Dear Prospective Contractors:

California Assessment System Request for Submissions

Your organization is invited to respond to a Request for Submissions (RFS) which solicits bids from eligible bidders for the development, administration, scoring, reporting, and analysis of assessments and technology system solutions for the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress, as defined in California Education Code (EC) sections 60605 through 60648.5, and English Language Proficiency Assessments for California, as defined in EC sections 313 and 60810, collectively known as the California Assessment System. You can find the RFS posted on the California Department of Education (CDE) Available Funding web page at http://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/fo/af/.

Sole proprietorships, partnerships, public or private agencies, unincorporated organizations or associations may offer submissions in response to the RFS. The bidder must be legally constituted and qualified to do business within the State of California. In addition, bidders must have a minimum of three years of recent (within the last five years) full-time experience in both computer- and paper-based assessments in all the following:

• Administering, scoring, and reporting large-scale assessments (including, but not limited to, experience with data management systems; online and remote testing; and human scoring and Artificial Intelligence scoring of constructed responses).
• Designing and developing high-quality academic and English language proficiency assessments that are accessible for all students.
• Maintaining security for all test materials, items, and data.
• Designing and implementing technology solutions for assessment delivery systems.
• Creating and providing training for students and professional learning opportunities for educators to understand and use assessment systems.

Interested applicants should note RFS Section 2.3 Schedule of Events and all directions as outlined in the RFS. Refer to RFS Section 2.5 Informational Webinar for information on how to register for the scheduled webinar.

Per EC Section 60643, the CDE will use this competitive-bid RFS process to recommend a contractor to the California State Board of Education (SBE). The bidders’ submissions will be reviewed and evaluated by an evaluation team. It is anticipated that the CDE will present the evaluation results and make a recommendation of the successful bidder to the SBE at the May 2026 SBE meeting. Once the CDE receives approval from the SBE, the scope of work and budget will be finalized through negotiations between the successful bidder, the CDE, SBE, and the California Department of Finance (DOF). The negotiated contract is anticipated to go to the SBE for approval at the September 2026 meeting. Award of a contract as a result of the RFS shall be contingent on CDE, SBE, and DOF approvals, funding and program authorization provided to and by the CDE, including appropriation in the annual Budget Act. It is anticipated that the contract start date will begin on March 1, 2027, and continue through December 31, 2032.

The CDE cannot guarantee that any future business will result from the information provided, nor shall it pay for the information provided or the resources used to participate in this procurement process. Costs for developing a response to this RFS are the sole responsibility of the bidder and shall not be charged to the State of California.

If you have any questions regarding the California Assessment System RFS, please follow the process for questions and clarifications as outlined in RFS Section 2.7, Questions and Clarifications.

Sincerely,

Signed by

Mao Vang, Director

Assessment Development and Administration Division

MV:rk
Enclosure