MPA 298 1098 T-Services

The State of Rhode Island has issued a Request for Quotation (RFQ) for 1098-T tax reporting services targeting three higher education institutions: The Community College of Rhode Island, Rhode Island College, and The University of Rhode Island. The procurement seeks a vendor to provide comprehensive tax reporting services in compliance with the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997, covering a five-year period from approximately 07/01/2025 to 07/01/2030. The solicitation includes 20 line items for 1098-T services, with specific requirements for both paper and electronic reporting formats and a total annual quantity of 75,000 units per line item. Vendors must submit electronic proposals through the Ocean State Procures system during the solicitation period from March 13, 2025 to April 10, 2025, with a vendor Q&A period running from March 13, 2025 to March 26, 2025. Key requirements include maintaining specific insurance coverage, including $1M liability, $2M professional liability, and $5M cyber/privacy insurance, and demonstrating the ability to execute comprehensive tax reporting services for higher education institutions.

The procurement includes specific set-aside and participation requirements, notably mandating minority business enterprise participation and requiring vendors to certify no conflicts of interest. A 1% contract administrative fee will be assessed on all purchase orders, and vendors must submit quarterly self-reporting of invoiced amounts. The solicitation is structured as a Master Price Agreement with statewide applicability, which allows participation by political subdivisions including municipalities, higher education institutions, and quasi-public agencies. While specific award values are not explicitly stated, the multi-year contract and comprehensive service requirements suggest a significant potential contract value. Vendors must be prepared to integrate with existing institutional systems and demonstrate robust technological capabilities for managing large-volume tax reporting across multiple higher education institutions. The procurement appears designed to establish a comprehensive, long-term partnership for 1098-T tax reporting services that can scale across Rhode Island's public higher education ecosystem.