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U.S. Department of Education

U.S. Department of Education

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Learn who we are, our contract opportunities, how we assist small businesses, and about our policies/regulations.

## About the U.S. Department of Education

The Department of Education establishes federal policy and administers and coordinates most federal assistance to education. It assists the president in executing his education policies for the nation and in implementing laws enacted by Congress.

The Department's mission is to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access..

**The Department has two Contracting Activities:**
                -  **Contracts and Acquisitions Management (CAM)**  under the Office of Acquisition and Grants Administration.
                -  **Federal Student Aid (FSA) Acquisitions**  under the Office of Principal Deputy to the Chief Operating Officer.

## COVID-Related Information

**NOTE: Consistent with Executive Order (EO) 14099 Moving Beyond COVID-19 Vaccination Requirements for Federal Workers, the Department of Education has updated its COVID-19 information for contractors.**
                -  NEW: Revocation of Executive Order (EO) 14042 Ensuring Adequate COVID Safety Protocols for Federal Contractors (May 15, 2023)  [149KB]

## Opportunities

**Forecast of Upcoming Contract Activity** - A list of possible upcoming ED acquisitions. The list is updated periodically as funding and Departmental plans change. The list provides special instructions for acquisitions that have been set-aside for 8(a)eligible contractors.

**Contract Opportunities on System for Award Management (SAM.gov)** - Contract opportunities are procurement notices from federal contracting offices. Organizations wishing to do business with ED are required to register in SAM.gov. Opportunities include pre-solicitation notices, solicitation notices, award notices, and sole source notices. In addition to serving as a streamlined and integrated system for conducting business, SAM.gov is used by government personnel as part of their market research efforts to identify potential providers of specific goods and services. If you are looking for grant opportunities, visit grants.gov.

**Active Contracts** [MS Excel, 93KB] - A file of active U.S. Department of Education contracts over $100,000.00. The file contains lists of active contracts administered by the Contracts and Acquisitions Management (CAM) contracting activity and the Federal Student Aid (FSA) contracting activity. Each list identifies the Principal Office and, for each contract listed, provides the Contract Number, Vendor Name, Award and Current End Dates, Current Value, Responsible ED Principal Office, and Contract Description or Title.​

**Unsolicited Proposals** – Before considering submitting an Unsolicited Proposal please:
        Carefully read and comply with 
Federal Acquisition Regulation Subpart 15.6 Unsolicited Proposals
. This Subpart also discusses “Advertising Material," “Commercial Item Offers," and “Contributions." 
Ensure the Unsolicited Proposal is addressed to the Head of Contracting Activity and includes the certification required by Subpart 3415.6 of the EDAR located here:             
http://www2.ed.gov/policy/fund/reg/clibrary/edar.html
.

If you believe you have a valid and fully compliant Unsolicited Proposal, you may submit your proposal to       UnsolicitedProposals@ed.gov
Supporting Information
**Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU)******- ED is committed to providing all categories of small business an opportunity to participate in both prime and subcontracts. OSDBU serves as an educator and advocate for small business engagement with ED.

**Vendor Communication Plan** - The Department of Education developed this Vendor Communication Plan to reduce barriers and increase engagement with industry.

The Department has also appointed an Industry Liaison to work with the Department's Acquisition Innovation Advocate (AIA), the OSDBU, key acquisition personnel, and industry to promote strong vendor communication practices and counter misconceptions that drive today's risk adverse culture. The Department's Industry Liaison and AIA are located within the Office of Acquisition and Grants Administration, Strategic Acquisition Management Initiatives (SAMI) Division.
- Industry Liaison:   Edindustryliaison@ed.gov
- Acquisition Innovation Advocate:   Acq_Innovation@ed.gov ​

**Category Management** - Category Management (CM) is a strategic business practice that the U.S. Department of Education strictly follows, to buy smarter and more like a single enterprise. This practice eliminates redundancies, increases efficiency, and delivers more value and savings from ED’s acquisition programs. Please see the CM Executive Summary Dashboard (select the **Department View** tab, then select **ED** from drop down menu) for more information about the current accomplishments made by ED’s contracting professionals.

**Public Disclosure of Justifications** - In accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.305, Department of Education Contracting Officers post justifications at the Government Point of Entry, SAM.gov. Interested parties may search for and retrieve posted justifications according to specific criteria, such as statutory authority, posted date range, and contract award date (via advanced search).
Policies/Regulations
**​Security and Training Requirements for Contrac​tors******- Learn about ED's security policies and the training requirements contractors must comply with to safeguard sensitive information provided or developed under ED contracts.

**Policy on Non-Retaliation Against Small Entities** - The U.S. Department of Education is committed to maintaining an environment in which small entities are free to raise questions or concerns about Department actions or policies. No Department employee shall take any type of retaliatory action against a small entity solely for raising questions, concerns, or complaints about the Department's actions or policies. The Department has an Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) that is responsible for all Department activities on behalf of small businesses. For further assistance, you may contact that office by calling (202) 245-6194 or emailing small.business@ed.gov. In addition, small entities may comment about the Department's enforcement and compliance process to the National Ombudsman's office. Information about the National Ombudsman is available online at www.sba.gov/ombudsman.

**Acquisition.gov** - An online resource for Federal acquisition regulations and policies.

**Department Of Education Acquisition Regulation (EDAR)** - The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) authorizes agencies to issue agency acquisition regulations that implement or supplement the FAR and incorporate, together with the FAR, agency policies, procedures, contract clauses, solicitation provisions, and forms. The EDAR is the ED's acquisition regulation. EDAR deviations are authorized, when necessary, to allow contracting activities to deviate from the EDAR. ​
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