Category: Press Releases

Optimal and Revelo Software are excited to announce Maryland’s dual investment in Revelo Software.

“Our team has built an ecosystem of low code and modular Revelo products that address many end-to-end digital transformation needs. Enterprise Revelo reduces the types of skills and resources needed to quickly stand up and integrate new applications. Revelo has configurable workflows and reduces technical debts in areas of security, accessibility and monitoring controls,” said Tracye Turner, founder of Revelo. “With the surge in interest in AI, e-government, CX, and real-time decision systems, Revelo can help governments and organizations get up to speed quickly!”

To learn more, click the link to read TEDCO’s announcement.: https://www.tedcomd.com/news-events/press-releases/2024/tedco-invests-revelo

As we approach our corporate 25-year anniversary in 2025, we are proud of the record we’ve developed as a leader in the integration of research, technology and communications.  Our work in program evaluation, technical assistance, data science and technical assistance has also led us to develop products that increase quality, increase operational efficiencies and make results actionable.

Optimal spun off and is an authorized partner of Revelo Software and has developed platforms that enable real-time, data-driven and evidence-based decision-making. 

Optimal’s President and CEO, Dr. Mark Turner, has joined the National Data Science Alliance (NDSA) Education and Workforce Committee. The committee aims to advance the field of data science across Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). It is recognized for its commitment to fostering equitable opportunities in the data science arena.

The NDSA is a national consortium of individuals and organizations dedicated to advancing data science, supporting institutions, and bridging the gap between academia and industry. With a primary focus on HBCUs, the NDSA aims to increase representation and diversity in data science, empowering underrepresented communities to thrive in this rapidly evolving field.

As a member of the Education and Workforce Committee, Dr. Turner brings his extensive data science expertise and commitment to promoting education and workforce development in the data science field. His experience and passion align perfectly with the NDSA’s mission to advance data science education and opportunities for HBCU students and faculty.

The Education and Workforce Committee will serve as a vital platform for HBCUs, providing access to resources, funding opportunities, industry partnerships, and mentoring programs to foster the success of students and faculty in data science-related fields. By strengthening the data science programs at HBCUs, the NDSA seeks to reshape the landscape of technology and data science, ensuring equitable representation for all.

For more information about the National Data Science Alliance and its Education and Workforce Committee, please visit www.NDSA.org.

Optimal is proud to announce its approval to join the General Services Administration’s (GSA) exclusive program evaluation subgroup. This achievement shows Optimal’s expertise in evaluating complex multisite programs, government demonstrations, pilots, and initiatives.

GSA’s Program Evaluation Subgroup allows Federal agencies to give solicitations to contractors with expertise in program evaluation. It provides contractors access to large Federal investments in program evaluation and ongoing engagement with Federal agencies. 

As part of the GSA’s program evaluation subgroup, Optimal joins a select group of firms recognized for their exceptional skills and knowledge in evaluating federal programs. The subgroup’s admission criteria are stringent, ensuring only firms with a proven track record and deep understanding of program evaluation are approved.

Optimal brings extensive experience in monitoring and evaluating federal programs. Optimal has conducted evaluations that involve evaluability assessments, wide-ranging evaluation designs, technical assistance, and evidence-building activities at the U.S. Agency for International Development, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Small Business Administration, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Optimal has actively participated in various evaluation activities listed in federal government agencies’ annual plans. 

To learn more about Optimal’s experience in program evaluation, visit https://optimalsolutionsgroup.com/entrepreneurship-innovation-case-studies/.

Optimal has developed a Generative AI webinar series that discusses the beneficial use cases for businesses and government agencies to leverage the growing presence of AI tools. Through this initiative, Optimal continues demonstrating its commitment to leveraging cutting-edge technology to support its clients and work within the Optimal Real-Time Framework.

The Generative AI webinar series developed by Optimal delves into various essential topics, including analyzing statistical tables, comments processing, and market research. By providing expert insights and practical examples, the series empowers organizations to fully embrace and optimize the growing potential of Generative AI in their operations.

The three comprehensive webinar modules offered by Optimal’s Generative AI series are as follows:

1. Leveraging Generative AI for Policy Research: Learn how businesses and government agencies can effectively employ Generative AI tools to enhance their policy research initiatives. Through robust data-driven analyses and simulations, participants gain valuable insights into crafting effective policies and making well-informed decisions.
2. Using AI in Public Comments Analysis: Learn how to leverage Generative AI to streamline and elevate the analysis of public comments using Optimal’s CommentsAI tool. Organizations can efficiently extract meaningful patterns and sentiments from feedback by automating the processing and categorizing vast amounts of input.
3. Streamline Market Research for Government Procurement: In this webinar, Optimal reveals how AI can revolutionize market research efforts for government procurement processes. The AcqusitionAI tool developed by Optimal will help facilitate more informed and strategic decision-making during procurement procedures by equipping agencies with advanced data analysis tools.

Optimal’s corporate initiative on Generative AI proved to be successful. Departments and project teams started working groups, with suggested use cases and a fast-paced shared “wiki” to investigate how Generative AI can move the company forward, support existing clients and work within Optimal’s Real-Time Framework.

With existing products such as Revelo Software, Generative AI can receive curated data, content and information through the upfront data validation and ingestion capabilities. Revelo has several applications, such as accessibility testing (iAccessible), comments processing (CommentsAI), and streamlining market research (AcquisitionAI).

The communications team tried out ChatGPT and BARD across multiple activities, such as generating social media content, editing, translating, rendering images and composing webinar invitations. It proved to be a great aid.

The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) has awarded Optimal Solutions Group several contracts to assess online course materials for high school students for compliance with Section 508 and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) standards. Optimal’s DHS Trusted Testers will provide technical assistance to content developers and assist them in remediating course materials.

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased reliance on internet-based learning, highlighting the need for digital accessibility and inclusion for students and individuals with disabilities. Optimal Solutions Group is proud to partner with MSDE in ensuring that all students have access to educational materials that meet accessibility standards.

Optimal Solutions Group is a leading research and consulting firm that provides data-driven solutions to improve public policy and decision-making. The company’s work spans a range of fields, including education, health, and workforce development.

Optimal’s teams have made significant strides in leveraging the latest ChatGPT and BARD AI tools, which are already enhancing our Real-Time Framework for evidenced-based decision making. Through this cutting-edge technology, we have been able to generate software test scripts, social media content, resolve software development queries, and enhance web data scraping in a relatively short period of time. While we are excited about our early success, we remain cautious and diligent in ensuring the highest standards of privacy, security, data governance, validity, and verification are upheld. Our commitment to these principles is unwavering as we continue to explore new opportunities and push the boundaries of what’s possible with AI technology.

Optimal was awarded the One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services (OASIS) – Small Business (SB) Pool 1. OASIS is a General Services Administration (GSA) government-wide best-in-class procurement vehicle that provides flexible and innovative solutions for complex professional services. It encompasses a broad set of offerings covering everything from program management services, management consulting services and financial services to logistics services, engineering services, and scientific services. Specific tasks may include data analytics, monitoring and evaluation, and management consulting.

Learn more about how to make Optimal your innovative partner through the OASIS contract solution.

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Optimal Solutions Group, LLC

Founded in 2000, Optimal Solutions Group, LLC, is a nonpartisan public policy research,  technical assistance and analytics firm that stands out for its quantitative expertise, innovative and technology approaches to provide rigorous, data-driven research and technical assistance to government agencies, corporations, nonprofit organizations and philanthropic foundations. Located at the University of Maryland’s Discovery District in College Park, Optimal is a leader in driving real-time public policy research. Optimal has 60+ employees, including multidisciplinary researchers with backgrounds in economics, education, health, housing, sociology, statistics, information management and entrepreneurship. Optimal has four research centers—Health, Education, Housing and Workforce Development, and Social Policy—as well as an International Practice, Analytics Group, and Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center.