DoDEA - Substitute Caller Automation Software

The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) is soliciting proposals for a Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) contract to provide a Substitute Caller Automation Software solution. This Request for Proposal (RFP) seeks to streamline the process of assigning substitute personnel, aiming to increase operational efficiency, reduce administrative workload, and ensure timely communication. The contract includes a base year and three option years, covering software licenses and technical support for two DoDEA regions: Southeast District and Mid-Atlantic District. The total estimated value is USD 34,000,000.00. The solicitation also details specific clauses and instructions for electronic invoicing via the Wide Area WorkFlow (WAWF) system, item unique identification and valuation, and various Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) clauses related to commercial products and services.

Enclosure 8 to Attachment 6 is a Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) document from the DoDEA Procurement Field Support Division, titled “Offeror Reps and Certs.” Specifically, it contains Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) clause 252.239-7009, “Representation Of Use Of Cloud Computing” (Sept 2015). This provision requires offerors to indicate whether they anticipate using cloud computing services in the performance of any contract or subcontract resulting from the solicitation. The document defines cloud computing and provides a clear mechanism for the offeror to state their intent regarding its use. This is a critical component for federal government RFPs, ensuring transparency and compliance regarding the use of cloud technology.

The provided document, "Attachment 3: IT Compliance Checklist," outlines the mandatory IT compliance requirements for offerors responding to a government solicitation, likely an RFP. It details critical areas such as data location and storage (U.S.-based, encrypted with FIPS 140-2 modules), protection of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and student data (FERPA, COPPA, parental consent, limited access, annual training), Cloud and IL2 compliance (DoD security standards, NIST SP 800-171, RMF, continuous monitoring), and stringent access controls (RBAC, MFA, Azure/Google AD, SSO). The checklist also covers incident response and reporting (72-hour breach notification, DoD/NIST-aligned plans), documentation and audits (PII access logs, annual privacy reports, RMF documentation), integration and technical standards (secure APIs, DoDEA schema, JSON/XML/CSV, ClassLink/OneRoster), and personnel/subcontractor compliance (background checks, adherence to cybersecurity requirements, 72-hour incident reporting). Offerors must answer all questions with "Yes" or "No," providing a detailed compliance plan for any "No" answers, not exceeding 200 words, to avoid disqualification.

Provision 52.204-26, titled “Covered Telecommunications Equipment or Services—Representation,” mandates that offerors confirm whether they provide or use covered telecommunications equipment or services, as defined in clause 52.204-25. Before making this representation, offerors must consult the System for Award Management (SAM) to identify entities excluded from federal awards due to their involvement with such equipment or services. The provision requires a thorough inquiry to determine the use of any covered telecommunications equipment or services, or any system that incorporates them. This ensures compliance with federal regulations regarding telecommunications and video surveillance equipment in government contracts, subcontracts, and other contractual instruments.

Provision 52.204-26, "Covered Telecommunications Equipment or Services--Representation (OCT 2020)," mandates that offerors for federal awards disclose whether they provide or use covered telecommunications equipment or services. This requirement ensures compliance with federal regulations prohibiting contracts with entities using specific telecommunications and video surveillance equipment. Offerors must consult the System for Award Management (SAM) for excluded parties and conduct a reasonable inquiry to determine their use or provision of such equipment. The provision, part of "Enclosure 6 to Attachment 6 - Offeror Reps and Certs," is critical for maintaining supply chain security and is classified as Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) and Source Selection Information, highlighting its importance in federal procurement processes.

The DoDEA Procurement Field Support Division's Enclosure 5 outlines the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) requirements for contractors. Contractors must designate a representative to receive, review, and comment on government performance assessments electronically within 30 days. A meeting to discuss evaluations can be requested in writing within seven calendar days of receipt. The document specifies the required contact information for the designated representative, including name, title, email, phone number, and N/CAGE number. Additionally, it details the hardware and software requirements for accessing CPARS Online, which include specific browser versions (latest three major desktop versions of Internet Explorer, and the latest major desktop version of Chrome, Firefox, and Safari) and Adobe Acrobat Reader for viewing PDF attachments. Technical support contact information, including email and phone numbers, is also provided. This enclosure is marked as Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) and Source Selection Information.

Enclosure 4 to Attachment 6 is a Letter of Commitment for the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) Student Transportation Services (STS) for Ft. Liberty Military Community, NC. This document, associated with Solicitation HE1254-25-R-E007, is marked as Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) and Source Selection Information. It serves as a formal declaration from a principal representative or subcontractor/partner company, committing to perform the required work if their company is awarded the contract. The letter includes spaces for the company name, address, date, and signatures of the principal representative, name, and title, confirming their intent to fulfill the obligations of the solicitation.

The document HE1254-26-Q-E004, Enclosure 3 to Attachment 6, outlines the Certification Regarding Trafficking in Persons Compliance Plan for offerors in federal government procurements. This enclosure requires contractors to certify that they have implemented a compliance plan to prevent prohibited activities identified in FAR 52.222-50, Combating Trafficking in Persons. Additionally, offerors must attest that, to their knowledge, neither they nor their agents or subcontractors are engaged in such activities. If abuses have been found, the offeror must confirm that appropriate remedial and referral actions have been taken. This certification is crucial for ensuring compliance with anti-trafficking regulations in government contracts.

This document, "Offeror Representations and Certifications - Commercial Products and Commercial Services (MAR 2025) (DEVIATION 2025-O0003)," is a critical component of federal government RFPs, grants, and state/local RFPs. It requires offerors to make various representations and certifications to ensure compliance with federal regulations. Key areas covered include business size and type (small, veteran-owned, women-owned, disadvantaged, HUBZone concerns), responsibility matters (debarment, convictions, delinquent taxes), and compliance with specific acts like Buy American, Trade Agreements, and prohibitions on contracting with inverted domestic corporations or entities involved in certain activities related to Iran. The document also addresses child labor, place of manufacture, Service Contract Labor Standards, taxpayer identification, ownership disclosure, greenhouse gas emissions, and restrictions on confidentiality agreements. Offerors can complete annual representations electronically in SAM, but any changes specific to a solicitation must be identified. This extensive certification process ensures transparency, ethical conduct, and adherence to national and international policies in government contracting.

The document 52.209-7, titled “INFORMATION REGARDING RESPONSIBILITY MATTERS,” is a provision for federal government solicitations, including RFPs and grants, that requires offerors to disclose information about their responsibility. It defines key terms such as “Administrative proceeding,” “Federal contracts and grants with total value greater than $10,000,000,” and “Principal.” Offerors must indicate if they have current active federal contracts and grants exceeding $10,000,000. If so, they must certify that their information in the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS) is current, accurate, and complete. This includes disclosing any criminal convictions, civil findings of fault and liability resulting in payments of $5,000 or more, administrative findings of fault and liability resulting in payments of $5,000 or more (or $100,000+ for reimbursement/restitution/damages), or dispositions by consent or compromise with an acknowledgment of fault, all within the last five years and related to federal contract or grant performance. Offerors are responsible for posting this information in FAPIIS via SAM.gov.

The document, Attachment 5: Pricing Sheet, outlines the pricing structure for substitute caller automation software and associated training across multiple options and periods of performance. It details a base period (January 5, 2026 – May 31, 2026) for Ft. Campbell & Camp Lejeune, followed by three options (July 1, 2026 – May 31, 2027; July 1, 2027 – May 31, 2028; July 1, 2028 – May 31, 2029) for 'Americas substitute caller automation software - Recurring annual fee.' An additional option, FAR 52.217-8, extends services from January 5, 2026, to December 31, 2029. The sheet requires vendors to complete all yellow cells with quantity, unit, unit price, and amount for each item and period. Failure to complete these cells may result in a proposal being deemed unacceptable.

Attachment 4: Delivery Schedule outlines the proposed delivery schedule for Substitute Caller Automation Software across the Americas Southeast and Mid-Atlantic Districts. The document requires offerors to fill in start and completion dates in MM/DD/YYYY format for each deliverable, including Project Kickoff, Data Migration and Integration, Testing, Training and Deployment, and achieving full operational status. Additionally, offerors must provide a detailed description (200 words or less) for their best approach for each deliverable. Failure to provide all dates and descriptions may lead to a proposal being deemed unacceptable.

This document outlines technical objectives for an automated substitute outreach and placement platform, likely as part of a government Request for Proposal (RFP). It details essential requirements such as compliance with industry security standards and DoDEA guidelines, consistent reliability, and a user-friendly interface. The platform must also feature dynamic matching capabilities based on criteria like certification and availability, multi-channel communication (phone, text, email, app notifications), and mobile access for all users. Key functionalities include managing substitute pools, tracking assignment statuses, and providing real-time analytics on substitute activity and fill rates. The document also emphasizes the need for adherence to security standards (Attachment 3), reliable performance with minimal downtime, and comprehensive training and long-term support, including biannual updates and documentation upon request. Offerors are required to answer Yes/No to each question and provide a detailed explanation of their approach, with a strict 200-word limit per explanation.

The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) is seeking an automated substitute caller software solution to streamline the process of assigning substitute personnel across its schools. This initiative aims to increase operational efficiency, reduce administrative workload, and ensure timely communication with substitutes. The software will be implemented in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic districts, following a successful pilot program. Key requirements include a secure, user-friendly platform with automated outreach, dynamic matching capabilities based on criteria like certification and availability, a dashboard interface, mobile access, analytics, security compliance with federal standards, multi-channel communication, high availability, and comprehensive training and long-term support. Performance will be measured by substitute fill rates, response times, cost savings, user adoption, feedback quality, reduced administrative workload, minimized classroom downtime, resource optimization, and scalability. Constraints include labor union approval and full implementation by March 15, 2026, for specific schools, with all schools completed before the 2026/2027 school year, and the software must pass the DoDEA IT Cyber Cloud Questionnaire.