ASAP ACE Study

The State University of New York (SUNY or State University or University) wishes to procure the services of a qualified research organization to conduct a five-year study of Advancing Success in Associate Pathways (ASAP) and Advancing Completion through Engagement (ACE) across multiple campuses.

Launched at SUNY in 2024, ASAP|ACE provides wraparound support to help students overcome barriers that can prevent them from obtaining a degree. Eligible students have access to a variety of resources and supports, including funding to cover textbooks, groceries, transportation, and other costs of attendance, as well as academic assistance, comprehensive personalized advisement, and additional career development activities.

It is expected that the selected Bidder will commence services immediately following approval of the contract by the NYS Office of the Attorney General and NYS Office of the State Comptroller, as required.

SUNY has a need for an independent study on how ASAP|ACE is helping students earn more credits, stay enrolled, and graduate on time. The study will examine how results differ across student groups as well as assess campus/system fidelity to the evidence-based program model. [...] The study will examine outcomes for the Fall 2025 program cohort at 34 ASAP|ACE partner campuses and the Fall 2026 program cohort at 44 partner campuses. Outcomes will include credits attempted and earned, retention, on-track-to-graduate, and completion, including subgroup analysis across relevant demographic and population variables. The awarded bidder will provide four (4) annual system wide reports, a Year 5 systemwide report, and presentations, with appropriate breakdowns by ASAP and ACE, student demographics and campus type.

**Minimum Bidder Requirements** (to be addressed in *Attachment 9*):

• The proposed team members must have experience conducting a quasi-experimental study using Propensity Score Matching (PSM) with student-level data.
• The Bidder must have the ability to cover the full five-year study, both student cohorts, and all participating campuses, with one vendor responsible for the work
• The selected bidder must handle all study planning, Institutional Review Board (IRB) processing as needed, secure data collection and analysis, annual reports, presentations and a comprehensive final report

**Work Plan** (*Attachment 10*) should address:

• Proposed research design, emphasis on the approach for PSM and comparison grouping
• Proposed study should use PSM to compare ASAP|ACE students with similar students not in the program (matched comparison score)
• Description of ability to carry out the full quantitative and qualitative scope, including surveys, interviews, focus groups, analysis and reporting
• Description of experience with multi-campus evaluations and student success programs
• Understanding of the ASAP|ACE model, its history and the research behind it
• Description of the Bidders intended use of primary qualitative data collection early in the study that aligns analysis and reporting with the two cohorts and available outcome data
• Description of the methodology to bring the quantitative and qualitative findings together
• Provide a minimum of two (2) professional references from universities, colleges or state systems that the Bidder has engaged for a multi-campus, multi-year study and demonstrates the Bidder's ability to perform comparable work

**Submission method:** Email your proposal to Corey Vein (corey.vein@suny.edu), with a copy to Annabella Clark (Annabella.clark@suny.edu). The proposal should not be within the body of the email but rather submitted as an attachment to the email.

The Cost Proposal Worksheet should be attached to your email as a separate document from your main proposal. No mention of cost should appear in the main proposal. Failure to adhere to this requirement may result in disqualification.

Proposals will be evaluated based on "best value" by an evaluation committee comprised of SUNY representatives. Minimum Bidder Requirements are **Pass/Fail**. Technical Proposal: 60 points (Responsiveness of the proposal 10, Work Plan/Approach to Engagement 25, Qualifications, Experience and Capacity 25). Cost Proposal: 25 points. Presentation (if applicable): 15 points. Total: 100 points.

Length of Contract: Five (5) Years. Site Visit: N/A.