Sole Source Public Review - Re-enrollment of Stop-Out Students

City Colleges of Chicago is conducting a public review of a sole-source award to ReUp Education, Inc. for student re-enrollment services, with a public hearing scheduled for September 30, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. CDT via Zoom. This is a sole-source procurement with no competitive bidding phase.

The scope addresses identification, re-enrollment, retention, and completion support for students who have stopped out without earning a credential. ReUp Education operates under a pay-for-performance model with no upfront costs or implementation fees; compensation is tied solely to successful re-enrollment and persistence at a negotiated rate of 24% of recaptured tuition, described as a significant discount from ReUp's standard community college rate of approximately 35% and below the market rate of up to 40% charged by comparable vendors.

City Colleges of Chicago determined that ReUp Education is the sole viable source based on proprietary technology including two patented methodologies (U.S. Patent Nos. 11,256,873 B2 and 11,449,681 B2) for dynamic student persona classification, a proprietary dataset developed through engagement with over two million stopped-out students across partner institutions, and an integrated engagement platform combining multi-channel outreach, predictive analytics, and coaching workflows. The district concluded that alternative vendors such as Motimatic offer only partial solutions without equivalent coaching infrastructure or specialized adult learner success framework.

The initial contract value is $5 million with zero potential renewals identified. Funding is sourced through Educational Funds. ReUp Education currently partners with more than 20 institutions across Illinois. City Colleges intends to begin onboarding by summer 2026 to drive impact within the academic year.

Interested parties may submit requests to testify or vendor capability statements to William Moore, Contracts Administrator, at (773) 487-6958 or wmoore48@ccc.edu. Objections to the sole-source determination must follow City Colleges of Chicago procurement procedures using the provided objection template.