Accessibility_Exceptions_Workflow_RFP_-_Final_8.3.26-jrw.docx

State of Minnesota Department of Information Technology Services

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

Accessibility Exception Workflow RFP [SWIFT Event #] Date Posted: [Enter date publicly posted]

· Responses must be received not later than 2:00 pm, Central Time, September 11, 2026

· Late responses will not be considered

· As of July 1, 2025, certain terms are unenforceable in state contracts. See Session Laws, 2025 Regular Session, Chapter 39, Article 2, Sec. 45.

Minnesota’s Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion The State of Minnesota is committed to diversity and inclusion in its public procurement process. The goal is to ensure that those providing goods and services to the State are representative of our Minnesota communities and include businesses owned by minorities, women, veterans, and those with substantial physical disabilities. Creating broader opportunities for historically under-represented groups provides for additional options and greater competition in the marketplace, creates stronger relationships and engagement within our communities, and fosters economic development and equality.

To further this commitment, the Department of Administration operates a program for Minnesota-based small businesses owned by minorities, women, veterans, and those with substantial physical disabilities. For additional information on this program, or to determine eligibility, please call 651.201.2402 or go to the Office of Equity in Procurement home page, at https://mn.gov/admin/business/vendor-info/oep/.

SPECIAL NOTICE: This is a request for proposal. It does not obligate the State of Minnesota to award a contract or complete the proposed program, and the State reserves the right to cancel this solicitation if it is considered in its best interest.

This Solicitation requires proposals to be submitted through the SWIFT Supplier Portal. Please note the security changes below that may impact responders from submitting a timely response.

SWIFT SUPPLIER PORTAL SECURITY CHANGES

There are new security measures that the Minnesota Management and Budget implemented on October 16, 2022. It is a new multi-factor authentication (MFA) to enhance the security of the State of Minnesota Supplier Portal. MFA is an authentication method that requires bidders and suppliers provide two verification factors to log into the SWIFT Supplier Portal. The goal of MFA is to create a layered defense that makes it more difficult for unauthorized system access to occur.

For information about these changes, please refer to the SWIFT Supplier Portal Multi-Factor Authentication FAQ document.

If you have not done so already, please make sure to log into the SWIFT Supplier Portal as soon as possible to get this authentication set up early so there are no issues when submitting a response to an RFP.

You are strongly encouraged to set your MFA during business hours of 8:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M., Central Time, Monday through Friday. You may experience delay setting your MFA after hours.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Solicitation Content

Solicitation Attachments

· Attachment A: Responder Declarations

· Attachment B: Exceptions to State's Terms and Conditions

· Attachment C: Cost Proprosal

· Attachment D: Responder Form

Sample Contract

· Exhibit A: Contract Terms

· Exhibit B: Insurance Requirements

· Exhibit C: Specifications, Duties, and Scope of Work

· Exhibit D: Pricing

SECTION 1 – INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPONDERS

Step 1: Read the solicitation documents and ask questions, if any Step 2: Write your response Step 3: Submit your response

STEP 1 – READ THE SOLICITATION DOCUMENT & ASK QUESTIONS, IF ANY

How to Ask Questions

The contact person for questions is:

Haylie Heil, Contracts Attorney, IT Procurement Minnesota Department of IT Services Haylie.Heil@state.mn.us Questions should be emailed to the contact by 2:00 pm on August 25, 2026.

Other personnel are not authorized to answer questions regarding this Solicitation.

STEP 2 – WRITE YOUR RESPONSE

The Response Content section is in this link to Section 4. Prepare a written response and supply all requested content. Responses should address the requested information and documents detailed in Section 4. DO NOT INCLUDE Non-Public/Trade Secret data (as defined in this link to Minn. Stat. § 13.37).

Review, sign, and include the Responder Declarations with your response.

STEP 3 –SUBMIT YOUR RESPONSE

Where to Send Your Response

All responses to this solicitation (termed an “Event” within SWIFT) must be submitted through SWIFT using the Supplier portal (https://mn.gov/supplier). Training and documentation on how to submit your response is available through the Supplier portal link above. Fax, e-mail, and printed responses will not be accepted or considered. All costs incurred in responding to this solicitation will be borne by the responder.

Late responses will not be considered. Responses received after End Date above will not be considered, even if errors or delays were caused by issues outside of responders’ control. If you need assistance please contact the SWIFT Vendor Assistance Helpline at 651-201-8100, Option 1, and then Option 1.

By submitting a response, your company is making a binding legal offer for the period of time set forth below in Section 6, Conditions of Offer.

SECTION 2 – SUMMARY OF SCOPE

Procurement Overview and Goals.

The Minnesota Department of Information Technology Services (MNIT) is the information technology agency for Minnesota’s executive branch. Led by the state’s Chief Information Officer, MNIT sets IT strategy, direction, policies, and standards for enterprise IT leadership and planning. MNIT builds, maintains, and secures the state’s IT infrastructure, applications, projects, and services.

MNIT also manages the governance of IT products and services for Minnesota’s Executive Branch agencies. This ensures all IT services meet applicable standards for security, accessibility, and integration. It also fosters alignment of business and IT goals. All new product and service requests must go through MNIT's governance process, whether they are for a specific agency, a MNIT division, or for all Executive Branch agencies.

MNIT’s Office of Accessibility oversees the implementation of accessibility standards for Minnesota’s executive branch to provide resources that ensure applications, websites, and documents are accessible for everyone. The Office of Accessibility plays an important role in the IT governance process. When a product or service undergoing IT governance review does not meet applicable IT accessibility standards, the requesting agency may request an exception, accepting the risk of adopting a product or service at its agency which does not meet accessibility standards.

The Office of Accessibility has built an application in Microsoft Power Platform (PowerApps) that manages the accessibility exception workflow. The workflow includes the following processes:

1. Agencies file exception requests.

2. Agency and MNIT Digital Accessibility Coordinators (DACs) review the requests before passing them on.

3. The Office of Accessibility performs a final review.

4. The agency’s authorized signer approves the request.

Responders may view the current accessibility exception workflow at the following 25:14 video: Exception/Exemption Workflow (YouTube).

The workflow includes email notifications, a risk score derived from the data which has been input, and an automated notification process for renewal based on the risk score. The application is currently operational; this RFP seeks to hire a vendor to modify, enhance, and build applications and tools to add functionality to the current application enabling the Office of Accessibility to support compliance standards for the State.

The preferred vendor should have extensive knowledge of the Microsoft M365 Office Suite including but not limited to Power Platform (Power Apps, Power Automate, Power BI) and SharePoint. The preferred vendor should have extensive knowledge in the development of web applications/tools along with a variety of Markup Languages including but not limited to HTML and XML.

The preferred vendor will have extensive knowledge of the State’s Digital Accessibility compliance standards, in particular Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1. Along with the building and modification of applications, the Office of Accessibility is also seeking an assessment or additional insights on ways to improve the current processes, procedures, and tools to ensure the State’s accessibility standards are met.

From the findings of this assessment or additional insights provided, the State reserves the right to conduct additional contracting with the selected vendor for future phased efforts.

Sample Tasks and Deliverables The Selected Responder will provide professional services to modify, enhance, and expand the existing PowerApps/SharePoint application and related tools used by the Office of Accessibility. The goal is to improve functionality, support State accessibility compliance processes, and ensure the system remains maintainable, accessible, and aligned with evolving business needs. Work may include, but is not limited to, the following task areas:

1. Application Enhancements and New Features

1.1. Add workflow features and functions supporting the accessibility exemptions process, including:

1.1.1. Ability for the Office of Accessibility to change or update email notification text.

1.1.2. Inclusion of risk information and risk scores in notifications.

1.1.3. Workflow updates enabling exceptions to be closed when an exception is not required.

1.1.4. Ability for DACs and administrators to resend notifications for review or signature.

1.1.5. Support for multiple authors and the ability to change authors on a request. (If feasible)

1.1.6. A “cancel button” feature allowing deletion of draft requests.

1.1.7. Add ability to include support text for existing form fields, specifically: expected remediation start/completion date, impact, and usage information.

1.1.8. Build or modify Power Automate workflows, including functionality for data collection, versioning, and form automation, including potential custom forms.

1.2. Integrate new data, HTML text sections, and form components to support required business information.

1.3. Implement automated permissioning using SharePoint lists for DACs, reviewers, and signers.

1.4. Expand request expiration capabilities and related business logic.

1.5. Improve accessibility compliance and conduct functionality testing on all new components.

2. System Maintenance, Support, and Upgrades

2.1. Perform ongoing maintenance and updates, branding changes, and enhancements based on user feedback.

2.2. Provide issue resolution, troubleshooting, and technical support on an as needed basis.

3. Knowledge Transfer and Training

3.1. Train staff on the use, maintenance, and administration of the workflow, dashboards, and related tools.

3.2. Provide documentation and knowledge transfer to ensure sustainability of the solution.

4. Process Assessment and Recommendations

4.1. Conduct assessments to identify opportunities to improve processes, procedures, and workflows.

4.2. Recommend or develop new tools, enhancements, or applications to support compliance and efficiency.

5. Optional/Additional Considerations The project may also include the following potential functions, depending on feasibility and business priorities:

5.1. Ability to view fully executed forms (Currently require DACs to copy the history to share.)

5.2. Adding exceptions in bulk from prior years into the current system.

5.3. Addressing older completed exceptions with incomplete request histories.

The Selected Responder will be expected to provide deliverables that meet the State’s Digital Accessibility compliance standards.

SECTION 3 – PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

1. Anticipated Contract Term.

The term of this contract is anticipated to be from October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2028 with the option to extend up to an additional three years in increments determined by the State.

Question and Answer Instructions.

All questions should be submitted no later than the date and time listed in Section 1, Instructions to Responders. The State is not obligated to answer questions submitted after the question due date and time.

Only personnel listed above are authorized to discuss this solicitation with responders. Contact regarding this solicitation with any personnel not listed above could result in disqualification. This provision is not intended to prevent responders from seeking guidance from state procurement assistance programs regarding general procurement questions.

If a Responder discovers any significant ambiguity, error, conflict, discrepancy, omission, or other deficiency in the solicitation, please immediately notify the contact person detailed above in writing of such error and request modification or clarification of the document.

Additional Tasks or Activities.

Responders are encouraged to propose additional tasks, activities, or goods above and beyond the scope of what is requested in this solicitation if they will substantially improve the results of this procurement. Any costs associated with these additional tasks, activities, or goods should be clearly marked and separated from costs associated with the tasks, activities, or goods specifically requested under this solicitation. Because cost is a factor in the evaluation of responses to this solicitation, failure to separate costs for additional tasks, activities, or goods may result in those costs being included in a responder's cost proposal and result in a lower cost score for that proposal.

SECTION 4 – PROPOSAL CONTENT

Please submit the following information:

Work Plan. Responder should provide a description of the deliverables to be provided by the Responder along with a detailed work plan that identifies the major tasks to be accomplished and be used as a scheduling and managing tool, as well as the basis for invoicing. This document should NOT list cost detail. If cost detail is included in this document, the State may disqualify the proposal as non-responsive. Responder should provide a statement of the objectives, goals, and tasks to show or demonstrate the Responder's view and understanding of the nature of the contract, and what makes the Responder uniquely suited for this work.

Qualifications and Experience. Responder should provide an outline of background and experience with examples of similar work done by the Responder and a list of personnel who will conduct the project, detailing their training and work experience. Responder should highlight their experience and knowledge of the following:

Microsoft M365 Office Suite including but not limited to Power Platform (Power Apps, Power Automate, Power BI) and SharePoint.

Development of web applications/tools along with a variety of Markup Languages including but not limited to HTML and XML.

State’s Digital Accessibility compliance standards, in particular Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1.

Resumes or other information about project personnel should not, if possible, contain personal telephone numbers, home addresses, or home email addresses. If it is necessary to include personal contact information, please clearly indicate in the response that personal contact information is being provided Accessibility Questions. The State of Minnesota requires all digital information technology to conform to the State of Minnesota Digital Accessibility Standard. Please provide responses to the questions below, Responses should detail your organization’s ability to ensure the State fulfills its accessibility responsibilities as outlined in the standard.

Describe how you ensure your staff and contractors have the knowledge and skills to create accessible digital technology within the scope of the project or services requested within this RFP.

Describe your approach to ensuring accessibility for your solution (e.g., strategy, tools, design, testing, ongoing validation).

Include if/how you incorporate accessibility into your development process (e.g., requirements, design, development, testing, maintenance, bug prioritization).

Include how you ensure accessibility post implementation (e.g., future enhancements).

Provide at least three (3) links to websites, copies of documents, or access to other samples of digital information technology your organization has developed that meet accessibility standards. The materials should be relevant to the services and/or technical skills called for in this solicitation.

Cost Detail. Complete and submit Attachment C, “Cost Proposal,” attached to this solicitation.

License Agreements, Maintenance Agreements, or Other Terms and Conditions. The State may require Responder to provide any license agreements, maintenance agreements or any other terms and conditions relevant to the work under a resulting contract. Review and approval by the State will be required prior to contract execution. In the event Responder fails to comply with a request under this provision, Responder agrees that it will not seek to enforce terms and conditions of any such agreement against the State. Further, failure to provide any of the pertinent documents upon request may result in the State not agreeing to sign any additional documents, rejecting your response, or cancelling the award.

Submit all requested documentation, including, but not limited to, the following documents:

1. Attachment A: Responder Declarations

2. Attachment B: Exceptions to State's Standard Terms and Conditions

3. Attachment C: Cost Proposal

4. Attachment D: Responder Forms

4.1 Workforce and Equal Pay Declaration Page (Workforce required if anticipated contract and all extensions exceed $100,0000; Equal Pay required if anticipated contract and all extensions exceed $500,000)

4.2 Equal Pay Certificate Form (If Proposal Exceeds $500,000, Including Extension Options)

DO NOT INCLUDE Non-Public/Trade Secret data (as defined by Minn. Stat. § 13.37).

SECTION 5 – EVALUATION PROCEDURE AND CRITERIA

The State will conduct an evaluation of responses to this Solicitation. The evaluations will be conducted using a two-tier scoring methodology described below.

TIER 1

Phase 1 - Responsiveness and Pass/Fail Requirements. The purpose of this phase is to determine if each response complies with mandatory requirements. The State will first review each proposal for responsiveness to determine if the Responder satisfies all mandatory requirements. The State will evaluate these requirements on a pass/fail basis.

Mandatory Requirements. The following will be considered on a pass/fail basis:

1. Responses must be received by the due date and time specified in this RFP.

Phase 2 - Evaluate Responses. Only responses found to have met Phase I criteria will be considered in Phase II.

In Tier 1, responses will be rated as follows:

The factors and weighting on which responses will be judged are:

1000 points

5. Preference Points (if applicable) 120 points (in addition to 1,000 available) Preferences points are described under Solicitation Terms and will be applied to the total score after points have been awarded. Each Responders’ total score in Tier 1 will consist of the technical score, cost score, and preference points, if applicable.

Phase 3: Shortlist. Each Responder will be ranked based on each Responder’s Tier 1 total score. The State will shortlist the highest scoring Responders by determining the natural break in Responders’ scores. Only the highest scoring Responders in Tier 1 will advance to Tier 2.

TIER 2

Phase 1 - Evaluate Responders. All Responders’ scores will be re-set to zero prior to beginning Tier 2.

In Tier 2, Responders will be rated as follows:

The factors and weighting on which responses will be judged are:

1000 points

3. Preference Points (if applicable) 120 points (in addition to 1,000 available) Preferences points are described under Solicitation Terms and will be applied to the total score after points have been awarded. Each Responders’ total score in Tier 2 will consist of the technical score, cost score, and preference points, if applicable.

Phase 2 - Select Finalist(s). The State will make its selection based on best value, as determined by this evaluation process. Each Responder will be ranked based on each Responder’s Tier 2 total score. The State will begin negotiating with the highest scoring Responder in Tier 2. The State reserves the right to pursue negotiations on any exception taken to the State’s standard terms and conditions. In the event that negotiated terms cannot be reached, the State reserves the right to terminate negotiations and begin negotiating with the next highest scoring responder. If the State anticipates multiple awards, the State reserves the right to negotiate with more than one Responder.

SECTION 6 – UNENFORCEABLE TERMS AND SOLICITATION TERMS

Unenforceable Terms As of July 1, 2025, certain terms are unenforceable in state contracts. See Session Laws, 2025 Regular Session, Chapter 39, Article 2, Section 45.

Unenforceable terms

(a) A contract entered into by the state shall not contain a term that:

(b) If a contract is entered into that contains a term prohibited in paragraph (a), that term shall be void and the contract is enforceable as if it did not contain that term.

Solicitation Terms

1. Competition in Responding The State desires open and fair competition. Questions from responders regarding any of the requirements of the Solicitation must be submitted in writing to the Solicitation Administrator listed in the Solicitation before the due date and time. If changes are made the State will issue an addendum.

Any evidence of collusion among responders in any form designed to defeat competitive responses will be reported to the Minnesota Attorney General for investigation and appropriate action.

Addenda to the Solicitation Changes to the Solicitation will be made by addendum with notification and posted in the same manner as the original Solicitation. Any addenda issued will become part of the Solicitation.

Data Security - Foreign Outsourcing of Work is Prohibited All storage and processing of information shall be performed within the borders of the United States. This provision also applies to work performed by subcontractors at all levels.

Joint Ventures The State allows joint ventures among groups of responders when responding to the solicitation. However, one responder must submit a response on behalf of all the others in the group. The responder that submits the response will be considered legally responsible for the response (and the contract, if awarded).

Withdrawing Response A responder may withdraw its response prior to the due date and time of the Solicitation. For solicitations in the SWIFT Supplier Portal, a responder may withdraw its response from the SWIFT Supplier Portal. For solicitations done any other way, a responder may withdraw its response by notifying the Solicitation Administrator in writing of the desire to withdraw.

After the due date and time of this Solicitation, a responder may withdraw a response only upon showing that an obvious error exists in the response. The showing and request for withdrawal must be made in writing to Solicitation Administrator within a reasonable time and prior to the State’s detrimental reliance on the response.

Rights Reserved The State reserves the right to:

· Reject any and all responses received;

· Waive or modify any informalities, irregularities, or inconsistencies in the responses received;

· Negotiate with the highest scoring Responder[s];

· Terminate negotiations and select the next response providing the best value for the State;

· Consider documented past performance resulting from a State contract may be considered in the evaluation process;

· Short list the highest scoring Responders;

· Require Responders to conduct presentations, demonstrations, or submit samples;

· Interview key personnel or references;

· Request a best and final offer from one or more Responders;

· The State reserves the right to request additional information ; and

· The State reserves the right to use estimated usage or scenarios for the purpose of conducting pricing evaluations. The State reserves the right to modify scenarios, and to request or add additional scenarios for the evaluation.

Samples and Demonstrations Upon request, Responders are to provide samples to the State at no charge. Except for those destroyed or mutilated in testing, the State will return samples if requested and at the Responder’s expense. All costs to conduct and associated with a demonstration will be the sole responsibility of the Responder.

Responses are Nonpublic during Evaluation Process All materials submitted in response to this Solicitation will become property of the State. During the evaluation process, all information concerning the responses submitted will remain private or nonpublic and will not be disclosed to anyone whose official duties do not require such knowledge. Responses are private or nonpublic data until the completion of the evaluation process as defined by Minn. Stat. § 13.591. The completion of the evaluation process is defined as the State having completed negotiating a contract with the selected responder. The State will notify all responders in writing of the evaluation results.

Trade Secret Information Responders must not submit as part of their response trade secret material, as defined by Minn. Stat. § 13.37.

In the event trade secret data are submitted, Responder must defend any action seeking release of data it believes to be trade secret, and indemnify and hold harmless the State, its agents and employees, from any judgments awarded against the State in favor of the party requesting the data, and any and all costs connected with that defense.

The State does not consider cost or prices to be trade secret material, as defined by Minn. Stat. § 13.37.

A responder may present and discuss trade secret information during an interview or demonstration with the State, if applicable.

Conditions of Offer Unless otherwise approved in writing by the State, Responder’s cost proposal and all terms offered in its response that pertain to the completion of professional and technical services and general services will remain firm for 180 days, until they are accepted or rejected by the State, or they are changed by further negotiations with the State prior to contract execution.

Award Any award that may result from this solicitation will be based upon the total accumulated points as established in the solicitation. The State reserves the right to award this solicitation to a single Responder, or to multiple Responders, whichever is in the best interest of the State, providing each Responder is in compliance with all terms and conditions of the solicitation. The State reserves the right to accept all or part of an offer, to reject all offers, to cancel the solicitation, or to re-issue the solicitation, whichever is in the best interest of the State.

Requirements Prior to Contract Execution Prior to contract execution, a responder receiving a contract award must comply with any submittal requests. A submittal request may include, but is not limited to, a Certificate of Insurance.

Targeted Group, Economically Disadvantaged Business, Veteran-Owned and Individual Preference Unless a greater preference is applicable and allowed by law, in accordance with Minn. Stat. § 16C.16, businesses that are eligible and certified by the State as targeted group (TG) businesses, economically disadvantaged (ED) businesses, and veteran-owned businesses will receive points equal to 12% percent of the total points available as preference.

For TG/ED/VO certification and eligibility information visit the Office of Equity in Procurement website at https://mn.gov/admin/business/vendor-info/oep/ or call the Division’s Helpline at 651.201.2402.

Reciprocity State shall comply with Minn. Stat. § 16C.06, subd. 7, as that applies to a non-resident vendor. This paragraph does not apply for any project in which federal funds are expended.

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