SIS RFP - BVUSD - FINAL.pdf

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)

RFP #IT2026-01: NEXT-GENERATION STUDENT INFORMATION

SYSTEM (SIS)

BEAR VALLEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

1. ADMINISTRATIVE OVERVIEW & PROJECT VISION

Bear Valley Unified School District (BVUSD) is initiating this Request for Proposal (RFP) to identify and implement a modern, comprehensive Student Information System (SIS). The transition from the District’s current SIS is a strategic necessity designed to safeguard the integrity of District data and ensure long-term fiscal stability. In the California educational landscape, funding is inextricably linked to state compliance; therefore, a robust SIS is not merely an administrative tool but a critical infrastructure component required for accurate CALPADS reporting and the protection of Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) revenues.

District Operational Context: BVUSD serves approximately 2,150 TK-12 students across six school sites. A critical operational constraint is the District’s distributed IT administrative model, which lacks a dedicated, full-time SIS administrator. System management is currently decentralized across site-level registrars, attendance clerks, and administrative staff. To mitigate the risks of this model, the District seeks to adopt the OHIO Method (Only Handle It Once) in its

SIS.

● Elimination of Administrative Friction: By ensuring data is entered only once at the point of origin, the District eliminates redundant data entry—specifically addressing the high friction and error rates that occur when site-level staff must manually duplicate information across disparate workflows.

● Data Integrity: The OHIO Method ensures that every user works from a single source of truth. This addresses current administrative friction by providing site staff with self-correcting tools, thereby reducing the burden on the District Office and ensuring that state reporting extracts are accurate by default.

● Project Implementation Roadmap/Schedule (all dates tentative - BVUSD reserves right to change the dates on this schedule without prior notice):

Project Phase / Milestone Target Window

Discovery, Needs Assessment & Focus Groups, RFP Drafting July – September, 2026

RFP Release October 1, 2026

Deadline for Questions from Proposers October 15, 2026 (2:00 PM PST)

District Publishes Addenda and Responses October 23, 2026

Proposal Submission Deadline November 6, 2026 (2:00 PM PST)

Proposal Evaluations November 9-30, 2026

Proposer Presentations December 1-18, 2026

Announcement of Recommendation February 1, 2027

Contract Negotiations & Final Board Approval February, 2027

Implementation Planning & Integration Mapping March – April, 2027

Configuration & Data Migration / Cleanup May – June, 2027

Parallel System Run (Legacy + New SIS) Summer/Fall, 2027 (includes potential summer school pilot)

Target Full System Go-Live January, 2028

Note: The January 2028 Go-Live is strategically scheduled for Winter Break. This provides the tactical advantage of a "clean break" mid-academic year, allowing staff to conclude the first semester in the legacy system and begin the second semester in the new platform, significantly reducing instructional and administrative disruption.This project operates within a rigid legal framework mandated for California public agencies, necessitating the strict compliance measures detailed in the following section.

2. STATUTORY MANDATES & LEGAL COMPLIANCE ATTACHMENTS

Statutory compliance is a non-negotiable prerequisite for educational procurement in California.

These certifications are more than administrative formalities; they represent essential risk-management protocols required by the Education and Government Codes. Failure to provide these certifications at the time of submission will render a proposal non-responsive.

Mandatory California Legal Forms (Attached at Bottom):

● Non-Collusion Declaration (PCC 7106): Proposers must certify that the bid is genuine and not a result of any agreement with other vendors to fix prices or limit competition.

● Fingerprinting & Background Check (Ed Code 45125.1): Vendors must certify that employees who may have contact with students have cleared Department of Justice criminal background checks.

● Drug-Free Workplace (Gov Code 8350): This certification ensures the vendor maintains a workplace free from controlled substances in accordance with California law.

● Workers’ Compensation (Labor Code 3700): Proposers must provide evidence of insurance or an approved plan of self-insurance to cover all employees as required by the State.

● Criminal Conviction & Debarment Disclosure Proposers must disclose any criminal convictions or debarments involving the entity or its management within the last five years. Transparent disclosure is essential for the District to determine a vendor's "responsible" status. Non-disclosure of material information discovered during evaluation is grounds for immediate disqualification and a determination of non-responsibility.These mandatory certifications serve as the foundation for the broader contractual protections and risk management protocols established in the following section.

3. CONTRACTUAL TERMS, RISK MANAGEMENT & LEGAL PROVISIONS

Mitigating third-party liability is a primary objective of this procurement. Robust indemnification and insurance provisions are mandatory to protect the District’s public funds and Governing Board from liabilities arising from vendor negligence, data breaches, or software failure.

Insurance Coverage Minimums The successful Proposer must maintain the following minimum insurance limits:

● Commercial General Liability: $1,000,000 per occurrence / $3,000,000 aggregate.

● Commercial Automobile Liability: $1,000,000 combined single limit.

● Workers’ Compensation: Statutory limits.

● Technology E&O / Professional Liability: $1,000,000 - $5,000,000

● Cyber / Privacy Liability: $1,000,000 - $5,000,000

● Additional Insured Endorsement: BVUSD, its officers, and employees must be named as Additional Insured via a specific policy endorsement.

Operational Flexibility & Funding:

● Non-Appropriation of Funds: As a public agency, BVUSD’s ability to pay is subject to annual budget approval. A non-appropriation clause must be included, allowing for termination should California state funding be withheld or reduced.

● Termination for Convenience or Cause: The District maintains the right to terminate the agreement upon 30 days' written notice. This provides necessary operational flexibility to pivot should performance prove unsatisfactory or the District’s needs shift.

● Formal Bid Protest Procedures To ensure a fair process, any proposer wishing to protest the award must file a written protest with the District’s Chief Business Officer within five (5) working days post-award. Failure to adhere to this strict timeline constitutes a waiver of the right to protest.With these legal protections established, the focus shifts to the technical requirements necessary to support a modern digital environment.

4. TECHNICAL ARCHITECTURE & HOSTING QUESTIONNAIRE

BVUSD seeks a resilient, cloud-native architecture that reduces long-term technical debt. We prioritize a "vanilla" software package with Open API capabilities to ensure easier upgrades, seamless integrations, and minimal modifications to the base code.

Technical Requirements List Vendors must address the following in their technical response:

● Cloud/SaaS Infrastructure: Preference for browser-agnostic platforms.

● Security & Access: Multi-level security including Granular Role-Based Access Control

(RBAC) and comprehensive audit logging for all data entry and record modifications.

SSO - SAML Google integration. Role-based access via Google groups.

● Maintenance & Upgrades: Describe protocols for patches and version updates. The system must guarantee the preservation of all user-defined custom fields and tables during upgrades.

● Resiliency & Data Ownership: Proposals must include a Disaster Recovery and Backup SLA. Additionally, the District requires evidence of Source Code Escrow to protect District operations against vendor insolvency. These technical standards ensure a stable foundation for the functional requirements that drive daily school operations.

5. FUNCTIONAL COMPLIANCE MATRIX: SCOPE OF WORK

To support widespread user adoption across a decentralized organizational model, the proposed software platform must align with the operational workflows of key stakeholders, including Counselors, Registrars, and Teachers. Additionally, the SIS must deliver an intuitive interface capable of handling complex, California-specific reporting standards.

For any requirement marked as “CUST”, the Proposer MUST detail the estimated additional cost and development timeline in the Pricing Proposal.

Functional Compliance Matrix Proposers are required to designate their level of compliance using the following codes:

● OOB: Out of the Box (Standard, native functionality; no extra cost)

● CONF: Configurable (Requires setup, workflow adjustments, or minor configurations; no extra cost)

● CONF+: Configurable with additional cost.

● CUST: Custom Development (Requires custom coding or significant modification at an additional cost)

● NA: Not Available (Vendor cannot meet this requirement)

ID Requirement Specification Compliance

(OOB/CONF/

CONF+/CUST

/NA)

CAL-01 State Compliance: Native code mapping to accommodate CDE Flash Updates (covering Discipline, Attendance, and ELAS) without requiring manual scripting.

ID Requirement Specification Compliance

(OOB/CONF/

CONF+/CUST

/NA)

CAL-02 Front-End Validation: Real-time data entry checks to identify and prevent fatal CALPADS errors at point-of-entry.

CAL-03 Pre-Extraction Auditing: One-click audit reporting tools for SINF, SENR, CRSC, SPRG, SINC, SELA, and STAS extract files.

CAL-04 Funding & UPC Protection: Integrated audit dashboards that track Foster Youth, Homeless, SPED, Unduplicated Pupil Counts (UPC), and EL designations to safeguard LCFF revenue.

OLR-01 Online Registration: Platform native, customizable (including the ability to implement variable functionality on a per site basis), OLR with Address-based boundary verification functionality to automate school assignment procedures.

OLR-02 Parent Self-Service: User-friendly parent portal featuring automated password recovery to minimize administrative reset requests.

GRD-01 Elementary Grading: Comprehensive support for TK-5 Standards-Based Grading (SBG), traditional grading, ESGI/ESNU grading scales, and digital report card management.

GRD-02 Secondary Grading & Transcripts: Automated calculation of traditional, weighted, and unweighted GPAs, integrated credit recovery tracking, and customizable official transcript generation that aligns with UC/CSU A-G requirements. Native support for dual-enrollment course reporting.

GRD-03 Course Management: Comprehensive support for the planning, organization, creation, and management of courses.

GRD-04 Hybrid Enrollment: Native support for the creation, management, and reporting of complex scheduling, such as multi-site enrollment, dual-enrollment, etc.

ATT-01 Multi-Modal Attendance: Capabilities for tracking Positive/Negative Attendance, Long-Term Independent Study (LTIS), and ELO-P programs.

ATT-02 Truancy Suite: Automated generation of SART notification letters (physical and digital distribution) alongside customized absenteeism alerts.

ATT-03 Parent Absence Requests: A dedicated processing module incorporating staff notification alerts and configurable submission windows (e.g., 3-day threshold).

COU-01 Student Services: Graduation progress tracking dashboards, Athletic Eligibility monitoring, and restricted-visibility indicators (e.g., Health, McKinney-Vento).

CONF+/CUST

/NA)

COU-02 SEIS Integration: Native functionality or bi-directional API synchronization with SEIS and related Special Education platforms.

COU-03 Student Contact/Intervention Logging: Granular and group-based control over visibility, including dedicated workflows for Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS), Section 504 plans, and Student Success Team (SST) documentation and goal tracking.

SCH-01 Automated Builder Engine: Automated matrix building driven by student request data, teacher availability, room capacity, and priority rules.

SCH-02 Advanced Constraint Management: Configurable hard/soft constraints for singletons/doubletons, co-teaching models, shared-site teachers, prep periods, section caps, and demographic/IEP balancing.

SCH-03 Interactive Visual Matrix: Drag-and-drop schedule builder interface providing real-time conflict alerts, over/under-subscription warnings, and seat availability tracking.

SCH-04 Course Requests & Prerequisites: Student/parent online course request workflows with automated prerequisite enforcement, alternate selection rules, and teacher recommendation approvals.

SCH-05 Scenario Simulation & Sandbox: Ability to create, run, and compare multiple "what-if" schedule iterations in a sandbox environment prior to pushing the final schedule to production.

SCH-06 Complex Bell Schedule Support: Native support for non-standard schedules sites, including block schedules, A/B rotation, zero periods, and multi-period CTE/lab blocks.

SCH-07 CALPADS State Course Mapping: Native assignment of state CBEDS/CALPADS course codes, course content codes, and instructional strategy indicators directly at the course level for automated extract compliance.

DIS-01 Behavior: Digital disciplinary referral workflows from teacher to administration, paired with automated parent notifications via SMS and email.

TECH-01 Vendor Supported API Integrations: Parent square, Google Classroom, CCGI, CAASPP, ELPAC, OneSync, OneRoster, Clever.

TECH-02 Report Building: Ad-hoc query builder allowing end-users to cross-reference multiple data tables (e.g., attendance + grades + demographics) with one-click exports to CSV, Excel, and PDF.

TECH-03 Enrollment Data: Ability to generate reports on historical and current enrollments.

CONF+/CUST

/NA)

TECH-04 Support Availability: Capability for all district staff to submit support requests and receive direct support from vendor.

TECH-05 OneRoster: OneRoster compatibility required.

HLTH-01 Immunizations: Ability to track and log student immunizations from enrollment to graduation. Ability to clearly mark pending enrollments on hold due to missing immunizations. Reports indicating students requiring updated immunizations.

HLTH-02 Medical Alerts: Ability to track medical needs with role-based, restricted visibility (FERPA compliant) and visual alert icons for authorized staff on daily rosters.

ELA-01 ELAS Status Progression: Automated workflows to track English Language Acquisition Status (ELAS) from initial TBD (To Be Determined) through EL, IFEP, and RFEP designations, mapping directly to CALPADS SELA codes.

ELA-02 Assessment Integration: Native fields to import, log, and display Initial and Summative ELPAC (English Language Proficiency Assessments for California) scores alongside historical CELDT data if necessary.

ELA-03 RFEP Monitoring: Automated dashboards to track Reclassified Fluent English Proficient (RFEP) students for the mandatory 4-year state monitoring period, including academic progress checkpoints.

ELA-04 Parent Notifications: Automated generation of compliant Title I/Title III parent notification letters (e.g., Initial Notification, Annual Notification) in the parent's primary language.

ELA-05 Designated/Integrated ELD: Ability to flag and filter course sections and specific student rosters for Designated and Integrated English Language Development (ELD) instructional minutes.

In addition to these functional requirements, the District expects a dedicated commitment to quality assurance and staff enablement throughout the implementation lifecycle. The ultimate scope of the new system and the timeline for its acquisition and implementation will be contingent upon the specific features of the proposed system, its overall responsiveness to this RFP, the capabilities of the proposing vendor, and the price. BVUSD's goal is to achieve a "go-live" status (as understood in the industry) by the first business day in January, 2028. We would like evidence of successful previous mid-year cutovers to be presented as part of their response. BVUSD is seeking a vendor with extensive experience in school solutions, with evidence of successful implementations within small to medium sized school districts in the state of California. To the greatest extent possible, BVUSD aims to implement a "vanilla" software package, meaning one that requires a minimal number of modifications to the base application.

6. QUALITY ASSURANCE, WARRANTIES & STAFFING

Implementation is a strategic partnership. BVUSD requires a structured approach to ensure the system is "battle-tested" before live operations begin. Milestone payments are contingent upon successful "Parallel Runs" and rigorous stress/load testing.

Support SLA, Warranty, Technology Infrastructure Requirements:

● Tier-3 Helpdesk Support: Proposers must guarantee a <1 hour turnaround time during peak state reporting windows (Fall 1, Fall 2, and EOY).

● Critical (System Down): 1-hr response / 4-hr resolution; High Priority: 2-hr response / 8-hr resolution; Medium Priority: 4-hr response / 24-hr resolution; Low Priority: 8-hr response / 48-hr resolution.

● Post-Acceptance Warranty: A 12-month warranty is required for both software and implementation. This ensures the vendor remains accountable for performance through a full annual cycle of state reporting and grading periods.

● Staff Loading Matrix: Proposers must submit a matrix identifying personnel assigned to the project. BVUSD reserves the right to approve or disapprove key vendor personnel to ensure continuity and California-specific expertise.

● Accessibility & Security Standards: Solution must comply fully with WCAG 2.2 AA standards and ensure strict Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) preventing unauthorized access to student records.

● Uptime Guarantee & Credits: Minimum guaranteed uptime of 99.9% (24/7/365, excluding scheduled off-peak maintenance). Unscheduled outages exceeding 30 minutes trigger pro-rata financial contract refunds.

7. PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL MECHANICS & EVALUATION RUBRIC

To ensure a level playing field, all proposers must adhere to the following standardized submittal process.

Submission Requirements Proposals must be submitted by November 6, 2026, at 2:00 PM

PST .

● Electronic Submission: One full proposal submitted to Bear Valley Unified School District via PlanetBids.

● Separation of Proposal Files: Proposals must be divided into two distinct files/sections:

(1) Technical, Functional & Operational Response, and (2) Cost Proposal.

● Physical Submissions Prohibited: Physical, mailed, or faxed responses will not be accepted and will be deemed non-responsive.

100-Point Evaluation Rubric:

Evaluation Criteria Weight

Administrative Ease and Functional Scope 30 Points

CALPADS Compliance & State Reporting Automation 25 Points

Vendor Onboarding Support SLA & Migration Plan 20 Points

Total Cost of Ownership (3-Year TCO) 15 Points

Sandbox Evaluation & California District References 10 Points

Total Score 100 Points

8. COST PROPOSAL & PRICING SCHEDULE

BVUSD requires a "Fixed-Price" model. To protect the District’s multi-year budget planning, all unstated add-on fees, travel expenses, or "TBD" costs are prohibited. Functional compliance marked as "Comply" in Section 5 must be included in the base pricing.

Cost Category Fixed Cost

SaaS Annual Licensing & Subscription (Year 1)

Onboarding, Configuration & Integration Setup

Historical Data Migration & Clean Up (from current system)

Role-Based Staff Training & Professional Development

Ongoing Annual Subscription Renewal (Year 2)

Ongoing Annual Subscription Renewal (Year 3)

9. CONTENTS OF PROPOSALS:

Proposers must organize their submittals into clear, numbered sections as outlined below to ensure a comprehensive evaluation:

1. Transmittal Letter & Executive Summary: Formal cover letter with corporate authorizations, primary contact info, suitability summary, cost overview, and binding affirmations.

2. Company Profile & Qualifications: Overview of firm history, financial stability, staffing credentials, relevant certifications, and K-12 operational expertise.

3. Proposed Solution Architecture: Detailed description of core modules, system integration capabilities, UI/UX accessibility, data customization options, capacity limits, and product roadmap.

4. Third-Party Products & Partner Ecosystems: Inventory of integrated third-party applications, licensing/contractual structures, source code assurances, and added-value tools.

5. Functional & Technical Compliance Matrix: Completed Section 5 compliance response table, including explanatory comments and contractual commitments for all items marked "Comply" or "Customization Required."

6. Implementation Strategy & Governance: Comprehensive project plan covering deployment methodology, transition milestones, risk mitigation protocols, and staffing allocations.

7. Data Migration Plan: Methodology and historical data definitions for extracting, cleansing, mapping, and validating legacy district data into the new SIS platform.

8. Professional Development & Training Plan: Role-based training framework, knowledge transfer model, administrator enablement, and delivery schedules.

9. Ongoing Support & Maintenance Program: Post-launch support SLAs, emergency protocols, ticket escalation workflows, maintenance/downtime schedules, disaster recovery, and feature update cycles.

10. Acceptance Testing Protocols: Framework and success criteria for user acceptance testing (UAT), stress/load testing, and system sign-off.

11. Cost Proposal & Pricing Models: Complete fixed-price schedule, 3-year TCO projections, rate sheets, reimbursable terms, payment milestones, and tier-scaling terms.

12. Client References & Experience: Minimum of three references from comparable California K-12 school districts utilizing the proposed solution, along with sub-consultant details and Public Records Act acknowledgments.

13. Exceptions to RFP Terms: Explicit listing of any proposed exceptions or alternative language regarding the legal, functional, or contractual requirements specified in this

RFP.

14. Supplementary Attachments & Documentation: Sample contracts, user manuals, security policies, and executed California Student Data Privacy Agreement (CA-NDPA).

10. PROPOSAL EVALUATION AND SELECTION PROCESS

10.1 Evaluation Methodology & Selection Stages

Proposals will undergo a multi-phase evaluation by the District's Evaluation Committee to identify the solution offering the best overall value and operational fit for Bear Valley Unified School District (BVUSD). If the District recommends award to a proposer whose proposal does not contain the lowest price, the Governing Board will make findings setting forth the basis for the award as required by Public Contract Code section 20118.2(d)(7).

● Stage 1: Preliminary Review & Initial Qualification: Proposals are reviewed for completeness, administrative compliance, vendor qualifications, technical architecture, TCO, and statutory compliance. Incomplete or non-responsive submittals may be disqualified.

● Stage 2: Finalist Presentations & Scenario Evaluations: Up to three top-scoring proposers will be invited for product demonstrations and scenario-based evaluations (focusing on CALPADS error checks, attendance tracking, grading, SEIS integration, and parent communications).

● Stage 3: Contract Award & Negotiation: Recommendation for award will be based on overall evaluation scoring and best value to BVUSD. The District reserves the right to negotiate final agreement terms or reject any/all submittals.

● Cost Inclusivity: All fees must be explicitly listed. Unstated add-ons, travel expenses, or "TBD" fees are prohibited.

● Modification & Withdrawal: Proposers may modify or withdraw proposals prior to the submission deadline via formal written notice.

● RFI & Communication Rules: All questions must be submitted via PlanetBids by October 15, 2026. Direct contact with BVUSD staff or Governing Board members regarding this RFP is strictly prohibited.

10.2 Implementation & Operational Expectations

● Implementation & Data Migration Plan: Vendors must detail a structured project plan for historical data extraction, cleansing, validation (including audit reports), and parallel testing leading to the target January 2028 Go-Live. We require that data from all years in our current SIS be migrated to the new platform.

● Training & Support SLA: Proposals must include a train-the-trainer/role-based training model, knowledge transfer plan, and ongoing support guaranteeing <1 hour turnaround during peak state reporting windows. Role-based training should be available either virtually or in-person.

● System Maintenance: Cloud updates must preserve all user-defined custom fields and tables without operational downtime.

11. PROPOSER CERTIFICATION

This page must be signed by an authorized corporate representative and returned with the technical proposal.

The undersigned certifies that they have read and understood all terms, conditions, and the operational context of the Bear Valley Unified School District, including our distributed staffing model. The Proposer affirms their commitment to the January 2028 Go-Live timeline and agrees to deliver the solution as proposed.

Legal Business Name:

Address:

Phone Number:

Authorized Representative:

Title:

Signature:

Date of proposal submission: