High School Equivalency Testing Servicces

Template V5.1 Page 1 of 61 STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Department of Education, Bureau of Adult Education: 2023-034 High School Equivalency Testing Services RFP ISSUED: September 14, 2022 VENDOR CONFERENCE: 9/22/2022 9:00 AM ET LOCATION: Online Register in advance for this meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0lduyorjooGNI23_HfOo Hk1aR2LpejHt1A After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. STATE POINT of CONTACT: NAME: Sarah Ladd Wheeler EMAIL: Sarah.L.Wheeler@doe.nh.gov TEL: 603-271-6701 CONTRACT TYPE: Not to Exceed PROPOSALS DUE: 10/14/2022 4:00 PM ET

target="_blank">https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0lduyorjooGNI23_HfOoHk1aR2LpejHt1A https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0lduyorjooGNI23_HfOoHk1aR2LpejHt1A STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Department of Education, Bureau of Adult Education 2023-034 NHED High School Equivalency Testing Services TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 2 of 61 Contents SECTION 1: OVERVIEW AND SCHEDULE OF EVENTS ..............................................................................5 1.1. Executive Summary ....................................................................................................................................5 1.2. Schedule of Events ...................................................................................................................................11 SECTION 2: PROPOSAL SUBMISSION, DEADLINE, AND LOCATION INSTRUCTIONS ......................12 Proposal Submission ................................................................................................................................12 Electronic Proposals .................................................................................................................................12 Number of Proposals ................................................................................................................................12 Vendor Inquiries .......................................................................................................................................12 Restriction of Contact with Agency Employees .......................................................................................13 Validity of Proposal ..................................................................................................................................13 SECTION 3: PROPOSAL ORGANIZATION, CONTENT, AND REQUIRED ITEMS ..................................14 3.1. Proposal Organization ..............................................................................................................................14 3.1.1. Cover Page ............................................................................................................................................14 3.1.2. Transmittal Form Letter........................................................................................................................14 3.1.3. Table of Contents .................................................................................................................................17 3.1.4. Section I: Executive Summary ............................................................................................................17 3.1.5. Section II: Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations ...............................................................................17 3.1.6. Section III: Responses to System Requirements and Deliverables .....................................................17 3.1.7. Section IV: Narrative Responses .........................................................................................................17 3.1.8. Section V: Corporate Qualifications ....................................................................................................17 3.1.9. Section VI: Qualifications of Key Vendor Staff ..................................................................................17 3.1.10. Section VII: Price Proposal .................................................................................................................17 3.1.11. Section VIII: Vendor Attachments ......................................................................................................17 SECTION 4: EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS...........................................................................................18 4.1. Criteria for Evaluation and Scoring ..........................................................................................................18 4.2. Scoring Detail ...........................................................................................................................................19 4.3. Planned Evaluations .................................................................................................................................20 4.4. No Best and Final Offer ...........................................................................................................................21 4.5. Rights of the Agency in Accepting and Evaluating Proposals .................................................................21 SECTION 5: TERMS AND CONDITIONS RELATED TO THE RFP PROCESS .....................................23 5.1 RFP Addendum ........................................................................................................................................23 5.2 Non-Collusion ..........................................................................................................................................23 ae STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Department of Education, Bureau of Adult Education 2023-034 NHED High School Equivalency Testing Services TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 3 of 61 5.3 Property of the State .................................................................................................................................23 5.4 Confidentiality of a Proposal ....................................................................................................................23 5.5 Public Disclosure ......................................................................................................................................23 5.6 Electronic Posting of Resulting Contract .................................................................................................25 5.7 Non-Commitment .....................................................................................................................................25 5.8 Proposal Preparation Cost ........................................................................................................................25 5.9 Ethical Requirements ................................................................................................................................25 5.10 Debarment ................................................................................................................................................25 5.11 Challenges on Form or Process of the RFP ..............................................................................................25 SECTION 6: CONTRACT TERMS AND AWARD .....................................................................................27 6.1 Non-Exclusive Contract ...........................................................................................................................27 6.2 Award .......................................................................................................................................................27 6.3 Anticipated Contract Term .......................................................................................................................27 6.4 Standard Contract Terms ..........................................................................................................................27 6.5 Related Documents Required ...................................................................................................................28 APPENDIX A: VENDOR CONFERENCE REQUIREMENTS ......................................................................29 APPENDIX B: BUSINESS / TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS AND DELIVERABLES .............................30 B 1 Statement of Work ......................................................................................................................................30 B 2 Data Location ..............................................................................................................................................31 B 3 Background Checks ....................................................................................................................................31 B 4 Business Requirements/Technical Requirements .......................................................................................31 B 5 Activity, Deliverable, or Milestone ............................................................................................................31 APPENDIX C: TOPICS FOR MANDATORY RESPONSES .........................................................................33 C-1. Proposed Solution .....................................................................................................................................34 C-2. Vendors Technical, Service and Project Management Experience .........................................................38 C-2.1 Security and Protection of Data ..............................................................................................................38 C-2.2 State Personnel And Training ...................................................................................................................40 C- 2.3 Project Execution .......................................................................................................................................40 C-2.4 Project Management ...................................................................................................................................41 C-2.5 Ongoing Operations For Vendor Hosted Solution ....................................................................................42 APPENDIX D: STANDARDS FOR DESCRIBING VENDOR QUALIFICATIONS ....................................46 D-1. Vendor Qualifications ..............................................................................................................................46 D-2. Required Information on Corporate Qualifications ..................................................................................46 D-3. Team Organization and Designation of Key Vendor Staff ......................................................................47 STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Department of Education, Bureau of Adult Education 2023-034 NHED High School Equivalency Testing Services TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 4 of 61 APPENDIX E: PRICING ..................................................................................................................................48 E-1. Pricing ......................................................................................................................................................48 E-1.1. Activities / Deliverables / Milestones Pricing ......................................................................................48 E-1.2. Other Costs ...........................................................................................................................................49 E-1.3. Testing Fees ..........................................................................................................................................49 APPENDIX F: DOIT INFRASTRUCTURE & SECURITY ............................................................................50 APPENDIX G: MERCHANT CARD SERVICES ...........................................................................................51 G-1. PCI DSS Payment Application Data Security Standard (PA DSS) ..........................................................51 APPENDIX H: TERMS AND DEFINITIONS .................................................................................................53 APPENDIX I: P-37 STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE GENERAL PROVISIONS & EXHIBITS .....................57 Remainder of this page intentionally left blank STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Department of Education, Bureau of Adult Education 2023-034 NHED High School Equivalency Testing Services OVERVIEW AND SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Page 5 of 61 SECTION 1: OVERVIEW AND SCHEDULE OF EVENTS 1.1. Executive Summary 1.1.1. Introduction The Department of Education, Bureau of Adult Education (BAE) is committed to improving adult learners literacy, English language acquisition and other academic skills by providing and promoting leadership, technical assistance and collaboration statewide that leads to a high school diploma or equivalency in order to support successful transition into postsecondary education, training and employment. Project Overview/Justification: Bureau of Adult Education is responsible for providing a national- recognized high school equivalency exam, based on uniform educational criteria, as a part of the Adult High School Education Program establish under RSA 186:61. Goals and Objectives for High School Equivalency Testing Services RFP: The Bureau of Adult Education seeks a contract with a third-party vendor to provide comprehensive high school equivalency testing services in multiple delivery modalities, including paper-based, computer-based, remote proctored and in English and Spanish formats for a period of eighteen months, through June 30, 2024 with the option to extend for three additional two-year terms through June 30, 2030. Services must have the ability to restrict access in accordance with NH Ed 704; provide scoring services; be aligned to the College & Career Readiness Standards for Adult Education; offer multiple forms of the test to allow for retesting; be accessible to test takers with disabilities and allow for multiple payment options. 1.1.2. Scope of Work (SOW) Overview The Department of Education, Bureau of Adult Education is seeking a vendor to provide high school equivalency testing services aligned to the College & Career Readiness Standards for Adult Education for the state of New Hampshire as a component of its Adult Education program. Background The state of New Hampshire has offered a high school equivalency certificate based on successful completion of a nationally recognized exam since 1937. Until 2014, the test of record was the GED. A Request for Proposals was issued in 2013 that resulted in the state switching to the HiSET Exam, published by Educational Testing Services (ETS) in 2014. The following key features played a role in choosing the HiSET exam: 1. The HiSET Exam was available in paper and computer formats. 2. The HiSET Exam did not require a test candidate to withdraw from high school to take the exam1. 3. The HiSET Exam did not preclude a high school diploma graduate from pursuing a high school equivalency certificate or a certificate holder from returning to earn a high school diploma. 1 In 2009, NH adopted a compulsory attendance law increasing the drop out age from 16 to 18. STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Department of Education, Bureau of Adult Education 2023-034 NHED High School Equivalency Testing Services OVERVIEW AND SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Page 6 of 61 New Hampshire will continue to use the HiSET Exam as the test of record for the high school equivalency certificate through the expiration of the current contract with ETS (transferred to PSI Online in February of 2022) on December 31, 2022. In 2020, NH added a remote-proctoring option for test takers over the age of 18 and changed its payment system to a client self-service model which allows for online and 3rd party payments. ETS collects the state administrative fees through the online payment system and pays those fees to the state monthly. There are approximately 1,000 high school equivalency test candidates in New Hampshire each year. Most test candidates are under the age of 25 and have completed at least 10th or 11th grade. In 2021, 15% of subtests were administered through remote proctoring. All other tests were proctored in-person locally at the thirty-one paper-based testing centers or the fourteen computer-based testing centers; 42% on paper, 37% on computer and 4% in the correctional system (on paper). Almost all approved test centers are located within adult education programs administered by the Bureau of Adult Education. In accordance with state administrative rules2, test candidates must 18 years old and be physically residing in New Hampshire or have legal residence within the state. Test candidates under the age of 18 wishing to take the high school equivalency test must receive permission from the superintendent of schools. To receive permission, the test candidate must be at least 16 years of age and demonstrate that he or she has passed the certified practice test. Test Content The high school equivalency exam must allow for demonstration of competencies equivalent to a high school graduate in the content areas of Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, and English Language Arts including Writing and Reading. The exam must be substantially aligned to the College & Career Readiness Standards for Adult Education as verified through a published item alignment analysis at least once every three years of the contract period. The analysis should include percentages of Depth of Knowledge levels with the majority representing levels 2, 3, and 4. The vendor is responsible for providing evidence of validity and reliability for the exam. 2 NH Ed 704 High School Equivalency Program http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rules/state_agencies/ed700.html http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rules/state_agencies/ed700.html