Utah’s GEAR UP program has relied on CoBro Consulting’s Compass system for their data management needs for nearly 24 years. Compass is a web-based data management tool that allows concurrent data entry by multiple users, which is vital for our wide-area, multi-site program. While this feature is offered by other data management tools, Cobro’s user friendly interface has demonstrated higher adaptability by our users. Since 2005, CoBro has been customizing the system to our specific program needs. Thus, Compass is the only data system that contains transcript data entry screens, plus an array of features exactly matching Utah’s GEAR UP needs to meet US Department of Education (DOE) reporting requirements. Due to our lengthy relationship, Cobro includes on-site support for system implementation and user training tailored to GEAR UP Utah’s specificity which includes historical data knowledge and collaborations. CoBro has provided data management services to GEAR UP Utah for over 24 years and with that record, Cobro and GEAR UP Utah have been able to highly customize the data management interface and functionality to fit our specific needs and requirements. These requirements include collecting service participation and academic transcript data for over 4,500 students in over 45 schools across the state of Utah. Further, the US DOE mandatory annual report requires extensive summary tabulations of said program data. This customization is not found anywhere with other offered products ”off the shelf”, and after many iterations, Cobro’s data management tool performs exactly as needed. The cost associated with this product is based exactly on what GEAR UP Utah needs, uses, and years of trials and errors. In light of the daunting annual reporting requirements, the need to ensure continued use of CoBro data management system for Utah’s GEAR UP is both critical and urgent. CoBro Consulting is the creator and sole manufacturer of the Compass system and there are no third-party vendors or resellers of the system. Please note: This is a Sole Source Notification.
