SBE: Complaint Investigators Training

The Illinois State Board of Education's Special Education Department is requesting bids on staff development and training services for investigation of and response to state special education complaints under IFB 26-586SBE-CHFED-B-53245, with bids due August 10, 2026 and questions due July 27, 2026. This is a Small Business Enterprise (SBE) set-aside procurement; bidders must be registered in the Illinois Small Business Set-Aside Program to be eligible.

The vendor will deliver annual initial and refresher training sessions to ISBE complaint investigators and contracted staff via virtual platforms (Zoom or Microsoft Teams only), plus up to twelve on-demand remedial training sessions annually. Training content addresses federal and state regulations (34 CFR 300.151–153, 300.509; 23 IAC 226.570; 105 ILCS 5/14-8.02e; 20 U.S.C. 1415(b)(6)), proper complaint submission, formal complaint criteria, and complaint investigation and resolution processes. Initial training must occur within three months of contract execution and in September or October of each funded year; refresher training is scheduled March through May annually. All trainings require ISBE approval prior to deployment, and vendors must submit participant evaluation feedback within thirty days of completion.

The estimated contract value is $375,000 over three years (maximum $125,000 annually), with indirect costs allowed at 8 percent. The contract term runs through June 30, 2029, with a maximum ten-year total including any renewals or extensions. This contract is entirely federally funded through Special Education-Grants to States (ALN: 84.027).

Vendors must demonstrate at least two years of experience in professional development and training related to state special education complaints through resumes and CVs, and must evidence experience gathering and analyzing evaluation data from training participants. Subcontractors with annual values exceeding $100,000 are permitted with prior written State approval. Vendors must maintain General Commercial Liability of $1,000,000 per occurrence, Auto Liability of $1,000,000 per occurrence, Professional Liability of $1,000,000 per claim and aggregate, and Cyber Liability of $2,000,000 per claim and aggregate. The vendor must comply with FERPA, ISSRA, SOPPA, and FOIA; encrypt confidential data with AES 256-bit minimum; store data in the continental United States; and allow ISBE on-site audit access for three years post-termination. Liquidated damages of $416.67 per calendar day apply for schedule failures (up to thirty days). Pricing must remain firm for 180 days from opening. No bid bond or performance bond is required. All submissions must be made exclusively through BidBuy.