California Community Schools Partnership Program Formative Evaluations – Request for Proposals Question and Answer Document

All references to Request for Proposals (RFP) in this document are to the California Community Schools Partnership Program (CCSPP) Formative Evaluations RFP that was released on December 20, 2023. The answers have been organized by sections of the RFP, as submitted by the potential bidders, without reference to the individual or company asking the question.

Table of Contents

• How do I obtain a Bidder Certification?

Response: Please refer to RFP Attachment 3, Bidder Certification Sheet.

Section 1 – Purpose and Background

• Purpose and Background, what exactly is meant by the term “extracts”?

Response: Please refer to Addendum 2.

Section 2 – General Proposal Information

• Who is eligible for this RFP?

Response: Please refer to RFP Section 2.1 Bidder Eligibility and Section 2.2 Minimum Qualifications for Bidders.

• Is there is a list of organization types that may submit proposals in response to the RFP. Could the California Department of Education (CDE) confirm that for-profit corporations are eligible for the opportunity?

Response: Please refer to RFP Section 2.1 Bidder Eligibility and Section 2.2 Minimum Qualifications for Bidders. For-profit (private agencies) are eligible to apply.

• The total budget is broken down by fiscal years. Is there flexibility to have more and/or less than $287,000 allocated per year, while still having a total estimated cost of $2,162,630 (e.g., having more than $287,000 for some years but less for other years)?

Response: Please refer to Addendum 2.

• In “definitions” there is mention of a cost reimbursement contract. Are fees included in this agreement?

Response: Please refer to RFP Section 2.8 for definition of a cost reimbursement contract, and also RFP Section 3.3 for Cost Proposal Requirements.

Section 3 – Proposal Specifications

• What sectors are being referred to related to experience related to cross-sector collaboration? Is CDE looking for contractors to demonstrate experience related to collaboration outside of the education sector? Or within levels of the education sector (local, county, state)

Response: Please refer to RFP Section 3.1.4. The bidder must have experience implementing evaluation or other technical assistance programs at the state level, leading cross sector collaboration between differing levels of state and local administration.

• Can CDE provide a list of organizations/contractors that are currently authorized to or providing training and technical support to the technical assistance (TA) Centers? Or to the State Transformational Assistance Center (S-TAC)?

Response: The CDE does not have a list of organizations that provide training to the TA centers and to the S-TAC.

• In the RFP, it states that bidders need to have “provided training and technical support to the TA centers, County Offices of Education (COEs) and LEAs”. Does this requirement refer specifically to the TA centers, COEs, and LEAs served by the CCSPP program?

Response: Please refer to RFP Section 3.1.4.

• The bidder is to align the proposed evaluation with current research on formative evaluation, which often calls for the compensation of participants for their time and expertise donated, often in the form of gift cards. Could the CDE clarify whether funds may be used for participation incentives or compensation? If so, what amount is deemed “reasonable,” in reference to section 3.3.1’s cost proposal specification on page 31.

Response: Please refer to Addendum 2. Incentives, like gift cards, are not permitted and will not be reimbursed.

• Is it a requirement that proposals be submitted three-hole punched and in a binder, or may we submit them in a spiral-bound format?

Response: Please refer to RFP Section 3.5 for proposal submission requirements.

• The RFP provides contact information to schedule an in-person delivery appointment. Does this requirement apply if we are submitting a proposal using a delivery service (e.g., Federal Express, UPS) that will deliver during normal business hours?

Response: Please refer to RFP Section 3.5 for proposal submission requirements and instructions. Proposals must be received by the CDE no later than the time, day, and date specified in RFP Section 2.3 and may be mailed or delivered.

• Since delivery services are subject to weather delays and not always reliable, we would like to submit duplicate versions of our proposals via two different delivery services (e.g., Federal Express and UPS) so that at least one of them is delivered by the due date and time.

Response: Please refer to RFP Section 3.6, only one proposal may be submitted.

Section 4 – Evaluation Process

• If a proposal makes it to Phase III, will the CDE consider conducting a virtual oral interview or will an in-person one be required?

Response: Please refer to RFP Section 4, 3. Phase III: Oral Interview. “It is anticipated that the interviews will be held in Sacramento, CA (at the discretion of the CDE).” Further, “the CDE reserves the right to conduct the Phase III: Oral Interview via teleconference or video conference.”

Section 7 – Scope of Project

• Does the CDE have a preference for how proposals should reference any overlapping work plan elements across tasks (e.g., address overlap between development of the comprehensive plan and schedule and development of the formative evaluation design). To that end, is it acceptable for proposals to ask readers to refer to descriptions of another task?

Response: Please refer to RFP Section 7 “Proposals must be submitted for the performance of all tasks described herein.”

• Is the annual report due by December 31 meant to reflect implementation efforts for the preceding school year? How do summer activities align with annual report timelines?

Response: Please refer to Addendum 2.

• Can bidders be provided access to annual report guidance or templates associated with CCSPP grantee reporting?

Response: Please refer to RFP Section 7, Subtask 4.1, under School-Level Outcome Measures, “The information should come from data available on the CDE’s website and results from grantee annual reporting.”