Summary of Appendix H - Required Capabilities of the Software

This is a software requirements specification document for the State of Maine Department of Administrative and Financial Services (DAFS/MaineIT) Digital Communications RFP #202512160. The document outlines comprehensive technical capabilities required for a SaaS-based digital communications platform designed to deliver real-time messages and alerts to state employees, constituents, and stakeholders across multiple channels including email, SMS/text, RSS, and social media. Core functional requirements include bulk messaging capability at state scale (millions of messages annually) with deliverability monitoring, unlimited email sending with no additional SMS costs, text-to-subscribe functionality, and certified message delivery with real-time resolution services for failed communications. The platform must support subscription management with public self-service options across multiple devices, automatic duplicate removal, and subscriber confirmation workflows. Additional critical requirements encompass full ADA compliance with multi-lingual support configurable at site, list, and user levels, intuitive template editors supporting drag-and-drop and HTML editing, communication archiving with minimum 10-year retention, and seamless migration from legacy listserv systems. The solution must provide real-time performance reporting with exportable analytics in PDF and CSV formats, granular role-based access controls, automation workflows configurable without coding, page watch alert functionality, comprehensive contact management with segmentation capabilities, and web beacon support for tracking user engagement including email opens and page views.

Security, compliance, and integration requirements are equally stringent, mandating vendors to document SOC 2 or ISO 27001 certifications, alignment with Maine OIT Data Classification Policy for external communications, documented APIs or connectors (REST/JSON) for integration with enterprise systems including Microsoft Active Directory and Okta, and NIST 800-53 security controls compliance. Vendors must disclose potential procurement and legal risks including licensing models and indemnification terms, provide transparent pricing with government or education discounts, and demonstrate that their solution is currently operational and actively used by at least one enterprise-scale organization. Desirable capabilities include change tracking in editing mode, pre-send email validation, geo-fencing options, Microsoft Office integration, and the ability to resend previous communications post-subscription. The 24/7 system monitoring requirement with business-hours phone and email support, along with a two-hour Recovery Time Objective and 99.9% uptime guarantee, indicates the platform's critical role in state communications infrastructure.