Evaluating Programs and Strategies to Improve Student Supports, Academic Enrichment, and Conditions for Learning in and out of School

Background
The U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES) seeks to award an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract to conduct rigorous, rapid, and cost-efficient evaluations of programs and strategies designed to provide all students with access to well-rounded and enriching education in safe, healthy, and supportive environments during school and non-school hours.
Authorized under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, IES will commission evaluations—implementation, cost, impact, and systematic evidence reviews—and award task orders to one or more contractors with expertise in large-scale surveys, extant data extraction and analysis, implementation and impact studies, and innovative analytic methods.

Work Details
Section C PWS Tasks (IDIQ):
- Task 1 - Meetings: initial kick-off, periodic progress reviews, stakeholder briefings (virtual or at ED HQ);
- Task 2 - Technical Working Group: establish 8-10 member advisory panels, convene full-day or half-day sessions (virtual or in person);
- Task 3 - Feasibility & Design: develop and propose study design options; conduct feasibility assessments for impact/outcome studies; define treatments; design survey sampling; draft data collection/research plans; develop instruments; select external implementation providers;
- Task 4 - Systematic Evidence Review: draft review protocol; search, screen, code, and assess studies using WWC standards; synthesize findings and gaps; produce a 15-page report plus one-page summary;
- Task 5 - Data Collection Approvals: prepare OMB clearance packages (regular and expedited), secure contractor IRB approval, preregister effectiveness study plans;
- Task 6 - Outreach & Site Recruitment: develop recruitment materials; execute mail, phone, in-person or conference-based outreach; secure MOUs;
- Task 7 - Intake & Random Assignment: design and implement consent, enrollment, and random assignment protocols for students, classrooms, or schools;
- Task 8 - Implementation Monitoring: provide or oversee training and technical assistance; monitor fidelity of program delivery.

Task Order 0001 (30-month PO):
- Evaluate School-Based Mental Health (SBMH) and Mental Health Service Professional (MHSP) grant programs;
- Task 1 - Initial virtual meeting within 10 business days; prepare agenda and summary memo;
- Task 2 - TWG: convene in-person panel in Washington, DC; draft and finalize materials; summarize recommendations;
- Task 3 - Data Collection & Analysis Plan: refine evaluation design; outline sequence of IES reports and snapshots; draft report templates; plan two grantee surveys (interim Spring 2025; final Fall 2027); specify data sources, indicators, sampling strategies;
- Key research questions addressing grantee strategies, implementation fidelity, provider supply and retention, geographic coverage, and barriers to success.

Period of Performance
IDIQ ordering period: 60 months from award date; individual task orders may extend up to 60 months beyond the end of the ordering period.
Task Order 0001 period of performance: December 15 2023 to June 15 2026 (30 months).

Place of Performance
Work performed primarily at contractor facilities and remotely; meetings and in-person deliverables at ED headquarters in Washington, DC, or virtually (Microsoft Teams/WebEx).

Bidder Requirements
Offerors must demonstrate prior experience with large-scale surveys, extant data extraction and analysis, implementation and impact studies, systematic evidence reviews aligned with IES standards, OMB forms-clearance and IRB processes, and convening expert panels.
Proposals due by the stated deadline.