Integrated Post-Secondary Education Data System

The Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is seeking a contractor to manage the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), a comprehensive web-based data collection platform serving approximately 6,200 postsecondary institutions. The primary deliverables include developing and maintaining data collection software, providing help desk support, conducting technical reviews, generating reports and publications, maintaining online data dissemination tools, and supporting the College Scorecard initiative. Key qualifications required include demonstrated experience with large, complex data projects, federal reporting requirements, and higher education data management, with potential evaluation based on proposed technological improvements to the IPEDS data lifecycle. Interested vendors must submit responses to the Request for Information (RFI) by December 17, 2025 at 12:00 PM ET, with clarification questions due by December 1, 2025. Responses are limited to eight pages and should be sent via email to Alyson Allman at Alyson.Allman@ed.gov.

This pre-solicitation notice contains no set-aside designation, and no specific incumbent contractor or award value has been disclosed at this stage. The contract structure calls for a 24-month base period with three optional 24-month renewal periods, encompassing four complete data collection cycles from 2026 through 2031. The contractor will be responsible for supporting data collection across multiple components including institutional characteristics, admissions, enrollment, student financial aid, degrees conferred, and institutional revenues and expenditures. Critical deliverables include monthly reports, data files, web tables, data release memoranda, technical assistance plans, and analytical reports. It is important to note that this RFI represents preliminary market research activity, and the government provides no guarantee that a formal solicitation will result from this notice.