SBE: Sole Source - National Board for Professional Teaching Standards

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) is issuing a sole source procurement contract to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards for processing candidate components related to the Illinois Teaching Excellence Program. This procurement involves administration and processing of National Board Certification candidate component fees, certification-related services for candidacy and certification status, secure systems for candidate registration and payment processing, coordination with ISBE to support educator incentives and reimbursements, compliance with National Board certification standards and timelines, and comprehensive data reporting related to candidate participation and certification outcomes. The contract represents a one-time purchase term structure, effective July 1, 2026, transitioning program administration directly to ISBE from the previous administrator, the National Board Resource Center at Illinois State University. The deadline for interested parties to submit written comments or request a public hearing is May 30, 2026, at 4:00 p.m., with a public hearing scheduled for June 4, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. via WebEx. Submissions should be directed to Dianne Richman at the Chief Procurement Office for General Services (Dianne.Richman@illinois.gov or 217-622-1857), and the BidBuy identification number is 26-586SBE-CHFED-B-52273.

This is a sole source procurement with no open competition, as the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is specifically named in Illinois statute 105 ILCS 5/21B-70(b), which explicitly requires that candidate application and component fees be paid directly to this organization, making it the sole entity authorized to administer National Board Certification and related services. The contract is valued at a not-to-exceed amount of $1,000,000, with annual costs being variable and dependent upon the number of educator candidates applying for initial or renewal certification. Pricing for this contract is established by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and was determined to be fair and reasonable based on ISBE's review of historical actual expenditures previously paid through Illinois State University. The contract is funded through State Appropriated Funds and is mandated by statute, eliminating the need for alternative vendor evaluation. No specific set-aside designations or restrictions limiting organizational types are noted in the procurement materials.