Notice of Intent to Sole Source - Curriculum Associates, Inc.

General work description:

Project Details

• Reference ID: 2026-ISS-001
• Department: Special Services
• Department Head: Katinia Davis (Chief)

Evaluation Criteria

• Sole Source Justification —

  The Agency hereby provides notice that it intends to enter into a sole source contract per Richland County School District Two Code §11-35-1560 with Vendor for the following supplies, services, information technology, or construction: CURRICULUM ASSOCIATES, INC. (i-Ready)

  Curriculum Associates' i-Ready provides Richland School District Two with a fully integrated instructional system that combines adaptive diagnostic assessment, individualized reading and mathematics instruction, embedded progress monitoring, and comprehensive reporting within a single platform. Assessment results automatically generate personalized instructional pathways aligned to each student's identified skill needs, eliminating the need to manually analyze data across multiple systems or assign interventions through separate programs.

  The district has established i-Ready as an instructional and progress-monitoring tool that supports data-driven decision making for both general education and special education programs. Its proprietary adaptive learning engine continuously adjusts the level of instruction, pacing, scaffolds, and supports based on each student's performance while providing educators with real-time data to monitor growth and guide instructional planning.

  Curriculum Associates, LLC is the sole developer, publisher, owner, and authorized provider of the proprietary i-Ready platform, including its diagnostic assessments, personalized instructional content, adaptive learning engine, reporting tools, professional learning, and technical support. These components function as a single integrated system and are proprietary to Curriculum Associates.

  For students with disabilities, i-Ready supports access to grade-level standards while addressing foundational skill deficits through personalized instruction and ongoing progress monitoring. The platform's integrated diagnostic, instructional, and reporting features provide continuity of services, preserve longitudinal student performance data, and allow educators to efficiently monitor student growth and intervention effectiveness within a single system. This level of integration, automation, and continuity is essential to the district's instructional framework and its commitment to improving student achievement across all tiers of instruction.

  Curriculum Associates does not authorize third-party vendors or distributors within the United States to sell, license, or support the i-Ready platform or its associated services. In addition, any accompanying instructional materials, manipulative kits, and proprietary resources are developed and distributed exclusively by Curriculum Associates as part of the i-Ready system.

  Because the software licenses, instructional content, assessment tools, reporting features, and professional learning services are proprietary and must function together as an integrated platform, they cannot be obtained separately or sourced through another vendor. Therefore, Curriculum Associates is the only responsible source capable of providing these supplies and services.

  The cost for the i-Ready platform and professional learning services is $124,812.54.

  Agency’s justification for a sole source procurement may be viewed or immediately obtained at: https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/richland2

   

  PROTESTS:

  Any actual or prospective bidder, offeror, contractor, or subcontractor aggrieved in connection with the intended award or award of this sole source contract, shall notify the Chief Procurement Officer in writing of its intent to protest within five (5) business days of the date this notice is posted. Any actual or prospective bidder, offeror, contractor, or subcontractor who is aggrieved in connection with the intended award or award of this sole source contract and has timely notified the Chief Procurement Officer of its intent to protest, may protest to the Chief Procurement Officer in the manner set forth below within five (5) days of the date this notice is posted; except that a matter that could have been raised as a protest of the solicitation may not be raised as a protest of the award or intended award of a contract.

   

  A protest must be in writing, filed with the Chief Procurement Officer, and set forth the grounds of the protest and the relief requested with enough particularity to give notice of the issues to be decided. The protest must be received by the Chief Procurement Officer within the time provided above.

   

  Any notice of intent to protest and protest must be addressed to the Chief Procurement Officer, LaWana Robinson-Lee, by email to: LALEE @RICHLAND2.ORG.

Submission Requirements

• Do you intend to protest this intent to award a sole source? (required)
• Product or service information (required) —

  If you are intending to protest this award, then please upload your supporting documentation that contradicts the sole source.  Failure to upload the required documentation shall deem your protest void.