Scope of Work for RFP for Strategic Planning, Assessment and Accreditation platform.docx

Scope of Work RFP for Integrated Institutional Planning, Budgeting, Assessment, and Accreditation Platform

1. Purpose and Objectives SUNY Old Westbury seeks proposals for a secure, cloud-based, integrated institutional effectiveness software platform that supports:

· Strategic and operational planning

· Budget development and resource allocation workflows

· Outcomes assessment and program review

· Accreditation and compliance evidence management

· KPI tracking and performance dashboards

· Cross-unit reporting and analytics

· Institutional data alignment and continuous improvement The platform must support institution-wide use across academic and administrative units and enable coordinated planning, assessment, budgeting, and accreditation activities within a unified environment.

The University requires a configurable/customizable platform — not a fixed’ template system — capable of adapting to Old Westbury governance structures, planning frameworks, MSCHE accreditation standards, and regulatory reporting needs.

2. Functional Scope — Required Capability Domains Vendors must propose a platform that includes integrated or tightly unified modules supporting the following functional domains that reflect the multi-module capability pattern for planning, budgeting, assessment, accreditation, and data import services.

2.1 Strategic & Operational Planning

The platform must support institution-wide and unit-level planning processes.

Required capabilities:

· Strategic plan configuration (goals, objectives, strategies, actions)

· Multi-level planning hierarchy (University → Academic Division or Administrative Office → Academic Programs or Administrative Units → programs/intiatives)

· Goal and objective mapping across units

· Action steps and task tracking

· Timeline and milestone assignment

· KPI and metric attachment to goals and objectives

· Initiative/project tracking

· Progress status reporting

· Document and artifact attachment at plan element level

· Configurable planning templates

· Crosswalk mapping (e.g., goals ↔ outcomes ↔ standards ↔ KPIs)

· Versioning and annual cycle rollover

2.2 Budget Planning & Resource Allocation

The platform must support structured budget request and review workflows integrated with planning.

Required capabilities:

· Unit-level budget request submission

· Budget request templates and drivers

· Multi-level review and approval workflows

· Budget-to-goal alignment tagging

· Capital and operational budget categories

· Scenario planning support (e.g., low/expected/high projections)

· Budget narrative and justification capture

· Budget request status tracking

· Exportable budget reports

· Finance office review dashboards

· Ability to attach supporting documentation This requirement reflects the integrated planning + budgeting functionality

2.3 Outcomes Assessment & Program Review

The platform must support academic and administrative assessment processes.

Required capabilities:

· Outcome definition (program, unit, institutional)

· Measure and indicator configuration

· Assessment cycle management

· Data collection forms and surveys

· Rubric-based scoring support

· Findings and analysis entry

· Improvement action tracking

· Program review workflows

· Multi-year assessment history

· Evidence attachment

· Outcome-to-goal mapping

· Outcome-to-accreditation-standard mapping

· Hierarchical assessment structures

2.4 Accreditation & Compliance Management

The platform must support accreditation and compliance documentation workflows.

Required capabilities:

· Accreditation standards framework configuration

· Standards → criteria → evidence mapping

· Evidence repository with tagging

· Evidence crosswalk mapping to:

· standards

· institutional goals

· outcomes

· KPIs

· Working group collaboration spaces

· Narrative draft tracking

· Evidence linking to reports

· Compliance checklist tracking

· Self-study or review workflow management

· Exportable accreditation evidence packages

2.5 Dashboards, Reporting & Analytics

The platform must provide robust reporting and visualization tools.

Required capabilities:

· Role-based dashboards

· Goal progress dashboards

· KPI dashboards

· Budget dashboards

· Assessment dashboards

· Accreditation status dashboards

· Configurable filters

· Cross-unit roll-up views

· Drill-down capability

· Export to Excel / CSV / PDF

· Scheduled report delivery

· Custom report builder tools

3. Platform Architecture & Technical Requirements

3.1 Deployment Model

· Cloud-based SaaS platform

· No local server requirement

· Browser-based access

· High availability architecture

· Documented uptime SLA

3.2 User & Access Model

· Institution-wide licensing model preferred

· Unlimited or high-cap user model preferred

· Role-based access control

· Fine-grained permissions

· Delegated administration

· Multi-role user support

3.3 Authentication & Security

· Single Sign-On (SSO) support required

· SAML / OAuth compatibility

· MFA support

· FERPA-aligned controls

· Role-based data visibility

· Full audit logging

· Data encryption at rest and in transit

· SOC 2 or equivalent certification preferred

3.4 Integration Requirements

Platform must support integration or data exchange with:

Banner SIS Brightspace (D2L) LMS Jaeger (Procurement system) Interview Exchange (HR) Identity management systems MS PowerBI Integration methods must include:

· APIs

· Secure data feeds

· CSV import/export

· Scheduled data sync

· Webhooks or event triggers (preferred)

4. Data Migration & Import Services Vendor must provide structured data migration support as part of the contract terms.

Required capabilities:

· Historical data import services

· Data mapping support

· Data transformation

· Validation and reconciliation

· Import testing cycles

· Up to multiple years of historical records

· Migration documentation

· Secure transfer protocols

5. Configuration & Customization Platform must support configuration without vendor code changes:

· Custom fields

· Custom workflows

· Custom templates

· Custom terminology

· Custom reporting dimensions

· Configurable taxonomies

· Standards framework configuration

· Planning model configuration

6. Implementation & Training Requirements Vendor must provide:

· Structured implementation plan

· Dedicated implementation manager

· Configuration workshops with Old Westbury leadership

· Administrator training for all Designated Leaders

· End-user training for users at different levels

· Recorded training resources

· Documentation library

· Ongoing training availability

· Virtual training options

7. Support & Service Requirements Vendor must provide:

Ongoing technical support

· Helpdesk ticketing system

· Defined response SLAs

· Knowledge base

· User guides

· Release notes

· Regular platform updates

· Customer success check-ins

8. Notifications & Workflow Communications Platform must support:

· Automated reminders

· Deadline alerts

· Task notifications

· Workflow status alerts

· Email and calendar integration

· Escalation notifications

9. Vendor Response Requirements Vendors must include:

· Functional capability matrix

· Implementation timeline

· Data migration methodology

· Security documentation

· Integration architecture

· Training plan

· Support model

· Licensing model

· Pricing structure by module or capability area

· Client references (higher education preferred)

10. Evaluation Criteria (for RFP Scoring) Please see attached Excel Spreadsheet for Scoring Rubrics

· Functional fit — planning/budget/assessment/accreditation

· Configurability

· Integration capability

· Reporting & dashboards

· Data migration support

· Security & compliance

· Implementation approach

· Training & support model

· Total cost of ownership

· Higher education experience