Sole Source Public Review - Heads Start Program Screening Assessments

City Colleges of Chicago's Child Development Laboratory Schools is conducting a sole source procurement for ESI-3 (Early Screening Inventory-Third Edition) assessment materials required by the Department of Family Support and Services and Head Start Performance Standards. The procurement, posted on February 13, 2026, with a public review due date of February 27, 2026, seeks to procure 64 total assessment kits consisting of 16 units each of ESI-3 Pages 3:0-4:5 Kit in English (print), ESI-3 Pages 3:0-4:5 Kit in Spanish (print), ESI-3 K Ages 4:6-5:11 Kit in English (print), and ESI-3 K Ages 4:6-5:11 Kit in Spanish (print) from NCS Pearson, Inc. The primary objective is to enable the institution to identify children who may need special education services within 45 calendar days of program enrollment and to maintain compliance with funder requirements and Head Start Performance Standards. The goods are priced at $259.40 per unit with a subtotal of $16,601.60, plus $664.32 in freight charges, for a total quote amount of $17,265.92. The procurement is funded through Head Start program grant funds and DFSS operational funds allocated to account string 53000-07504-0016006-60000. A public hearing is scheduled for Friday, February 27, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. CDT via Zoom teleconference, where interested parties may testify regarding the sole source determination or submit signed statements demonstrating capability to provide equivalent or superior services at or below the quoted amount.

The sole source justification rests on NCS Pearson's exclusive copyright and patent rights to the ESI-3 assessment tool, making it unavailable from any other vendor through lawful means. No set-asides or restrictions limiting responses to disadvantaged enterprises are noted in the procurement documentation. City Colleges of Chicago has identified NCS Pearson as the incumbent vendor and sole source supplier within the United States for this early screening assessment tool. The vendor declined to enter into a fixed-price contract, indicating that prices are subject to change, and no alternative assessment tools were evaluated, as the funder mandates use of the specific ESI-3 screener. Vendors interested in objecting to the sole source determination may submit objections using the provided template to the Business and Procurement Services department at procurementservices@ccc.edu or (312) 553-2590. The procurement has received approval through the district's approval process with a target board date of April 2, 2026, and the quote is valid for 60 days from the date of issuance.