State of Florida 2012-48 florida interim assessment item bank and test platform-rebid page 4 table of contents

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STATE OF FLORIDA

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Request for Proposal

Intent To Submit Proposal *********************************************************************************************************************************

COMPLETE AND RETURN THIS FORM ********************************************************************************************************************************* Proposal Number: RFP 2012-48 Title: FLORIDA INTERIM ASSESSMENT ITEM BANK AND TEST PLATFORM-REBID Date & Time Proposal Due: March 15, 2012 @ 2:30 PM Eastern Time (ET) Potential Proposers should notify the Florida Department of Education, Bureau of Contracts, Grants and Procurement Management Services by returning this Intent to Submit Proposal Form as soon as possible after downloading. Complete the information below and send this sheet only to fax number (850) 245-0719, mail to 325 West Gaines Street, 332 Turlington Building, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0400 or e-mail it to the below contact. Company Name: Contact Person: Address: City, State, Zip: Telephone: ( ) Fax Number: ( ) Internet E-Mail Address: Signed: Date: Department of Education contact person: Caprecia Mortimer, [email protected] , (850) 245-7807. (Revised 03/16/2011)

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State of Florida

Department of Education

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

FLORIDA INTERIM ASSESSMENT ITEM BANK AND TEST PLATFORM-REBID

BID NUMBER: RFP 2012-48

DEADLINE FOR TECHNICAL QUESTIONS: FEBRUARY 27, 2012 BY 4:00 PM EST (There is no deadline for administrative questions)

PROPOSALS ARE DUE BY:

2:30 PM ET, ON MARCH 15, 2012

ESTIMATED POSTING OF INTENDED AWARD BEGINS

APRIL 6, 2012 and ENDS APRIL 11, 2012

MAIL OR DELIVER PROPOSALS TO:

Florida Department of Education Bureau of Contracts, Grants and Procurement

Management Services 325 West Gaines Street 332 Turlington Building

Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0400 Attention: Caprecia Mortimer

Phone: (850) 245-7807

RFP 2012-48 FLORIDA INTERIM ASSESSMENT ITEM BANK AND TEST PLATFORM-REBID Page 4

Table Of Contents

Request for Proposal ............................................................................................................................ i Intent To Submit Proposal ..................................................................................................................... i

SECTION 1 –INSTRUCTIONS ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 6

1.0 GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS TO PROPOSER ................................................................................6

SECTION 2 – CONTRACT CONDITIONS ....................................................................................................................................................................... 6

2.0 GENERAL CONTRACT CONDITIONS ..........................................................................................6

SECTION 3 - INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 6

3.0 INTENT .......................................................................................................................................6 3.1 PURPOSE ..................................................................................................................................7 3.2 BACKGROUND ...........................................................................................................................7 3.3 DEFINITIONS ..............................................................................................................................7 3.4 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS .............................................................................................................8

SECTION 4 – SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS ....................................................................................................................................................................... 9

4.0 PRE-SOLICITATION CONFERENCE: A PRE-SOLICITATION CONFERENCE WILL NOT BE HELD. 9 4.1 SITE INSPECTION: A SITE INSPECTION WILL NOT BE HELD. .....................................................9 4.2 VISITOR’S PASS TO THE TURLINGTON BUILDING .....................................................................9 4.3 PROPOSAL QUESTIONS & ANSWERS ........................................................................................9 4.4 PROCUREMENT PROTESTS / NOTICE OF RIGHTS ....................................................................9 4.5 ORAL INSTRUCTIONS / CHANGES TO THE REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (ADDENDA) ...............10 4.6 MODIFICATIONS, RESUBMITTAL AND WITHDRAWAL...............................................................10 4.7 RESTRICTIONS ON COMMUNICATIONS WITH DEPARTMENT STAFF .......................................10 4.8 CONFIDENTIAL, PROPRIETARY, OR TRADE SECRET MATERIAL .............................................11 4.9 WITHDRAWAL OF A PROPOSAL ...............................................................................................11 4.10 CONDITIONS TO THE PROPOSAL ............................................................................................11 4.11 AWARD ....................................................................................................................................11

SECTION 5 – SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS – PROPOSAL FORMAT & CONTENT ....................................................................................................... 12

5.0 PROPOSAL SUBMISSION .........................................................................................................12 5.1 MAIL OR DELIVER PROPOSALS TO: (Do Not Fax or E-Mail) ......................................................12 5.2 SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS ........................................................................................................12 5.3 TRANSMITTAL LETTER ............................................................................................................12 5.4 PROPOSAL FORMAT INSTRUCTIONS ......................................................................................13

SECTION 6 – SPECIAL CONDITIONS .......................................................................................................................................................................... 16

6.0 AUTHORIZED TO DO BUSINESS IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA ...................................................16 6.1 LICENSED TO CONDUCT SERVICES IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA ............................................16 6.2 OTHER CONDITIONS................................................................................................................16 6.3 IDENTICAL EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS ...............................................................................16 6.4 DISCLOSURE STATEMENT ......................................................................................................16 6.5 DIVERSITY IN CONTRACTING ...................................................................................................17 6.6 CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS .................................................................................................17 6.7 METHOD OF PAYMENT ............................................................................................................17 6.8 SUSPENDED VENDOR LIST .....................................................................................................17 6.9 SUB-CONTRACTING .................................................................................................................17


6.10 SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS BY SUBSIDIARIES OR AFFILIATES ...........................................18 6.11 COSTS INCURRED IN RESPONDING ........................................................................................18 6.12 PROHIBITION OF GRATUITIES .................................................................................................18 6.13 INDEPENDENT PRICE DETERMINATION ..................................................................................18 6.14 PERFORMANCE BOND .............................................................................................................18 6.15 PARTICIPATION IN FUTURE STAGES OF THIS PROJECT .........................................................18 6.16 ACCESSIBLE ELECTRONIC INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ......................................................18

SECTION 7 – SCOPE OF SERVICES ........................................................................................................................................................................... 19

7.0 SCOPE OF SERVICES ..............................................................................................................19 7.1 DELIVERABLES ........................................................................................................................31 7.2 FINANCIAL CONSEQUENCES ...................................................................................................33

SECTION 8 – OPENING, EVALUATION AND AWARD ............................................................................................................................................... 35

8.0 PROPOSAL OPENING ..............................................................................................................35 8.1 EVALUATION PROCESS ...........................................................................................................35 8.2 POSTING OF PROPOSAL TABULATION ....................................................................................37

ATTACHMENT ‘1’ .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 38

PROPOSER’S PRICE PROPOSAL .....................................................................................................38

ATTACHMENT ‘2’ .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 39

DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE ...............................................................................................................39

ATTACHMENT ‘3’ .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 40

DISCLOSURE STATEMENT ..............................................................................................................40

ATTACHMENT ‘4’ .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 41

MINORITY SUB CONTRACTORS UTILIZATION SUMMARY ................................................................41

ATTACHMENT ‘5’ .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 42

REFERENCES ..................................................................................................................................42

ATTACHMENT ‘6’ .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 43

SCRUTINIZED COMPANIES LISTS ....................................................................................................43

ATTACHMENT ‘7’ .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 44

CONTRACT STANDARD TERMS AND CONDITIONS ..........................................................................44 ATTACHMENT ‘8’……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………48 TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE REQUIREMENTS………………………………………………………48


REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL STATE OF FLORIDA, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

FLORIDA INTERIM ITEM BANK AND TEST PLATFORM-REBID

BID NUMBER: RFP 2012-48

SECTION 1 –INSTRUCTIONS

1.0 GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS TO PROPOSER This section contains instructions explaining the solicitation process and the actions necessary to respond. General Instructions to Respondent (Form PUR 1001) is a downloadable document which must be downloaded for review. This document need not be returned with the Proposer’s Proposal. Form PUR 1001 may be accessed at http://dms.myflorida.com/business_operations/state_purchasing under “Documents, Forms, References and Resources”. In the event of any conflict between Form PUR 1001 and other instructions provided in this document, the additional instructions in this document shall take precedence over the Form PUR 1001 unless the conflicting term is required by any section of the Florida Statutes (F.S.), in which case the statutory requirements shall take precedence.

SECTION 2 – CONTRACT CONDITIONS

2.0 GENERAL CONTRACT CONDITIONS Standard terms and conditions that will apply to the contract which results from the solicitation event are provided in this section. General Contract Conditions (Form PUR 1000) is a downloadable document which must be downloaded for review. This document need not be returned with the Proposer’s Proposal. Form PUR 1000 may be accessed at http://dms.myflorida.com/business_operations/state_purchasing under “Documents, Forms, References and Resources”. In the event of any conflict between the PUR 1000 form and any other Special Conditions, the Special Conditions shall take precedence over the PUR 1000 form unless the conflicting term in the PUR form is required by any section of the F.S., in which case the statutory requirements shall take precedence.

SECTION 3 - INTRODUCTION

3.0 INTENT The state of Florida Department of Education (hereinafter referred to as the "Department") is soliciting written Proposals from qualified Proposers to establish a term contract of which the term is anticipated to begin upon execution of the contract and be effective until June 30, 2014. Award will be made to the responsible and responsive vendor(s) that the Department determines will provide what is most advantageous to the state, taking into consideration price and other criteria set forth in this document. Contract may be renewed for 1 year periods for up to 3 years after June 30, 2014 pending satisfactory performance and available funding.

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3.1 PURPOSE The purpose of this Request for Proposal (RFP) is to solicit responses from qualified vendors or a consortium of vendors to develop the Florida Interim Assessment Item Bank and Test Platform (IBTP) that will accomplish the following:

• Allow Florida Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to construct, deliver, and score valid and reliable assessments based on the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) (http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards ) and the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards (NGSSS) (http://www.floridastandards.org/homepage/index.aspx ) for standard / benchmark level diagnostic, interim, and summative assessment purposes.

• Allow for the design, creation, administration, and scoring of LEA-constructed summative assessments that may be used for high-stakes purposes, including teacher effectiveness ratings for value-added methodologies. • Allow for the design, creation, administration, and scoring of classroom-level assessments, as well as school-level and LEA-level assessments, with appropriate test quality and security. • Leverage LEA design of assessments to allow multiple LEAs to access and use the same assessments in a way that preserves validity and reliability.

• Provide online training materials and training opportunities for Florida educators and Florida LEA curriculum specialists to review proposed assessment items, to write high-quality assessment items, and to construct high-quality assessments. • Allow Florida educators to access screening, diagnostic, and progress monitoring measures related to K–12 mathematics instruction. The total budget for this project is $36,800,000.00. This total is for the work through June 30, 2014 and does not include funding for potential renewal years. Proposals where the price reply for the scope of work exceeds $36,800,000.00 will be considered non-responsive by the Department.

3.2 BACKGROUND The Department was awarded a US Department of Education (ED) Race to the Top Grant (RTTT) effective August 24, 2010. The Department shall provide LEAs and schools with an interim assessment item bank and test platform for K–8 mathematics, Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II; Grades K–12 English/Language Arts; Grades K–8 science, Biology, Earth/Space Science, Physics, and Chemistry; Grades K–8 social studies, U.S. History, World History, U.S. Government, and Economics; and Spanish. As provided in the Department’s Race to the Top application, these assessment items will be available for LEA use in academic year 2012–13 and the full capabilities of the technology platform will be available for LEA use in academic year 2013–14. Also included is the requirement to store, administer, score, and collect and report psychometric data from assessment items in areas such as health, music, and art that are more difficult to objectively measure. The development costs of assessment items for these “hard to measure” areas, which will be stored as part of the Florida Interim Assessment Item Bank and Test Platform, are procured separately.

3.3 DEFINITIONS After the award, said Proposer will be referred to as the "Contractor". For the purpose of this document, the term "Proposer" means a potential Contractor acting on its own behalf and on behalf of those individuals, partnerships, firms, or corporations comprising the Proposer’s team. The term "Proposal" means the complete response of the Proposer to the RFP, including properly completed forms and supporting documentation. The term “contract” refers to the agreement between the Department and the Contractor resulting from this RFP. A “responsive bid” is a Proposal submitted by a responsive and responsible vendor which conforms in all material respects to the solicitation. “Deliverable” means a tangible, specific, quantifiable and measurable event or item that must be produced to complete a project or part of a project directly related to the scope of services. For the purpose of this RFP, the following terms are also defined:

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“Concurrent Users” means the number of users within the population of users that are logged on and occasionally making requests accessing the Florida Interim Assessment Item Bank and Test Platform via a computing network or a single computer. Concurrent Users is not to be confused with “Simultaneous Users” which means the number of users actively being processed by the system at any single instant or, in other words, the number of users that make an active request at the same instance.

The following example demonstrates the difference between Concurrent and Simultaneous Users: In the case of a computer system sized by a population of 2,000 potential users with 100 concurrent users, it is not likely that all 100 users will be doing a task at the same time or simultaneously. You may have a range of 10 to 20 or more simultaneous actions of the 100 concurrent users within the population of 2,000 potential users. “Item Tryouts” means an initial test of content items that may take several different forms, including testing a single assessment item or a set of items, and may range from small-scale pilot testing to large-scale field tests. “Text” refers to written material as well as multimedia sources. “Performance-based” means an activity that requires students to demonstrate proficiency as measured by a corresponding rubric.

3.4 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS EVENT DATE Request for Proposal released February 15, 2012 Questions due from prospective Proposers (Fax & E-mail acceptable and preferred)

February 27, 2012 by 4:00 P.M EST

Responses to questions due from the Department February 29, 2012 PROPOSALS DUE (FAX & E-MAIL NOT ACCEPTABLE) March 15, 2012 @ 2:30 P.M Proposals opened March 15, 2012 @ 2:45 P.M Oral Presentations (Vendors will be notified presentation date and time via email)

March 28-29, 2012 325 West Gaines Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32399 Room 1706

Evaluation of Technical Proposals March 30, 2012 @ 9:30 A.M 325 West Gaines Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32399 Room 1706

Opening of Price Reply Proposals Price Replies will be evaluated by the Bureau of Contracts, Grants and Procurement Management Services staff during the evaluation stage.

Anticipated Posting of Intended Award (date is on or about) April 6, 2012 Anticipated beginning of work April 20, 2012


SECTION 4 – SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS

4.0 PRE-SOLICITATION CONFERENCE: A PRE-SOLICITATION CONFERENCE WILL NOT BE HELD.

4.1 SITE INSPECTION: A SITE INSPECTION WILL NOT BE HELD.

4.2 VISITOR’S PASS TO THE TURLINGTON BUILDING Each visitor to the Turlington Building is required to sign in and obtain a Visitor's Pass at the security desk in the main lobby. Please allow at least 15 minutes prior to Proposal due time if hand-delivering the Proposal to the Bureau of Contracts, Grants and Procurement Management Services.

4.3 PROPOSAL QUESTIONS & ANSWERS Any technical questions arising from this RFP must be forwarded, in writing, to the purchasing agent identified below. The Department's written response to written inquiries submitted timely by Proposers will be posted on the Florida Vendor Bid System (VBS) under this Proposal number at www.myflorida.com (click on Business, then click on Doing Business with the State, under Everything for Vendors and Customers, click on the Vendor Bid System, then Search Advertisement, select the Department of Education in the Agency drop down window and initiate search under this Proposal number). It is the responsibility of all potential Proposers to monitor this site for any changing information prior to submitting a Proposal. Only written inquiries from Proposers, which are submitted by the company’s authorized representative, will be recognized by the Department as duly authorized expressions on behalf of the Proposers. WRITTEN QUESTIONS should be submitted to:

Florida Department of Education Bureau of Contract, Grants and Procurement Management Services Attn: Caprecia Mortimer 325 West Gaines Street, 332 Turlington Building Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0400 E-mail Address (preferred): [email protected] or Fax No.: (850) 245-0719

4.4 PROCUREMENT PROTESTS / NOTICE OF RIGHTS Pursuant to F.S., Section 120.57(3) (b): Any person who is adversely affected by the agency decision or intended decision shall file with the agency a notice of protest in writing within 72 hours after the posting of the notice of decision or intended decision. With respect to a protest of the terms, conditions, and specifications contained in a solicitation, including any provisions governing the methods for ranking bids, proposals, or replies, awarding contracts, reserving rights of further negotiation, or modifying or amending any contract, the notice of protest shall be filed in writing within 72 hours after the posting of the solicitation. The formal written protest shall be filed within ten (10) days after the date the notice of protest is filed. Failure to file a notice of protest or failure to file a formal written protest shall constitute a waiver of proceedings under this chapter. The formal written protest shall state with particularity the facts and law upon which the protest is based. Saturdays, Sundays, and state holidays shall be excluded in the computation of the 72-hour time periods provided by this paragraph. Section 120.57(3)(a) provides:

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Failure to file a protest within the time prescribed in section 120.57(3), F.S., or failure to post the bond or other security required by law within the time allowed for filing a bond shall constitute a waiver of proceedings under chapter 120, F.S." Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.) Rule 28-110.002(2) defines the term “decision or intended decision,” and includes the solicitation terms (and any addenda), the award of the contract, and a rejection of all bids. At the time of filing the Formal Written Protest the protestor must also file a Protest Bond payable to the Department in an amount equal to 1 percent of the estimated contract amount. F.S., Section 287.042(2) (c) and F.A.C. Rule 28-110.005 contain further terms relating to the Protest Bond, including how to determine the estimated contract amount. In lieu of a Protest Bond, the Department will accept cashier’s checks, official bank checks or money orders. The bond shall be conditioned upon the payment of all costs and charges that are adjudged against the protestor in the administrative hearing in which the action is brought and in any subsequent appellate court proceeding. The Notice of Protest, Formal Written Protest, and Protest Bond shall be filed with the issuing office at the address specified in SECTION 4.3 PROPOSAL QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS above.

4.5 ORAL INSTRUCTIONS / CHANGES TO THE REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (ADDENDA) No negotiations, decisions, or actions will be initiated or executed by a Proposer as a result of any oral discussions with a state employee. Only those communications which are in writing from the Bureau of Contracts, Grants and Procurement Management Services will be considered as a duly authorized expression on behalf of the Department. Notice of changes (addenda) will be posted on the VBS, under this Proposal number. It is the responsibility of all potential Proposers to monitor this site for any changing information prior to submitting a Proposal.

4.6 MODIFICATIONS, RESUBMITTAL AND WITHDRAWAL Proposers may modify submitted Proposals at any time prior to the Proposal due date. Requests for modification of a submitted Proposal shall be in writing and must be signed by an authorized representative of the Proposer. Upon receipt and acceptance of such a request, the entire Proposal will be returned to the Proposer and not considered unless resubmitted by the due date and time. Proposers may also send a change in a sealed envelope to be opened at the same time as the Proposal. The RFP number, opening date and time should appear on the envelope of the modified Proposal. Unless specifically requested by the Department, any amendments, revisions, or alterations to Proposals will not be accepted after the closing for the receipt of Proposals.

4.7 RESTRICTIONS ON COMMUNICATIONS WITH DEPARTMENT STAFF Proposers shall not communicate with any Department staff concerning this RFP except for the Department contact person identified in SECTION 4.3 PROPOSAL QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS of this RFP. Only those communications which are in writing from the Bureau of Contracts, Grants, and Procurement Management Services shall be considered as a duly authorized response on behalf of the Department. For violation of this provision, the Department reserves the right to reject a Proposer’s Proposal. Respondents to this solicitation or persons acting on their behalf may not contact, between the release of the solicitation and the end of the 72-hour period following the agency posting the notice of intended award, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and state holidays, any employee or officer of the executive or legislative branch concerning

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any aspect of this solicitation, except in writing to the procurement officer or as provided in the solicitation documents. Violation of this provision may be grounds for rejecting a Proposal.

4.8 CONFIDENTIAL, PROPRIETARY, OR TRADE SECRET MATERIAL The Department takes its public records responsibilities as provided under Chapter 119, F.S., and Article I, Section 24 of the Florida Constitution, very seriously. If Proposer considers any portion of the documents, data or records submitted in response to this solicitation to be confidential, trade secret or otherwise not subject to disclosure pursuant to Chapter 119, F.S., the Florida Constitution or other authority, Proposer must clearly mark and identify in its Proposal those portions which are confidential, trade secret or otherwise exempt. Proposer must also simultaneously provide the Department with a separate redacted copy of its Proposal. This redacted copy shall contain the Department’s solicitation name, number, and the name of the Proposer on the cover, and shall be clearly titled “Redacted Copy.” The Redacted Copy shall be provided to the Department at the same time Proposer submits its Proposal to the solicitation and must only exclude or obliterate those exact portions which are claimed confidential, proprietary, or trade secret, or otherwise exempt. The Proposer shall also provide one (1) electronic copy (compact disc (CD), flash drive, etc.) of their Redacted Copy. Proposer shall be responsible for defending its determination that the redacted portions of its Proposal are confidential, trade secret or otherwise not subject to disclosure. Further, Proposer shall protect, defend, and indemnify the Department for any and all claims arising from or relating to Proposers’ determination that the redacted portions of its Proposal are confidential, proprietary, trade secret or otherwise not subject to disclosure. If Proposer fails to submit a Redacted Copy with its Proposal, the Department is authorized to produce the entire documents, data or records submitted by Proposer in answer to a public records request for these records.

4.9 WITHDRAWAL OF A PROPOSAL A Proposer may withdraw a Proposal by written notice to the Department on or before the deadline specified for the receipt of Proposals in SECTION 3.4 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS of this RFP. Such written notice is to be submitted to the Issuing Office at the address specified in SECTION 4.3 PROPOSAL QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS of this RFP.

4.10 CONDITIONS TO THE PROPOSAL No conditions may be applied to any aspect of the RFP by the prospective Proposer. Any conditions placed on any aspect of the Proposal documents by the prospective Proposer may result in the Proposal being rejected as a conditional Proposal (see "RESPONSIVENESS OF PROPOSALS"). DO NOT WRITE IN CHANGES ON ANY RFP SHEET. The only recognized changes to the RFP prior to Proposal opening will be written addenda issued by the Department.

4.11 AWARD As in the best interest of the state, the right is reserved to award based on an all or none basis, to a responsive, responsible Proposer. As in the best interest of the state, the right is reserved to reject any and/or all Proposals or to waive any minor irregularity in Proposals received. Conditions which may cause rejection of Proposals include, without limitation, evidence of collusion among Proposers, obvious lack of experience or expertise to perform the required work, failure to perform, or meet financial obligations on previous contracts.


SECTION 5 – SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS – PROPOSAL FORMAT & CONTENT

5.0 PROPOSAL SUBMISSION By submitting a Proposal, the Proposer represents that it understands and accepts the terms and conditions to be met and the character, quality and scope of services to be provided.

All Proposals and associated forms must be signed and dated in ink by a duly authorized representative of the Proposer.

Each Proposer must fully acquaint itself with the conditions relating to the performance of services under the conditions of this RFP.

All Proposal prices are to be submitted on the forms provided in this RFP. All Proposal prices must remain firm for one hundred eighty (180) days from date of Proposal Opening. All Proposals and related documents submitted in response to this RFP shall become the property of the state.

5.1 MAIL OR DELIVER PROPOSALS TO: (Do Not Fax or E-Mail) Florida Department of Education Bureau of Contracts, Grants and Procurement Management Services Attn: Caprecia Mortimer 325 West Gaines Street

332 Turlington Building Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0400

5.2 SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS The absence of any of these documents may result in a determination that the Proposal is non-responsive and the Proposal shall not be evaluated. The Proposal forms furnished must be used when submitting the Proposal. Forms are to be filled out in ink or typewritten. Submittal information shall consist of the following:

TRANSMITTAL LETTER (ON COMPANY LETTERHEAD) WORK REFERENCES: (ATTACHMENT 5) DISCLOSURE STATEMENT: (ATTACHMENT 3) SCRUTINIZED COMPANIES LISTS (ATTACHMENT 6) (IF APPLICABLE) SIGNED ADDENDUM(S), IF APPLICABLE PRICE REPLY PROPOSAL: (ATTACHMENT 1)

If applicable, a copy of the Certified small, minority-, women-, and service-disabled veteran business enterprise certificate from the Department of Management Services, Office of Supplier Diversity, should be enclosed. Certification must be current at the time of the Proposal opening.

5.3 TRANSMITTAL LETTER The Proposer shall provide a Transmittal Letter (on Company Letterhead) that contains the following:

• a statement certifying that the person signing the Proposal is authorized to represent the Proposer and bind the Proposer relative to all matters contained in the Proposer's Proposal


• the company’s federal tax identification number • a statement certifying that the Proposer has read, understands, and agrees to comply with all provisions of

this RFP • a statement certifying that the Proposer is authorized to conduct business in Florida in accordance with the

provisions of Chapter 607, F.S. In lieu of such statement, the Proposer alternatively must certify that authorization to do business in Florida will be secured prior to the award of the contract.

• a statement certifying that the Proposer is registered on the MyFloridaMarketPlace website in accordance with the provisions by the state of Florida. In lieu of such statement, the Proposer must alternatively certify that such registration authorization will be completed prior to the award of the contract.

Failure of a Proposer to provide the above will result in a non-responsive determination by the Department. Proposals found to be non-responsive will not be considered, unless the non-compliance is waived, in the Department’s discretion, as a minor irregularity.

5.4 PROPOSAL FORMAT INSTRUCTIONS This section contains instructions that describe the required format for the Proposal. All Proposals submitted shall contain two parts and be marked as follows:

PART I TECHNICAL PROPOSAL NUMBER RFP 2012-48 (One Separately Sealed Package for Technical) PART II PRICE PROPOSAL NUMBER RFP 2012-48 (One Separately Sealed Package for Price)

THE SEPARATELY SEALED PACKAGES MAY BE MAILED TOGETHER IN ONE ENVELOPE OR BOX.

5.4.1 Technical Proposal (Part I) (10 hard copies) (Do not include price information in Part I)

The Proposer must submit one (1) original in hard copy, ten (10) hard copies and two (2) in electronic format (compact disc (CD), flash drive, etc) copies in Microsoft Word 5.0 or higher, or Adobe Acrobat of the Proposal which is to be divided into the sections described below. SECTION 5.2 SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS must be included in the Technical Proposal portion of the Proposal. Since the Department will expect all Technical Proposals to be in this format, failure of the Proposer to follow this outline may result in the rejection of the Technical Proposal. The Proposal must be submitted in a separate sealed package marked "TECHNICAL PROPOSAL NUMBER RFP 2012-48 ". 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Proposer shall provide an Executive Summary to be written in non-technical language to summarize the Proposer 's overall capabilities and approaches for accomplishing the services specified herein. The Proposer shall limit the summary to no more than three (3) pages.

2. PROPOSER’S QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

The Proposer shall provide at least five (5) references, which demonstrate efforts comparable to the one described in this RFP. The references shall include school district, state education agency, and school level references to


demonstrate comparable efforts to the one described in this RFP. References must include at least one expert in educational assessment programs and at least one expert in related technologies. The Department reserves the right to contact the references regarding the services provided. Any information provided will be subject to the requirements of the Florida Public Records Law.

3. PROPOSER'S TECHNICAL PLAN

The Proposer shall provide a technical plan to address the components which are described in the Scope of Services (SECTION 7.0). When reviewing the RFP and preparing a proposal, proposers must take into account the following information:

a. Sections 7.0 and 7.1 and associated appendices of this RFP describe the work tasks designed to implement Florida’s Race to the Top award for high quality assessments. In their proposals, proposers are expected to explain in detail their plans for completing the work tasks. Each of the work tasks identified in Sections 7.0 and 7.1 must be addressed separately in proposals in the order in which they are presented in this RFP. Proposals are expected to convey an understanding of the requirements of each work task and to explain proposed processes and solutions for accomplishing all work tasks. b. The work tasks identified in Sections 7.0 and 7.1 represent a common basis for the evaluation of proposals. All proposals must be designed to meet all requirements of the RFP. Proposals that do not completely represent the scope and nature of the work tasks stated in this RFP or otherwise attempt to limit or redefine the work tasks stated in this RFP in either the technical or cost sections of the proposal may be rejected at any stage of the proposal evaluation process. c. The work tasks identified in Sections 7.0 and 7.1 constitute a large and complex project that requires close attention. The Contractor is required to provide a sufficient number of qualified personnel to work closely with the Department to manage the contract. Personnel assigned by the Contractor must demonstrate qualifications and competencies of the position to which they are assigned. The Department expects that assigned personnel will perform satisfactorily all responsibilities of the assigned position. Changes in the Contractor’s assigned personnel could be required prior to the bid award or during the life of the contract. d. This RFP provides for implementation of Florida’s Race to the Top award for high quality assessments. The contract period will be from the contract execution date to June 30, 2014. Proposals will be evaluated on the basis of the Proposer’s qualifications and experience and the technical and cost proposals for the work tasks described herein for the entire span of the ensuing contract. e. The Contractor will work closely with the Department and with groups of Florida educators to complete all work tasks. All procedures, processes, and products used by the Contractor to complete contract work must be approved by the Department. Throughout the contract period, the Contractor will confer with the Department on a continuing and consistent basis and will be involved in frequent face-to-face meetings with the Department, as necessary. f. The dates for making assessments available to Florida school districts necessitate a restricted time period to complete the work of assessment development activities. Proposers are expected to propose efficient and innovative procedures to meet these required dates and are expected to demonstrate in their proposals that they have the capability and are willing to commit the human and technological resources needed to complete the development, review, item tryouts, and user acceptance testing in the required time period. g. The fundamental purpose of Florida’s Race to the Top high quality assessment program is to provide accurate information on student achievement. The Contractor will use every means required to ensure that information created by the project is correct. The Contractor is responsible for correcting at the Contractor’s expense any errors arising from activities that are the responsibility of the Contractor. This may involve activities such as conducting analyses to identify the cause and extent of errors;


reprogramming or reproducing products or other materials; replacing data files; reproducing reports; and shipping replacement products or reports to the Department or districts using expedited shipping services. h. News releases or public announcements pertaining to this RFP, a contract award resulting from the RFP, or work completed under a contract will not be made without prior written approval from the Department.

4. PROPOSER'S MANAGEMENT PLAN The Proposer shall provide a management plan which describes administration, management, and key personnel. a. Administration and Management The Proposer shall include a description of the organizational structure and management style established and the methodology to be used to manage the project work, including control of costs, assuring assessment quality, identifying and minimizing risk, and maintaining schedules as well as the means of coordination and communication between the organization and the Department. The Proposer shall submit documentation addressing diversity and describing the efforts being made to encourage the participation of small, minority-, women-, and service-disabled veteran business enterprises. The Proposer is required to use the project management tool, Daptiv, as designated by the Department, to track all aspects of this project, including costs, timelines, tasks, and deliverables. More information about Daptiv is available at this site: http://www.daptiv.com/. For this project management tool, the Proposer will be responsible for purchasing a sufficient number of software licenses to support the development, testing, implementation, and production phases of the project. The Proposer will be required to update all aspects of the project using the project management tool so that the Department can review progress using the tool interface. b. Identification of Key Personnel The Proposer shall provide the names of key personnel on the Proposer 's team, as well as a resume for each individual proposed and a description of the functions and responsibilities of each key person relative to the task(s) to be performed. The Proposer shall clearly identify the senior content experts (English/Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, and Spanish) who will be responsible for assessment item development and review. The Proposer shall clearly identify the senior technology experts and assessment/psychometric experts who will be responsible for the design, testing, and implementation of the Florida Interim Assessment IBTP. The approximate percent of time to be devoted exclusively for this project and to the assigned tasks (per month, per year, and for the overall project) shall also be indicated. Proposer may not voluntarily change key personnel without the Department’s prior approval, and the Department shall also approve the replacement personnel.

5.4.2 Price Proposal (Part II) (10 hard copies)

The Proposer must submit one (1) original hard copy, ten (10) hard copies, and two (2) electronic format (compact disc (CD), flash drive, etc.) copies in Microsoft Excel 5.0 or higher. The Price Proposal information shall be submitted on the forms provided in the RFP. The Price Proposal information is to be submitted in a separate sealed package marked "PRICE PROPOSAL NUMBER RFP 2012–48 ".

Presenting the Proposal

The Proposal shall be limited to a page size of eight and one-half by eleven inches (8½" x 11"). Type size shall not be less than a 12 point font. The Proposal shall contain a table of contents, be typed single-spaced and have separate parts, each clearly labeled including page numbers. The information to be contained in each part is

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described in the above sections. The absence of information or the organization of information in a manner inconsistent with the requirements of this RFP may result in the rejection of the Proposal. Bindings and covers will be at the Proposer's discretion; however, elaborate notebooks/hard back binders are discouraged.

Unnecessarily elaborate brochures, artwork, expensive paper and expensive visual and other presentation aids are neither necessary nor desired. The overall response must be written in a concise manner, which is conducive to effective evaluation and product selection. All proposed materials must be packaged so that each box of materials shipped to the Department does not exceed 25 pounds.

SECTION 6 – SPECIAL CONDITIONS

6.0 AUTHORIZED TO DO BUSINESS IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA Foreign corporations and foreign limited partnerships must be authorized to do business in the state of Florida. Domestic corporations must be active and in good standing in the state of Florida. Such authorization and status should be obtained by the Proposal due date and time, but in any case, must be obtained prior to posting of the intended award. For authorization, contact:

Florida Department of State Tallahassee, Florida 32399 (850) 245-6053

6.1 LICENSED TO CONDUCT SERVICES IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA If the services being provided require that individuals be licensed by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation or any other state or federal agency, such licenses should be obtained by the Proposal due date and time, but in any case, must be obtained prior to posting of the intended award. For state licensing, contact:

Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0797 (850) 487-9501

6.2 OTHER CONDITIONS Other conditions which may cause rejection of Proposals include, without limitation, evidence of collusion among Proposers, obvious lack of experience or expertise to perform the required work, failure to perform or meet financial obligations on previous contracts.

6.3 IDENTICAL EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS Whenever two (2) or more Proposals which are equal with respect to price, quality, and service are received, the Department will determine the order of award using the criteria established in 60A-1.011, F.A.C. The "Drug-Free Workplace Program Certification" can be found as Attachment ‘2’.

6.4 DISCLOSURE STATEMENT The Disclosure Statement Form (Attachment ‘3’) must be signed and submitted with the Proposal response.


6.5 DIVERSITY IN CONTRACTING The state of Florida is committed to supporting its diverse business industry and population through ensuring participation by minority-, women-, and service-disabled veteran business enterprises in the economic life of the state. The state of Florida Mentor Protégé Program connects minority-, women-, and service-disabled veteran business enterprises with private corporations for business development mentoring. We strongly encourage firms doing business with the state of Florida to consider this initiative. For more information on the Mentor Protégé Program, please contact the Office of Supplier Diversity at (850) 487-0915. The State is dedicated to fostering the continued development and economic growth of small, minority-, women-, and service-disabled veteran business enterprises. Participation by a diverse group of Vendors doing business with the state is central to this effort. To this end, it is vital that small, minority-, women-, and service-disabled veteran business enterprises participate in the state’s procurement process as both Contractors and subcontractors in this solicitation. Small, minority-, women-, and service-disabled veteran business enterprises are strongly encouraged to contribute to this solicitation. The Proposer shall submit documentation addressing diversity and describing the efforts being made to encourage the participation of small, minority-, women-, and service-disabled veteran business enterprises. Information on Certified Minority Business Enterprises (CMBE) and Certified Service-Disabled Veteran Business Enterprises (CSDVBE) is available from the Office of Supplier Diversity at http://dms.myflorida.com/other_programs/office_of_supplier_diversity_osd/.

6.6 CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS The Department’s Contract Standard Terms and Conditions are incorporated in this RFP as Attachment ‘7’ and will govern the relationship between the Department and the Contractor. Proposal(s) submitted by the successful Proposer(s) shall be incorporated into the final contract(s).

6.7 METHOD OF PAYMENT Compensation and payment will be made in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contract.

6.8 SUSPENDED VENDOR LIST A company placed on the Suspended Vendor List may not submit a Proposal or be awarded a contract to provide any goods or services pursuant to Rule 60A-1.006 F.A.C. The Suspended Vendor List is published at www.myflorida.com under the category Business, then Doing Business with the State.

6.9 SUB-CONTRACTING This contract or any portion thereof shall not be sub-contracted without the prior written approval of the Department. No sub-contract shall, under any circumstances, relieve the Contractor of their liability and obligation under this contract, and despite any such sub-contracting the Department shall deal through the Contractor, which shall retain the legal responsibility for performing the Contractor’s obligations. The Prime Contractor shall report all small, minority-, women-, and service-disabled veteran business enterprise Subcontractors, identifying the Name, Address, Type of Certification and Dollar Amount on the Utilization Summary form, attached as Attachment ‘4’. The Contractor shall provide a list of subcontractors to the Department’s contract manager upon execution of the Contract. The Prime Contractor shall provide the Utilization Summary form with each invoice submitted for payment. The form must be submitted with all invoices, regardless if funds have not been spent with a small, minority-, women-, and service-disabled veteran business enterprise Subcontractor for the period covered by the invoice. The DMS Office of Supplier Diversity will assist in furnishing names of qualified

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small, minority-, women-, and service-disabled veteran business enterprises. The Office of Supplier Diversity can be reached at (850) 487- 0915; the Internet Web address is http://dms.myflorida.com/other_programs/office_of_supplier_diversity_osd/.

6.10 SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS BY SUBSIDIARIES OR AFFILIATES A Proposer, its subsidiaries, affiliates, or related entities shall be limited to one Proposal. Submission of more than one Proposal per activity by a Proposer will cause the rejection of all Proposals submitted by the Proposer. A subsidiary or affiliate of a Prime Proposer may also be included as a subcontractor in another Proposer’s Proposal.

6.11 COSTS INCURRED IN RESPONDING This RFP does not commit the Department or any other public agency to pay any costs incurred by the Proposer in the submission of a Proposal or to make necessary studies or designs for the preparation thereof, nor to procure or contract for any articles or services.

6.12 PROHIBITION OF GRATUITIES By submission of a Proposal, the Proposer certifies that no elected or appointed official or employee of the state of Florida has or will benefit financially or materially from this procurement. Any contract arising from this procurement may be terminated by the Department if it is determined that gratuities of any kind were either offered to or received by any of the aforementioned officials or employees from the Proposer or its agents or employees.

6.13 INDEPENDENT PRICE DETERMINATION A Proposer shall not collude, consult, communicate, or agree with any other Proposer regarding this procurement as to any matter relating to the Proposer’s Proposal.

6.14 PERFORMANCE BOND The successful Contractor shall supply to the Department a Performance Bond in the amount of 100% of the amount of the annual award. The surety shall be in a form acceptable to the Florida Department of Education, such as a bond, cashier’s check, certified check, or money order. A Surety must be authorized to do business in the state of Florida. The Performance Bond shall be executed and furnished to the Department ten (10) calendar days prior to the Contractor beginning work under the contract. A performance bond is not required from Florida state universities.

6.15 PARTICIPATION IN FUTURE STAGES OF THIS PROJECT As stated in Chapter 287.057 F.S.

(18) A person who receives a contract that has not been procured pursuant to subsections (1) through (5) to perform a feasibility study of the potential implementation of a subsequent contract, who participates in the drafting of a solicitation or who develops a program for future implementation, is not eligible to contract with the agency for any other contracts dealing with that specific subject matter, and any firm in which such person has any interest is not eligible to receive such contract. However, this prohibition does not prevent a vendor who responds to a request for information from being eligible to contract with an agency.

6.16 ACCESSIBLE ELECTRONIC INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Proposers submitting Proposals to this solicitation must provide electronic and information technology resources in complete compliance with the accessibility standards provided in Sections 282.601-282.606, F.S., and Rule 60-8.002, F.A.C. These standards establish a minimum level of accessibility.

6.17 SCRUTINIZED COMPANIES LISTS

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Section 287.135, Florida Statutes, requires that at the time a company submits a bid or proposal for a contract for goods or services of $1 million or more, the company must certify that the company is not on either the Scrutinized Companies with Activities in Sudan List or the Scrutinized Companies with Activities in the Iran Petroleum Energy Sector List. Both lists are created pursuant to section 215.473, Florida Statutes. Replies of $1 million or more must include the attached Scrutinized Companies Lists Form (Attachment ‘6’) to certify the respondent is not on either of those lists. The Form should be submitted with the Technical Reply.

SECTION 7 – SCOPE OF SERVICES

7.0 SCOPE OF SERVICES This solicitation will enable the Department to attract and evaluate Proposals from qualified Proposers who have the experience and expertise to produce the specified deliverables within the timeframes and budget set forth in the Department’s Race to the Top application, which is located online at www.fldoe.org/ARRA/RacetotheTop.asp. The Proposal shall indicate how the requirements in Section 7.0 will be met. The Contractor will design, construct, test, and implement a technology-based assessment and assessment item bank and test platform for use by Florida Local Education Agencies (LEAs). This test platform will be designed to:

• host assessment items for multiple item types to include, at a minimum, selected response, short response, extended response, gridded response, essay, graphical response, and performance-based,

• allow for technology-enhanced items, • allow for the design, development, and storage of multiple types of assessment forms, to include, at a

minimum, timed, untimed, adaptive, and fixed-form, • allow for multiple types of assessment delivery to include, at a minimum, web-based, computer-based, and

paper-based, • allow for multiple types of scoring to include, at a minimum, online automatic, optical scan, online review,

and review of scanned documents, video or audio files, • allow for multiple types of score reporting and item analysis to include, at a minimum, online reports,

hardcopy reports, reports exportable to spreadsheets, reports exportable to forms based on pre-designed templates, and scores exportable to local instructional improvement systems.

The total budget for this project is $36,800,000.00, not including potential renewal years. Proposals should identify the server, software, storage, and network requirements for implementing their proposed solutions using the Technology Infrastructure Requirements table provided in Attachment 8, but the costs for these items should not be included in the price reply. Proposals in which the price reply for the scope of work, excluding renewal years and technology components provided in Attachment 8, exceeds $36,800,000.00 will be considered non-responsive by the Department. a. Detailed Project Plan

Within 30 days of contract signing, the Contractor will submit a detailed project plan to the Department setting forth the project goals, objectives, deliverables, and timelines. The plan will clearly establish roles, responsibilities, and level of effort expected of all participants. The plan will include procedures for documenting and tracking progress toward meeting the established goals and objectives. It will also stipulate how any modifications or adjustments to the design of the project will be managed. For this detailed project plan, the Department will review and provide feedback to the Contractor within 15 business days after the plan is delivered. For all other plans (see the Deliverables in SECTION 7.1), the Contractor shall provide time for the Department to review preliminary drafts of the plans and shall provide at least five (5) business days for the Department to review and approve final plans prior to the delivery date.

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b. Technology Requirements

i. Enterprise Solution: The Department has implemented an Enterprise Solution approach to meeting Information Technology (IT) related requirements for the Race to the Top (RTTT) programs. This approach will provide a single RTTT IT infrastructure environment based upon Intel based computing processors and optimized for Microsoft’s Windows operating systems and Microsoft’s SQL database.

The Department will provide all IT hardware computing resources for the RTTT project outlined in this RFP including processor, memory, storage, and network bandwidth as identified by the Contractor to support the ongoing operation of their respective RTTT solution within the Department’s Enterprise Solution. The Contractor is responsible for providing computing requirements in the form of a count of operating systems (OS), and configuration of each OS by means of processor count, memory, storage and network bandwidth requirements that will be allocated from the resources within the Department’s Enterprise Solution environment housed at NWRDC. The Contractor will provide this information using the Technology Infrastructure Requirements table provided in Attachment 8.

The solution consists of the following components:

• vSphere 5 Hypervisor • VIS Creator Management Software • Commvault Simpana Backup Solution • Tier 1, 2, 3 Dell Compellent Storage Infrastructure • Dell M1000E, M710HD and M910 Blade Server Environment • Redundant Viprion On-Demand Application Delivery Controllers • Redundant 40Gb Force 10 z9000 Switching Core with multiple 10GB uplinks to blade

environments • Redundant Brocade DCX-4S Fibre Channel Switches

ii. The Florida Interim Assessment Item Bank and Test Platform will meet the specifications (given in Sections 3.0 and 6.0 through 9.0 of the LIIS standards) provided for Local Instructional Improvement Systems (LIIS), available online at http://www.fldoe.org/ARRA/excel/LIIS-MinStds.xls. iii. The Florida Interim Assessment Item Bank and Test Platform will include emerging technology and standards for assessment item portability, such as APIP, QTI, or SIF. The Contractor shall include detailed justification for the standards selected and the basis for any exceptions to the selected standards for the Florida Interim Assessment IBTP. iv. The Florida Interim Assessment Item Bank and Test Platform will include emerging standards for common intellectual property policies for materials used for educational purposes. Additional information for the type of standards that may be applicable is available online at http://www.PESC.org. v. The Florida Interim Assessment Item Bank and Test Platform must be compatible for use with all Florida local education agencies (LEAs). As part of the initial system design, a district needs-assessment is required. The Contractor shall obtain technical information/input from all Florida LEAs (assessment, curriculum, and technology personnel) to ensure that the Florida Interim Assessment IBTP will be compatible with LEA information, assessment, and local instructional improvement systems.

vi. The Contractor will collaborate with the Department to ensure the Florida Interim Assessment IBTP will meet the Department’s requirements for Single Sign On. vii. The Florida Interim Assessment Item Bank and Test Platform will serve a population of approximately 2.7 million public school students. The system shall be able to provide for a peak number of concurrent users of one million users by June 2014.

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viii. The Florida Interim Assessment Item Bank and Test Platform shall provide a tiered level of security for access to approved assessment items and assessments.

• The first level will include access to assessment items and assessments for Department personnel who may develop assessments to be used by the Department for schools that are part of the state’s Differentiated Accountability (DA) system, as well as all lower levels.

• The second level will include access for LEA administrators to develop assessments that will be used on a district-wide basis, as well as all lower levels.

• The third level will include access for school-level administrators to develop school-wide assessments, as well as all lower levels.

• The fourth level will include access for classroom teachers to develop classroom level assessments, as well as the lowest level.

• The fifth level will have sample and released assessment items available for viewing by all users (including students, parents, teachers, and administrators). The fifth level will not require a password for access.

ix. The Florida Interim Assessment Item Bank and Test Platform shall have the capability of providing secured, tiered access during the item review and development process for accessing, reviewing, commenting on, and editing assessment items. The Contractor shall define appropriate roles (such as author, reviewer, approver, etc.) and define appropriate access and editing / commenting / approval capabilities based on those roles.

x. The Florida Interim Assessment Item Bank and Test Platform shall have the capability of allowing users to input and edit:

• Graphics, including special characters from modern and classical languages, including but not limited to, Spanish, French, German, Latin, and American Sign Language

• Graphical files including musical notation, mathematical equations, and chemical equations • Photos and images • Audio and video files • Technology-enhanced items (e.g. drag and drop, hotpoint, simulations)

xi. Minimally, the system will • support the operating systems and browsers shown in the table below, as well as any

commercial browser which achieves a five (5) percent market share as defined at Market Share by Net Applications (http://marketshare.hitslink.com/report.aspx?qprid=0), or other authoritative source identified by the Department,

• be supported within 180 calendar days after achieving such status and • support any browser installed on more than five (5) percent of computers in Florida public

schools at execution of the contract arising from this RFP. Windows

98, NT, 2000, ME, XP, Vista

Mac OS 10.4.8

Linux Red Hat Enterprise, Ubuntu, and SuSE

Firefox 2.0+ 2.0+ 2.0+ Internet Explorer 6.x, 7.x n/a n/a Safari n/a 2.0+ n/a

xii. The contractor will develop, deliver and continuously improve fully functional “lock-down” browsers

for the operating systems and browsers identified. c. System Functionality Requirements


The Florida Interim Assessment Item Bank and Test Platform must, at a minimum:

i. allow assessment items to be submitted from multiple sources including • teacher-developed items • Contractor-provided items • other vendor / publisher-provided items, as copyrights allow • open-source, public domain items,

ii. provide a secure item management system that stores, allows for edits, and tracks changes to items,

iii. allow for secure storage, viewing, and online use of assessment items in several different formats, including, but not limited to

• selected-response items • gridded-response items • short-response items • extended-response items • performance-based items which may include animations, videos, audio files, presentation files,

and appropriate scoring rubrics, iv. search by multiple characteristics to include, at a minimum, content area, benchmark, course,

grade-level, item type, cognitive complexity, keyword, correct answer, and item identification code, v. search by psychometric data associated with each item to include, at a minimum, p-value, item-

level statistics, and distractor analysis data (for selected response items), vi. build and store high-quality assessments that are fixed-form or adaptive from the collection of

available assessment items, vii. build and store high-quality assessments that may be delivered in computer-based and paper-

based formats from the collection of available assessment items, viii. be available for statewide continuous access and peak demands, ix. provide secure access to authorized LEA agents with a single-sign-on, x. provide an assessment item review process (including online synchronous and asynchronous

review capabilities) for vetting by content experts and Florida K–12 educators to ensure high-quality assessment items,

xi. provide accessibility to test-takers with special needs, through a combination of universal design principles and computer embedded supports, including but not limited to, larger fonts, text readers, screen / text background contrasts, Braille notes, Braille modifications, and other assistive technology. Additionally, the Contractor must provide electronic and information technology resources that are compliant with the accessibility standards provided in Rule 60-8.002, F.A.C.; Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; and Sections 282.601-282.606, Florida Statutes. Those provisions establish a minimum level of accessibility, xii. provide the capability to track accommodations (if any) developed for a given assessment item and accommodations (if any) provided for a given assessment item,

xiii. have design functionality to: • securely maintain all appropriate data related to items including, but not limited to psychometric

data and item review records, • automatically and manually restore all databases, including indices, pointers and tables, to a

status before any system-wide failure, • prevent simultaneous updates to the database, • securely input and manage student identification, such that class rosters, school rosters, and

district rosters can be uploaded and verified, • securely store results from test administration,


• allow for restricted access to student test results by authorized persons based on a secure, encrypted, password protected system,

• assure proper identification of each student and the accurate matching of the student to his/her test results,

• host assessment items for multiple item types to include, at a minimum, selected response, short response, extended response, gridded response, essay, graphical response, and performance-based,

• allow for multiple types of assessment delivery to include, at a minimum, web-based, computer-based, and paper-based,

• allow for multiple types of assessment forms to include, at a minimum, timed, untimed, adaptive, and fixed form,

• allow LEAs to register students for test administration, • allow for multiple types of scoring to include, at a minimum, online automatic, optical scan,

online review, and review of scanned documents, video or audio files, • allow for multiple types of score reporting and item analysis to include, at a minimum, online

reports, hardcopy reports, reports exportable to spreadsheets, reports exportable to forms based on pre-designed templates, and export scores to local instructional improvement systems,

• allow for specific item level data collection, analysis, and reporting methods.

In order to develop the IBTP in a way that will allow the Department to meet the deadlines specified in the Department’s Race to the Top application, the scope of services provided in SECTIONS 7.0.c and 7.0.d above must be available in phases. The Department’s Race to the Top application includes the LEA development of assessment items and assessments for hard-to-measure content areas. The item bank and test platform will serve as the technology system, beginning with Phase 1, for these items which LEAs will write, edit, and review. The following chart describes the phases of the scope of services specified in SECTIONS 7.0.c and 7.0.d. All of the functionalities provided in a previous phase shall be operational and interoperable with the functionalities provided in all subsequent phases.

Phase Number and Description Reference 1 – Store, Edit, and Review Assessment Items 7.0.c.i, 7.0.c.i i, 7.0.c.v, 7.0.c.vi, 7.0.c.ix, 7.0.c.x, 7.0.d.i,

7.0.d.ii, 7.0.d.iii, 7.0.d.x 2 – Export and Print Items with Item-level Accommodations 7.0.d.iv, 7.0.d.xi 3 – Build and Store Assessments 7.0.c.viii, 7.0.d.vi, 7.0.d.vii 4 – Collect and Store Item-level data 7.0.d.v, 7.0.d.xii 5 – Export and Print Reports 7.0.d.xiii 6 – Item Bank and Test Platform is fully operational 7.0.c and 7.0.d The Contractor will be required to perform at least two functionality tests (user acceptance tests). At least one test will occur at the completion of phase 2 and at least one test will occur at the completion of phase 6. The functionality tests will be designed and proposed by the Contractor and approved by the Department. At a minimum, functionality tests shall include testing and approval by several LEAs and several members of the RTTT Implementation Committee for Formative and Interim Assessment Design and the Implementation Committee for District-developed Student Assessments for Instructional Effectiveness (see membership online at http://www.fldoe.org/committees/rttt-committees.asp). d. Content Requirements

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The Contractor will develop item development, training, communication, and sustainability plans to help the Department and Florida LEAs use the assessment platform. The Contractor will work with content specialists and Florida educators to create items to be included in the Florida Interim Assessments Item Bank and Test Platform. The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) place an emphasis on cultivating student literacy skills in preparation for college and career readiness. They specifically address the “shared responsibility of students’ literacy development” with the inclusion of the Literacy standards for History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects. The CCSS and the Model Content Frameworks of the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) place an emphasis on students performing close, analytic reading of grade-level complex texts, comparing and synthesizing ideas across multiple texts, and constructing well-grounded analyses in writing. It is especially critical that assessment items include, at a minimum, the following:

• Inclusion of complex texts that are content-rich and grade-level appropriate as well as the academic vocabulary used in them. Texts should include non-fiction and literature from the disciplines of ELA, science, history/social studies, and technical subjects,

• Inclusion of high quality questions and sequences of questions that are designed to cultivate student interest and deepen understanding of complex text,

• A consistent focus on students’ explicit use of evidence from literary and non-fiction text to support their analyses, • The use and/or analysis of sources when writing-Students must gather and analyze evidence from what they have

read and understood—including performing research. They must present well-developed ideas in an organized and coherent writing, applying knowledge of conventions and language.

English/Language Arts Within the content area of English/Language Arts, the Florida Interim Assessment Item Bank and Test Platform will host assessment items for multiple item types, to include, at a minimum, selected response, short response, extended response, essay, performance-based tasks. PARCC’s Model Content Frameworks for ELA/Literacy provide additional detail regarding Close Analytical Reading (CAR) and Comparison and Synthesis of Ideas (CSI) across multiple texts for the development of items. CAR Reading Items elicit evidence(s)* aligned to the following grade-level Standards:

GRADE READING LITERATURE STANDARDS READING INFORMATIONAL TEXT STANDARDS

3

• 1 (FOR ALL ITEMS) • 2–7 (AT LEAST ONE FOR EVERY ITEM

NOT DESIGNED TO MEASURE SOLELY STANDARD 1)

• 1 (FOR ALL ITEMS) • 2–8 (AT LEAST ONE FOR EVERY ITEM NOT DESIGNED

TO MEASURE SOLELY STANDARD 1)

4 • 1 (FOR ALL ITEMS) • 2–6 (AT LEAST ONE FOR EVERY ITEM


• 1 (FOR ALL ITEMS) • 2–8 (AT LEAST ONE FOR EVERY ITEM NOT DESIGNED

TO MEASURE SOLELY STANDARD 1)

5–11 • 1 (FOR ALL ITEMS) • 2–6 (AT LEAST ONE FOR EVERY ITEM


• 1 (FOR ALL ITEMS) • 2–6, 8 (AT LEAST ONE FOR EVERY ITEM NOT

DESIGNED TO MEASURE SOLELY STANDARD 1)

CSI Reading Items elicit evidence(s)* aligned to the following grade-level Standards:


GRADE READING LITERATURE STANDARDS READING INFORMATIONAL TEXT STANDARDS

3

• 1 AND 9 (FOR ALL ITEMS) • 2–7 (AT LEAST ONE FOR EVERY ITEM

NOT DESIGNED TO MEASURE SOLELY STANDARDS 1 AND 9)

• 1 AND 9 (FOR ALL ITEMS) • 2–8 (AT LEAST ONE FOR EVERY ITEM NOT DESIGNED

TO MEASURE SOLELY STANDARDS 1 AND 9)

4

• 1 (FOR ALL ITEMS) • 7 AND/OR 9 (FOR ALL ITEMS) • 2–6 (AT LEAST ONE FOR EVERY ITEM

NOT DESIGNED TO MEASURE SOLELY STANDARDS 1 AND 7/9)

• 1 AND 9 (FOR ALL ITEMS) • 2–8 (AT LEAST ONE FOR EVERY ITEM NOT DESIGNED

TO MEASURE SOLELY STANDARDS 1 AND 9)

5–11

• 1 (FOR ALL ITEMS) • 7 AND/OR 9 (FOR ALL ITEMS) • 2–6 (AT LEAST ONE FOR EVERY ITEM

NOT DESIGNED TO MEASURE SOLELY STANDARDS 1 AND 7/9)

• 1 (FOR ALL ITEMS) • 7 AND/OR 9 (FOR ALL ITEMS) • 2–6, 8 (AT LEAST ONE FOR EVERY ITEM NOT

DESIGNED TO MEASURE SOLELY STANDARDS 1 AND 7/9)

*For the purposes of ELA/Literacy items, evidence statements describe what observable performance(s) in a student work product can partially or fully demonstrate the knowledge and skill(s) demanded by a particular academic standard or parts of that standard… One mechanism for understanding evidence statements is to note that they describe what one can point to, highlight, or underline in a student work product that substantiates that the standard has been demonstrated. (PARCC)

Common Core State Standards (CCSS) English Language Arts Benchmark Report

K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Total

104 112 103 122 119 117 151 148 150 147 147 145 145 1710

Mathematics

Within the content area of Mathematics, well developed items will reflect the following: The Common Core State Standards and PARCC’s Model Content Frameworks place an emphasis on focus and coherence. Focus of students having the opportunity to have more time to discuss and reflect as well as practice the most important content completely. Coherence of the mathematical connections of topics over grade levels as well as the connection between the content standards and the practice standards. It is especially critical that mathematics assessment items include, at a minimum, the following:

• The ability to machine score items assessing conceptual understanding, procedural skill and fluency, and application and problem solving (as defined by the standards).

• The ability to minimize and avoid common drawbacks of selected-response: e.g., the possibility of guessing, the possibility of using a choice-elimination.

• The ability to include integration of mathematical content and mathematical practices throughout the grade levels.

Common Core State Standards (CCSS) Mathematics Benchmark Report

K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Algebra 1 Geometry Algebra 2 Total


25 24 28 37 37 40 47 43 36 59 53 46 475

*Many standards include additional components that may increase the number of items needed per standard. In additions there are eight

mathematical practices.

Science The Next Generation Sunshine State Standards for Science, adopted by the State Board of Education in February, 2008, serve as the content standards for the development of these assessment items. In addition, the Common Core Literacy Standards for History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects will guide the usage of informational and complex text for passages included in the assessment items. Assessment items for Science should include alignment to the Common Core Literacy Standards for Science and Technical Subjects where appropriate and applicable. High-quality assessment items for Science will have the following characteristics:

• Items will directly measure student achievement of the targeted benchmarks. • Items will focus on measuring students’ ability to apply concepts rather than recall information. • Items that include data will require students to interpret or analyze data, rather than simply retrieve data from a

passage, graph, chart, or table. • Items may be written as stand-alone items or combined into item sets associated with a reading passage. • Passages that include the use of informational and complex test will be written to align with the Common Core

Literacy Standards for Science and Technical Subjects, where appropriate and applicable. • Passages may be based on a laboratory experiment, field investigation, demonstration, or other scenario that

provides a context for evaluation of student achievement of the targeted benchmarks. The table below indicates the number of benchmarks for each of the Science courses targeted for assessment item development.

Next Generation Sunshine State Standards (NGSSS)

Science Benchmark Report

K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Biology Chemistry

Earth / Space

Science Physics Total

19 19 30 32 42 37 35 34 40 68 57 60 55 528

Social Studies The NGSSS for Social Studies were approved and adopted by the State Board of Education in December 2008. The 2008 revision of the Sunshine State Standards for Social Studies resulted in standards that teach to a greater level of understanding and define a specific grade level and course progression. Instructional benchmarks were written for the following strands:

• American History • Geography • Economics • Civics and Government • World History


• Humanities (9-12 only) The NGSSS for Social Studies are found at http://www.floridastandards.org/Standards/FLStandardSearch.aspx. The Contractor must submit assessment items specific to Florida’s NGSSS for Social Studies. Florida Law also delineates specific Required Instruction in Section 1003.42, Florida Statutes, related to social studies content. The Contractor must submit assessment items that include content related to the topics, where appropriate and applicable.

Next Generation Sunshine State Standards (NGSSS) Social Studies Benchmark Report

In addition, the Common Core Literacy Standards for History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects clearly outline support for discipline specific literacy. These standards will guide the usage of informational and complex text for passages included in the assessment items. Assessment items should include alignment to the Common Core Literacy Standards for History/Social Studies where appropriate and applicable. Spanish

With the adoption of Florida’s Next Generation Sunshine State Standards for World Languages there has been a shift to focus on language performance. Therefore, within the content area of Spanish well developed items will reflect the following:

• an understanding of second language acquisition. • an understanding of the modes of communication and how language performance within these modes is assessed. • an understanding of the tasks appropriate to each proficiency level, and the content, context, accuracy, and

discourse types associated with appropriately leveled tasks. • an understanding that because the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards for World Languages are written in

a K-12 format more than one item per benchmark may have to be written to address the breadth of the benchmark according to cognitive complexity and developmental appropriateness. For example, an item assessing a K-2 student at the Novice-Mid level would look very different from an item assessing a ninth grade student at the same level. (The World Language Standards can be found at http://www.fldoe.org/aala/pdf/2011WorldLanguagesStandards.pdf in addition to http://www.floridastandards.org/homepage/index.aspx .)

The following table represents the number of benchmarks per standard according to performance level:

Standard 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Total for all

standards by level Performance level

Novice low/mid 6 4 8 6 7 4 2 3 2 42 Novice high 6 4 8 6 7 4 2 3 2 42

K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 World

History US

History US

Govt Econ Total

27 30 28 33 41 64 82 67 85 127 100 53 51 788

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Intermediate low 6 4 8 6 7 4 2 3 2 42 Intermediate mid 6 4 8 6 7 4 2 3 2 42 Intermediate high 6 4 8 6 7 4 2 3 2 42 Advanced low 6 4 8 6 7 4 2 3 2 42 Advanced mid 6 4 8 6 7 4 2 3 2 42 Advanced high 6 4 8 6 7 4 2 3 2 42 Superior 6 4 8 6 7 4 2 3 2 42 Total for all levels by standard 54 36 72 54 63 36 18 27 18 378

System-wide Content Requirements

The Florida Interim Assessment Item Bank and Test Platform will include: i. High-quality items that adhere to the principles of universal design and are error free, written to support

research-based instructional methodology, un-biased, written to meet the integrity of the standard, and use student-appropriate language and standards-based vocabulary. ii. Assessment items and related texts, including multimedia, for Grades K-8 science, Biology, Earth/Space science, Physics, and Chemistry; Grades K-8 social studies, U.S. History, World History, U.S. Government, and Economics; and Spanish based on Florida’s Next Generation Sunshine State Standards (including Access Points, where applicable) for use by LEAs. Florida’s Next Generation Sunshine State Standards are available online at http://www.floridastandards.org. iii. Assessment items and related texts, including multimedia, for K-8 mathematics, Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2; and Grades K-12 English / Language Arts based on the Common Core State Standards for use by LEAs. The CCSS are available online at http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards. iv. A sufficient number of assessment items that address the range of cognitive complexity and breadth of the benchmark / standard to be able to provide at least three valid and reliable assessments to measure student proficiency on each benchmark (for Next Generation Sunshine State Standards) or on each standard (for Common Core State Standards) annually. The number of assessment items to be developed shall be based on item survival after review and item tryouts. The metric used to determine this number must be provided. The Contractor shall develop and implement a plan for item development that includes item specifications, item writing, an item review process, and item tryouts; this plan will include involvement of Florida educators who will develop, at a minimum, 20 percent and, at a maximum, 60 percent of the items. As part of the Proposal in response to this RFP, the Proposer shall estimate the number of assessment items, by item type, that will be required to develop at least three valid and reliable assessments annually for each benchmark / standard. The Proposer shall also estimate the percentage of items which will be new items developed in response to this RFP and the percentage of assessment items that will be from existing items. All items will be reviewed and vetted as part of an online review and approval system to determine if they are appropriate to add to the Florida Interim Assessment Item Bank and Test Platform. Reviewers will include Florida educators and Department staff. The item development plan must include provisions for Year 1 and Year 2 of the project in order to have a sufficient number of assessment items for at least three valid and reliable assessments for each standard / benchmark each year. The item development plan shall include item tryouts within Florida’s schools. It is the responsibility of the Proposer to provide details and processes for item tryouts, including any specific data elements for storing item data, and strategies for collecting representative data. v. To ensure adequate progress for Year 1, the Contractor’s item development plan shall divide the items being developed in Year 1 into five batches. The initial batch 1 will be used to ensure that the item bank storage and item review processes are functioning according to the expectations of the Department. The other batches will be delivered as specified in the Deliverables section (see SECTION 7.1). vi. The Contractor shall provide periodic meetings (see SECTION 7.0.f) with committees of Florida educators and Office of Race to the Top content experts to ensure that submitted items meet the requirements for quality and standards / benchmark alignment. Item development for Year 2 shall follow a development plan similar to the plan


for Year 1. Committee membership is subject to approval by Department and must be representative of the geographic and demographic diversity of the State of Florida. vii. The Contractor shall provide training to cadres of Florida educators who will serve as item writers. Cadre membership is subject to approval by Department and must be representative of the geographic and demographic diversity of the State of Florida. The training will consist of:

• online tutorials • face to face and/or virtual meetings

viii. The Contractor shall provide training to cadres of Florida educators who will serve as item reviewers. Cadre membership is subject to approval by Department and must be representative of the geographic and demographic diversity of the State of Florida. The training will consist of:

• online tutorials • face to face and/or virtual meetings

ix. The Contractor shall develop training for Florida educators who will use the item bank to construct assessments. The training will consist of both:

• online tutorials • at least five (5) regionally distinct face to face meetings

x. The Contractor will coordinate and facilitate all trainings and will cover the costs of travel and per diem for Florida educators and Department staff participating in trainings. The contractor shall be responsible for the travel reimbursement at rates authorized by Section 112.061, F.S. for travel and per diem.

e. Mathematics Interim Assessment The Contractor will build a valid and reliable Mathematics Interim Assessments system for each grade, K-12, in mathematics that may be used for screening, diagnostic assessments, and progress monitoring. The system will include research-based high-quality items. The Contractor will provide for assistive technology for the delivery of these items. The system will have the ability to print the assessment out on paper and be scored using either plain-paper answer documents for school-based scanning or commercial scan sheets for centralized, high-speed Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) scanning; or they may be delivered electronically through the Item Bank and Test Platform’s online testing module. These are to have, at a minimum, the capability of automatically scoring the assessments, analyzing results data, and generating reports that will provide Florida teachers with the information they can use to improve student learning based on a valid and reliable assessment of student progress. These assessments for mathematics may be similar in design to the Florida Assessment for Instruction in Reading (FAIR). More information is available online at this site: http://www.justreadflorida.com/instrreading.asp.

f. Communications / User Support Requirements i. The Contractor will provide:

• An online system of tutorials for content experts and Florida educators who will serve as item writers, item reviewers, assessment developers, and assessment administrators. These tutorials will, at a minimum, cover the most important aspects that item writers address and item reviewers evaluate, including item accuracy, the potential for item bias, accommodations and universal design, appropriate distractors, standards-based validity, cognitive complexity and difficulty range, grade-appropriate vocabulary, and reading level. These tutorials will also reflect any shifts in content area criteria,

• Follow up support meetings for item writers and reviewers to ask questions and provide feedback regarding the training,

• An online periodic (at least quarterly) synchronous meeting for the members of the Implementation Committee for Formative and Interim Assessment Design, the Implementation Committee for District-developed Student Assessments for Instructional Effectiveness, and Florida Department of Education

http://www.justreadflorida.com/instrreading.asp�


representatives to ask questions, provide feedback, and receive updates on the overall project work. (see membership online at http://www.fldoe.org/committees/rttt-committees.asp ).

ii. The Contractor will work closely with the Department and with groups of Florida educators to complete all

work tasks. All procedures, processes, and products used by the contractor to complete contract work must be approved by the Department. Throughout the contract period, the contractor will confer with the Department on a continuing and consistent basis and will be involved in frequent face-to-face meetings with the Department, as necessary.

iii. Communication for Educators: The Contractor will provide communication, technical support, and LEA professional development modules to ensure that LEA users and school-level educators have the ability to receive training on how to input assessment items, review assessment items, build an assessment from items in the item bank, administer assessments, export results, and develop and receive reports available from the item bank and test platform. The communication plan and format will be recommended by the Contractor and approved by the Department.

iv. Communication for the General Public: The Contractor will provide communication to students, parents, and other public stakeholders regarding the capabilities of the Florida Interim Assessment Item Bank and Test Platform and ways that they may use the system to input items for review or to view publically available information or released items for review / information. The communication plan and format will be recommended by the Contractor and approved by the Department.

g. Sustainability Planning Requirements:

The Contractor will include a plan for sustainability of the system past the grant funding period. In addition to the requirement for the online tutorials described in the Communications / User Support Requirements section, this plan must address the need for refreshing/adding items to the item bank to maintain validity for assessments, training materials and training opportunities for Florida educators and Florida LEA curriculum specialists to be able to develop high quality assessment items and assessments. This plan shall address estimated costs for maintaining the Florida Interim Assessment Item Bank and Test Platform after the contract period is ended and ways that costs may be recouped. These may include LEA-purchased licenses or non-Florida marketing to cover costs with free use for Florida LEAs. The plan must also include the cost of hardware maintenance, software licenses and support and a recommendation for a hardware refresh cycle. The sustainability plan should also address (1) technical skills required to sustain the technical solution and any known cost for upgrading software included in the solution, (2) instructions for exiting the project during the handover, (3) documentation to support technology solution to include technical specifications, (4) technical user guides, and (5) any applicable test scripts. While the Department prefers sole ownership of the assessment items, it would consider co-ownership of up to 70 percent of the items or other ownership options. The Contractor may provide a custom built solution, a solution comprised of pre-existing, proprietary materials or products that are the intellectual property of the Contractor or third parties, or a combination thereof. All intellectual property developed may be owned solely by the Department, owned jointly by the Department and the Contractor, or, at a minimum, the Department may be granted a perpetual and non-exclusive license for the use, reproduction and modification of the solution for use in Florida. All permissions or licenses required for the use of materials or products that are the intellectual property of a third party must be obtained by the Contractor. All materials, products, and licenses must be transferred to the Department at the end of the contract period such that the Department can maintain and sustain the solution beyond the end of the contract period. Because sustainability is important beyond the grant funding period, the Department is interested in benefits of royalties as they pertain to co-ownership of items. The Contractor may include a discussion on royalties as part of co-ownership.

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Pursuant to 34 CFR § 80.34 and the Race to the Top Grant, any contract resulting from this RFP is subject to a license held by the United States Department of Education (ED). Consistent with 34 CFR § 80.34, ED reserves a royalty-free, nonexclusive, and irrevocable license to reproduce, publish, or otherwise use, and to authorize others to use, for Federal Government purposes, the copyright in any work developed during the term of the contract, and any rights of copyright to which a grantee or contractor purchases ownership or license with grant support. Further, any assessment content (i.e., assessments and assessment items) developed during the term of a contract resulting from this RFP will be made freely available to states, technology platform providers and others that request said content for purposes of administering assessments with the condition that test or item security requirements are complied with. Proprietary information will not be made available unless merged with content developed under the contract.

7.1 DELIVERABLES Florida Interim Assessment Item Bank and Test Platform

Key: Critical (C) and Extremely Critical (XC) Activities Schedule *unless otherwise stated, all dates reflect the last work day of the given month

Activity Number

Critical Date Year 1* Year 2* Activity

1 June 2012

A detailed project plan setting forth the project goals, objectives, deliverables, and timelines. See SECTION 7.0.a

2 June 2012

A plan for developing the test and item bank technology platform. See SECTION 7.0.b and 7.0.c.

3 June 2012

A proposal for the inclusion of emerging technology and standards for assessment item portability. See SECTION 7.0.b.iii.

4 June 2012

A proposal for the inclusion of emerging standards for common intellectual property policies for materials used for educational purposes. See SECTION 7.0.b.iv.

5 C July 2012

A test item development plan for Year 1 and Year 2 that includes a blueprint of the content standards. See SECTIONS 7.0.d.iv. and 7.0.d.v

6 Aug. 2012

A plan for the item review process for Year 1 and Year 2 submitted and approved. See SECTION 7.0.c.x and 7.0.f.i. and 7.0.f.iii.

7 Sept. 2012

Test Item Specifications submitted and approved for: All K–12 ELA standards, based on the CCSS All Mathematics standards for K–8, Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2, based on the CCSS All Social Studies benchmarks for K–8, U.S. History, World History, U.S. Government, and Economics, based on the NGSSS All Science benchmarks for K–8, Biology, Earth/Space Science, Physics, and Chemistry, based on the NGSSS


All K–12 World Language benchmarks specific to Spanish language learning, based on the NGSSS See SECTION 7.0.d.

8 Oct. 2012

Online system of tutorials for users approved and available. See SECTION 7.0.f.i. and 7.0.f.iii.

9 Oct. 2012 Year 1 batch 1 items completed. See SECTION 7.0.d.

10 C Oct. 2012

Phase 1 of item bank is operational. See components in phase chart in SECTION 7.0.c.

11 C Dec. 2012

A plan for sustainability of the system past the grant funding period. See SECTION 7.0.g.

12 Dec. 2012 Year 1 batch 2 items completed. See SECTION 7.0.d.

13 Jan. 2013

Using tutorials, train initial cadre(s) of teachers on item writing. See SECTION 7.0.d.vii and 7.0.f.i and 7.0.f.ii.

14 Jan. 2013

A plan for communication, technical support, and LEA professional development modules. See SECTION 7.0.f

15 Feb. 2013 Year 1 batch 3 items completed. See SECTION 7.0.d.

16 C March 2013

Deliver approved communication, technical support, and LEA professional development modules. See SECTION 7.0.f.i, 7.0.f.ii and 7.0.f.iii.

17 Apr. 2013 Year 1 batch 4 items completed. See SECTION 7.0.d.

18 April 2013

Approved item development plan for year 2. See SECTION 7.0.d.

19 May 2013 Year 1 batch 5 items completed. See SECTION 7.0.d.

20 C Jun. 2013

Phase 2 of item bank and test platform is operational. See components in phase chart in SECTION 7.0.c.

21 Jun. 2013

All periodic meetings for item reviewers and item review have been conducted for Year 1 in accordance with the approved plan for item review. See SECTIONS 7.0.c.x and 7.0.f.i and 7.0.f.ii.

22 XC June 2013

All items for Year 1 development submitted and approved in the item bank and test platform. See SECTION 7.0.d.

23 July 2013 Year 2 batch 1 items completed. See SECTION 7.0.d.

24 July 2013

A plan for communication to students, parents, and other public stakeholders regarding the capabilities of the item bank and test platform. See SECTION 7.0.f.iv.

25 Sept. 2013 Year 2 batch 2 items completed. See SECTION 7.0.d.


26 Oct. 2013 Initial item tryouts completed. See SECTION 7.0.d.iv.

27 C Oct. 2013

Functionality test: User Acceptance Test of item bank and test platform. See SECTION 7.0.

28 Nov. 2013 Year 2 batch 3 items completed. See SECTION 7.0.d.

29 Dec. 2013 Year 2 batch 4 items completed. See SECTION 7.0.d.

30 C Jan. 2014

Phase 3 of item bank and test platform is operational. See components in phase chart in SECTION 7.0.

31 C Feb. 2014


32 Feb 2014

Initial training for Florida educators and LEA curriculum specialists regarding how to develop high-quality assessments and assessment items to meet sustainability plan. See SECTION 7.0.d.vi–7.0.d.x, and SECTIONS 7.0.f. and 7.0.g

33 C March 2014


34 April 2014

All periodic meetings for item reviewers and item review have been conducted for Year 2 in accordance with the approved plan for item review. See SECTIONS 7.0.c.x, 7.0.d.viii and 7.0.d.x., and 7.0.f.i–7.0.f.iii.

35 XC April

2014 Phase 6 of item bank and test platform is operational. See components in phase chart in SECTION 7.0.

36 May 2014

Functionality Test: User Acceptance Test of item bank and test platform. See SECTION 7.0.

37 XC May

2014

A standards-based interim assessment system for K–12 mathematics, based on the CCSS, that provides screening, progress monitoring, and diagnostic capabilities. See SECTION 7.0.e.

38 C June 2014

Deliver approved communications to students, parents, and other public stakeholders regarding the capabilities of the item bank and test platform. See SECTION 7.0.f.iv.

39 C June 2014

Training for Florida educators and LEA curriculum specialists regarding how to develop high-quality assessments and assessment items to meet sustainability plan. See SECTION 7.0.d.ix, 7.0.f.iii and 7.0.g.

7.2 FINANCIAL CONSEQUENCES 7.2.1 LIQUIDATED DAMAGES

Accurate and timely delivery is imperative and, as a result, the contract will include the following provisions for the completion of the Critical Work Tasks and Extremely Critical Work Tasks identified in this RFP. The Contractor’s failure to complete work tasks both correctly and on time will result in substantial injury to the Department and the state of Florida, but the amount of damages resulting from such injury cannot be calculated with certainty. Each such failure to complete a work task both correctly and on time is hereinafter referred to as a


default. Defaults shall be deemed corrected on the date that the work task has been correctly completed. For each default, the Contractor shall be liable to the Department for liquidated damages and not as a penalty, as set forth below:

(a) Critical Work Tasks: For each default on a Critical Work Task (see SECTION 7.1), it is agreed that for each and every day work remains uncompleted beyond the time set for its completion the Contractor shall be liable to the Department in a specified amount of five thousand dollars ($5,000.00) per business day as liquidated damages for such delay, and not as a penalty, from the date of notice by the Department until the default has been corrected.

(b) Extremely Critical Work Tasks: For each default on an Extremely Critical Work Task (see SECTION 7.1), the Contractor shall be liable to the Department in a specified amount per business day from the date of notice by the Department until the default has been corrected. The specified amount of damages is defined below:

Schedule for Liquidated Damages Extremely Critical Work Tasks

Number of business days elapsed after the default Liquidated Damages First $10,000.00 Second $30,000.00 Third $60,000.00 Fourth $90,000.00 Fifth $120,000.00 Sixth $150,000.00 Seventh and subsequent days $250,000.00 per day

(c) Cap: For each calendar, contract, or fiscal year which corresponds to the period of the performance

bond specified in RFP SECTION 6.14, the cumulative total of liquidated damages for which the Contractor may be liable shall not exceed, annually, 25% of the total contract amount at the time of assessment of liquidated damages.

(d) Collection: At its option, the Department shall collect liquidated damages by making claims against the performance bond, from time to time, until the bond has been exhausted, by deducting the liquidated damages from contract payments to the Contractor, by demand to the Contractor for payment, or by any combination of these methods.

(e) Deadline Adjustments: (1) In the event the Contractor wishes to propose a change of deadline for a Critical Work Task, the Contractor may propose the change to the Department, in writing. The Department has no obligation to agree to the change, but shall notify the Contractor, in writing, as to whether or not it agrees to the proposed change. If the Department agrees, the modified deadline shall become the effective deadline for purposes of assessing liquidated damages. (2) In the event the Department wishes to change a deadline for an Extremely Critical Work Task to a date which shortens the Contractor’s time for meeting the deadline, it shall notify the Contractor of the new deadline in writing in the form of a contract amendment. If the Contractor


determines that by exercise of every reasonable effort, the Contractor will be unable to meet the new deadline, the Contractor shall offer a proposed shortened deadline which the Contractor can meet by the exercise of every reasonable effort. (3) In the alternative, the Contractor may propose a contract amendment in which the additional personnel hours needed to achieve the shortened deadline are compensated by a price adjustment. (4) If the parties are unable to reach agreement, the Department shall determine the deadline. However, the issue of whether liquidated damages apply to the Contractor’s failure to meet the shortened deadline shall be reached as follows. The parties shall submit to binding arbitration the issue of what date (earlier than the original deadline) the Contractor could have completed the Extremely Critical Work Task on time and correctly by exercising every reasonable effort. The date determined through arbitration shall be the deadline for purposes of assessing liquidated damages. Arbitration shall be conducted pursuant to the procedures of the American Arbitration Association, subject to the Florida Arbitration Code, Chapter 682, F.S.

(f) Department Approval. In situations wherein the Contractor must obtain the Department’s approval of an activity or product before the Contractor can complete a Critical Work Task, the Contractor shall be responsible for providing a reasonable time for the Department to complete its review and for the Contractor to correct any deficiencies. In the event the Department’s review is not conducted within four months of the request for approval that shall be grounds for the Contractor to propose a deadline adjustment pursuant to Subsection 7.2(e)(1) above. The parties’ contract managers must agree, in writing, in advance, as to the reasonable time for the Department’s review of a specific activity or product.

7.2.2 ADDITIONAL FINANCIAL CONSEQUENCES

The Contractor shall submit to the Department for payment the above deliverables and those proposed and accepted by the Department that are satisfactorily completed in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in SECTION 7.0 SCOPE OF SERVICES and SECTION 7.1 DELIVERABLES. Payment shall be delayed for any deliverables that are not satisfactorily completed until all deficiencies are corrected and the services have been accepted by the Department. In addition, delays in providing completed deliverables will subject the Contractor to damages as provided in Attachment 7 Standard Terms and Conditions.

SECTION 8 – OPENING, EVALUATION AND AWARD

8.0 PROPOSAL OPENING

TECHNICAL PROPOSALS WILL BE OPENED BY THE DEPARTMENT'S BUREAU OF CONTRACTS, GRANTS AND PROCUREMENT MANAGEMENT SERVICES PERSONNEL AT 325 WEST GAINES STREET, 332 TURLINGTON BUILDING, TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA, AS SPECIFIED IN SECTION 3.4 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS. PRICE PROPOSALS (which have corresponding responsive Technical Proposals) WILL BE OPENED AS SPECIFIED IN SECTION 3.4 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS at 325 WEST GAINES STREET, 332 Turlington BUILDING, TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA.

8.1 EVALUATION PROCESS A Selection Committee, hereinafter referred to as the "Committee", will be established to review and evaluate each Proposal submitted in response to this RFP. However, Proposals rejected due to non-compliance with terms and conditions of this RFP will not be evaluated. The Committee will be comprised of at least three persons with knowledge, background, experience, and/or professional credentials in relative service areas.


Each member of the Committee will be provided a copy of each Technical Proposal. Proposals will be evaluated on the criteria established in the section below entitled "Criteria for Evaluation" in order to assure that Proposals are uniformly rated. The Committee will assign points, utilizing the technical evaluation criteria identified herein and complete a technical summary. Proposing firms must attain a score of fifty-six (56) points or higher on the Technical Proposal to be considered responsive. Should a Proposer receive fewer than fifty-six (56) points for their Technical Proposal score, the Price Proposal will not be opened.

The Bureau of Contracts, Grants and Procurement Management Services will open Price Reply Proposals

in accordance with Section 8.0, Proposal Openings. The Bureau of Contracts, Grants and Procurement Management Services and/or the Project Manager/Selection Committee will review and evaluate the Price Proposals and prepare a summary of its price evaluation. Points will be assigned based on price evaluation criteria identified herein.

During the process of evaluation, the Bureau of Contracts, Grants and Procurement Management Services will conduct examinations of Proposals for responsiveness to requirements of the RFP. Those determined to be non-responsive will be automatically rejected.

8.1.1 Oral Presentations (Seeking Clarification) An Oral Presentation will be evaluated by the committee based on the criteria established in SECTION 5.4.1 above. During this stage Proposers will be asked to provide any clarifications needed by the evaluation committee to assist in evaluating their Proposal. Information received in this stage will be added to the Proposer’s Proposal and evaluated as a part of the appropriate Section above. The dates for Oral Presentations are scheduled as specified in SECTION 3.4 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS. Oral Presentations will be given by all responsive Proposers at the Florida Department of Education, 325 West Gaines Street, Tallahassee, FL. The Department will notify the Proposers who will be participating in the Oral Presentations of the date, time and duration of the Oral Presentations.

The following time frames shall govern the Oral Presentations: a. Presentation 60 minutes b. Specific Questions on Proposal 60 minutes

8.1.2 Criteria for Evaluation

Proposals will be evaluated and graded in accordance with the criteria detailed below.

a. Technical Proposal (80 Points)

Technical evaluation is the process of reviewing the Proposer's Executive Summary, Management Plan, Technical Plan and Work Plan for understanding of project, qualifications, approach and capabilities, to assure a quality product.

The following point system is established for scoring the Proposals: (Agrees with Section 5.4.1)

The following criteria will be used to evaluate and rank Replies.


A) Executive Summary N/A points B) Management Plan 25 points C) Technical Plan 35 points D) Work Plan 20 points Total 80 points E) Price 20 points Total 100 points

Price analysis is conducted through the comparison of price quotations submitted.

The method of awarding points for the Price Proposal will be done in accordance with the provisions of Section 287.0572, F.S., which requires use of the present value methodology. The present value discount rate will be used in the computations and evaluation. To determine that discount rate, use the rates identified in Release H.15, Select Interest Rates (Weekly), available online at http://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/h15/. Use the most recent copy of the Federal Reserve Bulletin published at the time of issuance of the RFP. See the “Schedule of Events” for the release date. Maximum points will be awarded to the lowest acceptable Price Proposal. Proposals with higher costs will receive the fraction of the maximum points proportional to the ratio of the lowest Proposal price to the higher Price Proposal. The fractional value of points to be assigned will be rounded to one decimal place. The criteria for price evaluation shall be based upon the following formula: (Low Price/Proposer's Price) x Price Points = Proposer’s Awarded Points The total maximum number of points that can be earned in the evaluation process is 100 points.

The contract shall be awarded to the responsible and responsive vendor whose Proposal is determined in writing to be the most advantageous to the state, taking into consideration the price and the other criteria set forth in this RFP.

8.2 POSTING OF PROPOSAL TABULATION The Proposal Tabulation will be posted at the Florida Department of Education, 325 West Gaines Street, 332 Turlington Building, Tallahassee, Florida and on the Florida Vendor Bid System at http://fcn.state.fl.us/owa_vbs/owa/vbs_www.search.criteria_form as specified in SECTION 3.4 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS), and will remain posted for a period of seventy-two (72) hours.

http://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/h15/�

http://fcn.state.fl.us/owa_vbs/owa/vbs_www.search.criteria_form�

Attachment '1'

RESPONDENT'S PRICE REPLY

DESCRIPTION

Project DeliverableYear 1 Cost

Anticipated Completion Date Evidence of Completion Year 2 Cost


Anticipated Completion Date Year 4 Cost


Anticipated Completion Date

1. A detailed project plan setting forth the project goals, objectives, deliverables, and timelines. See SECTION 7.0.a

30-Jun-12

Written communication from the Department to the Contractor approving the final version of the detailed project plan.

2. A plan for developing the test and item bank technology platform. See SECTION 7.0.b and 7.0.c. 30-Jun-12

Written communication from the Department to the Contractor approving the final version of the plan for developing the test and item bank technology

3. A plan for the inclusion of emerging technology and standards for assessment item portability. See SECTION 7.0.b.iii. 30-Jun-12

Written communication from the Department approving the Contractor's plan for the inclusion of emerging technology and standards for assessment item portability.

4. A plan for the inclusion of emerging standards for common intellectual property policies for materials used for educational purposes. See SECTION 7.0.b.iv. 30-Jun-12

Written communication from the Department approving the Contractor's plan for the inclusion of emerging standards for common intellectual property policies for materials used for educational purposes.

5. A test item development plan for Year 1 and Year 2 that includes a blueprint of the content standards. See SECTIONS 7.0.d.iv. and 7.0.d.v 31-Jul-12

Written communication from the Department to the Contractor approving the final test item development plan for all years that includes a blueprint of the content standards.

6. A plan for the item review process for Year 1 and Year 2 submitted and approved. See SECTION 7.0.c.x and 7.0.f.i. and f.iii.

31-Aug-12

Written communication from the Department to the Contractor approving the final item review process plan.

We propose to provide the services being solicited within the specifications of RFP 2012-48. All work shall be performed in accordance with this RFP, which has been reviewed and understood. Below referenced years are state fiscal years (July - June). The below prices are all inclusive. There shall be no additional costs charged for work performed under this RFP.

Based on the Scope of Work being proposed, provide below information for each deliverable. Propose deliverables with completion dates, and costs associated with those deliverables must be included. Deliverable Completion Date column is for informational purposes only. Actual completion dates will be negotiated. Note: Reports are not acceptable deliverables, however, they may be used as "proof" that the deliverable was successfully completed. If used, details of what the report will contain must be provided. For each overall deliverable listed provide a breakdown detailing how the deliverable will be accomplished including evidence of completion, estimated date of completion and price. Additional rows can be added as needed.

Attachment '1'








7. Test Item Specifications submitted and approved for: All K-12 ELA standards, based on the CCSS; All Mathematics standards for K – 8 , Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2 , based on the CCSS; All Social Studies benchmarks for K – 8, U.S. History, World History, U.S. Government, and Economics , based on the NGSSS;All Science benchmarks for K – 8, Biology, Earth/Space Science, Physics, and Chemistry, based on the NGSSS; All K – 12 World Language benchmarks specific to Spanish language learning, based on the NGSSS.See SECTION 7.0.d.

30-Sep-12

Written communication from the Department to the Contractor approving the test item specifications.

8. Online system of tutorials for users approved and available. See SECTION 7.0.f.i. and f.iii. 31-Oct-12

The Department conducts and approves operational testing of online system tutuorials.

9. Year 1 batch 1 items completed. See SECTION 7.0.d.

31-Oct-12All Year 1 batch 1 items reviewed and approved by the Department.

10. Phase 1 of item bank is operational. See components in phase chart in SECTION 7.0.c 31-Oct-12

The Department conducts and approves operational testing of Phase 1 components.

11. A plan for sustainability of the system past the grant funding period. See SECTION 7.0.g.

31-Dec-12

Written communication from the Department to the Contractor approving the final sustainability plan.

12. Year 1 batch 2 items completed. See SECTION 7.0.d. 31-Dec-12

All Year 1 batch 2 items reviewed and approved by the Department.

13. Using IBTP tutorials, train initial cadre(s) of teachers on item writing. See SECTION 7.0.d.vii and 7.0.f.i and f.ii.

31-Jan-13

Written communication from the Department to the Contractor indicating satisfactory completion of initial training.

14. A plan for communication, technical support, and LEA professional development modules. See SECTION 7.0.f

31-Jan-13

Written communication from the Department to the Contractor approving the final plan for communication, technical support, and LEA professional development modules.


28-Feb-13All Year 1 batch 3 items reviewed and approved by the Department.

Attachment '1'








16. Deliver approved communication, technical support, and LEA professional development modules. See SECTION 7.0.f.i, f.ii and f.iii.

31-Mar-13

The Department conducts and approves operational testing of technical support and LEA professional development modules. Written communication from the Department to the Contractor approving the final version of all communication to be delivered to LEAs.


30-Apr-13All Year 1 batch 4 items reviewed and approved by the Department.

18. Approved item development plan for year 2. See SECTION 7.0.d.

30-Apr-13

Written communication from the Department to the Contractor approving the final test item development plan for Year 2 that includes a blueprint of the content standards.


31-May-13


20. Phase 2 of item bank and test platform is operational. See components in phase chart in SECTION 7.0.c

30-Jun-13


21. All periodic meetings for item reviewers and item review have been conducted for Year 1 in accordance with the approved plan for item review. See SECTIONS 7.0.c.x and 7.0.f. i and f.ii.

30-Jun-13

Written communication from the Department to the Contractor documenting all periodic item review meetings were conducted for Year 1.

22. All items for Year 1 development submitted and approved in the item bank and test platform. See SECTION 7.0.d. 30-Jun-13

Written communication from the Department to the Contractor approving at a minimum the number of items required by the approved item development plan for Year 1 for each subject area and grade level.

23. Year 2 batch 1 items completed. See SECTION 7.0.d. 31-Jul-13


Attachment '1'








24. A plan for communication to students, parents, and other public stakeholders regarding the capabilities of the item bank and test platform. See SECTION 7.0.f.iv. 31-Jul-13

Written communication from the Department to the Contractor approving the final plan for communication to students, parents, and other public stakeholders regarding the capabilities of the item bank and test platform.

25. Year 2 batch 2 items completed. See SECTION 7.0.d. 30-Sep-13


26. Initial item tryouts completed. See SECTION 7.0.d.iv. 31-Oct-13

Written communication from the Department to the Contractor indicating satisfactory completion of initial item tryouts.

27. Functionality test: User Acceptance Test of item bank and test platform. See SECTION 7.0.

31-Oct-13

The Department conducts and approves operational testing (user acceptance test) of Phases 1 and 2 components and the inoperability of those components.

28. Year 2 batch 3 items completed. See SECTION 7.0.d. 30-Nov-13


29. Year 2 batch 4 items completed. See SECTION 7.0.d. 31-Dec-13



31-Jan-14



28-Feb-14


32. Initial training, using the IBTP, for Florida educators and LEA curriculum specialists regarding how to develop high-quality assessments and assessment items to meet sustainability plan. See SECTION 7.0.d.vi-d.x, and SECTIONS 7.0.f. and 7.0. g

28-Feb-14

The Department conducts and approves operational testing of the online training for Florida educators and LEA curriculum specialists.

Attachment '1'









31-Mar-14


34. All periodic meetings for item reviewers and item review have been conducted for Year 2 in accordance with the approved plan for item review. See SECTIONS 7.0.c.x, 7.0.d.viii and d.x., and 7.0.f.i-f.iii.

30-Apr-14

Written communication from the Department to the Contractor documenting all periodic item review meetings were conducted for Year 2.


30-Apr-14


36. Functionality Test: User Acceptance Test of item bank and test platform. See SECTION 7.0. 31-May-14

The Department conducts and approves operational testing (user acceptance test) of Phase 3-6 components and the inoperability of those components.

37. A standards-based interim assessment system for K – 12 mathematics, based on the CCSS, that provides screening, progress monitoring, and diagnostic capabilities. See SECTION 7.0.e.

31-May-14

The Department conducts and approves operational testing of the standards-based interim assessment system for K-12 mathematics.

38. Deliver approved communications to students, parents, and other public stakeholders regarding the capabilities of the item bank and test platform. See SECTION 7.0.f.iv.

30-Jun-14

Written communication from the Department to the Contractor approving the final version of all communication to be delivered to students, parents, and other public stakeholders regarding the capabiliites of the item bank and test platform.

39. Training for Florida educators and LEA curriculum specialists regarding how to develop high-quality assessments and assessment items to meet sustainability plan. See SECTION 7.0.d.ix, 7.0.f.iii and 7.0.g.

30-Jun-14

The Department conducts and approves operational testing of the online training for Florida educators and LEA curriculum specialists.

Attachment '1'








40. Renewal Year 1 Continue to develop new educator-produced items and submit to Department for approval through item review process (See chart below). Maintain item bank and test platform.

30-Jun-15


30-Jun-16


30-Jun-17

Grand Total: $__________________*

Content Area

Number of Educator-developed items per year

English / Language Arts 2500Mathematics 1500Science 1500Social Studies 2300Spanish 1900

Chart for Item Development for Renewal Years

SIGN BELOW. UNSIGNED OFFERS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.

VENDOR NAME: ___________________________________________________

MAILING ADDRESS: ________________________________________________

CITY/STATE/ZIP:_____________________________________________________

AUTHORIZED AGENT (typed): _________________________________________

AUTHORIZED AGENT (manual):________________________________________

DATE: TELEPHONE: FAX: ____________________

E-MAIL ADDRESS: __________________________________________________

*POINTS AWARDED WILL BE BASED ON THIS PRICE


ATTACHMENT ‘2’

DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE

(will be considered in case of identical tie Proposals) Preference shall be given to businesses with drug-free workplace programs. Whenever two or more bids which are equal with respect to price, quality, and service are received by the state or by any political subdivision for the procurement of commodities or contractual services, a bid received from a business that certifies that it has implemented a drug-free workplace program shall be given preference in the award process. Established procedures for processing tie bids will be followed if none of the tied vendors have a drug-free workplace program. In order to have a drug-free workplace program, a business shall: 1) Publish a statement notifying employees that the unlawful manufacture, distribution, dispensing, possession, or use of a controlled substance is prohibited in the workplace and specifying the actions that will be taken against employees for violations of such prohibition. 2) Inform employees about the dangers of drug abuse in the workplace, the business's policy of maintaining a drug-free workplace, any available drug counseling, rehabilitation, and employee assistance programs, and the penalties that may be imposed upon employees for drug abuse violations. 3) Give each employee engaged in providing the commodities or contractual services that are under bid a copy of the statement specified in subsection (1). 4) In the statement specified in subsection (1), notify the employees that, as a condition of working on the commodities or contractual services that are under bid, the employee will abide by the terms of the statement and will notify the employer of any conviction of, or plea of guilty or nolo contendere to, any violation of Chapter 893 or of any controlled substance law of the United States or any state, for a violation occurring in the workplace no later than five (5) days after such conviction. 5) Impose a sanction on, or require the satisfactory participation in a drug abuse assistance or rehabilitation program if such is available in the employee's community, by any employee who is so convicted. 6) Make a good faith effort to continue to maintain a drug-free workplace through implementation of this section. As the person authorized to sign the statement, I certify that this firm complies fully with the above requirements. Vendor's Signature


ATTACHMENT ‘3’

DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

PARTNERSHIP OR INDIVIDUAL I hereby certify that I, if an individual, or each of us, if a partnership, doing business as .

(Name of Individual or Partnership) (am)(is) not now involved in nor have I ever engaged in any private business venture or enterprise, directly or indirectly, with the Commissioner of Education, the Deputy Commissioner of Education, any Associate Commissioner of Education, Division Director, or Bureau Chief within the Florida Department of Education. I further certify that neither I, nor any partner, if a partnership, nor anyone acting in my or our behalf has requested that any of the above designated persons or any other employee of the Florida Department of Education exert any influence to secure the appointment of under this proposed agreement. (Name of Individual or Partnership) (1)

Signature Signature (1) If partnership, each partner must sign and execute. Signature

COMPANY OR CORPORATION I hereby certify that neither I nor any owner, officer, director, or shareholder of , a

(Name of Corporation/Company) (1) corporation, licensed to do business in Florida, is presently involved in or has been (Name of State of Inc.) engaged in any private business venture or enterprise, directly, or indirectly, with the Commissioner of Education, the Deputy Commissioner of Education, any Associate Commissioner of Education, Division Director, or Bureau Chief within the Florida Department of Education. I further certify that neither I nor any owner, officer, director, or shareholder of this corporation or anyone acting on behalf of this corporation or any of its owners, officers, directors, or shareholders has requested that any of the above designated persons or any other employee of the Florida Department of Education exert any influence to secure the appointment of under this proposed agreement. (Company) (Corporation)

(2) Signature

Title

(1) If company is not incorporated, insert "not incorporated" in this space. (2) If incorporated, this statement is to be executed by same person who will execute contract, if awarded.


ATTACHMENT ‘4’

STATE OF FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

MINORITY SUB CONTRACTORS UTILIZATION SUMMARY The Department’s Supplier Diversity initiative strives to ensure the promise of Florida’s future is shared by all of its residents, regardless of race, ethnicity, disability, neighborhood or background. To that end, the Department is dedicated to support, track and increase its small, minority-, women-, and service-disabled veteran business enterprise spending with prime contractors and subcontractors. This form was developed to assist in these efforts. The Prime Contractor shall report all small, minority-, women-, and service-disabled veteran business enterprise Subcontractors, identifying the Name, Address, Type of Certification and Dollar Amount on the form below. The Prime Contractor shall submit this form with each invoice submitted for payment, whether or not funds have been spent with a small, minority-, women-, and service-disabled veteran business enterprise subcontractor for the period covered by the invoice. The Office of Supplier Diversity, Florida Department of Management Services will assist in furnishing names of qualified minorities. The Office of Supplier Diversity can be reached at (850) 487-0915; the Internet Web address is http://dms.myflorida.com/other_programs/office_of_supplier_diversity_osd. PRIME CONTRACTOR: CONTRACT NO.: CONTRACT TITLE:

MBE CONTRACTORS

Full Name, Address, Telephone Number

State

Certified

Non-

Certified

Non-Profit

Dollar

Amount

Total Amount $________________

Certified True and Correct by: Submit Report to: _________________________________________ Mrs. Gwendolyn York Prime Contractor Bureau of Contracts, Grants and

Procurement Management Services _________________________________________ 325 West Gaines Street Title 332 Turlington Bldg _________________________________________ Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400 Date For additional information, you may call Mrs. York at (850) 245-9170, or e-mail [email protected]

http://dms.myflorida.com/other_programs/office_of_supplier_diversity_osd�



ATTACHMENT ‘5’

REFERENCES RESPONDENT NAME _____________________________________ PROVIDE THE FOLLOWING REFERENCE INFORMATION FOR A MINIMUM OF THREE (3) BUSINESSES WHERE SERVICES OF SIMILAR SIZE AND SCOPE HAVE BEEN COMPLETED

BUSINESS NAME:

ADDRESS:

CONTACT PERSON:

PHONE NUMBER:

FAX NUMBER:

E-MAIL ADDRESS:

DATE AND DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES:

BUSINESS NAME:

ADDRESS:

CONTACT PERSON:

PHONE NUMBER:

FAX NUMBER:

E-MAIL ADDRESS:


BUSINESS NAME:

ADDRESS:

CONTACT PERSON:

PHONE NUMBER:

FAX NUMBER:

E-MAIL ADDRESS:



ATTACHMENT ‘6’

VENDOR CERTIFICATION REGARDING

SCRUTINIZED COMPANIES LISTS Respondent Vendor Name: _____________________________________________________ Vendor FEIN: ___________________ Vendor’s Authorized Representative Name and Title: ___________________________________ Address: ______________________________________________________________________ City: _____________________ State: _____________________________ Zip: ______________ Phone Number: ____________________________________ Email Address: _

Section 287.135, Florida Statutes, prohibits agencies from contracting with companies, for goods or services over $1,000,000, that are on either the Scrutinized Companies with Activities in Sudan List or the Scrutinized Companies with Activities in the Iran Petroleum Energy Sector List. Both lists are created pursuant to section 215.473, Florida Statutes. As the person authorized to sign on behalf of Respondent, I hereby certify that the company identified above in the section entitled “Respondent Vendor Name” is not listed on either the Scrutinized Companies with Activities in Sudan List or the Scrutinized Companies with Activities in the Iran Petroleum Energy Sector List. I understand that pursuant to section 287.135, Florida Statutes, the submission of a false certification may subject company to civil penalties, attorney’s fees, and/or costs.

Certified By: __________________________________________________________,

who is authorized to sign on behalf of the above referenced company.

Authorized Signature Print Name and Title:_________________________________________


ATTACHMENT ‘7’

STATE OF FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

CONTRACT STANDARD TERMS AND CONDITIONS

I. Pursuant to S. 287.058(1), Florida Statutes (“F.S.”): A. Bills for fees or other compensation for services or expenses shall be submitted in detail sufficient for a proper preaudit and postaudit thereof. B. Travel expenses will be reimbursed only if expressly authorized by the terms of the Contract. Bills for any travel expenses shall be submitted in

accordance with s. 112.061, F.S. C. The Department may unilaterally cancel this Contract if the Contractor refuses to allow access by members of the public to all documents, papers,

letters and materials made or received in conjunction with the Contract that are subject to Chapter 119, F.S., and are not exempt from public inspection by s 119.071, F.S., or by other provisions of general or special law.

D. The Deliverables specified in the Contract must be received and accepted in writing by the Department’s Contract Manager before Contractor is entitled to payment.

E. To complete this Contract, all services must be performed and/or goods received on or before the date(s) specified in the Contract. F. If this Contract is expressly renewable, it may be renewed for a period that may not exceed three years or the term of the original contract, whichever

is longer. The renewal price for the contracted service is set forth in the bid, proposal, reply. Cost for renewal shall not be changed. Renewals shall be contingent on satisfactory performance evaluations by the Department and subject to the availability of funds. Exceptional purchase contracts pursuant to s. 287.057(3)(a) and (c), F.S., may not be renewed.

II. The Contractor shall prepare an invoice for the amount due and mail it to the Department of Education Comptroller after having delivered the products and services required under this Contract to the Contract Manager. The invoice shall set forth details sufficient for a proper pre-audit and post-audit including, where applicable, the products and services delivered and completion dates. Upon receipt of the invoice, the Department of Education Comptroller will request confirmation from the Contract Manager that the delivered products and services are satisfactory and payment is due. If for any reason they are not satisfactory, payment will be withheld until the unsatisfactory condition or conditions are corrected. Upon receipt of the Contract Manager’s approval, the Department of Education Comptroller shall process each invoice in accordance with the provisions of s. 215.422, F.S. A. Contractor agrees to submit invoice within thirty (30) days of the Department’s acceptance of deliverables. It is understood that should Contractor

fail to submit invoice within thirty (30) days following the Department’s acceptance of the deliverables, the Department shall not be responsible for payment thereof under this contract or quantum meruit.

III. Section 215.422, F.S., provides that agencies have five (5) working days to inspect and approve goods and services, unless bid specifications or the Contract specifies otherwise. With the exception of payments to health care providers for hospital, medical, or other health care services, if payment is not available within forty (40) days, measured from the latter of the date the invoice is received or the goods or services are received, inspected and approved, a separate interest penalty set by the Comptroller pursuant to s. 55.03, F.S., will be due and payable in addition to the invoice amount. To obtain the applicable interest rate, please contact the Department’s Fiscal s. at 850/245-0401 or Purchasing Office at 850/245-0735. Payments to health care providers for hospitals, medical, or other health care services, shall be made not more than thirty-five (35) days from the date of eligibility for payment is determined, and the daily interest rate is .02740 percent. Invoices returned to a vendor due to preparation errors will result in a payment delay. Invoice payment requirements do not start until a properly completed invoice is provided to the agency. A Vendor Ombudsman, whose duties include acting as an advocate for vendors who may be experiencing problems in obtaining timely payment(s) from a State Agency, may be contacted at 866/352-3776 or by calling the Chief Financial Officer’s Hotline, 800/342-2762.

IV. As used in this Contract, the term “Deliverable” refers to tangible “commodities”, as defined in s. 287.012(5), F.S., which the Contractor provides pursuant to the Contract and to reports or other tangible or documentary evidence which demonstrate that the Contractor has performed the services required by the Contract. The following provisions govern Deliverables, as applicable: A. Each Deliverable must be physically delivered to the Department’s Contract Manager, or to a person designated by the Contact Manager. If delivery

is made to a designee, the Contractor shall give written notice to the Contract Manager of the delivery. A Deliverable is not received until the Contract Manager has physical control of deliveries or has written notice that the designee has physical control.

B. In each case in which the approval of a Deliverable is dependent upon tests being conducted by the Department or Contractor, independently or jointly, the Department’s inspection and approval of the Deliverable shall not be subject to the five (5) day provision in s. 215.422, F.S., but shall be governed by the terms and conditions of the acceptance testing plan as stated in Attachment A, until approved in accordance with the plan.

C. In each case of a Deliverable of information technology, as defined at s. 287.012(14), F.S., unless specified otherwise in Attachment A, the acceptance testing plan is deemed to include as a minimum the reliable performance of the information technology in accordance with its design specifications in: 1. a test environment that simulates the production environment as much as is reasonably possible; and 2. the production environment for which it is intended for a period of time sufficient for the information technology to have experienced the major

foreseeable exigencies of the production functions. D. The Department’s inspection, including testing when applicable, shall determine whether or not the Deliverables appear to be in compliance with the

Contract. The Contractor shall be notified in writing of any apparent deficiency. The written notice shall detail the specific action required by the Contractor to correct the deficiency. The Contractor shall timely correct such deficiency and resubmit the deliverable for acceptance.

V. The Contractor represents and agrees that information submitted in support of its requests for payment is the basis of payment and is true and accurate to the best of knowledge of the responsible signatory. A violation of this provision shall subject the violator to the provisions of s. 68.082, F.S., pertaining to false claims against the State, and/or s. 837.06, F.S., pertaining to false official statements.

VI. This paragraph applies if this Contract expires in a fiscal year subsequent to the fiscal year in which the Contract is entered. The State of Florida’s fiscal year comprises July 1 through June 30. The Department’s and State of Florida’s performance and obligation to pay under this Contract is contingent upon an annual appropriation by the Legislature. If the Legislature fails to make the necessary appropriation, the Department will determine if there are other unencumbered funds which are available and which can be lawfully expended to pay for the Department’s obligations hereunder. If the Department


determines that there are no such funds, the Department shall promptly notify the Contractor. The giving of notice shall be deemed to have cancelled this Contract by mutual consent, with the date of notice being the date of cancellation.

VII. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in a State Term Contract, Contractor warrants that all commodities, as defined in s. 287.012, F.S., shall meet the specifications of the Contract and shall be merchantable and fit for the particular purposes intended by the Contract.

VIII. The Contractor further warrants that as to each Deliverable produced pursuant to this Contract, Contractor’s production of the Deliverable, and the Department’s use of the Deliverable, will not infringe on the copyrights of any third party. This provision applies to each work of authorship in which copyrights subsist pursuant to 17 U.S.C. Sections 102-105 and to each exclusive right established in 17 U.S.C. Section 106. In furtherance of this provision the Contractor additionally warrants that: A. As to each work of software or other “information technology”, as defined in s. 287.012(15), F.S., in which copyrights subsist, the Contractor has

acquired the rights by conveyance or license to any third party software or other information technology, which was used to produce the Deliverable; B. As to each image and sound recording incorporated into a Deliverable, the Contractor has acquired the necessary rights, releases, and waivers from

the person whose image or sound is included, or from the holder of the copyrights subsisting in the literary, musical, dramatic, pantomime, choreographic, pictorial, graphic, sculptural, motion pictures, audiovisual work or sound recording from which the included image or sound recording was taken.

IX. The Contractor further warrants that the Contractor shall not disclose to any third party, without the express, prior, written approval of the Department, any personally identifiable information about any student. This applies to information which came from any record or report of a Florida public education institution or from any education record which is subject to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, 20 U.S.C. Section 1232g. The terms “record a report” and “student” shall have the meanings prescribed in s. 1002.22(2)(c) and (d), F.S. The term “educational record” shall have the meaning prescribed in 20 U.S.C. Section 1232g(a)(4).

X. In the event that the Governor and Cabinet are required to impose a mandatory reserve on appropriations, the Department shall amend this Contract to place in reserve the amount determined by the Department of Education to be necessary because of the mandatory reserve. Such amendments may provide for adjustments in the Deliverable products and services as may be necessary.

XI. Intellectual property is subject to following additional provisions: A. Anything by whatsoever designation it may be known, that is produced by, or developed in connection with, this Contract shall become the exclusive

property of the of the State of Florida and may be copyrighted, patented, or otherwise restricted as provided by Florida or federal law. Neither the Contractor nor any individual employed under this Contract shall have any proprietary interest in the product.

B. With respect to each Deliverable that constitutes a work of authorship within the subject matter and scope of U.S. Copyright Law, 17 U.S.C. Sections 102-105, such work shall be a "work for hire" as defined in 17 U.S.C. Section 101 and all copyrights subsisting in such work for hire shall be owned exclusively by the Department pursuant to s. 1006.39, F.S., on behalf the State of Florida.

C. In the event it is determined as a matter of law that any such work is not a "work for hire", Contractor shall immediately assign to the Department all copyrights subsisting therein for the consideration set forth in the Contract and with no additional compensation.

D. The foregoing shall not apply to any preexisting software, or other work of authorship used by Contractor, to create a Deliverable but which exists as a work independently of the Deliverable, unless the preexisting software or work was developed by Contractor pursuant to a previous Contract with the Department or a purchase by the Department under a State Term Contract.

E. The Department shall have full and complete ownership of all software developed pursuant to the Contract including without limitation: 1. The written source code; 2. The source code files; 3. The executable code; 4. The executable code files; 5. The data dictionary; 6. The data flow diagram; 7. The work flow diagram; 8. The entity relationship diagram; and 9. All other documentation needed to enable the Department to support, recreate, revise, repair, or otherwise make use of the software.

XII. The Department reserves the right, at its option, to issue a change order to delete work tasks reducing the total Contract amount by up to 10%. An addition of work tasks within the scope of the Contract, an increase in the total Contract amount, or a decrease of more than 10% of the total Contract amount, shall be implemented only by a Contract amendment signed by both the Department and the Contractor.

XIII. Pursuant to s. 216.347, F.S., no funds awarded under this Contract may be used for the purpose of lobbying the Legislature, the judicial branch, or a State agency.

XIV. The Contractor shall grant access to all records pertaining to the Contract to the Department’s Inspector General, General Counsel and other agency representatives, the State Auditor General, the Office of Program Policy and Government Accountability, and the Chief Financial Officer.

XV. The Contractor agrees to permit onsite visits by designated Department employees or agents to conduct audits to ensure compliance with Section 20.055, Florida Statutes. These audits may require Department access to records and data, computers and communications devices, and other materials whether owned or operated by the Contractor. Access may include, but is not limited to, user level and/or system level access to any computing or communications device; access to information (electronic, hardcopy, etc) that may be produced, transmitted or stored on the Contractor's equipment or premises; access to work areas; and access to interactively monitor and log traffic on the Contractor's networks.

XVI. The Contractor must carry general liability insurance, which shall include errors and omissions coverage. The amount of coverage shall be a minimum of $1,000,000 or the aggregate total of all contractual agreements between the Contractor and the agencies and political subdivisions of the State of Florida, whichever is greater. The Contractor shall add the Department as an additional insured on the general liability coverage. The insurance shall cover all of the Contractor’s operations under this Contract and shall be effective throughout the Term of this Contract, as well as any renewals or extensions thereto. It is not the intent of this Contract to limit the types of insurance otherwise required by this Contract or that the Contractor may desire to obtain or be required to obtain by law. The Contractor must submit a Certificate of Insurance indicating coverage for general liability purposes and additional insured coverage, and shall maintain and pay for same throughout the Term of this Contract. A Certificate of Insurance indicating adequate coverage shall be submitted to the Department prior to the time the Contract is entered. Any and all insurance policies shall be through insurers qualified to do business in Florida.


XVII. The Contractor agrees to provide the Department upon execution of this Contract with a performance bond or other security deposited with the Department in the total amount of the Contract or another amount if specified in the procurement specifications or Attachment A, guaranteeing that the Contractor will perform all work according to this Contract, within the time and price specified in the Contract. A performance bond shall be issued from a surety company, qualified to do business in Florida.

XVIII. The Contractor may not assign or subcontract all or any portion of this Contract without the advance written consent of the Department. XIX. In all cases in which the Contractor, with the advance written consent of the Department, assigns or subcontracts, all or any portion of the Contract:

A. The Contractor shall monitor the subcontractor or assignee and establish controls to avoid or mitigate risks identified by the Department or the Contractor; and

B. The Contractor shall allow the Department to monitor subcontractor or assignee activity and compliance, and the Contractor shall require the subcontractor or assignee to promptly submit to the Department, at the Department’s request, complete and accurate documentation pertaining to the subcontract or the Contract.

XX. The Contractor shall coordinate with and assist the Department’s Contract Manager in the performance of the latter’s responsibilities, which include without limitation: A. Monitoring the activities of the Contractor; B. Receiving and reviewing the reports of the Contractor to determine whether the objectives of the Contract are being accomplished; C. Receiving and reviewing the invoices for payment of funds to assure that the requirements of the Contract have been met and that payment is

appropriate; D. Evaluating the process used by the Contractor to monitor the activities of any subcontractor or assignee; and E. Accessing, directly, the subcontractors and assignees, as the Contract Manager deems necessary.

XXI. This Contract may not be modified unless in writing signed by the Department and the Contractor. XXII. The Department and the Contractor waive application of the principle of contract construction that ambiguities are to be construed against a contract’s

drafter, and agree that this Contract is their joint product. XXIII. The Department and the Contractor acknowledge that they have had their respective attorneys review and approve this Contract or that they have had the

opportunity to do so. XXIV. This Contract shall be governed by the laws of the State of Florida, and venue for purposes of any action brought to enforce or construe the Contract shall

lie in Leon County, Florida. XXV. Failure of the Department to declare any default immediately upon the occurrence or knowledge thereof, or delay in taking any action in connection

therewith, does not waive such default. The Department shall have the right to declare any such default at any time and take such action as might be lawful or authorized under the Contract, at law, or in equity. No Department waiver of any term, provision, condition or covenant of the Contract shall be deemed to imply or constitute a further Department waiver of any other term, provision, condition or covenant of the Contract, and no payment by the Department shall be deemed a waiver of any default under the Contract.

XXVI. Time is of the essence with regard to each and every obligation of the Contractor contained in the Contract. Each such obligation is deemed material, and a breach of any such obligation (including a breach resulting from the untimely performance thereof) shall constitute a material breach.

XXVII. The Contractor shall indemnify and hold harmless the Department, its attorneys, agents and employees, from and against any and all third party claims, suits, debts, damages, and causes of action, whatsoever, whether arising in law or in equity, arising out of or relating to Contractor performance or failure to perform under this Contract. The indemnification shall include reasonable attorney fees and costs incurred by the Department, its attorneys, agents and employees, in the defense of any such claim, suits or causes of action, as aforesaid.

XXVIII. This Contract may be cancelled by written agreement of the Department and the Contractor specifically referencing this Contract. Such agreement shall specify the remaining measures necessary to be taken by each party.

XXIX. The Department reserves the right to cancel this contract without cause by giving the Contractor thirty (30) days written notice. XXX. Should Contractor fail to perform to Contract terms and conditions, Contractor shall be notified in writing, stating the nature of the failure to perform and

providing a time certain (which shall be not less than ten (10) days following receipt of such notice) for correcting the failure. Such failure to perform shall otherwise be dealt within accordance with Rule 60A-1.006, F.A.C.

XXXI. A person or affiliate who has been placed on the convicted vendor list following a conviction for a public entity crime may not submit a bid on a contract to provide any goods or services to a public entity, may not submit a bid on a contract with a public entity for the construction or repair of a public building or public work, may not submit bids on leases of real property to a public entity, may not be awarded or perform work as a contractor, supplier, subcontractor, or consultant under a contract with any public entity, and may not transact business with any public entity in excess of the threshold amount provided in s. 287.017, F.S., for CATEGORY TWO for a period of thirty-six (36) months from the date of being placed on the convicted vendor list.

XXXII. The employment of unauthorized aliens by any contractor is considered a violation of Section 274A(e) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. If the contractor knowingly employs unauthorized aliens, such violation shall be cause for unilateral cancellation of the contract. In addition, pursuant to Executive Order 11-02, the Contractor will utilize the E-verify system established by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to verify the employment eligibility of (a) all persons employed during the Contract term by the Contractor to perform employment duties within Florida; and, (b) all persons (including subcontractors) assigned by the Contractor to perform work pursuant to this Contract.

XXXIII. Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility and Voluntary Exclusion – Lower Tier Covered Transactions A. The prospective lower tier participant certifies, by submission of this proposal, that neither it nor its principals is presently debarred, suspended,

proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from participation in this transaction by any Federal department or agency. B. Where the prospective lower tier participant is unable to certify to any of the statements in this certification, such prospective participant shall attach an explanation to this proposal. The Department may cancel this contract if an attached explanation is not acceptable to the Department or the Federal government.

XXXIV MyFloridaMarketPlace A. MyFloridaMarketplace Vendor Registration

Each Vendor doing business with the State of Florida for the sale of commodities or contractual services as defined in section 287.012, Florida Statutes, shall register in MyFloridaMarketPlace, in compliance with Rule 60A-1.030, Florida Administrative Code, unless exempt under Rule 60A-1.030(3) Florida Administrative Code. B. MyFloridaMarketplace Transaction Fee


The State of Florida, through the Department of Management Services, has instituted MyFloridaMarketPlace, a statewide eProcurement system. Pursuant to section 287.057(23), Florida Statutes (2010), all payments for commodities and/or contractual services as defined in Section 287.012, Florida Statutes, shall be assessed a Transaction Fee of one percent (1.0%), which the Vendor shall pay to the State, unless exempt under Rule 60A-1.032, Florida Administrative Code. Notwithstanding the provisions of Rule 60A-1.030, et seq., the assessment of a transaction fee shall be contingent upon Federal approval of the transaction fee assessment program and continued payment of applicable federal matching funds.

For payments within the State accounting system (FLAIR or its successor), the Transaction Fee shall, when possible, be automatically deducted from payments to the Vendor. If automatic deduction is not possible, the Vendor shall pay the Transaction Fee pursuant to Rule 60A-1.031(2), Florida Administrative Code. By submission of these reports and corresponding payments, Vendor certifies their correctness. All such reports and payments shall be subject to audit by the State or its designee.

The Vendor shall receive a credit for any Transaction Fee paid by the Vendor for the purchase of any item(s) if such item(s) are returned to the Vendor through no fault, act, or omission of the Vendor. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a Transaction Fee is non-refundable when an item is rejected or returned, or declined, due to the Vendor’s failure to perform or comply with specifications or requirements of the agreement. Failure to comply with these requirements shall constitute grounds for declaring the Vendor in default and recovering reprocurement costs from the Vendor in addition to all outstanding fees. VENDORS DELINQUENT IN PAYING TRANSACTION FEES MAY BE EXCLUDED FROM CONDUCTING FUTURE BUSINESS WITH THE STATE.


ATTACHMENT ‘8’

Technology Infrastructure Requirements

Executive Summary: DOE is purchasing an Enterprise Computing solution for the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) to be used to support all Race To The Top (RTTT) technology initiatives. The Enterprise Computing solution will be utilized across all technology initiatives that will be housed at the Florida Department of Education's assigned Primary Data Center - North West Regional Data Center (NWRDC). Instructions: Please use the table below to identify the capacity and count of the servers, software items, network bandwidth, and storage required for the project at the OS level. The information provided will allow for DOE to work with NWRDC to size the workload requirements and plan for the systems to be available in the Enterprise Computing solution. Intel Based Server Requirement No. of Virtual Servers

No. of Processors

No. of Cores

Memory LUN IDs

Operating System (Windows 2008 – std or ent / Red Hat Linux)

Function Environment Mth / Year of deployment

(#) (#) (#) (#) GB (Web/App/DB Server /Other)

(Dev/Test/Prod)


(Dev/Test/Prod)


(Dev/Test/Prod)


(Dev/Test/Prod)

(Add more lines if needed)


Software License Qty Software Description Environment Mth / Year

of deployment

(#) Microsoft Windows Operating systems licenses (Dev/Test/Prod) (#) RedHat Linux Operating systems licenses (Dev/Test/Prod) (#) (Other Software Licenses) (Dev/Test/Prod) (#) (Other Software Licenses) (Dev/Test/Prod) (#) (Other Software Licenses) (Dev/Test/Prod)

(Add more lines if needed) Storage LUN ID

LUN Qty

Primary Storage GB Total

Speed Environment Mth / Year of deployment

1 (#) LUNs (#) GB (15K /10K) (Dev/Test/Prod) 2 (#) LUNs (#) GB (15K /10K) (Dev/Test/Prod) 3 (#) LUNs (#) GB (15K /10K) (Dev/Test/Prod) 4 (#) LUNs (#) GB (15K /10K) (Dev/Test/Prod) (Add more lines if needed)

Network Port Qty

Description MB/S Environment Mth / Year of deployment

(#) Internet Connectivity Bandwidth (Dev/Test/Prod) (1/2/3) (#) Intranet Connectivity Bandwidth (Dev/Test/Prod) (1/2/3)

(Other Hardware) (Dev/Test/Prod) (1/2/3)


PROPOSAL CHECKLIST

(DOES NOT NEED TO BE RETURNED WITH THE PROPOSAL) This Checklist is provided as a guideline only, to assist Vendors in the preparation of their Proposal. Included are some important matters that the Proposer should check. This checklist is just a guideline, and is not intended to include all matters required by the RFP. Proposers are responsible to read and comply with the RFP in its entirety. Check off each the following: ____ 1. The Scope of Services has been thoroughly reviewed for compliance to the Proposal requirements. ____ 2.The www.myflorida.com website has been checked and any Addenda posted have been completed, signed, and

included in the Proposal. ____ 3.The Price Proposal has been reviewed for accuracy and all price corrections have been initialed in ink. ____ 4.The "Transmittal Letter" (on Company Letterhead) has been completed, signed, and enclosed in the Proposal. ____ 5.The "Work References" form has been completed, and enclosed in the Proposal. ____ 6.The "Disclosure Statement" has been read, completed, and enclosed in the Proposal. ____ 7.The "Drug-Free Workplace Program Certification" form has been read, signed, and enclosed in the Proposal, if

applicable ____ 8.The "Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) Certification" attached, if applicable ____ 9. The “Technology Infrastructure Requirements” has been completed and enclosed in the Proposal. ____ 10. On the Lower Left Hand Corner of the Envelope transmitting the Proposal, write in the following information:

Proposal No.: RFP 2012-48 Title: FLORIDA INTERIM ASSESSMENT ITEM BANK AND TEST PLATFORM-REBID Due Date & Time: MARCH 15, 2012 BY 2:30 PM EST
