RFQ 27-05706 for Enterprise Customer and Relationship Platform 09.17.26.docx

EOTSS RFI 27-05706

Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Executive Office of Technology Services and Security

Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Technology Services and Security

Request for Information Enterprise Customer and Relationship Platform

EOTSS RFI 27-05706

COMMBUYS Bid Number: BD-27-1060-ITD00-ITD00-133583

September 17, 2026

Respondents to this Request for Information (RFI) are invited to respond to any or all of the questions in this document. Responses to this RFI shall serve solely to assist the Commonwealth in understanding the current state of the marketplace with regards to the solicited information or to inform the development of a possible solicitation for a Request for Responses (RFR) or Request for Quotes (RFQ) in the future. This RFI does not in any way obligate the Commonwealth to issue or amend a solicitation or to include any of the RFI provisions or responses in any solicitation. Responding to this RFI is entirely voluntary, and will in no way affect the Commonwealth’s consideration of any proposal submitted in response to any subsequent solicitation, nor will it serve as an advantage or disadvantage to the respondent in the course of any RFR or RFQ that may be subsequently issued or amended.

IN ACCORDANCE WITH M.G.L. C. 66 AND M.G.L. C. 4, § 7 (26), THIS RFI AND ALL RESPONSES HERETO INCLUDING THE WINNING BID SHALL BECOME PUBLIC RECORD, AND CAN BE OBTAINED FROM THE EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF TECHNOLOGY SERVICES AND SECURITY BY SUBMITTING A REQUEST AT https://www.mass.gov/executive-office-of-technology-services-and-security-prr. ANY PORTIONS OF A RESPONSE THAT ARE LABELED AS CONFIDENTIAL WILL STILL BE CONSIDERED PUBLIC RECORD.

General Procurement Information

General Information

Purchasing Entity: Executive Office of Technology Services and Security (“EOTSS”) or (“Agency”)

Address: One Ashburton Place, Eighth Floor, Boston, MA 02108

Procurement Contact: Shawn Johnson

Telephone: 617-626-4593

E-Mail Address: shawn.johnson@mass.gov

RFI File Number and Title: EOTSS RFI 27-05706 - Enterprise Customer and Relationship Platform

Attachments: Attachment A – COMMBUYS Instructions

Forms: Vendor Response Matrix and Required Appendices (included in Section II)

This Request for Information (“RFI”) does not commit the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (“Commonwealth”) or Agency to pay any costs incurred in the preparation of a Bidder’s response to this RFI or to purchase any products or services. The purpose of this RFI is to elicit the advice and best analysis of knowledgeable persons in the vendor community to enable the Commonwealth to craft a potential future solicitation for Enterprise Customer and Relationship Platform. Responses to this RFI should include information that will be useful to the Commonwealth in subsequently drafting more detailed procurement solicitation(s) related to the Enterprise Customer and Relationship Platform.

The Agency may amend this RFI at any time prior to the date the responses are due. Any such amendment will be posted to the Commonwealth’s procurement website, CommBUYS (www.commbuys.com).

Bidders must submit their bids through the Commonwealth’s online procurement system, COMMBUYS, as detailed in Attachment A. Bidders are advised to check this site regularly, as this will be the sole method used for notification of changes.

Eligible Bidders

This RFI is open to all Bidders. For future planning, Bidders are encouraged to describe their ability to offer their proposed solution under Massachusetts Statewide Contracts, whether for direct-sale as an existing Statewide Contract vendor, or for resale through existing agreement with a current Statewide Contract reseller.

Event Calendar

All times in this RFI are in prevailing Eastern Time. Responses must be received no later than the response due date and time indicated below or they will not be evaluated. Bidders must have their responses fully loaded and accepted in COMMBUYS prior to the RFI Response Due date and time listed below. Bidders are urged to allow sufficient time to upload their entire response.

Issuing Agency

The Executive Office of Technology Services and Security is responsible for the development of IT policy and implementation and oversight of all information technology investments for the Commonwealth and its respective agencies. EOTSS has broad statutory authority to effectuate the goals prompting IT consolidation in Chapter 64 of the Acts of 2017, as memorialized and articulated in M.G.L. c. 6A, s. 7A and M.G.L. c. 7D. As the lead enterprise IT and cybersecurity organization for the Executive Branch, EOTSS provides responsive digital and security services, and oversees and manages the enterprise technology and digital infrastructure and services for over 125 state agencies and over 43,000 state employees. EOTSS provides Enterprise Cybersecurity and Risk Management services, Infrastructure and Network services, End-User Support and IT services, Digital and Data services, Strategy Management and Consulting services, and additional IT-focused services to the Executive Branch and other Commonwealth users.

Description and Purpose of the RFI

Purpose

The purpose of the Enterprise Platform initiative is to identify the best-fit enterprise platform for EOTSS current and future business requirements. This RFI seeks information from qualified vendors regarding enterprise capabilities for customer and organizational relationships, sales and account processes, service interactions, engagement, workflow, data, analytics, automation, legal case management, security, accessibility, and related business processes.

EOTSS is seeking factual information regarding functional breadth, architecture, integration, data, security and compliance posture, accessibility, scalability, administration, implementation, commercial structure, total cost of ownership, and long-term platform strategy. Detailed requirements and standardized vendor-response expectations are provided below.

Information Solicited

Background.

EOTSS supports a complex Commonwealth enterprise environment spanning multiple organizations and operating entities. The desired platform should provide a durable foundation for enterprise relationship management and related business processes while supporting hierarchical administration and billing, integration with the broader enterprise technology ecosystem, strong governance and security controls, accessible digital experiences, transparent commercial packaging, and future vetted AI capabilities.

Detailed Requirements and Questions.

Each Respondent must address the detailed requirements and appendices that follow using the published Requirement IDs and standardized response values. Clearly identify configuration, low-code, custom development, third-party, professional-services, partner, and roadmap dependencies.

Table of Contents

0. Material Assumptions

1. Executive Overview

2. Business Capability Scope

2.1 Hierarchical Account, Administration, and Billing

3. Customer and Relationship Management

4. Sales and Revenue Processes

5. Service and Customer Support

6. Customer Engagement

7. Workflow and Business Process Automation

8. Platform and Extensibility

9. Data Architecture

10. Integration Architecture

11. Artificial Intelligence

12. Security, Risk, and Compliance

12.1 Security Certifications, Authorizations, Attestations, and Compliance Posture

13. Scalability, Reliability, and Performance

14. User Experience

14.1 Accessibility and Inclusive-Design Compliance

15. Analytics and Reporting

16. Administration and Governance

17. Implementation Approach

18. Data Onboarding and Transition

19. Commercial Model and Total Cost of Ownership

20. Product and Vendor Strategy

21. Vendor Response Matrix

22. Questions Designed to Expose Hidden Cost and Complexity

23. Questions Vendors Must Answer Without Marketing Language

24. Future-State and Innovation Questions

25. Enterprise Qualification Questions

26. Required Appendices Requirements EOTSS seeks information on an enterprise customer and relationship platform that can serve as a governed foundation for customer, organization, contact, relationship, sales, service, engagement, workflow, data, analytics, automation, legal case management, and related business processes across multiple Commonwealth entities. The platform should support enterprise-scale administration and billing hierarchies, integration with the broader technology ecosystem, security and accessibility, transparent commercial packaging, data portability, and vetted AI capabilities. Responses should distinguish native capability from configuration, low-code, custom development, third-party products, professional services, partner dependencies, and roadmap functionality.

0. Material Assumptions

Vendor response: Provide a concise factual response, identify material dependencies or limitations, and cite supporting evidence where available.

1. Executive Overview

Vendor response: Provide a concise factual response, identify material dependencies or limitations, and cite supporting evidence where available.

2. Business Capability Scope

Vendor response: Provide a concise factual response, identify material dependencies or limitations, and cite supporting evidence where available.

2.1 Hierarchical Account, Administration, and Billing

Vendor response: Provide a concise factual response, identify material dependencies or limitations, and cite supporting evidence where available.

3. Customer and Relationship Management

Vendor response: Provide a concise factual response, identify material dependencies or limitations, and cite supporting evidence where available.

4. Sales and Revenue Processes

Vendor response: Provide a concise factual response, identify material dependencies or limitations, and cite supporting evidence where available.

5. Service and Customer Support

Vendor response: Provide a concise factual response, identify material dependencies or limitations, and cite supporting evidence where available.

6. Customer Engagement

Vendor response: Provide a concise factual response, identify material dependencies or limitations, and cite supporting evidence where available.

7. Workflow and Business Process Automation

Vendor response: Provide a concise factual response, identify material dependencies or limitations, and cite supporting evidence where available.

8. Platform and Extensibility

Vendor response: Provide a concise factual response, identify material dependencies or limitations, and cite supporting evidence where available.

9. Data Architecture

Vendor response: Provide a concise factual response, identify material dependencies or limitations, and cite supporting evidence where available.

10. Integration Architecture

Vendor response: Provide a concise factual response, identify material dependencies or limitations, and cite supporting evidence where available.

11. Artificial Intelligence

To what extent does the solution align with EOTSS’ GenAI Policy: www.mass.gov/doc/enterprise-use-and-development-of-generative-artificial-intelligence-policy/download

Vendor response: Provide a concise factual response, identify material dependencies or limitations, and cite supporting evidence where available.

12. Security, Risk, and Compliance

To what extent can the solution accommodate the following data types:

· Personally Identifiable Information

· Payment Card Information

· Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act Data

· Protected Health Information

· Federal Tax Return Information

· Criminal Offender Record Information

· Criminal Justice Information

· Social Security Administration Data

· Active FedRamp Certification (Y/N, level)

Vendor response: Provide a concise factual response, identify material dependencies or limitations, and cite supporting evidence where available.

12.1 Security Certifications, Authorizations, Attestations, and Compliance Posture

Vendor response: Provide a concise factual response, identify material dependencies or limitations, and cite supporting evidence where available.

13. Scalability, Reliability, and Performance

Vendor response: Provide a concise factual response, identify material dependencies or limitations, and cite supporting evidence where available.

14. User Experience

Vendor response: Provide a concise factual response, identify material dependencies or limitations, and cite supporting evidence where available.

14.1 Accessibility and Inclusive-Design Compliance

To what extent does the solution comply with the Commonwealth’s Enterprise Digital Accessibility Policy?

Vendor response: Provide a concise factual response, identify material dependencies or limitations, and cite supporting evidence where available.

15. Analytics and Reporting

Vendor response: Provide a concise factual response, identify material dependencies or limitations, and cite supporting evidence where available.

16. Administration and Governance

Vendor response: Provide a concise factual response, identify material dependencies or limitations, and cite supporting evidence where available.

17. Implementation Approach

Vendor response: Provide a concise factual response, identify material dependencies or limitations, and cite supporting evidence where available.

18. Data Onboarding and Transition

Vendor response: Provide a concise factual response, identify material dependencies or limitations, and cite supporting evidence where available.

19. Commercial Model and Total Cost of Ownership

Vendor response: Provide a concise factual response, identify material dependencies or limitations, and cite supporting evidence where available.

20. Product and Vendor Strategy

Vendor response: Provide a concise factual response, identify material dependencies or limitations, and cite supporting evidence where available.

21. Vendor Response Matrix

Vendor response: Provide a concise factual response, identify material dependencies or limitations, and cite supporting evidence where available.

22. Total Cost and Implementation Considerations

Where applicable, please identify significant dependencies, assumptions, or limitations, including circumstances in which additional products, services, licensing, configuration, development, or customer resources may be required. Please also describe relevant product and licensing lifecycle practices, including end-of-sale or end-of-life practices, successor or replacement offerings, SKU or packaging changes, and circumstances in which functionality included in an existing offering may transition to a different product, edition, tier, or separately licensed offering.

Vendor response: Provide a concise factual response, identify material dependencies or limitations, and cite supporting evidence where available.

23. Capability Maturity and Supporting Experience

Please also identify material limitations or dependencies; relevant roadmap items; significant additional costs or customer responsibilities; and, where available, examples of comparable production implementations or other evidence demonstrating the capability in practice.

Vendor response: Provide a concise factual response, identify material dependencies or limitations, and cite supporting evidence where available.

24. Future-State and Innovation Questions

Vendor response: Provide a concise factual response, identify material dependencies or limitations, and cite supporting evidence where available.

25. Enterprise Qualification Questions

Vendor response: Provide a concise factual response, identify material dependencies or limitations, and cite supporting evidence where available.

26. Required Appendices

Vendor response: Provide a concise factual response, identify material dependencies or limitations, and cite supporting evidence where available.

General Instructions

Please note that this RFI is issued solely for the purpose of obtaining information. Nothing in this RFI shall be interpreted as a commitment on the part of the Commonwealth to enter into a contract with any Respondent.

· This RFI has been posted on September 17, 2026.

· Respondent Questions. Potential Respondents who have questions regarding this RFI may submit them via COMMBUYS to the contact listed in Section 1 above by September 28, 2026. Respondents may only make inquiries and request clarification concerning this RFI by written questions via e-mail. Responses to inquiries and clarification questions will be provided electronically to all interested parties via a posting on COMMBUYS.

· Informational Sessions. There will be no informational session associated with this RFI.

· Response Submission. All responses to this RFI are due no later than 3:00 PM on October 16, 2026. Respondents should submit one (1) electronic copy via COMMBUYS. All responses must include on the first page the official name (if any) of the firm or entity submitting the response. Please consecutively number all pages of the response.

· Response Content. Vendors should provide a response to each applicable requirement and question in Section II and complete all required response matrices and appendices.

· Response Format. The Commonwealth requests a point-by-point response using the Requirement IDs and standardized response values in Section II. If a Respondent does not respond to an item, the response should state that fact and, where possible, explain the reason.

· Additional Information. The Commonwealth retains the right to request additional information from Respondents. The Commonwealth may, at its sole discretion, elect to request formal presentations from certain vendors and/or create an RFR or RFQ which will include the detailed requirements and key success criteria for the procurement and be based, at least in part, on the responses received from this RFI. The Commonwealth may request further explanation or clarification from any and all Respondents during the review process.

Miscellaneous

Enterprise Information Security Standards and Policies

All products and services provided to the Commonwealth must comply with all applicable policies adopted by the Agency, which shall be made available to Bidder prior to contract execution. At a minimum, all goods and services provided to the Commonwealth must comply with the Enterprise Information Security Standards and Policies (https://www.mass.gov/handbook/enterprise-information-security-policies-and-standards). As applicable, Bidders shall provide information that demonstrates that their security practices meet the requirements detailed in these policies.

Accessibility for IT Solutions Contract Language

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Enterprise Digital Accessibility Policy drives ongoing efforts to make Massachusetts’ Digital Assets, including those delivered by a third-party, accessible and usable by all persons as required by state and federal laws. Where a Deliverable includes a Digital Asset, such Deliverable must meet the Commonwealth’s Digital Accessibility Standards.

The Commonwealth’s Digital Accessibility Standards include the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.1 level A and AA developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Bidder must comply with the digital accessibility obligations set forth in the Vendor Digital Accessibility Contract Language and Vendor Digital Accessibility Testing Obligations and any subsequent versions or amendments.

During the bidding process and upon request, Bidder shall cooperate and provide the Commonwealth, or any third-party digital accessibility service provider procured by the Commonwealth, access to test its digital products for accessibility at no additional cost to the Commonwealth, if applicable.

Promotional Materials

Bidder must not reference the Agency or the Commonwealth in any promotional or marketing materials, including but not limited to use of the Agency’s or the Commonwealth’s name or logo, without first obtaining the Agency’s prior written approval for such use. Bidder must not use the Commonwealth’s seal in any promotional or marketing materials.

Bidders are discouraged from including extraneous promotional or marketing materials in their responses to this RFI and excessive promotional or marketing materials may detract from the Bidders’ overall score.

Review Rights

Responses to this RFI may be reviewed and evaluated by any person(s) at the discretion of the Agency including non-allied and independent consultants retained by the Agency for the sole purpose of evaluating and analyzing responses.

No Reimbursement.

By submitting a response, Respondents agree that any cost incurred in responding to this RFI, or in support of activities associated with this RFI, shall be the sole responsibility of Respondent. The Commonwealth shall not be held responsible for any costs incurred by Respondents in preparing their respective responses to this RFI.

EOTSS GenAI Policy

The Commonwealth consistently seeks to realize the benefits of new technology, in particular generative artificial intelligence (AI). Contractor must comply with the Enterprise Use and Development of Generative Artificial Intelligence Policy issued by EOTSS on January 31, 2025, as it may be amended from time to time. Please follow this link to the policy: www.mass.gov/doc/enterprise-use-and-development-of-generative-artificial-intelligence-policy/download.

Bidder Responses

Bidders must provide a complete point-by-point response to Section II, including the standardized capability response matrix, security/compliance and accessibility disclosures, commercial schedules, five-year TCO, sample bills, and required appendices.

ATTACHMENT A – COMMBUYS Instructions

Interested Bidders must submit their response using COMMBUYS.

Useful links:

1. Job aid on how to submit a quote: https://www.mass.gov/doc/how-to-create-a-quote-in-commbuys/download

1. Webcast: How to Locate and Respond to a Bid in CommBuys, which will familiarize bidders with CommBuys terminology, basic navigation, and provide guidance for locating bid opportunities in CommBuys and submitting an online quote.

1. Bidders MUST have their complete bid fully loaded and submitted prior to the time and date listed in the calendar. COMMBUYS will not allow for bids to be submitted after the posted time.

Bidder may contact the CommBuys Help Desk at CommBuys@state.ma.us or call during normal business hours (8AM – 5PM, Monday – Friday) at 1-888-627-8283 or 617-720-3197.

Written questions via the Bid Q&A on COMMBUYS

The “Bid Q&A” provides the opportunity for Bidders to ask written questions and receive written answers from the Strategic Sourcing Team (SST) regarding this Bid. All Bidders’ questions must be submitted through the Bid Q&A found on COMMBUYS (see below for instructions). Questions may be asked only prior to the Deadline for Submission of Questions stated in the Procurement Calendar. The issuing department reserves the right not to respond to questions submitted after this date. It is the Bidder’s responsibility to verify receipt of questions.

Please note that any questions submitted using any other medium (including those that are sent by mail, fax, email or voicemail, etc.) will not be answered. To reduce the number of redundant or duplicate questions, Bidders are asked to review all questions previously submitted to determine whether the Bidder’s question has already been posted.

Bidders are responsible for entering content suitable for public viewing, since all of the questions are accessible to the public. Bidders must not include any information that could be considered personal, security sensitive, inflammatory, incorrect, collusory, or otherwise objectionable, including information about the Bidder’s company or other companies. The PMT reserves the right to edit or delete any submitted questions that raise any of these issues or that are not in the best interest of the Commonwealth or this Bid.

All answers are final when posted. Any subsequent revisions to previously provided answers will be dated.

It is the responsibility of the prospective Bidder and awarded Bidder to maintain an active registration in COMMBUYS and to keep current the email address of the Bidder’s contact person and prospective contract manager, if awarded a contract, and to monitor that email inbox for communications from the Purchasing Department, including requests for clarification. The Purchasing Department and the Commonwealth assume no responsibility if a prospective Bidder’s/awarded Bidder’s designated email address is not current, or if technical problems, including those with the prospective Bidder’s/awarded Bidder’s computer, network or internet service provider (ISP) cause email communications sent to/from the prospective Bidder/Awarded Bidder and the Purchasing Department to be lost or rejected by any means including email or spam filtering.

Locating Bid Q&A

Log into COMMBUYS, locate the Bid, acknowledge receipt of the Bid, and scroll down to the bottom of the Bid Header page. The “Bid Q&A” button allows Bidders access to the Bid Q&A page.

Appendix B – Vendor Response Form

Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Executive Office of Technology Services and Security

Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Technology Services and Security

Vendor Response Form Enterprise Customer and Relationship Platform

EOTSS RFI 27-05706

COMMBUYS Bid Number: BD-27-1060-ITD00-ITD00-133583

September 17, 2026

Respondents to this Request for Information (RFI) are invited to respond to any or all of the questions in this document. Responses to this RFI shall serve solely to assist the Commonwealth in understanding the current state of the marketplace with regards to the solicited information or to inform the development of a possible solicitation for a Request for Responses (RFR) or Request for Quotes (RFQ) in the future. This RFI does not in any way obligate the Commonwealth to issue or amend a solicitation or to include any of the RFI provisions or responses in any solicitation. Responding to this RFI is entirely voluntary, and will in no way affect the Commonwealth’s consideration of any proposal submitted in response to any subsequent solicitation, nor will it serve as an advantage or disadvantage to the respondent in the course of any RFR or RFQ that may be subsequently issued or amended.

IN ACCORDANCE WITH M.G.L. C. 66 AND M.G.L. C. 4, § 7 (26), THIS RFI AND ALL RESPONSES HERETO INCLUDING THE WINNING BID SHALL BECOME PUBLIC RECORD, AND CAN BE OBTAINED FROM THE EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF TECHNOLOGY SERVICES AND SECURITY BY SUBMITTING A REQUEST AT https://www.mass.gov/executive-office-of-technology-services-and-security-prr. ANY PORTIONS OF A RESPONSE THAT ARE LABELED AS CONFIDENTIAL WILL STILL BE CONSIDERED PUBLIC RECORD.

Vendor Response Matrix Instructions: Provide one concise response for each category below. Responses should be factual and open-ended, identify supporting evidence, assumptions, dependencies, limitations, and commercial impacts, and select the

Vendor / Respondent

Primary Contact

Response Date

0. Material Assumptions

ASM-001

1. Executive Overview

EXE-001

2. Business Capability Scope

CAP-001

2.1 Hierarchical Account, Administration, and Billing

HAB-001

3. Customer and Relationship Management

CRM-001

4. Sales and Revenue Processes

SAL-001

5. Service and Customer Support

SVC-001

6. Customer Engagement

ENG-001

7. Workflow and Business Process Automation

WFL-001

8. Platform and Extensibility

PLT-001

9. Data Architecture

DAT-001

10. Integration Architecture

INT-001

11. Artificial Intelligence

AI-001

12. Security, Risk, and Compliance

SEC-001

12.1 Security Certifications, Authorizations, Attestations, and Compliance Posture

SEC-CERT-001

13. Scalability, Reliability, and Performance

SRP-001

14. User Experience

UX-001

14.1 Accessibility and Inclusive-Design Compliance

ACC-001

Analytics and Reporting

ANL-001

16. Administration and Governance

ADM-001

17. Implementation Approach

IMP-001

18. Data Onboarding and Transition

DTR-001

19. Commercial Model and Total Cost of Ownership

COM-001

20. Product and Vendor Strategy

VEN-001

21. Vendor Response Matrix

VRM-001

22. Total Cost and Implementation Considerations

HCC-001

23. Capability Maturity and Supporting Experience

NML-001

24. Future-State and Innovation Questions

FSI-001

25. Enterprise Qualification Questions

ENT-001

26. Required Appendices

APP-001

image1.png