The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) intends to purchase diagnostic services for specific schools for the 2019-20 school year from Cognia (formally AdvancEd).

Compatibility of Cognia services, components and systems with what is already used extensively in South Carolina schools. Cognia is used as the primary accreditation system for over 90 percent of schools in the state. Cognia diagnostic and progress review standards, protocols, instruments, training, online interface (through the Cognia eprove online system), and reporting align to existing accreditation components and will be familiar to schools and districts. Compatibility will allow schools, districts, and the SCDE to make efficient use of the process and resulting reports, creating faster and more targeted use of data and a greater return on investment.

This notice is be posted in the South Carolina Business Opportunities (SCBO) as required by SC Code 11-35-1560.

This Notice of Intent to Sole Source is to determine the availability of vendors able to provide the requested services. Please send responses via e-mail to SC Department of Education, Attn.: Elsie Montgomery, Procurement Director, EMontgomery@ed.sc.gov for this Intent to Sole Source no later than 5:00 PM on October 11, 2019.

PROTESTS:

If you are aggrieved in connection with the intended award or award of the contract, you may be entitled to protest, but only as provided in Section 11-35-4210. To protest an award, you must (i) submit notice of your intent to protest within five (5) business days of the date this notice is posted, and (ii) submit your actual protest within fifteen days of the date this notice is posted. Days are calculated as provided in Section 11-35-310(13). Both protests and notices of intent to protest must be in writing and must be received by the appropriate Chief Procurement Officer within the time provided. The grounds of the protest and the relief requested must be set forth with enough particularity to give notice of the issues to be decided. Any protest or notice of intent to protest must be addressed to the Chief Procurement Officer, Materials Management Office, and submitted in writing:

(a) by email to: protest-mmo@mmo.state.sc.us

(b) by post or delivery to: 1201 Main Street, Suite 600, Columbia, SC 29201