Articulation and Transfer Statewide System; THEC - UPDATED

The Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) issued a Request for Proposals on March 20, 2026, for the design, development, implementation, and ongoing maintenance of a comprehensive Articulation and Transfer Statewide System to support Tennessee's public colleges and universities. The procured solution must be an online platform that evaluates and translates prior learning into academic credit, encompassing credit by examination, prior learning assessment, military training recognition, reverse transfer, and degree audits. The system must provide accessible information to current and prospective students regarding credit eligibility across all public institutions while integrating articulation agreements, common course numbering, dual admissions, early postsecondary opportunities, and Tennessee Transfer Pathways curricula. Key deliverables include a fully functional system with ongoing maintenance, updates, upgrades, performance monitoring, bug fixes, training materials, and technical support with a dedicated account manager or helpdesk system. The contractor must establish a five-year (60-month) contract term with a warranty period equal to or greater than the contract duration and maintain cyber liability insurance of $3 million per occurrence and $5 million annual aggregate. The proposal response deadline is May 1, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. central time, with written questions and comments due by April 3, 2026. Product demonstrations are scheduled for May 13-15, 2026, and a Notice of Intent to Award is expected May 25, 2026. Evaluation criteria include general qualifications and experience (10 points maximum), technical qualifications, experience and approach (70 points maximum), product demonstrations (10 points maximum), and cost proposal (10 points maximum).

The RFP does not specify set-aside designations or restrictions limiting which types of organizations may respond, nor does it reference disadvantaged enterprise requirements. No incumbent vendors or current contractors are identified in the solicitation materials. The cost proposal must include separate line items for implementation (one-time fee), training for administrators and users (one-time fee), annual hosting costs, annual license fees, annual system maintenance, and annual client support services, with all costs incorporated into a single proposal for the total contract period. No specific budget range or award value is disclosed in the RFP documentation. The state will not reimburse travel expenses or costs associated with proposal preparation, and the contract is subject to funds availability with the state retaining the right to terminate for convenience with 30 days' notice.