Enterprise Contract for CRM Solution

Project Overview Minnesota State is seeking to award one or more contracts to qualified vendors. Vendors may respond to some or all portions of this solicitation, depending on their capabilities and areas of expertise. Contracts will be awarded on an as-needed basis and will be available for use by all members of the Minnesota State system, including its colleges, universities, and the system office. Minnesota State is requesting proposals to assist in implementing a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform that supports student engagement across the student lifecycle—from recruiting and admissions through graduation with integrated marketing capabilities. This effort builds upon prior strategic planning and reflects renewed commitment to a unified, scalable solution that complements Workday ERP, specifically Workday Student. The CRM will serve as the engagement layer for recruiting, admissions, advising, student success, and marketing, enabling Minnesota State’s 33 institutions and the system office (system-wide) to manage relationships consistently while preserving institutional identity and autonomy. The selected vendor will deliver a mature, configurable CRM solution that integrates with Workday Student, the system’s modern data architecture, and identity management systems. Key Goals of the Project Establishing a unified CRM platform branded for each institution. Standardizing key processes (e.g., recommendations) where required by Workday. Supporting nuanced activation of workflows based on program needs. Enabling seamless data flow across systems to support lifecycle transitions. Enhancing visibility for advising and student success teams. This initiative is a cornerstone of Minnesota State’s digital transformation strategy and will require close collaboration between CRM, Workday Student, and institutional stakeholders. CRM Usage Scope CRM will be used to manage interactions not only with enrolled students but also with: Prospective students Applicants Current and continuing students Faculty and staff Community and industry partners CRM Out of Scope Usage Alumni Donors Continuing Education Technical/Functional Requirements Recruitment, Prospective Students, and Admissions to the College/University We are seeking a CRM that provides a flexible, standardized, and equitable admissions process for all applicant types and programs. The system must support universal and branching applications, allowing students to apply to multiple programs and institutions through a single, adaptable application. Self-service capabilities are essential, enabling students to update applications, upload documents securely, and track their status in real time. The CRM should automate workflows for reapplications, document processing, checklist management, and decision releases, reducing manual effort and ensuring consistency across all 32 institutions. Collaborative review consoles, role-based access, and bias detection tools are required to support fair, multi-user decision-making and enforce standardized admissions policies. Integration with Workday Student and document management systems, as well as support for both digital and manual entry, are also necessary features. Academic Advising and Student Success The CRM must empower students and employees with tools for early identification of needs and strengths, using faculty/staff alerts, predictive analytics, and surveys. It should support both risk-based flags and positive recognition (kudos), with automated alerts triggered by academic or behavioral indicators. The system should facilitate coordinated referrals, case management, and intervention tracking, ensuring that the right people are notified and outcomes are monitored. Role-based access controls are required to protect sensitive student data. The CRM should leverage analytics and AI to provide actionable insights, evaluate support strategies, and guide continuous improvement at both individual and cohort levels. Configurable dashboards, cohort-level analytics, and continuous improvement reporting are essential for monitoring advising outcomes and intervention effectiveness. Integrated Digital Marketing and Communications We require a CRM that supports personalized, automated, and inclusive communication plans and marketing across the student lifecycle. The system must enable multi-channel outreach—including email, SMS, print, and social media platforms (Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp, Facebook, Snapchat)—with two-way messaging and bulk campaigns. Integration with web advertising platforms and support for event-triggered campaigns are needed to optimize engagement and enrollment outcomes. Campaign management tools should allow for planning, resource management, and performance analytics (delivery, open rates, ROI). The CRM must support dynamic content management, customizable communication plans, and AI-generated messaging tailored to student profiles and preferences. Consent management, accessibility checkers, and message preview/testing tools are required to ensure inclusivity and compliance. Reporting and Analytics The CRM should deliver role-based, customizable, and AI-enhanced analytics and reporting across the student lifecycle. Student-facing employees, managers, and institutional leaders must have tailored access to dashboards and reporting tools to monitor student progress, support effectiveness, and institutional outcomes. The system should provide cohort and program-level reporting (graduation rates, time-to-degree, bottlenecks), advisor access to performance analytics, and manager access to employee activity and outcomes. Reporting on early alerts, interventions, and case management is essential. Flexible query builders, ad-hoc reporting, and configurable reports must support diverse departmental needs. AI-driven insights, forecasting tools, and predictive analytics are required to generate actionable reports, model future outcomes, and detect changes in student behavior. The CRM should also support event attendance tracking, yield and ROI reporting, and categorization of student interactions for comprehensive analysis. Vendor Implementation Approach and Cost Structure Implementation Approach Vendors must clearly outline their implementation approach for the proposed CRM solution. Specifically, they should indicate whether their organization will directly manage the implementation or if a third-party consultant or integrator will be engaged. If a third party is involved, vendors must identify the firm, describe its role and experience, and explain the contractual relationship with the vendor. A detailed cost breakdown for third-party services—including setup, integration, training, and ongoing support—must be provided. Additionally, vendors are required to submit a comprehensive breakdown of their own implementation costs. This should include one-time setup fees, per-campus implementation charges, annual licensing costs, training and support fees, and pricing for optional modules such as AI, analytics, and mobile applications. Vendors should also specify whether any fees are waived or discounted for multi-campus or system-wide adoption. A proposed implementation timeline must be included, detailing key milestones and dependencies. Vendors should also confirm whether their team will assist with data migration and cleanup, and if so, outline the associated costs. CRM Subscription & Licensing Requirements Vendors must describe their subscription model, specifying whether it is based on per user, per contact, per institution, or an unlimited structure. Annual subscription costs should be clearly stated, along with how pricing scales across multiple campuses. This should include per campus charges, annual licensing costs, training and support fees, and pricing for optional modules such as AI, analytics, and mobile applications. If the vendor offers tiered packages, they must detail the features included at each level. The renewal process and pricing structure for multi-year contracts should be explained, including any discounts or incentives. Vendors must also disclose any additional costs associated with upgrades, feature expansions, or support services beyond the base subscription. RFP Structure for Pricing Vendors shall provide separate cost estimates in the following categories. If a vendor chooses not to bid on any of the following areas, they still need to answer all questions and fill in No or N/A, and fill in Pricing Amount where requested as $0. Recruiting and Admissions: All costs associated with CRM functionality for recruiting and admissions, including setup, integration, training, licensing, and support. Advising and Student Success: All costs associated with CRM functionality for advising, including setup, integration, training, licensing, and support. Marketing and Communications: All costs associated with CRM functionality for marketing and communications, including setup, integration, training, licensing, and support. Aggregate Quote: A combined total estimate that aggregates costs from the above categories, including any discounts or incentives for multi-campus or system-wide adoption. Vendors should clearly itemize costs for each category and provide a summary aggregate quote. This structure will facilitate transparent evaluation and comparison across proposals. Evaluation Factors The following factors and their identified weight will be used to evaluate the responses: Topic Description Sub-Topic/Question Question Weight Overall Weight Company Profile An outline of the Responder’s background and experience with examples of similar work complete by the Responder and a list of personnel who will conduct the project, detailing their training, and work experience. Resumes or other information about project personnel should not, if possible, contain personal telephone numbers, home addresses or home email addresses. If it is necessary to include personal contact information, please clearly indicate in the proposal that personal contact information is being provided. 4% 1.1 - Company Profile 3% 1.2 - References 1% Workplan The Workplan should describe the major tasks and deliverables the Responder will provide to meet the functional requirements outlined in Groups 5.1–5.16. Each section should clearly identify how the proposed solution supports Minnesota State’s CRM goals. 50% 2.1 - Alerts 3% 2.2 - Application to Majors 3% 2.3 - Application to Colleges & Universities 5% 2.4 - Appointments 4% 2.5 - Automation, Workflows,Surveys, and Forms 4% 2.6 - Chat 1% 2.7 - Communication with Students 3% 2.8 - Dashboard, Self-Services, and Portal 3% 2.9 - Digital Marketing 4% 2.10 - Employee or Advisor Assignments 5% 2.11 - Event Scheduling 3% 2.12 - Notes and Meeting Tracking 3% 2.13 - Record Keeping, Data Management, and Student Profile 4% 2.14 - Reporting and Analytics 3% 2.15 - User Training and Support 2% Technology & Accessibility 5% 3.1 - Accessibility 1% 3.2 - Integrations & Architecture 2% 3.3 - Security 2% Implementation Plan 10% Terms & Conditions A statement of the objectives, goals, and tasks to show or demonstrate its view and understanding of the nature of the contract. 1% Cost & Pricing Vendors must submit pricing across five structured groups. In Group S1, S2, and S3, vendors provide total 5-year costs and implementation pricing for each functional area they are bidding on—Recruiting and Admissions, Advising, and Marketing and Communication. Vendors not bidding on a specific area must enter $0.00 and mark responses as “No” or “N/A.” In Group S4, vendors submit a consolidated pricing summary that aggregates all costs across the areas they are bidding on. This includes all fees, discounts, optional modules, and third-party vendor costs. Group S5 requires vendors to upload a detailed pricing plan using the provided template (Comprehensive_Pricing_Plan_5-Year_Bid.xlsx), along with a narrative response document (Pricing_Detail_Questions.docx). This document must address pricing logic, multi-year discounts, licensing structures, optional tools, training and consulting costs, customization, support levels, and dedicated Minnesota State support. Additionally, vendors must describe the role Minnesota State will play in implementation and ongoing support, including any services, staffing, or resources expected from Minnesota State. They must clearly outline any cost allowances, discounts, or pricing adjustments that reflect Minnesota State’s participation—such as shared implementation efforts, system-level integration support, or centralized training. Finally, vendors must upload their standard Service Level Agreement (SLA) document. 30% Total 100 Minnesota State reserves the right to name a date which all responding Respondents will be invited to present demonstrations or participate in an interview. Minnesota State does not agree to reach a decision by any certain date although it is hoped the evaluation and selection will be completed by the contract terms date identified. Contract Terms Minnesota State desires to enter into a contract with the successful Respondent(s) effective 04/15/2026, or on the date the last recognized signature is obtained, whichever occurs later. The length of such contract(s) will be 60 Months or 5 Years. If Minnesota State and Respondent are unable to negotiate and sign a contract by 04/30/2026, then Minnesota State reserves the right to seek an alternative Respondent(s). Inquiries and Submission Instructions Minnesota State accepts all questions and bid submissions exclusively through Minnesota State's e-procurement system. Hard copy submissions, emails, or submissions through any other medium will not be considered. Each Respondent is solely responsible for the timely delivery of its questions and bids by the RFx date and time deadlines. Failure to meet the deadlines shall be grounds for rejection. Selection Process The selection process includes stakeholder representatives from member colleges and universities as well as the system office. This group will evaluate the proposals and make the final decision. Titles Include: System Director for Strategic Enrollment Management Director of Admissions, Admissions & Enrollment Management Director of Student Success, Advancement & Outreach/Foundation Institution Effecctiveness Analyst Security Risk Specialist NextGen Project Manager Chief Information Officer System Director for Student Development and Success Director of Marketing Associate Director of Advising, Counseling & Career Center Director of Student Success Director of Secondary Relations Web & Digital Media Manager Executive Director Advanced MN Vice President of Student Affairs Vice President of Enrollment Management & Institutional Effectiveness Director of Marketing Information Systems Manager Business Analyst Information Systems Manager Assistant Director of Admissions/PSEO Coordinator Vice President of Information Technology Associate Vice President Strategic Enrollment Associate Director of Graduate Admissions Assistant Director of Student Success Services Assoc. VC for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management Director of Admissions & Recruitment Vendor Presentations Minnesota State will conduct interviews with the Key Personnel/Teams from a each of the Shortlisted Responders. All presentations are scheduled on a first come, first served basis. Minnesota State reserves the right to name a date which all responding Responders will be invited to present demonstrations or participate in an interview. Potential Dates for Vendor Interviews and Demonstrations: December 1st - December 12th