RFP_33201-04526_Amendment_7.pdf

This is Amendment #7 to Request for Proposals #33201-04526 issued by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission for the design, development, implementation, and ongoing maintenance of a comprehensive Articulation and Transfer Statewide System. The RFP was originally issued on March 20, 2026, with a Notice of Intent to Respond deadline of March 27, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. central time. Written questions and comments are due by April 3, 2026, with state responses provided on April 27, 2026. The proposal response deadline is May 4, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. central time. Technical response evaluations will be completed by June 30, 2026, followed by product demonstrations scheduled for July 13-24, 2026. Cost proposals will be opened and scored on July 29, 2026, with optional negotiations occurring July 30-31, 2026. The Notice of Intent to Award will be released on August 3, 2026, with the protest period ending August 10, 2026, at 4:30 p.m. The state will send the contract to the contractor for signature on August 12, 2026, with a contractor signature deadline of August 14, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. The contract term is five years (60 months) with warranty provisions equal to or greater than the contract duration.

The RFP does not disclose a specific budget or award value. The cost proposal must include separate line items for one-time implementation fees, one-time training fees for administrators and users, annual hosting costs, annual license fees, annual system maintenance, and annual client support services. No set-aside designations or disadvantaged enterprise requirements are referenced in the solicitation materials. No incumbent vendors or current contractors are identified. The state will not reimburse travel expenses or proposal preparation costs, and the contract is subject to funds availability with the state retaining the right to terminate for convenience with 30 days' notice. Contractors must maintain cyber liability insurance of $3 million per occurrence and $5 million annual aggregate. The system is expected to serve 54 institutions at go-live, including 24 technical colleges, 13 community colleges, 6 locally governed institutions, and 11 public four-year universities.