Notice of Special Procurement-Employee Engagement Tool

The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) is conducting a Special Procurement for an employee engagement tool subscription through a sole source procurement with Qualtrics, LLC. The procurement is for professional services including employee engagement surveys, baselining assessments, and ongoing leader competency evaluations to support ODOT's strategic plan and workforce development initiatives. The current contract is being extended for one additional year, from October 29, 2022, through October 29, 2023, while ODOT simultaneously prepares a formal Request for Proposals (RFP) for a comprehensive 5-year contract. The procurement encompasses jurisdictions including Marion County and the City of Salem, Oregon. The specific deliverables include digital survey tools, assessment capabilities, and ongoing evaluation services designed to measure and improve organizational workforce engagement and leadership effectiveness. The public notice for this procurement was posted on November 1, 2022, with a protest period of seven calendar days, during which affected parties may submit detailed objections based on legal and factual grounds.

The current procurement appears to have no specific set-aside designations or restrictions on respondent types. Qualtrics, LLC is the incumbent vendor and current technology provider for the employee engagement tool. The contract's initial maximum not-to-exceed compensation was $93,500, with a proposed increase of $71,925 that would bring the cumulative contract maximum to $165,425. ODOT has justified the special procurement by highlighting the potential disruption of losing access to the existing engagement tool and the need to maintain continuity while preparing a more comprehensive competitive procurement. The agency asserts that this approach is unlikely to encourage favoritism or substantially diminish competition, as the upcoming RFP will be structured to maximize competitive opportunities. No specific budget ranges beyond the current contract value were disclosed in the available documentation.