ESBD_573899_1793830959375_TEAM Technical Assessment RFP 3815-final (1).pdf

RFP No. 3815 NIGP Code 918

Texas Election Administration Management (TEAM) System Independent Technical Assessment

Request for Proposal (RFP)

RFP Closing Date: November 23, 2026 RFP Closing time: 5:00 p.m. (CST)

THE OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE

Division of Administration

Table of Contents

SECTION ONE

1.0 DEFINITIONS

1.1 INTRODUCTION

1.2 PURPOSE

1.3 CONTRACT TERM

1.4 SCOPE OF SERVICES

SECTION TWO

2.1 STANDARD PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS FOR SUBMISSION

2.2 PROCUREMENT SCHEDULE

2.3 EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS

2.4 EVALUATION CRITERIA

2.5 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING THE CONTENT

2.6 RECEIPT OF OFFERS

2.7 SUBMITTAL OF PROPOSALS TO AGENCY

2.8 RESPONSE CHECKLIST

2.9 SOS PURCHASING DEPARTMENT

2.10 QUESTIONS PRIOR TO DUE DATE AND REQUESTS FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION . 22

2.11 STATE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR PREPARATION COSTS

SECTION THREE

3.0 CERTAIN CONTRACTUAL REQUIREMENTS AND GENERAL PROVISIONS

3.1 CONTRACTOR’S PROPOSAL

3.2 CHANGES IN SPECIFICATIONS

3.3 SPECIFICATIONS FOR EACH CONFERENCE AND APPROVAL BY SOS

3.4 EXPENDITURE APPROVAL BY SOS

3.5 PAYMENT

3.6 PRICE ADJUSTMENTS

3.7 INSURANCE

3.8 TRAVEL EXPENSES

3.9 ACCEPTANCE OF FUNDS

3.10 INDEPENDENT AUDITING STANDARDS AND CONFLICT OF INTERESTS

3.11 TERMINATION

3.12 FUNDING OUT

3.13 PARTIALLY COMPLETED WORK

3.14 TAXES

3.15 IMMIGRATION/U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY’S E-VERIFY SYSTEM

3.16 TERRORISM AND EXCLUDED PARTIES

3.17 ORDER OF PRECEDENCE

3.18 1 T.A.C. CHAPTER 202 INFORMATION SECURITY STANDARDS

3.19 1 T.A.C. CHAPTER 206 STATE WEBSITES

3.20 1 T.A.C. CHAPTER 213 ELECTRONIC AND INFORMATION RESOURCES

3.21 PERFORMANCE MONITORING

3.22 PERFORMANCE MEASURES AND ASSOCIATED REMEDIES

APPENDICES

APPENDIX A: EXECUTION OF OFFER, AFFIRMATION OF TERMS, PROPROSAL PREFERENCES

APPENDIX B: CONFLICT OF INTEREST DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

APPENDIX C: SAMPLE COVER SHEET

Appendix D:SOS NON-DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT

Appendix E: SOS PROHIBITED TECHNOLOGIES POLICY

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SECTION ONE

1.0 DEFINITIONS

As used in this Request for Proposal and its attachments, the following terms have the following meanings:

A. Amendment means the Contract as revised in any respect by the mutual written agreement of SOS and Contractor, and includes (without limitation) both the original Contract and any subsequent amendments or modifications thereto and purchase order change notices.

B. ADA compliant means the Americans with Disabilities Act Standards for Accessible Design.

C. Bidder or Respondent or Offeror means an entity or individual that submits a response to this Request for Proposal. These terms also include anyone acting on behalf of the entity or individual that submits a response, such as an agent, employee, or representative.

D. Business Day means a Calendar Day that is not a state holiday or weekend day, at any time before 11:59 PM (CT). State holidays are identified in a list available on the Comptroller’s website, https://comptroller.texas.gov/about/holidays.php.

E. Calendar means, as to Calendar Year, each day in a year from January 1 until December 31, and, as to Calendar Day, a day in a particular Calendar Year, regardless of whether that day is a state holiday (as identified in a list available on the Comptroller’s website, https://comptroller.texas.gov/about/holidays.php) or weekend day, at any time before 11:59 PM

(CT).

F. Client means the Office of the Texas Secretary of State.

G. Contract means Signed Contract (or Notice of Award); Attachments to the Contract (or Notice of Award); signed Purchase Order, as modified by any properly executed Purchase Order Change Notices; Attachments to the signed Purchase Order, as modified by any properly executed Purchase Order Change Notices; Execution of Offer, Affirmation of Terms and Conditions, and Proposal Preferences; Request for Proposal; Attachments, Appendices and Schedules to Request for Proposal not including the Execution of Offer, Affirmation of Terms and Conditions, and Proposal Preferences; extensions of or to the standard contract form if agreed to by SOS in writing; and Contractor’s response, in whole or in part, to the Request for Proposal, if incorporated into the Contract pursuant to the Execution of Offer, Affirmation of Terms and Conditions, and Proposal Preferences.

H. Contract Project means the purpose intended to be achieved through the Contract (including any Amendments) as described therein and in this Request for Proposal.

I. Contractor or Vendor means, in addition to the proposed contractor, the party or parties to any Contract (including any Amendments) arising out of this Request for Proposal other than SOS, including its or their officers, directors, employees, agents, representatives, consultants, and subcontractors, and subcontractors’ officers, directors, employees, agents, representatives, and consultants.

J. Contractor Derivative Works means Contractor Underlying Works (as herein defined) and all Derivative Works thereof that do not contain Work Product (as herein defined).

https://comptroller.texas.gov/about/holidays.php https://comptroller.texas.gov/about/holidays.php

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K. Contractor Underlying Works means those Underlying Works (as herein defined) conceived, invented, created, or acquired by Contractor, rather than by a Third Party (as herein defined).

L. Deliverables means those items and materials, including Documentation (as herein defined), reports, templates, and services, provided, prepared, and delivered in the course of performance of the Contract (including any Amendments) by Contractor. The services or goods specified in this RFP and any resulting Contract, that the Contractor shall perform or deliver to the SOS for acceptance.

M. Derivative Works means a revision, modification, translation, abridgement, compilation, condensation, or expansion of the applicable underlying work or any other form in which work that may be recast, transformed, or adopted, and which, if prepared without the consent of the copyright owner, would be a copyright infringement.

N. Documentation means all materials and media created by Contractor for use under the Contract (including any Amendments), including any updates and revisions as and when created.

O. Electronic State Business Daily (ESBD) means the electronic online directory, administered by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, Statewide Procurement Division (SPD), for publishing procurement opportunities which exceed $25,000 in total estimated value and for providing public notice of contract awards. The ESBD may be accessed through the CPA web site at https://www.txsmartbuy.com/esbd.

P. Intellectual Property Rights means the worldwide legal rights or interests evidenced by or embodied in: (i) any idea, design, concept, personality right, method, process, technique, apparatus, invention, discovery, or improvement, including any patents, trade secrets, and know-how; (ii) any work of authorship, including, for example, any copyrights, moral rights, or neighboring rights; (iii) any trademark, service mark, trade dress, trade name, or other indicia of source or origin; (iv) domain name registrations; and (v) any other proprietary or similar rights. The Intellectual Property Rights of a party include all worldwide legal rights or interests that the party may have acquired by assignment or license with or without the right to grant sublicenses.

Q. Project Manager means the respective person(s) representing SOS or Contractor, as indicated in the Contract (including any Amendments), for the purposes of administering the Contract Project.

R. Protected Data means all data that is protected by a state or federal privacy law, including but not limited to personally identifiable information (PII), personal health information (PHI), and payment card industry (PCI) data.

S. Response(s) or Offer means all information and materials submitted in response to this Request for Proposal. Such a response may also be referred to in this RFP as Bid or Bid Response.

T. RFP means this Request for Proposal.

U. Security Breach means any incident that resulted in the unauthorized access to, systems, software, data, or network devices.

V. Security Incident means an unauthorized use, exposure, access, disclosure, compromise, modification, or loss of sensitive data or TXSOS Confidential Information or any breach, denial of service attack and/or inaccessible data due to ransomware or other type of malware.

https://www.txsmartbuy.com/esbd

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W. Security Vulnerability means weakness in a system, software, or hardware that could be exploited and create a security incident.

X. Services means all the services, functions, creation of Deliverables, Work Products (as herein defined), and any other activities necessary as performed by the Contractor in the fulfillment of its obligations to SOS (as herein defined) under the Contract (including any Amendments).

Y. SOS means the Office of the Texas Secretary of State.

Z. Third Party means a person or entity other than SOS or Contractor.

AA. Third Party Works means all Underlying Works and all Derivative Works thereof that are created, invented, conceived, and fixed in a tangible medium of expression by a Third Party.

BB. Underlying Works means all works of authorship fixed in any tangible medium of expression that (i) had already been conceived, invented, created, or acquired by Contractor or a Third Party prior to the Effective Date of the Contract (including any Amendments) and that were not conceived, invented or created for SOS’s use or benefit in connection with the Contract (including any Amendments); or (ii) are conceived, invented, created, or acquired by Contractor or a Third Party after the effective date, but only to the extent such works of authorship do not constitute Work Product. An Underlying Work includes all intermediate and partial versions thereof, as well as documentation, formulae, processes, algorithms, designs, specifications, inventions, discoveries, concepts, improvements, materials, program materials, software, flow charts, notes, outlines, lists, compilations, manuscripts, writings, pictorial materials, manuals, instructions, printed material, graphics, artwork, images, illustrations, photographs, computer programs, computer software, scripts, object code, source code or other programming code, HTML code, flow charts, schematics, data, information, multimedia files, text web pages or websites, other written or machine readable expression of such works fixed in any tangible media, all other copyrightable works, apparatus, methods, techniques, other creations, and the like, whether or not patented or patentable or otherwise protectable by law.

CC. Work Product means any and all Deliverables developed, produced, or generated in connection with this Contract (including any Amendments), including any and all tangible or intangible items or things (including, without limitation, computer programs) and all intermediate and partial versions thereof, that have been or will be prepared, created, developed, invented, or conceived at any time following the effective date of the Contract (including any Amendments), including but not limited to: (a) any (i) works of authorship (such as, for example, all documentation, formulae, processes, algorithms, designs, specifications, inventions, discoveries, concepts, improvements, materials, program materials, software, flow charts, notes, outlines, lists, compilations, manuscripts, writings, pictorial materials, manuals, instructions, printed material, graphics, artwork, images, illustrations, photographs, computer programs, computer software, scripts, object code, source code or other programming code, HTML code, flow charts, schematics, data, information, multimedia files, text web pages or websites, other written or machine readable expression of such works fixed in any tangible media, all other copyrightable works, apparatus, methods, techniques, other creations, and the like, whether or not patented or patentable or otherwise protectable by law, (ii) trademarks, service marks, trade dress, trade names, logos, or other indicia of source or origin, (iii) ideas, designs, concepts, personality rights, methods, processes, techniques, apparatuses, inventions, formulas, discoveries, or improvements, including any patents, trade secrets and know-how, (iv) domain names, (v) any copies and similar or derivative works to any of the foregoing, (vi) all documentation and materials related to any of the foregoing, (vii) all other goods, services, or deliverables to be provided to SOS under the Contract (including any Amendments) or a statement

4 | P a g e of work, and (viii) all Intellectual Property Rights in any of the foregoing; (b) which are or were created, prepared, developed, invented, or conceived for the use or benefit of SOS in connection with any Contract (including any Amendments) arising out of this RFP (including any statement of work), or with funds appropriated by or for SOS or SOS’s benefit, (i) by any Contractor (including, but not limited to Subcontractors) personnel or SOS personnel (where “personnel” includes employees, contractors, agents, and the like; and/or (ii) any person who was an employee of SOS and then became personnel to Contractor (including, but not limited to, any of its affiliates or subcontractors), where, although creation or reduction-to-practice is completed while the person is affiliated with Contractor or its personnel, any portion of same was created, invented, or conceived by such person while affiliated with SOS.

1.1 INTRODUCTION

Executive Summary

This Request for Proposal (RFP) establishes the requirements for a six-week, independent assessment of the Office of the Texas Secretary of State’s (SOS) Texas Election Administration Management (TEAM) system modernization project. The engagement must evaluate the technical architecture, code quality, infrastructure performance, database design, alignment with statutory requirements, key partner experience, and the feasibility of remediation. The final deliverables must provide SOS leadership with an evidence-based determination of whether the system can be remediated within six months or whether an alternative path is required. Additionally, the assessment must deliver a prioritized list of critical fixes and associated remediation strategies designed to achieve a statutorily compliant system in advance of the applicable November election.

1.2 PURPOSE AND BACKGROUND

The SOS has identified critical areas of concern with its election management system modernization project.

The update to the Texas Election Administration Management (TEAM) system is a “lift-and-shift” project that replaces the existing system rather than updating the legacy system. The new system initially encountered significant performance degradation under operational load. Though scalability and system performance has been addressed, statutorily required functions have not met performance expectations.

These continued areas of concern pose a direct risk to election officials’ ability to meet its legal obligations for statewide election administration in an efficient manner.

The SOS requires an independent, time-bound technical and operational assessment of the existing system to be conducted. The assessment should evaluate the system architecture, codebase quality, infrastructure configuration, database design, operational performance, and alignment with statutory requirements. The engagement must culminate with a prioritized list of critical fixes and associated remediation strategies and a determination of whether the system can be remediated within six months or whether an alternative path is indicated.

1.3 CONTRACT TERM

A. The Contract shall commence upon the issuance of a Notice of Award by the SOS and end at 11:59 PM (CT) on August 31, 2027. The Contract may be renewed as needed, and each renewal may not exceed an additional one (1) year for up to three (3) optional years. These renewals, if exercised, will require the Contractor to continue performing services in accordance with the Contract requirements and all terms and conditions. The Contract may be amended as needed in writing signed by both SOS and Contractor.

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The complete contract governing the procurement will consist of the provisions in this RFP, including all attachments, the Respondent’s proposal, and the notice of award, including any addenda issued by the SOS, as indicated in Section 3.17 Order of Precedence. The provisions of this RFP and those of the notice of award shall control in the case of any conflict with any of the provisions in the Respondent’s proposal, except as otherwise noted in the notice of award.

Respondents shall provide, with their proposal, any proposed agreements the Respondent intends to be part of the contract award. The SOS may agree to, amend, or reject all or any part of such agreements if doing so would be in the State’s or the SOS’s best interest.

This Contract is contingent upon the continued availability of funding. If funds become unavailable through lack of appropriations, legislative budget cuts, amendment of the Appropriations Act, or any other disruption of current appropriations, the termination provisions in the Contract shall apply.

B. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The period of performance in which the Respondent shall conduct and complete the work associated with this RFP is six (6) weeks. The SOS may elect to extend this engagement beyond the initial six-week assessment period, as described in the Section Option to Extend. The decision to extend is at sole discretion of the SOS.

THE SOS WILL NOT SIGN FORM CONTRACTS. THE SOS WILL NOT BE BOUND BY ANY

VENDOR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY.

1.4 SCOPE OF SERVICES

1.4.1 Included in Scope of Services:

1. Architecture review—evaluation of system design, component relationships, integration points, data flows, and scalability characteristics.

2. Code review—targeted assessment of critical subsystems, code quality, technical debt, and adherence to modern development practices, using a risk-based sampling approach scoped to what is achievable within the engagement period.

3. Infrastructure and performance analysis—review of hosting environment, resource allocation, monitoring, observed performance characteristics under load, and available performance evidence, including bottlenecks that can be identified within the engagement period without conducting a formal load test unless separately authorized.

4. Database assessment—schema design and normalization, physical characteristics, query performance, indexing strategy, data integrity, and migration/upgrade paths.

5. Requirements gap analysis—mapping of statutory voter registration requirements to implemented system functionality, identifying gaps and non-conformances.

6. Key partner interviews—structured interviews with state program staff, vendor development team, and local election officials to understand requirements, workflows, and pain points. Local office interviews must include large, medium, and small jurisdictions, based on voter registration population, to ensure a diversity of operational perspectives.

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7. A prioritized list of critical fixes and associated remediation strategies.

8. Salvageability determination—explicit recommendation on whether the system can be remediated within six months, with supporting evidence and risk factors.

Excluded in Scope of Services:

1. Penetration testing or formal security audit (may be recommended as follow-on work).

2. Implementation of recommendations or remediation work.

3. Procurement recommendations for replacement systems.

4. Legal review of vendor contract terms.

5. Detailed assessment of integrated systems outside the voter registration system boundary (e.g., Department of Public Safety and Health and Human Services) is excluded, except to the extent necessary to understand interfaces, data flows, dependencies, and risks affecting the voter registration system.

1.4.2 Team and Staffing

The engagement team should consist of full-time professionals, including the following roles, for the duration of the assessment:

Role Focus Area Responsibilities

Senior Solutions Architect

Architecture, code, infrastructure.

System architecture evaluation, code review, infrastructure analysis, technical findings synthesis, remediation feasibility assessment.

Senior Solutions Architect

Database, performance, integration.

Database assessment, performance profiling, integration point analysis, data flow mapping, and identification of technical debt indicators relevant to remediation feasibility.

Election Administration Expert

Statutory requirements, process expertise.

Requirements gap analysis, state-level stakeholder interviews, statutory compliance mapping, election process evaluation.

Election Administration Expert

Local office workflows, user experience.

Local election office interviews (in-person and virtual), end-user workflow assessment, field observations, usability findings.

All team members are required to hold relevant professional experience equivalent to the assessment domain.

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1.4.3 Decision Criteria

The assessment must evaluate technical environment using evidence across five criteria: statutory compliance, operational performance under realistic workloads, architectural and codebase maintainability, data integrity and migration risk, and the feasibility of completing priority remediation within six months. The final recommendation must identify the evidence supporting the determination, the principal risks to that determination, and any dependencies that must be satisfied for remediation to proceed.

1.4.4 Work Breakdown

Phase 1: Information Gathering and Technical Assessment (Weeks 0-3)

Week 0: Pre-Assessment Planning and Readiness

Task Team Members Description

Objectives and Scope Alignment

All; SOS leadership and project lead.

Confirm assessment objectives, scope, deliverables, exclusions, success criteria, and the evidence needed to support the final recommendations.

Decision Criteria and Timeline Confirmation

All; SOS leadership and program representatives.

Confirm the five assessment criteria, six-month remediation feasibility requirements, applicable statutory obligations, and the November election deadline.

Document and Evidence Collection

All; SOS-designated point of contact.

Request and collect available system documentation, source code, architecture diagrams, requirements, database documentation, performance records, defect logs, and vendor deliverables.

System Access and Security Coordination

Technical leads;

SOS IT and security representatives.

Identify and initiate required access to source code repositories, infrastructure, databases, monitoring tools, and CI/CD pipelines, including applicable security and confidentiality requirements.

Stakeholder Interviews and Logistics

Election administration experts; SOS-designated point of contact.

Identify stakeholders and schedule interviews with SOS personnel, vendor representatives, and local election officials from large, medium, and small jurisdictions. Confirm on-site arrangements.

Work Plan and Readiness Review

All; assessment lead and SOS-designated point of contact.

Finalize the assessment schedule, team responsibilities, communications and escalation procedures, evidence management approach, and initial risk register. Identify outstanding blockers and assign mitigation actions.

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Assessment objectives and scope are confirmed, essential documentation has been requested, required access is initiated, stakeholder interviews are scheduled, and the assessment work plan and communication protocols are established. Any unresolved blockers must have documented owners and mitigation plans before the formal assessment begins.

Week 1: Kickoff and Document Intake

Task Team Members Description

Project kickoff All Align on objectives, confirm access requirements, establish communication cadence.

Document intake and review All

Review existing system documentation, requirements specifications, architecture diagrams, vendor deliverables, and relevant statutes.

Access provisioning Technical leads

Obtain access to source code repositories, infrastructure environments, databases, monitoring tools, and CI/CD pipelines.

Interview scheduling Election experts Coordinate SOS stakeholder, vendor, and local office interview schedules.

Week 2: On-Site Technical Assessment and State Interviews

Task Team Members Description

Architecture walkthrough All Vendor-guided system architecture walkthrough;

component inventory; integration mapping.

Code review Technical Targeted code review of critical subsystems identified during architecture walkthrough.

Infrastructure inspection Technical Review hosting environment, resource utilization, monitoring, alerting, deployment pipeline.

Database analysis Technical Schema review, query performance analysis, indexing assessment, data volume projections.

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SOS stakeholder interviews Election experts Interviews with program sponsors, project managers, IT staff, and business owners.

Vendor interviews All Interviews with vendor development team, requirements/BA team, and project management.

Week 3: Local Election Office Engagement

Task Team Members Description

In-person local office visits Election experts

On-site visits to 2–3 local election offices to observe workflows, document pain points, and assess system usability in operational context.

Virtual local office interviews Election experts

Structured interviews with 8–10 additional local election offices representing diverse jurisdiction sizes and configurations.

Performance profiling Technical

Load characterization, bottleneck identification, resource consumption analysis under realistic workloads.

Integration testing review Technical

Assessment of integration points with external systems (e.g., DMV, USPS), limited to interface design, data exchange behavior, dependency risks, and available evidence from existing testing materials.

Third-party vendor interviews

Local vendor representatives;

Election experts

Structured interviews with local election vendor representatives to include third-party voter registration vendors and ePollbook vendor representatives.

Phase 2: Analysis and Recommendations (Weeks 4-5)

Week 4: Synthesis and Drafting

Task Team Members Description

Findings synthesis All Consolidate technical findings, interview results, and field observations into unified analysis.

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Gap analysis All Map statutory requirements to system capabilities;

categorize gaps by severity and remediation complexity.

Salvageability assessment All Evaluate technical debt, architectural constraints, and timeline feasibility for six-month remediation.

Draft report development All Develop draft assessment report with findings, evidence, and preliminary recommendations.

Week 5: Finalization and Delivery

Task Team Members Description

Recommendation development All

Finalize remediation recommendations or alternative-path recommendations, including a prioritized roadmap, key dependencies, principal risks, and recommended next decisions for SOS leadership.

Executive presentation development All

Develop presentation summarizing findings, risk assessment, and recommendations for executive audience.

Internal review and QA All Cross-team review of all deliverables for accuracy, completeness, and consistency.

Final delivery All Deliver final report and present findings to SOS leadership.

1.4.5 Deliverables and Acceptance

Deliverables

The Final Assessment Report must include an executive summary, assessment methodology, findings by assessment area, a statutory requirement gap analysis, key themes from partner interviews, performance and infrastructure observations, database and integration findings, a risk register, prioritized remediation or alternative-path recommendations and, if necessary, a salvageability determination. The Executive Presentation must summarize these findings for leadership decision-making and highlight the recommended path, supporting evidence, key risks, and near-term action.

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# Deliverable Format Due

1 Final Assessment Report PDF/DOCX End of Week 6

2 Executive Presentation PDF/PPTX End of Week 6

The project team must maintain a weekly status cadence with the SOS-designated point of contact.

Status updates must summarize completed activities, upcoming activities, access or scheduling blockers, decisions needed from SOS, and risks to the six-week timeline. Urgent blockers that could affect the assessment schedule or deliverable quality must be escalated promptly outside the regular cadence.

Acceptance Process

1. The SOS shall have ten (10) business days from receipt to review each deliverable.

2. The SOS shall provide written acceptance or written identification of deficiencies within the review period.

3. If deficiencies are identified by SOS, the assessment team shall have five (5) business days to submit a revised deliverable. Once the revised deliverable is submitted, SOS shall have five (5) business days to accept the revised deliverable.

4. Failure to respond within the review period constitutes acceptance by SOS. The parties may agree to an extension, as necessary. Any extensions shall be agreed upon by the parties and approved in writing.

1.4.6 Timeline

Week Phase Primary Activities

1 Information Gathering Kickoff, document intake, access provisioning, interview scheduling.

2 Information Gathering On-site technical assessment (full team), SOS stakeholder interviews, vendor interviews.

3 Information Gathering Local election office visits (in-person and virtual), performance profiling, integration review.

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4 Analysis & Recommendations

Findings synthesis, gap analysis, salvageability assessment, draft report.

5 Analysis & Recommendations

Recommendation finalization, executive presentation, internal QA, final delivery.

Total engagement period: Six (6) weeks from kickoff date. Scheduling modifications may be made with the agreement of both parties, and approved in writing.

1.4.7 Travel Requirements

Travel and expenses (T&E) should be estimated and included in the response to this Request for Proposal (RFP).

1.4.8 Terms and Assumptions

SOS Responsibilities

The SOS will provide the following within five (5) business days after contract execution.

1. Facilitation of access to source code repositories (read-only).

2. Access to non-production infrastructure environments (staging, QA, or equivalent).

3. Access to database environments (read-only production replica or equivalent).

4. Access to performance monitoring (read-only production), logging, and CI/CD tools.

5. Existing system documentation, requirements specifications, and architecture diagrams.

6. Availability of SOS personnel for scheduled interviews.

7. Availability of vendor personnel for scheduled interviews (SOS to coordinate).

8. Physical workspace for on-site assessment activities.

9. Points of contact for local election offices willing to participate in interviews.

Assumptions

1. The assessment will be conducted with the minimum necessary access to complete the work. To the extent practical, the SOS will provide non-production environments, masked or representative data, or read-only replicas for technical review. Access to production data or personally identifiable voter information, if required, will be governed by SOS-approved access controls and applicable confidentiality and data-handling requirements.

2. The SOS will facilitate vendor cooperation for interviews and technical walkthroughs.

3. Local election office participation in interviews is voluntary and will be coordinated by the SOS.

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4. Confidentiality and data handling requirements are governed by a separate Non-Disclosure Agreement executed by all involved parties prior to engagement start.

5. Assessment team members may work remotely when not conducting on-site activities.

6. The SOS will designate a single point of contact for day-to-day coordination.

1.4.9 Change Control

Any changes to scope, timeline, or staffing require written agreement from both parties. Any material changes, including cost must be agreed up and approved in writing through a contract amendment prior to execution.

1.4.10 Option to Extend

The SOS may elect to extend this engagement beyond the initial six-week assessment period. The decision to extend is at sole discretion of the SOS. Extension scope may include remediation oversight, implementation support, vendor management assistance, or additional assessment activities. Extension terms, scope, staffing, schedule, and pricing shall be negotiated and agreed upon in writing through a contract amendment before extension work begins.

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SECTION TWO

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS AND STANDARD PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS

2.1 STANDARD PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS FOR SUBMISSION

The sole point of contact for all inquiries or any requests for additional information concerning this RFP is SOS’s Purchasing Department. All correspondence regarding this RFP must be submitted to SOS’s Purchasing Department by email at SPurchasing@sos.texas.gov and the subject line must reference “RFP #3815” and Description of “Texas Election Administration Management (TEAM) System Independent Technical Assessment.”

Proposals that address only part of the requirements contained in this RFP may be considered non-responsive. SOS reserves the right to reject any and all proposals and to negotiate portions thereof. The selected proposal may not necessarily be funded for the amounts indicated in any advertised scenario. The budget submitted by the Contractor is subject to negotiation by the SOS. The SOS reserves the right to select the proposal containing the best value to the State of Texas considering the outcomes desired as described herein. The Contractor shall furnish such additional information that SOS may reasonably require. SOS may, in order to obtain an acceptable definitive contract with the selected Contractor, modify the terms of this RFP through negotiations with respect to such definitive contract before the execution of such contract on terms that are mutually agreeable to both SOS and the selected Contractor.

Responses to this RFP shall include all information as requested in this RFP. Each Contractor is responsible for its own thorough understanding of the RFP, including all attachments related thereto. In addition, each Contractor is solely responsible for its response and all documentation submitted.

Contractors are cautioned to pay particular attention to the clarity and completeness of their response. The clarity and completeness of a response will be considered by SOS. Any terms and conditions attached to a solicitation will not be considered unless specifically referred to in this solicitation and may result in disqualification.

Listed below is a summary of all information to be included in a proposal submitted in response to this RFP. The SOS reserves the right, in its sole judgment and discretion, to waive minor technicalities and errors in the best interest of the state:

A. Execution of Proposal

Respondent’s signature signed by an authorized representative is required to acknowledge that they can meet all requirements as stated in the RFP. Failure to sign and submit this form with the proposal may disqualify the proposal.

B. Transmittal Letter

The Respondent’s transmittal letter should contain a brief summary of key qualifications and the approach to achieving the required services. The transmittal letter should contain the point of contact information. It should state if any exceptions are being taken and that the proposal will remain in effect for one hundred and twenty (120) calendar days after the response deadline.

C. Pricing

Respondents may provide pricing information in either PDF, Excel, or Word format.

mailto:SPurchasing@sos.texas.gov

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Proposal pricing must provide comprehensive cost proposal.

1. One-Time Costs

2. Ongoing Costs:

3. Cost Drivers

4. Provide a total proposed contract amount.

The SOS reserves the right to negotiate all pricing prior to the award of the contract.

D. Proprietary Information

If any material in the proposal is marked to be considered as proprietary information, include a separate page that indicates the proposal section(s) and page(s) so marked. Any marking of information as proprietary or confidential must be completed in accordance with RFP Appendix A, Paragraph 74, Public Information Act Disclosures.

E. Assumptions and Exceptions

Respondents shall clearly state any assumptions made in their proposal. Respondents shall also identify any exceptions taken to specific provisions of this RFP, noting the specific RFP section number and the Contractor’s proposed alternative. A Contractor cannot take a “blanket exception” to the entire solicitation. If there are no exceptions, respondents must explicitly state that the respondent takes no exception to any part of this RFP. Any exception may result in the contract not being awarded to the Respondent. The Contractor’s proposed alternative must also be provided in its response.

F. Corporate Profile and Experience

Demonstration of successful track record of projects of similar scope and subject matter.

G. Technical and Operational Plan

Detailed breakdown of how the Respondent will meet the exact requirements in the Scope of Work for the review, evaluation, and assessment of the SOS Texas Election Administration Management (TEAM) system, including (1) the system architecture, codebase quality, infrastructure configuration, database design, operational performance, and alignment with statutory requirements; (2) a prioritized list of critical fixes and associated remediation strategies and (3) recommendations-a determination of whether the system can be remediated within six months or whether an alternative path is indicated.

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2.2 PROCUREMENT SCHEDULE

Solicitation Posted to ESBD November 4, 2026

Deadline for Questions from Contractors due to SOS Purchasing

November 12, 2026

SOS Responses to Questions from Contractors – Addendum Posted to ESBD

November 19, 2026

Deadline for Submission of Proposals November 23, 2026

5:00 pm (CT)

Anticipated Contract Start Date December 14, 2026

The Procurement Schedule dates of this RFP are tentative. The SOS reserves the right to modify these dates at any time as conditions require. Any events listed in the Procurement Schedule after the Response Deadline will occur at the discretion of the SOS.

Responses must be received by the SOS prior to the Response Deadline as indicated in the Procurement Schedule or as changed via an Addendum. Every Bidder is solely responsible for ensuring its Response is received before the Response Deadline. The SOS is not responsible for lost, misdirected, or late Responses. By submitting a Response, the Bidder represents and warrants that any individual submitting the Response and any related documents on behalf of the Bidder is authorized to do so and to bind the Bidder under any resulting contract.

2.3 Evaluation of Proposals

SOS reserves the right to award contract(s) without any negotiations and reserves the right not to make awards. Each Contractor is strongly encouraged to provide its best price in its proposal because SOS makes absolutely no guarantee that there will be any opportunity to negotiate or provide alternative pricing at any point during the RFP process.

Respondents are encouraged to provide their best response to the scope of services and attachments contained in the solicitation. Based upon SOS’s evaluation of the responses to this RFP, SOS will determine if there is a need to request a Best and Final Offer (BAFO).

A request for a BAFO will be at the sole discretion of SOS and may be requested in writing from the Respondents determined to be within the competitive range.

SOS shall award a contract to a Contractor whose proposal is considered to provide the best value to the State of Texas, which includes the purchase price and the extent to which the goods or services meet specifications.

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SOS will conduct a fair, comprehensive, and impartial evaluation of all proposals received in response to this RFP. The evaluation will be conducted by employees of SOS invited by the Texas Secretary of State and/or the Deputy Secretary of State to participate. SOS’s General Counsel, other in-house legal counsel, and outside legal counsel may assist by providing advice during the evaluation process.

By submitting a proposal, Contractor grants SOS the right to obtain information from any lawful source regarding the Contractor and its directors’, officers’, and employees’: (1) past business history, practices, and conduct; (2) ability to supply the goods and services; and (3) ability to comply with contract requirements. By submitting a proposal, Contractor generally releases from liability and waives all claims against any party providing SOS information about the Contractor. SOS may take such information into consideration in evaluating proposals.

Information obtained from the Texas Comptroller’s Vendor Performance Tracking System may be used in evaluating offers to determine the best value for the State of Texas.

SOS will conduct an independent review of each proposal submitted. All SOS persons involved in this RFP process will sign a non-disclosure statement. SOS will evaluate the responses based on the selection criteria identified herein.

SOS may request clarification of information or representations in a proposal before completing the initial evaluation. Refer to Section 2.10 of this RFP for information regarding Contractor responses to inquiries and requests.

Proposals will be selected based on the ability of each Contractor to carry out all of the requirements contained in this RFP.

SOS will perform an initial screening of all proposals received. Only complete responses that contain all required submittal documents will be considered. Failure to submit the required documents will result in a response being declared non-responsive/disqualified. Unsigned proposals and proposals that do not include all required forms and sections will be disqualified. SOS reserves the right to waive minor informalities in a proposal and award a contract that is in the best interest of the State of Texas.

Initial screening will check for compliance with various content requirements defined in the RFP. SOS also reserves the right to request clarification from a Contractor who fails to meet any initial compliance requirements prior to rejecting a proposal for material deviation from requirements or non-responsiveness.

SOS may determine that certain proposals are within the range of competition for admission to discussions. The range of competition consists of the proposals that receive the highest or most satisfactory evaluation score. SOS may, in the interest of administrative efficiency, place reasonable limits on the number of proposals admitted to the range of competition.

SOS may, but is not required to, request a Contractor to prepare one or more revised proposals. SOS will determine if Best and Final Offers are necessary. Award of a contract may be made without Best and Final Offers. SOS may, at its discretion, elect to have Contractors respond to inquiries related to their proposals.

A request for a Best and Final Offer is at the sole discretion of SOS and will be extended in writing. If SOS so chooses, it may request further revisions or another round of proposals, even if it has identified a prior request as being for Best and Final Offers.

SOS may, but is not required to, conduct discussions with all, some, or none of the Contractors admitted to the field of competition for the purpose of obtaining the best value for SOS and the state of Texas. It may conduct discussions for the purpose of:

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• Obtaining clarification of proposal ambiguities;

• Requesting modifications to a proposal; and/or

• Obtaining a best and final offer.

SOS may make an award prior to the completion of discussions with all proposals admitted to the range of competition if SOS determines that the award represents the best value to SOS and the State of Texas.

SOS staff shall determine the number of Respondents with which it will start contract negotiations. SOS will negotiate with multiple Respondents if SOS determines it is in the best interest of SOS and the State of Texas to do so after receipt of Responses. SOS will terminate Contract negotiations when SOS determines that the best value for the State has been obtained.

SOS shall make the decision to award any contracts, if it is in the best interest of SOS and the State of Texas to do so. SOS’s decision is final. Any award for this RFP shall be posted on the Electronic State Business Daily upon execution of a contract with one or more Contractors. All responses and working papers pursuant to this RFP are not subject to disclosure under the Public Information Act until the contract has been executed.

SOS reserves the right to make modifications to the requirements set forth in this RFP up until contract award. SOS reserves the right to cancel this RFP, to make a partial award, or to make no award if it determines that such action is in the best interest of SOS or the State of Texas. Once SOS determines the top-scoring Contractor(s), SOS may meet with such Contractors to negotiate and to execute a final written contract. SOS reserves the right to negotiate any portion of a Contractor’s proposal and any portion of this RFP. If SOS is not able to negotiate a satisfactory contract with a specific Contractor, SOS will terminate negotiations with that Contractor. SOS may undertake simultaneous negotiations with multiple Contractors in the order of ranking.

SOS reserves the right to reject any or all RFP responses and to waive informalities and minor irregularities in the RFP responses, and request clarification as needed, as deemed in the best interest of the State of Texas and SOS. SOS may, in order to obtain an acceptable contractual agreement with a Contractor, with the consent of the Contractor, modify through negotiations and issuance of an addendum before accepting and reaching a final contract award.

Negotiations may continue in this fashion until SOS awards a contract, SOS rejects all Contractors, or SOS terminates this RFP.

2.4 Evaluation Criteria

The award will be made to the respondent whose offer provides the best value for the state and is in the state’s best interest as defined in Section 2155.074, Texas Government Code.

In determining the best value, SOS will consider the following factors:

1. Technical and operation methodology and RFP alignment.

2. Vendor experience and qualifications.

3. Cost and financial proposal.

4. References, past history and other relevant factors as determined by SOS. This includes

19 | P a g e the quality of references from past customers, including references from any state government agency clients, and a track record of successfully providing a review/analysis, evaluation, and assessment of a project of similar scope and subject matter. Client references should include contact information, including email addresses.

SOS reserves the right to conduct studies and other investigations as necessary to evaluate any proposal.

SOS reserves the right to waive any minor or immaterial response requirements noted in the submission process. Submission of proposals confers no legal rights upon any Respondent.

Preference may be given to, or relevant factors may be considered for, the Respondent’s economic impact to the state or a subdivision of the state, including potential tax revenue and employment, the effect of a purchase on agency productivity and the cost of any employee training associated with the purchase.

SOS will determine whether negotiations or BAFOs are necessary and may invite selected Respondents to provide oral presentations of their proposals.

Respondents should be aware that sealed proposals and information regarding sealed proposals cannot and will not be disclosed to respondents or the general public prior to award of the contract(s).

AT THE SOLE DISCRETION OF SOS, AN EXCEPTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART MAY

RESULT IN THE DISQUALIFICATION OF SUCH PROPOSAL.

2.5 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING THE PROPOSAL CONTENT

A. Conflict of Interest Disclosure Statement

The Conflict of Interest Disclosure Statement, which is found in Appendix B of this RFP, must be prepared, signed by a Contractor, and returned with the proposal.

In its proposal, a Contractor must represent and warrant to SOS that it and each of its subcontractors have the requisite resources, qualifications, and independence to provide their services free from outside direction, control, or influence, and subject only to the accomplishment of SOS’s objectives. Contractors that cannot make this representation and warranty should not respond to this RFP.

1 Technical/Operation Methodology and RFP Alignment. 25%

2 Cost and Financial Proposal. 40%

3 Vendor Experience and Qualifications. 25%

4 References, Past History, and other Relevant Factors as Determined by SOS. 10%

Total 100%

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A Contractor must disclose any existing or potential conflicts of interest or possible issues that might create appearances of impropriety relative to the submission of a proposal from Contractor and its possible selection as a selected vendor, or its performance or the performance of its proposed subcontractor(s) of the Contract (including any Amendments).

As part of this disclosure requirement, each Contractor must include in its proposal all past and present contractual, business, financial, or personal relationships between Contractor and SOS and between Contractor’s proposed subcontractors, if any, and SOS.

By submitting a proposal, Contractor represents and warrants that neither it nor its employees and subcontractors have an actual or potential conflict of interest in entering a Contract (including any Amendments) with SOS. Contractor also represents and warrants that entering a Contract with SOS will not create the appearance of impropriety. In its proposal, Contractor must disclose any existing or potential conflict of interest that it might have in contracting with SOS.