Active

Contract Opportunity

U.S. Department of Education

Institute of Education Sciences

Request for Information (RFI)

Integrated Postsecondary Education Data Systems (IPEDS) Support

11/9/2023

PLEASE NOTE: All information contained in this notice is preliminary in nature and subject to change. This notice is issued solely for information and planning purposes and does not constitute a Request for Proposals (RFP), Request for Quotations (RFQ), Invitation for Bids (IFB), or a commitment on the part of the Government to conduct a solicitation in the future. All information provided is strictly voluntary and no reimbursement will be made by the Government for any costs associated with providing a response to this notice or otherwise participating in market research activities. Further, the U.S. Department of Education offers no assurance that a solicitation will result from this notice.

1. Overview

The U.S. Department of Education (Department) intends to issue a solicitation in FY24 from which nine of ten Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) contracts will issue. Please read this document in its entirety. The information that you provide may play a substantial role in shaping this procurement and may affect the composition of the Performance Work Statement (PWS).

The government requests that contractors include the following components in their responses to this RFI:

(1) Capability statements

(2) Responses to targeted vendor outreach questions.

(3) Comment and feedback on the draft PWS.

NAICS Information: 541720 – Educational Support Services

Contract Type: FFP

Period of Performance: Base +4 one-year options

1. Description of the Requirement

This contract provides advisory and assistance services for Data Collection and Data Operation activities. The anticipated contract supports the following data activities:

• IPEDS Data Collection Support


• Responding to Information Requests and Supporting Help Desk


• IPEDS Improvement and Expansion


• Data Center Support and SAS Programming

1. Focus Questions

Technical Questions:

1. Is your company capable of meeting all requirements detailed in the PWS? If so, please provide a summary of how you would propose to meet the requirements.


2. Does your company possess, or is your company capable of obtaining postsecondary education knowledge including the knowledge related to all survey components in the IPEDS data collection (e.g. characteristics of institutions, enrollment patterns (12-month and fall), student success measures (graduation rates, retention rates, degree/certificate completion, other student outcomes measure), institutional finance for differing institution types, financial aid packaging and distribution (both federal and non-federal), institutional pricing, human resources, and academic libraries)? If so, please explain.


3. Is your company capable of developing thorough materials including survey screens and all related edits, instructions, import specifications, and question and answers? If so, please explain.


4. Is your company capable of coordinating and collaborating with policymakers, researchers, data reporters, and practitioners to identify gaps in data collection as well as improvements to the data collection? If so, please explain.


5. Is your company capable of independently developing materials that convey complex topics in an accurate and easy understand manner to data reporters, data users, and policymakers? If so, please explain.


6. Is your company capable of reviewing complex postsecondary longitudinal database products for accuracy? If so, please explain.

Procurement Questions

1. Is your product/service available on the Federal Supply Schedules (more commonly known as the GSA Schedule)? If so, under what NAICS/Special Item Number is your product/service available.


2. Is your product/service available through any other Government contract vehicle? Examples include OASIS, Alliant 2, CHESS, CIO-SP3, etc.?


3. Is your business classified as a small business under the NAICS code that aligns with your product/service?
   
   
   
   1. If yes, is your business classified under any socioeconomic sub-factors such as Woman-Owned Small Business, HUBZone, Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business, etc.?
   
   
   
   


4. Have you contracted with the Federal Government to provide similar products/services to other agencies?

1. Submission Instructions

Interested parties may submit PDF documents responding to this RFI. Responses are due 27 November 2023 at 9:00 AM EST. Responses shall be submitted to the contacts listed below and shall comply with the following formatting requirements:

• Responses shall include a capabilities statement, answers to targeted vendor outreach questions, and comment or feedback on the draft PWS.


• Responses are limited to 15 pages.


• Font size must be 12-point or larger, may be single-spaced, and may include any number of charts, tables, graphics, or other means of conveying information to the IES technical team.


• Submissions must adhere to standard, 1” margins on all sides.


• Submissions shall not exceed 15MB.

1. Contact Information

Points of Contact

Name

Role Title

E-mail

Primary Point of Contact

CJ Fields

Contract Specialist

Charles.fields@ed.gov

Secondary Point of Contact

Chase Cooper

Contracting Officer

Stephen.cooper@ed.gov

Attachments/Links