FY27 Family Communication & Student Enrollment

Project Overview Minnesota State is requesting proposals from qualified vendors to provide a cloud‑hosted, fully supported parent and family engagement platform designed to strengthen communication, increase student retention, and enhance the overall student experience. The system will serve as a centralized hub for delivering personalized, timely, and relevant information to parents, families, and supporters of enrolled and prospective students. The platform should enable targeted messaging, event promotion, analytics, and segmentation capabilities that help institutions proactively engage families throughout the student lifecycle. Minnesota State seeks a mature, commercially available Software‑as‑a‑Service (SaaS) solution that is already in use at higher‑education institutions and does not require internal IT development or maintenance. The preferred system will offer configurable features, integration with existing student information systems, and robust administrative tools while minimizing the need for custom development. Minnesota State is not seeking a custom‑built platform, but rather a proven, scalable solution that can be implemented efficiently and supported directly by the vendor. Technical/Functional Requirements The proposed solution must be a cloud‑hosted Software‑as‑a‑Service (SaaS) platform designed to support comprehensive parent, family, and supporter engagement throughout the student lifecycle. The system should provide a centralized environment for delivering personalized communications, targeted content, event information, and institutional updates to families of prospective and enrolled students. The platform should include robust segmentation and personalization capabilities that allow administrators to tailor messaging based on student attributes, academic milestones, engagement behavior, or other relevant criteria. The system must include analytics and reporting tools that enable institutions to monitor engagement trends, track user activity, and assess the effectiveness of communication strategies. The solution must be designed for non‑technical administrative users, allowing staff to create and manage content, configure communication workflows, and update platform settings without the need for custom coding or IT support. The system should integrate with existing student information systems and other institutional data sources using secure, industry‑standard methods. The platform must be compatible with all major operating systems and web browsers, including mobile‑responsive access for families using smartphones or tablets. The proposed solution must comply with current national accessibility standards (including WCAG 2.1 AA or higher) and follow best practices for data security, privacy, and FERPA compliance. Budget The budget for this contract is anticipated to be $37,000.00 per year of the contract. This budget includes all costs associated with providing, maintaining, and supporting a fully hosted parent and family engagement platform. This includes, but is not limited to: Annual licensing fees for the cloud‑hosted SaaS platform Access for all designated administrators, students, parents, families, and supporters Implementation services, including configuration, onboarding, and initial training Ongoing customer support and technical assistance Regular product updates, enhancements, and maintenance Hosting, data storage, and system uptime monitoring Integration with Minnesota State’s student information system and other approved data sources Access to analytics, reporting tools, and engagement dashboards Security, compliance, and accessibility features required by Minnesota State The proposed annual cost must represent a complete, all‑inclusive price for the services described above, with no additional or hidden fees. Selection Process The selection process includes the Director of Admissions, Admissions Counselor and Information Officer. This group will evaluate the proposals and make the final decision. Evaluation Factors The following factors and their identified weight will be used to evaluate the responses: Topic Factor Weight Adherence to Minnesota State Terms and Conditions. Evaluation of the Supplier's acceptance of Minnesota State's standard terms and conditions, including any exceptions taken and the rationale for those exceptions. Demonstrates the Supplier's understanding of the nature and requirements of the contract. 15 Work Plan. Clarity, feasibility and completeness of the proposed work plan, including deliverables, implementation approach, project timeline, onboarding, training and ongoing support. The work plan should clearly identify major tasks and serve as the basis for scheduling and invoicing. 20 Cost/Value. Total cost of ownership, including annual licensing, implementation, support, integrations, and any optional services. Evaluation will consider cost transparency, value relative to functionality, and the level of Minnesota State participation required. Cost must be presented in a manner that allows direct comparison between vendors. 30 Qualifications of Respondent and its personnel. Demonstrated experience providing similar SaaS platforms to higher‑education institutions, including examples of comparable projects. Qualifications, training, and experience of personnel assigned to the project. 15 Completeness, thoroughness and detail of the response Completeness, thoroughness and detail of the response as reflected by the proposal's discussions and coverage of all elements of work listed above. 10 Accessibility Submission of a complete and accurate Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) or equivalent documentation. Evaluation of the vendor’s ability to meet applicable accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG 2.1 AA). 10 Total: 100 Contract Terms Minnesota State desires to enter into a contract with the successful Respondent(s) effective July 1, 2026 or on the date the last recognized signature is obtained, whichever occurs later. The length of such contract(s) will be THREE years. If Minnesota State and Respondent are unable to negotiate and sign a contract by June 1, 2026, then Minnesota State reserves the right to seek an alternative Respondent(s). 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. 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. Oral Presentations After evaluation of written proposals, Minnesota State will shortlist responders for oral presentations and demonstrations. Shortlisted responders will be notified in writing and provided with scheduling instructions. Demonstrations are intended to validate proposed solutions and allow clarification of responses. Responders should ensure that key personnel and subject matter experts are available for the presentation the week of May 4-8, 2026 (via Zoom). Minnesota State will make reasonable efforts to accommodate each responder’s scheduling preferences; however, Minnesota State reserves the right to assign dates and times at its discretion.