REVISED 3.24.26

School District of Palm Beach County FL

Solicitation No.

ITN

27C-003J

Mass Notification System, Web Content Management System and Mobile App

RESPONSES ARE DUE PRIOR TO:

August 26, 2026

@ 2:00 P.M.

RESPONSES MUST BE SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY TO:

www.bidnetdirect.com

The School District of Palm Beach County is an Equal Education Opportunity Provider and Employer.

https://www.palmbeachschools.org/about-us/our-district/non-discrimination-statement

SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PALM BEACH COUNTY, FLORIDA

SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PALM BEACH COUNTY

INVITATION TO NEGOTIATE FOR

Mass Notification System, Web Content Management System and Mobile App

(Upon receipt, all submittals become Public Records and shall be subject to public disclosure consistent with Chapter 119, Florida Statutes. See section 21.5 Trade Secrets for details)

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 This is an Invitation to Negotiate (ITN) for Mass Notification System, Web Content Management

System and Mobile App to the School District of Palm Beach County, Florida (the District).

1.2 The District will request services as needed during the term of this contract. The District reserves the right to negotiate with the number of responders it deems appropriate.

1.3 The Invitation to Negotiate allows the District to select the most qualified firms and negotiate the price along with other issues, as needed, resulting in the best value for this service as required by the District.

1.4 A purchase order will be released, after contract award by the School Board, for services to be performed as a result of this ITN. All terms and conditions of this ITN, any addenda, proposer's submissions and negotiated terms, are incorporated into the contract by reference, as set forth herein. To the extent that any conflict exists between the provisions of the contract documents, the following order of precedence shall apply 1) a written, negotiated contract, 2) the above referenced Request for Proposal, including any addenda, 3) any School District ordering or authorizing documents such as purchase orders, and 4) Proposer’s response to the ITN, including any appendix and exhibits. The Board will not be bound by or deemed liable for any verbal or written information or communication, obtained by the proposer which is not included in the ITN or other contract documents. Services will be on an as-needed basis. There is no guarantee that a responder(s) will receive a request to perform any services related to this ITN as a result of any award.

1.5 Document files may be examined during normal working hours when agency provides notice of intended decision or 30 days after opening the proposals, whichever period is earlier. If, however, the School District rejects all proposals and concurrently provides notice of its intent to reissue a competitive solicitation, the proposals will not be available for inspection until the School Board provides notice of an intended decision concerning the reissued solicitation.

2.0 DISTRICT INFORMATION

2.1 The School District is the 10th largest K-12 school district in the US and the 5th largest in Florida serving more than 170,000 students (this number includes students that attend non-District operated Charter Schools) who speak 150 languages and dialects. and a total budget of $2.9 Billion. Our District has 183 schools. As the largest employer in Palm Beach County, the School District has 22,801 employees, including more than 13,003 teachers.

Our district has 335 Career Academies and Choice Programs including a variety of academic and career and technical programs. Palm Beach County School District serves approximately 38,000 students identified as eligible for Exceptional Student Education (ESE); this includes 9,252 students identified as gifted. Eligible students with disabilities are provided services from birth through age 22. Our District supports 28 adult and community education school sites, three full time Adult Education Center, 25 community satellite locations and two Adult Virtual Education Programs.

2.2 The School District has built 90 new or replacement schools in the past 15 years; winning national design and construction awards.

3.0 INSTRUCTIONS TO PROPOSER

3.1 All offers must be submitted electronically to Bidnet Direct at www.bidnetdirect.com/palmbeachschools including all required documents listed in the solicitation.

No other responses will be accepted, including hard copy or emailed responses.

3.2 Bidnet Direct supports online document tracking and completion. All documents must be viewed/accepted before the bid packet can be viewed and an offer can be placed.

3.3 The District will only consider offers that have been submitted through Bidnet Direct prior to the

ITN closing date and time. Allow sufficient time to complete your offer.

3.4 Only Microsoft Windows supported documents file extensions will be accepted.

3.5 IMPORTANT INFORMATION: For help filling out your offer, please visit:

https://communications.bidnet.com/electronic-bid-submission-user-guide Vendor Support Contact Information: support@bidnet.com or 800-835-4603, option 2 (Vendor Assistance).

Customer Service Hours of Operation: 8 am – 8 pm (EST)

3.6 All responses entered into Bidnet Direct must be typed in. DO NOT cut and paste from any other

Program. Doing so may corrupt or invalidate your response and not allow you to respond.

3.7 In order to complete this response process, you must first “Create Bid”, complete the bid submission process, verify the information is correct then enter your Full Name and password and select “Submit Bid.”

3.8 After clicking “Submit Bid,” a Bid Submission Confirmation window will be displayed. Select “Yes” to confirm. Once submitted, you will receive a confirmation page with the Bid Submission Date and a Confirmation Number. The Status of the Bid should display “Bid Submitted” in green. If you do not see this confirmation, your offer was not submitted successfully.

3.9 If you do not receive confirmation that your offer has been received, please call Bidnet Direct (Vendor Support) at 800-835-4603 and then Option 2 (Vendor Assistance).

3.10 If necessary, an addendum will be distributed by Bidnet Direct to all who are known by the Purchasing Department to have received a complete set of proposal documents.

3.11 Be advised that registering with Bidnet Direct at www.bidnetdirect.com/palmbeachschools is a FREE service.

3.12 All proposals must be signed electronically by an officer or employee having authority to legally bind the Proposer(s).

3.13 Proposer should become familiar with any local conditions which may, in any manner, affect the services required. The proposer(s) is/are required to carefully examine the ITN terms and become thoroughly familiar with any and all conditions and requirements that may in any manner affect the work to be performed under the contract. No additional allowance will be made due to lack of knowledge of these conditions.

3.14 Proposals not conforming to the instructions provided herein will be subject to disqualification at the sole option of the Board.

3.15 Any proposal may be withdrawn prior to the date and time the proposals are due. Any proposal not withdrawn will constitute an irrevocable offer, for a period of 120 days, to provide the District with the services specified in the proposal.

4.0 TIME SCHEDULE

4.1 The District will attempt to use the following time schedule which will result in selection of a firm or firms to enter into negotiations:

Date: August 11, 2026 All written questions and inquiries are due by 5:00 p.m. EST

Date: August 26, 2026 Information Package due no later than 2:00 p.m. EST Date: September 10, 2026 *Evaluation Committee Meeting 9:00 a.m. EST

Meeting to be held at:

School District of Palm Beach County Fulton Holland Service Center 3300 Forest Hill Blvd West Palm Beach, FL 33406 Room: Rear Cafeteria

Date: September 11, 2026 **Oral Presentations/Demos (if necessary) 9:00 a.m. EST Meeting to be held at:

Lincoln Elementary School 1160 Avenue N Riviera Beach, Florida 33404 Room: North County Service Center-1-Lincoln Conference Room

Date: September 17, 2026 Negotiations Meeting to be held at:

School District of Palm Beach County Fulton Holland Service Center 3300 Forest Hill Blvd West Palm Beach, FL 33406 Please note, this meeting may be held virtually. School District of Palm Beach County will supply a link.

Date: November 17, 2026 Recommend negotiated agreements to the School Board for approval

* This is an open, public meeting.

** The District follows Section 286.0113(2), Florida Statutes, which provides detailed information Regarding the laws and requirements that governs open, public meetings.

4.2 Notification of any changes to the time schedule will be made to proposers through Bidnet Direct.

4.3 The School District will not respond to inquiries regarding the status of a proposal prior to the posting of intent to award.

5.0 AWARD

5.1 The Board reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals.

5.2 The Board reserves the right to undertake inquiries into proposer’s financial and/or litigation history, and by submitting a proposal, the proposer expressly consents to these inquiries.

5.3 The Board, through its designee(s), reserves the right to waive any irregularities and technicalities and may, at its sole discretion, request a clarification or other information to evaluate any or all proposals.

5.4 The Board, through its designee(s), reserves the right, before awarding the contract, to require proposer(s) to submit evidence of qualifications or any other information the Board may deem necessary for evaluating the proposal.

5.5 The Board, through its designee(s), reserves the right, prior to the Board’s approval, to cancel the

ITN or portions thereof, without penalty.

5.6 The Board, through its designee(s), reserves the right to: (1) accept the proposals of any or all of the items it deems, at its sole discretion, to be in the best interest of the District; and (2) reject any and/or all items proposed; and (3) negotiate with the highest ranked firms.

5.7 To the extent permitted by Florida law, the Board, through its designee(s), reserves the right to further negotiate any proposal, including price, with the highest rated proposer. If an agreement cannot be reached with the highest rated proposer, the District reserves the right to negotiate and recommend award to the next highest rated proposer or subsequent proposers until an agreement is reached. As required by 1010.04(5), Fla. Stat., please be advised that the School District will not:

1. Request documentation of or consider a bidder’s social, political, or ideological interests when evaluating its proposal.

2. Give preference to a bidder based on the bidder’s social, political, or ideological interests

6.0 TERM OF CONTRACT / RENEWAL

6.1 The initial contract term is five (5) years from the date of award, with one five-year renewal option available at the Board's sole discretion. The Board, through the Purchasing Department, will provide written notice of intent to renew at least 120 days before the expiration of the initial or any subsequent renewal term. If necessary, the contract may be extended by up to 120 days beyond its scheduled expiration date. The awarded proposer will be notified once the Board has taken action on the renewal recommendation. Pricing is fixed for the duration of the initial five-year term;

any price adjustments for the renewal period are subject to mutual agreement by both parties.

7.0 ITN INQUIRIES

7.1 From the time this solicitation is posted until the time a Decision or Intended Decision is posted, potential Proposers and employees, representatives, partners, director, officers, or other individuals acting on behalf of the Proposer, shall be prohibited from lobbying any School District employee, Member of the School Board, Member of a School District Advisory Committee that may evaluate the awarded contract, or person selected to evaluate or recommend selection of the awarded Proposer. Violation of the Cone of Silence shall result in rejection/disqualification of the Proposer from award of a contract arising out of this solicitation.

7.2 Further, in order to protect the integrity of the award process, all questions regarding this solicitation must be submitted via Bidnet Direct no later than 5:00 p.m. EST, on August 11, 2026.

Questions received via Bidnet Direct by the time and date specified will be answered in writing and posted on Bidnet Direct. Justin Jaksa is authorized only to direct the attention of prospective proposers to various portions of the solicitation so that they may read and interpret such for themselves. Neither Justin Jaksa nor any employee of the District is authorized to interpret any portion of this solicitation or give information as to the requirements of the solicitation in addition to that contained in the written documents.

7.3 All questions submitted (along with their source) are subject to Public Records Laws and as such will be available for inspection upon receipt of a Public Records Request.

7.4 If necessary, an addendum will be distributed by Bidnet Direct to all who are known by the

Purchasing Department to have received a complete set of proposal documents.

7.5 Copies of addendum will be made available for inspection at the District's Purchasing Department where proposal documents will be kept on file.

7.6 No addendum will be issued later than three calendar days prior to the date for receipt of proposals except an addendum withdrawing the request for proposals or one which includes postponement of the date for receipt of proposals.

7.7 No verbal or written information which is obtained other than by information in this ITN, or by written addendum to this ITN, or by negotiated terms will be binding on the Board.

8.0 PROPOSERS RESPONSIBILITY

8.1 Before submitting a response, proposers are required to carefully examine the Request For

Proposal to completely familiarize themselves with all of the terms and conditions that are contained within the Request For Proposal. Failure to do so on the part of the proposer will in no way relieve proposer of any of the obligations and responsibilities which are a part of the Request For Proposal.

9.0 BENEFICIAL INTEREST AND DISCLOSURE OF OWNERSHIP AFFIDAVIT

9.1 The proposer must provide this affidavit to include a list of every “person” (as defined in section

1.01(3), Florida Statutes, to include individuals, children, firms, associates, joint ventures, partnerships, estates, trusts, business trusts, syndicates, fiduciaries, corporations and all other groups and combinations) holding 10% or more of the beneficial interest in the disclosing entity. The affidavit must be returned to the Purchasing Department with the ITN or within three days of request. To submit this document, you must download, print, complete, notarize and upload the completed form to

Bidnet Direct with your response. The Proposer must submit all supporting documentation in the name of Proposer’s entity only. Parent and/or subsidiary entities will not be acceptable.

10.0 CONFLICT OF INTEREST

10.1 All proposers must disclose the name of any officer, director, or agent who is also an employee of the District. All proposers must disclose the name of any District employee who owns, directly or indirectly, any interest in the proposers' business or any of its branches. Indicate with either a statement of Conflict of Interest or Non Conflict of Interest and submit with your proposal.

11.0 LOBBYING

11.1 No proposers or person acting on behalf of the proposer may lobby any District personnel or

Board members regarding this ITN from the date the ITN is released until the administration's intent to award has been posted at the Purchasing Department reception center. All oral or written inquiries must be directed through the Purchasing Department.

11.2 Lobbying is defined as any action taken by an individual, firm, association, joint venture, partnership, syndicate, corporation, and all other groups who seek to influence the governmental decision of a Board member or District personnel after advertisement of the ITN and prior to the posted intent to award of the contract.

11.3 Any proposer who is adversely affected by the intent to award may file a protest within the time prescribed in section 120.57(3), Florida statutes. Failure to post bond with the Board or to adhere strictly to the requirements of statutes and State Board of Education rules pertaining to protests will result in summary dismissal by the Purchasing Department. Additionally, any proposer who is adversely affected by the intent to award may address the Board at a regularly scheduled Board meeting.

11.4 Prohibited lobbying on behalf of proposer during the time specified herein will result in rejection / disqualification of said proposal.

12.0 CODE OF ETHICS

12.1 Per District Policy 3.02, District Employees shall not accept gifts or gratuities in violation of the

State Code of Ethics or which give the appearance that the gift improperly influenced a decision.

13.0 SCOPE OF SERVICES

13.1 BACKGROUND

Our current Web Content Management System (WCMS), Finalsite, manages our District website at www.palmbeachschools.org as well as a website for each of our schools. It also manages our employee Intranet, known as The Hub. The total number of District/Hub web pages managed is 3,500, with school pages totaling 31,379.

The School District of Palm Beach County maintains a database containing 162,135 student records, 284,608 parent records, and 22,600 staff records, used by a hosted mass notification system, Finalsite ParentLink (now Finalsite Messages XR Enterprise). The student and parent records are updated nightly, and the staff records are updated weekly.

Over a one-year period from July 2025 to July 2026, the District attempted 17,116,031 phone calls, 47,608,465 emails, and 35,986,823 text messages via Finalsite Messages XR Enterprise, successfully delivering 12,725,502 calls, 34,644,658 emails, and 18,275,555 text messages.

Across all communication categories, total messages reached 127,322,821 year-to-date. This total includes 14,471,892 attendance messages, 111,783,162 miscellaneous messages, and 967,824 emergency messages.

In addition to attendance and miscellaneous messaging, the District relies on the mass notification system to keep parents and staff members apprised of any emergency, from a school bus delay to a hurricane. The District is seeking proposals for a Mass Notification System, a Web Content Management System for the District’s website and school sites, and a Mobile Application including an online parent portal. The current contract expires on June 30, 2027. The time necessary to implement and train staff on a new system is critical to the District.

13.2 SCOPE OF SERVICES AND SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

I. Terminology & Interpretation To ensure a clear evaluation process, the following definitions strictly apply to this solicitation:

"Must," "Shall," "Will," "Required": These terms indicate a Mandatory Requirement. Vendors failing to meet these specific criteria will be deemed non-responsive and eliminated from consideration.

"Should," "May," "Desired," "Preferred": These terms indicate a feature or capability that is important to the District but not strictly mandatory. Proposals may be evaluated based on the inclusion and quality of these features, but their absence will not result in automatic disqualification.

II. Primary Objective The District seeks proposals from qualified vendors to provide a single, turn-key, fully integrated platform to serve as the District’s primary digital communication solution.

Mandatory Components: The successful vendor MUST provide a secure, hosted solution that includes ALL of the following components:

● Web Content Management System (WCMS)

● Native Mobile Application

● Mass Notification System

● Unified Two-Way Communication Hub

The primary goals of this procurement are to:

● Consolidate Tools - Replace a fragmented ecosystem of disparate communication tools

(including WCMS, mobile app, mass notification, and behavior applications) with a single, unified platform.

● Enhance Engagement - Move from static, one-way information "pushes" to a dynamic, two-way engagement model.

● Ensure Oversight - Provide District oversight and compliance with comprehensive administrative access, auditing capabilities, and immutable records for all communications.

● Improve Stability - Obtain a highly reliable platform governed by a stringent, financially-backed Service Level Agreement.

Disqualification Notice: Proposals that offer standalone solutions (e.g., a vendor bidding only on the Mobile App or only on Mass Notification) will be considered non-responsive and will be rejected. The District will not accept proposals that require the use of disjointed platforms to manage these core functions.

III. General Platform & Vendor Requirements

Hosting & Continuity of Operations

● SaaS Requirement - The solution must be a fully hosted Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform managed by the vendor. The application and data must be centrally hosted in the cloud. The District will not install, host, or maintain the software on local District servers, and the vendor is solely responsible for all backend infrastructure, security patches, software updates, and server maintenance.

● Disaster Recovery - The vendor must provide a detailed Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Plan. This plan must describe procedures for data backup (including frequency and location), redundancy, failover, and system restoration in the event of a catastrophic failure.

● Uptime Guarantee - The vendor must provide a financially-backed Service Level Agreement (SLA) guaranteeing a minimum of 99.99% system uptime (24/7/365). This SLA must clearly define "uptime," outline the credit or penalty structure for failing to meet the SLA, and define response and resolution times for all issue-priority levels.

Security, Compliance & Public Records

● Data Privacy - The system must comply with federal and Florida laws, including FERPA, COPPA (where applicable), Chapter 1002, F.S. 501.171, and maintain relevant SOC 2 Type II or equivalent attestations. Use District data, including student education records and personally identifiable information, solely to perform services; not sell, market, profile, or disclose except as authorized by the District or required by law.

● Security Program - Vendor must maintain a written information security program aligned with NIST Cybersecurity Framework or equivalent.

● Public Records Compliance - The system must comply with the Florida Public Records Law.

Vendors must describe their specific process for storing and maintaining records. The system must retain an immutable record of all communications, including deleted messages, for a District-defined retention period.

● Incident Response & Breach Notification – The vendor must maintain comprehensive incident response procedures and notify the District’s Chief Information Officer and Chief of Communications or their designees in writing within twenty-four (24) hours of any actual or suspected security incident or breach affecting District data. This notification should include detailed information on the nature of the incident and immediate mitigation steps taken. The vendor must remain in constant communication with the District and provide a comprehensive corrective action plan.

● Data Retention - The vendor must retain District data only as necessary; securely return or destroy upon request or contract termination.

● Cyber Liability Insurance - The vendor must maintain cyber liability insurance coverage at the rate required by the District.

● U.S. Data Residency - District data within the vendor’s system shall be stored and processed only within the United States.

● Service Availability/Uptime - The provider shall maintain commercially reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards for the internet-facing application and all systems processing District data, including continuous (24x7x365) security monitoring.

Provider shall maintain 99.9% monthly availability, excluding scheduled maintenance, and any security-related outage shall be treated as a Critical incident. Failure to meet material obligations will result in service credit equal to 10% of the monthly fee or termination rights.

● Records Export - The system must include capabilities to export records and messages.

○ Export Tool (Desired) - It is desired that the system include a specific "Public

Records Request Export Tool" that allows administrators to search by staff name and date range to efficiently download a PDF or similar file of all messages.

● Access Control - The system must provide robust, role-based access control (RBAC) to define permissions for all user types, such as District Admins, Principals, Teachers, Parents, and Students. Restrict access to District data to authorized personnel, enforce least-privilege principles, and provide privacy/security training.

● Parent Authentication - To maximize adoption and minimize support tickets, the system must support passwordless login methods for parents/guardians, such as "Magic Links" or one-time verification codes (OTP) sent via SMS/email, rather than requiring the creation of unique usernames and passwords.

● Data Integration & Authentication - The system must integrate with the District’s Single Sign-On (SSO) solution and provide automated data synchronization with the Student Information System (SIS) for all student, staff, and roster data.

○ SSO Specification: The District currently utilizes RapidIdentity by Identity Automation as its Identity Provider (IdP).

○ Required Protocol: To be considered responsive, the solution must support authentication via SAML 2.0 or OIDC (OpenID Connect) protocols.

○ SIS Synchronization: The system must support automated, instant or nightly synchronization with the District’s SIS to ensure up-to-date rosters.

○ Staff Data Ingestion: While student data is synchronized via the SIS, the system must also be capable of ingesting staff and roster data from the District’s specific sources. The vendor must demonstrate how they handle "mixed" rosters (e.g., a teacher who is also a parent) to prevent duplicate accounts.

○ Data Encryption for Transfers – Any staff data transfer from ERP should use Public Key authentication and the data will be encrypted with PGP to ensure secure data transmission. The external application must possess and use the corresponding Pubic and PGP key to access the transmitted data.

● Unified Parent Identity: The system must support a "One Parent, One Account" model.

○ Single Login: Parents with multiple students in the District (at different schools) must be able to view all their children’s information and messages through a single login account.

○ Student Toggle: The interface should allow the parent to easily toggle between student profiles or view a consolidated "Family Feed" without logging out and back in.

○ Contact Merging: The system must intelligently merge contact information from the SIS to prevent duplicate notifications (e.g., if the same phone number is listed for three siblings, the system should recognize it as one recipient).

● Content Moderation & Monitoring - The system must include automated content moderation tools. This includes active profanity filters and the ability to activate monitoring (possibly AI) to flag conversations for sensitive topics, including bullying, self-harm, or inappropriate content.

Implementation, Training & Support

● Implementation Timeline - The vendor must provide a comprehensive Implementation Plan.

The goal is to initiate a phased rollout beginning in the 2026-2027 school year, with the explicit objective of achieving full implementation for all schools and various District departments by the end of the 2026-2027 school year.

● "all-in-one"

● Web Migration - The plan must include the mandatory migration of current District and school website content to the new WCMS.

○ Content Migration Scope: The vendor must perform a full content migration from the District’s legacy web platforms (Finalsite/Composer).

■ School Websites: Migration of approximately 200 distinct school webpages

(Elementary, Middle, High, and Centers). Note: Each school webpage is a comprehensive, multi-page hierarchy containing numerous sub-pages (e.g., program information, athletics, bell schedules, etc.), all of which must be migrated.

■ District & Non-School Websites: Migration of approximately 75 District-level sections. This category is broadly defined to include administrative departments, special programs, board committees, and any other non-school operational pages hosted on the current CMS.

■ Migration Deliverables: Migration must include the transfer of all active pages, PDFs, images, and menu structures. Validation that all content is migrated completely and accurately and properly formatted within the new website platform. Migrated content must meet WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards. Validation that all content is migrated completely and accurately.

Admin training on managing migrated content (public + intranet). The vendor must provide a "link remediation" service to ensure no broken links remain after cutover.

■ Archives: The vendor must provide a strategy for archiving legacy content that is not migrated but must be retained for records retention and public records compliance

○ Internal Intranet Migration ("The Hub"): In addition to public-facing websites, the vendor must migrate the District’s internal employee intranet.

■ Scope: Approximately 700 internal pages currently hosted on the legacy platform.

■ Security Requirement: The migrated intranet content must be secured behind the District’s SSO (RapidIdentity) and must not be indexed or discoverable by public search engines.

■ Permissions Mapping: The vendor must demonstrate how they will map existing internal viewing permissions (e.g., content visible only to "Principals" or "HR Staff") to the new system.

● Role-Specific Training - The vendor must provide unlimited, live, one-on-one training for all designated staff for the life of the contract. This training must follow a "Role-Specific Learning Path" approach (e.g., specific tracks for Teachers vs. Principals) so users are trained only on features relevant to their roles.

● Technical Support - The vendor must provide 24/7/365 live technical support for District-level administrators with a guaranteed response time of 15 minutes or less for P1 incidents/system outages. For all other staff, the vendor must provide a live response via phone or in-system chat with an average response time of 120 seconds or less.

Dashboards & Analytics (Desired)

● Engagement Tracking - It is desired that the system provide dashboards that encourage frequent school-to-home communication, particularly by highlighting teacher updates to families. These dashboards should allow school and District administrators to identify which teachers are regularly messaging families and which are not.

IV. Component 1: Web Content Management System (WCMS)

● Ease of Use - The WCMS must provide a user-friendly, web-based interface for non-technical staff to create, edit, and manage all District and school websites.

● Responsive Design - All designs must be fully responsive (mobile-first) and configurable to ensure brand consistency.

● Accessibility - Public-facing content must be fully compliant with WCAG 2.1 AA (or higher) accessibility standards, and the vendor must provide tools and reports to assist staff in maintaining this compliance.

● Directories & Calendars - The system must support the creation of hierarchical staff directories and individual teacher pages. It must also include a robust, interactive events calendar module capable of displaying multiple calendars (District, school, athletics) in various views.

● Content Integration - All news, alerts, and social media posts from the communications platform must integrate seamlessly for display on website homepages.

● Intranet & Internal Employee Portal: The system must provide a secure, internal-only environment to serve as the District’s Intranet for employees.

○ Restricted Access: These pages must be hidden from the public web and accessible only to authenticated staff via the District’s SSO (RapidIdentity).

○ Role-Based Permissions: The system must allow for granular permission settings (e.g., specific pages visible only to Principals or HR staff).

○ Internal Search: The solution must provide a robust search engine capable of indexing internal documents (PDFs, policies, forms) that are secure and not discoverable by public search engines.

● All websites must comply with the latest applicable Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), and meet WCAG 2.1, Level AA standards.

V. Component 2: Native Mobile Application

● Native App - The vendor must provide a true native mobile application for iOS and Android, branded for the District. This application must not be a "wrapper" or container that redirects users to a mobile website.

● Central Hub - The app must serve as the central hub for parents and students, providing access to news, mass notifications, two-way messaging, calendars, and directories.

● Advanced Features - The mobile app must support image attachments, hyperlinks, templates with properly sized headers, and the ability to search sent message history across all accounts at a District user level.

● Editable Schedule - Staff must be able to schedule messages and post titles, with the ability to edit those scheduled items without needing to delete and rewrite them.

● Digital Forms - The system must include a Digital Forms and Signature module accessible via the app. This allows schools to send documents (e.g., field trip permission forms) for electronic signature and track submission status.

● Secure Document Delivery - The system must include a Secure Document Delivery function to specific users. This is distinct from the digital forms module and must allow the ability electronically send files that require secure authentication (password/login) to view, rather than a generic public link. At this time, most standard documents including report cards and IEPs will remain in their native systems.

● Digital Student ID (Desired) - It is desired that the mobile application include a "Digital Student ID" feature. This should display the student's photo and a scannable barcode/QR code for use in libraries, cafeterias, or transportation.

● All mobile applications must comply with the latest applicable Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), and meet WCAG 2.1, Level AA standards.

VI. Component 3: Mass & Unified Communications Platform

Mass Notification & Newsletter Builder

● Multi-Channel Delivery - The system must be capable of delivering high-volume mass notifications via voice call, email, and SMS text message.

● Social Media Publishing - The system must allow authorized staff to publish content directly to

District and school social media pages (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, X/Twitter) simultaneously with mass notifications, using a single interface ("Create Once, Publish Everywhere").

● Voice Capabilities - The voice notification system must support both high-quality Neural Text-to- Speech (TTS) (natural-sounding AI voice) and the ability for staff to easily record and broadcast their own voice via the mobile app or web interface.

● SMS Capabilities - The vendor must specify the character limit for SMS and explicitly support long codes or concatenated messages to allow for texts longer than 160 characters.

● Merge Fields - The system must support dynamic merge fields, allowing mass communications to address recipients by name (e.g., "Dear Cooley family" or "Dear Mr. Cooley") rather than generic greetings.

● Newsletter Builder - The platform must include a built-in, drag-and-drop newsletter builder that enables staff to create visually appealing, branded newsletters directly within the system.

Newsletters must meet WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards.

● Public Subscription - The system must provide a "Public Subscription Module" or portal that allows community members who are not parents/guardians (e.g., alumni, taxpayers, grandparents) to subscribe to District or specific school newsletters without requiring a student association in the SIS.

Translation & Accessibility

● Multi-Language Support - All message templates and communications must support automated multi-language translation.

● Core Languages - The translation features must specifically support the District's most popular languages: Spanish, Haitian Creole, and Portuguese.

● Manual Override - The platform must allow staff to manually review, edit, and override auto-generated translations.

Two-Way Communication Hub

● Direct Messaging - The system must provide a secure, two-way direct messaging tool for communication between staff and parents/guardians, as well as restricted communication between staff and students.

● Office Hours - The Two-Way Communication Hub must include "Office Hours" or "Quiet Hours" settings. This feature must allow teachers and staff to set specific hours where they do not receive notifications. If a parent messages during these times, the system must generate an automated reply (e.g., "This teacher is offline").

● Reply Flexibility - Parents must have the ability to text their response back or send the response back through the app.

● Unified Inbox & Archiving - All replies must route back into the platform, be visible to the staff member in a single threaded conversation, and be fully archived and saved within the system.

Attendance/Meal Balance Management

● Automated Alerts - The system must support automated notifications for specific needs including attendance (both absence and tardy) and low meal balance alerts.

● Attendance Intervention Mechanism (Desired) - The District desires a comprehensive module for managing, tracking, and intervening in student attendance (both absence and tardy) to help reduce chronic absenteeism. This may or may not be a part of the overall mass communication system.

○ Two-Way Reporting - The platform must include a specific attendance tool that allows parents to respond to absence notifications directly (via app or text) to report the reason for the absence.

○ Intelligent Message Routing - The system should include functionality to automatically forward parent-submitted attendance information to appropriate staff members based on a predefined algorithm (e.g., role, school, student status, or issue type).

○ Resolution Tracking - When receiving a message from a parent/guardian, the system should provide an option to mark the issue as “resolved,” including identification of the staff member who resolved it and a date/time stamp.

VII. Component 4: Behavior Management & Reinforcement

● Integrated Module - The system must include a fully integrated positive behavior management module designed to replace standalone tools.

● Classroom Interface - The module must function similarly to popular school-wide positive behavior and communication systems, offering a user-friendly interface where teachers can award positive points to individual students, custom groups, or entire classes.

● Presentation Mode - The interface must feature a specific "Presentation Mode" optimized for Smart Boards. This mode must allow teachers to award points publicly and visually without displaying private messages or sensitive student data.

● Customization - Administrators must be able to create standard positive behaviors (PBIS), while teachers must retain the ability to create their own customizable behaviors.

● Parent Visibility - Parents must be able to view their student's behavior points and reasons in near real-time via the mobile app.

VIII. Component 5: Financials & Digital Sign-Ups

● In-App Payments - The platform should provide a secure, in-app payment system for invoices, fees, and other school-related costs with real-time financial reporting. The District intends to remain with its existing vendor.

● Event & Item Sign-Ups - The system must enable staff to create, manage, and track digital sign-ups for events. This includes allowing parents to sign up to bring specific items (e.g., supplies for a class party).

● Conference Scheduling - The system must include a scheduling tool to specifically manage parent-teacher conferences.

IX. Pricing Proposal Requirements

● Pricing Model - Vendors must submit pricing based on a "Per Student, Per Year" all-inclusive model. This pricing must cover all modules, hosting, support, and unlimited usage (voice, text, email) to avoid variable costs and simplify budgeting for the District.

● One-Time Implementation & Training Fees: Vendors must clearly itemize any one-time costs associated with the initial system setup, data migration, and professional development. These "Year 1" startup fees must be listed separately from the recurring annual subscription cost to allow for accurate budget planning.

X. Evaluation & Demonstration Requirements

● Live Demonstration: The District reserves the right to require top-ranked proposers to provide a live, in-person or virtual demonstration of their solution.

○ Scripted Scenarios: Vendors selected for demonstrations may be required to follow a specific "script" provided by the District to demonstrate key workflows (e.g., "Send an emergency alert to all parents in Spanish," or "Update a school website homepage") in addition to a general live demonstration.

14.0 PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION

14.1 In order to maintain comparability and enhance the review process, it is requested that proposals be organized in the manner specified below. Please upload your proposal in one Document. Do not embed documents or links within your response; the upload process to Bidnet Direct may convert your document into PDF format rendering them useless. Add any attachments to the end of the document. Submit and upload Cost of Services and any additional information on a separate document. It is required that your information be uploaded to Bidnet Direct. Please contact Bidnet Direct at 800-835-4603 Option 2 (Vendor Assistance) if you require assistance with document upload.

In order to be considered for award Proposer must complete and return all required forms including all required References, Company Financials, Organizational Profile, Conflict Interest Statement and Complaint Notification as stated herein.

All vendors must complete and submit the official forms provided by the School District of Palm Beach County. Conversion of these official documents into alternative formats, including through the use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) form conversion applications, is prohibited. Failure to adhere to the required official form format may result in the rejection of the bid/proposal.

14.2 Title Page: Show the date; ITN number; ITN subject; and proposer’s name, address, telephone number and email address.

14.3 Table of Contents: Include a clear identification of the material by section and by page number.

14.4 Letter of Transmittal: Give the names of the persons who will be authorized to make representations for the proposer and their titles, addresses, and telephone numbers.

14.5 Required Response Form: Complete the Required Response Form with all required information completed and all signatures as specified.

14.6 Organization Profile: Provide the Corporate Name and Parent Company (if applicable) and address of corporate headquarters. Provide the names, titles, addresses, email and telephone numbers of the persons authorized to answer any questions related to Company’s proposal. The Organization Profile should also include information such as number of years in the business, number of locations, location of facilities, company vision statement and a succinct history of the company. In addition the Beneficial Interest and Disclosure of Ownership Affidavit (PBSD Form 1997) must be completed, signed, notarized and returned with your bid.

1. Definition of Proposer

For the purpose of this Solicitation, "Bidder" or "Proposer" means the specific person or firm who submits a proposal or bid in direct response to this solicitation published by the School District of

Palm Beach County.

2. Legal Name Requirement All supporting documentation, including the cover page, organizational profile, resumes, financial statements, and all other forms and submissions to the School District, must be submitted solely and exclusively in the legal name of the Proposer. Submissions that incorporate branding, letterhead, or primary identity different from the Proposer may be deemed non-responsive and subject to rejection, except as expressly permitted herein.

3. Use of Related Entities and Corporate Guarantee In the event that a Proposer intends to utilize a parent company, subsidiary, or affiliate entity in meeting the qualification requirements and/or in the provision of services under any resulting contract, the following requirements apply:

● Corporate Structure Disclosure: The Proposer is required to clearly define its complete corporate structure and relationship with any parent company, subsidiary, or affiliate entity.

● Performance Guarantee: The Proposer must include a formal, notarized corporate resolution from the parent company, subsidiary, or affiliate which explicitly states that the entity:

● Guarantees full performance by the Proposer of all contractual obligations.

● Accepts joint and several liability for any and all contractual obligations, including, but not limited to, indemnification, warranty, and insurance provisions throughout the entire term of this Contract.

4. Notification of Change

The Proposer must notify the School District in writing within thirty (30) days of any change in ownership, merger, acquisition, or internal corporate restructuring that alters the relationship between the Proposer and its parent company, subsidiary, or affiliate, or that may affect the provision of services under this Contract.

14.7 Beneficial Interest Affidavit: Submit Beneficial Interest Affidavit, Form 1997 per paragraph 9.1.

14.8 Company Financials: Proposers must provide financial statements giving the District enough information to determine financial stability. Failure to do so may result in your response being rejected.

FINANCIAL STATEMENT REQUIREMENTS

The Proposer is required to submit three (3) years of audited financial statements.

● Financial statements must bear the Proposer's legal identity, branding, and letterhead.

Statements incorporating a different identity may be deemed non-responsive.

Using Financial Statements from a Parent, Subsidiary, or Affiliate In the event a Proposer intends to use the financial statements of a parent company, subsidiary, or affiliate to meet this qualification, the Proposer must submit all of the following:

1. Consolidated Audited Financial Statements: Three (3) years of consolidated audited financial statements from the parent company, subsidiary, or affiliate providing the financial support.

2. Corporate Resolution/Guarantee: A formal, notarized corporate resolution from the parent company, subsidiary, or affiliate that explicitly states its financial commitment to the School

District and guarantees the Proposer's ability to perform under any resulting contract.

3. Proposer's Financial Summary: The Proposer’s most recently available internal or un-audited financial summary.

14.9 Conflict/Non Conflict of Interest Statement: Submit Conflict or Non Conflict of Interest Statement per paragraph 10.1.

14.10 Complaint Notifications: :

o A list all complaints, administrative & legal, in the last ten (10) years which allege discrimination on the basis of:

o Race;

o Gender;

o gender identity or expression;

o religion;

o national origin;

o ethnicity;

o sexual orientation;

o age; or o disability alleged by:

● An employee;

● An independent contractor;

● A subcontractor;

● A vendor;

● A supplier; or

● A commercial customer;

If any complaints have been filed against your firm as stated above, your firm MUST provide the following information:

o If any complaint(s) is pending, the firm must provide a statement/description of the pending complaint AND the firm’s response to the complaint;

o If any complaint(s) are resolved, the firm must provide a statement/description of the complaint AND the terms of the resolution of the complaint AND any remedial action taken by the firm as a result.

o INDIVIDUAL NAMES, IDENTITIES, CASE INFORMATION OR CONFIDENTIAL

INFORMATION IS NOT REQUESTED.

o Broad, vague or ambiguous statements by your firm which do not provide the information requested in Section 14.10 will be deemed non-responsive by the Director of Purchasing.

● 14.15 References: Electronically complete the Reference Document and include at least three (3) references from school districts of similar size (150+ schools or 100,000+ students) where a similar "all-in-one" implementation was successfully completed within a 12-month timeframe.

NOTE: The information requested must include a current contact name, phone number, and email address for each reference.

Please do not include the School District of Palm Beach County as a reference.

14.16 Cost of Services: The pricing portion of the Proposal will be only considered after the other criteria have been scored. The cost of services portion of your proposal for this project must be submitted as a separate document upload to Bidnet Direct.

14.17 Small Business Enterprise (SBE) Participation: The SBE Participation portion of your proposal for this project must be submitted as a separate document upload to BIDNET DIRECT.

An SBE business must meet The School District of Palm Beach County’s (SDPBC) eligibility standards incorporated in the definition of Small Business Enterprise (SBE) as defined by the Office of Small Business Development, which requires that the business be certified by SDPBC.

14.17.1 SDPBC defines a Small Business Enterprise (SBE) as having average annual gross sales that are less than fifty percent (50%) of the small business size standard as defined by the U.S. Small

Business Administration (SBA) for a firm’s relevant…