Centralized Evaluation System Platform RFI.pdf

SBU - CONTRACTING AND ACQUISITIONS

1. Introduction

The U.S. Department of State (DOS) is conducting market research in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 10 to identify commercially available solutions capable of supporting a centralized survey and evaluation system across the Department.

The Department currently utilizes Qualtrics and seeks information on comparable or alternative solutions available in the marketplace, including the extent to which small businesses can independently provide such capabilities.

This RFI is issued for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation. Responses will not be considered as proposals or offers.

The Government does not intend to award a contract based on this RFI or reimburse any costs associated with the preparation of responses.

2. Objectives

The Department seeks to:

• Identify commercially available solutions with capabilities similar to or exceeding Qualtrics FedRamp Authorized Moderate (SaaS)

• Assess the availability of solutions from small businesses

• Understand implementation timelines, cost structures, and deployment models

• Review technical, security, and integration capabilities

3. Scope

The U.S. Department of State (DoS) is seeking a contractor to provide comprehensive services for the continued utilization of the Centralized Evaluation System (CES). This includes providing access to a FedRAMP authorized at the Moderate level SaaS platform powered by Qualtrics and delivering the necessary support services to plan, validate, deploy, integrate, configure, and maintain the platform to meet the Department’s enterprise-wide requirements.

The contractor will provide ongoing subject matter expert support services required to operate, maintain, and safeguard the CES, while also training Department of State staff on its effective use. The contractor will ensure the CES continues to meet the Department’s operational needs across its bureaus, while supporting future enhancements and innovations to align with evolving requirements and strategic goals.

The Centralized Evaluation System (CES) operated by the U.S. Department of State requires custom integrations with enterprise systems such as the Student Information System (SIS), Learning Management Systems (LMS), other HR Systems, and data visualization tools such as Power BI. These integrations are essential for seamless data exchange, automated workflows, and real-time insights to support the Department’s mission and strategic goals. The contractor must design, develop, and implement secure APIs and workflows that comply with FedRAMP standards and Department of State technical and security requirements, ensuring the CES remains a robust and interoperable enterprise-wide solution.

The Department is interested in solutions that provide:

• Enterprise-wide 360-degree feedback assessments, evaluating training and development programs, survey design, distribution, and management

• Advanced analytics and reporting capabilities

• Role-based access control and data segmentation

• Maintain Integration with existing enterprise systems

• Compliance with federal security and privacy requirements

4. Requested Information

Respondents are requested to provide yes/no answers to the following questions and include additional details where indicated.

4.1 Capability Availability

1. Does your company offer a commercial product or service that provides centralized survey and evaluation capabilities comparable to Qualtrics?

(Yes/No) o If yes, identify the product and describe core functionality.

2. Does your solution support enterprise-wide survey deployment across multiple bureaus or offices? (Yes/No) o If yes, describe administration and governance features.

3. Does your solution include advanced analytics (e.g., dashboards, reporting, sentiment analysis)? (Yes/No) o If yes, describe capabilities.

4. Does your solution support role-based access control? (Yes/No) o If yes, explain permission structures.

5. Can your solution integrate with external systems via API (e.g., CRM, HR, data warehouses)? (Yes/No) o If yes, describe integration methods.

4.2 Deployment & Implementation

6. Can your solution meet federal security requirements (FedRAMP authorization at the Moderate Level)? (Yes/No) o If yes, specify authorization level.

7. Is your solution available as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)? (Yes/No)

8. Can your solution be deployed in a government cloud or on-premises environment? (Yes/No)

9. Can your company implement a fully operational system within six (6) weeks? (Yes/No) o If no, provide estimated timeline and milestones.

10. Does implementation require customization? (Yes/No)

• If yes, describe level of effort.

4.3 Small Business Participation

11. Is your company a small business under the applicable NAICS code?

(Yes/No)

12. If not, do you partner with small businesses? (Yes/No)

• If yes, describe the structure.

13. Can a small business independently deliver a comparable solution?

(Yes/No)

• If yes, explain capabilities.

14. Can a small business independently deliver the Qualtrics product line? If yes, explain sourcing methods.

4.4 Alternatives & Differentiation

15. Does your solution provide capabilities equivalent to or exceeding Qualtrics? (Yes/No)

• If yes, describe key differentiators.

16. Are there alternative solutions (commercial or open-source) you recommend? (Yes/No)

• If yes, identify and describe.

4.5 Cost & Pricing

17. Is your solution available via subscription-based pricing? (Yes/No)

18. Can pricing be structured per user or per response? (Yes/No)

4.6 Scalability & Performance

19. Can your solution support large-scale distribution (1,000,000+ respondents)?

(Yes/No)

20. Does your solution provide up-time SLAs guarantees (e.g., 99.9% or higher)? (Yes/No)

4.7 Data Management & Security

21. Does your solution allow government ownership and portability of data?

(Yes/No)

22. Does your solution meet the Department’s security requirements? (Yes/No)

23. Can your solution meet federal privacy and records management requirements? (Yes/No)

4.8 Training & Support

24. Do you provide training and onboarding? (Yes/No)

25. Do you offer ongoing technical support and service level agreements (SLAs)? (Yes/No)

5. Vendor Capability Statement (Optional but Encouraged)

Respondents are encouraged to include:

• Overview of the company and solution

• Past performance information including relevant past examples

• Implementation approach and timeline

• Teaming or subcontracting strategy

• Small business participation strategy

6. Submission Instructions

• Responses shall be submitted electronically in PDF or Word format

• Maximum length: 15 pages (excluding cover page and vendor capability statement) with text no smaller than 12 point.

• Section 1 – Cover Letter: The cover letter shall be no more than two pages.

Font should be Times New Roman, 12-point or larger. All page margins (excluding headers and footers) should be 1 inch. The information contained in the cover letter at a minimum should include the following:

o Include company name, two points of contact and contact information (name, address, phone number, website URL, if available, email address, and fax number), Cage Code and UEI Number.

o List GSA schedule and/or GWACs or IDIQs with corresponding schedule number/contract number.

• Section 2 – Requested Information Details: The responses should be concise but include yes/no responses and additional details as requested above.

• Section 3 – Vendor Capability Statement (Optional). The Vendor Capability Statement shall be no longer than two pages. Font should be Times New Roman, 12-point or larger.

7. Response Due Date

Responses are requested no later than Monday, May 4, 2026 at 4:00 PM Eastern Time.

8. Disclaimer

This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes and does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a commitment by the U.S. Government to issue a solicitation or award a contract. The Government will not reimburse respondents for any costs associated with responding to this RFI.

9. Points of Contact

Primary: Guio Jacobs, Contracting Officer Email: Jacobsg@state.gov