Developmental Practice Resources for Early Education

The Colorado Department of Education issued Documented Quotation (DQ) 2016000931 seeking to procure developmental practice resource books for early childhood education in public school settings, specifically targeting kindergarten through third-grade instructional practices. The procurement is open to vendors serving Denver County and Denver City. CDE seeks practical, hands-on resource materials supporting school administrators and early childhood teachers in understanding and implementing developmentally appropriate practices, school readiness initiatives, and preschool-through-grade-3 (P-3) systems approaches, with resources addressing key developmental domains including physical development, language development, social-emotional development, cognitive development, and approaches to learning. Vendors may propose up to four different resource titles, with a minimum order quantity of 500 copies per resource and a total acquisition target of 1,000 books for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2016, with potential for additional purchases across four optional one-year renewal periods. Required deliverables include research-based guidance on child development, practical classroom-based instructional strategies, implementation guidance, and evidence supporting developmentally appropriate practice frameworks. The evaluation criteria weight cost at 30 percent, with the remaining 70 percent distributed across resource quality and alignment with statement of work requirements including support for administrators and teachers (10 percent), implementation guidance on developmentally appropriate practice and P-3 systems (25 percent), kindergarten-specific content (5 percent), practical instructional strategies (15 percent), and coverage of developmental domains (15 percent). Proposal responses were limited to ten pages and required submission of a completed signature page, W-9 form, cost proposal worksheet, and sample copies of proposed books. The original response deadline of February 16, 2016 was modified through amendments to March 11, 2016 at 12:00 PM Mountain Time, with resources required to be immediately available for distribution no later than March 4, 2016. The anticipated contract term runs from February 16, 2016 through June 30, 2016, with the option to renew for four additional one-year periods.

Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSBs) meeting minimum specifications and providing proper Department of Veterans Affairs certification documentation receive a 5 percent price preference. ColoradoVSS registered vendors receive priority consideration, though non-registered vendors may be considered if inadequate competition exists among registered vendors. The solicitation carries a firm, fixed-price structure with a cost cap of $25,000 for the initial fiscal year, not to exceed $150,000 in total aggregate expenditures across all fiscal years, and unit costs per book must remain constant throughout all renewal periods. All deliverables become the exclusive property of the State of Colorado and will not be returned. Funding is contingent upon the continuing availability of state and federal Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge Fund dollars previously awarded to CDE, with CDE reserving the right to immediately terminate the purchase order without liability if funds are not received. CDE retains the right to reject all quotes, award to multiple vendors while remaining within the annual budget cap, award to a single vendor, or cancel the solicitation entirely without penalty at its sole discretion.