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FBO DAILY ISSUE OF MARCH 06, 2004 FBO #0831
SOURCES SOUGHT

B -- Head Start National Reporting System

Notice Date
3/4/2004
 
Notice Type
Sources Sought
 
NAICS
541990 — All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
 
Contracting Office
Department of Health and Human Services, Program Support Center, Division of Acquisition Management, Parklawn Building Room 5-101 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD, 20857
 
ZIP Code
20857
 
Solicitation Number
Reference-Number-ACFNRS
 
Response Due
3/11/2004
 
Archive Date
9/30/2004
 
Point of Contact
Michellee Edwards, Contract Specialist, Phone 301-443-6412, Fax 301-443-2761,
 
E-Mail Address
medwards@psc.gov
 
Description
This is a sources sought notice to determine the availability of potential small businesses (e.g., 8(a), veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran owned small business, HUBZone small business, small disadvantaged business, and women-owned small business) that can provide technical support services over the next five years for the continued implementation of the Head Start National Reporting System (NRS) for the Administration for Children and Families. The NRS consists of three components: (1) A common battery of direct assessment tools on a limited set of indicators of early literacy, language and mathematics learning, to be administered by local Head Start staff to approximately 475,000 4- and 5- year-old children at the beginning and end of their year of Head Start program services; (2) A Computer-Based Reporting System (CBRS) to gather background information on program, staff and child characteristics; to track the two child assessments each year; and to generate profiles of the progress and accomplishments of groups of children and other forms of analysis; and (3) a reporting system to provide NRS information to 1570 local Head Start grantee agencies, 12 ACF Regional Offices and the Head Start Bureau, including, at a minimum reports for each grantee and delegate agency on their fall, spring, and fall-to-spring progress assessment results. The contract will include the following five core services: (1) Training-of-Trainers support to prepare and certify the competence of up to 2800 local Head Start managers and specialists to train local staff to administer the NRS assessment package and to enter data and utilize the NRS data management system. This component requires a team of 40 trainers with demonstrated competence in early childhood assessment and computer-based information systems and training in both English and Spanish. (2) Technical Assistance to enhance the quality of local staff training, child assessment and NRS data entry activities, including the provision of on-line and telephone assistance to local program managers. (3) Data Management, Analysis and Reporting to include receiving, tracking and management of 950,000+ machine-scannable answer forms and descriptive data on 475,000 children and reporting on NRS results to Head Start programs, ACF Regional Offices and the Head Start Bureau. (4) Field Testing to develop enhancements to the existing NRS child assessment and other system elements. This set of services includes developing prototype materials and training for alternate forms or additional areas of assessment, and managing and analyzing the results of field tests of these prototypes in a suitable number of Head Start programs. Also included in this set of services is development of materials required to obtain OMB approval for new data collection activities. (5) Materials Development and Use of Copyrighted Assessment Tools to provide updated video, print and Internet-based training materials, manuals, assessment forms and CBRS software for each successive cycle of NRS administration and reporting. Also included in the task is responsibility for negotiating agreements with publishers of any copyrighted assessments selected for use in the NRS or in field testing activities and compensating publishers for such rights. The North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code is 541990. This is not an invitation for bid, request for proposal or other solicitation and in no way obligates the Government to award a contract. The minimum contractor requirements are: (1) In-depth expertise in research on assessment tools for young children, particularly children from low-income families, and including children entering preschool speaking a language other than English; (2) Capability to conduct large-scale ?training of trainers? programs in English and Spanish to prepare early childhood staff members to conduct direct assessments of young children from a wide range of ethnic, cultural, and linguistic populations; (3) Experience with collecting, analyzing, and reporting information for purposes of program accountability and program improvement; (4) Adequate computer/statistical resources (access to a mainframe computer and the internet) and the institutional capability to process and analyze large-scale early childhood assessment data, including capacity to input 950,0000 machine-scannable answer sheets annually, conduct quality control checks, and maintain internet-accessible data bases; (5) Experience providing institutional and management support for studies in related areas of investigation such as child development, program evaluation, early childhood education, and the assessment of young children?s cognitive, social and physical functioning; and (6) Experience providing institutional support for the training and management of field staff located in various sties across the country, and managing the data collection and quality control activities associated with multi-site studies of similar programs. Interested parties having the capabilities necessary to perform the stated requirements may submit capability statements via email to medwards@psc.gov. CAPABILITY STATEMENTS MUST DEMONSTRATE THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS OUTLINED ABOVE. Capability statements must also include the following information: company name, address, point of contact, phone/fax/email, and business size and status (e.g., small business, 8(a), veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran owned small business, HUBZone small business, small disadvantaged business, and women owned small business). Responses are requested not later than March 11. Capability statements will not be accepted after the due date.
 
Record
SN00536437-W 20040306/040304222116 (fbodaily.com)
 
Source
FedBizOpps.gov Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)

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