Request for Proposals

Transfer Credit Evaluation and Articulation System

RFP-FSU-27-02

October 27, 2026

Contents About Framingham State University Scope of Work Minimum Quality Requirements Technical Requirements & Specifications Preferred Abilities Selection Process Contract Information Submission Requirements Required Proposal Information and Format

Technical Proposal Pricing Proposal

Timeline Contact Information Additional RFP Information

About Framingham State University

Framingham State University prepares students for a productive life, enhanced by learning and leadership that will contribute to the culturally diverse world of the twenty-first century.

Established by Horace Mann in 1839 as America’s first public teacher preparation school, Framingham State University today offers undergraduate and graduate programs encompassing the arts and sciences and professional studies.

At Framingham State University teaching is the primary role of the faculty, who engage in their disciplines through instruction, scholarship and service on campus and in their professional communities. The University serves as an important educational and cultural center in the MetroWest region of Massachusetts.

A Framingham State University education cultivates thoughtful, responsible local and global citizens, prepares students for a career, and positions them for success.

Framingham, Massachusetts is located 20 miles west of Boston. The University now offers 44 undergraduate majors; 25 graduate programs; 45 minors to approximately 3,000 undergraduate students and approximately 2,000 graduate students. The University is a public, four-year co-educational school occupying 73 acres on a traditional New England campus. Framingham State University has seven undergraduate residence halls housing 1,900 students.

Framingham State University (FSU) uses Ellucian Banner for the University’s enterprise system.

Scope of Work

Purpose:

Framingham State University seeks proposals for an enterprise-level Transfer Credit Articulation Engine that will automate, centralize, and scale the University's transfer credit evaluation process.

The solution must replace fragmented and repetitive manual activities with a rules-first decision engine that produces consistent, explainable, and auditable transfer credit outcomes.

The selected solution will serve as the source for institutional transfer policies and articulation rules; receive structured course and transcript data from external sources; apply approved policies and equivalencies; route unresolved work for review; and transmit completed decisions to institutional systems.

Institutional Objectives:

• Provide admitted and prospective students with earlier, clearer, and more consistent information about how prior coursework applies at Framingham State University.

• Reduce repetitive manual review while preserving appropriate faculty and administrative authority over equivalency decisions.

• Apply institutional transfer policies consistently across academic programs.

• Capture approved decisions as reusable rules and progressively increase automated articulation coverage.

• Maintain a complete, searchable, and auditable record of articulation rules, exceptions, approvals, and changes.

• Integrate transfer evaluation decisions with Banner without duplicate data entry.

Scope:

The successful vendor will provide software licensing, configuration, integrations, data migration, implementation services, testing support, training, documentation, maintenance, and ongoing technical support. The scope includes both administrator-facing transfer evaluation functions and public or student-facing access to approved equivalency information, when offered by the proposed solution.

The system must automatically evaluate structured academic data against institutionally approved articulation tables, equivalency rules, and transfer credit policies. All official credit determinations must be based on rules approved by authorized University personnel and must be reproducible and auditable.

If the proposed solution uses artificial intelligence, machine learning, or natural language processing, the vendor must disclose how these technologies are used; identify the data used to generate recommendations; explain how recommendations can be reviewed, validated, and audited; and describe safeguards against bias, inaccurate recommendations, and unauthorized disclosure. University data must not be used to train shared or public models without the University’s express written authorization.

Minimum Quality Requirements

Proposals must meet all of the below Minimum Quality Requirements and include a narrative in the Technical Proposal addressing each of the requirements. Proposals that do not meet the Minimum Quality Requirements will be rejected and will not be evaluated further.

1. Proposer must have at least ten (10) years’ experience in higher education.

2. Proposer must be the service provider/vendor, not a third-party distributor, of the proposed solution.

3. Proposer must provide at least five (5) public higher education institutions as References.

These must be customers currently using the proposed solution on the Ellucian Banner platform. provide Reference contact names, email addresses and telephone numbers.

4. Proposed solution’s core product must be externally hosted or provided as Software-as-a- Service (SaaS)/Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS).

5. Proposed solution must support single sign-on (SSO) capabilities (e.g. CAS, SAML, etc.), and support Active Directory integration across multiple domains.

6. Proposed solution must be proven to integrate with solutions hosted in multiple environment types (cloud-native/SaaS, on-premise, hybrid).

7. Proposed solution must ensure data security and compliance, including secure data transfer and storage, including encryption at rest and in transit, as well as adherence to FERPA, accessibility, and other industry standards.

8. Provide your template Service Level Agreement

9. Provide evidence of financial reliability and solvency. (e.g., Credit Reference letter, Dun & Bradstreet rating, Bank letter.)

Technical Requirements & Specifications

All features and functionality included in the response must be fully functional in current production environments, in use by current clients, and able to be validated by FSU through references prior to selection. Functionality in beta or on future roadmaps should not be included.

Features, functionality, and infrastructure that requires additional components or licenses not already part of the proposed solution (e.g. AWS licensing, on-premise servers, etc.) must be clearly labeled as such and clearly itemized in the separate pricing proposal.

The written narrative must address and acknowledge all of the items in this section.

Vendors must demonstrate their system’s ability to meet or exceed the following functional criteria in their Technical Proposal:

1. Automated Logic & Rules-First Architecture

Instant Rule Application: System must instantly ingest structured academic data and automatically evaluate it against pre-established articulation tables and institutional equivalency rules.

Rules-First Policy Consistency: Solution must apply institutional policy logic universally, ensuring consistent and reproducible articulation decisions across all academic programs and colleges.

Zero-Redundancy Exception Handling: Once a transfer credit exception or novel course is evaluated and approved, the system must allow staff to immediately convert that decision into a permanent, automated rule to prevent repeating evaluations.

2. Gap Closure & Intelligent Policy Building

Automated Equivalency Recommendations: Where no pre-existing rule exists, the system must analyze incoming course data and proactively recommend candidate equivalencies for administrator review, progressively closing articulation coverage gaps.

Natural Language Policy Assistant: The platform must include an intelligent assistant powered by natural language processing (NLP) to assist academic staff in authoring, editing, and enforcing complex credit policies without requiring custom code or vendor engineering support.

3. Real-Time Centralized Management & Ecosystem Synchronization

Single Source of Truth Dashboard: Vendors must provide a unified, centralized dashboard to manage, update, and audit all transfer policies and articulation tables.

4. Real-Time Policy Updates

Updates made to articulation rules must propagate instantly across the institution's entire technology ecosystem—ensuring advisors, evaluators, and prospective students see immediate, policy-accurate decisions.

5. End-to-End Decision Pipeline Integration

The system must natively orchestrate data flow, taking structured transcript data from external extraction components, applying evaluation logic, and writing back articulated credit decisions directly into the primary SIS (Banner), CRM (Slate) in real time.

Integration - Solution supports real-time bidirectional integration with university’s Student Information System – Ellucian Banner.

Preferred Abilities

It would be preferable for the system to use the following to recommend potential course equivalencies and assist authorized staff with developing and maintaining transfer credit policies.

• Artificial Intelligence

• Machine Learning

• In the alternative, comparable technology to accomplish similar results

Recommendations generated in this manner would need to be clearly identified as system-generated, and must require review and approval by authorized University personnel before becoming official decisions or institutional rules. Include in your Technical Proposal your firm’s ability to address these Preferred Abilities.

Selection Process

A Selection Committee of University Personnel will meet to review the Proposals submitted in response to this Request for Proposal. The solicitation for proposals does not commit Framingham State University to award a contract or to pay any cost incurred in the preparation of the proposal.

The University reserves the right to select any proposal it deems in its best interest. Further, the University may accept or reject any or all proposals received and waive any formalities in the evaluation process. The University may also cancel the RFP process if it is deemed in their best interest.

Proposals will be considered from vendors with a demonstrated history of successfully providing system and technical support for similar institutions. The contract will be awarded to the proposer who completely meets all of the University’s requirements as outlined and whose proposal is rated the highest, taking into consideration the Minimum Quality Requirements, Preferred Requirements, Technical Requirements, Evaluative Criteria and Price. University personnel will evaluate all proposals on the qualities of the services proposed, the vendor’s conformity with the specifications and the purposes described in this RFP document and the RFP response. Price will also be considered. The Technical Response to these required items must appear in the Technical Proposal.

Evaluative Rating Criteria

Proposals will be considered from vendors with a demonstrated history of successfully providing system and technical support for similar institutions. The contract will be awarded to the proposer who completely meets all of the University’s requirements as outlined and whose proposal is rated the highest, taking into consideration the Minimum Quality Requirements, and Technical Requirements, Evaluative Criteria and Price. University personnel will evaluate all proposals on the qualities of the services proposed, the vendor’s conformity with the specifications and the purposes described in this RFP document and the RFP response. Price will also be considered. The Technical Response and related narratives must appear in the Technical Proposal.

The evaluation process includes rating criteria under the following categories: A rating system of Highly Advantageous, Advantageous, and Not Advantageous as defined below will be utilized in reviewing each vendor’s Technical response.

RATING SCALE HIGHLY

ADVANTAGEOUS

ADVANTAGEOUS NOT

ADVANTAGEOUS

Technical Requirements and Specifications

Vendor meets all Technical Requirements and specifications.

Vendor meets some of the technical requirements and specifications.

Vendor does not meet the technical requirements and specifications.

Service Level Agreement

Vendor has a Service Level Agreement that includes 24/7 support model with a dedicated Technical Support team.

Vendor has a Service Level Agreement that includes business-day (full time Monday- Friday) support.

Vendor does not have a Service Level Agreement with regular 40-hours-a-week support services.

Relevant Technical Experience and Qualifications

Vendor has 15 or more years’ experience in Higher Education.

Vendor has 12-15 years’ experience in Higher Education.

Vendor’s experience is between 10-12 years in Higher Education.

Preferred Abilities Vendor can provide all the features contained in Preferred Abilities

Vendor can provide some of the features contained in Preferred Abilities

Vendor does not provide any of the features contained in Preferred Abilities

Award Process

PRICING PROPOSALS will be opened after the review and rating of the TECHNICAL PROPOSALS is completed.

The University will select the vendor offering the best overall value to the University based on both the evaluation of the Technical Proposal and the Price Proposal.

The University, at its discretion, may request responding vendors to make virtual presentations.

The University will schedule the time and location if presentation is deemed necessary.

Contract Information

The contract term shall be for three years with the possibility of two annual renewal options at the discretion of the University. The final implementation date shall be on or around April 2027.

The University may negotiate such additions, deletions, or changes as may be necessitated by law or changed circumstances. The successful respondent is encouraged to present new or enhanced products and services for consideration by the University during the life of the Agreement.

If migration of data is necessitated, the awarded vendor must provide migration of existing platform data to the new system. Migration process to new system must include on-boarding and training at no extra cost. This will survive the RFP and be included in the final contract. Items from the Minimum Quality Requirements and related Technical Requirements and applicable Preferred Requirements will be included in the final contract.

State law prohibits the University from agreeing to indemnification of the contracted party.

Additionally, it is mandatory that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts laws apply to the performance of the contract and that jurisdiction and venue be in Boston, Massachusetts for State and Federal courts. The selected vendor will be required to sign the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Standard Contract Form along with the Commonwealth Terms and Conditions for Information Technology Contracts. No revisions to these two documents are permitted. A copy of the template documents is attached and must be acknowledged, signed and returned with the Pricing RFP submission.

Submission Requirements

A written narrative that addresses all of the Minimum Quality Requirements and Technical Requirements must be included in the Technical Proposal.

It is the sole responsibility of the vendor to submit his/her proposal to the Framingham State University, Business Office contact listed below by postal services, package delivery or hand delivery per the deadline noted below. Any and all proposals received after this time will be considered non-responsive and will be rejected. The University is in no way responsible for the cost of developing or delivering any proposal.

Each Proposal submitted must be signed by an official of the institution who is authorized to bind the proposal on the Proposal Acknowledgement Form provided at the end of this document.

• The outside package (i.e., express mail envelope or box.) must be clearly labeled RFP-FSU-27-02 with the address and department as required.

• The Technical Proposal and the Price Proposal shall be submitted in separate, sealed envelopes, each labeled with the RFP Number. One thumb drive will contain your firm’s Technical Proposal. A separate thumb drive will contain the Price Proposal. Each thumb drive must be in its respective and separate, sealed, labeled envelope.

Required Proposal Information and Format

Technical Proposal

1. Written Response to all Minimum Quality Requirements and Technical Requirements and Specifications, and Preferred Abilities.

2. Service Level Agreement (template). Do not include any pricing information with this.

3. Written Narrative must include acknowledgement:

-that campus retains all ownership of content.

-that firm will disclose the location(s) where data could potentially be stored.

-that all employees are aware of FERPA policies and provide assurance of internal non-disclosure policies.

-that documentation about changes between versions must be provided to FSU, -that if data files have to be used, the supplier must share file-specs for data transfer.

4. Contract Forms including:

a. RFP Acknowledgement Form – Certificate of Non-Collusion

b. Acknowledgement of Framingham State University Equal Opportunity, Diversity, and Affirmative Action Plan

c. Contractor Authorized Signatory Listing

d. Commonwealth of Massachusetts Standard Contract Form.

e. Commonwealth of Massachusetts Terms and Conditions for Information

Technology Contracts.

f. W-9 Taxpayer Identification Form

g. Prompt Pay Discount Form

Pricing Proposal

Must be complete and detailed.

Timeline

Request for Proposal Issued: Tuesday, October 27, 2026

Questions Due to Procurement Office: 12:00pm Friday, November 6, 2026 (Limit of 5 questions per Proposer.)

Answers to Questions due to Proposers: 5:00pm Tuesday, November 17, 2026

Proposals Due to FSU Procurement Office: 5:00pm Tuesday, December 1, 2026

Final Selection: On or about December 15, 2026*

Contract Signing: On or about January 6, 2026*

Implementation Period: January 2027–March 2027

Final Implementation (Go-Live): April 1, 2027

Notes:

Optional vendor presentation may be requested.

* This timeframe may be extended by the University if more time is necessary for a determination.

Contact Information

Direct all correspondence and questions to: Natasha M. Bizanos-Ashe, Director of Procurement & Contracts and with a cc’ to: Moira Rouse at the following address:

Framingham State University Business Office, Dwight Hall, Room 201 100 State Street Framingham, MA 01701 E-Mail: NBizanosashe@framingham.edu

Cc: mrouse@framingham.edu

Any attempt to contact other individuals at the University to discuss this RFP shall lead to disqualification and the Proposal shall be considered non-responsive.

The RFP Technical and Pricing proposal submissions shall be directed to Natasha Bizanos- Ashe at the address above.

Additional RFP Information

COMMBUYS is the electronic marketplace for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. This RFP is being posted on COMMBUYS strictly for the sake of advertising to the widest possible audience. All questions and responses to this RFP must be sent to the University’s contact as stated above.

The University reserves the following rights with respect to this process: to reject any Proposals;

to waive any Proposal technicalities or informalities that are not statutory; to terminate the selection process at any time; to reject any proposal if the Committee determines such proposal does not represent the proposal of a person responsible to perform the work; to not award a contract; to make decisions that are in the best interest of the project; to adjust the process and schedule as needed; and to initiate an alternate selection process. Also, please note the following information:

1. The University is an agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and is exempt from any state tax.

2. Public Record. All responses to this RFP will be public records under the Commonwealth’s Public Records Law, Mass. Gen. L. Ch. 66 s. 10, regardless of confidentiality notices set forth on such writings to the contrary.

3. All forms, including Contract documents, included in this RFP must be completed and submitted together with the Pricing Proposal. Not signing these forms may disqualify your submission.

mailto:NBizanosashe@framingham.edu mailto:mrouse@framingham.edu

Attachment A: Contract Forms

a. RFP Acknowledgement Form – Certificate of Non-Collusion

b. Acknowledgement of Framingham State University Equal Opportunity, Diversity, and Affirmative Action Plan - Contracting and Purchasing.

c. Contractor Authorized Signatory Listing

d. Commonwealth of Massachusetts Standard Contract Form.

e. Commonwealth of Massachusetts Terms and Conditions for Information

Technology Contracts.

f. W-9 Taxpayer Identification Form

CERTIFICATION OF NONCOLLUSION

Framingham State University Proposal

Acknowledgement Form

RFP-FSU-27-02

CERTIFICATION OF NON-COLLUSION

The undersigned certifies under penalties of perjury that this proposal has been made and submitted in good faith and without collusion or fraud with any other person. As used in this certification, the word “person” shall mean any natural person, business, partnership, corporation, union, committee, club or other organization, entity or group of individuals.

CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE WITH STATE TAX LAWS AND

WITH UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION CONTRIBUTION REQUIREMENTS

Pursuant to M.G.L., Ch. 62C, s. 49A and M.G.L., Ch. 151A, s. 19A, The undersigned authorized signatory for _____________________________ whose principal place of business is at _______________________________________________________ do hereby certify under penalties of perjury that the company has filed all state tax returns and paid all taxes as required by law and has complied with all state laws pertaining to contributions to the unemployment compensation fund and to payments in lieu of contributions. The Business Organization Social Security Number or Federal Identification Number has been provided on the W-9 Tax Identification Form.

Signed under the penalties of perjury the __________ day of ______________, 2026.

Signature: ____________________________________________

Name and Title: ________________________________________

Acknowledgement of Equal Opportunity, Diversity, and Affirmative Action Plan

CONTRACTING AND PURCHASING

Excerpt from the Equal Opportunity, Diversity, and Affirmative Action Plan—Approved by the Board of High Education: September 28, 2018

I. INTRODUCTION

Together, Bridgewater State University, Fitchburg State University, Framingham State University, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Salem State University, Westfield State University and Worcester State University (collectively, “the Universities”) have carefully developed the major elements of this Equal Opportunity, Diversity and Affirmative Action Plan with the understanding that a successful plan requires more than knowledge of the laws, regulations and current government requirements. This Equal Opportunity, Diversity and Affirmative Action Plan (“the Plan”) demands vision to fully comprehend what challenges the Universities face in preparing our students for their post-commencement lives. With this Plan, the Universities continue to take a step beyond and, both collectively and individually, commit themselves to the valuing of human dignity, and to the appreciation of the necessity of providing all members of the University community an experience that equips them to relate to all persons and groups in the increasingly global and diverse world in which we all live and work. PURPOSES Pursuant to Mass. Gen. Laws Chapter 15A, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Board of Higher Education (“BHE”) is responsible for the overall governance of the Universities. Together with the BHE, the Universities’ Boards of Trustees maintain and promote a policy of non-discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, marital or parental status, or veteran status. A primary purpose of this Plan is to inform the campuses of: (1) the Universities’ prohibition of all forms of discrimination, discriminatory harassment, sexual violence, sexual and gender-based harassment, domestic violence, dating violence, stalking and retaliation; (2) the Universities’ efforts to prevent such behaviors; and (3) the manner in which the Universities will respond to such behaviors, including the prompt, impartial, fair and thorough investigation and resolution of complaints. Through this Plan, the Universities also seek to responsibly recognize and, when possible, resolve the effects of past societal discrimination and the impact which that discrimination has had. To those ends, the State Universities commit to an ongoing examination of all policies and procedures to ensure that they do not operate to the detriment of any person on any discriminatory basis. Finally, the Universities commit to a pro-active affirmative action posture with respect to the recruitment, selection and promotion of students and employees.

II. CONTRACTING AND PURCHASING:

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY VENDORS

When selecting contractors, suppliers, and vendors of goods and services, including goods and services secured in connection with construction projects, the Universities will offer equal opportunity to all qualified persons and entities and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, marital or parental status, or veteran status. The Universities shall seek to locate and shall encourage the use of minority and female contractors, subcontractors, vendors, and suppliers. The Universities will identify businesses primarily operated by members of such protected classes with the help of agencies such as the State Office of Minority Business Assistance in order to encourage bids and proposals from potential contractors, vendors and suppliers.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

The Universities require that all persons and entities with which they contract for the provision of goods and services shall provide equal opportunity for all persons without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, marital or parental status, or veteran status.

CONTRACTOR COMPLIANCE

Prior to the awarding of any contract, the Universities shall require that the contractor provide written assurance of its compliance with applicable state and federal laws and regulations, including the provisions of this Policy, prohibiting discrimination in employment. The Universities shall require that every contract made on or after July 1, 1996, for the purchase of goods and services contain the following provisions. 49 1520495_1 “During the performance of this Agreement, the Contractor agrees as follows: 1. The Contractor shall not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, marital or parental status, or veteran status. 2. The Contractor will comply with the provisions of the Governor’s Code of Fair Practices, with Chapter 151B of the General Laws of Massachusetts, with the Americans with Disabilities Act and with all other applicable state and federal laws barring discrimination in employment, and with Section IV of the Massachusetts State Universities’ Equal Opportunity, Diversity and Affirmative Action Plan. 3. In the performance of this Agreement, the Contractor shall take affirmative action to employ minority and female subcontractors, vendors and suppliers. 4. The University may at any time require the Contractor to supply it with such data, as it shall reasonably require for purposes of determining whether the Contractor is adhering to the above-described prohibitions against discrimination in employment. 5. In the event that the Contractor shall have failed to comply with the requirements contained in any of foregoing clauses 1, 2, 3 and 4, the University may enforce such compliance by withholding part or all of any payment then due until such time as the Contractor complies with any such requirement, and/or by cancelling, terminating or suspending the whole or any part of this Agreement. Nothing herein contained shall bar the University from pursuing such other lawful recourse as it may have to enforce compliance with the above-described requirements and to recover damages for their breach.” The Universities reserve the right to disqualify as a contractor any person or entity that fails to adhere to the prohibitions against the discrimination, discriminatory harassment and retaliation in employment that are contained in Section IV of this Plan.

CONTRACTOR CONDUCT

All contractors, vendors, consultants and suppliers of goods and services shall be required, during any period when they or their agents or employees are present at the Universities, to adhere to standards of conduct that are consistent with this Policy, and all such contractors, vendors and suppliers, their agents and employees shall refrain from acts or conduct that constitute harassment of any person by reason of such person’s race, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, marital or parental status, or veteran status. The Universities shall require every contractor, vendor, consultant, and supplier to instruct its agents and employees concerning the requirements of this paragraph, and to take actions including disciplinary actions, to correct any violation thereof.

Acknowledgement of receipt:

Signature Printed Name and Date

Commonwealth of Massachusetts

CONTRACTOR AUTHORIZED SIGNATORY LISTING

This form is jointly issued and published by the Office of the Comptroller (CTR) and the Operational Services Division (OSD) as the default form for all Commonwealth Departments when another form is not prescribed by regulation or policy.

Signature for Corporation (C or S), Partnership, Trust/Estate, Limited Liability Company (must match Form W-9 tax classification)

Contractor Legal Name Contractor Vendor/Customer Code (if available, not the Taxpayer Identification Number or Social Security Number)

INSTRUCTIONS: Any Contractor (other than a sole-proprietor or an individual contractor) must provide a listing of individuals who are authorized as legal representatives of the Contractor who can sign contracts and other legally binding documents related to the contract on the Contractor’s behalf. In addition to this listing, any state department may require additional proof of authority to sign contracts on behalf of the Contractor, or proof of authenticity of signature (a notarized signature that the Department can use to verify that the signature and date that appear on the Contract or other legal document was actually made by the Contractor’s authorized signatory, and not by a representative, designee or other individual.)

For privacy purposes DO NOT ATTACH any documentation containing personal information, such as bank account numbers, social security numbers, driver’s licenses, home addresses, social security cards or any other personally identifiable information that you do not want released as part of a public record. The Commonwealth reserves the right to publish the names and titles of authorized signatories of contractors.

There are three types of electronic signatures that will be accepted on this form: 1) Traditional “wet signature” (ink on paper); 2) Electronic signature that is either: a. hand drawn using a mouse or finger if working from a touch screen device; or b. An upload picture of the signatory’s hand drawn signature; 3) Electronic signature affixed using a digital tool such as Adobe Sign or DocuSign. Typed text of a name not generated by a digital tool, computer generated cursive, or an electronic symbol are not acceptable forms of electronic signature.

Authorized Signatory Name

Signature (Signature as it will appear on contract or other documents)

Title Phone Number

Email Address

Acceptance of any payment under a Contract or Grant shall operate as a waiver of any defense by the Contractor challenging the existence of a valid Contract due to an alleged lack of actual authority to execute the document by the signatory.

I certify that I am a responsible authorized officer of the Contractor and as an authorized officer of the Contractor I certify that the names of the individuals identified on this listing are current as of the date of execution and that these individuals are authorized to sign contracts and other legally binding documents related to contracts with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on behalf of the Contractor. I understand and agree that the Contractor has a duty to ensure that this listing is immediately updated and communicated to any state department with which the Contractor does business whenever the authorized signatories above retire, are otherwise terminated from the Contractor’s employ, have their responsibilities changed resulting in their no longer being authorized to sign contracts with the Commonwealth or whenever new signatories are designated.

Please note you cannot self-certify your own signature as a single signer listed above.

Signature Date

Print Name Phone Number

Title Email Address

A copy of this listing must be attached to the “record copy” of a contract filed with the department.

Commonwealth of Massachusetts

CONTRACTOR AUTHORIZED SIGNATORY FORM

This form is jointly issued and published by the Office of the Comptroller (CTR) and the Operational Services Division (OSD) as the default form for all Commonwealth Departments when another form is not prescribed by regulation or policy.

Notarized Signature for Individual, Sole-Proprietor or Single Member LLC (must match Form W-9 tax classification)

Contractor Legal Name Contractor Vendor/Customer Code (if available, not the Taxpayer Identification Number)

INSTRUCTIONS: Any Contractor, sole-proprietor, or an individual, must provide a notarized signature of the authorized person who can sign contracts and other legally binding documents related to the contract on the Contractor’s behalf.

For privacy purposes DO NOT ATTACH any documentation containing personal information, such as bank account numbers, social security numbers, driver’s licenses, home addresses, social security cards or any other personally identifiable information that you do not want released as part of a public record. The Commonwealth reserves the right to publish the names and titles of authorized signatories of contractors.

Signature (ink on paper) Contractor Signature as it will appear on contract or other documents (Complete only in presence of notary)

Print Signatory’s full legal name Title

Certificate of Acknowledgement of Notary Public Before me, the undersigned notary public, the above named individual proved to me through satisfactory evidence of identification, to be the person whose name is signed above and acknowledged to me that (he)/(she) signed for its stated purpose.

Print Notary Name Notary Signature (ink on paper)

Date My commission expires on

AFFIX NOTARY SEAL/STAMP

A copy of this document must be attached to the “record copy” of a contract filed with the department.

COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS | STANDARD CONTRACT FORM

This form is jointly issued and published by the Office of the Comptroller, the Executive Office for Administration and Finance, and the Operational Services Division as the default contract for all Commonwealth Departments when another form is not prescribed by regulation or policy. The Commonwealth deems void any changes made on or by attachment (in the form of addendum, engagement letters, contract forms or invoice terms) to the terms in this published form or to the Standard Contract Form Instructions and Contractor Certifications, the Commonwealth Terms and Conditions, the Commonwealth Terms and Conditions for Human and Social Services or the Commonwealth IT Terms and Conditions which are incorporated by reference herein. Additional non-conflicting terms may be added by Attachment. Contractors are required to access forms at macomptroller.org/forms or mass.gov/lists/osd-forms.

CONTRACTOR INFORMATION

Contractor Legal Name d/b/a Legal Address As entered on Form W-9 or Form W-4 Contract Manager Name

Phone Email x

Vendor Code VC

Vendor Code Address ID e.g. “AD001”. Note: The Address ID must be set up for Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) payments.

AD

COMMONWEALTH INFORMATION

COMMONWEALTH INFORMATION

Department MMARS Code Contract Manager Name Business Mailing Address

Billing Address If Different Phone Email Fax

MMARS Doc ID(s)

RFR/Procurement or Other ID Number

Procurement or Exception Type (Check one option only) Statewide Contract (OSD or an OSD-designated department.)

Collective Purchase (Attach OSD approval, scope, and budget.)

Department Procurement - Includes all Grants 815 CMR 2.00. (Attach Solicitation Notice or RFR, and Response or other procurement supporting documentation.)

Emergency Contract (Attach justification for emergency, scope, and budget.)

Contract Employee (Attach Employee Status Form, scope, and budget.)

Interim Contract with new Contractor (Attach justification for Interim Contract and updated scope/budget.)

Other Procurement Exception (Attach authorizing language, legislation with specific exemption or earmark, and exception justification, scope, and budget.)

Current Contract End Date PRIOR to Amendment

Amendment Amount Or Enter “No Change”

Amendment Type (Check one option only. Attach details of amendment changes.)

Amendment to Date, Scope, or Budget (Attach updated scope and budget.)

Interim Contract with Current Contractor (Attach justification for Interim Contract and updated scope/budget.)

Contract Employee (Attach any updates to scope or budget.)

Other Procurement Exception (Attach authorizing language/justification and updated scope/budget.)

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

The Standard Contract Form Instructions and Contractor Certifications and the following document are incorporated by reference into this Contract and are legally binding (Check ONE option):

Commonwealth Terms and Conditions Commonwealth Terms and Conditions for Human and Social Services Commonwealth IT Terms and Conditions COMPENSATION (Check ONE option.)

The Department certifies that payments for authorized performance accepted in accordance with the terms of this Contract will be supported in the state accounting system by sufficient appropriations or other non-appropriated funds, subject to intercept for Commonwealth owed debts under 815 CMR 9.00.

Rate Contract (No Maximum Obligation). (Attach details of all rates, units, calculations, conditions or terms and any changes if rates or terms are being amended.)

Maximum Obligation Contract. Total maximum obligation for total duration of this contract (or new total if contract is being amended):

PROMPT PAYMENT DISCOUNTS (PPD)

Commonwealth payments are issued through Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) 45 days from invoice receipt. See Prompt Pay Discounts Policy.

Contractors requesting accelerated payments must identify a PPD as follows:

Statutory/legal Ready Payments (M.G.L. c. 29, § 23A) If PPD percentages are left blank, identify reason:

Agree to standard 45-day cycle Only initial payment

Payment issued within: 10 days % PPD. 15 days % PPD. 20 days % PPD. 30 days % PPD.

Enter the Contract title, purpose, fiscal year(s) and a detailed description of the scope of performance or what is being amended for a Contract Amendment. Attach all supporting documentation and justifications.

Does the Supplier Diversity Program apply? YES

NO

If YES, the Contractor’s annual SDP commitment for this Contract is If NO, and the department is an Executive Department, enter the appropriate exemption:

The Department and Contractor certify for this Contract, or Contract Amendment, that Contract obligations:

1. may be incurred as of the Effective Date (latest signature date below) and no obligations have been incurred prior to the Effective Date.

2. may be incurred as of , 20 , a date LATER than the Effective Date below and no obligations have been incurred prior to the Effective Date.

3. were incurred as of , 20 , a date PRIOR to the Effective Date below, and the parties agree that payments for any obligations incurred prior to the Effective Date are authorized to be made either as settlement payments or as authorized reimbursement payments, and that the details and circumstances of all obligations under this Contract are attached and incorporated into this Contract. Acceptance of payments forever releases the Commonwealth from further claims related to these obligations.

Contract performance shall terminate as of , 20 , with no new obligations being incurred after this date unless the Contract is properly amended, provided that the terms of this Contract and performance expectations and obligations shall survive its termination for the purpose of resolving any claim or dispute, for completing any negotiated terms and warranties, to allow any close out or transition performance, reporting, invoicing or final payments, or during any lapse between amendments.

Notwithstanding verbal or other representations by the parties, the “Effective Date” of this Contract or Amendment shall be the latest date that this Contract or Amendment has been executed by an authorized signatory of the Contractor, the Department, or a later Contract or Amendment Start Date specified above, subject to any required approvals. The Contractor certifies that they have accessed and reviewed all documents incorporated by reference as electronically published and the Contractor makes all certifications required under the Standard Contract Form Instructions and Contractor Certifications under the pains and penalties of perjury, and further agrees to provide any required documentation upon request to support compliance, and agrees that all terms governing performance of this Contract and doing business in Massachusetts are attached or incorporated by reference herein according to the following hierarchy of document precedence, the applicable Commonwealth Terms and Conditions, this Standard Contract Form, the Standard Contract Form Instructions and Contractor Certifications, the Request for Response (RFR) or other solicitation, the Contractor’s Response (excluding any language stricken by a Department as unacceptable, and additional negotiated terms, provided that additional negotiated terms will take precedence over the relevant terms in the RFR and the Contractor’s Response only if made using the process outlined in 801 CMR 21.07, incorporated herein, provided that any amended RFR or Response terms result in best value, lower costs, or a more cost effective Contract.

Signature Date

Print Name Print Title

Signature Date

Print Name Print Title

Fa

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

COMPENSATION (Check ONE option.)

PROMPT PAYMENT DISCOUNTS (PPD)

Updated 11/22/2024

CONTRACT AMENDMENTNEW CONTRACT

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF CONTRACT PERFORMANCE or REASON FOR AMENDMENT

SUPPLIER DIVERSITY PROGRAM (SDP) PLAN

ANTICIPATED START DATE (Complete ONE option only.)

CONTRACT END DATE

CERTIFICATIONS

AUTHORIZING SIGNATURE FOR THE CONTRACTOR

Signature and date must be captured at time of signature.

AUTHORIZING SIGNATURE FOR THE COMMONWEALTH

Signature and date must be captured at time of signature.

http://www.macomptroller.org/wp-content/uploads/instructions_standard-contract-form.pdf http://www.macomptroller.org/wp-content/uploads/form_commonwealth-terms-and-conditions.pdf http://www.macomptroller.org/wp-content/uploads/form_commonwealth-terms-and-conditions-for-human-and-social-services.pdf http://www.macomptroller.org/wp-content/uploads/form_commonwealth-terms-and-conditions-for-information-technology.pdf https://www.mass.gov/lists/osd-forms https://www.mass.gov/law-library/815-cmr http://www.macomptroller.org/wp-content/uploads/form_commonwealth-terms-and-conditions.pdf http://www.macomptroller.org/wp-content/uploads/form_commonwealth-terms-and-conditions-for-human-and-social-services.pdf http://www.macomptroller.org/wp-content/uploads/form_commonwealth-terms-and-conditions-for-information-technology.pdf https://www.mass.gov/law-library/815-cmr https://www.powerdms.com/public/MAComptroller/documents/1779666 https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleIII/Chapter29/Section23A https://www.mass.gov/law-library/801-cmr

COMMONWEALTH TERMS AND CONDITIONS

FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CONTRACTS

6/30/20 Page 1

This Commonwealth Terms and Conditions for Information Technology Contracts (“IT Terms and Conditions”) form is jointly issued by the Executive Office of Technology Services and Security (EOTSS), the Executive Office for Administration and Finance (ANF), the Office of the Comptroller (CTR) and the Operational Services Division (OSD) for use by all Commonwealth of Massachusetts (“State”) Departments and Contractors to govern Contracts subject to the object codes for information technology, as defined by the Office of the Comptroller’s Expenditure Classification Handbook, or other Contracts as expressly approved in writing by EOTSS, ANF, OSD, and CTR. Any changes or electronic alterations by either the Department or the Contractor to the official version of this form shall be void. Upon execution of the Standard Contract Form and filing as prescribed by the Office of the Comptroller, these IT Terms and Conditions will be incorporated by reference into any Contract for IT commodities or services executed by the Contractor and any State Department, in the absence of a superseding law or regulation requiring a different Contract form. Performance shall include services rendered, obligations due, costs incurred, commodities and deliverables provided and accepted by the Department, programs provided or other commitments authorized under a Contract. A deliverable shall include any tangible product to be delivered as an element of performance under a Contract. The Commonwealth is entitled to ownership and possession of all deliverables purchased or developed with State funds. The Commonwealth’s possession, installation, or use of proprietary IT commodities or services, developed by Contractor for the open market without the use of State funds, shall not transfer title or ownership thereof to the Commonwealth. A “Contract” shall mean, in the following order of priority: (i) these IT Terms and Conditions; (ii) the Standard Contract Form issued jointly by ANF, CTR and OSD, and the Standard Contract Form Instructions and Contractor Certifications; (iii) the Request for Response (RFR) or applicable solicitation document, as it may be amended by the Department; (iv) the Contractor’s response to the RFR or applicable solicitation document, as it may be amended by the Department and Contractor, including any negotiated terms and conditions allowable pursuant to law or regulation; (v) a solicitation created by the Department for a particular engagement such as a Request for Quote (RFQ), as it may be amended by the Department; (vi) any negotiated terms and conditions governing a particular engagement, as expressly agreed to in writing between the Department and the Contractor;

and (vii) the Contractor’s response to the Department’s solicitation.

1. Contract Effective Start Date. Notwithstanding verbal or other representations by the parties, the effective start date of performance under a Contract shall be the later of the date the Contract was executed by an authorized signatory of the Contractor, the date the Contract was executed by an authorized signatory of the Department, the date specified in the Contract, or the date of any approvals required by law or regulation.

2. Payments And Compensation. The Contractor shall only be compensated for performance delivered and accepted by the Department in accordance with the specific terms and conditions of a Contract. The Department may, in its sole discretion, agree to pre-payment for subscription-based IT commodities or services for a term length as specified in the Contract. All Contract payments are subject to appropriation pursuant to M.G.L. c. 29, § 26, or the availability of sufficient non-appropriated funds for the purposes of a Contract, and shall be subject to intercept pursuant to M.G.L. c. 7A, § 3 and 815 CMR

9.00. Overpayments shall be reimbursed by the Contractor or

may be offset by the Department from future payments in accordance with state finance law. Acceptance by the Contractor of any payment or partial payment, without any written objection by the Contractor, shall in each instance operate as a release and discharge of the State from all claims, liabilities or other obligations relating to the performance of a Contract.

3. Contractor Payment Mechanism. All Contractors will be paid using the Comptroller’s payment system unless a different payment mechanism is required. The Contractor shall timely submit invoices and supporting documentation as prescribed in a Contract. The Department shall review and return rejected invoices within fifteen (15) days of receipt with a written explanation for rejection. Payments shall be made in accordance with the bill paying policy issued by the Office of the Comptroller and 815 CMR 4.00, provided that payment periods listed in a Contract of less than forty-five (45) days from the date of receipt of an invoice shall be effective only to enable a Department to take advantage of early payment incentives and shall not subject any payment made within the forty-five (45) day period to a penalty.