Dated 10/10/25

STATE OF SOUTH DAKOTA

South Dakota State University

Purchasing Office 1451 Stadium Road – Box 2201

Morrill Hall Room 304 Brookings, SD 57007

SDSU Large Language Model (LLM) Search Optimization

PROPOSALS ARE DUE NO LATER THAN July 22, 2026, at 11:00am CDT

RFP #: SDSU06252026 Buyer: Karen Bravek EMAIL: Karen.Bravek@sdstate.edu

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1.0 GENERAL INFORMATION

1.1 PURPOSE OF REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)

South Dakota State University (SDSU) is requesting proposals to provide a Large Language Model (LLM) search optimization tool or service that improves how institutional content is discovered, summarized, referenced, and represented within AI-generated search and answer systems. Also referred to as Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) or AEO (Answer Engine Optimization).

While LLM optimization is the primary focus of this RFP, the institution recognizes that traditional search engine optimization (SEO) is a foundational requirement for effective digital content discovery. The selected solution must therefore:

Treat SEO as the baseline layer for discoverability and content health Build upon that foundation to support LLM-driven discovery and generative AI answers Provide measurable performance data Deliver actionable, data-driven content recommendations Support sustainable, non-technical workflows appropriate for a public institution

1.2 ISSUING OFFICE AND RFP REFERENCE NUMBER

The SDSU Purchasing Office is the issuing office for this document and all subsequent addenda relating to it, on behalf of the South Dakota State University – University Marketing and Communications. The reference number for the transaction is RFP #SDSU06252026. This number must be referred to on all proposals, correspondence, and documentation relating to the

RFP.

1.3 SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)

RFP Publication June 25, 2026 Offeror Questions Due Responses to Offeror Questions

July 7, 2026, by 11:00am CDT July 10, 2026, by 5:00pm CDT

Proposal Submission July 22, 2026, by 11:00am CDT Oral Presentations/demonstrations (if required) TBD Proposal Revisions (if required) TBD Anticipated Award Decision/Contract Negotiation August 24, 2026

1.4 SUBMITTING YOUR PROPOSAL

All proposals must be completed and received in the SDSU Purchasing Office via email to Karen Bravek, SDSU Purchasing Manager at Karen.Bravek@sdstate.edu by the date and time indicated in the Schedule of Activities. Proposals received after the deadline will be late and ineligible for consideration. The proposal submission email MUST have a subject line that includes the appropriate RFP Number and Open Date.

Example:

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL #SDSU06252026 Opening 7-22-2026

This information is the ONLY information that should appear in the Subject Line of your email.

Any other information could cause your bid to be rejected.

All proposals must be signed by an officer of the responder, legally authorized to bind the responder to the proposal. Proposals that are not properly signed may be rejected.

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 SDSU/State of South Dakota, or that otherwise may be deemed irresponsible or unreliable by SDSU or 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 offeror 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 offeror 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 offeror 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 into 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 MODIFICATION OR WITHDRAWAL OF PROPOSALS

Proposals may be modified or withdrawn by the offeror 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.

1.10 OFFEROR INQUIRIES

Offerors may 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. Inquiries must be emailed to Karen Bravek at Karen.Bravek@sdstate.edu with the subject line “RFP

#SDSU06252026 QUESTIONS”.

The State 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.

1.11 PROPRIETARY INFORMATION

The proposal of the successful offeror(s) becomes public information. Proprietary information can be protected under limited circumstances such as client lists and non-public financial statements.

An entire proposal may not be marked as proprietary. Offerors 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.

1.12 LENGTH OF CONTRACT

The initial term of the contract will be two (2) years, with the option to renew for up to three (3) additional one (1) year periods.

1.13 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.

1.14 DISCUSSIONS WITH OFFERORS (ORAL PRESENTATION/NEGOTIATIONS)

An oral presentation by an offeror to clarify a proposal may be required at the sole discretion of the State. However, the State may award a contract based on the initial proposals received without discussion with the Offeror. If oral presentations are required, they will be scheduled after the submission of proposals. Oral presentations will be made at the offeror’s expense.

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 the State’s request.

The State 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 Contractor will perform those services described in the Scope of Work, attached hereto as

Section 3 of the RFP and by this reference incorporated herein.

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 Contractor will not use State equipment, supplies or facilities. The Contractor will provide the

State with its Employer Identification Number, Federal Tax Identification Number or Social Security Number upon execution of this Agreement.

2.4 The State will make payment for services upon satisfactory completion of the services. The TOTAL

CONTRACT AMOUNT is an amount not to exceed $ 80,000 annually. The State will not pay Contractor's expenses as a separate item. Payment will be made pursuant to itemized invoices submitted with a signed state voucher. Payment will be made consistent with SDCL ch. 5-26.

2.5 The Contractor 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 Contractor to be responsible for or defend against claims or damages arising solely from errors or omissions of the State, its officers, agents or employees.

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

A. Commercial General Liability Insurance:

The Contractor shall maintain occurrence based commercial general liability insurance or equivalent form with a limit of not less than $1,000,000.00 for each occurrence. If such insurance contains a general aggregate limit it shall apply separately to this Agreement or be no less than two times the occurrence limit.

B. Professional Liability Insurance or Miscellaneous Professional Liability Insurance:

The Contractor 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 Contractor 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.

D. Worker’s Compensation Insurance:

The Contractor 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 hereunder, the Contractor is an independent contractor and not an officer, agent, or employee of the State of South Dakota.

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

Contractor'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. Contractor'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 Contractor to report any event to law enforcement or other entities under the requirements of any applicable law.

2.9 This Agreement may be terminated by either party hereto upon thirty (30) days written notice. In the event the Contractor breaches any of the terms or conditions hereof, this Agreement may be terminated by the State at any time with or without notice. If termination for such a default is effected by the State, any payments due to Contractor at the time of termination may be adjusted to cover any additional costs to the State because of Contractor's default. Upon termination the State may take over the work and may award another party an agreement to complete the work under this Agreement. If after the State terminates for a default by Contractor it is determined that Contractor was not at fault, then the Contractor shall be paid for eligible services rendered and expenses incurred up to the date of termination.

2.10 This Agreement depends upon the continued availability of appropriated funds and expenditure authority from the Legislature for this 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, this 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 This Agreement may not be assigned without the express prior written consent of the State. This

Agreement may not be amended except in writing, which writing shall be expressly identified as a part hereof, and be signed by an authorized representative of each of the parties hereto.

2.12 This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of

South Dakota. Any lawsuit pertaining to or affecting this Agreement shall be venued in Circuit Court, Sixth Judicial Circuit, Hughes County, South Dakota.

2.13 The Contractor will comply with all federal, state and local laws, regulations, ordinances, guidelines, permits and requirements applicable to providing services pursuant to this 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 Contractor 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 Contractor 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 Contractor 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 Contractor 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 Contractor 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 Contractor certifies that neither Contractor 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.

Contractor further agrees that it will immediately notify the State if during the term of this Agreement Contractor 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 this Agreement shall be in writing and sent to the 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 this Agreement unenforceable or invalid, such holding shall not invalidate or render unenforceable any other provision hereof.

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

3.0 SCOPE OF WORK

As a land grant institution, South Dakota State University serves a broad audience including prospective students, current students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the general public.

Users increasingly discover information through:

Traditional search engines AI-powered search interfaces Generative AI assistants and conversational tools

The institution must ensure that official, accurate, and current information is:

Discoverable through standard search engines (SEO foundation) Correctly interpreted and summarized by LLMs Cited or referenced appropriately in AI-generated answers Continuously monitored and improved over time Securely managed and governed across traditional search engines and AI-driven answer systems

3.1 Objectives

The selected vendor must support the following objectives:

Establish and maintain strong SEO fundamentals across institutional content Improve accuracy, consistency, and authority of AI generated answers Increase the likelihood that LLMs surface official institutional sources Identify gaps, risks, and outdated content affecting AI answers Measure content performance beyond page traffic alone Provide clear, prioritized, actionable recommendations content teams can implement Enable sustainable optimization with minimal technical effort

3.2 Foundational SEO

The solution must support foundational SEO practices that enable effective LLM performance, including:

Analysis of search intent and high-value topics Identification of underperforming or unclear content Page-level content improvement recommendations Support for clear content structure, hierarchy, and authoritative signals as a baseline for optimization Monitoring of search visibility and engagement trends

SEO capabilities must be presented as inputs to LLM optimization, not as a separate or standalone function.

3.3 LLM Search Optimization

The solution must provide tools specifically designed to optimize for LLM-based discovery, including:

Identification of topics commonly answered by AI systems Visibility into how institutional content is used and summarized by AI systems Detection of inaccurate, incomplete, or conflicting AI answers Alignment of content with conversational, question-based queries Reinforcement of official institutional messaging within AI responses

Vendors must describe how their solution adapts as LLM technologies evolve.

3.4 Performance Measurement and Analytics

The solution must provide integrated, measurable, and user friendly performance measurement across both SEO and LLM driven discovery.

Required capabilities include:

Topic-level performance across traditional SEO and LLM-based discovery LLM visibility tracking showing how often institutional content appears in AI-generated answers Citation monitoring identifying when and how AI systems reference university content Analysis of sentiment or tone within AI-generated answers, including identification of negative, misleading, or incomplete narratives and linkage to underlying content gaps for corrective action

Insights into when users receive AI-generated answers instead of clicking through to institutional web pages (zero-click behavior)

Surfacing and prioritization of high-risk or high-impact content areas requiring attention SEO baseline metrics such as crawl errors, indexation status, and page-level performance Trend analysis showing changes in visibility, accuracy and overall performance over time Peer benchmarking comparing performance against similar institutions or competitors Role-appropriate dashboards designed for non-technical users Exportable reports suitable for leadership, governance and compliance review

3.5 Content Gap, Risk, and Quality Analysis

The solution must identify:

Topics lacking authoritative institutional content Content health scoring including readability, metadata completeness, and structural quality Content frequently misinterpreted by LLMs High-risk subject areas such as admissions, financial aid, and policies Redundant or contradictory content that confuses AI systems Outdated content contributing to inaccurate AI-generated answers

3.6 Actionable Content Optimization Recommendations

Vendors must describe how their solution provides clear, actionable, and prioritized recommendations, including:

Specific guidance on what content should be created, updated, clarified, or consolidated Prioritization based on impact, risk, and institutional importance Recommendations written in plain language Support for content teams without SEO or AI expertise Content structuring guidance including headings, summaries, and semantic organization Schema markup recommendations such as JSON-LD, FAQ schema, and organization schema AI-readiness scoring measuring how effectively content can be interpreted, summarized and cited by LLMs Ability to track actions taken and resulting performance changes

3.7 Workflow, Usability, Governance and Responsible AI Use

The solution must support sustainable, non-technical workflows appropriate for a public institution, including implementation, approval, and ownership of content changes:

Transparency into why recommendations are made Human-review and approval workflows Content governance workflows supporting versioning, auditability, and departmental ownership Change management support to help staff adopt new AI-driven practices Responsible use of AI aligned with institutional values Avoidance of vendor-exclusive or proprietary content dependencies Non-technical user interface for managing workflows, recommendations, and configuration without coding

Structured onboarding and training, including certification options, use of learning systems, CMS-specific training (e.g., Drupal), and ongoing support for user adoption

Department and section-based access controls aligned with website content ownership

3.8 Sustainability and Long-Term Viability

The proposed solution must demonstrate sustainability by:

Reducing manual SEO and AI optimization work overtime Supporting continuous improvement as search and AI behaviors change Aligning with public-institution staffing and budget realities Providing a clear product roadmap related to LLM optimization Remaining flexible as discovery technologies evolve

3.9 Technical, Privacy, and Security Requirements

The solution must meet the following technical, security, and operational requirements. Vendors must address:

3.9.1 Security and Compliance

The solution must adhere to institutional, state, and federal security standards.

Requirements include:

a. Data privacy compliance including FERPA, state privacy laws, and institutional data policies

b. Data residency and storage with clear documentation of where data is stored, processed, and backed up. Data residency must be U.S.-only.

c. Access control supporting role-based permissions, SSO or SAML integration, and multi-factor authentication

d. Vendor data handling ensuring no unauthorized sharing, resale, or model training on institutional content

e. Security certifications or alignments such as SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, or NIST CSF

f. Ability to provide HECVAT and VPAT (or equivalent security and accessibility documentation) upon request

g. Audit logging for user actions, system access, and content changes

h. API security including encrypted transport, token-based authentication, and rate limiting

3.9.2 System Architecture and Integration

The solution must integrate seamlessly with the university’s existing digital ecosystem.

a. CMS compatibility including integration with Drupal CMS version 10 and future supported Drupal versions without core modifications

b. Description of the vendor’s approach to system updates and future upgrade capability, including how enhancements, version changes, and new LLM or platform integrations are deployed without disrupting existing CMS integrations (e.g., Drupal), content workflows, or system performance

c. Support for a secure sandbox or test environment that allows the institution to evaluate new features, validate upgrades, test integrations, and review content optimization changes prior to production deployment

d. API availability for content ingestion, data export, and workflow automation

e. Support for structured data and entity-based content analysis (e.g., schema markup, knowledge graph concepts)

f. Scalability to support large, multi-domain institutional websites

g. Crawlability tools capable of scanning and analyzing thousands of pages

(approximately 9,000 pages)

3.9.3 Content Ingestion and Indexing

The solution must be capable of analyzing and optimizing large volumes of institutional content.

a. Automated crawling across multiple domains and subdomains

b. Bulk import and export via CSV, XML, or API

c. Real-time content updates with rapid re-scoring after changes

d. Duplicate content detection identifying conflicting or outdated pages

3.9.4 Risk Management and Vendor Stability

The vendor must demonstrate long-term viability and responsible AI practices.

a. Vendor financial stability with evidence of operational maturity

b. Business continuity including disaster recovery and uptime guarantees

c. Model drift monitoring ensuring adaptation to changes in AI platforms

d. Ethical AI practices including transparency and bias mitigation

3.9.5 Contractual and Operational Requirements

The solution must support long-term institutional needs.

a. Service level agreements defining response times, uptime, and support levels

b. Data ownership ensuring the institution retains full ownership of all content and insights

c. Exit strategy including data export and transition support

d. Pricing transparency with clear licensing, user tiers, and service costs

3.9.6 Accessibility

a. Accessibility applied to all interfaces, dashboards, reports, and documentation

b. Compliance with ADA, Section 508, and WCAG 2.1 Level AA

4.0 PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS AND COMPANY QUALIFICATIONS

4.1 The offeror is cautioned that it is the offeror'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 offeror's failure to submit such information may cause an adverse impact on the evaluation of the proposal.

4.2 Offeror's Contacts: Offerors and their agents (including subcontractors, employees, consultants, or anyone else acting on their behalf) must direct all of their questions or comments regarding the RFP, the evaluation, etc. to the buyer of record indicated on the first page of this RFP. Offerors 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. Offerors 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 offeror’s organization, which are similar to the requirements of this RFP.

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 Interested vendors must email their complete document in a Word or PDF format to Karen Bravek, SDSU Purchasing Manager at Karen.Bravek@sdstate.edu, per section 1.4 – Submitting your Proposal. The proposal should be page numbered and should have an index and/or table of contents referencing the appropriate page number.

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

RFP Form. The State’s Request for Proposal form (1st page of RFP) completed and signed.

Executive Summary. The one-to-two-page executive summary is to briefly describe the offeror's proposal. This summary should highlight the major features of the proposal. It must indicate any requirements that cannot be met by the offeror. 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.

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

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

5.2.2 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.

5.2.3 A clear description of any options or alternatives proposed.

Cost Proposal. Cost will be evaluated independently from the technical proposal. Offerors may submit multiple cost proposals. All costs related to the provision of the required services must be included in each cost proposal offered.

See section 7.0 for more information related to the cost proposal.

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:

Foundational SEO capabilities

LLM search optimization capabilities

Performance measurement and analytics features

Content gap, risk, and quality analysis features

Content optimization recommendation features

Sustainability, governance, and transparency practices

Demonstrated ability to meet technical, privacy, and security requirements

Compliance with ADA, Section 508, and WCAG 2.1 Level AA

Ability to provide security and accessibility documentation (e.g., HECVAT & VPAT or equivalent) upon request

Data residency is U.S.-only

Ability to integrate with Drupal CMS

Specialized expertise, capabilities, and technical competence as demonstrated by the proposed approach and methodology to meet the project requirements;

Resources available to perform the work, including any specialized services, within the specified time limits for the project;

Record of past performance, including price and cost data from previous projects, quality of work, ability to meet schedules, cost control, and contract administration;

Availability to the project locale;

Familiarity with the project locale;

Proposed project management techniques; and

Ability and proven history in handling special project constraints.

6.2 Experience and reliability of the offeror's organization are considered subjectively in the evaluation process. Therefore, the offeror 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 offeror to perform the requirements of this RFP, whether from the offeror's organization or from a proposed subcontractor, will be subjectively evaluated. Therefore, the offeror 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.

If the agency and the highest ranked offeror are unable for any reason to negotiate a contract at a compensation level 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.

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

Vendors must provide:

One-time implementation costs Ongoing subscription or licensing fees Clear explanation of pricing model, including users or seat licensing details Optional services or enhancements