Introduction
Mississippi First is a 501(c)3 non-profit whose mission is to champion transformative policy solutions ensuring educational excellence for every Mississippi child. In September 2022, Mississippi First was awarded a 2022 Charter Schools Program (CSP) grant to help double the number of approved, high-quality charter schools in Mississippi. As part of this grant, Mississippi First is hiring several experts to support the improvement of charter school policy in Mississippi. We are requesting quotes for an expert in charter school authorizing to conduct a third-party evaluation of Mississippi’s only authorizer, the Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board (MCSAB).
Background
As a requirement of the 2022 Charter Schools Program–State Entities grant, Mississippi First must support the improvement of charter school authorizing in the state of Mississippi. Unlike other State Entities grantees, Mississippi First has no statutory authority over the MCSAB. This means that the third-party evaluator may not receive the support of the MCSAB in conducting its evaluation, and the MCSAB may, in fact, be actively hostile to the evaluator. However, as a state government agency, the MCSAB must respond to public records requests for any items not available on its website that are important to an evaluation. Other stakeholders are likely to be very forthcoming with information and support.
Mississippi First ultimately cannot control whether the MCSAB adopts any recommendations or proposed policies (although we will certainly advocate they do); however, we believe that constructing a roadmap for growth and improvement based on a third-party evaluation, and then offering funds to support technical assistance to meet the recommendations, will encourage better authorizing practices at the MCSAB.
Scope of Work
Mississippi First invites proposals from qualified consultants for the services described below. During the contract period, the Contractor will maintain contact with the Executive Director of Mississippi First, Rachel Canter.
Conduct an independent evaluation of the Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board based on nationally recognized principles of quality authorizing
- Evaluate the Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board against nationally recognized principles of quality charter school authorizing (i.e., NACSA standards).
- Ensure the evaluation tool, process, and standards are transparent and may be replicated to measure change or improvement after the passage of adequate time.
- Seek diverse perspectives on the MCSAB’s current work and progress, including MCSAB (as feasible), authorized charter schools, philanthropic representatives, advocates, and other relevant stakeholders.
- Reference a wide range of source material, including publicly available policy and procedure documents, documents received by charter schools and other stakeholders of the MCSAB.
- Review prior attempts at evaluating the MCSAB and provide any information and updates relevant to the context of the new evaluation.
Produce a report with a prioritized list of recommendations
- Summarize the findings and recommendations of the evaluation in a report that Mississippi First can share with the MCSAB as well as the US Department of Education.
- Prioritize the recommendations and offer a timeline by which they may be reasonably implemented.
- Provide any further resources or suggestions that may be helpful to the MCSAB or Mississippi First in increasing the likelihood of implementation of the recommendations.
Required Qualifications
Respondents must demonstrate
- Support for charter schools and their role in public education and respect for their unique legal status and autonomy.
- Experience working with charter school authorizers in designing or evaluating standards, policies, or procedures.
- Knowledge of national best practices and nationally recognized principles for quality charter school authorizing.
- The ability to work in collaboration with diverse groups of people with a positive, professional, and solutions-oriented attitude.
Information To Be Provided By The Contractor
Provide a quote fulfilling the scope of work to include, at a minimum, the following:
- Background information and qualifications for the expert or experts to fulfill the contract.
- Descriptions of previous relevant work, including any samples.
- A detailed description of the services to be provided including a timeline, persons responsible, and key deliverables.
- A minimum of three (3) references.
- A proposed budget for services, including all expected costs and the expected number of hours devoted to the contract.
Evaluation Criteria
Quotes will be evaluated on the following criteria:
- Qualifications and experience,
- Demonstrated knowledge of nationally recognized standards and principles for quality charter school authorizing,
- Relevance of the proposal to scope of work and project rationale,
- Descriptions and samples of previous work, and
- Timeline and cost of services.
Contracting
The award will be made to the prospective Contractor that best meets Mississippi First’s needs and requirements. All aspects of the evaluation criteria will be taken into consideration in awarding this contract—i.e., Mississippi First uses a “best value” standard rather than a “lowest bid” standard. As this project will be funded through federal funds, federal procurement rules for a request for quotes and a contract are in effect.
Governing Law
This contract shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Mississippi, excluding its conflicts of law provisions, and any litigation with respect thereto shall be brought in the courts of the State of Mississippi. The Contractors shall comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations.
Independent Contractor
The Contractor shall perform all services as an independent Contractor and shall at no time represent that the Contractor is an employee of Mississippi First.
Negotiation and Rejection
Mississippi First reserves the right to reject any and all proposals, to waive any informality or irregularity, to define equals, to negotiate with the best proposed offeror to address issues other than those described in the proposal, to award the contract to one other than the low offeror, or to not make any award if it is determined to be in the best interest of Mississippi First.
Timeline
Prospective respondents may ask questions via email until the quote deadline.
• Quotes will be reviewed by Mississippi First staff in the 15 business days following the deadline.
• Respondents may be asked to respond to clarifying questions in writing during the first 10 days of the review period.
• Mississippi First will offer the contract within 15 business days of the deadline, if at all feasible.
Service Period and Terms
The contract will be from the date of the award until September 30, 2023.
Quote Conditions and Information
Quotes will be received by Mississippi First until July 17, 2023. Quotes must be submitted via email. Please use “RFQ-Authorizer Evaluation” as the subject line of the submission e-mail. Questions regarding this request for quotes can be submitted to Rachel Canter by e-mail at rachel@mississippifirst.org.
Contact:
Rachel Canter
Executive Director
125 S. Congress St., Suite 1510
Jackson, MS 39201
(601) 398-9008
Publsihed 7/30/23