SOURCES SOUGHT
B -- Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2006
- Notice Date
- 3/2/2004
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 611710
— Educational Support Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Education, Contracts and Purchasing Operations, Contracts (All ED Components), Regional Office Building, Room 3069 7th and D Streets, SW, Washington, DC, 20202
- ZIP Code
- 20202
- Solicitation Number
- Reference-Number-ernd040015
- Response Due
- 3/17/2004
- Archive Date
- 4/1/2004
- Point of Contact
- Nicole Ragno, Contract Specialist, Phone (202) 708-8569, Fax (202) 708-9817, - Kenneth Bell, Contract Specialist, Phone 202-205-2468, Fax 202-708-9817,
- E-Mail Address
-
Nicole.Ragno@ed.gov, Kenneth.Bell@ed.gov
- Description
- The Department of Education intends to make a sole source award to the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), located in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, for the 2006 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS 2006). PIRLS 2006 will be the second in a series of international reading literacy assessments designed to compare and contrast the performance of fourth-grade students in over 40 countries. The IEA will be tasked with coordinating and carrying out the activities associated with this large-scale international assessment. As part of these duties, the IEA is required to produce the data collection materials including all data collection instruments (assessment booklets, background questionnaires) and administration documents (e.g., test administration manuals, quality assurance manual) necessary to successfully carry out the project. In addition, the IEA will be required to produce several products after the main data collection including a report on the findings of the study, a report outlining the technical aspects of the study, and an international version of the database accessible to researchers and other parties interested in secondary research. It is imperative that the contractor has the following competencies, experiences, and skills: A) access to the secured items used in the prior iteration of PIRLS; B) familiarity and extensive experience with conducting large-scale international reading literacy assessments; C) proven record in conducting similar studies in a timely manner, and within budget; D) experience in large-scale data cleaning, scoring and coding; E) familiarity with creating large-scale databases of assessment information in concert with NCES' confidentiality standards for human subjects; F) experience in finding qualified translators to verify translations of all assessment items, questionnaires and other materials into multiple foreign languages; G) ability to gather experts from numerous disciplines to aid in the oversight of the study; and, H) ability to assist NCES in making the results of the study relevant to teachers, teacher educators, parents, and policy makers. The IEA is uniquely qualified to address each of the above stated needs for the study. Having directed PIRLS 2001, as well as assessments focused on mathematics and science (TIMSS 1995, 1999, and 2003), the IEA possess a knowledge of the machinations of the study and its country participants that is unmatched by any other academic or research institution. Most importantly, the IEA holds copyright to the instruments that have been used in the past iteration of PIRLS, and that will be used in PIRLS 2006, making it the only possible source for obtaining the information gained from PIRLS. In sum, the expertise and experience of the staff of the IEA and the International Study Center, as well as copyright to the PIRLS instruments, make them uniquely qualified to collect, analyze, and present the results of an international study of this importance and scope. All interested parties should submit a letter of interest to the contact person by the closing date in this notice. The Department will afford interested parties an opportunity to submit capability statements outlining experience directly relevant to this requirement. If any other capable, responsible sources are found, this procurement will be opened for full and open competition.
- Web Link
-
Link to FedBizOpps document.
(http://www.eps.gov/spg/ED/OCFO/CPO/Reference-Number-ernd040015/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: IEA, Herengracht 487, 1017 BT Amsterdam, NL-Z The Netherlands
- Record
- SN00535331-F 20040304/040302225625 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps.gov Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
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