Sole Source - Badging

Multnomah County, through Mt. Hood Community College (MHCC) and the SCC Grant Oregon Consortium, is conducting a sole source procurement for a Digital Badging project with the Digital Credentials Institute (DCI) of Madison College. The procurement focuses on developing and implementing an Employability Skills Digital Badging Framework across a consortium of 9 community colleges. The project consists of two phases, with Phase 1 already completed involving framework development, and Phase 2 being a two-year pilot implementation across consortium colleges. DCI will administer digital badge issuance through the Credly badging platform, with the ultimate objective of demonstrating the need for a statewide initiative that could lead to a future competitive solicitation involving all 17 Oregon community colleges. The sole source procurement has a specified protest period ending on March 17, 2023, during which potential vendors can challenge the procurement by submitting specific legal and factual grounds, describing potential harm, and detailing requested relief.

The procurement appears to be unrestricted in terms of specific set-aside designations, with MHCC intending to directly engage DCI as the sole source provider. The estimated total contract value is approximately $150,000, covering the two-year pilot implementation and digital badge administration. The project will leverage existing technology through the Credly badging platform, with DCI providing full administrative support for badge issuance. While the current procurement is limited to the 9-college consortium, the strategic goal is to potentially expand the digital credentialing framework to all 17 Oregon community colleges in future competitive solicitations. The project represents an innovative approach to documenting and verifying employability skills through digital credentials, with potential long-term implications for workforce development and educational credentialing in the state of Oregon.