Hillsborough County Public Schools has received the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's Intensive Partnerships to Empowering Effective Teachers Grant. As outlined by the grant, the district will implement a more comprehensive model of induction. In order to provide intensive support to new teachers, the district will employ a full release mentoring model. Mentors will be responsible for conducting formative evaluations and identifying areas of improvement in order to guide and orient new teachers toward more effective practices.

On November 16, 2009, the Procurement Department in conjunction with the Empowering Effective Teachers Grant Project Director, issued an Invitation to Negotiate (ITN) for qualified firms to provide teacher evaluation training. The initial term of the contract is for 18 months. This contract may be renewed for two additional one-year periods, provided all terms and conditions remain unchanged and in full force and effect.

The following factors were considered when evaluating proposals: qualifications of firms, utilization of small businesses, customer support services, and cost effectiveness of service. Proposals were accepted on December 7, 2009. The district utilizes two online vendor registration systems to notify potential bidders of opportunities. Through these systems, three firms responded (Attachment A). The evaluation process included a committee of personnel listed on Attachment B. On December 18, 2009, the committee evaluated the proposals based on stated ITN criteria, Phases I and II (Attachment C). Upon completion of all phases of the ITN, the committee reviewed key points as a group, individually rated each firm for final compilation and ranking, and made a recommendation for the award (Attachment D).

* Align financial resources to support the district’s strategic goals, * Demonstrate best financial practices

Budgeted funds of approximately $3,200,000 will be available from the Empowering Effective Teachers Grant.

Contract administration or evaluation is performed by the Project Manager (end user) and Procurement Officer, who function as a team. Reviews are conducted face to face, typically quarterly, or by utilizing an online vendor performance report. Prior to soliciting a new contract, the Contract Administration team must first give consideration to the specifications and supporting data of the expiring contract.