RFI_TEIS_Evaluation_Platform.docx

STATE OF TENNESSEE

DEPARTMENT OF DISABILITY AND AGING

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

FOR

DEVELOPMENTAL EVALUATION TOOL AND RELATED SUPPORT SERVICES FOR THE TENNESSEE EARLY INTERVENTION SYSTEM (TEIS)

RFI # 34401-99680

September 1, 2026

1. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE:

The State of Tennessee, Department of Disability and Aging issues this Request for Information (“RFI”) for the purpose of gathering information regarding the availability of research-based, IDEA-aligned developmental evaluation tools that support eligibility determination and progress monitoring for children from birth through age five within the Tennessee Early Intervention System (“TEIS”), including the functional capabilities for standardized assessment across developmental domains, data management, reporting, and technical support services. We appreciate your input and participation in this process.

2. BACKGROUND:

The State of Tennessee, through the Tennessee Early Intervention System (TEIS), is issuing this Request for Information (RFI) to identify research-based, IDEA-aligned developmental evaluation tools and supporting technology platforms designed for infants and toddlers from birth through age five. The objective of this initiative is to standardize evaluation processes across all five developmental domains—cognitive, physical, communication, social-emotional, and adaptive development—in strict compliance with federal Part C requirements under 34 C.F.R. § 303.321 and state program standards.

The State seeks information regarding comprehensive assessment instruments that feature established norm-referencing, psychometric validity, age-equivalent scoring, percentage-of-delay calculations, and specific administration protocols for dual-language learners. Additionally, respondents are encouraged to provide details on system capabilities including telehealth or remote administration options, automated parent-friendly reporting, centralized program-level analytics dashboards, secure data integration, and adherence to strict accessibility, privacy, and scalability standards.

Furthermore, this RFI explores vendor capabilities related to implementation support, including comprehensive staff training curricula, ongoing technical assistance, help desk operations, and regular performance reporting. Feedback gathered through this process will assist the State in understanding current market solutions, technical feasibility, and best practices to inform future procurement strategies and ensure high-quality service delivery for children and families within the TEIS program.

3. COMMUNICATIONS:

3.1. Please submit your response to this RFI to:

Beth Hailey, Director of Contracts Department of Disability and Aging Tennessee Early Intervention System 225 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive 4th Floor, Building B Jackson, Tennessee 38301

(731) 234-0160

3.2. Please feel free to contact the Department of Disability and Aging/TEIS with any questions regarding this RFI. The main point of contact will be:

Beth Hailey, Director of Contracts Department of Disability and Aging Tennessee Early Intervention System 225 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive 4th Floor, Building B Jackson, Tennessee 38301

(731) 234-0160

3.3. Please reference RFI # 34401-99680 with all communications to this RFI.

4. RFI SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

EVENT

TIME

(Central Time Zone)

Date (all dates are State business days)

September 1, 2026

September 30, 2026

5. GENERAL INFORMATION:

5.1. Please note that responding to this RFI is not a prerequisite for responding to any future solicitations related to this project and a response to this RFI will not create any contract rights. Responses to this RFI will become property of the State.

5.2. The information gathered during this RFI is part of an ongoing procurement. In order to prevent an unfair advantage among potential respondents, the RFI responses will not be available until after the completion of evaluation of any responses, proposals, or bids resulting from a Request for Qualifications, Request for Proposals, Invitation to Bid or other procurement method. In the event that the state chooses not to go further in the procurement process and responses are never evaluated, the responses to the procurement including the responses to the RFI, will be considered confidential by the State.

5.3. The State will not pay for any costs associated with responding to this RFI.

6. INFORMATIONAL FORMS:

The State is requesting the following information from all interested parties. Please fill out the following forms:

RFI # 34401-99680

TECHNICAL INFORMATIONAL FORM

1. RESPONDENT LEGAL ENTITY NAME:

2. RESPONDENT CONTACT PERSON:

Name, Title:

Address:

Phone Number:

Email:

3. Describe your platform and its components.

4. Brief description of experience providing similar scope of services/products

5. Describe the psychometric methodology and validation process used to ensure the tool meets Part C IDEA standards for children birth through age five, including how the instrument maintains reliability and validity across diverse subgroups.

6. Detail the specific scoring procedures and clinical protocols integrated into the tool to measure cognitive, physical, communication, social-emotional, and adaptive developmental domains in accordance with 34 C.F.R. § 303.321.

7. Explain the technical approach for calculating age-equivalent scores and percentage-of-delay metrics to ensure consistency with Tennessee Early Intervention System (TEIS) eligibility criteria.

8. Provide documentation confirming the tool’s capability to support dual-language learners and families from non-English speaking households while maintaining linguistic and cultural validity.

9. Outline the system’s logic for generating progress monitoring reports and describe the process for updating this regulatory logic within 60 days of changes to federal or state eligibility mandates.

10. Describe the architecture of the centralized data dashboard, including its capacity for real-time analytics and the functionality for State-level management of user access and reporting templates.

11. Detail the mechanisms used to ensure 99.9% scoring accuracy, including the automated data validation protocol and the workflow for identifying and flagging data entry errors for manual review.

12. Explain the technical infrastructure for maintaining HIPAA and FERPA compliance, specifically describing the encryption standards for data at rest and in transit and the implementation of role-based access control (RBAC) frameworks.

13. Demonstrate how the system architecture supports horizontal and vertical scalability for 10,000 concurrent users and provide the methodology for conducting annual stress testing to verify performance stability.

14. Describe the format and delivery method for providing monthly machine-readable raw data exports (CSV, JSON, XML) for longitudinal program evaluation.

15. Explain the strategy for ensuring the platform meets WCAG 2.1 Level AA accessibility standards for all users.

16. Outline the structure of the comprehensive training curriculum for TEIS staff evaluators and contracted agency evaluators and describe how the web-based knowledge repository will be maintained to reflect real-time system enhancements.

17. Define the operational plan for the dedicated help desk, including the procedures for meeting the 24-hour response time guarantee and the process for submitting quarterly performance reports regarding support metrics.

18. Describe the communication protocol for the Service Level Agreement, including the process for providing 10-day advance notice for maintenance and the 60-minute update cycle during unplanned outages.

COST INFORMATIONAL FORM

1. Describe what pricing units you typically utilize for similar services or goods (e.g., per hour, each, etc.:

2. Describe the typical price range for similar services or goods

3. Provide a detailed cost breakdown for the licensing, implementation, and ongoing maintenance of a research-based, IDEA-aligned developmental evaluation tool that measures all five developmental domains and supports standardized scoring, age-equivalent calculations, and percentage-of-delay reporting.

4. Submit a pricing structure for the development and delivery of a comprehensive training curriculum, including costs for recurring annual training sessions and the creation of a web-based knowledge repository to support TEIS staff proficiency.

5. Detail the costs associated with the implementation and annual hosting of a centralized data dashboard, including the technical resources required to provide real-time program analytics, automated parent-friendly reporting, and monthly raw data exports.

6. Provide an itemized cost estimate for configuring and managing a secure, HIPAA and FERPA-compliant system architecture that meets WCAG 2.1 Level AA accessibility standards and supports high-concurrency scalability for up to 10,000 users.

7. Outline the costs for ongoing technical support services, including the maintenance of a dedicated help desk, quarterly performance reporting, and the administrative effort required to update regulatory logic within the system following changes to federal or state eligibility criteria.

8. Describe the pricing model for initial data validation, system integration, and the implementation of a role-based access control framework to ensure data security and compliance with state and federal privacy mandates.

ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS

1. Please provide input on alternative approaches or additional things to consider that might benefit the State:

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