Single Source provider for Benchmark proprietary curriculum materials

The Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind (FSDB) is procuring Benchmark Advance Florida Edition comprehensive print and digital language arts curriculum materials through a single-source procurement mechanism for use during the 2026-2031 school years. This procurement is structured as a non-competitive acquisition justified by Benchmark Education Company's exclusive ownership and creation of the specified proprietary curriculum products and programs. The deliverables include the complete Benchmark Advance Florida Edition curriculum suite in both print and digital formats, along with associated professional development services offered by Benchmark Education Company. The procurement covers three commodity codes: Educational or reference software (43232500), Printed Publications (55101500), and Education or Vocational textbooks (55101509). The single-source advertisement was posted on March 19, 2026, at 4:00 PM and will remain open through April 9, 2026, at 4:00 PM, providing the statutorily mandated fifteen business day advertisement period. During this window, vendors believing they can fulfill this procurement may submit information regarding their capability to supply the described commodities or services to Kim Whitwam, Director of Purchasing, at whitwamk@fsdbk12.org. No competitive bidding process, site visits, or bidder conferences are associated with this procurement; however, the agency retains discretion to conduct a competitive procurement based on responses received during the advertisement period.

The justification for single-source acquisition is predicated upon Benchmark Education Company's position as the sole source and original creator of all products and programs offered in their sales literature and 2025 catalog, with limited exceptions for trade books, PD Essentials, fiction titles in Reading Explorers programs, and Classroom Connections Skill Bags. Benchmark Education Company holds all copyrights to the proprietary materials and is identified as the exclusive provider of both the curriculum materials and associated professional development services. The intended sole source vendor is Benchmark Education Company, located at 145 Huguenot Street, 8th Floor, New Rochelle, New York 10801. No specific set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises or restrictions on organizational types are noted in the procurement documentation. The estimated dollar amount not-to-exceed for this five-year contract is $88,000.00, representing the maximum contract value for the comprehensive curriculum materials and professional development services spanning the 2026-2031 school years.