RFP 218672606 Admitted Students Communications Audit, Optimization, and Implementations Services

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), a Commonwealth of Virginia agency, is issuing RFP 218672606 to procure Admitted Students Communications Audit, Optimization, and Implementation Services. The procurement seeks a qualified vendor to conduct a comprehensive audit of current admitted student communications across multiple departments, including those delivered via Slate CRM, mailers, web pages, non-Slate emails, and checklists. Key deliverables include developing a unified communications plan covering milestones from deposit through matriculation, creating branded email and print templates with consistent visual guidelines, establishing an internal collaboration framework defining departmental roles and responsibilities, optimizing the use of Slate CRM and other university-approved platforms, and implementing analytics and reporting systems to measure communication effectiveness. The vendor must address fragmented and duplicative messaging across Student Affairs, Admissions, University Scholarships and Financial Aid, and academic advising units. Required qualifications include demonstrated expertise with Slate-based communications, experience with similar higher education projects, and a comprehensive project management approach. Proposals will be evaluated on quality of products and services (25 points), qualifications and experience of the offeror (25 points), specific plans or methodology (25 points), cost or price (15 points), and Small, Women-owned, and Minority-owned (SWaM) business participation (10 points). The deadline for submitting inquiries is March 27, 2026 at 12:00 PM to Bryan Holloway at bryanh91@vt.edu or (540) 231-8545, and the proposal submission deadline is April 20, 2026 at 3:00 PM through Virginia Tech's procurement portal at https://bids.sciquest.com/apps/Router/PublicEvent?CustomerOrg=VATech. Proposals must not exceed 20 pages and be submitted in Word format or searchable PDF as a single document.

SWaM business participation is encouraged as part of the evaluation criteria, and firms not classified as SWaM must describe plans for engaging certified SWaM subcontractors; those planning to subcontract with certified SWaM firms must provide subcontracting spend reporting when requested. Virginia Tech reserves the right to award multiple contracts and may conduct oral presentations with selected offerors. The contractor must maintain specific insurance coverages, including Workers' Compensation (statutory), Employers Liability ($100,000), General Liability ($2,000,000 combined single limit with Virginia Tech and the Commonwealth named as additional insured), and Automobile Liability ($500,000). All copyright and content ownership must belong to Virginia Tech upon completion. The initial contract term is one year, with four optional one-year renewals available as negotiated, and the contract will be administered by Greg Carter, Director of Strategic Marketing and Communications, Enrollment Management. No specific budget range or award value is listed in the solicitation documentation. Late proposals will not be accepted, and hand-delivered or email submissions are prohibited.