Provision of Adult Education & Literacy Services in South Dakota

The South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation is issuing Request for Proposal #26RFP19640 to procure adult education and literacy services under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Title II Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA). The procurement seeks eligible applicants to provide comprehensive academic instruction, literacy services, English language acquisition, integrated education and training, and workforce preparation activities to individuals aged 16 and older who are basic skills deficient, lack a secondary school diploma, or are English language learners. Qualified applicants must demonstrate past effectiveness through performance data showing competency in reading, writing, mathematics, and English language acquisition, with outcomes averaging at least 50% of statewide figures, and must possess capacity to serve participants at an average cost of approximately $1,200 per fiscal year. The evaluation framework consists of six federal criteria categories totaling 100 points—Service Need and Provider Capacity (0-30 points), Quality and Effectiveness (0-25 points), Contextualized Learning and Civic Engagement (0-10 points), Alignment and Coordination (0-15 points), Access and Supporting Services (0-10 points), and Technology and Data Management (0-10 points)—plus seven state-level criteria scored separately on a 0-5 point scale for a maximum of 35 points. Key deadlines include a Letter of Intent due by April 10, 2026 at 5:00 PM CDT; written inquiries also due by April 10, 2026 to John.Anderson@state.sd.us; an Applicants' Conference scheduled for April 17, 2026 at 11:00 AM CDT via webinar; and proposal submissions due electronically by May 1, 2026 at 5:00 PM CDT, with an anticipated award decision on May 29, 2026.

Eligible applicants include local educational agencies, community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, institutions of higher education, libraries, public housing authorities, and consortiums thereof, with no specific set-asides for disadvantaged enterprises noted in the procurement documents. The contract period spans two years from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2028, with renewal for the second year contingent upon performance, availability of funds, and legislative appropriations. Anticipated funding totals approximately $1,200,000 in federal AEFLA funds plus approximately $1,300,000 in general funds for the initial grant year, with the same amounts anticipated for the second year, providing a combined total of approximately $2,500,000 annually. Successful applicants must provide an annual local match between 5% and 25% of awarded funds, maintain commercial general liability insurance of not less than $1,000,000 per occurrence, and comply with Sub-Recipient Agreement requirements that mandate not less than 95% of federal AEFLA funds be expended for direct instruction and literacy activities. Sub-recipients will be subject to ongoing monitoring for programmatic and fiscal compliance, including quarterly reporting of adult education statistics and progress toward program goals, and must undergo audits in accordance with 2 CFR Part 200 if expending $1,000,000 or more in federal awards during their fiscal year.