RFP ISAC Electronic Transcript Services_final.docx

Illinois Student Assistance Commission Request for Proposal Electronic Transcript Services BidBuy Bid # 26-691ISAC-COLAC-B-49281

Section A. SCOPE OF WORK

A.1. OVERVIEW AND PURPOSE

The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) seeks to contract with a vendor to provide a comprehensive web-based electronic transcript exchange platform that can be integrated for data uploads and downloads with high school Student Information Systems (SIS) that will allow Illinois high schools to electronically submit student transcripts to colleges and universities and other organizations with a valid e-mail address across the world as part of the students' college application and enrollment process. This includes direct onboarding, training, and ongoing support for schools to ensure full utilization of the platform statewide, including the ability to track the progress of transcripts from initial request to delivery to final destination. The platform service also needs to provide a print and mail a hardcopy option. The ISAC Transcript Exchange, launched in 2011, allows students at public and private schools to request different credentials to be sent electronically, worldwide. A student can request credentials be sent to colleges, universities, trade and vocational schools, scholarship organizations, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the Common App, and to other organizations that have an e-mail. The ISAC Transcript Exchange allows students to have sent on their behalf by the high school the following:

· Transcripts

· Letters of Recommendation

· Third Party Verifications

· Health Records

· School Profile For the purposes of this RFP, ‘electronic transcript information’ includes but is not limited to student transcripts, letters of recommendation, third party verifications, health records, and school profiles.

A.2. DESIRED OUTCOMES OF THIS PROJECT/ENGAGEMENT

Upon execution of a contract, the selected vendor will provide the above identified services no later than January 31, 2026, and in accordance with the developed project work plan as specified in this RFP. The successful vendor will provide data and reports on the services usage at the institutional and state levels, as well as cost savings realized for students and institutions through usage of provided services.

The intent of this solicitation is for ISAC and a vendor to enter into an agreement that provides a framework for the institutions identified in A.2.1 to work directly with the vendor to provide, at no cost to all students and their respective institutions for the transfer of electronic transcript information identified in the RFP.

A.2.1 Eligible Institutions - Public and private high schools in the State of Illinois that serve 12th grade students.

A.2.2. The proposed solution should:

A.2.2.1. provide an administrative institutional interface, functionality, and workflow of the comprehensive electronic transcript information solution, including any limitations to managing and reviewing analytic insights of the number of transcripts and other student and school information transmitted electronically through the solution;

A.2.2.2. provide a student interface, functionality, and workflow of the proposed comprehensive electronic transcript information that provides live (i.e., in real time), on-demand, and asynchronous services;

A.2.2.3. provide, at the student, institutional, and state levels, a) methods for data reporting, b) support (including technical support) recognizing the unique needs of different constituent groups, c) design, d) technology, and e) security used in administering the proposed comprehensive electronic transcript information solution;

A.2.2.4. provide a process to add on additional services or make changes to the services as state and institutional needs change.

A.2.3. Data and reporting: During the term of the contract the vendor should:

A.2.3.1. provide data reporting on a monthly basis and as requested by ISAC or an institution, regarding the utilization of the comprehensive electronic transcript information solution (e.g., administrator’s dashboard);

A.2.3.2. provide data reporting that includes the number of current student information separate from any data for students classified as alumni students (which are not covered under this RFP), the number of students using the platform, the frequency of any use of the platform, the format of exchange requested, and any other data at the aggregate level.

A.2.4 Scope of electronic transcript information: The vendor’s solution for electronic transcript information should provide at a minimum the following items:

· Grades

· School profile

· Transcripts

· Letters of Recommendation

· Third Party Verifications

· Health Records

A.2.5. FERPA and Other Privacy Laws: Vendor agrees to comply with the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA), the Gramm-Leach Bliley Act (GLBA), and all other state and federal privacy laws to the extent applicable to any product or service provided by the vendor.

A.3. SCHEDULE & BUDGET

A.3.1. Procurement Timeline

A.3.2. Contract milestones/schedule A.3.2.1. No later than thirty (30) days after execution of a contract, the awarded Vendor shall be required to develop a workplan, in conjunction with ISAC. The work plan shall detail a “work order” process that shall be used by ISAC to request services by the Vendor. This shall be a service on-demand contract, and the Vendor shall not perform any services without an ISAC approved work order. The format of the work order shall be agreed upon by ISAC and the Vendor prior to the start of contract work. The Vendor shall be expected to complete the scope of work described in each work order, within the budget and timeframe specified on the work order. The Vendor shall not be compensated for unauthorized services or unauthorized costs.

A.3.2.2. As noted in A.3.2.1, within thirty (30) days after execution of a contract, the awarded vendor will be required to develop a work plan in conjunction with ISAC that outlines the scope, objectives, and timeline of the project. Once a work plan is approved by ISAC, the Vendor will meet the following timeline:

· Within five (5) business days of the approved work plan, the vendor shall provide a quality management plan outlining the quality standard that will be used to ensure the project’s success.

· Within five (5) business days of the approved work plan, the vendor shall provide a project schedule providing a timeline outlining the tasks, responsibilities, and milestones of the project to help ensure everyone knows what they need to do to achieve the project objectives.

· Within five (5) business days of the approved work plan, the vendor shall provide any print and on-line documents for students, institutions, and ISAC sufficient to allow full utilization of the web-based comprehensive electronic transcript platform solution. Documentation will include, but is not limited to, overview descriptions of all major functions and detailed step-by-step instructions on how institutions and their students access the web-based comprehensive electronic transcript platform solution provided by the vendor.

· Within five (5) business days of the approved work plan, the vendor shall provide ISAC and institutions with marketing information on the services to be provided for ISAC and institutions to use in promoting services with students.

· Within five (5) business of the approved work plan, the vendor shall contact institutions to initiate the sign-up process and establish training schedule for institutional staff in order for institutions to provide services to their respective students.

· Within five (5) business days of the approved work plan, the vendor shall provide sample data reports on the service usage at institutional and state levels.

A.3.2.3. The awarded vendor shall provide periodic reports detailing the usage of electronic transcript information as identified in the developed work plan.

A.4. UNIQUE CONSIDERATIONS – N/A

A.5. TERM

A.5.1. TERM OF THIS CONTRACT: The contract resulting from this procurement will have an initial term commencing on January 31, 2026 or last dated signature, whichever is earlier and ending on 1/30/2031. In no event will the total term of the contract, including the initial term, any renewal terms, and any extensions, exceed ten (10) years. Vendor shall not commence billable work in furtherance of the contract prior to final execution of the contract except when permitted pursuant to 30 ILCS 500/20-80.

A.5.2. RENEWAL: Subject to the maximum total term identified above, the State has the option to renew for the following term(s):

· Renewal #1: January 31, 2031 through January 30, 2036.

A.5.2.1. Pricing for the renewal term(s), or the formula for determining price, is in the Pricing section of this solicitation.

A.5.2.2. Any renewal of the resulting contract is subject to the same terms and conditions that apply to the initial term of the contract unless otherwise provided. The State may renew the contract for any or all of the option periods specified, may exercise any of the renewal options early, and may exercise more than one option at a time based on continuing need and favorable market conditions, when in the best interest of the State. The contract may neither renew automatically nor renew solely at the Vendor’s option.

Section B. CURRENT CONDITIONS

B.1. OVERVIEW & BACKGROUND

The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) seeks to contract with a vendor to provide a comprehensive electronic transcript exchange platform that will allow Illinois high schools to electronically submit student transcripts to colleges and universities across the United States as part of the students' college application and enrollment process.

ISAC is the State of Illinois' centralized agency for administering and promoting student aid and college access programs. ISAC's public service outreach mission is to ensure, with an equity lens, that all students are aware of and have access to free and trusted tools that will help them find, plan, and access college and financial aid opportunities. As part of ISAC's suite of tools available to students that include college and career planning tools, the electronic transcript exchange tool will ensure that students are able to successfully electronically submit their high school transcripts along with their college admission application and track the receipt of transcripts to confirm receipt. The implementation of an electronic transcript platform at the high schools allows counselors to better manage their process for sending transcripts to colleges allowing schools to be more efficient, cut costs, and trace receipt of transcripts.

This tool helps to level the playing field in an equitable way for Illinois students who come from high schools that vary tremendously in the amount of support and technology available to students. Schools that could not otherwise afford the electronic transcript exchange will revert to outdated and less reliable and less secure systems of storing, sending, and manually tracking paper transcript forms and requests. Students from the most economically disadvantaged backgrounds will feel the greatest impact from the loss of this resource, as they will have additional hurdles to complete as they prepare their college and scholarship applications. Additionally, as this service has been provided for several years, schools/districts may no longer have staff and/or processes in place to facilitate a paper transcript process.

Facilitating the transition from high school to postsecondary education for Illinois students is an important economic interest for the state. The economic benefits to the state of an educated workforce are well documented. In addition to the large scale long-term benefits, reducing duplication for schools and districts across the state increases efficiency in time and money. A centralized standardized system that can be used as the default option by any school is less expensive than having each school and/or district procure and use differing or duplicative products.

B.2. VOLUMES & QUANTITIES

Based on past usage with prior vendors, the following is an estimate of the potential volume of comprehensive electronic transcript information identified in the RFP: Calendar Year annual: Calendar Year 2024 – 169,584 The above usage information is no guarantee of the amount of utilization of any services the selected vendor will provide.

B.3. AREAS OF CONCERN/CHALLENGES

To ensure the process is stream-lined and able to meet the individual needs of each institution and their students, the vendor selected will work directly with the participating institutions to provide the comprehensive electronic transcript information services to their respective students, rather than ISASC acting as an intermediary to provide services between the vendor and the institutions and their students.

B.4. STRENGTHS

The current process allows for direct work between the schools and the vendor without ISAC needing to be an intermediary that can slow the process.

B.5. FIGURES, DIAGRAMS, & REFERENCE DOCUMENTS – N/A

Section C. PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS Only Electronic Submissions through BidBuy of Offers will be Accepted

C.1. REQUIRED DOCUMENTS TO COMPLETE AND SUBMIT

The Offeror shall submit the listed documents in BidBuy under the Attachments tab in the appropriate “Required Attachments” spaces.

· Vendor Disclosure or IPG Active Registered Vendor Disclosure

· Technical response

· Offer to the State of Illinois

· Commitment to Diversity

· References Blank documents may be found on the Chief Procurement Officer for General Service’s website at https://cpo-general.illinois.gov/solicitation-and-contract-templates.html and on the BidBuy posting under “File Attachments:”. Business Enterprise Program/Veterans Small Business Program Utilization Plan may be downloaded from the Commission on Equity and Inclusion’s website at https://cei.illinois.gov/purchasing-entity-resources/compliance.html.

Failure to submit Vendor Disclosure or IPG Active Registered Vendor Disclosure, as applicable, and the Utilization Plan(s), as applicable, with the Offer submitted in BidBuy shall render the Offer non-responsive.

Offerors are required to submit their response to the State’s solicitation through BidBuy. Any information sent to the State outside of BidBuy, for example by US Mail, FedEx, UPS, e-mail, or hand delivery, will neither be accepted nor considered. Offeror submissions will only be considered if they are received through BidBuy and on or before the time and date indicated as the “Bid Opening Date” on the BidBuy posting. Any required attachments must be submitted via BidBuy.

Price entries on the Items tab will be locked automatically upon submission of the quote. Entering cost, pricing or discount information in the Alternate Description may result in disqualification. If the agency requires pricing to be submitted in an attachment, Offeror shall upload pricing under the “Required Documents” section on the Attachments tab and check the box “Does the attachment contain any pricing, cost or discount information?”. Failure to check this box allows your pricing to be viewed when bids are opened and will result in disqualification of your offer. NOTE: Do not check “Does the attachment contain any pricing, cost or discount information” if the attachment does NOT include pricing, cost, or discount information.

Documents shall be submitted in an electronic format that is accessible and readable using Microsoft Office suite software or Adobe Reader. Corrupted files shall not be considered. It is the Offeror’s responsibility to check that files are accessible and legible after uploading.

The Offeror is solely responsible for ensuring timely submission of their electronic solicitation response. Failure to allow adequate time prior to the Bid Opening Date to complete and submit a response to a solicitation, particularly in the event technical support assistance from the State is required, places the Offeror and their offer or response at risk of not being accepted.

The State encourages the Offeror to ensure that their BidBuy account is up-to-date. It is recommended that you access your BidBuy account prior to the solicitation due date and time to make sure that your company’s information is up-to-date and your password is current. Files may be uploaded at any time prior to submission.

File size may impact the uploading and downloading speed and may lead to browser time-outs, resulting in failed upload/download attempts. Please consider this dependency when attaching very large documents.

OFFEROR INSTRUCTIONS TO SUBMIT IN BIDBUY

Create Quote:

Note: any pricing entered in the Unit Cost of the Items Tab will be locked until after Technical Evaluations take place. Do not enter cost, pricing, or any discount information in the Alternate Description field. Entering cost, pricing or discount information in the Alternate Description may result in disqualification.

Note: If taking any exceptions to Standard Terms and Conditions an offeror must submit a redline version of the Standard Terms and Conditions with their proposal.

: “Upload” (next to each required attachment) : “Choose File” Note: If a pricing document is required, mark the box next to the question, “Does this attachment contain any pricing, cost, or discount information?”

Failure to mark this box when attaching a pricing document will result in disqualification.

Check this box ONLY if a separate pricing document is required.

Do NOT check this box for any other required quote attachment such as the Technical Proposal, Vendor Disclosure / IPG Active Registered Vendor Disclosure, or Utilization Plan(s), or Offer.

Offerors may also view the “Request for Proposal (RFP) Vendor Submission Instructions Video found at https://cpo-general.illinois.gov/vendor-resources.html

C.2. DUE DATE AND TIME FOR SUBMISSION OF OFFERS

Each solicitation contains the Offer due date and time, appearing as the “Bid Opening Date:” on the BidBuy posting. Offeror shall submit Offers in BidBuy, and the State shall open Offers electronically in BidBuy on the “Bid Opening Date”. The Offer must remain firm for 180 days from opening.

C.3. CONFLICT BETWEEN INFORMATION IN ELECTRONIC DOCUMENTS AND ON BIDBUY

If the State provides information in electronic documents (i.e., the RFP and other attachments) that is different or in conflict with the information the State provides on BidBuy, then the information in electronic documents is presumed to represent the State’s intent. If the Offeror provides information in electronic documents that is different or in conflict with the information the Offeror provides in BidBuy through their Seller Account, then the information in electronic documents shall represent the Offeror’s intended submission.

C.4. PUBLISHED PROCUREMENT INFORMATION

The State publishes procurement information, including solicitations, awards, and amendments, on the Chief Procurement Officer for General Services’ Illinois Procurement Bulletin, known as the Bulletin or BidBuy (https://www.bidbuy.illinois.gov/bso/). Procurement information may not be available in any other form or location. Offeror is responsible for monitoring BidBuy. The State will not be held responsible if Offeror fails to receive the optional e-mail notice of future amendments to the solicitation.

C.5. INFORMATION CONTACT

The individual listed in the “Info Contact:” field on the BidBuy posting shall be the single point of contact for this solicitation. Unless otherwise directed, Offeror should only communicate with the Information Contact. The State/Agency shall not be held responsible for information provided by or to any other person.

Suspected errors should be immediately reported to the Information Contact. Do not discuss, directly or indirectly, the solicitation or any Offer with any State officer or employee other than the Information Contact.

C.6. OFFEROR QUESTIONS AND AGENCY RESPONSE

All questions, other than questions raised at the Pre-Submission Conference, pertaining to this solicitation must be submitted in writing to the Information Contact no later than 9/29/2025 5PM CST. Questions received and Agency responses may be posted as a Bid Amendment to the original solicitation on BidBuy; only these posted answers to questions shall be binding on the State. Offeror is responsible for monitoring BidBuy and BidBuy email notifications.

C.7. PRE-SUBMISSION CONFERENCE

The Agency may conduct a Mandatory or Non-Mandatory Pre-Submission Conference, listed in the “Pre-Bid Conference:” field of the BidBuy posting. Please refer to BidBuy for this information.

If attendance is mandatory, Offeror (current contractor included) will be disqualified and considered non-responsive if Offeror does not attend, is not on time, leaves early, or fails to sign the attendance sheet. Offeror must allow adequate time to accommodate security screenings at the site.

Non-Mandatory Pre-submission Conference to be held by WebEx at Monday, 9/22/2025, at 11:00 AM CST using the link below:

https://illinois.webex.com/illinois/j.php?MTID=m427d9b57ff4a6124bf0c602ad58e0644

C.8. SMALL BUSINESS SET-ASIDE

In the Bulletin posting, if “Yes” is shown to the question “Is this a Small Business Set-Aside Procurement?”, then Offeror must be registered by the Illinois Small Business Set-Aside Program at the time Offers are due for the Offer to be evaluated. For requirements on qualifying Offeror’s business in the Small Business Set-Aside Program, please go to the Chief Procurement Office for General Service’s website at https://cpo-general.illinois.gov/sell-2-illinois.html .

C.9. BUSINESS ENTERPRISE FOR MINORITIES, WOMEN, AND PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES ACT PARTICIPATION AND UTILIZATION PLAN

The BidBuy posting indicates whether this solicitation contains a goal to include businesses owned and controlled by minorities, women, and persons with disabilities. There is no goal for this solicitation.

C.10. VETERAN SMALL BUSINESS PARTICIPATION AND UTILIZATION PLAN

The BidBuy posting indicates whether this solicitation contains a goal to include businesses owned and controlled by military veterans. There is no goal for this solicitation.

C.11. SECURITY

Bid/Performance Bond: $ N/A. If a bond is required, Offeror must submit the Bid Bond with your offer or Performance Bond to the Information Contact within ten (10) days after contract execution. The bond must be from a surety licensed to do business in Illinois. An irrevocable letter of credit is an acceptable substitute. The form of security must be acceptable to the State.

C.12. TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Standard Terms and Conditions will become a part of any resulting contract. To view the Standard Terms and Conditions, please go to https://cpo-general.illinois.gov/solicitation-and-contract-templates.html.

Section D. EVALUATION PROCEDURES

D.1. EVALUATION PROCESS

The State assesses each Offer for Responsibility (E.10) and Responsiveness. The State considers the information provided and the quality of that information when assessing Offers. If the State finds a failure or deficiency, the State may reject the Offer or reflect the failure or deficiency in the assessment.

There are three scored parts to each proposal – technical, commitment to diversity, and pricing. Each part of the proposal is evaluated and ranked independently of the other parts of the proposal. The results of the evaluation of all three parts shall be used in ranking the proposals.

The State may award to the most responsive and responsible offeror whose offer best meets the specified criteria.

D.2. RESPONSIVENESS

A responsive offeror is one who submits an offer that conforms in all material respects to the Request for Proposal and includes all required forms.

D.2.1. The State will determine whether the Offeror complied with the instructions for submitting offers. Except for late submissions, and other requirements that by law must be part of the submission, the State may require that an Offeror correct deficiencies as a condition of further evaluation.

D.2.2. Subcontractor Disclosure: If the Offer includes any subcontractors, then Offeror shall complete the Subcontractor Disclosure section of the Offer to the State of Illinois.

D.2.3. If completing IPG Active Registered Vendor Disclosure, then responsiveness may include and may not be limited to:

· Active Illinois Procurement Gateway registration # with expiration date

· Certifications timely to this solicitation

· Disclosure of lobbyists for Offeror and parent entity(ies)

· Disclosure of pending and current contracts

D.2.4. If completing Vendor Disclosure, required parts may include and may not be limited to:

D.2.5. The State will determine whether the Offer meets the stated Technical requirements. Minor differences or deviations that have negligible impact on the price or suitability of the supply or service to meet the State’s needs may be accepted or corrections allowed. If no offeror meets a particular Technical requirement, the State may waive that requirement.

D.2.6. When the specification calls for “Brand Name or Equal,” the brand name product is acceptable. Other products will be considered with proof that the other product meets stated specifications and is equivalent to the brand product in terms of quality, performance, and desired characteristics.

D.3. EVALUATION METHODOLOGY

The Technical Requirements are described in Sections F.2., F.3., and F.5.. The State evaluates the Technical Requirements without consideration of price.

D.3.1. Total Number of Points Available for Technical Requirements is: 1500.

D.3.2. Offeror shall complete and return Sections F.2., F.3.

D.3.3. Relative Weight in Point Format

D.4. COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY ELEMENTS

Sections 20-15 and 35-30 of the Illinois Procurement Code (30 ILCS 500/) require offerors to be evaluated on their commitment to diversity. The points available for Commitment to Diversity are described in Section F.4. and are equivalent to 20% of the Technical Requirements points. The State evaluates Commitment to Diversity without consideration of price.

D.4.1. The total number of points for Commitment to Diversity is 200.

D.4.2. Offeror shall complete and return Section F.4 Commitment to Diversity

D.4.3. Commitment to Diversity Categories: The percentages at the end of each section reflect the weighted distribution of points available identified in D.4.1.

Commitment to Diversity Categories

Category 1 – BEP Compliance - Whether the Offeror meets the set goal for contracting or subcontracting with businesses owned by women, minorities, or persons with disabilities or completed a Good Faith Effort Waiver for this procurement. 5%

Category 2 – Subcontracting/Contracting with any WMD businesses (not limited to BEP vendors) - Whether the Offeror has contracted/subcontracted within the prior calendar year with businesses owned by women, minorities, or persons with disabilities. 10%

Category 3 – Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Spend – Offeror’s percentage of business, education and/or community spend from prior calendar year gross revenue that involves businesses owned by women, minorities and/or persons with disabilities. The assisted businesses are not required to be certified in the Illinois Business Enterprise Program. 20%

Category 4 – DEI Time - Offeror’s hours spent in the prior calendar year on promoting DEI in the workplace, the community, education institutes, or supporting businesses owned by women, minorities, or persons with disabilities. The assisted business is not required to be certified in the Illinois Business Enterprise Program. The success or failure of each event does not impact the points achieved. The event may be voluntary or paid time. 20%

Category 5 – DEI Policies - Entity has provided a written copy of, or link to, their current written workforce diversity, equity, and inclusion policy. Policies must be actionable plans, not overarching concepts around DEI. 10%

Category 6 – Diversity in Staffing - % of individuals on governing board and/ or Senior executives who identify as women, minorities or person with disabilities. 10% % of individuals in management /supervisor positions who identify as women, minorities or person with disabilities. 13% % of total staff who identify as women, minorities or person with disabilities. 12%

D.5. MINIMUM REQUIRED POINTS

Requests for Proposal may specify that offerors must receive a minimum number of points in their Technical and Commitment to Diversity proposals combined to be considered for price evaluation and award.

The State determines how well offers meet the Technical and Commitment to Diversity requirements and rank the offers from best to least qualified using a point ranking system (unless otherwise specified) as an aid in conducting the evaluation. Offerors who receive fewer than the minimum required points will not be considered for price evaluation and award.

D.5.1. The total number of available points for Technical and Commitment to Diversity is 1200.

D.5.2. A minimum of 750 of the available (Technical and Commitment to Diversity) points is required to be eligible for demonstrations.

D.6. PRICE

The State opens Price proposals after evaluating all Technical and Commitment to Diversity proposals.

If the State does not consider the price to be fair and reasonable and negotiations fail to meet an acceptable price, the State reserves the right to cancel the award and take appropriate action to meet the needs of the State. The State determines whether the price is fair and reasonable by considering the offer, including the offeror's qualifications, the offeror's reputation, all price proposals submitted, other known prices, the project budget, and other relevant factors.

D.6.1. The total number of points for Price is 300.

D.6.2. The State will determine Price points using the following formula:

Maximum Price Points X (Lowest Price/Offeror’s Price) = Total Price Points

D.7. MAXIMUM AVAILABLE POINTS

The maximum number of points is 1500 (Technical) + 200 (Commitment to Diversity) + 300 (Price) = 2000 maximum available points.

Section E. ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS

E.1. GOVERNING LAW AND FORUM

Illinois law and rules govern this solicitation and any resulting contract. Offeror must bring any action relating to this solicitation or any resulting contract in the appropriate court in Illinois. This document contains statutory references designated with “ILCS”. To view the full text, go to https://ilga.gov/Legislation/ILCS/Chapters . The Illinois Procurement Code (30 ILCS 500) and the Standard Procurement Rules (44 ILL. ADM. CODE PART 1) are applicable to this solicitation. To view them respectively, go to and Illinois General Assembly - ADMINISTRATIVE CODE.

E.2. PUBLIC RECORDS AND REQUESTS FOR CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT

Offers become the property of the State. All offers will be open to the public under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 ILCS 140) and other applicable laws and rules, unless Offeror requests in its Offer that the State treat certain information as confidential. A request for confidential treatment will not supersede the State’s legal obligations under FOIA. The State will not honor requests to keep entire Offers confidential. Offerors must show the specific grounds in FOIA or other law or rule that support confidential treatment. Regardless, the State will disclose the successful Offeror’s name, the substance of the Offer, and the price.

If Offeror requests confidential treatment, Offeror must submit additional copy/copies (see Instructions for Submission of Offers in Section C.) of the Offer with proposed confidential information redacted. This redacted copy must tell the general nature of the material removed and shall retain as much of the Offer as possible. In a separate attachment, Offeror shall supply a listing of the provisions identified by section number for which it seeks confidential treatment and identify the statutory basis or bases under Illinois law, including a detailed justification for exempting the information from public disclosure.

Offeror will hold harmless and indemnify the State for all costs or damages associated with the State defending Offeror’s request for confidential treatment. Offeror agrees that the State may copy the Offer to facilitate evaluation, or to respond to requests for public records. Offeror warrants that such copying will not violate the rights of any third party.

E.3. MINORITY CONTRACTOR INITIATIVE

The State requires a fee of $15 to cover expenses related to the administration of the Minority Contractor Opportunity Initiative. Any offeror awarded a contract of $1,000 or more under Section 20-10, 20-15, 20-25 or 20-30 of the Illinois Procurement Code (30 ILCS 500) is required to pay a fee of $15. The Comptroller shall deduct the fee from the first check issued to the Vendor under the contract and deposit the fee in the Comptroller’s Administrative Fund. 15 ILCS 405/23.9.

E.4. FEDERAL FUNDS

The resulting contract may be partially or totally funded with Federal funds. Upon notice of intent to award, the percentage of supplies and/or services involved that are Federally funded and the dollar amount of such Federal funds will be disclosed.

E.5. EMPLOYMENT TAX CREDIT

Offerors who hire qualified veterans and certain ex-offenders may be eligible for tax credits. 30 ILCS 500/45-67 and 45-70. Please contact the Illinois Department of Revenue (217-524-4772) for information about tax credits [35 ILCS 5/216, 5/217].

E.6. RESERVATIONS

Offeror must read and understand the solicitation and tailor the Offer and all activities to ensure compliance. The State reserves the right to amend the solicitation, reject any or all offers, award by item/services, group of items/services, or grand total, and waive minor defects. The State may request a clarification, inspect Offeror’s premises, interview staff, request a presentation, or otherwise verify the contents of the Offer, including information about subcontractors and suppliers. The State may request Best & Final Offers when appropriate. The State will make all decisions on compliance, evaluation, and terms and conditions, and shall make decisions in the best interests of the State and in accordance with the Illinois Procurement Code, rules and other applicable State and Federal statutes and regulations. This competitive process may require that Offeror provide additional information and otherwise cooperate with the State. If an offeror does not comply with requests for information and cooperate, the State may reject the offer as non-responsive to the solicitation. Submitting an offer does not entitle Offeror to an award or a contract. Posting a vendor’s name in a Bulletin notice does not entitle the vendor to a contract. The State is not responsible for and will not pay any costs associated with the preparation and submission of any offer.

Awarded Offeror(s) shall not commence and will not be paid for any billable work undertaken prior to the date all parties execute the contract, unless approved in writing in advance by the State Purchasing Officer or the Chief Procurement Officer (or designee).

E.7. AWARD

The State is not obligated to award a contract pursuant to this solicitation. If the State issues an award, the award will be made to the responsive and responsible offeror whose offer best meets the specified criteria unless otherwise permitted by the Illinois Procurement Code and Illinois Administrative Code. However, if the State does not consider the price to be fair and reasonable and negotiations fail to meet an acceptable price, then the State reserves the right to cancel the award and take appropriate action to meet the needs of the State. The State will determine whether the price is fair and reasonable by considering the offer, including the offeror's qualifications, the offeror's reputation, all prices submitted, other known prices, the project budget and other relevant factors. The State will post a notice to the Bulletin identifying the apparent most responsive and responsible offeror.

E.8. INVOICING ADDRESS

The awarded Vendor shall invoice at the completion of the contract unless invoicing is tied in the contract to milestones, deliverables, or other invoicing requirements agreed to in the contract. The Bulletin posting contains the “Bill-to Address:” where invoices should be sent.

Vendor shall not bill for any taxes unless accompanied by proof that the State is subject to the tax. If necessary, Vendor may request the applicable Agency’s Illinois tax exemption number and Federal tax exemption information.

E.9. PROTEST REVIEW OFFICE

Offeror may submit a written protest to the Protest Review Office following the requirements of the Standard Procurement Rules. 44 ILL. ADM. CODE 1.5550. For protests related to specifications, the Protest Review Office must physically receive the protest no later than fourteen (14) days after the solicitation or related addendum was posted to the Bulletin. For protests related to rejection of individual proposals or awards, the protest must be received by close of business no later than fourteen (14) days after the protesting party knows or should have known of the facts giving rise to the protest. The Protest Review Office’s information is as follows:

Chief Procurement Office Attn: Protest Review Office Email: cpogs.pro@illinois.gov

E.10. RESPONSIBILITY

A responsible Offeror is one who has the capability in all respects to perform fully the contract requirements and who has the integrity and reliability that will assure good faith performance. The State determines whether the Offeror is a “responsible” offeror; an offeror with whom the State can or should do business. For example, the State may consider the following:

E.10.1. A “prohibited bidder” includes any person assisting an employee of the State of Illinois by reviewing, drafting, directing, or preparing any invitation for bids, a request for proposal, or request of information, or providing similar assistance unless such assistance was part of a publicly issued opportunity to review drafts of all or part of these documents. For purposes of this section, an employee of the State of Illinois means one who, by the nature of his or her duties, has the authority to participate personally and substantially in the decision to award a State contract. No person or business shall submit specifications to a State agency unless requested to do so by an employee of the State. No person or business that contracts with a State agency to write specifications for a particular procurement need shall submit a bid or proposal or receive a contract for that procurement need.

Nothing herein is intended to prohibit a vendor from bidding or offering to supply developing technology, supplies or services after providing the State with a demonstration of the developing technology, supplies, or services; provided the subject of the demonstration to the State represents industry trends and innovation and is not specifically designed to meet the State's needs. Nothing herein is intended to prohibit a person or business from submitting a bid or offer or entering into a contract if the person or business: (i) initiates a communication with an employee to provide general information about products, services, or industry best practices and, if applicable, that communication is documented in accordance with Section 50-39 of the Illinois Procurement Code or (ii) responds to a communication initiated by an employee of the State for the purposes of providing information to evaluate new products, trends, services, or technologies.

E.10.2. Other factors that the State may use to evaluate to determine responsibility include, but are not limited to: political contributions, certifications, conflict of interest, financial disclosures, taxpayer identification number, past performance in business or industry, references (including those found outside the Offer), compliance with applicable laws, financial responsibility, insurability, effective equal opportunity compliance, payment of prevailing wages if required by law, capacity to produce or sources of supply, and the ability to provide required maintenance service or other matters relating to the offeror’s ability to deliver in the quality and quantity within the time and price as specified in this solicitation.

E.10.3. Awarded offerors must always have financial resources sufficient, in the opinion of the State, to ensure performance of the contract and must provide proof upon request. The State may require a performance bond if, in the opinion of the State, it ensures performance of the contract. The State may terminate the contract, consistent with the termination for cause provision of the contract, if the vendor lacks the financial resources to perform under the contract.

E.10.4. The State may require that an offeror correct any deficiencies as a condition of further evaluation.

E.11. BidBuy Terminology and Guidance: BidBuy is an online e-procurement system. There may be some difference between the procurement terminology used in this solicitation and the terms used in BidBuy. Please learn more about BidBuy by accessing the online resources found here:

https://www2.illinois.gov/cpo/PathwayToProcurement/Pages/Guides-and-Manuals.aspx

Section F. PROPOSAL FORMS Offeror must complete and return:

· The following three (3) tables include: Contract Requirements (Section F.1), and Technical Requirements: Mandatory Requirements with Evidence (Section F.2), and Proposed Technical Solution (Section F.3)

· Commitment to Diversity (Section F.4)

· Offer to the State of Illinois Please read and follow each instruction carefully.

F.1. CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

Please read each contract requirement carefully in F.1. These contract requirements shall be included in any contract resulting from this solicitation.

CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

F.1.1. Immediately upon execution of a contract, the vendor must be able to provide an already established comprehensive web-based electronic transcripts exchange platform that can be integrated for data uploads and downloads with high school Student Information Systems (SIS) that will allow Illinois high schools to electronically submit student transcripts to college and universities and other organizations with an e-mail address.

F.1.2. FERPA and Other Privacy Laws: Vendor agrees to comply with the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA), the Gramm-Leach Bliley Act (GLBA) and all other state and federal privacy laws to the extent applicable to any product or service provided by the vendor.

F.1.3. If after the execution of the contract between ISAC and the selected vendor and before the end of the contract term the vendor adds any additional web-based electronic transcript information services that it offers to the general public, those same services will be made available under the contract and agreement with ISAC without any additional charges through the end of the contract period.

F.1.4. Removal of Personnel

F.1.4.1. Removal by Client.

If, at any time, ISAC notifies Vendor in writing that any of its personnel or its subcontractors’ personnel are not performing the responsibilities assigned to that individual, or lacks the ability or skills needed to fulfill his or her tasks under this Agreement, or if ISAC requests in writing that anyone of its personnel or its subcontractors’ personnel be removed for cause and describes the action for which such personnel should be removed, then Vendor shall promptly take such actions as are necessary to substantially improve such person’s conduct or performance, or, at ISAC’s request and at no cost to ISAC, Vendor shall replace such person as soon as reasonably practicable, per section D.2.2.2) with an individual whose skills are equal to or greater than those of the individual being removed. Such replacement shall be made in consultation with ISAC taking into consideration an appropriate ramp-up period for which ISAC will not be charged, in light of the services to be provided.

F.1.4.2 Removal by Vendor.

Vendor shall not remove any key personnel from appointment with ISAC without ISAC’s prior consent (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld), unless such removal is beyond Vendor’s control or such person’s employment has terminated, voluntarily or involuntarily. Key staff includes the Senior Manager and Team Managers. In the event any Vendor or subcontractor personnel must be so removed, Vendor shall, as soon as reasonably practicable (see section D.2.2.2), provide a replacement whose skills are equal to or greater than those of the individual being removed. Such replacement shall be made in consultation with ISAC taking into consideration an appropriate ramp-up period for which ISAC will not be charged, in light of the services to be provided.

By submitting an offer to this solicitation. The offeror agrees that will meet the contract requirements in Section F.1.

F.2. MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS WITH EVIDENCE

Please check “Met” to each of the mandatory requirements for the proposed solution. An Offeror that does not provide substantiating evidence for each requirement will be disqualified and the rest of the proposal will not be scored.

These Mandatory Requirements shall be included in any contract resulting from this solicitation.

Please provide substantiating evidence in your Proposed Technical Solution. Use the column on the right to indicate the section and page number where your evidence/response to each item may be found. The State will evaluate Offeror’s evidence/response to verify the mandatory requirement is met.

MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS WITH EVIDENCE

Proposal Section and Page Number

F.2.2. Security Requirements:

Vendor must provide a response with information on how they will address the following security items:

· ability to address OWASP top 10 web application security risks;

· ability to protect against unauthorized access of data;

· ability to use FIPS 140-2 level encryption for protecting data at rest, particularly fields with Personally Identifiable Information (PII);

· ability to keep confidential and personally identifiable information within United States; and ability to follow security best practices.

|_| Met

F.3. PROPOSED TECHNICAL SOLUTION – DESIRABLE ELEMENTS

Please explain how your organization meets or will meet each of the desirable elements. Use the column on the right to indicate the section and page number of your proposal where your response to each item may be found.

Capability of Vendor

F.3.1 The Vendor should provide a description of already established capabilities demonstrating the ability to immediately provide a web-based electronic transcript platform and accompanying customer services capabilities of the vendor…