Educator Awards Management

The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) intends to award a sole source contract to the Center for Strengthening the Teaching Profession (CSTP) for managing and developing the Teacher of the Year (ToY) and Classified School Employee of the Year (CSEoY) programs. The contract will encompass comprehensive event planning, meeting coordination, facilitation, and leadership training across multiple Washington state jurisdictions, including but not limited to Franklin, Grant, Chelan, and Yakima Counties. Specific deliverables include coordinating the state selection process, creating and training selection committees, developing scoring rubrics, scheduling interviews, supporting logistics for the Educator of the Year Leadership Retreat and State Ceremony, and delivering a remote advocacy and leadership academy for award-winning educators. The procurement is structured as a sole source notification, which requires public inspection for at least fifteen working days before the contract start date of July 17, 2025. The contract is set to run through December 31, 2025, with OSPI seeking a vendor with extensive experience in convening educator cohorts and leadership development.

The contract is funded by a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and is specifically targeted to CSTP due to their extensive background in educator leadership development. No specific set-aside designations or restrictions on respondent types are mentioned in the documentation. The total contract value is $120,000, with CSTP selected after OSPI explored alternative service providers like Conference Services at Evergreen State College and Educational School District 113, who could not provide the required comprehensive meeting planning and expert facilitation services. The sole source selection follows Department of Enterprise Service policy and is based on CSTP's decade-long collaboration with OSPI and their deep expertise in educator leadership programs. The contract appears to be non-competitive and specifically tailored to CSTP's unique capabilities in supporting and elevating Washington state educators through strategic programming and leadership development initiatives.