WPS Professional Development Services

TOWN OF WESTERLY / WESTERLY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS
27-17
Westerly Public Schools
Professional Development Services
THIS PROJECT IS FUNDED BY A FEDERAL GRANT
June 30, 2026
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TOWN OF WESTERLY / WESTERLY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
RFQ 27-17
WPS
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SERVICES
OFFEROR INFORMATION
The Town of Westerly/Westerly Schools (Town), Westerly RI, acting through its Purchasing Agent is hereby
soliciting sealed qualifications for the above-mentioned RFQ and you are hereby invited to submit qualifications
for the Scope of Work described in this Request for Qualifications, in strict accordance with the Bid
Documents.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Bids shall be based on the Terms and Conditions as referenced in this Request for Qualifications.
DUE DATE/SUBMITTING INSTRUCTIONS
QUALIFICATIONS ARE DUE and MUST BE SUBMITTED following the Proposal Submission instructions on
Attachment B, pages 8-10 NO LATER THAN 2:00 p.m., July 21, 2026. A Bid submitted on other than the
attached BID BREAKDOWN FORM may be rejected. Envelopes containing qualifications must be sealed and
addressed to the undersigned, at the Purchasing Department, 2nd Floor office, Westerly Town Hall, 45 Broad
St., Westerly, RI 02891 and must be clearly marked with the Name and Address of Bidder, Bid Due Date and
Time, and RFQ Number and Title. Bidders must include one original and a Digital copy on a flash drive of the
Bid as defined in the Instruction to Bidders.
OFFEROR'S QUESTIONS
Questions regarding this solicitation must be emailed and received by the Purchasing Agent at
ecardillo@westerlyri.gov no later than 12:00 PM on July 13, 2026, in a Microsoft Word attachment
with the corresponding solicitation number. Questions, if any, and responses will be posted on the
Town of Westerly website at www.westerlyri.gov as an addendum to this solicitation. Offerors are
responsible for checking the Town's website for all addenda distributed in response to questions and
requests for additional information.
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TOWN OF WESTERLY / WESTERLY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
SELECTION CRITERIA
The evaluation will be completed by the Selection Team. The members of the Team will, individually and
collectively, evaluate each properly submitted proposal, and shall select a group of finalists. Each finalist may
be interviewed by the Team to determine, all factors considered, the most qualified and capable Bidder with
which to contract.
RFQ DOCUMENTS
Offeror Information - Page 2-3
Attachment A - Scope of Work: Pages 4-7
Attachment B - Proposal Submission: Pages 8-10 (Do not submit pricing)
Attachment C - Instructions to Offerors: Pages 11-17
APPENDIX A - Federal and State Requirements: Pages 18-21
APPENDIX B - Federal and State Forms: Pages 21-36
APPENDIX C - Professional Services Standard Agreement: Pages 37-45
APPENDIX B FEDERAL AND STATE FORMS
Offerors must include, complete, and sign all forms in this section.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
This solicitation is available at www.westerlyri.gov.
The Town of Westerly/Westerly Schools reserves the right to reject any/all bids, waive any informalities in the
bids received and to accept and award the bid to the lowest qualified bid deemed most favorable to the
interest of the Town/School.
The Town/School does not discriminate based on age, color, gender, national origin, race, religion, sexual
orientation, or disability in accordance with applicable laws and regulations
Regards,
Eileen Cardillo
Purchasing Agent/Risk Manager
Town of Westerly/Westerly Public Schools
45 Broad Street
Westerly, RI 02891
ecardillo@westerlyri.gov
www.WesterlyRI.gov
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TOWN OF WESTERLY / WESTERLY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
SECTION I - SCOPE OF WORK
I. Overview
Westerly Public Schools is seeking a qualified vendor to provide professional development services for district
leaders, building leaders, coordinators, teacher leaders, and teachers. The purpose of this professional
learning is to build the skills and knowledge necessary to support continuous improvement and sustain high-
quality implementation of the district's ELA HQIM aligned to the district's strategic plan. The selected vendor
will deliver between five and ten learning sessions through a combination of in-person and virtual formats to
meet the needs of diverse educator roles.
II. Objectives
The selected vendor will design and implement professional learning experiences that will:
Build leader and teacher understanding of continuous improvement practices that support effective
ELA HQIM implementation particularly in the area of explicit writing instruction.
Strengthen the use of data to monitor implementation, inform instructional adjustments, and improve
student outcomes.
Develop leadership capacity to align instructional priorities, professional learning, and coaching to
district ELA goals.
Develop shared expectations for high-quality literacy instruction, particularly writing instruction, and
assessment aligned to the strategic plan to ensure consistency across classrooms within the
elementary schools, middle, and high school.
Increase leader and teacher capacity to identify, scale, and sustain effective instructional practices
that improve student literacy outcomes.
III. Scope of Services
The vendor will provide:
1. Professional Development Sessions
A series of 5-10 training sessions offered in a mix of in-person and virtual formats based on
school and district needs.
Training sessions should include interactive, application-based learning experiences for
leaders.
Opportunities for case studies, action planning, and real-world application of strategic
planning concepts.
2. Customized Content & Materials
Professional learning content must align with the WPS strategic plan.
Development of training materials, including guides, templates, and tools to support leaders
in supporting and monitoring the implementation of our adopted ELA HQIM
Integration of evidence-based best practices in educational leadership and strategic
planning.
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TOWN OF WESTERLY / WESTERLY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
3. Coaching & Follow-Up Support (Optional)
Provide leadership coaching or consultation for key stakeholders as they apply learning to
their work.
Support teams in developing action steps for the implementation of ELA HQIM particularly,
coaching.
IV. Vendor Qualifications
The selected vendor must
Have expertise in secondary ELA HQIM specifically ELeducation and Odell. Demonstrate experience
delivering high-quality professional learning for leaders and teachers.
Provide examples of successful implementation in other school districts.
Be familiar with district and school strategic plans.
V. Deliverables & Timeline
A detailed PD plan outlining session topics, objectives, and delivery formats.
Training materials, slide decks, and supporting resources.
Attendance tracking and participant feedback surveys.
SECTION II - EVALUATION PROCESS & CRITERIA
1. EVALUATION OVERVIEW
RFQ Process
1.1
The evaluation committee shall evaluate all submittals in accordance with defined criteria set forth in IV
Vendor Qualifications page 5 and Evaluation Criteria pages 6-7. Based on the response and
performance data submitted by the firms, the committee will select a firm.
The selection committee shall not request or consider fees, price, man-hours or any other cost
information at any point in the selection process.
Interviews
1.2
Interviews will not be held.
Final List
1.3
In determining the firms to be on the final lists, and in determining the order on the final lists, the selection
committee shall use and consider only the criteria and weighting of criteria in the request for qualifications.
No other factors or criteria may be used in the evaluation, determinations and other actions.
WPS will notify the highest-ranking firm as to the status before negotiations. Additionally, WPS will
notify those firms that did not make any of the final lists.
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TOWN OF WESTERLY / WESTERLY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Negotiations
1.4
Negotiations shall include consideration of compensation and other contract terms that WPS determines
to be fair and reasonable. In making this determination, WPS shall take into account the estimated value,
the scope, the complexity and the nature of the services to be rendered.
WPS shall enter into negotiations for a contract with the highest qualified firm.
Negotiations shall include firm fixed hourly rates and/or lump sum for providing the requested services.
If WPS is not able to negotiate a satisfactory contract with a firm with whom WPS has commenced
negotiations, WPS shall formally terminate negotiations with that firm. WPS shall then undertake
negotiations for a contract with the next most qualified firm on the final list with whom WPS is not then
negotiating and with whom WPS has not previously negotiated in sequence until an agreement is
reached for some or all of the multiple contracts included in the request for qualifications or a
determination is made to reject all persons on the final list.
If WPS terminates negotiations with a firm on a final list and commences negotiations with another firm
on the final list, WPS shall not recommence negotiations or enter into a contract or contracts with any
firm with whom WPS has terminated negotiations.
2. PROPOSED SELECTION SCHEDULE (Award of this contract is contingent upon available
grant funding)
* Request for Qualifications Issued... ............................................... June 30, 2026
* Last Day for Questions................................................................... July 13, 2026
* Due Date of RFQ Submittals.......................................................... July 21, 2026
* Evaluation Period ........................................................................... August 2026
* Negotiations (Tentative) ................................................................. August 2026
* Approval Date (Tentative) .............................................................. August 2026
3. EVALUATION CRITERIA
Evaluation of the submissions shall be based upon the following criteria listed in order of greatest importance
(100 Total Points Available):
Experience and Expertise of the Firm - 25 points
4.1
4.1.1 The overall experience of the firm in completing governmental/educational based projects and
history of demonstrated competence successfully completing similar projects described within
the Scope of Services section
4.1.2 The ability of the firm to complete projects within established budgets and completion schedules
4.1.3 The overall management style of the firm in positively influencing both the design and
construction phase of a project
4.1.4 The number of years the firm has been in operation
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TOWN OF WESTERLY / WESTERLY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Qualifications and Experience of Personnel - 25 points
4.2
4.2.1 The overall experience and expertise of the assigned individuals
4.2.2 The educational background, certification and registration status of assigned individuals
4.2.3 The expertise of the individuals and their ability to display a level of competence in performing
engineering services for governmental/educational clients
Method of Approach - 25 points
4.3
4.3.1 The overall method of approach to implementing and executing engineering services
4.3.2 The completeness, thoroughness and overall value of the services offered
4.3.3 The ability of the firm to invest in resources needed to perform all phases of work
4.3.4 The approach to managing questions, clarifications and problems arising in the field
Responsiveness - 25 points
4.4
The ability of the firm to provide all information required at time of RFQ submittal and the
quality of the statement of qualifications
TECHNICAL SECTION
Technical Proposal Category Maximum Score
25
Experience and Expertise of the Firm
25
Qualifications and Experience of
Personnel
25
Method of Approach
25
Responsiveness
100
Total Technical
Westerly Public Schools may choose to seek clarifications from vendors with regard to their proposals. All responses will
be provided in writing, and incomplete and/or unclear responses may result in a proposal being deemed technically
unacceptable. Westerly Public Schools reserves the right to make a selection without requesting clarification.
Additionally, Westerly Public Schools may not necessarily seek clarifications from all vendors submitting proposals.
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TOWN OF WESTERLY / WESTERLY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
ATTACHMENT "B"
SEALED SUBMITTAL
Sealed qualifications must be submitted no later than 2:00PM on July 21, 2026.
Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) submittals will be time-stamped when received. SOQ will be accepted up to but
no later than the time indicated in the Request for Qualifications (RFQ). Offeror assumes all risks associated with
any delay in their submission.
SOQ REQUIREMENTS
Submission of an SOQ indicates that the Offeror has read and understands this entire RFQ, to include all appendices,
attachments, exhibits, schedules, and addendum (as applicable) and agrees that all requirements of this RFQ have
been satisfied. All SOQ and materials submitted become the property of Westerly Public Schools.
Each SOQ should be submitted on the forms and in the format specified in the RFQ Section IV. The material should
be in sequence and related to the RFQ. Each SOQ should contain a table of contents with a clear and complete
identification of the materials submitted by section and page number. Failure to include the requested information
may have a negative impact on the evaluation of the Offeror's submittal.
30 PAGE MAXIMUM - Due to the Offeror's time and cost in preparing this document, along with the challenge of
thoroughly reading and evaluating these documents, WPS will limit the total number of content pages submitted
under Vendor Submission Item 1.4 to 30. Documents that will not be considered in this total shall be the cover
page, table of contents, resumes, letters from financial or insurance institutions and dividers used to reference each
section provided no content is included other than section identification, pictures or artwork. Pages that exceed the
30-page limit will not be included in the evaluation.
VENDOR SUBMISSIONS
Below is an overview of the information that will be required as part of the Offeror's submittal. The information
below is intended to be a guide for the preparation of the submittal.
PROPOSAL
1.1 You will be asked to confirm your firm's understanding and ability to comply with the solicitation requirements.
1.2 You will be asked to provide the name, title, email address and phone number of the person WPS should contact
with inquiries related to your firm's SOQ.
1.3 You will be asked to certify that your firm and any principal of the organization is not prohibited, suspended or
otherwise declared ineligible to contract or provide any services required hereunder by any federal, state or
local public agency.
1.4 Submit a Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) without cost or any other pricing information (LIMIT 30 PAGES).
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TOWN OF WESTERLY / WESTERLY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
The SOQ shall be organized and submitted in the sequence outlined below and shall include, at minimum, the
following information:
SECTION A - BASIC COMPANY INFORMATION
A.1 Company name
A.2 Address
A.3 Telephone number
A.4 Number of years in business, including all name changes
A.5 If the firm has more than one office, provide specific information about the parent company and administering
branch offices
A.6 Provide a list of the professional organizations in which the firm is active
A.7 Provide a copy of the firm's current license and registration with the Board of Technical Registration for all states
included in the response (does not count towards page limit)
A.8 Indicate which discipline(s) for which your firm is submitting and describe what is included within each discipline
SECTION B - EXPERIENCE OF THE FIRM
B.1 Provide a brief history of firm and an overview of your firm's experience in the governmental/educational
environment including any areas of specific expertise
B.2 Total number of staff employed by the firm
B.3 Number of professional staff members by level
B.4 Identify five recent projects by discipline - if your firm is submitting qualifications for multiple
disciplines, you must submit the following information for each discipline
Information shall include:
B.4.1 Description of the project
B.4.2 Location, including identification of key contact and phone number
B.4.3 Professional services performed for described project
B.4.4 Whether your firm was the primary consultant
B.4.5 Name of the team members that worked on the project and their roles
B.4.6 Approximate completion date of project
Reference projects must have been completed by the firm who is submitting the proposal.
SECTION C - KEY PERSONNEL
C.1 Firms shall clearly detail the proposed team. Provide the following information:
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TOWN OF WESTERLY / WESTERLY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
C.1.1 Educational background, certification and registration status
C.1.2 Provide current license(s) and registration equivalent (will not count towards page limit)
C.1.3 Areas of specialization, professional achievements and related qualifications
C.1.4 List of governmental and/or educational projects in which the individual had direct
involvement; this may include work experience with submitting firm or prior engagements
with other firms
C.1.5 Number of years with current firm and total number of years in profession
C.2. Provide an organizational chart for your firm
C.3 Indicate if any principal or key individual has been convicted of a felony; if applicable, provide a
detailed explanation including the individual's name and the nature of the conviction.
SECTION D - METHOD OF APPROACH
D.1 Describe your firm's approach to working at an active site with students and staff present
D.2 Describe your firm's project approach including:
D.2.1 Schedule adherence
D.2.2 Quality assurance
D.2.3 Overall management and approach to cost savings
SECTION E - MISCELLANEOUS
Provide any additional information that would add value to the program offered that has not been identified.
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