Request for Proposal (RFP) #: RAAA 2027-0083 Project Title: Distance Learning Management System (DLMS)

Date Due: Wednesday, December 9, 2026, at 2:00 PM MT

SIGNATURE PAGE

ISSUING OFFICE: This Request for Proposal (RFP) is issued by the Colorado Department of Public Safety (CDPS), Executive Director’s Office. The CDPS Purchasing and Contracts Office is the sole point of contact concerning this solicitation. The CDPS Purchasing and Contracts Office can be contacted at:

cdps_edo_bids@state.co.us.

PROPOSALS ACCEPTED BY THE ISSUING OFFICE ONLY. FAXED PROPOSALS WILL NOT

BE ACCEPTED. NO LATE PROPOSALS WILL BE ACCEPTED.

Colorado VSS / CORE Number Date

Company Name

Address

City State Zip Code

Phone Email

Indicate if your company is registered and verified by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs as a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business:

YES (if yes, please submit validation with your response) NO

Indicate that you have attached a Word version of the Contract and marked any exceptions using “Track Changes”.

YES, attached as a separate Word document as described in 7.D. NO, no exceptions taken to the Contract.

Print Name of Company Representative Title

Signature of Company Representative Signature by an authorized officer or agent of the company.

COMPLETE & RETURN WITH PROPOSAL SUBMISSION (ELECTRONICALLY)

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Request for Proposals (RFP)

RAAA 2027-0083

Distance Learning Management System (DLMS)

Bids Due: Wednesday, December 9, 2026 at 2:00 PM MT

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RFP Summary Sheet

The information found in this summary sheet is for reference purposes only. Vendors or other interested parties are cautioned to review the solicitation, including any later amendments, in its entirety and contact the listed Point of Contact with any questions.

1. Point of Contact: Dustin Roberts, cdps_edo_bids@state.co.us

2. Important Dates:

A. Publication Date: 11/6/26

B. Deadline for Questions: 11/16/26

C. Proposal Submission Deadline: Wednesday, December 9, 2026 at 2:00 PM MT

3. Overview and Goals:

A. See Exhibit A – Statement of Work

B. Budget: $975,000.00

4. Qualifications and Requirements:

A. See Exhibit A – Statement of Work

5. Requested Proposal Format: Additional Information found in Section 5

6. Proposal Submission Instructions: Page 5 of Appendix A

A. Responses must be submitted through Vendor Self Service (VSS). Emailed proposals not accepted

B. Ensure all requested attachments are included

C. Responses received after the submission deadline shall not be opened and shall be rejected as a late response, unless otherwise permitted by the procurement official in accordance with Procurement Rule R-24-103-201-10.

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1. INTRODUCTION

A. General Information

On behalf of the State of Colorado, Insert State Agency/IHE is issuing this Request for Proposals for RFP RAAA 2027-0083 Distance Learning Management System

(DLMS).

The purpose of this RFP is to solicit a vendor to implement a new Software as a

Service (SaaS) Distance Learning Management System (DLMS) to replace the

Colorado Department of Public Safety’s (CDPS) retiring legacy platform, Saba. The objective is to secure a solution that matches or exceeds the legacy system’s capabilities, resolves existing operational pain points, and supports data migration and system integrations under a multi-year contract.

B. Background

See Exhibit A – Statement of Work.

C. Overview and Goals

See Exhibit A – Statement of Work.

D. Sole Point of Contact

i. The State’s sole point of contact for this solicitation is Dustin Roberts, Purchasing Agent, who may be reached via email at cdps_edo_bids@state.co.us.

ii. Email is the preferred method of communication. The individual listed above is the sole point of contact for this solicitation. Initiating contact with anyone other than this individual may result in Offeror disqualification.

E. Schedule of Activities

i. This Schedule of Activities is for information and planning purposes only.

Schedules for Activities listed as “Estimated” may be subject to change depending on the needs of the State. All times are considered in Mountain

Time (MT), as adjusted for daylight savings.

ii. The date of publication for this solicitation on Colorado VSS is Friday, November 6, 2026.

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a. Written inquiries must be submitted to cdps_edo_bids@state.co.us no later than Monday, November 16, 2026 at 2:00 PM MT.

b. The estimated date for the State’s responses to vendors’ written inquires to be published on Colorado VSS is Friday, November 20, 2026.

c. All proposals must be submitted in the method described below no later than Wednesday, December 9, 2026 at 2:00 PM MT.

d. A public opening of submitted proposals will be conducted virtually on

Wednesday, December 9, 2026, at 3:30 PM MT. Vendors wishing to attend must request meeting access by emailing cdps_edo_bids@state.co.us prior to the scheduled opening time.

e. The estimated date for demonstrations from selected proposers is

Monday, January 4, 2027 through Friday, January 8, 2027.

f. The estimated date for the publication of an Intent to Award on

Colorado VSS is Friday, January 15, 2027.

F. Start Date

The desired Contract or Purchase Order start date is March 1, 2027.

G. Anticipated Contract Term

i. The initial term of the awarded Contract is anticipated to begin on March 1, 2027 and end on June 30, 2027. This Contract may be renewed for up to five

(5) additional one-year periods at the sole discretion of the State. The total duration of the Contract, including all options, is not anticipated to exceed five (5) years and four (4) months (ending June 30, 2032). Pursuant to §

24-106-105, C.R.S., prior written approval for a contract term exceeding five

(5) years has been granted by the State Controller.

ii. The State may extend the Contract beyond the anticipated term in accordance with the Colorado Procurement Code, and in the event that the

State determines an extension is necessary.

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iii. The State may, within its sole discretion, choose not to exercise any option or extension term in the Contract for any reason. If the State chooses not to exercise any option or extension term, it may re-procure the goods and/or services in its sole discretion.

2. OFFEROR’S EXPERIENCE AND PERSONNEL

A. Organizational Experience

i. See Exhibit A – Statement of Work.

B. Organizational Personnel

i. See Exhibit A – Statement of Work.

3. REQUIREMENTS

A. Accessibility Requirements

i. All work performed as a result of this solicitation must comply with all applicable provisions of §§24-85-101, et seq., C.R.S., and the Accessibility

Standards for Individuals with a Disability, as established by the Office Of

Information Technology pursuant to Section §24-85-103 (2.5), C.R.S. and 3) all

State of Colorado technology standards related to technology accessibility and with Level AA of the most current version of the Web Content

Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), incorporated in the State of Colorado technology standards.

ii. See Exhibit A – Statement of Work.

B. Insurance Requirements

The awarded Offeror will be required to submit a certificate(s) of insurance evidencing insurance coverage for, at minimum, the types and amounts of insurance as required by the Insurance provision in the Contract or Purchase Order

Terms and Conditions, included in this solicitation as an attachment, prior to execution of the Contract or Purchase Order.

C. Mandatory Requirements

i. See Exhibit A – Statement of Work.

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4. SCOPE OF WORK

A. Scope of Work and Deliverables

This Scope of Work describes the deliverables sought through this RFP and the scope of what the awarded Offeror will be expected to offer through the contract resulting from this RFP. The Scope of Work is intended to provide interested

Offeror’s with sufficient basic information to submit a proposal. It is not intended to limit a proposal’s content or exclude any relevant or essential data.

i. See Exhibit A – Statement of Work.

5. REQUESTED PROPOSAL FORMAT

Proposals should cover the following areas, with an emphasis on how these areas relate to the evaluation criteria listed in this Request for Proposals.

A. Demonstrated Experience and Capabilities

i. Offeror’s Response- Offeror shall describe how the Offeror’s experience and capabilities make it the ideal candidate to perform the work. Describe experience with similar projects. Reference above of this solicitation regarding the desired organizational experience.

ii. Offeror’s Response- Offeror shall indicate key personnel who will be assigned to the project and describe their experience. Reference above of this solicitation regarding the desired organizational personnel.

B. Accessibility Requirements

Offeror’s Response- Offeror shall describe how their proposed solution will meet or exceed the accessibility requirements detailed in this solicitation.

C. Mandatory Requirements

Offeror’s Response- Offeror shall describe how their proposed solution will meet or exceed the mandatory requirements detailed in this solicitation.

D. Technical/Business Proposal

Offeror’s Response- Offeror shall describe how they will accomplish the Scope of

Work detailed in this solicitation.

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E. Cost Proposal

ii. See Exhibit B – Pricing Sheet.

6. EVALUATION METHODOLOGY

A. Evaluation Process

A comprehensive, thorough, complete and impartial evaluation of each proposal received will be conducted in accordance with §24-103-203(7), C.R.S, which states, “The award shall be made to the responsible Offeror whose proposal is determined in writing to be the most advantageous to the state, taking into consideration the price and evaluation factors set forth in the request for proposal.”

B. Evaluation Committee

i. An Evaluation Committee will be established utilizing measures to ensure the integrity of the evaluation process. These measures include the following:

a. Selecting committee members who do not have a conflict of interest regarding this solicitation.

b. Facilitating the independent review of proposals.

c. Requiring the evaluation of the proposals to be based strictly on the content of the proposals.

d. Ensuring the fair and impartial treatment of all Offerors.

ii. The objective of the Evaluation Committee is to conduct reviews of the proposals that have been submitted, to hold frank and detailed discussions among themselves, and to recommend an Offeror for award.

C. Proposal Evaluation Criteria

i. The State will evaluate proposals to determine if each Offeror meets all mandatory qualification requirements; provided, however, that the State has the authority to waive non-material mandatory requirements in certain circumstances. Reference Procurement Rule R-24-103-301-03. The mandatory qualification requirements are scored on a Met/Not Met basis and only those proposals found to meet all mandatory requirements, other than non-material

V06.2026 Request for Proposal Page 9 of 13 mandatory requirements waived by the State, can be considered for a

Contract resulting from this solicitation.

ii. Proposals will be evaluated by the Evaluation Committee using the evaluation criteria listed below. The evaluators will consider whether the Scope of Work requirements in the solicitation have been addressed, and they will review the capabilities of the Offeror, as well as the quality of the approach proposed, the price, and any other aspect determined relevant to the evaluation criteria.

iii. The evaluation criteria to be used in evaluating the proposals are as follows

(and are listed in no particular order):

CRITERIA DESCRIPTION WEIGHT

1.

Section 5 Compliance Matrix & Technical/Functional Capabilities

Matrix Completion: Offerors must complete Section 5.A (Requirements) of Exhibit A by selecting either "Yes" or "No" from the dropdown menu for every individual requirement.

Functional Demonstration: Written narratives and system artifacts proving platform capabilities for:

• Isolated learning environments (segregation of CDPS internal users and ~15,000 external law enforcement/correctional partners).

• Account self-creation, role-triggered permissions, password resets, and admin controls.

• Course paths, curriculums, certifications, transcripts, document acknowledgements, and multi-standard support (SCORM, xAPI, Tin Can).

• Performance management workflows, reviews, 360 feedback, audit trails, and bulk PDF generation.

• Analytics engine, pre-built/custom reporting, scheduling, and multi-format exports.

35%

2.

Data Migration & Systems Integration

Matrix Completion: Offerors must complete Section 5.B (Tasks) of Exhibit A by selecting either "Yes" or "No" from the dropdown menu for every task.

Proof of Integration & Migration:

• Architectural interface plan detailing connection and data exchange with CDPS's Central Payroll Processing System (CPPS).

20%

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• Single Sign-On (SSO) configuration protocols (Google, Ping ID, SAML, OpenID Connect).

• Saba migration strategy, including specific tools, mapping templates, validation steps, and past migration examples for historical records, courses, and content.

3.

Security, Accessibility & State Compliance

Mandatory Documentation:

• Current SOC 2 Type II Compliance Attestation report.

• Current Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) demonstrating compliance with Colorado digital accessibility laws.

• Formal certification that all data and SaaS infrastructure are hosted on servers located exclusively within the United States.

• Written security plan demonstrating compliance with Colorado Information Security Policies (CISP), role-based access controls, and 2FA/MFA management.

15%

4.

Implementation Plan, Timeline & Quality Assurance

Project Artifacts:

• Detailed Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and project schedule validating milestone achievement: Sandbox/Production access and training by March 2027, and full migration/launch by June 2027.

• Joint Quality Assurance (QA) testing plan during migration and commitment to at least one calendar quarter (3 months) of post-launch collaborative support.

• Staffing plan, project manager resume, and governance framework for weekly virtual meetings and deliverable sign-offs.

10%

5.

Training, Documentation & Ongoing Support

Program Outline & SLAs:

• Comprehensive training curriculum: delivery plan for virtual instruction, on-site group sessions (700 Kipling St, Denver), and self-directed digital resources.

• Timeline ensuring admin documentation and end-user training materials are delivered to CDPS prior to go-live.

• Support Service Level Agreement (SLA) confirming 99.99% system uptime, business-hours phone/email/ticketing support, and same-business-day response times for Tier-2/3 administrator inquiries.

10%

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6.

No Exceptions to State IT Contract

Contract Confirmation:

• Offeror statement confirming acceptance of the State of Colorado Information Technology Contract without redlines, reservations, or modifications.

Confirmations must preserve State terms regarding CDPS full data/content ownership, liability, confidentiality, governing law, and indemnification.

10%

7. Price – Not part of initial evaluations, however, will be considered as part of the overall proposal submission.

D. Mandatory Section 5 Compliance Instruction (Exhibit A)

i. Mandatory Response Requirement:

Offerors must complete the tables in Section 5.A (Requirements) and Section

5.B (Tasks) of Exhibit A.

a. For each individual requirement and task line item, the Offeror must choose either “Yes” (Meets Requirement/Task) or “No” (Does Not Meet

Requirement/Task) from the provided dropdown list in the MEETS

REQUIREMENTS column.

b. A selection of "Yes" indicates that the proposed platform natively supports or the vendor commits to fulfilling the requirement/task as written at no additional cost beyond the proposed pricing.

c. Any item marked "No", left as "Choose", or altered will be evaluated accordingly and may result in point deductions or disqualification if the item is a mandatory operational or statutory requirement.

d. For all items marked "Yes", Offerors must cite the specific section and page number in their technical proposal where verifiable narrative proof, architecture, or workflow details are provided.

E. Pricing Evaluation

Price - Not part of the initial evaluations, however, will be considered as part of the overall proposal submission.

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Cost proposals submitted via Exhibit B (Pricing Sheet) will not receive numerical weighting during the initial technical evaluation. Following technical scoring, cost proposals from qualified Offerors will be reviewed to determine total cost of ownership, budget feasibility, and best value for the Base Performance Period through June 30, 2027, and the five (5) optional 12-month extension periods (FY28 through FY32).

F. Scoring Scale (0-5 Points per Category)

5 – Exceptional: The proposal exceeds baseline requirements with robust proof, including a fully completed Section 5 matrix ("Yes" across items), verified SOC

2/VPAT documentation, demonstrated integration track record (CPPS/Saba), and no contract exceptions.

4 – Good: Meets all SOW specifications with complete documentation, a fully completed Section 5 matrix, solid proof of integration capabilities, and feasible timelines. Low project risk.

3 – Satisfactory: Meets baseline requirements and includes Section 5 selections;

provides standard documentation but lacks depth or advanced technical artifacts.

2 – Marginal: Incomplete evidence; some "No" responses or unverified claims in

Section 5; unclear migration/integration approach or tight timeline risks.

1 – Unsatisfactory: Substantial omissions, failure to provide required compliance reports (e.g., missing VPAT or SOC 2), or multiple contract redlines.

0 – Non-Responsive: Category unaddressed, failure to submit Section 5 compliance tables, or failure to meet mandatory prerequisites (e.g., US server hosting).

G. Demonstrations and Discussions

i. The Evaluation Committee may, if it deems necessary, request clarifications, conduct discussions or oral presentations, or request best and final offers. Per

R-24-103-203-03, discussions may be held with responsible offerors whose proposals are determined to be reasonably susceptible to be selected for award to:

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a. Promote understanding of the state’s requirements and the offerors’ proposals; and

b. Facilitate a contract that will be most advantageous to the state taking into consideration price and the other evaluation factors set forth in the request for proposals.

ii. The Evaluation Committee may adjust its scoring based on the results of such activities. However, proposals may be reviewed and determinations made without such activities. Offerors should be aware that the opportunity for further explanation might not exist; therefore, Offerors should ensure that their submission is complete, and are encouraged to submit their best possible proposal, including pricing.

H. Single proposal

If only one bid or proposal is received in response to a solicitation, an award may be made to the single bidder or offeror if the procurement official finds that the price submitted is fair and reasonable and that other prospective bidders or offerors had reasonable opportunity to respond. Reference Procurement Rule R-

24-103-201-02(d).

I. Award

i. A Notice of Intent to Award will be published on Colorado VSS.

ii. The award determination is ultimately a business decision that will reflect an integrated assessment of the relative merits of the proposals received, using the factors set forth in in this solicitation. The State intends to award

Contract(s) to the Offeror(s) whose proposal(s), conforming to the solicitation, will be most advantageous to the State, price and other factors considered.

iii. The State reserves the right to award to multiple offerors if is determined to be in the best interest of the State.