RFP 2025-26-07 Alumni Career Outcome Analytics and Workforce Alignment Services.pdf

EASTERN OREGON UNIVERSITY – REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)

RFP 2025-26-07

Alumni Career Outcome Analytics and Workforce Alignment Services

INTRODUCTION

Eastern Oregon University, designated by the Oregon legislature as Oregon’s Rural University, is a regional public university with a strong sense of mission and service. Our faculty, staff, administrators, and trustees are committed to serving rural students and rural communities in all their diversity, and at all levels of need, throughout our region and the world. Located in the scenic Grande Ronde Valley in northeastern Oregon, we serve a region of rich natural resources, very low population density, relatively low income, substantial ethnic diversity, high levels of high school completion, and low levels of college enrollment. Our institution serves a population that has not traditionally connected with higher education. Sixty-one percent of our students are from traditionally underserved communities (32% first generation, 33% Pell eligible, 27% racial/ethnic minorities). We were early pioneers in distance education, and have strong online enrollment.

Eastern Oregon University’s flagship website, eou.edu, is a vital component for the university’s engagement and enrollment efforts and serves as a platform to elevate the university’s brand, reputation, and communication strategies. With nearly 1 million visitors a year, the website is often the first experience and interaction with the university.

Eastern Oregon University (EOU) is soliciting proposals from qualified vendors to provide alumni career outcomes analytics, labor market insights, and web-based visualization tools. These services will support academic program assessment, student advising, recruitment, accreditation, institutional research, workforce alignment, and advancement efforts.

EOU seeks a partner that provides transparent, methodologically sound outcomes data and intuitive tools that can be used by both technical and non-technical stakeholders across the institution.

SOLICITATION PROCEDURES

General RFP provisions and EOU's General Terms and Conditions are available at:

https://www.eou.edu/busserv/purchasing/. It is the proposer’s responsibility to review these provisions and terms and conditions prior to submitting a response.

Potential proposers must refer daily to the Oregon Public Universities Shared Resources website or Oregon Buys for any addenda, clarifying responses, cancellations, or other updates pertaining to this RFP. A seven (7) day protest period will begin immediately following the award announcement.

Services are expected to commence as soon as possible following committee selection and execution of contract documents.

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION

All proposals must be received or postmarked on or before March 2, 2026. Proposals will be publicly opened in the Issuing Office on the Closing Date.

Proposals must be submitted electronically. One complete proposal must be submitted as a single PDF document (preferred).

• Email subject line: “Response to RFP – Alumni Career Outcomes Analytics”

• Proposers must confirm receipt of their submission prior to the deadline

• Proposals delayed or lost due to email system failures may be rejected at EOU’s sole discretion

• No late proposals will be accepted

Proposals will be evaluated through a criteria-based selection process overseen by a review committee. EOU reserves the right to request demonstrations, interviews, or clarifying information from proposers.

Additional Submission and Contract Information:

• Proposals are subject to Public Records requests. Proposals are deemed confidential until the “Notice of Intent to Award” is issued. If a Proposal contains any information that is considered a TRADE SECRET under ORS 192.501(2), SUCH INFORMATION

MUST BE LISTED ON A SEPARATE SHEET CAPABLE OF SEPARATION FROM THE

REMAINING PROPOSAL AND MUST BE CLEARLY MARKED WITH THE FOLLOWING

LEGEND:

“This information constitutes a trade secret under ORS 192.501(2), and shall not be disclosed except in accordance with the Oregon Public Records Law, ORS Chapter 192.”

https://www.eou.edu/busserv/purchasing/ https://www2.wou.edu/nora/orpu.bid.home https://oregonbuys.gov/bso/

• This RFP will become part of the Contract between EOU and the selected contractor(s).

The contractor(s) will be bound to perform according to the terms of this RFP, their Proposal(s), and the EOU’s terms and conditions.

• It is the proposer’s responsibility to review the general RFP provisions and EOU's General Terms and Conditions at Eastern Oregon University before providing a response.

ISSUING OFFICE

All correspondence regarding this RFP must be submitted in writing to the sole point of contact:

Peter Geissinger Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs provost@eou.edu

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

February 2, 2026 – RFP Issue Date February 16, 2026 – Notice of Intent to Propose (optional) February 16, 2026 – Clarifying Questions Due February 20, 2026 – Request for Changes Due March 2, 2026 – Proposal Submission DeadlineMarch 20, 2026 – Notices sent proposers

EOU reserves the right to modify this schedule as necessary.

VENDOR REQUIREMENTS

Proposers must include their Federal Tax Identification Number and Oregon Secretary of State Business Registry number, or provide an explanation if not required to be registered in Oregon. This information may be submitted via EOU’s Bidder/Proposer Tax Laws and Non- Discrimination Certification Form (Exhibit A).

PROJECT SCOPE, SPECIFICATIONS, AND EXPECTATIONS

The selected contractor shall provide a secure, cloud-based alumni outcomes analytics platform that matches institutional student records with national employment, education, and labor market datasets.

https://www.eou.edu/busserv/files/2025/02/EOU-Standard-Terms-and-Conditions-FIN-2024-12-09-v2.pdf https://www.eou.edu/busserv/files/2025/02/EOU-Standard-Terms-and-Conditions-FIN-2024-12-09-v2.pdf mailto:provost@eou.edu

Required capabilities include:

• Longitudinal tracking of alumni outcomes from 1 to 15+ years post-graduation

• Interactive dashboards, maps, tables, and comparison reports

• FERPA-compliant individual-level data exports

• Annual data refreshes

DATA SOURCES AND METHODOLOGY

Proposers must clearly describe:

• Primary and secondary data sources used for employment and education outcomes

• Matching methodology and expected match rates for public, rural-serving institutions

• Known data limitations or populations that may be underrepresented (e.g., self-employed, military, gig economy)

• Frequency and process for data validation and updates

WEB-EMBEDDED WIDGETS AND STUDENT-FACING TOOLS

The solution must include web-embedded widgets that display alumni outcomes, program-specific labor market information, and career interest insights directly on EOU webpages.

Widgets must:

• Be WCAG 2.1 AA accessible

• Allow filtering by academic program, degree level, and geographic region

• Support institutional branding and customization

• Display current data consistent with annual refresh cycles

DATA PRIVACY, SECURITY, AND GOVERNANCE

• EOU retains ownership of all institutional data provided to the contractor

• Contractor may not reuse, resell, or disclose EOU data beyond the scope of this agreement

• Data must be stored and transmitted using industry-standard security practices

• Proposers must describe applicable security certifications (e.g., SOC 2, ISO 27001)

• Contractor must securely destroy EOU data upon contract termination

DELIVERABLES

• Alumni employment and education outcomes analytics platform

• Interactive reports and dashboards covering employment, education pathways, and comparisons

• Web-embedded alumni, program, and student career planning widgets

• Implementation, onboarding, and training services

• Annual institutional data refresh

• Ongoing customer support and account management

IMPLEMENTATION TIMELINE

• Contract execution: within 2–4 weeks of award

• Data submission and matching: 6–8 weeks

• Platform access and kickoff training upon completion of data matching

• Widget deployment: approximately 2 weeks following contract execution

• Annual data refresh: once per contract year

EVALUATION AND SELECTION CRITERIA (100 POINTS TOTAL)

Proposals will be evaluated using a weighted scoring methodology. EOU may request clarifications during the review process.

• Understanding of project requirements and quality of proposed solution – 30 points (including transparency of methodology and alignment with accreditation and workforce reporting)

• Functionality, usability, accessibility, and reporting capabilities – 25 points

• Experience and qualifications with higher education institutions – 20 points

• Implementation plan, training, and ongoing support – 15 points

• Cost and overall value – 10 points

CONTRACT TERM AND PRICING

EOU anticipates an initial contract term of three (3) years, with optional renewal periods subject to mutual agreement.

Proposers must submit a detailed cost proposal that includes:

• Annual subscription or service fees

• One-time implementation costs

• Multi-year pricing options

• Any applicable discounts or escalation limits

EOU reserves the right to reject any or all proposals and to award a contract in the best interest of the University.

EXHIBIT B – REQUIRED PROPOSAL RESPONSE FORMAT

To ensure consistency and facilitate objective evaluation, proposers must organize their responses using the structure below. Failure to follow this format may result in reduced scoring.

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Provide a concise overview of the proposed solution, key differentiators, and the vendor’s understanding of EOU’s objectives.

2. COMPANY PROFILE AND EXPERIENCE

• Company history, ownership, and years in operation

• Experience serving public higher education institutions

• Number of higher education clients currently supported

• References from at least three (3) higher education clients, preferably including rural-serving or regional universities

3. DATA SOURCES AND METHODOLOGY

• Description of all employment, education, and labor market data sources

• Matching methodology and expected match rates

• Data refresh frequency and validation processes

• Known data gaps or limitations

4. SOLUTION FUNCTIONALITY AND FEATURES

• Description of analytics platform capabilities

• Reporting, dashboards, and comparison tools

• Support for longitudinal analysis

• Accessibility compliance (WCAG 2.1 AA)

5. WEB-EMBEDDED WIDGETS AND STUDENT-FACING TOOLS

• Description of available widgets

• Customization, branding, and filtering capabilities

• Update frequency and governance

• Examples or screenshots of deployed widgets

6. DATA PRIVACY, SECURITY, AND COMPLIANCE

• FERPA compliance approach

• Data ownership and usage policies

• Security certifications and standards

• Data retention and destruction policies

7. IMPLEMENTATION PLAN AND TIMELINE

• Project plan with milestones

• Data submission and matching process

• Training approach for different user groups

• Change management and adoption support

8. CUSTOMER SUPPORT AND ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT

• Support model and service levels

• Named account management

• Ongoing training and enhancement processes

9. PRICING AND VALUE

• Detailed pricing by year

• One-time and recurring costs

• Multi-year pricing options

• Optional services and associated costs

10. ADDITIONAL VALUE-ADDED SERVICES (OPTIONAL)

• Innovations, enhancements, or services not explicitly requested but beneficial to

EOU

EXHIBIT A

BIDDER/PROPOSOR TAX LAWS AND NON-

DISCRIMINATION CERTIFICATION

I, the undersigned, have read all of the terms and conditions of this Request for Bid, and I understand that if awarded the contract, I and the firm represented herein shall be bound by its terms and conditions and representations made in this response. I certify that Proposer has not discriminated against minority, women or emerging small business enterprises in obtaining any required subcontracts.

Business Designation (check one):

□ Corporation ☐ Partnership

□ Sole Proprietorship ☐ Governmental/Non-Profit

□ Limited Partnership ☐ Limited Liability Partnership

□ Limited Liability Company

MWESB Certification For statistical purposes only, please indicate if your firm is certified in Oregon as one of the following:

□ Emerging Small Business (ESB)

□ Minority-owned Business Enterprise (MBE)

□ Women-owned Business Enterprise (WBE)

□ Service-Disabled Veteran-owned Small Business (SDV)

□ Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE or ACDBE)

Certificate of Compliance with Tax Laws I, the undersigned, (check one)

□ hereby certify under penalty of perjury that I am not in violation of any Oregon Tax laws,

□ hereby certify under penalty of perjury that I am authorized to act on behalf of Contractor and, to the best of my knowledge, Contractor is not in violation of any Oregon tax laws.

For purposes of this certification, “Oregon Tax Laws” means a state tax imposed by ORS 320.005 to 320.150 and 403.200 to 403.250, ORS Chapters 118, 314, 316, 317, 318, 321 and 323; the elderly rental assistance program under ORS 310.630 to 310.706; and local taxes administered by the Oregon Department of Revenue under

ORS 305.620

Signature: Date:

Name: Title:

Firm:

Address:

City/State/Zip: Phone: ( )

Email: Fax: