California Assessment System Request for Submissions
Question and Answer Document

All references to Request for Submissions (RFS) in this document are to the California Assessment System Request for Submissions that was released on December 18, 2025. The questions are listed below with the corresponding answer or addendum, if applicable. The answers have been provided to questions as submitted by the prospective contractors, without reference to the individual or company asking the question.

Section 1. Purpose and Background

1. Does the State intend to award more than one contract to carry out the California Assessment System, or is the intent to award a single contract with multiple required subcontractors?
   
   Answer: Refer to RFS Section 2.1, which states, “the bidder responding to this RFS must serve as the Prime Contractor and will be the responsible entity in ensuring that all tasks and activities are competently and successfully completed.” Refer to RFS Section 2.9 for definition of “Prime Contractor.” The California Department of Education (CDE) intends to award one contract that will include at least two required subcontracts: MetaMetrics and the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC)/Smarter Balanced.
   
   
2. Does the contractor procure braille forms from the American Printing House (APH) or does the APH provide them directly to local educational agencies (LEAs)?
   
   Answer: Refer to RFS Section 1.2, Table 3. Consortium Services Provided by UCSC/Smarter Balanced. Smarter Balanced will provide the APH with the Smarter Balanced braille forms. The contractor will need to provide the Smarter Balanced braille forms from APH to LEAs. Non-Smarter Balanced braille forms are currently produced by the contractor using APH. The contractor will need to provide the non-Smarter Balanced braille forms from APH to LEAs.
   
   
3. Does the bidder need to complete the required subcontractor documentation for required subcontractors (MetaMetrics and UCSC/Smarter Balanced)?
   
   Answer: RFS Section 3.1.3.8 requires that the bidder include the documentation for all subcontractors, including required subcontractors (MetaMetrics and UCSC/Smarter Balanced).

Section 2. General Submission Information

4. Will the CDE please clarify how ‘subcontracted work’ is quantified, i.e. by budget/dollars, level of effort by task, and other? Must subcontractors that account for 25 percent or more of the contract meet bidder minimum qualifications?
   
   Answer: RFS Section 2.1 states in part: “In the event the bidder is subcontracting more than 25 percent (of the total contract amount) to any one subcontractor, then that subcontractor must also meet the minimum qualifications” listed in RFS Section 2.2.

Section 3. Submission Specifications

5. Will the scope of work and pricing for each required subcontractor (MetaMetrics and UCSC/Smarter Balanced) be the same for all bidders?
   
   Answer: Each bidder is responsible for negotiating the scope of work and pricing with their subcontractors.
   
   
6. Will the CDE allow the prime contractor to host, maintain, and develop the California Educator Reporting System (CERS) instead of Smarter Balanced?
   
   Answer: Each bidder is responsible for negotiating the scope of work and pricing with their subcontractors, including the required subcontractors in RFS Section 3.1.3.  See Addendum 1.
   
   
7. Should Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium membership costs be included in the bidder’s pricing?
   
   Answer: No, Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium membership fees should not be included in the bidder’s pricing.
   
   
8. Will Smarter Balanced, as a required subcontractor, continue to host, operate, and develop CERS under this contract, with the same or similar level of effort as under their current contract?
   
   Answer: Yes.
   
   
9. Do subcontractor personnel need to complete CDE-specific security/confidentiality forms (Attachment 8 and 9) prior to starting project work?
   
   Answer: Yes, RFS Section 3.2.11 states that Attachments 8 (Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality Statement) and 9 (CDE Computer Security Policy) are required by the successful bidder of this RFS, upon award of the contract, which is prior to the contract start date.
   
   
10. Are there any restrictions on subcontracting specific components (e.g., scoring, help desk, public reporting) or preferred vendors?
    
    Answer: No.
    
    
11. Is an extension to the submission deadline available?
    
    Answer: No.

Section 7. Scope of Work

12. What are the transition milestones for test form production and administration?
    
    Answer: Refer to RFS Section 7.4.2.C, which states that “The submission must acknowledge that test forms for one additional administration must be provided to the subsequent California Assessment System contractor. Test forms must be developed by August 2032, with the exception of the Initial English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC) and Initial Alternate ELPAC, which must be ready by March 2032 for administration on July 1, 2032, and the California Alternate Assessment (CAA) for Science, which must be developed by May 2032 for administration beginning early September 2032.”
    
    
13. What paper materials can be reused in the first year and transition of the contract?
    
    Answer: See Addendum 1.
    
    
14. Do any assessments require standard setting and should the bidder describe the particular methods that will be used?
    
    Answer: See Addendum 1.
    
    
15. Will the contractor be responsible for managing Technical Advisory Group (TAG) membership and meeting logistics?
    
    Answer: No, the contractor is not responsible for managing TAG membership and meeting logistics. RFS Section 7.1.2.G states, “The successful bidder must coordinate with the CDE in the development of the TAG meeting agenda(s) pertaining to the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress and ELPAC and present to the TAG on topics of interest, as needed.”
    
    
16. Which videos must be produced in multiple languages and do secure training videos need to meet the public site requirements for posting, streaming, downloadable formats, and tagged PDF scripts?
    
    Answer: RFS Section 7.2.6.C states, “The videos will be produced in English and another language (e.g., Spanish) as determined by the CDE, if necessary. Videos must meet all accessibility requirements in RFS Section 7.1.5, including closed captioning in both versions, with accompanying scripts in English and Spanish (PDF versions tagged in English and Spanish for accessibility).”
    
    
17. Are the required quantities for Interactive Workshops and Informative Presentations annual minimums or contract term totals?
    
    Answer: They are minimums. RFS Section 7.2.6.A states in part, “The submission must provide a training plan that includes workshops and presentations, at a minimum. The plan must provide a detailed outline of no fewer than 50 interactive workshops and no fewer than 50 informational presentations to be offered in a manner that allows for the participation of LEA staff across California over the span of the contract.”
    
    
18. Will the contractor be responsible for supporting the development and incorporation of instructional and learning resources into Tools for Teachers, and, if so, does the scope include direct content development?
    
    Answer: See Addendum 1.
    
    
19. Do the procedures listed in RFS Section 7.4.1 apply to all assessments or only to Science assessments?
    
    Answer: The procedures listed in RFS Section 7.4.1 apply to all assessments.
    
    
20. What is the planned year for the Initial ELPAC refresh?
    
    Answer: Refer to RFS Section 7.4.2.A, Table 9 Annual ELPAC Item Rested, Refreshed, and Released Rates, which states, “Refresh all tests within 4 years.”
    
    
21. Are the current California Science Test (CAST) and ELPAC Interim Assessments (IA) to be refreshed?
    
    Answer: No.
    
    
22. Are new CAST and ELPAC Interim Assessments to be developed?
    
    Answer: There are no new CAST interim assessments to be developed. For ELPAC interim, refer to RFS Section 7.4.1, “The submission must describe in detail the design and development procedures to:
    
    Produce and administer new interim assessments for the ELPAC to provide grade span assessments parallel to those for each domain of the summative ELPAC. Development of items to be field tested on the Summative ELPAC could be used to support new interim assessments once there is a sufficient number of items in the operational bank.”
    
    
23. What are the requirements for the “Item Bank of Test Questions Available for Educator Use”?
    
    Answer: Refer to RFS Section 7.4.7.A for details.
    
    
24. May bidders propose optional activities, and what is the preferred format for optional scope activities?
    
    Answer: See Addendum 1.
    
    
25. Are the “Technical Specifications” and the “Scoring and Reporting Guide” distinct manuals? What are the intended content boundaries for each?
    
    Answer: Yes, they are two distinct manuals. See Addendum 1.
    
    
26. Where should bidders describe the budget training costs for Initial and Summative Alternate ELPAC and CAAs?
    
    Answer: RFS Section 7.2.6 states that “The submission must describe a detailed process for developing and delivering training workshops, presentations, and videos as well as ensuring CDE approval as required in RFS Section 7.1.6. The trainings must account for all California Assessment System and program needs.”
    
    
27. Do any components of CAA English language arts/literacy (ELA), CAA Mathematics, CAA Science, or Alternate ELPAC require professional scoring support from the contractor beyond local examiner scoring?
    
    Answer: Yes, per RFS Section 7.6.1.A.8, only rubric scored items are scored locally by the test examiner. The contractor is still required to score the non-rubric items.
    
    
28. Are educator participation targets for range finding meetings defined by grade-level or grade span?
    
    Answer: Grade level. Refer to RFS Section 7.6.1.A.9.

Section 8. Budget Detail and Payment Provisions

29. Which component tasks are subject to liquidated damages, when will the withhold be calculated, and what number will be used to calculate the withheld amount?
    
    Answer: All component tasks are subject to liquidated damages. RFS Section 8.9 states, “The CDE shall withhold not less than 10 percent of the amount budgeted for each separate and distinct component task per test administration provided for in each contract/Agreement pending final completion of all component tasks by the Contractor. Invoices will be paid upon satisfactory performance of each component task as determined by the State Board of Education as described in Article 8.10. Those annual activities that are completed and repeated in their entirety each year shall be considered separate and distinct tasks that are to be paid following satisfactory completion in each year of the Agreement.”

Section 9. General Terms and Conditions

30. Does the obligation to indemnify in Section 5 of the General Terms and Conditions (GTC) 02/2025 apply only to the extent that injury or damage resulted from Contractor's negligence or willful misconduct?
    
    Answer: Refer to 5. Indemnification of the GTC 02/2025, which states that “contractor agrees to indemnify, defend and save harmless the State, its officers, agents and employees from any and all claims and losses accruing or resulting to any and all contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, laborers, and any other person, firm or corporation furnishing or supplying work services, materials, or supplies in connection with the performance of this Agreement, and from any and all claims and losses accruing or resulting to any person, firm or corporation who may be injured or damaged by Contractor in the performance of this Agreement.”
    
    
31. Will Contractor have a reasonable opportunity to cure any cause for termination upon written notification before CDE can terminate the Agreement under GTC 02/2025?
    
    Answer: Refer to 7. Termination for Cause of the GTC 02/2025, which states that “the State may terminate this Agreement and be relieved of any payments should the Contractor fail to perform the requirements of this Agreement at the time and in the manner herein provided.”

Section 10. Special Terms and Conditions

32. Does CDE acknowledge that a force majeure event (events beyond the contractor’s reasonable control including, without limitation, acts of God; acts or omissions of governmental authorities or the other party or any third party; strikes, lockouts or other industrial disturbances; acts of public enemies; wars; blockades; riots; civil disturbances; epidemics; floods; hurricanes; tornadoes; and any other similar acts, events, or omissions) would not constitute a breach of the contract?
    
    Answer: Refer to RFS Section 10.4 Right to Terminate, which states, “Agreement may be suspended or cancelled without notice, at the option of the Contractor or the CDE, if the Contractor or CDE’s premises or equipment are destroyed by fire or other catastrophe, or so substantially damaged that it is not reasonably possible to continue service, or in the event the Contractor determines or the CDE finds that the contractor is unable to render all services as a result of any action by any governmental authority. The CDE is not responsible for payment for any work conducted by the contractor during any period of suspension or after the date of cancellation.”
    
    
33. Is CDE willing to modify the data security breach two-hour notification requirement in RFS Section 10.2.F to allow the contractor time to verify and triage the issue?
    
    Answer: No.
    
    
34. Will Contractor have a reasonable opportunity to cure any cause for termination upon written notification before CDE can terminate the Agreement under Section 10.4 of the RFS?
    
    Answer: No. Refer to RFS Section 10.4 Right to Terminate.

Section 11. Additional Provisions

35. Will the required subcontractors (MetaMetrics and Smarter Balanced) need separate insurance certificates or will the certificate for the prime contractor suffice?
    
    Answer: Refer to RFS Section 11.4 Insurance Requirements, pursuant to Section 11.4.2, “If subcontractors performing work under this Agreement do not have insurance equivalent to the above contractor liability shall provide such coverage for the subcontractor.”

Appendices

36. Please clarify the required capacity for the California Assessment Delivery System (CADS) and CERS.
    
    Answer: The components of CADS are described in RFS Section 7.3.2. CERS is one component of CADS. Refer to RFS Appendix A, PER-09.00 which requires the following: “The CADS has dedicated support for 750,000 concurrent users, with expandable capacity to support over 2,000,000 concurrent users using shared services. These users are inclusive of student test takers and test administrators between the hours of 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. PST Monday through Friday.” In addition, refer to RFS Appendix B, ARC-05r, which states, “CERS must support 35,000 concurrent users.”
    
    
37. What is the vendor cost responsibility for annual and on-demand system security audits?
    
    Answer: Refer to Appendix A SEC-03.25, which states that “Costs for a CDE or third-party auditor to conduct the annual review will be outside of this contract.”
    
    
38. Would CDE be willing to negotiate the revision of SEC-03.25 and the applicable security testing requirements upon award to accept a Systems and Organization Controls (SOC) 2 Type II results of the contractor’s system activities instead of allowing the CDE or a third-party vendor to perform annual and on-demand audits?
    
    Answer: No. The contractor must allow the CDE to perform annual and on-demand security audits of CADS activities when requested. SEC-03.25 specifically relates to the minimum system requirements for CADS. The CDE must have the ability to audit the system with little to no boundaries to ensure compliance with existing state and federal information security and privacy policies, laws, and mandates (i.e., this requirement does not extend to the entirety of the contractor’s environment), however the CDE would not oppose receiving SOC 2 Type II or other summary reports that display a commitment and adherence to industry standards and best practices in cyber security and privacy.