RFP_33201-04526_Amendment_10.pdf

This is Amendment 10 to Request for Proposals 33201-04526 issued by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) for the design, development, implementation, and ongoing maintenance of a comprehensive Articulation and Transfer Statewide System. The amendment updates the RFP schedule of events with revised dates for key milestones. The Notice of Intent to Respond deadline is March 27, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. central time, with written questions and comments due by April 3, 2026. The RFP response deadline is May 4, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. central time. Product demonstrations are scheduled for August 10-18, 2026, following state completion of technical response evaluations on July 17, 2026, and state scheduling of demonstrations on July 22, 2026. The state will open and score cost proposals on August 20, 2026, with optional negotiations occurring August 24-26, 2026. The Notice of Intent to Award will be released on September 1, 2026, with the protest period ending September 8, 2026. The state will send the contract to the contractor on September 9, 2026, with a contractor signature deadline of September 11, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. central time. The contract term is five years (60 months) with a warranty period equal to or greater than the contract duration.

The RFP does not specify a budget range or award value. Evaluation will be based on general qualifications and experience (10 points maximum), technical qualifications, experience and approach (70 points maximum), product demonstrations (10 points maximum), and cost proposal (10 points maximum). The cost proposal must include separate line items for implementation, training, annual hosting, annual license fees, annual maintenance, and annual client support services. No set-aside designations or disadvantaged enterprise requirements are referenced. The state will not reimburse travel expenses or costs associated with proposal preparation, and the contract is subject to funds availability with the state retaining the right to terminate for convenience with 30 days' notice. The contractor must maintain cyber liability insurance of $3 million per occurrence and $5 million annual aggregate. The system will serve 54 anticipated institutions at go-live: 24 technical colleges, 13 community colleges, 6 locally governed institutions, and 11 public four-year universities.