STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA

North Carolina A&T State University

Request for Proposal #:59-P2413

Sponsored Research Finance Operations Assessment, Remediation, and

Transformation Consulting Services

Date of Issue: 9/16/2026

Bid Opening Date: 10/5/2026

At 2:00 PM ET

Direct all inquiries concerning this RFP to:

Roselyn Pinnix

Purchasing Specialist

Email: rp003826@ncat.edu

Phone: 336.285.4970

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Request for Proposal #

59-P2413

For internal State agency processing, including tabulation of proposals, provide your company’s eVP (Electronic

Vendor Portal) Number. Pursuant to G.S. 132-1.10(b) this identification number shall not be released to the public.

This page will be removed and shredded, or otherwise kept confidential, before the procurement file is made available for public inspection.

This page shall be filled out and returned with your proposal.

Failure to do so may subject your proposal to rejection.

Vendor Name

Vendor eVP#

Note: For a contract to be awarded to you, your company (you) must be a North Carolina registered Vendor in good standing. You must enter the Vendor number assigned through eVP (Electronic Vendor Portal). If you do not have a Vendor number, register athttps://evp.nc.gov/SignIn

Electronic responses ONLY will be accepted for this solicitation.

https://evp.nc.gov/SignIn

Proposal Number: 59-P2412 Vendor: __________________________________________

Ver: 11/2024

Refer ALL Inquiries regarding this RFP to:

Roselyn Pinnix, Purchasing Specialist rp003826@ncat.edu

336.285.4970

Request for Proposal #: 59-P2413

Proposals will be opened: 10/05/2026 2:00 PM EST

EXECUTION

In compliance with this Request for Proposals (RFP), and subject to all the conditions herein, the undersigned Vendor offers and agrees to furnish and deliver any or all items upon which prices are bid, at the prices set opposite each item within the time specified herein.

By executing this proposal, the undersigned Vendor understands that false certification is a Class I felony and certifies that:

▪ this proposal is submitted competitively and without collusion (G.S. 143-54),

▪ none of its officers, directors, or owners of an unincorporated business entity has been convicted of any violations of Chapter 78A of the General Statutes, the Securities Act of 1933, or the Securities Exchange Act of

1934 (G.S. 143-59.2), and

▪ it is not an ineligible Vendor as set forth in G.S. 143-59.1.

Furthermore, by executing this proposal, the undersigned certifies to the best of Vendor’s knowledge and belief, that:

▪ it and its principals are not presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible or voluntarily excluded from covered transactions by any Federal or State department or agency.

As required by G.S. 143-48.5, the undersigned Vendor certifies that it, and each of its sub-Contractors for any Contract awarded as a result of this RFP, complies with the requirements of Article 2 of Chapter 64 of the NC General Statutes, including the requirement for each employer with more than 25 employees in North Carolina to verify the work authorization of its employees through the federal E-Verify system.

As required by Executive Order 24 (2017), the undersigned vendor certifies will comply with all Federal and State requirements concerning fair employment and that it does not and will not discriminate, harass, or retaliate against any employee in connection with performance of any Contract arising from this solicitation.

G.S. 133-32 and Executive Order 24 (2009) prohibit the offer to, or acceptance by, any State Employee associated with the preparing plans, specifications, estimates for public contracts; or awarding or administering public contracts; or inspecting or supervising delivery of the public contract of any gift from anyone with a contract with the State, or from any person seeking to do business with the State. By execution of this response to the RFP, the undersigned certifies, for Vendor’s entire organization and its employees or agents, that Vendor is not aware that any such gift has been offered, accepted, or promised by any employees of your organization.

By executing this proposal, Vendor certifies that it has read and agreed to the INSTRUCTION TO VENDORS and the

NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS incorporated herein. These documents can be accessed from the ATTACHMENTS page within this document.

North Carolina A&T State University

Proposal Number: 59-P2413 Vendor: __________________________________________

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Failure to execute/sign proposal prior to submittal may render proposal invalid and it MAY BE REJECTED. Late proposals shall not be accepted.

COMPLETE/FORMAL NAME OF VENDOR:

STREET ADDRESS: P.O. BOX: ZIP:

CITY & STATE & ZIP: TELEPHONE

NUMBER:

TOLL FREE TEL. NO:

PRINCIPAL PLACE OF BUSINESS ADDRESS IF DIFFERENT FROM ABOVE (SEE INSTRUCTIONS TO VENDORS ITEM #21):

PRINT NAME & TITLE OF PERSON SIGNING ON BEHALF OF VENDOR:

VENDOR’S AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE*: DATE: EMAIL:

VALIDITY PERIOD

Offer shall be valid for at least sixty 60 days from date of bid opening, unless otherwise stated here: ______ days, or if extended by mutual agreement of the parties in writing. Any withdrawal of this offer shall be made in writing, effective upon receipt by the agency issuing this RFP.

ACCEPTANCE OF PROPOSAL

If your proposal is accepted, all provisions of this RFP, along with the written results of any negotiations, shall constitute the written agreement between the parties (“Contract”). The NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS are incorporated herein and shall apply. Depending upon the Goods or Services being offered, other terms and conditions may apply, as mutually agreed.

FOR STATE USE ONLY: Offer accepted and Contract awarded this________ day of __________, 20____, as indicated on

The attached certification, by ____________________________________________________________________.

(Authorized Representative of North Carolina A&T State University)

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Contents

1.0 PURPOSE AND BACKGROUND

2.0 GENERAL INFORMATION

2.1 REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL DOCUMENT

2.2 E-PROCUREMENT FEE

2.3 NOTICE TO VENDORS REGARDING RFP TERMS AND CONDITIONS

2.4 RFP SCHEDULE

2.5 PROPOSAL QUESTIONS

2.6 PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL

2.7 PROPOSAL CONTENTS

2.10 DEFINITIONS, ACRONYMS, AND ABBREVIATIONS

3.0 METHOD OF AWARD AND PROPOSAL EVALUATION PROCESS

3.1 METHOD OF AWARD

3.2 CONFIDENTIALITY AND PROHIBITED COMMUNICATIONS DURING EVALUATION

3.3 PROPOSAL EVALUATION PROCESS

3.4 EVALUATION CRITERIA

Technical Methodology & Deliverables Approach (20 Points)

Project Management & Staffing Plan (20 Points)

Experience & Past Performance (20 Points)

References (15 Points)

3.5 PERFORMANCE OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES

3.6 INTERPRETATION OF TERMS AND PHRASES

4.0 REQUIREMENTS

4.1 PRICING

4.2 FINANCIAL STABILITY

4.3 VENDOR EXPERIENCE

4.4 BACKGROUND CHECKS

4.5 PERSONNEL

4.6 VENDOR’S REPRESENTATIONS

4.7 FINANCIAL STABILITY

4.8 AGENCY INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS MODIFICATION

4.9 SUBCONTRACTORS

4.10 SECRETARY OF STATE REGISTRATION

5.0 SPECIFICATIONS AND SCOPE OF SERVICES

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5.1 GENERAL

5.3 TASKS/DELIVERABLES

5.4 EXPERIENCE, PAST PERFORMANCE & MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

5.1 PROJECT ORGANIZATION

5.5 TECHNICAL APPROACH

6.0 CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION

6.1 CONTRACT MANAGER AND CUSTOMER SERVICE

6.2 INVOICES

6.3 CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

6.4 ACCEPTANCE OF WORK

6.5 DISPUTE RESOLUTION

7.0 ATTACHMENTS

ATTACHMENT A: PRICING Proposal

ATTACHMENT B: INSTRUCTIONS TO VENDORS

ATTACHMENT C: NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL TERMS & CONDITIONS

ATTACHMENT D: HUB SUPPLEMENTAL VENDOR INFORMATION ..... Error! Bookmark not defined.

ATTACHMENT F: LOCATION OF WORKERS UTILIZED BY VENDOR

ATTACHMENT G: CERTIFICATION OF FINANCIAL CONDITION

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1.0 PURPOSE AND BACKGROUND

Purpose & Background

Background

North Carolina A&T State University operates a sponsored research finance function responsible for the full lifecycle of externally funded awards, including proposal budgeting, award and fund setup, post-award financial management, invoicing, cash application, reconciliation, subaward administration, letter-of-credit drawdowns, and award closeout.

Over an extended period, the University has experienced process breakdowns within these functions resulting in unbilled and uncollected sponsored revenue, aged and unreconciled award balances, deferred financial reporting obligations, and increased compliance risk under 2 CFR 200 (Uniform Guidance), State of North Carolina audit standards, and Board of Governors policy.

A prior independent current-state assessment of post-award operations exists and will be made available to the selected Contractor as a starting reference. The University seeks a qualified Contractor to independently validate that prior work, quantify the scope of the operational and financial backlog, and design and help execute a remediation and transformation program that restores compliant, sustainable, and adequately staffed sponsored research finance operations.

Purpose

The purpose of this solicitation is to obtain qualified professional consulting services to:

- Rebuild and stabilize sponsored research finance operations and restore internal controls;

- Identify, quantify, and support recovery of unbilled and uncollected sponsored revenue and reduce aged, unreconciled balances;

- Bring sponsored research financial operations into compliance with State of North Carolina requirements, Governing Board policy, Uniform Guidance, and applicable audit findings, and protect the University's delegated authority to manage federal and state awards;

- Establish sustainable processes, documented procedures, and a trained internal staff capable of independently operating and maintaining the function going forward; and

- Deliver a validated, evidence-based assessment of current operations and a prioritized, sequenced roadmap of corrective and transformational actions.

The intent of this solicitation is to award an Agency Specific Contract

Bids shall be submitted in accordance with the terms and conditions of this RFP and any addenda issued hereto.

2.0 GENERAL INFORMATION

2.1 REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL DOCUMENT

This RFP is comprised of the base RFP document, any attachments, and any addenda released before Contract award, which are incorporated herein by reference.

2.2 E-PROCUREMENT FEE

ATTENTION: The E-Procurement fee may apply to this solicitation. See the paragraph entitled ELECTRONIC PROCUREMENT of the North Carolina General Terms and Conditions.

General information on the E-Procurement Services can be found at: http://eprocurement.nc.gov/.

http://eprocurement.nc.gov/

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2.3 NOTICE TO VENDORS REGARDING RFP TERMS AND CONDITIONS

It shall be the Vendor’s responsibility to read the Instructions to Vendors, the North Carolina General Terms and

Conditions, all relevant exhibits and attachments, and any other components made a part of this RFP and comply with all requirements and specifications herein. Vendors are also responsible for obtaining and complying with all Addenda and other changes that may be issued in connection with this RFP.

If Vendors have questions or issues regarding any component of this RFP, those must be submitted as questions in accordance with the instructions in the PROPOSAL QUESTIONS Section. If the State determines that any changes will be made as a result of the questions asked, then such decisions will be communicated in the form of an RFP addendum.

The State may also elect to leave open the possibility for later negotiation of specific provisions of the Contract that have been addressed during the question-and-answer period, prior to contract award.

Other than through the process of negotiation under 01 NCAC 05B.0503, the State rejects and will not be required to evaluate or consider any additional or modified terms and conditions submitted with Vendor’s proposal or otherwise.

This applies to any language appearing in or attached to the document as part of the Vendor’s proposal that purports to vary any terms and conditions or Vendors’ instructions herein or to render the proposal non-binding or subject to further negotiation. Vendor’s proposal shall constitute a firm offer that shall be held open for the period required herein (“Validity Period” above).

The State may exercise its discretion to consider Vendor proposed modifications. By execution and delivery of this

RFP Response, the Vendor agrees that any additional or modified terms and conditions, whether submitted purposely or inadvertently, shall have no force or effect, and will be disregarded unless expressly agreed upon through negotiation and incorporated by way of a Best and Final Offer (BAFO). Noncompliance with, or any attempt to alter or delete, this paragraph shall constitute sufficient grounds to reject Vendor’s proposal as nonresponsive.

2.4 RFP SCHEDULE

The table below shows the intended schedule for this RFP. The State will make every effort to adhere to this schedule.

Event Responsibility Date and Time

Issue RFP State 9/16/2026

Submit Written Questions Vendor 9/22/2026 by 5:00 PM EST

Provide Response to Questions State 9/24/2026

Submit Bids Vendor 10/5/2026

Award State 10/8/2026

2.5 PROPOSAL QUESTIONS

Upon review of the RFP documents, Vendors may have questions to clarify or interpret the RFP in order to submit the best proposal possible. To accommodate the Proposal Questions process, Vendors shall submit any such questions by the “Submit Written Questions” date and time provided in the RFP SCHEDULE Section above, unless modified by

Addendum.

Written questions shall be submitted through Bonfire by the date and time specified above. Vendors should enter “RFP

#59-P2413: Questions” as the subject for the submission. Question submittals should include a reference to the applicable RFP section and be submitted in the format shown below:

Reference Vendor Question

RFP Section, Page Number Vendor question …?

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Questions received prior to the submission deadline date, the State’s response, and any additional terms deemed necessary by the State will be posted in the form of an addendum to the electronic Vendor Portal (eVP), https://evp.nc.gov, and shall become an Addendum to this RFP. No information, instruction or advice provided orally or informally by any State personnel, whether made in response to a question or otherwise in connection with this RFP, shall be considered authoritative or binding. Vendors shall rely only on written material contained in the RFP and an addendum to this RFP.

2.6 PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL

IMPORTANT NOTE: This is an absolute requirement. Late bids, regardless of cause, will not be opened or considered, and will be automatically disqualified from further consideration. Vendor shall bear the sole risk of late submission due to unintended or unanticipated delay. It is the Vendor’s sole responsibility to ensure its proposal has been received as described in this RFP by the specified time and date of opening. The time and date of receipt will be marked on each proposal when received. Any proposal or portion thereof received after the proposal deadline will be rejected.

Instructions: Responses, subject to the conditions made a part hereof and the receipt requirements described below, shall be received at the address indicated in the table below, for furnishing and delivering those items as described herein.

Electronic address for delivery of Bid Proposal https://ncat.bonfirehub.com/portal/?tab=openOpportunities

Electronic responses ONLY will be accepted for this solicitation through:

BID SUBMITTAL – NO PAPER SUBMISSIONS

Bonfire Support Team can also be contracted by calling 1-800-354-8010 Ext. 2. Support by phone and email is provided

Monday - Friday from 8 AM – 8 PM EST.

If confidential and proprietary information is included in the proposal, also submit one (1) signed, REDACTED copy of the proposal. Such information may include trade secrets defined by N.C. Gen. Stat. § 66-152 and other information exempted from the Public Records Act pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. §132- 1.2. Vendor may designate information, Products, Services or appropriate portions of its response as confidential, consistent with and to the extent permitted under the statutes and rules set forth above. By so redacting any page, or portion of a page, the Vendor warrants that it has formed a good faith opinion, having received such necessary or proper review by counsel and other knowledgeable advisors, that the portions determined to be confidential and proprietary and redacted as such, meet the requirements of the Rules and Statutes set forth above. However, under no circumstances shall price information be designated as confidential.

If the Vendor does not provide a redacted version of the proposal with its proposal submission, the Department may release an unredacted version if a record request is received.

Failure to submit a proposal in strict accordance with these instructions shall constitute sufficient cause to reject a

Vendor’s proposal(s). Vendors are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to upload proposals.

Critical updated information may be included in Addenda to this RFP. It is important that all Vendors responding to this

RFP periodically check the State’s eVP website for any Addenda that may be issued prior to the bid opening date. All

Vendors shall be deemed to have read and understood all information in this RFP and all Addenda thereto.

https://evp.nc.gov/ https://ncat.bonfirehub.com/portal/?tab=openOpportunities https://ncat.bonfirehub.com/portal/?tab=openOpportunities https://ncat.bonfirehub.com/portal/?tab=openOpportunities https://ncat.bonfirehub.com/portal/?tab=openOpportunities

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2.7 PROPOSAL CONTENTS

Vendors shall populate all attachments of this RFP that require the Vendor to provide information and include an authorized signature where requested. Failure to provide all required items, or Vendor’s submission of incomplete items, may result in the State rejecting Vendor’s proposal, in the State’s sole discretion.

Vendor RFP responses shall include the following items and attachments, which shall be arranged in the following order:

a) Cover Letter, which must contain the following: (i) a statement that confirms that the proposer has read the RFP in its entirety, including all links, and all Addenda released in conjunction with the RFP, (ii) a statement that the

Vendor agrees to perform in accordance with the scope of work, requirements, and specifications contained herein; and (iii) Vendor’s agreement to comply with all instructions, terms and conditions, and attachments

b) Title Page: Include the company name, address, phone number and authorized representative along with the

Proposal Number.

c) Completed and signed version of all EXECUTION PAGES, along with the body of the RFP.

d) Signed receipt pages of any addenda released in conjunction with this RFP

e) Vendor’s Proposal addressing all Specifications of this RFP.

f) Completed version of ATTACHMENT A: FULL PROPOSAL and PRICING

g) Completed version of ATTACHMENT F: LOCATION OF WORKERS UTILIZED BY VENDOR

h) Completed and signed version of ATTACHMENT G: CERTIFICATION OF FINANCIAL CONDITION

i) ATTACHMENT H: REFERENCES

2.10 DEFINITIONS, ACRONYMS, AND ABBREVIATIONS

Relevant definitions for this RFP are provided in 01 NCAC 05A .0112 and in the Instructions to Vendors found below which are incorporated herein by this reference.

The following definitions, acronyms, and abbreviations are also relevant to this RFP: NA

3.0 METHOD OF AWARD AND PROPOSAL EVALUATION PROCESS

3.1 METHOD OF AWARD

North Carolina G.S. 143-52 provides a general list of criteria the State shall use to award contracts, as supplemented by the additional criteria herein. The Goods or Services being procured shall dictate the application and order of criteria; however, all award decisions shall be in the State’s best interest. All qualified proposals will be evaluated, and awards will be made to the Vendor(s) meeting the specific RFP Specifications and achieving the highest and best final evaluation, based on the criteria described below.

While the intent of this RFP is to award a Contract(s) to a single Vendor, the State reserves the right to make separate awards to different Vendors for one or more line items, to not award one or more line items or to cancel this RFP in its entirety without awarding a Contract, if it is considered to be most advantageous to the State to do so.

The State reserves the right to waive any minor informality or technicality in proposals received.

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3.2 CONFIDENTIALITY AND PROHIBITED COMMUNICATIONS DURING EVALUATION

While this RFP is under evaluation, the responding Vendor, including any subcontractors and suppliers, is prohibited from engaging in conversations intended to influence the outcome of the evaluation. See Paragraph 29 of the

Instructions to Vendors entitled COMMUNICTIONS BY VENDORS.

Each Vendor submitting a proposal to this RFP, including its employees, agents, subcontractors, suppliers, subsidiaries and affiliates, is prohibited from having any communications with any person inside or outside the using agency; issuing agency; other government agency office or body (including the procurement lead named above, any department secretary, agency head, members of the General Assembly and Governor’s office); or private entity, if the communication refers to the content of Vendor’s proposal or qualifications, the content of another Vendor’s proposal, another Vendor’s qualifications or ability to perform a resulting contract, and/or the transmittal of any other communication of information that could be reasonably considered to have the effect of directly or indirectly influencing the evaluation of proposals, the award of a contract, or both.

Any Vendor not in compliance with this provision shall be disqualified from evaluation and award. A Vendor’s proposal may be disqualified if its subcontractor and/or supplier engage in any of the foregoing communications during the time that the procurement is active (i.e., the issuance date of the procurement until the date of contract award or cancellation of the procurement). Only those discussions, communications or transmittals of information authorized or initiated by the issuing agency for this RFP or inquiries directed to the procurement lead named in this RFP regarding requirements of the RFP (prior to proposal submission) or the status of the award (after submission) are excepted from this provision.

3.3 PROPOSAL EVALUATION PROCESS

Only responsive submissions will be evaluated.

The State will conduct a One-Step evaluation of Proposals:

Proposals will be received according to the method stated in the Proposal Submittal Section above.

All proposals must be received by the issuing agency not later than the date and time specified in the RFP SCHEDULE

Section above, unless modified by Addendum. Vendors are cautioned that this is a request for offers, not an offer or request to contract, and the State reserves the unqualified right to reject any and all offers at any time if such rejection is deemed to be in the best interest of the State.

At the date and time provided in the RFP SCHEDULE Section above, unless modified by Addendum, the proposal from each responding Vendor will be opened publicly and all offers (except those that have been previously withdrawn, or voided bids) will be tabulated. The tabulation shall be made public at the time it is created. When negotiations after receipt of bids are authorized pursuant to G.S. 143-49 and 01 NCAC 05B.0503, only the names of offerors and the Goods and Services offered shall be tabulated at the time of opening. If negotiation is anticipated, cost and price shall become available for public inspection at the time of the award. Interested parties are cautioned that these costs and their components are subject to further evaluation for completeness and correctness and therefore may not be an exact indicator of a Vendor’s pricing position.

At their option, the evaluators may request oral presentations or discussions with any or all Vendors for clarification or to amplify the materials presented in any part of the proposal. Vendors are cautioned, however, that the evaluators are not required to request presentations or other clarification—and often do not. Therefore, all proposals should be complete and reflect the most favorable terms available from the Vendor.

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3.4 EVALUATION CRITERIA

In addition to the general criteria in G.S. 143-52 which may or may not be relevant to this RFP, all qualified proposals will be evaluated, and award made based on considering the following criteria, to result in an award most advantageous to the State:

Total Points Possible: 150

Technical: (100 Maximum Points)

Understanding of Project Objectives, Scope & Strategy Development (25 Points)

• Demonstrates a clear understanding of the University's sponsored research finance challenges, including unbilled/uncollected revenue, aged or unreconciled balances, financial reporting obligations, and compliance risks.

• Demonstrates understanding of the full sponsored research finance lifecycle, including pre-award budgeting, award/fund setup, post-award management, billing, collections, reconciliation, subaward administration, drawdowns, reporting, and closeout.

• Demonstrates understanding of the objectives and intended outcomes of Phase 1 – Discovery, Validation, and Quick Wins.

• Demonstrates understanding of the objectives and intended outcomes of Phase 2 – Catch-Up and Stabilization.

• Demonstrates understanding of the objectives and intended outcomes of Phase 3 – Redesign, Training, and Handoff.

• Demonstrates understanding of applicable federal requirements, particularly 2 CFR Part 200 (Uniform Guidance), and the public higher-education compliance environment.

• Explains how recommendations will be prioritized based on factors such as financial exposure, compliance risk, sponsor requirements, operational impact, and recoverability.

• Identifies measurable outcomes and success indicators that can be used to determine whether the engagement has achieved its objectives.

• Demonstrates an approach designed to leave the University with sustainable processes and internal capabilities after contractor transition.

• Demonstrates understanding of the requirement to independently validate prior findings.

Technical Methodology & Deliverables Approach (20 Points)

• Provides a detailed methodology for conducting the current-state assessment and validating the University's existing consultant-prepared assessment.

• Describes the methodology for reviewing transactional data, system records, source documentation, receivables, award balances, billing activity, and other relevant financial information.

• Provides a credible methodology for identifying, quantifying, aging, categorizing, and prioritizing open and unreconciled sponsored awards and balances.

• Explains the approach for identifying potentially recoverable unbilled and uncollected sponsored revenue.

• Describes how quick-win opportunities will be identified, evaluated, prioritized, and implemented.

• Provides an effective approach for developing the remediation and transformation roadmap, including milestones, dependencies, risks, responsibilities, and resource requirements.

• Describes the methodology for backlog remediation and targeted clean-up activities.

• Explains the approach to evaluating ERP functionality, system configuration, billing automation, and other technology-enabled process improvements.

• Describes the methodology for process redesign, internal controls, workflow documentation, and SOP development.

• Provides an effective approach for developing KPIs, reporting mechanisms, and governance structures.

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• Describes the approach to staff training, knowledge transfer, competency validation, and transition of operational ownership to University personnel.

• Identifies specific deliverables associated with each phase and demonstrates how deliverables will satisfy the Scope of Work.

• Includes an effective quality assurance/quality control and deliverable review process.

• Demonstrates how recommendations and deliverables will be supported by evidence, data, and documented analysis rather than generalized consulting recommendations.

• Identifies major implementation risks and describes the proposed approach for mitigating those risks

• Quality assurance and review process

Project Management & Staffing Plan (20 Points)

• Provides a clear project organizational structure, including the Project Manager and appropriate Subject Matter Experts.

• Identifies key personnel who will actually be assigned to the University engagement.

• Demonstrates that proposed personnel possess qualifications and experience appropriate to their assigned responsibilities.

• Includes appropriate expertise in sponsored research/grants finance, Uniform Guidance, financial operations, ERP systems, process improvement, internal controls, change management, and training.

• Clearly defines roles, responsibilities, reporting relationships, and decision-making authority for proposed team members.

• Provides a realistic staffing plan showing anticipated level of effort and resource commitment by phase.

• Demonstrates sufficient staffing capacity to perform remediation activities while simultaneously supporting assessment, process redesign, and knowledge transfer.

• Provides a realistic project timeline with milestones, dependencies, decision points, and major deliverable dates.

• Describes the project management methodology that will be used to monitor schedule, scope, risks, issues, action items, and deliverables.

• Describes the proposed communication and reporting structure with University leadership and project stakeholders.

• Addresses availability of key personnel and continuity of staffing throughout the engagement.

• Describes the process for replacing key personnel, if necessary, without negatively affecting project performance.

• Identifies the proposed on-site versus remote staffing approach and explains how it supports successful performance.

• Demonstrates the ability to scale or adjust resources as remediation needs become better defined during

Phase 1.

• Overall Resource Commitment

Experience & Past Performance (20 Points)

• Demonstrates successful experience performing sponsored research/grants finance operational assessments and remediation engagements.

• Demonstrates experience with higher-education institutions, with greater consideration given to comparable public research universities.

• Demonstrates experience resolving significant sponsored-research billing, reconciliation, accounts receivable, reporting, and closeout backlogs.

• Demonstrates experience identifying and supporting recovery of unbilled or uncollected sponsored revenue.

• Demonstrates knowledge and practical application of 2 CFR Part 200/Uniform Guidance and federal sponsor requirements.

• Demonstrates experience working within public-sector audit, governance, compliance, and internal-control environments.

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• Demonstrates experience with higher-education ERP/financial systems and relevant system configuration or automation initiatives.

• Demonstrates experience designing and implementing SOPs, workflows, internal controls, training programs, KPI frameworks, and governance structures.

• Provides examples of comparable multi-phase assessment, remediation, and transformation engagements.

• Demonstrates successful completion of projects of similar size, complexity, duration, and organizational environment.

• Provides evidence of measurable outcomes achieved on comparable engagements, such as revenue recovery, backlog reduction, improved billing timeliness, audit remediation, process improvement, or strengthened internal controls.

• Demonstrates a record of completing comparable engagements within established schedule and budget requirements.

• Identifies any significant performance problems, contract terminations, disputes, or failures on comparable engagements and explains their resolution, if applicable.

References (15 Points)

• Relevance and similarity of the referenced engagement to NC A&T's Scope of Work.

• Size, complexity, and duration of the referenced engagement.

• Quality and effectiveness of services provided.

• Responsiveness and communication with the client.

• Ability to meet schedules, milestones, and deliverable requirements.

• Quality, accuracy, completeness, and usefulness of deliverables.

• Ability to manage changes, problems, risks, and unexpected project conditions.

• Ability to work effectively with institutional leadership and stakeholders.

• Achievement of measurable financial, operational, compliance, or process-improvement outcomes.

• Effectiveness of knowledge transfer and sustainability of improvements after the engagement.

• Overall client satisfaction and willingness to use the contractor again.

Price: (50 Maximum Points)

Example: The State will determine low cost by normalizing the scores as follows:

The proposal with the lowest cost will receive a score of XX. All other competing proposals will be assigned a portion of the maximum score using the formula:

3.5 PERFORMANCE OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES

Vendor shall complete ATTACHMENT F: LOCATION OF WORKERS UTILIZED BY VENDOR. In addition to any other evaluation criteria identified in this RFP, the State may also consider, for purposes of evaluating proposed or actual contract performance outside of the United States, how that performance may affect the following factors to ensure that any award will be in the best interest of the State:

XX x the cost of the lowest cost proposal the cost of the cost proposal being evaluated

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a) Total cost to the State

b) Level of quality provided by the Vendor

c) Process and performance capability across multiple jurisdictions

d) Protection of the State’s information and intellectual property

e) Availability of pertinent skills

f) Ability to understand the State’s business requirements and internal operational culture

g) Particular risk factors such as the security of the State’s information technology

h) Relations with citizens and employees

i) Contract enforcement jurisdictional issues

3.6 INTERPRETATION OF TERMS AND PHRASES

This RFP serves two functions: (1) to advise potential Vendors of the parameters of the solution being sought by the

State; and (2) to provide (together with other specified documents) the terms of the Contract resulting from this procurement. The use of phrases such as “shall,” “must,” and “requirements” are intended to create enforceable contract conditions. In determining whether proposals should be evaluated or rejected, the State will take into consideration the degree to which Vendors have proposed or failed to propose solutions that will satisfy the State’s needs as described in the RFP. Except as specifically stated in the RFP, no one requirement shall automatically disqualify a Vendor from consideration. However, failure to comply with any single requirement may result in the State exercising its discretion to reject a proposal in its entirety.

4.0 REQUIREMENTS

This Section lists the requirements related to this RFP. By submitting a proposal, the Vendor agrees to meet all stated requirements in this Section as well as any other specifications, requirements, and terms and conditions stated in this

RFP. If a Vendor is unclear about a requirement or specification, or believes a change to a requirement would allow for the State to receive a better proposal, the Vendor is urged to submit these items in the form of a question during the question-and-answer period in accordance with the Proposal Questions Section above.

4.1 PRICING

Proposal price shall constitute the total cost to the State for complete performance in accordance with the requirements and specifications herein, including all applicable charges for handling, transportation, administrative and other similar fees. Complete ATTACHMENT A: PRICING FORM and include in Vendor’s proposal. The pricing provided in ATTACHMENT A, or resulting from any negotiations, is incorporated herein and shall become part of any resulting Contract.

INVOICES MAY NOT BE PAID UNTIL AN INSPECTION HAS OCCURRED AND THE GOODS OR SERVICES ACCEPTED.

4.1.1 Import Tariff Temporary Surcharge

Pricing shall be exclusive of any pending tariffs or temporary tariff surcharge. Vendor may request a temporary tariff surcharge in ATTACHMENT A: PRICING SUBMITTAL WORKBOOK as a charge separate from the contract price. Any temporary tariff surcharge(s) associated with purchases shall be provided by way of a percentage tariff surcharge. All tariff surcharges proposed are intended to be temporary and based on current tariff implications specific to related commodities with evidence of submitted documentation of affected MSRP products. Vendor understands that the agency may request additional justification. Any temporary tariff surcharge percentage will be negotiated and mutually agreed upon. The state is not obligated to accept any proposed import tariff surcharge. Proposed tariff surcharges may be used as a factor for evaluation and award.

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4.2 FINANCIAL STABILITY

As a condition of contract award, the Vendor must certify that it has the financial capacity to perform and to continue to perform its obligations under the Contract; that Vendor has no constructive or actual knowledge of an actual or potential legal proceeding being brought against Vendor that could materially adversely affect performance of this

Contract; and that entering into this Contract is not prohibited by any contract, or order by any court of competent jurisdiction.

Each Vendor shall certify it is financially stable by completing ATTACHMENT G: CERTIFICATION OF FINANCIAL

CONDITION. The State is requiring this certification to minimize potential issues from contracting with a Vendor that is financially unstable. From the date of the Certification to the expiration of the Contract, the Vendor shall notify the

State within thirty (30) days of any occurrence or condition that materially alters the truth of any statement made in this Certification. The Contract Manager may require annual recertification of the Vendor’s financial stability.

4.3 VENDOR EXPERIENCE

In its Proposal, Vendor shall demonstrate experience performing sponsored research/grants finance operational assessments and remediation engagements for higher education institutions, preferably public research universities along with all other requirements listed in Section 5.4. Vendor shall provide information as to the qualifications and experience of all executive, managerial, legal, and professional personnel to be assigned to this project.

4.4 BACKGROUND CHECKS

Any personnel or agent of Vendor performing Services under any Contract arising from this RFP may be required to undergo a background check at the expense of the Vendor, if so requested by the State.

4.5 PERSONNEL

Vendor warrants that qualified personnel shall provide Services under this Contract in a professional manner.

“Professional manner” means that the personnel performing the Services will possess the skill and competence consistent with the prevailing business standards in the industry. Vendor will serve as the prime contractor under this

Contract and shall be responsible for the performance and payment of all subcontractor(s) that may be approved by the State. Names of any third-party Vendors or subcontractors of Vendor may appear for purposes of convenience in

Contract documents; and shall not limit Vendor’s obligations hereunder. Vendor will retain executive representation for functional and technical expertise as needed in order to incorporate any work by third party subcontractor(s).

Should the Vendor’s proposal result in an award, the Vendor shall be required to agree that it will not substitute key personnel assigned to the performance of the Contract without prior written approval by the Contract Lead. Vendor shall further agree that it will notify the Contract Lead of any desired substitution, including the name(s) and references of Vendor’s recommended substitute personnel. The State will approve or disapprove the requested substitution in a timely manner. The State may, in its sole discretion, terminate the Services of any person providing Services under this

Contract. Upon such termination, the State may request acceptable substitute personnel or terminate the contract

Services provided by such personnel.

4.6 VENDOR’S REPRESENTATIONS

If Vendor’s Proposal results in an award, Vendor agrees that it will not enter any agreement with a third party that may abridge any rights of the State under the Contract. If any Services, deliverables, functions, or responsibilities not specifically described in this solicitation are required for Vendor’s proper performance, provision and delivery of the

Service and deliverables under a resulting Contract, or are an inherent part of or necessary sub-task included within

Ver: 11/2025 15 such Service, they will be deemed to be implied by and included within the scope of the Contract to the same extent and in the same manner as if specifically described in the Contract. Unless otherwise expressly provided herein, Vendor will furnish all of its own necessary management, supervision, labor, facilities, furniture, computer and telecom-munications equipment, software, supplies and materials necessary for the Vendor to provide and deliver the Services and/or other Deliverables.

4.7 FINANCIAL STABILITY

As a condition of contract award, the Vendor must certify that it has the financial capacity to perform and to continue to perform its obligations under the Contract; that Vendor has no constructive or actual knowledge of an actual or potential legal proceeding being brought against Vendor that could materially adversely affect performance of this

Contract; and that entering into this Contract is not prohibited by any contract, or order by any court of competent jurisdiction

Each Vendor shall certify it is financially stable by completing the ATTACHMENT G: CERTIFICATION OF FINANCIAL

CONDITION. The State is requiring this certification to minimize potential performance issues from Contracting with a

Vendor that is financially unstable. This Certification shall be deemed continuing, and from the date of the Certification to the expiration of the Contract, the Vendor shall notify the State within thirty (30) days of any occurrence or condition that materially alters the truth of any statement made in this Certification.

4.8 AGENCY INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS MODIFICATION

A. Default Insurance Coverage from the General Terms and Conditions applicable to this Solicitation:

☐ Small Purchases

☒ Contract value in excess of the Small Purchase threshold, but up to $1,000,000.00

☐ Contract value in excess of $1,000,000.00

4.9 SUBCONTRACTORS

No portion of the work shall be subcontracted without prior written consent of the State. In the event that the Vendor desires to subcontract some part of the work specified herein, the Vendor shall furnish with their bid the names, qualifications, and experience of their proposed subcontractors. The Vendor shall, however, remain solely and fully liable and responsible for the work done by its subcontractor(s) and shall assure compliance with all the requirements and specifications of the contract.

4.10 SECRETARY OF STATE REGISTRATION

Prior to entering into a contract with the State, the awarded Vendor(s) must complete registration with the NC Secretary of State. Upon notification of award, the selected Vendor(s) must furnish evidence of filing within 10 business days. Failure to provide this documentation may result in the disqualification of the Vendor(s) bid from further consideration for the award. No purchase orders shall be issued prior to confirmation of completed registration with the Secretary of State.

No purchase orders shall be issued prior to confirmation of completed registration with the Secretary of State.

A contract award under the above-referenced solicitation, and the resulting purchase orders, will produce repeated orders and transactions in North Carolina and will constitute “transacting business” in the State, which requires a certificate of authority from the North Carolina Secretary of State as provided in G.S. §55-15-01 (corporations) or §57D- 7-01 (LLCs). Please go to: https://www.sosnc.gov/ to register.

Vendor registered with the North Carolina Secretary of State: Yes☐ No ☐ https://www.sosnc.gov/

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5.0 SPECIFICATIONS AND SCOPE OF SERVICES

5.1 GENERAL

The Contractor shall provide services across the full sponsored research finance lifecycle — pre-award budgeting, award and fund setup, and post-award management — including the operational workflows, systems, and controls that intersect with each phase. Services shall be delivered in three phases as described below. The University reserves the right to negotiate phase durations, sequencing, and scope prior to contract execution, and to exercise phases independently or as an integrated engagement.

5.2 SCOPE OF SERVICES

Phase 1 – Discovery, Validation, and Quick Wins

- Conduct a neutral, evidence-based current-state assessment of contracts and award setup, billing and invoicing, collections, reconciliation, closeout, subaward administration, letter-of-credit management, systems configuration, and staffing capability.

- Validate findings from the University's existing consultant-prepared assessment against underlying transactional data, system records, and source documentation.

- Build a comprehensive inventory of open, aged, and unreconciled sponsored awards, receivables, and fund balances, including aging analysis and categorization by recoverability, risk, and sponsor type.

- Quantify an estimate of potentially recoverable unbilled or uncollected revenue.

- Identify and prioritize "quick win" corrective actions that can be implemented within the initial engagement period.

- Deliver a prioritized remediation and transformation roadmap, including tasks, responsible owners, estimated effort, milestones, and an associated project plan and risk register.

Phase 2 – Catch-Up and Stabilization

- Execute or directly support targeted clean-up sprints to resolve backlog items identified in Phase 1, prioritized by dollar value, risk, and sponsor requirements.

- Assess the University's systems environment and provide a recommendation, with supporting analysis, on activation or configuration of system-based billing functionality and related automation to reduce manual processing.

- Recommend and support implementation of chart-of-accounts modifications necessary to support sponsored research financial operations.

- Begin development of standard operating procedures (SOPs) for post-award management, billing, and reporting functions, aligned with Uniform Guidance, State of North Carolina requirements, and Governing Board/Board of

Governors policy.

- Work toward bringing sponsor billing, financial reporting, and drawdown activity current with sponsor and regulatory deadlines.

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Phase 3 – Redesign, Training, and Handoff

- Complete full process redesign across the sponsored research finance lifecycle (pre-award through post-award), including documented workflows, handoffs, and internal control points.

- Finalize and deliver a complete set of SOPs and policy documentation covering all in-scope processes.

- Develop and deliver training materials and training sessions for finance and post-award staff, including a delivery schedule and competency validation approach.

- Provide advisory recommendations on organizational structure and staffing model options (University employees, contracted staff, or hybrid), including an objective capability assessment of existing staff. Compensation, classification, leveling, and recruiting decisions remain the responsibility of the University and its Human Resources function.

- Develop key performance indicators (KPIs) and a reporting cadence to support ongoing monitoring, governance, and sustainment after Contractor demobilization.

- Support transition of full operational ownership to University staff, including a documented knowledge-transfer and sustainment plan.

Cross-Phase Requirements

- All recommendations, redesigned processes, and deliverables shall conform to [STATE] reporting requirements, [GOVERNING BOARD/BOARD OF GOVERNORS] policy, and Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200), and shall support the

University's ability to retain delegated authority for management of federal and state sponsored awards.

- The Contractor shall coordinate, but is not responsible for redesigning, the operations of interfacing offices and stakeholders, including academic colleges/departments, principal investigators, the University's IT department and ERP vendor, Human Resources, the applicable university system office, research compliance offices, and state audit representatives.

- Services are limited to sponsored research finance and its directly interfacing operational processes. Services do not include redesign of central University finance operations outside sponsored research, or non-financial functions of the research administration division, except where such functions directly interface with the sponsored research finance lifecycle.

5.3 TASKS/DELIVERABLES

The Contractor shall provide, at minimum, the following deliverables:

1. Validated current-state assessment report, including methodology and findings reconciled against prior assessment(s).

2. Inventory and aging analysis of open/unreconciled awards, receivables, and sponsored balances, with recoverability and risk prioritization.

3. Quantified estimate of recoverable revenue and a prioritized list of quick-win corrective actions.

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4. Prioritized remediation and transformation roadmap, including project plan, milestones, resource/effort estimates, and risk register.

5. Complete SOP and policy library covering pre-award, award setup, and post-award finance processes.

6. Training curriculum, materials, and delivery schedule for finance and post-award staff.

7. System configuration/automation recommendations and, if authorized, implementation support (including billing module activation and chart-of-accounts modifications).

8. KPI…