Texas Pathways Project

The Texas Pathway Project seeks to deliver asynchronous online Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses for students in grades 7 through 12, ensuring alignment with Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and preparation for industry-based credentials and postsecondary pathways. The Texas Education Agency is soliciting a vendor to develop and operate a digital learning platform that provides comprehensive CTE coursework across all approved statewide programs and supports up to 1,000 enrolled students across 25 selected school systems. Contract execution is anticipated in July 2026, with key milestones including a fully operational web-based application within four weeks of signing and a detailed project plan approved within that same timeframe. Performance is entirely digital, with all deliverables submitted electronically and reviewed by TEA personnel, requiring compliance with accessibility standards such as WCAG 2.1 Level AA and EdFi data interoperability protocols. The vendor must also ensure all student data is handled under FERPA, secure environments, and Texas-specific data confidentiality laws, with encryption required both at rest and in transit, and data processing limited to U.S.-based infrastructure. The solicitation awards contracts based on a best-value trade-off approach, evaluating proposers across three weighted categories: understanding of the project and technical methodology (20 points), management capabilities and personnel qualifications (20 points), and the clarity and realism of the task, activity, deliverable, and budget plan (20 points), for a total of 60 evaluation points. Offerors must address mandatory submissions including a Historically Underutilized Business subcontracting plan, a conflict of interest analysis, an information security review, and a TX-RAMP questionnaire. Contractors must comply with E-Verify for employment eligibility, complete annual cybersecurity training per Texas law, and return or destroy all TEA confidential information using NIST- and CIS-compliant methods within 30 days of contract termination. Invoicing must adhere to state administrative code and be submitted electronically to TEA’s Accounts Payable team, with direct deposit preferred. The contract does not specify a fixed dollar value, and no formal contract type such as FFP or IDIQ is declared, though the structure and deliverables imply a performance-based fixed-price arrangement. Proposals must be submitted by May 14, 2026, via the Euna Procurement (Bonfire) portal, with no physical or email submissions permitted.