitted in the templates and/or format prescribed in the electronic platform. Submittals will be reviewed according to completeness, content, experience with similar projects, ability of offeror and any hired staff.

4. Offerors are cautioned that this is a request for information and not a request to contract.

Henry County Schools reserves the right to disqualify any and all offerors when deemed to be in the best interest of Henry County Schools.

5. Any costs incurred by an offeror in preparing a response to this RFI is the offeror’s sole responsibility; Henry County Schools will not reimburse any offeror for any costs incurred.

6. Requested information must be submitted in accordance with the requirements of the RFI.

Failure to include any required information may cause disqualification.

7. By submitting a response, the offeror represents and warrants no official or employee of

Henry County Schools has, in any manner, an interest, directly or indirectly in the offer or in any contract which may be made as result of qualifying for this RFI, or in any expected profits to arise therefrom. The offeror is required to disclose any real or apparent conflict of interest with any Henry County Schools officials or employees at the time of submission.

SECTION II – GENERAL CONDITIONS

A. PURPOSE

Henry County Schools is seeking to acquire resources to support writing instruction for Grades K-5 and/or Grades 6-12. Additionally, we are seeking an adaptive writing curriculum for students with significant cognitive disabilities. To facilitate planning for our goals, Henry County Schools is soliciting information from vendors interested in providing Tier 1 District-Wide K-5 Writing Resource and/or Tier 1 6-12 Writing Resource and/or Special Education Adaptive Writing Curriculum. Background on current state and desired state follows.

1. CURRENT STATE

Henry County Schools is responsible for educating more than 43,000 students in a diverse, constantly changing and growing suburban environment. Our vision is “To ensure a high-quality, world-class education for every student.” Our mission is “To empower all students with exceptional opportunities and access that lead to success in a global society.” Our Strategic Plan calls for us to “Create a community of powerful readers and writers.” Henry County Schools has 50 schools that break down as follows:

• Elementary Schools – 28

• Middle Schools – 11

• High Schools – 10

• Specialty Secondary School - 1

• District Programs of Choice – 2

Henry County Schools currently uses the following resources and digital platforms to support literacy instruction:

• Open Court Reading Foundational Skills and Word Analysis Kits (Grades K-2)

• Scholastic Leveled Bookroom (Grades K-5)

• HMH Into Literature (Grades 6-12)

• Illuminate Education (Grades K-12)

• Read 180 (Grades 4 – 10)

• System 44 (Grades 3-10)

2. SCOPE OF WORK FOR DESIRED STATE

The desired solution would satisfy the following criteria:

Tier 1 District-Wide K-5 Writing Resource and/or Tier 1 6-12 Writing Resource

• Directly support the instruction of the Henry Teaching and Learning Standards, which are aligned with the Georgia State Standards

• Include a balance of print and digital learning materials. Digital learning materials must meet these criteria:

• If included, digital learning materials are device agnostic and conform to IMS Global standardization.

• If included, digital learning materials supports integration with other Systems or 3rd party software, i.e. supports open standards, including Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI®) standards. Describe.

• If included, digital learning materials are written using HTML5 (if web-based) with a responsive design such that resources can be fully utilized across devices.

• If included, digital learning materials will allow for Single Sign On (SSO) through Active Directory (AD), Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP), and Open Application Program Interface (API) compliance.

• If included, digital learning materials contain content that is current and updated in a timely manner.

• If digital learning materials are included, provider shares guest login access with the District for both teachers and students for all web based and digital products.

• Contain teacher-ready resources for lesson implementation

• Directly support research-based, explicit writing instruction in Grades K-5 and/or Grades 6-12 to include (but not limited to) the following:

characteristics of specific writing genres the writing processes writing strategies embedded language instruction (grammar, mechanics, and sentence formation) as part of writing regular writing practice and a range of writing opportunities to support student writing development in a variety of contexts and for a variety of purposes

• Integrate reading and writing through:

o The study of aligned mentor texts o Opportunities for writing about reading o Instruction in writing from sources o Short and sustained research opportunities

• Integrate technology and writing to support students in producing, publishing, and collaborating around writing

• Provide opportunities for differentiation and/or tiered supports and interventions relevant to writing.

Special Education Adaptive Writing Curriculum

• Directly support the instruction of the Henry Teaching and Learning Standards, which are aligned with the Georgia State Standards

• Include a balance of print and digital learning materials. Digital learning materials must meet these criteria:

• If included, digital learning materials are device agnostic and conform to IMS Global standardization.

• If included, digital learning materials supports integration with other Systems or 3rd party software, i.e. supports open standards, including Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI®) standards. Describe.

• If included, digital learning materials are written using HTML5 (if web-based) with a responsive design such that resources can be fully utilized across devices.

• If included, digital learning materials will allow for Single Sign On (SSO) through Active Directory (AD), Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP), and Open Application Program Interface (API) compliance.

• If included, digital learning materials contain content that is current and updated in a timely manner.

• If digital learning materials are included, provider shares guest login access with the

District for both teachers and students for all web based and digital products.

• Supports assistive technology capabilities

• Contain low-prep ready resources for lesson implementation

• Directly support research-based explicit writing instruction for students with significant cognitive disabilities

• Provide aligned mentor texts appropriate for varying reading abilities

• Provide opportunities for differentiation and/or tiered supports and interventions relevant to writing.

o Provide instructional resources aligned to the Georgia Alternative Assessment

(preferred)

Scope of Procurement (Estimated)

• Approximately 3500 Student Editions per grade

• Approximately 200 teacher editions per grade

Student Enrollment (Approximate)

- Grade K-5: 17,500

- Grade 6-12: 26,000

B. OFFEROR INFORMTION/QUALIFICATIONS

All of the specifications, requirements and/or service levels identified in this RFI are minimum performance criteria and factors that HCS will use to identify capable vendors. Each vendor must indicate its willingness and ability to satisfy these requirements in the appropriate template provided in the electronic platform.

1. SCOPE OF WORK ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FORM

Any agreement with vendors qualified in this RFI would entail the following, at a minimum:

• Support for a review of the product from October 4th – October 27th, to include both print and digital product samples

• Vendor is required to establish, set up, and maintain a digital platform that is accessible for stakeholder review from October 4th – October 27th.

Each offeror will utilize the Scope of Work Form – a template provided in the electronic platform

– to indicate whether its response meets the individual requirements by marking either a "YES" or "NO" in the response block provided.

2. ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW

Submittals will be reviewed by the Issuing Party or their designee to determine compliance with the following requirements:

• Response was submitted by the deadline defined in the “RFI TIMETABLE”

• Response is complete and contains all required documents defined in the “RFI

SUBMISSION CHECKLIST”

C. ADDENDA

The following is a summary of all required and informational addenda included in this RFI. All addenda must be acknowledged by the offeror to submit a response to this RFI.

Addendum Reference Addendum Title Addendum Category A Signed Execution Proposal of Information Required with submittal B Offeror Information Required with submittal C Certification of Non-Collusion Required with submittal D Certification of Non-Discrimination Required with submittal E Addenda Acknowledgement Required with submittal F Bonfire Support Information Informational

ADDENDUM A

EXECUTION OF PROPOSAL

DATE:

The potential offeror certifies the following by placing an "X" in all blank spaces:

_ That this proposal was signed by an authorized representative of the firm.

That the potential offeror agrees to the conditions as set forth in this Request for Information with no exceptions.

Authorized Signature Date

Typed Name & Title

THIS PAGE MUST BE COMPLETED AND SUBMITTED AS A PART OF YOUR PROPOSAL.

ADDENDUM B

OFFEROR INFORMATION FORM

Mailing Address (Please type or print. Complete all items)

Business Name: _____________________________________________________________ Address: ___________________________________________________________________ City, State, Zip: ______________________________________________________________ Phone: ___________________ Fax: ___________________ Email: __________________

Remittance Address (if different)

Business Name: _____________________________________________________________ Address: ___________________________________________________________________ City, State, Zip: ______________________________________________________________ Phone: ___________________ Fax: ___________________ Email: __________________

Accepted Payment Methods (select all that apply) Check Credit Card/Purchase Card ACH Other: ________________

Other Offeror Information

Federal Business ID: __________________________ or Social Security # ________________

Certification Under penalty of perjury, I certify that:

1. The information stated in this application is factual and true, and

2. The number shown on this form is my correct taxpayer identification number (or I am waiting for a number to be issued to me), and

3. I am not subject to backup withholding because (a) I am exempt from backup withholding, or

(b) I have not been notified by the Internal Revenue Service that I am subject to backup withholding as a result of a failure to report all interest or dividends, or (c) the IRS has notified me that I am no longer subject to backup withholding.

Certification Instructions: You must cross out Item 3 above if you have been notified by the IRS that you are currently subject to backup withholding because of under reporting interest or dividends on your tax return. For real estate transactions, Item 3 does not apply. For mortgage interest paid, the acquisition or abandonment of secured property, contributions to an individual retirement account (IRA), and generally payments other than interest and dividends, you are not required to sign the certification, but you must provide your correct TIN.

(Representative’s Signature) Date

Please type or print representative’s name

ADDENDUM C

CERTIFICATION OF NON-COLLUSION

I certify that this Proposal is made without prior understanding, agreement, or connection with any corporation, firm, or person submitting a Proposal for the same materials, supplies, or equipment, and is in all respects fair and without collusion or fraud per the requirements of O.C.G.A. § 50-5-67(e).

I certify that this Proposal is made without prior understanding, agreement, or connection with any member of the government agency letting this public works contract and is in all respects fair and without collusion or fraud per the requirements of O.C.G.A. § 36-91-21(f).

I further certify that the provisions of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated § 45-10-20 et. seq. have not and will not be violated in any respect.

I understand that collusive bidding is a violation of State and Federal law and can result in fines, prison sentences, and civil damage awards. I agree to abide by all conditions of this Proposal and certify that I am authorized to sign this Proposal for the Offeror.

The Offeror being sworn disposes and says, its agents, officers, or employees have not directly or indirectly entered into any agreements, participated in any collusion, or otherwise taken any action in restraint of free competitive bidding in connection with this Proposal.

Company Name: _______________________________________________________________

Address: ______________________________________________________________________

City: _______________________________ State: _________________ ZIP: ______________

Name: _________________________________________Title: _____________________________

Signature: _________________________________________Date: __________________________

ADDENDUM D

CERTIFICATION OF NON-DISCRIMINATION

In connection with the performance of work under this contract, the contractor agrees as follows:

The contractor agrees not to discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, creed, color, sex, national origin or ancestry. The offeror shall take affirmative action to ensure that employees are treated without regard to their race, creed, color, sex, national origin or ancestry. Such action shall include, but not be limited to the following: employment, upgrading, demotion, transfer, recruiting or recruitment, advertising, lay-off or termination, rates of pay or other compensation and selection for training, including apprenticeship.

In the event the contractor is not in compliance with this non-discrimination clause, the contract may be cancelled or terminated by the Owner. The Owner may declare the contractor, ineligible for further contracts with the Owner until satisfactory proof of intent to comply shall be made by the offeror.

The contractor agrees to include this non-discrimination clause in any sub-contracts connected with the performance of this agreement.

Contractor

Signature

Date

ADDENDUM E

BONFIRE SUPPORT INFORMATION

Bonfire is Henry County Schools’ eSource portal provider. Bonfire provides direct support to Offerors.

Bonfire Support Hours are Monday - Friday 8:00am - 8:00pm EST.

Offerors should contact Bonfire via email (Support@GoBonfire.com) to launch a support case.

Alternatively, offerors can call Customer Service at 1-800-354-8010 (ext. #2). Note that if the offeror doesn't get through on the first try and leaves a voicemail, a support ticket will automatically be generated, and the Bonfire support team will respond in a timely manner.

Offerors can also visit https://gobonfire.com/support/ to access tutorials, videos, and other resources which can support the Offeror in completing a submittal.

Note: Henry County Schools utilizes but is not responsible for the operational capabilities of the Bonfire platform. It is the offeror’s responsibility to contact Bonfire for all support needs. Offerors are encouraged to start submissions in advance of the deadline to gain familiarity with the platform and limit risk of technical complications in the offeror’s submittal.

mailto:Support@GoBonfire.com https://gobonfire.com/support/

ADDENDUM F

ADDENDA ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The Offeror has examined and carefully studied the Request for Proposal and the following Addenda, receipt of all of which is hereby acknowledged by placing an "X" in all blank spaces:

Addendum A – required with submission

Addendum B – required with submission

Addendum C – required with submission

Addendum D – required with submission

Addendum E - Informational

Addendum F – required with submission

Contractor’s Representative (First and Last Names)

Signature Date

Offerors must acknowledge any issued addenda. Proposals which fail to acknowledge the Offeror’s receipt of any addendum will result in the rejection of the offer if the addendum contained information which substantively changes the County’s requirements.