NOTICE TO BIDDERS Sealed bids will be received in the Office of the Director of Procurement Services, The University of Southern Mississippi, 118 College Drive #5003, Bond Hall, Room 214, Hattiesburg, Mississippi, until Wednesday, October 7, 2026, 2

The University of Southern Mississippi is soliciting bids for an Educator Preparation and Accreditation Solution (EPAS) under solicitation number 3160008271. The university seeks a cloud-hosted, integrated platform to manage the entire candidate lifecycle, from application and admission to program completion and licensure. Key functional requirements include candidate and program management, clinical placement and field experience tracking, and tools for assessment and CAEP accreditation support. The solution must integrate with Canvas LMS and Student Information Systems, and the vendor is expected to provide system training for key staff and post-implementation support. Sealed bids are due by 2:00 p.m. CT on October 7, 2026. The university will award the contract to the vendor determined to be the most advantageous, and it is not bound to accept the lowest-priced proposal. The proposed contract term is four years, covering all licensing, maintenance, and services. Strict technical and security standards apply, including the requirement that all data be stored and processed within the United States, implementation of FedRAMP moderate baseline controls, and compliance with WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards. Payment is processed within 45 days of receiving an original invoice, with a preference for annual invoicing for software and milestone-based invoicing for implementation services.