RFP for 10th grade college entrance prep exam and 11th grade

The Colorado Department of Education issued RFP-DAA-2016000062 for comprehensive assessment services to develop, produce, administer, score, and report large-scale, high-stakes standardized exams for tenth-grade and college entrance exam populations in Denver County and Denver City. The procurement seeks qualified vendors to deliver a tenth-grade exam assessing English Language Arts and Mathematics aligned with Colorado Academic Standards, and a college entrance exam for eleventh-grade students assessing Reading, Mathematics, Science, and an optional Writing component that must be accepted by institutions of higher education throughout the United States. Required deliverables include test design and development, accommodated materials in large print and Braille, secure distribution and administration across all Colorado schools, automated and hand scoring operations, psychometric analysis including field testing and standard setting, test management and reporting systems, administrator and coordinator manuals, student orientation materials, training programs for assessment coordinators through face-to-face sessions and webinars, and ongoing customer service support. Offerors must demonstrate minimum qualifications of ten years' experience in developing and administering large-scale, high-stakes assessments, submit proposals as integrated programs addressing both exam components, and register on ColoradoVSS. The RFP required an Intent to Respond deadline of November 11, 2015, with technical questions due by November 13, 2015, and the proposal opening scheduled for December 4, 2015, at 12:00 p.m. MST. On-site interviews and demonstrations were estimated for December 17, 2015, in Denver, Colorado, with an offeror-provided webinar scheduled for approximately December 10, 2015. Evaluation criteria included responsiveness certifications requiring submission of sample test forms aligned to Colorado Academic Standards, commitment to host webinars on report interpretation, participation in live demonstrations and interviews, and compliance with data governance and security requirements prohibiting sale of individual student data and creation of student profiles for marketing purposes.

No service-disabled veteran-owned small business participation was required for this procurement, and no specific set-aside designations or restrictions limiting eligible respondents were identified in the available documentation. The RFP documents do not identify any incumbent vendors or current contractors serving these assessment functions. All work must be performed in the United States, and successful contractors must comply with Colorado data privacy and security policies, including implementation of 24/7 secure data storage access, cyber privacy liability insurance with minimum limits of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate, and professional liability insurance of $1,000,000. The initial contract period was anticipated to begin January 1, 2016, extending through September 30, 2016, with potential renewal for four additional one-year periods through September 30, 2020, and the maximum budget for the initial fiscal year 2015-2016 was set at $4,391,680 for all expenses related to both assessment components. Funding sources include legislatively-appropriated state funds and federal funds under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, with future-year funding contingent upon legislative appropriation.