Action Code: Sources Sought

Classification Code: U008, Education/Training- Training/Curriculum Development

Solicitation: 693JJ924RQ000123

Agency/Office: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

Location: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration HQ

NAICS Code: 611430, Professional and Management Development Training, $15.0 Million

Point of Contract: Vincent Lynch, Contracting Officer, ph (202) 366-9568

Title: School Bus Driver In-Service Course: Transportation of Students with Accessibility Needs on School Buses

Description(s):

This project is to create a new self-paced training to complement the current School Bus Driver In-Service Safety Series curriculum that focuses on specifically the transportation of children with accommodation and accessibility needs on school buses, through a Subject Matter Expert panel, and other Pupil Transportation Professionals as well as stakeholders who represent the disability community through advocating for best practice when working with children with disabilities/accessibility needs. And to also continue to incorporate the latest industry-standard adult learning concepts to improve student recollection and proficiency. The outcome will be the creation of a new online training for the transportation of students with accessibility/accommodation needs on school buses to compliment the current School Bus Driver In-Service Safety Series curriculum, that will benefit school bus drivers, substitute school bus drivers and aides, teachers, special education staff, IEP (individualized education plan) Team, and/or paraprofessionals.

Background:

Every school day, there are typically around 480,000 school buses in the country transporting 26 million children to school. NHTSA considers school buses one of the safest forms of transportation in the United States. The fatality rate for school buses is 0.2 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT) compared to a much higher 0.91 fatalities per 100 million VMT for cars.

According to the latest U.S. Department of Education figures, around 7.3 million children - 14% of all public-school students - are served by The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which mandates a free and appropriate public-school education to children and youth ages 3 -21 with disabilities.

NHTSA is committed to improving the safety of students in and around school buses. As part of that effort, NHTSA is interested in significantly enhancing its existing curriculum offered as an in-service for existing school bus drivers, substitute school bus drivers, paraprofessionals, and school bus aides. While also utilizing the framework of the Safe System Approach in providing proactive tools and understanding all stakeholders—including government at all levels, industry, non-profit/advocacy, researchers, transportation professionals and the general public—are vital to preventing fatalities and serious injuries on our roadways.

Recent feedback from Pupil Transportation professionals and stakeholders have identified this lack of training in this particular area as a considerable gap in the traditional training for school bus drivers, that lacks in-depth training on the safe transporting of children with accessibility or accommodation needs on school buses, as well as the importance of transportation on school buses being a priority when discussing IEP needs with teachers and parents, to understand the complex needs of each individual student during transport while on a school bus.

Objective:

Create a new self-paced training to complement the current School Bus Driver In-Service Safety Series curriculum that focuses on specifically the transportation of children.

Capabilities:

The corporate capability statement must address the capabilities necessary to accomplish the scope outlined above as well as the additional tasks and characteristics given below:

Overview of Scope of Work

• Contractor will assemble a panel of subject matter experts to expand the School Bus Driver In-Service Safety Series curriculum to include the creation of a separate in-depth on-line training that focuses on transportation of children with accommodation/accessibility on school buses.
• This will include in depth understanding of the disability community -best-practices, current recommended terminology, preferred language and sensitivities regarding communities of color and other marginalized communities, understanding of a vast array of diagnoses, transportation needs as it relates to school buses, emergency evacuation considerations, understanding of IDEA and Individualized Education Plans -IEPs, addressing any parent and child challenges/concerns, and any other pertinent issues regarding safe transportation of children with accommodation/accessibility needs.
• Contractor will identify and execute opportunities for improving student recollection and proficiency via adult learning concepts and instructional design
• Creation of marketing materials for recruitment and advertisement of new training course
• Contractor will assess the current and emerging needs for the existing school bus driver-in service curriculum through subject matter expert panels, incorporate the latest industry-standard adult learning concepts to improve student recollection and proficiency, and incorporate delivery metrics to improve utilization analytics.
• The Contractor shall be responsible for identifying an appropriate asynchronous E-Learn

Learning Management System (LMS) platform that satisfies the needs of the instructors and end users.

• Development shall include the ability to assign and track student progress, the ability to participate in the course on a mobile device, and the ability to provide continuing education certification upon a student’s successful completion of the course.
• The Contractor shall be responsible for utilizing current industry standards regarding adult learning concepts and instructional design concepts.
• Contractor shall be responsible for cognitive testing and pilot testing the curriculum with no fewer than 9 participants. Contractor shall allow time and resources to make any necessary edits following the cognitive and pilot testing processes.

Format of Corporate Capabilities Statement:

A Time and Material contract is anticipated.

Any interested qualified Small Business firms, Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB), 8(a) Certified SDB, HUBZone SB, SDVOSB, or WOSB concerns should submit their Corporate Capability Statement, which demonstrates the firm’s ability and past experience in no more than 10 pages to perform the key requirements described above to the identified NHTSA point of contact listed herein.

Any proprietary information should be marked as such. All respondents are asked to certify the type and size of their business organization is in-line with the requirements of this Sources Sought Notice, and must be received. Responses must be received by the listed procuring office within 10 days from the date of publication or closing date of this notice.

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