To provide services contracted by the agency to enhance targeted support for new mexico career advisement/school counseling and regional workforce partnerships by supporting professional development and collaboration per an intergovernmental agreement (#2

High Plains Regional Education Cooperative #3 (HPREC #3), in partnership with the New Mexico Public Education Department, is soliciting services to enhance targeted support for New Mexico career advisement, school counseling, and regional workforce partnerships under a sole-source procurement with a proposal due date of September 2, 2026. This is a sole-source award to NS4ed dba Pathway2Careers; no competitive bidding will occur.

The scope includes monthly Communities of Practice sessions for school counselors from August through April; management and facilitation of a hybrid School Counselor Conference in Albuquerque with a minimum of 125 in-person attendees; production of monthly newsletters for school counselors; maintenance of online resources through the NMPED Canvas learning management system with digital badging capabilities; and quarterly updates to the New Mexico School Counselor Resource Center website. The contract term is one year covering the 2026–2027 school year, with conference deliverables extending through spring 2027.

The total contract value is $85,000 before tax. Pathway2Careers is located at 200 E Broadway, Suite 215, Maryville, Tennessee 37804, and is represented by Dr. Joseph Goins.

The sole-source justification rests on Pathway2Careers' proprietary ownership and operation of the schoolcounselors-nm.com website, the New Mexico Career Pathways dashboard (careerpathways-nm.com), and the existing NMPED Canvas Counselor Resource Center — platforms representing over eight years of partnership development. The agency determined that no other vendor can lawfully perform the contract due to the proprietary nature of these systems and the statewide counselor network and community relationships that would be disrupted by switching providers. Funding is provided through Intergovernmental Agreement #27-924-00162 with NMPED's College and Career Readiness Bureau. The sole-source request was certified and approved on August 3, 2026, following the required 30-day posting period.