Brainspring Phonics First

Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS) in Tampa, Florida is issuing a Notice of Intent to Purchase Single/Sole Source Commodities and Services for Brainspring's Phonics First professional development program and related instructional materials (Procurement 26105-SSD-EST). The procurement involves training for elementary Exceptional Student Education (ESE) teachers in the Orton-Gillingham methodology through Brainspring's nationally accredited Phonics First course, along with accompanying teacher and classroom implementation kits, digital libraries, course manuals, assessment tools, and supplemental materials. Brainspring has been designated as the sole source vendor based on its proprietary ownership and copyrighted status of the Phonics First program and all related materials. The posting period runs for seven business days from Friday, March 6, 2026, through Tuesday, March 17, 2026, with a protest period extending from Wednesday, March 18, 2026, through Monday, March 23, 2026. Interested vendors may respond by uploading Exhibit B and supporting documentation via www.vendorlink.com to demonstrate capability to provide "like" (equal, equivalent, or identical) commodities and services, with all responses required to be received within the seven-business-day posting period. The determination to proceed as a sole source contract is discretionary and based on the General Manager of Procurement Services and Procurement Officer's evaluation of whether competing "like" products and services are identified during the posting period.

This procurement contains no disclosed set-aside designations or restrictions limiting responses to specific organization types, such as disadvantaged enterprises or minority-owned businesses. Brainspring is identified as the incumbent and sole source vendor for this requirement; the company does not utilize wholesale or retail distribution models and sells directly to schools and districts with uniform pricing, and bulk or quantity-based discounts are not offered unless specified in a written agreement. No specific budget range or award value is disclosed in the procurement documentation. Any approved sole source contracts exceeding one year must be reposted and revalidated before renewal periods. Interested vendors should note that responses to this notice will be considered solely to determine whether competition exists, and HCPS will not consider any response to be a proposal in the traditional sense.