RFP Document.docx

RFP# SDBOR10072025

SOUTH DAKOTA BOARD OF REGENTS

EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS OFFICE

306 EAST CAPITOL AVENUE, SUITE 200

PIERRE, SD 57501-2545

PROPOSALS WILL BE OPENED November 15, 2025

RFP #: SDBOR10072025 BUYER: Janice Minder PHONE: (605)773-3455

1.0 GENERAL INFORMATION

1.1 PURPOSE OF REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)

The South Dakota Board of Regents (BOR, SDBOR, Regental System, Board) has the constitutional responsibility for governing the Unified System of Public Higher Education in South Dakota, which encompasses its supervision, coordination, management, and regulation. The Board sets policy direction for the System, oversees the management of its resources (personnel, facilities, and finances), and establishes and monitors its educational programs.

SDBOR is seeking proposals from qualified vendors for a statewide comprehensive Faculty Activity Reporting (FAR) solution to replace our current collection of data aggregated from various systems. The Regents seek a solution that will enable efficient collection, management, and reporting of faculty activities across teaching, research, service, and professional development, supporting faculty in documenting their contributions while ensuring institutional compliance with accreditation, tenure and promotion, workload reporting, strategic planning requirements, and other initiatives.

1.2 ISSUING OFFICE AND RFP REFERENCE NUMBER

The SDBOR/Academic Affairs is the issuing office for this document and all subsequent addenda relating to it, on behalf of the SDBOR Office. The reference number for the transaction is RFP #SDBOR10072025. This number must be referred to on all proposals, correspondence, and documentation relating to the RFP.

1.3 SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)

1.4 SUBMITTING YOUR PROPOSAL

All proposals must be completed and received in the SDBOR Office by the date and time indicated in the Schedule of Activities. Proposals received after the deadline will be late and ineligible for consideration.

An original and one identical copy of the proposal shall be submitted to the address above along with one electronic copy provided on a flash drive and included with the hard copies.

All proposals must be signed, in ink, by an officer of the responder, legally authorized to bind the responder to the proposal, and sealed in the form intended by the respondent. Proposals that are not properly signed may be rejected. The sealed envelope must be marked with the appropriate RFP Number and Title.

Proposals must be addressed and labeled as follows:

South Dakota Board of Regents

RFP #SDBOR10072025

Attn: Dr. Janice Minder 306 E. Capitol Avenue, Suite 200 Pierre, SD 57501-2545 The words “Sealed Proposal Enclosed” must be prominently denoted on the outside of the shipping container.

No proposal shall be accepted from, or no contract or purchase order shall be awarded to any person, firm or corporation that is in arrears upon any obligations to the State of South Dakota, or that otherwise may be deemed irresponsible or unreliable by the State of South Dakota.

1.5 CERTIFICATION REGARDING DEBARMENT, SUSPENSION, INELIGIBILITY AND VOLUNTARY EXCLUSION – LOWER TIER COVERED TRANSACTIONS

By signing and submitting this proposal, the vendor certifies that neither it nor its principals is presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from participation, by any Federal department or agency, from transactions involving the use of Federal funds. Where the vendor is unable to certify to any of the statements in this certification, the bidder shall attach an explanation to their offer.

1.6 NON-DISCRIMINATION STATEMENT

The State of South Dakota requires that all contractors, vendors, and suppliers doing business with any State agency, department, or institution, provide a statement of non-discrimination. By signing and submitting their proposal, the vendor certifies they do not discriminate in their employment practices with regard to race, color, creed, religion, age, sex, ancestry, national origin, or disability.

1.7 CERTIFICATION RELATING TO PROHIBITED ENTITY

For contractors, vendors, suppliers, or subcontractors who enter a contract with the State of South Dakota by submitting a response to this solicitation or agreeing to contract with the State, the bidder or offeror certifies and agrees that the following information is correct:

The bidder or offeror, in preparing its response or offer or in considering proposals submitted from qualified, potential vendors, suppliers, and subcontractors, or in the solicitation, selection, or commercial treatment of any vendor, supplier, or subcontractor, is not an entity, regardless of its principal place of business, that is ultimately owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by a foreign national, a foreign parent entity, or foreign government from China, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Cuba, or Venezuela, as defined by SDCL 5-18A. It is understood and agreed that, if this certification is false, such false certification will constitute grounds for the State to reject the bid or response submitted by the bidder or offeror on this project and terminate any contract awarded based on the bid or response. The successful bidder or offeror further agrees to provide immediate written notice to the contracting executive branch agency if during the term of the contract it no longer complies with this certification and agrees such noncompliance may be grounds for contract termination.

1.8 RESTRICTION OF BOYCOTT OF ISRAEL

For contractors, vendors, suppliers, or subcontractors with five (5) or more employees who enter into a contract with the State of South Dakota that involves the expenditure of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) or more, by submitting a response to this solicitation or agreeing to contract with the State, the bidder or offeror certifies and agrees that the following information is correct:

The bidder or offeror, in preparing its response or offer or in considering proposals submitted from qualified, potential vendors, suppliers, and subcontractors, or in the solicitation, selection, or commercial treatment of any vendor, supplier, or subcontractor, has not refused to transact business activities, has not terminated business activities, and has not taken other similar actions intended to limit its commercial relations, related to the subject matter of the bid or offer, with a person or entity on the basis of Israeli national origin, or residence or incorporation in Israel or its territories, with the specific intent to accomplish a boycott or divestment of Israel in a discriminatory manner. It is understood and agreed that, if this certification is false, such false certification will constitute grounds for the State to reject the bid or response submitted by the bidder or offeror on this project and terminate any contract awarded based on the bid or response. The successful bidder or offeror further agrees to provide immediate written notice to the contracting executive branch agency if during the term of the contract it no longer complies with this certification and agrees such noncompliance may be grounds for contract termination.

1.9 CERTIFICATION OF NO STATE LEGISLATOR INTEREST

Offeror (i) understands neither a state legislator nor a business in which a state legislator has an ownership interest may be directly or indirectly interested in any contract with the State that was authorized by any law passed during the term for which that legislator was elected, or within one year thereafter, and (ii) has read South Dakota Constitution Article 3, Section 12 and has had the opportunity to seek independent legal advice on the applicability of that provision to any Agreement entered into as a result of this RFP. By signing an Agreement pursuant to this RFP, Offeror hereby certifies that the Agreement is not made in violation of the South Dakota Constitution Article 3, Section 12.

1.10 MODIFICATION OR WITHDRAWAL OF PROPOSALS

Proposals may be modified or withdrawn by the vendor prior to the established due date and time.

No oral, telephonic, telegraphic, or facsimile responses or modifications to informal, formal bids, or Request for Proposals will be considered.

1.11 VENDOR INQUIRIES

Vendors may make written or email inquiries concerning this RFP to obtain clarification of requirements. No inquiries will be accepted after the date and time indicated in the Schedule of Activities. Email inquiries must be sent to Janice.Minder@sdbor.edu with the subject line: “RFP #SDBOR10072025”.

SDBOR/Academic Affairs will respond to offeror’s inquiries (if required) via e-mail. In addition, all inquiries and the State’s response will be posted on the state’s e-procurement system. Offerors may not rely on any other statements, either of a written or oral nature, that alter any specification or other term or condition of this RFP. Offerors will be notified in the same manner as indicated above regarding any modifications to this RFP.

1.12 PROPRIETARY INFORMATION

The proposal of the successful vendor(s) becomes public information. Proprietary information can be protected under limited circumstances such as client lists and non-public financial statements. Pricing and service elements are not considered proprietary. An entire proposal may not be marked as proprietary. Vendors must clearly identify in the Executive Summary and mark in the body of the proposal any specific proprietary information they are requesting to be protected. The Executive Summary must contain specific justification explaining why the information is to be protected. Proposals may be reviewed and evaluated by any person at the discretion of the State. All materials submitted become the property of the State of South Dakota and may be returned only at the State's option.

1.13 LENGTH OF CONTRACT

The contract terms will begin on or after January 1, 2026 and if appropriate the term of the contract will be negotiated based on RFP funding and implementation cycle.

1.14 GOVERNING LAW

Venue for any and all legal action regarding or arising out of the transaction covered herein shall be solely in the State of South Dakota. The laws of South Dakota shall govern this transaction.

1.15 DISCUSSIONS WITH VENDORS (ORAL PRESENTATION/NEGOTIATIONS)

An oral presentation by a vendor to clarify a proposal may be required at the sole discretion of the SDBOR. However, SDBOR may award a contract based on the initial proposals received without discussion with the vendors. If oral presentations are required, they will be scheduled after the submission of proposals. Oral presentations will be made at the vendor’s expense and will be conducted via distance (Zoom or Teams).

This process is a Request for Proposal/Competitive Negotiation process. Each Proposal shall be evaluated, and each respondent shall be available for negotiation meetings at SDBOR’s request. SDBOR reserves the right to negotiate on any and/or all components of every proposal submitted. From the time the proposals are submitted until the formal award of a contract, each proposal is considered a working document and as such, will be kept confidential. The negotiation discussions will also be held as confidential until such time as the award is completed.

2.0 STANDARD CONTRACT TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Any contract or agreement resulting from this RFP will include the State’s standard terms and conditions as listed below, along with any additional terms and conditions as negotiated by the parties:

2.1 The Vendor will perform those services described in the Work Plan, which will be attached to the contract as Exhibit A and incorporated by reference. The Contractor’s response to this RFP shall be considered part of the Work Plan.

2.2 The services to be provided under the contract shall commence and terminate on mutually agreed upon dates. Terms for early termination shall be included in the agreement as negotiated by the parties.

2.3 The terms of the agreement shall state whether or not the Vendor will use State equipment, supplies or facilities. If the Vendor uses State equipment, supplies or facilities, the scope and conditions of such use will be clearly indicated in the agreement.

2.4 Unless otherwise negotiated and agreed upon by the parties, the State will make payment in compliance with the Prompt Payment Act, SDCL 5-26 for services provided under the contract.

2.5 The Vendor agrees to indemnify and hold the State of South Dakota, its officers, agents, and employees, harmless from and against any and all actions, suits, damages, liability, or other proceedings that may arise as the result of performing services hereunder. This section does not require the Vendor to be responsible for or defend against claims or damages arising solely from errors or omissions of the State, its officers, agents, and employees.

2.6 The Vendor, at all times during the term of the Agreement, shall obtain and maintain in force insurance coverage of the types and with the limits as follows:

A. Commercial General Liability Insurance: The Vendor shall maintain occurrence based commercial general liability insurance or equivalent form with a limit of not less than $1,000,000 for each occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate.

B. Professional Liability Insurance or Miscellaneous Professional Liability Insurance: The Vendor agrees to procure and maintain professional liability insurance or miscellaneous professional liability insurance with a limit not less than $1,000,000.00.

C. Business Automobile Liability Insurance: The Vendor shall maintain business automobile liability insurance or equivalent form with a limit of not less than $1,000,000.00 for each accident. Such insurance shall include coverage for owned, hired and non-owned vehicles.

C. Worker’s Compensation Insurance: The Vendor shall procure and maintain workers’ compensation and employers’ liability insurance as required by South Dakota law.

Before beginning work under this Agreement, Contractor shall furnish the State with properly executed Certificates of Insurance which shall clearly evidence all insurance required in this Agreement. In the event a substantial change in insurance, issuance of a new policy, cancellation or nonrenewal of the policy, the Contractor agrees to provide immediate notice to the State and provide a new certificate of insurance showing continuous coverage in the amounts required. Contractor shall furnish copies of insurance policies if requested by the State.

2.7 While performing services under agreement with the State, the Vendor is an independent contractor and not an officer, agent, or employee of the State of South Dakota.

2.8 Vendor agrees to report to the State any event encountered in the course of performance of this Agreement which results in injury, or death, to the person or property of third parties, or which may otherwise subject Vendor or the State to liability. Vendor shall report any such event to the State immediately upon discovery.

The vendor’s obligation under this section shall only be to report the occurrence of any event to the State and to make any other report provided for by their duties or applicable law. The vendor’s obligation to report shall not require disclosure of any information subject to privilege or confidentiality under law (e.g., attorney-client communications). Reporting to the State under this section shall not excuse or satisfy any obligation of Vendor to report any event to law enforcement or other entities under the requirement of any applicable law.

2.9 Termination Provision: The Agreement may be terminated by either party by providing written notice as mutually agreed and specified in the Agreement. In the event the Vendor breaches any of the terms or conditions of the Agreement, the Agreement may be terminated by SDBOR at any time with or without notice. If termination for such a default is affected by SDBOR, any payments due to Vendor at the time of termination may be adjusted to cover any additional costs to SDBOR because of Vendor’s default. Upon termination SDBOR may take over the work and may award another party an agreement to complete the work under the Agreement. If after SDBOR termination for a default by Vendor it is determined that Vendor was not at fault, then the Vendor shall be paid for eligible services rendered and expenses incurred up to the date of termination.

2.10 The Agreement depends upon the continued availability of appropriated funds and expenditure authority from the Legislature for the intended purpose. If for any reason the Legislature fails to appropriate funds or grant expenditure authority, or funds become unavailable by operation of law or federal funds reductions, the Agreement will be terminated by the State. Termination for any of these reasons is not a default by the State nor does it give rise to a claim against the State.

2.11 The Agreement may not be assigned without the express prior written consent of SDBOR. This Agreement may not be amended except in writing, which writing shall be expressly identified as a part thereof and be signed by an authorized representative of each of the parties thereto.

2.12 The Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of South Dakota. Any lawsuit pertaining to or affecting the Agreement shall be venued in Circuit Court, Sixth Judicial Circuit, Hughes County, South Dakota.

2.13 The Vendor will comply with all federal, state, and local laws, regulations, ordinances, guidelines, permits and requirements applicable to providing services pursuant to the Agreement, and will be solely responsible for obtaining current information on such requirements.

2.14 The Contractor may not use subcontractors to perform the services described herein without the express prior written consent of the State. The Vendor will include provisions in its subcontracts requiring its subcontractors to comply with the applicable provisions of this Agreement, to indemnify the State, and to provide insurance coverage for the benefit of the State in a manner consistent with this Agreement. The Vendor will cause its subcontractors, agents, and employees to comply, with applicable federal, state and local laws, regulations, ordinances, guidelines, permits and requirements and will adopt such review and inspection procedures as are necessary to assure such compliance.

2.15 Vendor hereby acknowledges and agrees that all reports, plans, specifications, technical data, miscellaneous drawings, software system programs and documentation, procedures, or files, operating instructions and procedures, source code(s) and documentation, including those necessary to upgrade and maintain the software program, and all information contained therein provided to the State by the Vendor in connection with its performance of services under this Agreement shall belong to and is the property of the State and will not be used in any way by the Vendor without the written consent of the State. Papers, reports, forms, software programs, source code(s) and other material which are a part of the work under this Agreement will not be copyrighted without written approval of the State.

2.16 The Vendor certifies that neither Vendor nor its principals are presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment or suspension, or declared ineligible from participating in transactions by the federal government or any state or local government department or agency. Vendor further agrees that it will immediately notify the State if during the term of this Agreement Vendor or its principals become subject to debarment, suspension or ineligibility from participating in transactions by the federal government, or by any state or local government department or agency.

2.17 Any notice or other communication required under the Agreement shall be in writing and sent to the appropriate address and individuals indicated in the Agreement, or such authorized designees as either party may from time to time designate in writing. Notices or communications to or between the parties shall be deemed to have been delivered when mailed by first class mail, provided that notice of default or termination shall be sent by registered or certified mail, or, if personally delivered, when received by such party.

2.18 In the event that any court of competent jurisdiction shall hold any provision of the Agreement unenforceable or invalid, such holding shall not invalidate or render unenforceable any other provision thereof.

2.19 All other prior discussions, communications and representations concerning the subject matter of the Agreement are superseded by the terms of the Agreement, and except as specifically provided therein, the Agreement constitutes the entire agreement with respect to the subject matter thereof.

3.0 SCOPE OF WORK

SDBOR manages a systemwide enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. All data for the ERP is managed centrally, and the solution is Ellucian (Banner). The expectation will be that this is a system data solution with a single integration (including single API processing, system Sign-On). Proposals should reflect the ‘systemness’ for their delivered solution.

The scope of this project encompasses the acquisition, implementation, and ongoing support of a comprehensive Faculty Activity Management and Reporting solution. This will be a statewide implementation with one system that can accommodate multiple campuses. The system must have a security feature that allows campuses to see their campus data and no other campus.

The selected vendor will be responsible for providing a solution that meets the following requirements:

3.1 Scope of Core Functional and Security Components:

A. Core Functional Requirements:

· Data Collection & Entry: An intuitive interface for faculty to input, update, and manage their teaching, research, service, professional development, and administrative activities, supporting various data formats (e.g., text, files, links) and offering customizable fields to accommodate discipline-specific activities.

· Automated Data Imports: Seamless integration with existing information technology systems (e.g., ERP, student survey, and learning management systems) to reduce manual data entry and ensure data consistency.

· Customizable Workflows: Support for customizable workflows for faculty evaluations, tenure and promotion processes, performance, post tenure, and other annual academic reporting, and other administrative processes related to faculty activity reporting.

· Reporting & Analytics: Robust and flexible reporting tools to generate detailed reports for accreditation, workload analysis, institutional research, strategic planning, individual faculty activity, departmental activity, and institutional activity. Reports should be readily exportable in various formats (e.g., PDF, CSV, Excel) and accessible to authorized users.

· Faculty CV & Profile Management: Functionality to enable faculty to generate CVs, bio sketches, and other professional documents directly from the system, showcasing their accomplishments. This should map/integrate to the university website for ease of managing faculty profiles.

· Collaboration Features: Tools to allow faculty to share data with department chairs, deans, and administrators for review, feedback, and approvals.

B. Technical & Integration Requirements:

· System Deployment Options: Flexibility in hosting options, including cloud-based or on-premises deployment, aligning with SDBOR’s IT infrastructure and security policies as well as university security policies.

· System Single Sign-On (SSO) Capability: Seamless integration with the University’s authentication systems for secure and convenient access.

· System APIs & Data Interoperability: Provision of APIs for seamless data exchange with university, SDBOR databases and third-party applications.

· System Security & Compliance: Adherence to industry best practices and standards for data security, privacy, and accessibility, including compliance with relevant regulations (e.g., FERPA, ADA, GDPR). The vendor should provide a completed Higher Education Cloud Vendor Assessment Tool (HECVAT).

· System Integration & Multi-Tenancy: The solution will be implemented systemwide and must support multi-tenant security, ensuring campuses can access only their own data. Security roles must enforce campus-level segmentation while still allowing systemwide reporting for authorized SDBOR staff. Faculty and staff may be shared employees and may have a need to have access across more than one campus. System staff will need access to a systemwide view.

· Vulnerability Management: Vendor must perform regular vulnerability scanning, provide timely patching, and disclose any critical vulnerabilities and their remediation timelines.

· Incident Response: Vendor must provide a documented incident response plan, including notification timelines for data breaches in line with state and federal law.

C. Implementation & Support Services:

· Project Management & Training: Comprehensive implementation support, including project management, data migration assistance, and training for faculty, administrative, and technical staff.

· Ongoing Maintenance & Support: Guaranteed system updates, troubleshooting, and responsive customer support availability. Must be able to provide Service Level Agreement.

D. Customization & Scalability: Ability to configure and customize the system to meet the evolving needs of SDBOR and university and to accommodate future growth.

E. Artificial Intelligence: Ensure utilization of artificial intelligence in the software solution with the appropriate data agreement with SDBOR. AI features must not use SDBOR data for model training outside of SDBOR’s environment.

3.2 Functional Requirements and User Impacts:

The need is for a system that records and displays faculty activity, drawing teaching load data from Banner, student reviews from Anthology or other system, research grant information, and research papers from databases. The functional requirements emphasize that this FAR solution should allow faculty to input their activities, accomplishments, and other data relevant to their work. This information should then be accessible to chairs, review committees, and other authorized users for annual evaluations, promotion and tenure reviews, and other reporting needs.

A. Data input and sources:

· Integration with Banner is needed to capture faculty data along with course and class schedule data. The system should integrate with Banner to import and synchronize data related to teaching load, student demographics, course information, and faculty appointments and demographics.

· Integration with the current student survey solution or a future identified system solution to incorporate course evaluations data.

· The system must be integrated with research systems (Banner and Cayuse) to capture data on research grants and proposals as well as sponsored projects and research expenditures.

· The system will accept data input from various sources, including faculty members entering their activities and accomplishments directly, and automated data feeds from integrated systems, such as Banner.

B. Faculty Data and Profiles:

· The system should be able to produce faculty CVs in many forms (NSF, NIH, etc.).

· It should provide web services to keep faculty web pages up to date.

· Faculty should have web-based access to a personal folder where they can upload, collect, and curate their academic materials for general records and CVs, annual activity reporting, promotion and tenure evaluations, and similar purposes.

· This data can also showcase faculty research to faculty colleagues across campus, potential graduate students, and candidates for faculty positions.

C. Reporting and Accreditation:

· The system should be able to submit faculty rosters to accreditation agencies.

· It should have the ability to generate reports that meet the specific requirements of various accrediting bodies.

· The system needs to support various accreditation report formats.

D. Decision Making:

· The system will provide data to senior administrators, deans, and department chairs, which will help them make decisions about faculty productivity and resource allocation.

E. Flexibility and value for faculty:

· The system must be flexible enough to accommodate the nuances of different academic fields, multiple campuses, and the Board of Regents reporting requirements.

· Faculty members should see value in using the system, and it should not be solely for administrative purposes.

· The system needs to provide direct benefits to both faculty and administrators.

· The system should also be able to handle special types of data.

3.3 User Requirements:

The Faculty Activity Reporting system will have several types of users, each with specific needs and expectations. The system must be designed to be user-friendly and efficient for all user roles.

A. Faculty members will use the system on an ongoing basis to enter information about their accomplishments across the areas of teaching, research, and service, including, but not limited to, courses taught, students mentored, publications, creative scholarship activities, grant proposals, and service activities. Faculty will require a smooth, intuitive interface that allows them to input data quickly. They will also need the ability to generate CVs from the system. Faculty members will also need the ability to acknowledge evaluations or other documentation.

B. Unit review committees will use the system during annual reviews to examine faculty members' activities during the review period. They will require an interface that allows them to view activities easily and with minimal navigation. Review committees are typically comprised of three to five people, with at least one member changing each year. They need to be able to approve evaluations or other documentation and make comments on documents with limited visibility.

C. Department chairs will use the system for faculty annual evaluations and will have similar needs as the review committees. They will need to access faculty activity data efficiently, approve evaluations or other documentation, comment on documents with limited visibility, and upload a letter of evaluation for each faculty member in their unit.

D. Deans and associate deans will also require access to the system, with needs like department chairs. However, they will not typically need to view data with the same level of detail as chairs or review committees. Deans and associate deans will require robust reporting tools and data analysis capabilities. Deans and associate deans need the ability to approve evaluations or other documentation. Deans and associate deans need the ability to make comments on documents with limited visibility.

E. Administrative staff involved in faculty affairs will also be primary users of the system. They will require tools for generating reports, managing dossiers, and analyzing data. This includes both campus administrators and system administrators.

3.4 System Data Requirements:

The Faculty Activity Reporting (FAR) solution requires a comprehensive data model to effectively capture and manage faculty activities. This includes integrating data from various sources and establishing clear criteria for data selection, input, and output. To minimize manual data entry and ensure data consistency, the FAR solution should integrate data from multiple sources. Key integrations include:

A. Banner: The system needs to access and integrate data from relevant Banner tables, including teaching load and student demographics. It should synchronize data related to course information and faculty appointments.

B. Student Survey System Solution: The system should integrate with the current software solution or a future identified system solution to incorporate course evaluations.

C. Academic Reporting System Tool: The system should integrate with the system institutional research reporting academic system to provide additional data points for comprehensive reporting and analysis. This can be completed through internal reporting tools to pipe data to the appropriate systems, or it can be directly integrated.

D. Cayuse (or other research systems): The system should integrate with the system research platform to pull in relevant research-based needs.

E. Other Approved Systems: The system should integrate with external systems identified by the university that will show other forms of faculty impact.

3.5 System Reporting Requirements:

The Board of Regents has approved system reporting on various academic activities including Promotion and Tenure, Salary Policy, Accreditation, Faculty Activity and Workload, etc. that must be accommodated by this FAR.

3.6 Security and Single Sign-on Requirements:

The FAR system must adhere to university security policies and standards to protect sensitive data and ensure system integrity. Key considerations:

1. Single Sign-On: Integration with the regental system directory to support seamless and secure access.

0. Federated Identity: Support SAML 2.0 and Azure AD integration for centralized authentication.

1. Authentication: Access through Single Sign-On will leverage existing regental MFA requirements. For any accounts not integrated with SSO (e.g., vendor or administrative accounts), the system must enforce MFA directly.

1. Authorization: Role-based access controls that enforce least-privilege access and restrict visibility to campus-specific data.

1. Data Encryption: Encryption of data in transit (TLS 1.2 or higher) and at rest (AES-256 or equivalent).

1. Data Residency: All data, including backups and disaster recovery copies, must remain within the United States.

1. Audit Logging: Logging of user and administrative activity (e.g., logins, data access, configuration changes), with logs protected from alteration, retained per SDBOR policy, and available for review upon request.

1. Vendor Security Certifications: Vendor must demonstrate compliance with recognized security frameworks such as SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, or equivalent.

1. Data Retention and Disposal: Vendor must provide configurable retention policies and guarantee secure deletion of data upon request or contract termination, verified by certificate of destruction.

1. Third-Party Risk: Vendor must disclose use of subcontractors or third-party services that will have access to SDBOR data, with contractual security obligations in place.

3.7 Additional Requirements:

A. Accessibility: The system shall be accessible to people with disabilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and all federal requirements.

B. Availability: The system shall be accessible at all times except when maintenance is being performed. The system shall achieve 99.5% up time.

C. Data Backup: The system's database should be backed up in case of failure.

D. Minimal Training: The system should be able to be used by all faculty and staff with minimal training needed.

E. Service Level Agreement: The vendor will develop a System Service Level Agreement that specifies the timeframe within which changes will be made to the system.

F. Secure Storage: Uploaded documents should be stored correctly and securely.

G. Browser Compatibility: The system must be accessible in the most popular internet browsers like Mozilla Firefox, Chrome, Safari, and Edge.

H. Branding: The GUI must meet SDBOR branding standards.

I. Historic Data Integration: Data Integration from previous faculty activity reporting tools utilized by South Dakota Mines and the University of South Dakota.

3.8 Board of Regents Related Policies:

BOR Policy 1.1.1 South Dakota’s Unified System of Higher Education BOR Policy 1.1.2 General Authority, Powers and Purpose of the Board BOR Policy 2.11.1 Academic and Student Reporting BOR Policy 3.3.1 Confidentiality of Student Records BOR Policy 4.4.2 Role and Responsibility of Faculty

BOR Policy 4.4.5 Faculty Compensation BOR Policy 4.4.6 Rank and Promotion BOR Policy 4.4.7 Tenure and Continuing Appointments BOR Policy 7.4 Security of Information Technology Systems BOR Policy 7.6 Technology Purchases

4.0 PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS AND COMPANY QUALIFICATIONS

4.1 The vendor is cautioned that it is the vendor's sole responsibility to submit information related to the evaluation categories and that the State of South Dakota is under no obligation to solicit such information if it is not included with the proposal. The vendor's failure to submit such information may cause an adverse impact on the evaluation of the proposal.

4.2 Vendor's Contacts: Vendors and their agents (including subcontractors, employees, consultants, or anyone else acting on their behalf) must direct all their questions or comments regarding the RFP, the evaluation, etc. to the buyer of record indicated on the first page of this RFP. Vendors and their agents may not contact any state employee other than the buyer of record regarding any of these matters during the solicitation and evaluation process. Inappropriate contacts are grounds for suspension and/or exclusion from specific procurements. Vendors and their agents who have questions regarding this matter should contact the buyer of record.

4.3 Provide the following information related to at least three previous and current service/contracts, performed by the vendor’s organization, which are similar to the requirements of this RFP. Also, provide this information for any service/contract that has been terminated, expired, or not renewed in the past three years.

a. Name, address and telephone number of client/contracting agency and a representative of that agency who may be contacted for verification of all information submitted;

b. Dates of the service/contract; and

c. A brief, written description of the specific prior services performed and requirements thereof.

5.0 PROPOSAL RESPONSE FORMAT

5.1 An original and one copy shall be submitted.

5.1.1 In addition, the vendor should provide one (1) copy of their entire proposal, including all attachments, in Microsoft Word or PDF electronic format, excluding samples of previous work, on a thumb drive.

5.2 The proposal should be page numbered and should have an index and/or a table of contents referencing the appropriate page number.

5.3 All proposals must be organized and tabbed with labels for the following headings:

5.3.1 RFP Form. The State’s Request for Proposal form completed and signed (found at end of this RFP).

5.3.2 Executive Summary. The three or four-page executive summary is to briefly describe the vendor's proposal. This summary should highlight the major features of the proposal. It must indicate any requirements that cannot be met by the vendor. The reader should be able to determine the essence of the proposal by reading the executive summary. Proprietary information requests should be identified in this section.

5.3.3 Detailed Response. This section should constitute the major portion of the proposal and must contain at least the following information:

5.3.3.1 A complete narrative of the vendor's assessment of the work to be performed, the vendor’s ability and approach, and the resources necessary to fulfill the requirements. This should demonstrate the vendor's understanding of the desired overall performance expectations.

5.3.3.2 A specific point-by-point response, in the order listed to each requirement in the RFP. The response should identify each requirement being addressed as enumerated in the RFP.

5.3.3.3 A clear description of any options or alternatives proposed.

5.3.3.4 Corporate Structure and Credentials:

· Number of years of experience

· Staffing levels and support proposed

· Examples of similar previous work.

5.3.3.5 Operations and Ability to Perform

· Provide operation plan. This should include, but not be limited to, acknowledgement and agreement with all requirements as well as explanations, where applicable, of the intended plan to achieve the requirements.

· Describe how services will be provided to SDBOR as a system and per university.

5.3.4 Cost Proposal. The cost proposal must be all inclusive to encompass any travel, lodging, and other expenses associated with this service. The cost proposal may go into more details in terms of price breakdowns, options, etc., but it must clearly identify the total price not to exceed for this contract. See section 7.0 for more details on the requirements for cost proposals.

Should there be any optional services included in the proposal, the optional services and the cost for these services should be clearly identified. Vendors may submit multiple cost proposals depending on various approaches offered to meet requirements. All costs related to the provision of the required services must be included in each cost proposal offered. *Note – It is preferred that the implementation as best as possible be conducted remote via technology solutions.

6.0 PROPOSAL EVALUATION AND AWARD PROCESS

6.1 After determining that a proposal satisfies the mandatory requirements stated in the Request for Proposal, the evaluator(s) shall use subjective judgment in conducting a comparative assessment of the proposal by considering each of the following criteria:

6.1.1 Competitive Cost Structure (Baseline and One-Time) (30%)

6.1.2 Experience and Reliability (10%)

6.1.3 Availability and Access to Technical Support (15%)

6.1.4 Compliance with State, Federal Laws and Regulations (15%)

6.1.5 Functionality (30%)

Note – Buyer may invite finalists for interviews and or presentations.

6.2 The vendor is advised to submit any information which documents successful and reliable experience in past performances, especially those performances related to the requirements of this RFP.

6.3 The qualifications of the personnel proposed by the vendor to perform the requirements of this RFP, whether from the vendor's organization or from a proposed subcontractor, will be subjectively evaluated. Therefore, the vendor should submit detailed information related to the experience and qualifications, including education and training, of proposed personnel.

6.4 The State reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, waive technicalities, and make award(s) as deemed to be in the best interest of the State of South Dakota.

6.5 Award: The requesting agency and the highest ranked offeror shall mutually discuss and refine the scope of services for the project and shall negotiate terms, including compensation and performance schedule.

6.5.1 If the agency and the highest ranked offeror are unable for any reason to negotiate a contract at a cost structure that is reasonable and fair to the agency, the agency shall, either orally or in writing, terminate negotiations with the contractor. The agency may then negotiate with the next highest ranked contractor.

6.5.2 The negotiation process may continue through successive offerors, according to agency ranking, until an agreement is reached, or the agency terminates the contracting process.

7.0 COST PROPOSAL

This cost proposal should reflect system pricing for the Regental system. The proposal should reflect one integration, one single sign-one, one API and one central integration. The pricing proposal should reflect a multi-year proposal with appropriate pricing due to the longevity of the request.

At a minimum, the following items should be included in the contents of the Cost Proposal:

· Fees for initial purchase of software/items/service (including all preparation, installation, rollout, training and first year maintenance and support)

· Itemized costs for the different units within the university

· SDM and USD will have legacy data that will need to be migrated into the FAR.

· Annual Maintenance Costs after initial purchase.

To assist in pricing, SDBOR has a Factbook that will provide all details on student headcount, student FTE, and Faculty Headcount. The pricing should only reflect benefit eligible faculty and this can be found on Page 44.

Pertinent websites are included below.

Websites Black Hills State University Dakota State University Northern State University South Dakota Mines South Dakota State University University of South Dakota South Dakota Board of Regents

SOUTH DAKOTA BOARD OF REGENTS

EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS OFFICE

306 EAST CAPITOL AVENUE, SUITE 200

PIERRE, SD 57501

PROPOSALS WILL BE OPENED November 15, 2025 RFP #: SDBOR10072025 BUYER: Janice Minder PHONE: (605) 773-3455

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