Career Readiness, Assessments, and Certifications Web-Based Platform

The State of Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development, through the Office of Administration Division of Purchasing, is requesting proposals for a Career Readiness, Assessments, and Certifications Web-Based Platform serving 112 participating counties, with proposals due September 17, 2026 at 2:00 PM Central Time. Amendment No. 01 extended the original due date from September 10. A pre-proposal teleconference was held August 17, 2026.

The platform must deliver National Career Readiness Certificates (NCRC) or equivalent certifications and include online and paper-based assessments in applied math, graphic literacy, workplace documents, applied technology, and soft skills. The scope encompasses curriculum delivery, proctoring capabilities, technical support available Monday through Friday 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM CST with response times under 24 hours, employer outreach to align certificates with industry skill requirements, and system maintenance. The platform must achieve 99% availability, comply with ADA standards, integrate with Missouri Job Centers and publicly funded two-year colleges, and host all state data exclusively within the United States. Participants access assessments, curriculum, and certificates at no cost.

The contractor must have minimum two years of experience issuing NCRC or equivalent certificates, working with government entities of comparable scope and size, and providing system maintenance and technical support for career readiness platforms. Pricing is firm and fixed per Exhibit C, with monthly invoices for assessments and annual invoices for licenses, payable within 30 days. The state guarantees no minimum purchase quantities.

The contract term is one year from the state agency's authorization to proceed, with four optional one-year renewals. The incumbent is ACT under Contract CT211783002 (SFST300349021017385), which has provided ACT WorkKeys products since 2004. The state reserves the right to terminate for convenience with 30 days' notice.

Contractor liability is capped at 150% of yearly contract price in normal operations and 200% during implementation, with exceptions for AI-related breaches, intellectual property infringement, and confidentiality breaches. The contractor must maintain commercial general liability of $1,000,000 per occurrence, umbrella coverage of $5,000,000, and cyber liability of $5,000,000 per claim. Comprehensive federal funding compliance obligations apply, including the Byrd Anti-Lobbying Amendment, Drug Free Workplace Act, Pro-Children Act, nondiscrimination requirements under Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act. The contractor must disclose any AI, Machine Learning, or Automated Decision-Making Technologies prior to implementation and obtain state approval before use.