ESBD_526065_1781195079428_PreReqs RFP 784-26-2682 Student Success and Mentoring Software.pdf

PreReqs RFP 784-26-2682- Student Success and Mentoring Software

Vendor Attestations: Vendor acknowledges that they have read the Prerequisites below.

1. Review Request for Proposal Name, Number and UHD Purchasing Contact A. Request for Proposal Name and Number: RFP 784-26-2682- Student Success and Mentoring Software B. University Contact: Any questions or concerns regarding this RFP shall be directed to Trenton Hernandez, Purchasing Coordinator II, hernandeztr@uhd.edu.

2. Review the Proposal Submittal Instructions.

The University will accept proposals by the Proposal Submittal Deadline as outlined in Section 5, with each proposal submitted in separate envelopes. Proposals will be opened on the specified due date and time. Please DO NOT use the U.S. Postal Service to submit your bid.

Each Proposal must be submitted as one (1) package with two (2) individually sealed envelopes inside. The proposal documents, attachments, execution of offer, and any other information must be included in one envelope with an electronic copy on USB. Two (2) copies of the proposal must be included. The completed Subcontracting Plan must be in the second envelope with a copy on USB. One (1) copy of the Subcontracting Plan must be included.

The proposal and all attachments supporting the proposal must reference “RFP 784-26-2682- Student Success and Mentoring Software.”

Proposal must be submitted and received in the University’s Purchasing Office on or before the time and date specified and delivered to:

University of Houston-Downtown

Purchasing Department Attn: Trenton Hernandez

One Main Street, Suite S970 Houston, TX 77002

Bid & RFP opportunities can be found at the following link: Electronic State Business Daily (ESBD). This portal includes reference documents related to bids.

3. Review the Intent and Background.

The University of Houston-Downtown (UHD) is soliciting proposals from qualified firms to provide a cloud-based mentoring and student success software platform that supports student engagement, belonging, persistence, retention, and overall student success initiatives.

The University seeks a comprehensive solution capable of facilitating mentoring relationships through automated matching, communication, reporting, assessment, and program management tools. The platform should support scalable mentoring programs designed to foster meaningful connections among students and provide support for a variety of student success initiatives. The desired solution should assist the University in creating and managing mentoring programs that promote student engagement, enhance student experience, and support institutional goals related to persistence, retention, and completion. The platform should utilize data-driven methodologies to connect participants based on shared interests, goals, experiences, availability, academic interests, career aspirations, and other relevant characteristics. Additionally, the University seeks a solution that reduces administrative burden through automation while providing robust reporting, analytics, and assessment capabilities to support data-informed decision making and continuous program improvement.

RESPONDENTS ARE CAUTIONED TO READ THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS RFP CAREFULLY AND TO SUBMIT A COMPLETE

RESPONSE TO ALL REQUIREMENTS AND QUESTIONS AS DIRECTED.

Any contract resulting from this RFP will become effective upon the latter of the effective date indicated in the contract or the date that all parties have signed the contract.

4. Term of the Contract Any contract resulting from this RFP will begin upon execution (targeting July 2026) and will have a term of three (3) years, with the option to renew two (2) additional one-year terms, for a maximum of Five (5) years. The University reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to change or modify the term of the contract within applicable guidelines.

5. Review Key Event Schedule.

Posting of RFP for public bidding (ESBD) 06/11/2026 Inquiries and Interpretations Deadline 06/16/2026 @ 3:00 PM CT Q and A addendum posting to ESBD 06/18/2026 @ 5:00 PM CT Proposal Submittal Deadline 06/30/2026 @ 3:00 PM CT

Note: The University reserves the right to change or extend any and all dates including the due date for proposals for any reason and at any time including after the due date for proposals.

The University will be closed in observance of the following holidays:

https://www.txsmartbuy.gov/esbd https://www.uhd.edu/hr/benefits/holidays.aspx

6. Review the State of Texas Subcontracting Plan Information Vendor affirms that a Subcontracting Plan is required and shall submit Subcontracting Plan with the proposal.

Failure to complete accurately and to submit the Subcontracting Plan will result in disqualification.

If you have any questions about completing the Subcontracting Plan, if required, please contact the VETHUB Coordinator via email at sanchezl@uhd.edu

7. Review the Preproposal Conference Information.

Not required for this solicitation.

8. Review the Inquiries and Interpretations.

Inquiries must be submitted by email and received no later than close of business per Inquiries and Interpretations Deadline listed in the Key Event Schedule. Responses to inquiries, which directly affect an interpretation or change to this RFP will be issued in writing by addendum (amendment) and posted to the Electronic State Business Daily https://www.txsmartbuy.gov/esbd. All such addenda issued by the University prior to the time that proposals are received shall be considered part of the RFP, and the Respondent shall be required to consider and acknowledge receipt of such in Respondent’s proposal.

Only those inquiries the University replies to which are made by formally written addenda shall be binding. Oral and other interpretations or clarification will be without legal effect. The Respondent must acknowledge all addenda by either signing or returning such document(s) or by letter. Such acknowledgment must be received prior to the hour and date specified for receipt of proposals or shall accompany the proposal. Owner prefers simple and economically produced Proposals describing the Respondent’s ability to meet the requirements of this RFP in a straightforward, concise manner. In evaluating Proposals, emphasis shall be on the quality, completeness, clarity of content, responsiveness to the requirements, and Respondent’s understanding and anticipating of the Owner’s needs.

NOTE: ALL ELECTRONIC DOCUMENTS MUST BE SUBMITTED IN PDF FORMAT & ATTACHED TO BID RESPONSE.

9. Standard Purchasing Agreement (SPA)

Vendor acknowledges that the Standard Purchasing Agreement (EXHIBIT B) is the University’s preferred form of Agreement for the sort of transaction contemplated in this RFP and is expected to be the primary Contract Document. Any requests to modify or revise the Standard Purchasing Agreement or use of another contract form must be reviewed and approved by UH System Legal Counsel and will delay the contracting process, and the University is under no obligation to accept such requests for modification or revision, or usage of other contract forms. Any request to modify or revise the Standard Purchasing Agreement or to use another contract form may be taken into consideration in reviewing the sufficiency of a Respondent’s bid. Furthermore, any request to modify or revise the Standard Purchasing Agreement or to use another contract form may at the University’s sole discretion lead to rejection or disqualification of the bid, if such revisions or modifications are unacceptable to the University, or if the other contract form is not used as a subordinate exhibit/corollary document to the Standard Purchasing Agreement or is otherwise unacceptable to the University.

10. Forms/Exhibits

EXHIBIT A- EXECUTION OF OFFER *REQUIRED*

EXHIBIT B - STANDARD PURCHASING AGREEMENT

EXHIBIT C - SUBCONTRACTING PLAN *REQUIRED*

11. TXRAMP & HECVAT

For applicable requirements, Vendor shall obtain TXRAMP Certification for cloud computing risks.

For applicable requirements that include Electronic Information Resources, vendor shall submit Voluntary Product Assessment Tool or Accessibility Conformance Report and HECVAT.

12. Review Evaluation Criteria

Evaluation Criteria Points Allowed

Criterion One: Platform Functionality and Features 20

Criterion Two: Implementation and Onboarding 20

Criterion Three: Evidence of Effectiveness 20

Criterion Four: Higher Education Experience and References 15

Criterion Five: Integration and Technical Compatibility 15

Criterion Six: Customer Service and Ongoing Support 5

Criterion Seven: Pricing 5 https://www.uhd.edu/hr/benefits/holidays.aspx https://www.txsmartbuy.gov/esbd

Total 100

Evaluation Criteria Breakdown

Criterion One: Platform Functionality and Features

• Ability to support mentoring and student success initiatives through automated matching, participant engagement, and communication tools.

• Reporting, analytics, and assessment capabilities that support program administration and data-informed decision making.

• Mobile Accessibility and overall user experience.

Criterion Two: Implementation and Onboarding

• Quality and feasibility of the proposed implementation approach, project management plan, and timeline.

• Training and onboarding resources for administrators, mentors, and mentees.

Criterion Three: Evidence of Effectiveness

• Demonstrated success in improving student retention, persistence, and student success outcomes.

• Evidence of increased student engagement, participation, and sense of belonging, supported by performance data, case studies, or outcome measurements.

Criterion Four: Higher Education Experience and References

• Minimum of five years experience providing mentoring, student success, retention, engagement, or related software solutions to higher education institutions.

• Quality of institutional references.

Criterion Five: Integration and Technical Compatibility

• Ability to integrate with Slate CRM, student information systems (SIS), and other applicable University technologies.

• Technical infrastructure, system reliability, and support capabilities.

• Compliance with FERPA and demonstrated data privacy and security protections.

Criterion Six: Customer Service and Ongoing Support

• Quality and responsiveness of customer service, technical support, and account management

• Availability of ongoing maintenance, platform enhancements, and continuous improvement updates

Criterion Seven: Pricing

• Pricing is competitive compared to similar service providers and represents fair value.

• Clarity, completeness, and reasonableness of the proposed pricing structure

13. Description of Services - General Requirements

The University seeks a cloud-based mentoring and student success software platform designed to support student engagement, belonging, persistence, retention, and overall student success initiatives.

The successful proposer shall provide all software, implementation services, training, maintenance, support, and other resources necessary to deliver a fully operational solution. At a minimum, the proposed platform should:

• Support the administration of mentoring and student success programs, including peer-to-peer mentoring and programs serving specialized student populations.

• Provide automated mentor and mentee matching capabilities utilizing configurable criteria such as interests, goals, experiences, academic interests, career aspirations, and other relevant participant attributes.

• Facilitate participant communication, engagement, and relationship development through integrated communication and engagement tools.

• Provide reporting, analytics, assessment, and data export capabilities to support program evaluation and data-informed decision making.

• Be delivered as a secure, cloud-based Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution accessible through web and mobile platforms.

• Support integration with university systems, including Slate CRM and other applicable institutional systems.

• Comply with FERPA and applicable privacy, security, and data protection requirements.

• Include implementation, onboarding, training, account management, maintenance, and ongoing technical support services.

• Demonstrate a minimum of five (5) years of experience providing similar mentoring, student engagement, student success, or related software solutions to higher education institutions.

14. General Information Questionnaire

Please answer the following questions as a part of your proposal response. Type the question before your answer. In answering a question, you may refer to other sections or exhibits of your proposal by reference to the page where the information may be found. If the answer to one question appears in the answer to another, you may refer to your other answer. Answers should be sufficiently detailed to make any further inquiries unnecessary by the University.

Failure to respond completely to any of these questions may result in the entire proposal being rejected.

RESPONDENT QUESTIONNAIRE

Respondents are requested to submit a complete response to each of the below-listed items. Responses requiring additional space should be brief and submitted as an attachment to your proposal package. Please reference each response by its item number indicated below.

Company Profile

1. Legal name of the company:

Address of office that would be providing service:

Number of years in Business:

Type of Operation (i.e., Individual, Partnership, and Corporation):

Number of Employees:

Annual Sales Volume:

2. A Statement that you will provide a copy of your company's financial statements for the past two (2) years if requested by the

University.

3. Provide a Financial rating of your company and any documentation (such as a Dunn and Bradstreet analysis), which indicates the financial stability of your company.

4. State whether your company is currently for sale or involved in any transaction to expand or to become acquired by another business entity. If so, please explain the impact both in organizational and directional terms.

5. Provide any details of all past or pending litigation or claims filed against your company that would affect your company's performance under a Contract with the University.

6. Is your company currently in default on any loan agreement or financing agreement with any bank, financial institution, or other entity? If yes, specify the date(s), details, circumstances, and prospects for resolution.

7. Provide a customer reference list of no less than three (3) organizations, including higher education, with which your company currently has contracts with and/or has previously provided the goods/services of equal type and scope within the past five (5) years.

Reference list to include, company name, contact person, and telephone number, contract description, length of business relationship and any special requirements.

8. Does any relationship exist whether, by a relative, business associate, capital funding agreement or any other such kinship exist between your company and any University employee? If yes, please explain.

9. Please complete and attach your Cost and Delivery Proposal.

10. Please complete and attach the proposal responses.

11. Please complete and attach all mandatory forms.

12. Please complete and attach any applicable non-mandatory forms.

Transition to Contract

13. Provide a statement of the transition requirements to implement the contract, any unique benefits, and other considerations. Briefly address the requirements, objectives, and activities in Scope of Work.

14. Provide an estimate of the earliest start date following the execution of a contract.

15. Submit a work plan with key dates and milestones. Your response should include:

a. Identification of tasks to be performed and/or equipment to be provided

b. Time frames to perform the identified tasks.

c. List any compliance requirements and strategies for federal, state, and local government regulations, insurance requirements including worker’s compensation, licenses, and permits, if any and any other regulations as appropriate.

16. Describe the strategy and controls that will be utilized to assure products and services provided, pricing and terms, project timeline, maintenance support, and training. Include samples of reports and documents if appropriate.

17. What difficulties do you anticipate in serving the University and how do you plan to manage these? What assistance will you require from the University?

18. Describe your company's quality assurance program, what are your company’s requirements, and how are they measured?