9280-27-R-IFBD-00009

The University of Southern Mississippi is requesting sealed bids for an Educator Preparation and Accreditation Solution (EPAS) platform under RFP 27-13, with bids due October 7, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. at the Office of the Director of Procurement Services in Hattiesburg.

The scope is an integrated software platform to manage educator preparation programs across the candidate lifecycle—application through licensure—with configurable workflows, candidate progression tracking, assessment with professional-standards-aligned rubrics, field experience and clinical placement management, licensure tracking, and electronic portfolios. The solution must integrate with Canvas (Learning Management System), the university's Student Information System, and accreditation systems using standards-based integration methods. The vendor must specify supported SIS integrations and integration approaches. The platform must deliver comprehensive reporting and analytics for clinical experience tracking, rubric data, accreditation standards assessment maps, and placement reports suitable for CAEP and other specialized accreditation bodies. Security requirements include secure single sign-on with LDAP/SAML/Active Directory/Shibboleth support, granular role-based access control, FedRAMP moderate baseline controls for cloud solutions, multi-factor authentication, encryption at rest, and audit trails. All data must be stored and processed within the United States and remains the university's sole possession; the vendor is prohibited from using or disclosing university data without written permission.

The contract term is four years inclusive of software licensing, maintenance, support, and services, with renewal or extension options to be defined. Implementation must initiate prior to December 1, 2026, with a soft-launch target for summer 2027. The vendor must provide system training prior to implementation, post-implementation support during normal business hours Central Time, three higher education references, and a detailed project management methodology. Evaluation criteria and estimated contract value are not specified in available excerpts. Questions should be directed to the university's Office of the Director of Procurement Services.