Continuous Improvement Expert for Springboard School Grant - The Jean Massieu School of the Deaf

Project Description: Issuing Procurement Unit: Utah State Board of Education
This Request for Statement of Qualifications (RFSQ) is issued in accordance with the Utah Procurement Code and applicable administrative rules of the Utah Administrative Code. If any provision of this RFSQ conflicts with the Utah Procurement Code or Utah Administrative Code, then the Utah Procurement Code or Utah Administrative Code will take precedence.
Purpose of this Solicitation:
Per Utah Code Annotated (UCA) § 53E-5-302, the Utah State Board of Education (USBE) “shall, beginning in the 2025-2026 school year, and every four years thereafter, designate a school as a springboard school; and conduct a needs assessment for a springboard school by thoroughly analyzing the root causes of the springboard school’s performance qualifying the school for designation as a springboard school.” A springboard school is a non-Title I school and, when ranked according to the percentage of possible points the state awards averaged over three years, is one of the five lowest-performing elementary, middle, or junior high schools statewide. The Jean Massieu School of the Deaf (JMS), has been designated a springboard school.
Accordingly, per UCA § 53E-5-303(4), Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind (USDB) and JMS are required to contract with a Continuous Improvement Expert (CIE) to partner with the school to meet the statutory requirements of UCA § 53E-5-303(4).
The purpose of this solicitation is to contract with a Continuous Improvement Expert (CIE) to develop and implement a school improvement plan and scope of work aligned with Utah Code and the needs assessment. Per UCA § 53E-5-303(2), the CIE provider must include a:
a) strategy to address the root causes of the springboard school’s or elevate school’s low performance identified through the needs assessment described in Section 53E-5-302;
and
b) scope of work to facilitate implementation of the strategy that includes at least the activities described in Subsection (4)(b)
Per UCA § 53E-5-305, only USBE pre-approved CIE providers are eligible for consideration.
NOTE: Additionally, JMS is seeking a CIE with knowledge of educational approaches and modalities for teaching Deaf and hard-of-hearing students. Fluency in American Sign Language is desired and highly preferred. Please provide a narrative demonstrating this experience OR, if you do not have direct experience, provide a narrative detailing how you will accommodate these specialized needs, which may include utilizing interpretation services and/or subcontracting with qualified vendors.
It is anticipated this solicitation may result in a single contract award to a responsive and responsible Offeror under Administrative Rule R277-122-6 for the Small Purchases of Professional Service Providers and Consultants. THIS PROCESS IS LIMITED TO A MAXIMUM CONTRACT VALUE OF $100,000.00; and the current all-inclusive budget for this particular project is limited to $100,000.00. Additional information on budget may be found in the Scope of Work.
Closing Date and Time:
The closing date and time for this sourcing event are listed. It is your obligation to verify your response is submitted in a timely fashion. Please check the time zone setting in your account.
Additional Information:
Vendors are prohibited from communications regarding this RFSQ with the conducting procurement unit staff, evaluation committee members, or other associated individuals EXCEPT USBE procurement officer overseeing this RFSQ.
Wherever in this RFSQ an item is defined by using a trade name, brand name, or a manufacturer and/or model number, it is intended that the words, “or equivalent” apply; and invites the submission of equivalent products by the vendors.
Vendors may be required to submit product samples to assist the head of a procurement unit with independent procurement authority in evaluating whether a procurement item meets the specifications and other requirements set forth in the RFSQ. Product samples must be furnished free of charge unless otherwise stated in the RFSQ, and if not destroyed by testing, will upon written request within any deadline stated in the RFSQ, be returned at the vendor's expense. Samples must be labeled or otherwise identified as specified in the RFSQ by the procurement unit.
USBE reserves the right to conduct discussions with the vendors who submit statements of qualifications and quotes determined to be reasonably qualified of being selected for award.
Evaluation of Statements of Qualifications and Quotes:
Each statement of qualifications and quote received shall be evaluated for responsiveness in as outlined in the Utah Procurement Code. Pursuant to Administrative Rule R277-122-6, this RFSQ shall be evaluated by the objective criteria described in this RFSQ. Statements of qualifications and quotes submitted must comply with the Prerequisites and Questions sections of this RFSQ. Any statement of qualifications and quote that does not comply with the Prerequisite and Questions sections will be deemed non-responsive and will be rejected.
Any exceptions to the content of this RFSQ, including the Prerequisites, must be protested in writing to USBE prior to the closing date.
To be responsive and responsible, vendors must review and respond to the following sections of this RFSQ: Prerequisites, Buyer Attachments, and Questions.
The Prerequisites section contains the objective criteria that will be used to evaluate the bids, including any mandatory minimum requirements and general requirements that vendors must certify that they have read, understand, and agree in order to submit a bid.
The Buyer Attachments section contains the required Utah State Board of Education Terms and Conditions of the RFSQ, which are non-negotiable, the General Provisions which apply to this RFSQ, and any additional required forms.
The Questions section contains the questions that vendors are required to answer in order to submit their statement of qualifications and detailed quote. Vendors must review each section carefully.