Amendment 14 to RFP #33201-04526: Articulation and Transfer Statewide System

This document is Amendment 14 to a Request for Proposals issued by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) for the design, development, implementation, and maintenance of a comprehensive Articulation and Transfer Statewide System. The system will serve 54 anticipated institutions at go-live, including 24 technical colleges, 13 community colleges, 6 locally governed institutions, and 11 public four-year universities. The platform must evaluate and translate prior learning into academic credit, including credit by examination, prior learning assessment, military training recognition, reverse transfer, and degree audits, while providing accessible information to current and prospective students regarding credit eligibility across all Tennessee public institutions. The amendment updates the RFP schedule of events, with key dates including the Response Deadline of May 4, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. central time; Product Demonstrations scheduled for August 11-21, 2026; State Opening and Scoring of Cost Proposals on August 24, 2026; optional negotiations on August 27-28, 2026; State Notice of Intent to Award release on September 14, 2026; and the end of the protest period on September 21, 2026. The Contractor Signature Deadline is September 24, 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 amendment does not specify pricing terms, budget ranges, or award values. No set-aside designations, incumbent vendors, or current contractors are identified in the solicitation materials. The evaluation criteria include 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 (one-time fee), training (one-time fee), annual hosting costs, annual license fees, annual system maintenance, and annual client support services. The contractor must maintain cyber liability insurance of $3 million per occurrence and $5 million annual aggregate. 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.