RFP 26-22 EMSS

RFP 26-22 EMSS
Request for Proposal (RFP) for
Emergency Management, Safety & Security System
RFP 26- 22
Minneapolis Public Schools - Special School District No. 1
1250 West Broadway Ave.
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55411-2533
Issued: 4/3/2026
NOTICE: Pursuant to section 13.591 subdivision 3(b) of the Minnesota Statutes, after a
government entity has completed negotiating a contract with the selected vendor, all
data in RFP responses are public except for trade secret information as defined in
section 13.37 subdivision 1(b). A statement that submitted data are copyrighted or
otherwise protected does not prevent public access to the data.
1 Minneapolis Public Schools
1250 W. Broadway Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55411
RFX@mpls.k12.mn.us
Template updated February 2026

RFP 26-22 EMSS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. Overview
a. Project Objective
b. Schedule of Proposal
c. Intention to Submit Proposals
d. Submission of Written Questions
e. Changes to the RFP
f. Preparation of Proposal
g. Submission of Proposals
h. Withdrawal of Proposals
i. Evaluation and Selection Process
j. Effective Period of Proposals
k. Bid Reservations
l. Notifications of Unsuccessful Vendors
m. Contract Negotiations
n. Award of Contract
o. Contract Term
p. Disposition of and Public Access to Proposals
q. Cost Incurred in Responding
r. Assignment
s. Causes for Termination
II. Scope of Services
a. Project Background
b. EMSS Program Goals
c. Emergency Management, Safety & Security Organization
d. Description of Expected Services
III. General Business Information
a. General Business Requirements
b. Qualifications and Experience
c. Supplier and Employee Equity & Diversity, Sustainability and Community Engagement
d. Business Ethics
e. Service Level Expectations
f. Fees & Costs
g. Reporting
h. Billing and Payment
IV. Project Scope
a. Business Specific Information
b. Wrap up to Project Scope Information
V. Appendix Requirements
A. References
B. Pricing Information
C. MPS Reports
2 Minneapolis Public Schools
1250 W. Broadway Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55411
RFX@mpls.k12.mn.us
Template updated February 2026

RFP 26-22 EMSS
D. Business Specific Reports
E. Service Level Expectations
F. Additional Documents- Any additional document required by the Business Owner.
VI. MPS Appendix Documents
1. Intention to Submit Proposal
2. Organization Information Cover sheet
3. MPS Sample Contract
4. Cost Table
5. Any additional document required by the Business Owner.
3 Minneapolis Public Schools
1250 W. Broadway Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55411
RFX@mpls.k12.mn.us
Template updated February 2026

RFP 26-22 EMSS
SECTION I: OVERVIEW
A. Project Objective
Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) is seeking proposals from organizations and individuals wishing
to provide an EMSS solution.
Minneapolis Public Schools or Special School District Number 1 (SSD #1) is a school district that is
coterminous with the City of Minneapolis, Minnesota. With authority granted by the state
legislature, the school board makes policy, selects the superintendent, and oversees the district's
budget, curriculum, personnel, and facilities. Students speak ninety different languages at home
and most school communications are printed in English, Hmong, Spanish, and Somali. The District
covers over 70 school programs at 65 sites, with approximately 29,900 students and 3,200
teaching staff.
The District intends to select one or more organizations to provide the necessary EMSS solution.
To facilitate the submission and evaluation of proposals, this proposal provides additional
background information regarding MPS that will be relevant to the proposal of the EMSS
solution.
RFP Primary Objective 1: Gain a thorough understanding of the product capability in order to
select, implement and operate an emergency management, safety & security system (EMSS
system) and a visitor management system that will meet the needs of the district for the next
five years or more.
RFP Primary Objective 2: While MPS would prefer a single system that supports the core
functions of an emergency management, safety & security system and a visitor management
system, proposals for individual solutions for EMSS and visitor management will be considered.
B. Schedule of Proposal
1. Issue RFP: 4/3/2026
2. Written Questions Due: 4/17/2026
3. Intention to Submit: 4/17/2026
4. Responses to Questions: 4/22/2026
5. Proposals Due: 4/29/2026 2:00 PM
6. Award bid - Selection: 5/4/2026
7. District Approval 5/12/2026
8. Implementation: July 1, 2026
C. Mandatory Intention to Submit Proposals
APPENDIX 1 (a) & Conflict of interest form APPENDIX 1 (b) are mandatory to submit. Failure to
submit both will result in automatic disqualification from the RFP Process.
In order for your organization to receive updates to this Request for Proposal, including
responses to submitted questions from all participating firms, please complete Appendix 1 (a)
Intention to Submit a Proposal and Appendix 1 (b) Conflict of Interest by 4/17/2026. These
documents must be emailed to RFX@mpls.k12.mn.us. These document are mandatory
documents, if these are not submitted or by email by 4/17/2026; the organization will not be
able to participate in RFP 26-22 EMSS.
4 Minneapolis Public Schools
1250 W. Broadway Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55411
RFX@mpls.k12.mn.us
Template updated February 2026

RFP 26-22 EMSS
D. Submission of Written Questions
All questions about the RFP shall be submitted by e-mail by 4:00 p.m. Central Standard Time on
or before 4/17/2026 to: RFX@mpls.k12.mn.us. The District will provide written responses to
questions from prospective Proposers no later than 4/22/2026 EOD. After 4/17/2026, no
questions or inquiries will be allowed.
E. Changes to the RFP
All changes to the RFP will be posted to the MPS website:
https://www.mpschools.org/departments/finance/procurement .
F. Preparation of Proposal
1. Careful attention must be paid to all requested items contained in this Request for Proposal.
Please read the entire package before bidding. Each proposal shall be prepared simply and
economically avoiding the use of elaborate promotional materials beyond what is sufficient
to provide a complete, accurate, and reliable presentation.
2. For ease of review, the proposals must follow the outline in Section III and IV of this request
for proposal. Each response should be clearly numbered and the full question listed.
3. Each page of the proposal must be sequentially numbered and include the proposing
organization's name.
4. RFP should be double-spaced, with at least than one-inch margins. The font must be at least
12-point.
5. Each response to questions in Section III and IV of the RFP should be appropriately labeled
(e.g., Section III: General Business Questions, A. General Business Requirements, Question
#1; etc.).
6. The RFP narrative for Section III-IV should not exceed 25 total, not including appendices.
7. Some questions in this RFP will require organizations to submit documents as an Appendix.
Applicants may wish to submit additional supplemental materials to support responses to
questions in Section III and IV. If an applicant intends to include supplemental materials with
responses to questions in Sections III and IV of the RFP, separate appendices for each part
must be developed. Each appendix should be clearly labeled (e.g., Appendix A: References,
etc.).
8. All appendix materials (e.g., sample letters, curricula, lesson plans, progress reports,
academic effectiveness data, etc.) must be labeled with the name of the organization and
reference the appropriate section and question (e.g., Section C: Description of Expected
Services 1a). Although there is no page limitation for the Appendix, the appendix should
not be excessive in length. Applicants should also ensure the appendix items are
appropriately described and referenced in the narrative section of the RFP.
9. The RFP must be submitted in the appropriate order. Each part of the RFP should be
separated with a section divider page listing the title of the next part of the RFP that is
enclosed. All RFPs should follow the order below:
a. Organization Information Cover Page (Provided in attached Appendix 2)
b. Table of Contents
c. Section III- General Business Information
d. Section IV- Project Scope
e. Appendix Materials
5 Minneapolis Public Schools
1250 W. Broadway Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55411
RFX@mpls.k12.mn.us
Template updated February 2026

RFP 26-22 EMSS
10. Additional circumstances that may lead to RFP not being reviewed and/or selected:
a. RFP was received after the deadline, which includes not on the deadline date but
also after the deadline time.
b. Applicant does not intend to complete criminal history checks on employees.
c. Applicant's previous clients have significant complaints regarding the quality of the
Title services, communication issues, or other problems.
d. Any section of the RFP is missing or incomplete.
e. The RFP does not meet length, font, or other formatting requirements.
G. Submission of Proposals
In order to be considered for selection, organizations must submit a signed electronic (.pdf)
response to this solicitation no later than 2:00 p.m. on 4/29/2026. Late proposals shall not be
accepted. Electronic copies must be submitted to: RFX@mpls.k12.mn.us
No other distribution of the proposal shall be made by the organization. It is the sole
responsibility of the organization to assure that the proposal is delivered to the designated
district office in Item H, above, prior to the deadline. No proposal received after the deadline will
be considered. No unsolicited corrected or resubmitted proposals will be accepted after the
proposal submission deadline.
H. Withdrawal of Proposals
A proposal may be withdrawn by the vendor prior to the date and time for submission of
proposals by means of a written request signed by the vendor or its properly authorized
representative. Such a written request must be delivered to RFX@mpls.k12.mn.us. This written
request must be electronic.
I. Evaluation and Selection Process
1. The EMSS Evaluation Committee members will include, but is not be limited to a minimum of
one member from at least two departments to be named by the EMSS Department. The
scoring rubric to be used by the evaluation committee may be found in Appendix 7.
Potential participating committee members from departments could include, but not be
limited to:
a. Emergency Management, Safety & Security
b. IT Services
2. Proposals, responses, presentations and references, and Proof of Concept if necessary will
be included as the Evaluation Committee recommends a solution for the District. Upon
approval from the authorized District signer on 5/12/2026, the District will then proceed
with contract discussions with the selected vendor(s). The District has no liability to any
vendor participating in this RFP process prior to when the authorized District signer signs a
contract to that vendor.
3. Consensus on proposal selection will be determined by the Evaluation Committee reaching
consensus on the selection. The EMSS Evaluation Committee members will use a rubric to
evaluate the responses to the questions outlined in this RFP.
6 Minneapolis Public Schools
1250 W. Broadway Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55411
RFX@mpls.k12.mn.us
Template updated February 2026

RFP 26-22 EMSS
4. The Evaluation Committee shall evaluate all proposals to determine which meet the
minimum service/product requirements, without regard to price. This evaluation may, at the
Evaluation Committee's discretion, be augmented by verbal or written requests for
clarification, or additional information as necessary to determine whether the technical
requirements can be met. The Evaluation Committee can contact references supplied in
vendor proposals.
5. The Evaluation Committee will then only consider those proposals that meet the minimum
service requirements for further evaluation. The Evaluation Committee will evaluate and
score the vendor with regard to a scoring rubric.
J. Effective Period of Proposals
Proposals must state the period for which the proposal shall remain in effect (i.e., how much
time does the District have to accept or reject the proposal under the terms proposed). Such
period shall not be less than 120 days from the proposal date.
K. Bid Reservations
Notwithstanding any other provisions of this RFP, the District reserves the right to award this
contract to the organization(s) that best meet the requirements of the RFP, and not necessarily,
to the lowest cost Proposer. Further, the District reserves the right to reject any or all bids, to
award in whole or part, and to waive minor immaterial defects in bids. The District may consider,
at its sole discretion, any alternative bid.
L. Notifications of Unsuccessful Vendors
The Evaluation Committee through the Procurement Department shall notify all Vendors after
the award recommendation and approval to proceed being placed on the School Board agenda
on 5/12/2026.
M. Contract Negotiations
Negotiations may include all aspects of services and fees. After a review of the proposals, and in-
person presentations if necessary, the District intends to enter into contract negotiations with
the selected organization(s). If a contract with the selected organization is not finalized within 90
days, the District reserves the right to open negotiations with the next ranked organization(s).
N. Award of Contract
The District reserves the right to award by Service Area or as a whole, whichever is deemed most
advantageous to the District.
The selected firm(s) shall be required to enter into a written contract or contracts with the
District in a form approved by legal counsel for the District. This RFP and the proposal, or any
part thereof, may be incorporated into and made a part of the final contract(s). The District
reserves the right to negotiate the terms and conditions of the contract(s) with the selected
Proposer(s).
O. Contract Term
It is the intent to award the contract(s) for an initial 2 year period with the option to renew it for
2, one-year periods for a possible total contract term of 4 years. The decision to renew the
contract(s) will be at the sole discretion of the District and agreed upon by both parties.
7 Minneapolis Public Schools
1250 W. Broadway Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55411
RFX@mpls.k12.mn.us
Template updated February 2026

RFP 26-22 EMSS
Proposers must agree to fix contract fees for the first 2 years. If the organization intends to revise
its fee schedule after the initial 2 -year period, it must give written notice to the District 90 days
in advance of any fee change. Fees may be changed only by notice within 90 days of the contract
expiration date. These fees are subject to negotiation and approval by the District.
P. Disposition of and Public Access to Proposals
All materials submitted in response to this RFP will become the property of the District. Pursuant
to section 13.591 subdivision 3(b) of the Minnesota Statutes, virtually all information submitted
is considered public and may be disclosed to third parties. The exception is trade secret
information, as defined and classified in section 13.37 subdivision 1(b). Trade secret information
should not be included in a response unless absolutely necessary.
Q. Cost Incurred in Responding
This solicitation does not commit the District to pay any costs incurred in the preparation and
submission of proposals or in making necessary studies for the preparation thereof, nor to
procure or contract for services.
R. Assignment
The successful proposer shall not assign, transfer, convey, or otherwise dispose of the contract,
or right, title of interest, or power to execute such a contract to any person, firm, or corporation
without the previous consent in writing by the District.
S. Causes for Termination
Causes for termination of the agreement may include any of the following: Failure to promptly
and faithfully provide the services required at the prices indicated in the Proposal; violation of
any law governing services provided to the District; failure to cooperate upon receiving any
reasonable request for information or service; or improper actions of the officers or employees,
which in the opinion of the District, would adversely affect its interest, or endanger the structure
of the proposing organization such as a spin off or merger which materially affects the terms of
this agreement. The District may terminate the agreement without cause with a 90-day notice.
The District may terminate the agreement with cause with a 30-day notice.
8 Minneapolis Public Schools
1250 W. Broadway Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55411
RFX@mpls.k12.mn.us
Template updated February 2026

RFP 26-22 EMSS
SECTION II: SCOPE OF SERVICES
A. Project Background
This section begins with some background information on the Minneapolis Public School District
and then discusses the overall expectations for the Emergency Management safety systems as well
as the district's specific needs. It also describes existing services and equipment that the Vendor
may wish to incorporate into its design and the issues that need to be considered.
The Minneapolis Public Schools is the third largest K-12 District in Minnesota. Minneapolis,
located in Hennepin County, is the largest city in the state of Minnesota, and is the 48th largest in
the United States. The District covers 70 school programs at 65 sites, with approximately 29,900
students and 3,200 teaching staff.
70 school programs include:
K-5 Schools: 19
K-8 Schools: 17
Middle Schools (6-8): 5
High Schools (9-12): 7
Special Education Schools: 2
Specialty Schools: 1
District Alternative Schools: 4
Contract Alternative Schools: 12
Growth projection: Stable
Superintendent: Dr. Lisa Sayles-Adams
Ty Thompson, Deputy Superintendent
Ernest North, Director, Emergency Management, Safety & Security
Director, Procurement and Supply Chain Mgt: Chris Boyce
Current EMSS Environment
Intrado Safety Shield, School Gate Guardian Visitor Management
There is a high level of interest among all user groups in a comprehensive platform that offers an
all in one service center that incorporates safety systems with enhanced capabilities and
functionality. The highest interest is in:
Emergency Management
Incident Management
Visitor Management
Reunification
EMSS Vision
The key success factor for this selection and installation of a vended solution are:
9 Minneapolis Public Schools
1250 W. Broadway Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55411
RFX@mpls.k12.mn.us
Template updated February 2026

RFP 26-22 EMSS
The key success factors for the selection and installation of the required safety system is
to reduce administrative workload and improve safety outcomes. This will be
accomplished through a user-friendly, all in one platform accessible via a mobile app and
a webpage design option. Our vision includes:
Comprehensive Incident Management: A robust system for Event/Drill Triggering coupled with
real-time communication features that supports Emergency Management Response.
Integrated Visitor Management: A centralized feature that encompasses and monitors student
entry, staff entry, and community member access to ensure a secure environment.
Streamlined Reunification: A simplified, intuitive process to ensure student and staff
accountability during emergencies.
Continuous Improvement: A commitment to quarterly administrative follow-ups to ensure the
system adheres to evolving district changes and adjustments.
EMSS Stakeholders
Users of the EMSS include: MPS district personnel, students, and community members.
Minneapolis Public School District Personnel, Staff, Students, and Community members
B. EMSS Product/Service Goals - We're seeking a combination of safety systems that has the
capability to efficiently process and communicate any and all Emergency management related
information. This will promote a secure environment for our school and community. While also
encompassing, accountability, collaboration and integrity in the framework of the services.
Primary Components:
The proposed unified school safety platform must include, but not limited to, the following
components:
Emergency Management
Incident Management
Visitor Management
Reunification
C. Emergency Management, Safety & Security (EMSS) Organization
The EMSS Department consists of 19 staff members-including one Director, two Managers, and
16 Specialists-supporting approximately 28,000 students and 6,000 staff members across
Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS). Following a landmark 2020 restructuring, the department
transitioned from a law-enforcement-centered model to a holistic "Safety First" approach that
integrates physical security with social-emotional support. Focusing on 4 Core Functional Pillars:
Emergency Management: Oversight of lockdown/evacuation/severe weather drills and crisis
response via the District Emergency Operations Center (EOC).
10 Minneapolis Public Schools
1250 W. Broadway Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55411
RFX@mpls.k12.mn.us
Template updated February 2026