Professional services

The New Mexico Public Education Department (PED) is seeking to contract with Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (Prepared To Teach) for services related to a five-year, $8 million federal grant through the Education Innovation and Research (EIR) program of the U.S. Department of Education. The grant, titled "NM Residencies," aims to grow high-quality teacher residency preparation programs across the state. The scope of work includes developing approaches to braid resources for sustainable funding, working with preparation programs and districts to implement and document various funding models, increasing program affordability, and building legislative support for continued investments in teacher residencies. Prepared To Teach, a fiscally sponsored project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, is identified as the sole source contractor due to their expertise in teacher residency sustainability, their existing relationships and work in New Mexico, and their capacity to manage the technical aspects of the project, including data collection, reporting, and project leadership. The prospective contract with Prepared To Teach is for $407,837.50 from July 1 to December 31, 2024, with no tax applicable as they are a non-profit organization.

The PED determined that Prepared To Teach is uniquely qualified to deliver the services required, as no other organization in the nation has the same level of expertise and presence in New Mexico's teacher preparation context. The PED conducted due diligence by engaging with national leaders in educator preparation and determined that Prepared To Teach is the only prospective contractor capable of performing the necessary work. The contract opportunity is applicable to the jurisdictions of Santa Fe County and Santa Fe City, and the deadline for submissions is July 18, 2024.