NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD SOLE SOURCE Description The National Assessment Governing Board intends to award a sole source contract to the Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS) in accordance with the authority of 41 United States Code (U.S.C.) 253(c)(1) as set forth in FAR Subpart 6.302-1(a)(2) "Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements." The Council of the Great City Schools is the only national organization exclusively representing the needs of urban public schools. Composed of 68 large city school districts, CGCS's mission is to promote the cause of urban schools and to advocate for inner-city students through a variety of activities, including providing a network for school districts sharing common problems to exchange information, and to collectively address new challenges as they emerge in order to deliver the best possible education for urban youth. CGCS was instrumental in the creation and congressional support for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) program as well as the recruitment of volunteer districts to participate in the program. TUDA provides the nation with a way to measure progress within and compare across large urban districts in the country. The majority of the 27 large urban districts that voluntarily participate in TUDA are also members of CGCS. Therefore, coordination with these CGCS members would provide unique local perspectives on education matters which are essential for making informed policy decisions related to The Nation's Report Card and for carrying out the Board's congressional-mandated responsibilities under the requirements of Public Law 107-279. More information on the work of the National Assessment Governing Board can be found at www.nagb.gov. This notice is being posted under the requirements of FAR Subpart 6.3 - Other Than Full and Open Competition. This notice is not a request for competitive proposals. A formal solicitation will not be issued. The procurement will be awarded as a simplified acquisition in or around January 2017. The contract period of performance will include a base year as well as 2 option years, for a maximum duration of 36 months. Background The National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB or Governing Board) has a congressional mandate to set policy for the National Assessment of Educational Progress - also known as The Nation's Report Card - and to take appropriate actions that improve the form, content, use, and reporting of assessment results. The Governing Board also has responsibility to plan and execute the initial public release of NAEP reports. A key component in providing feedback on the Governing Board's work and disseminating NAEP is through expanded outreach activities with targeted audiences across the nation. As increased attention is drawn to NAEP, particularly with the Common Core State Standards, it is important to encourage and expand the involvement of state policymakers and educators in providing information and input to the Governing Board in executing its congressionally mandated responsibilities. As a continuing component of its policy making and outreach activities, the Governing Board seeks input from state stakeholders who are keenly interested in NAEP. Task Force Collaboratio n This sole source award would result in the establishment of a TUDA Task Force in 2017. The Task Force would be composed of high-level staff of urban districts that are members of both CGCS and participate in TUDA. The joint work will involve discussions on current issues relevant to urban districts and NAEP. The goal of this collaboration is to seek district level input and feedback to inform the Governing Board's policy decisions and outreach efforts. The Task Force will conduct its work through webinars and in-person meetings via contract with the Governing Board. A Task Force member will also periodically attend Governing Board meetings report on the Task Force's ongoing work and promote communication between the Governing Board and the Task Force. Project activities of the Task Force will be available to the public via the Board's website. Topics to be discussed by the Task Force will include planning for reporting and communicating the 2017 NAEP TUDA reports; challenges and opportunities with digital-based assessments; input on NAEP's contextual variable data collected through student, teacher, and school questionnaires; and districts' NAEP information use and analysis needs. Opportunity for Comment and Capability Statements Organizations and persons may identify their interest in and capability to respond to the requirement. Please submit capability statements to
[email protected] by November 29, 2016. Responses received will be posted via www.fbo.gov. A determination by the government not to compete this proposed contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the government.