EDIES12D0009

THE EDUCATION STATISTICS SUPPORT INSTITUTE NETWORK (ESSIN) FORMED UNDER THIS CONTRACT WILL CONDUCT WORK SOLELY FOR NCES. NO GROUP OTHER THAN NCES WILL AWARD TASK ORDERS UNDER THIS CONTRACT. TO MEET ITS RESPONSIBILITIES EFFICIENTLY, NCES CONTRACTS FOR SPECIALIZED STATISTICAL SUPPORT. CURRENTLY, SUPPORT IS PROVIDED THROUGH TWO CONTRACTS ESTABLISHING THE EDUCATION STATISTICS SERVICES INSTITUTE (ESSI) AND THE NAEP EDUCATION STATISTICS SERVICES INSTITUTE (NESSI). THE ESSI AND NESSI CONTRACTS END DECEMBER 31, 2011, AND IT IS THE INTENTION OF NCES TO REPLACE THE STATISTICAL SUPPORT CONTRACTS WITH THE ESSIN. THE ESSIN WILL BE ESTABLISHED UNDER THIS SOLICITATION AS A MULTIPLE AWARD, INDEFINITE DELIVERY/INDEFINITE QUANTITY TASK ORDER CONTRACT WITH ALL WORK BEING ISSUED THROUGH FIXED PRICE OR COST REIMBURSEMENT TASK ORDERS. THE ESSIN WILL BE COMPRISED OF LARGE AND SMALL BUSINESSES THAT FALL UNDER TWO GROUPS, GROUP A AND GROUP B. APPROXIMATELY 25 TASK ORDERS WILL BE ISSUED ANNUALLY. AT THIS TIME, NCES PLANS ON AWARDING UP TO 16 TASK ORDERS TO THE SELECTED CONTRACTORS THAT FORM THE ESSIN. THE REMAINING TEN TASKS ORDERS WILL BE COMPETED AMONG THE ESSIN FALL 2011. ESSIN CONTRACTORS WILL BE ABLE TO BID COMPETITIVELY FOR TASK ORDERS ON SUPPORT TASKS, VARYING IN NATURE AND SCOPE, TO PROVIDE A RANGE OF ASSISTANCE AND EXPERT ADVICE TO SUPPORT NCES S NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL DATA COLLECTIONS AND ASSESSMENTS, ANALYSES, METHODOLOGICAL RESEARCH, STATISTICAL PRODUCT PREPARATION, AND TRAINING PROGRAMS. THE TASK ORDER WORK TO BE PERFORMED BY THE ESSIN CONTRACTORS WILL BE DEFINED IN A PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT WHICH WILL DESCRIBE THE WORK TO BE PERFORMED, DELIVERABLES, AND SCHEDULES. THE ESSIN WILL ENABLE NCES TO CONTINUE ITS EFFORT TO RESPOND TO THE GOVERNMENT-WIDE REQUIREMENTS FOR GREATER ACCOUNTABILITY IN CONTRACT MANAGEMENT EFFECTIVELY AND EFFICIENTLY.