Career Readiness, Assessments, and Certifications Web-Based Platform

The State of Missouri, Office of Administration, Division of Purchasing is soliciting proposals on behalf of the Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development for a Career Readiness, Assessments, and Certifications Web-Based Platform under RFP STATE 0000000538SL, with proposals due September 17, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. Central Time (amended from September 10). A pre-proposal teleconference was held August 17, 2026. The contract involves federal funds subject to compliance with OMB Uniform Administrative Requirements (2 CFR Part 200), federal debarment and suspension rules, the Byrd Anti-Lobbying Amendment, Drug Free Workplace Act, Title VI and VII Civil Rights Act, Title IX, Section 504, ADA, Age Discrimination Act, Executive Order 11246, Clean Air Act, Federal Water Pollution Control Act, and whistleblower protections per 41 U.S.C. 4712.

The platform must deliver online and paper assessments covering applied math, graphic literacy, workplace documents, applied technology, and workplace observation; National Career Readiness Certificates (NCRC) or equivalent nationally recognized certifications; comprehensive curriculum; and 24/7 technical support via toll-free phone and email with response times under 24 hours (Monday–Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Central Standard Time). The system must support multiple user types (administrators, proctors, individual participants), maintain 99% service availability, and be compatible with Windows 8.1+, macOS 10.15+, Chrome OS 93+, and Firefox 90+, Chrome 93+, Microsoft Edge 149.0.4022.98, and Safari 18 browsers. All state data must be hosted, stored, and accessed exclusively within the United States. Contractors are prohibited from using state data to train, fine-tune, or enhance proprietary or third-party AI models without prior written authorization; any AI usage requires disclosure and compliance with NIST AI Risk Management Framework 1.0. All assessments, curriculum, and certificates must be provided at no cost to end users.

Minimum experience requirements include two years issuing NCRC or equivalent certificates, two years working with government entities of comparable scope and size, and two years providing system maintenance and technical support for career readiness platforms. Contractors must maintain insurance coverage of $1 million commercial general liability, $5 million umbrella, and $5 million cyber liability. Pricing is firm and fixed per Exhibit C, with monthly invoicing for assessments and annual invoicing for licenses. The contract term is one year from authorization with four optional one-year renewals at the state's sole discretion. Place of performance is FOB Destination to DHEWD at 301 West High Street, Suite 840, Jefferson City, Missouri 65101. The incumbent is ACT WorkKeys under contract since 2004, with current usage across 112 Missouri counties (99 certified), 35 Office of Workforce Development locations, and five two-year colleges.