RFP 2026-096 Soil Laboratory Information Management System

Administered by University of Maine System

Office of Strategic Procurement

Request for Proposal (RFP)

SUBMISSION FORM PACKAGE

Soil Laboratory Information Management System

RFP #2026-096

Issued Date: April 9, 2026

Response Deadline Date/Time: May 4, 2026, 11:59 p.m. EST

Response Submission Information:

Submitted electronically to UMSResponses@maine.edu

Email Subject Line - RC: Soil Laboratory IMS- RFP#2026-096

Response Contact Information:

Email:

INSTRUCTIONS

Response Format Instructions

This section contains instructions for Respondents to use in preparing their response. The Respondent's submission must follow the outline used below, including the numbering of section and sub-section headings. Failure to use the outline specified in this section or to respond to all questions and instructions throughout this document may result in the response being disqualified as non-responsive or receiving a reduced score.

The University and its evaluation team for this document have sole discretion to determine whether a variance from the document specifications should result in either disqualification or reduction in scoring of a response.

Re-phrasing of the content provided in this document will, at best, be considered minimally responsive. The University seeks detailed yet succinct responses that demonstrate the Respondent's experience and ability to perform the requirements specified throughout this document.

Section 1 - Response Cover Page

Label this response - Section 1 - UMS Response Cover Page

Insert Appendix A - University of Maine System Response Cover Page

Insert Appendix B - Debarment, Performance and Non-Collusion Certification

Section 2 - Cost Response

Label this response - Section 2 - Cost Evaluation

Insert Appendix C - Required Cost Evaluation Exhibits

Section 3 - Master Agreement

Label this response - Section 3 - Master Agreement

Insert Appendix D1 - Master Agreement

Section 4 - Response to Questions

Label this response - Section 4 - Response to Evaluation Questions & Related Information

Insert Appendix E - Minimum Eligibility Requirements

Insert Appendix F - Evaluation Question(s) - Organization, Qualifications, Experience and References

Insert Appendix G - Evaluation Question(s) -Implementation, Training, Support and Reporting

Insert Appendix H - Solution Requirements Matrix

Insert Appendix I - Evaluation - Compliance Requirements (Accessibility & Information Security)

HECVAT

Information Security Questions

Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT)

Detailed Description of Accessibility features.

Insert Appendix J - Evaluation Question(s) - Information Technology

SECTION 1

Appendix A - University of Maine System Response Cover Page

RFP # 2026-096

Soil Laboratory Information Management System

This pricing structure contained herein will remain firm for a period of 90 days from the date and time of the quote deadline date.

No personnel currently employed by the University or any other University agency participated, either directly or indirectly, in any activities relating to the preparation of the Respondent's response.

No attempt has been made or will be made by the Respondent to induce any other person or firm to submit or not to submit a response.

The undersigned is authorized to enter into contractual obligations on behalf of the above-named organization.

By submitting a response to a Request for Proposal, bid or other offer to do business with the University your entity understands and agrees that:

The Agreement provisions in Section 1.2.1.2 of this document will not be modified and are thereby incorporated into any agreement entered into between University and your entity; that such terms and condition shall control in the event of any conflict with such agreement; and that your entity will not propose or demand any contrary terms;

The above Agreement provisions in Section 1.2.1.2 of this document will govern the interpretation of such agreement notwithstanding the expression of any other term and/or condition to the contrary;

Your entity agrees that the resulting Agreement will be the entire agreement between the University (including University's employees and other End Users) and Respondent and in the event that the Respondent requires terms of use agreements or other agreements, policies or understanding, whether on an order form, invoice, website, electronic, click-through, verbal or in writing, with University's employees or other End Users, such agreements shall be null, void and without effect, and the terms of the Agreement shall apply.

Your entity will identify at the time of submission which, if any, portion or your submitted materials are entitled to ''trade secret" exemption from disclosure under Maine's Freedom of Access Act; that failure to so identify will authorize UMS to conclude that no portions are so exempt; and that your entity will defend, indemnify and hold harmless UMS in any and all legal actions that seek to compel UMS to disclose under Maine's Freedom of Access Act some or all of your submitted materials and/or contract, if any, executed between UMS and your entity.

To the best of my knowledge all information provided in the enclosed response, both programmatic and financial, is complete and accurate at the time of submission.

Date: ______________________________________

__________________________________________ ______________________________________

Name and Title (Printed) Authorized Signature

Appendix B - Debarment, Performance and Non-Collusion Certification

University of Maine System

DEBARMENT, PERFORMANCE and NON-COLLUSION CERTIFICATION

RFP # 2026-096

Soil Laboratory Information Management System

By signing this document, I certify to the best of my knowledge and belief that the aforementioned organization, its principals and any subcontractors named in this proposal:

Are not presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, and declared ineligible or voluntarily excluded from bidding or working on contracts issued by any governmental agency.

Have not within three years of submitting the proposal for this contract been convicted of or had a civil judgment rendered against them for:

Fraud or a criminal offense in connection with obtaining, attempting to obtain, or performing a federal, state or local government transaction or contract.

Violating Federal or State antitrust statutes or committing embezzlement, theft, forgery, bribery, falsification or destruction of records, making false statements, or receiving stolen property;

Are not presently indicted for or otherwise criminally or civilly charged by a governmental entity (Federal, State or Local) with commission of any of the offenses enumerated in paragraph (b) of this certification; and

Have not within a three (3) year period preceding this proposal had one or more federal, state or local government transactions terminated for cause or default.

Have not entered into a prior understanding, agreement, or connection with any corporation, firm, or person submitting a response for the same materials, supplies, equipment, or services and this proposal is in all respects fair and without collusion or fraud. The above mentioned entities understand and agree that collusive bidding is a violation of state and federal law and can result in fines, prison sentences, and civil damage awards.

Failure to provide this certification may result in the disqualification of the Respondent's proposal, at the University's discretion.

Date: ______________________________________

__________________________________________ ______________________________________

Name and Title (Printed) Authorized Signature

SECTION 2

Appendix C - Required Cost Evaluation Exhibits

University of Maine System

COST EVALUATION

RFP # 2026-096

Soil Laboratory Information Management System

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS:

The Respondent must submit a cost response that covers the entire period of the Agreement, including any optional renewal periods.

The cost response shall include the costs necessary for the Respondent to fully comply with the Agreement terms and conditions and requirements. Note regarding total cost of ownership: This "cost" will encompass the entire solution pricing along with all products and services offered as part of the solution.

Failure to provide the requested information and to follow the required cost response format provided in Appendix C may result in the exclusion of the Response from consideration, at the discretion of the University. You can add rows and columns required to insert additional information. If a particular cost table is not required as part of your response simply leave it blank.

No costs related to the preparation of the Response for this document or to the negotiation of the Agreement with the University may be included in the Response. Only costs to be incurred after the Agreement effective date that are specifically related to the implementation or operation of contracted services may be included.

Identify all costs by year, to be charged for performing the services necessary to accomplish the objectives of this document.

If there are additional options or services that are not included in the offering, they must be identified and itemized as "optional" and include a description of the product or service and the costs of the option. All items identified in the response (including third party items required) will be considered free add-ons to the proposed solution at the prices included in this response unless expressly stated otherwise.

Respondents' are encouraged to provide additional price incentives for providing an enterprise solution, multi-year or award of multiple institutions.

Pricing will be guaranteed by the vendor for the term of the Agreement.

The University will NOT seek a best and final offer (BAFO) from any Respondent in this procurement process. All Respondents are expected to provide their best value pricing with the submission of their response. Respondents will NOT be given another opportunity to modify pricing once submitted.

An MS Excel Version must be included in your final submission for all of these tables. For a copy of the excel version, email the contact provided on the cover page of this document.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR - Exhibit 1 (Table 1) - Licensing and Maintenance Agreement Pricing and/or Data Maintenance / Subscription Pricing

The University needs to understand the associated lifecycle costs for your proposed system or service. For solution responses that leverage the University's existing investments, the Respondent must provide which investments the University needs to maintain. For solution responses that do not leverage the University's investments, the Respondent must provide what additional investments would be needed to support the solution.

IMPORTANT: The University requires pricing for Faculty Activity Tracking functionality in Exhibit 1, Table 1. All additional functionalities including supporting the ability to populate web profiles with faculty data stored in the solution and other modules the Respondent may have for future consideration by the University, should reflect pricing in Exhibit 1, Table 4.

Respondent's Organization Name - Provide the Respondent's Organization Name.

University Name - Institution name pertaining to the costs related to the solution (if applicable).

Item Description - Provide a brief description of your product or service.

Initial Cost "One Time" Training - Provide any initial 'one-time' costs associated with the solution for training costs.

Initial Cost "One Time" Implementation - Provide any initial 'one-time' costs associated with the solution for implementation costs.

Initial Cost "One Time" Other - Provide any initial 'one-time' costs associated with the solution other than year 1 licensing and support, training and implementation costs.

Prorated Licensing: Provide the initial prorated licensing for the period noted in the column header. This is required to allow the University to pay future licensing and maintenance at the start of the fiscal year July 1st.

Cost (Year 1 - 5) - All licensing and maintenance agreement pricing should include rates during the Agreement period, and anticipated future rates. Rates will be calculated based on Current Active User FTE provided.

Optional Renewal (Year 6 - 10) - All licensing and maintenance agreement pricing should include rates during the Agreement period, and anticipated future rates.

Extended Cost - Total of Initial Term Years 1 - 5 which includes the prorated licensing and one-time costs.

Subtotal - Subtotal of the Extended Cost figures.

Less Discount - Discount offered off the Subtotal figure.

Total - Subtotal less Discount.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR - Exhibit 1 (Table 2) - Professional Services Rate Schedule

If you charge by the hour for professional services, provide a rate schedule, or range of hourly rates we could expect. Specify whether or not those rates include travel.

Respondent's Organization Name - Provide the Respondent's Organization Name.

Role/Position Title if Individual - List role/position title of each role/position title from your organization that would be responsible for work on the project.

Hourly Rate - Is the hourly dollar amount that may be invoiced by role/position title.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR - Exhibit 1 (Table 3) - Pricing for Custom Features Deliverables

Provide rate schedule for the high-level deliverables defined RFP Section 1.1.4 Scope of Work.

Costs for subcontractors are to be broken out separately.

Respondent's Organization Name - Provide the Respondent's Organization Name.

University Name - Institution name pertaining to the costs related to the solution.

Deliverable Name - Provide a brief name for the deliverable.

Role/Position Title (Exhibit 1 Table 3) - List each role/position title from your organization that would be responsible for contributing to completion of the deliverable. Bidder will replace verbiage 'Position Title 1', etc. with the appropriate actual role/position title in Exhibit 1 (Table 2).

Hours - Note the total hours that will be required to provide the contribution necessary to complete the deliverable for each role/position title.

Hourly Rate - The hourly dollar amount that may be invoiced by role/position title.

Cost Estimate - Calculation of the (Hours x Hourly Rate = Cost Estimate)

Sub-Total - Provide a sub-total for each deliverable.

Total - Total cost for all deliverables to complete the work for the specified University campus.

Your list of deliverables should trace back to the objectives and requirements listed in this document. Where a requirement is addressed by your product or service without customization, indicate that under the Explanation and reference the Licensing and Maintenance schedule above.

Total compensation for services rendered and deliverables shall include any hourly billing rate and all expected related expenses, both actual and administrative.

Less Discount - Discount offered off the Subtotal figure.

Grand Total - Subtotal less Discount.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR - Exhibit 1 (Table 4) - Growth and Enhancement Pricing

Growth and Enhancements are products or services not included in the baseline pricing that we may want to purchase at a later date. These may vary by Respondent response. There is no penalty for not completing this section.

IMPORTANT: The University requires pricing for Faculty Activity Tracking functionality in Exhibit 1, Table 1. All additional functionalities including supporting the ability to populate web profiles with faculty data stored in the solution and other modules the Respondent may have for future consideration by the University, should reflect pricing in Exhibit 1, Table 4.

Item Description - Provide a brief description of your product or service.

Initial Cost "One Time" Training - Provide any initial 'one-time' costs associated with the solution for training costs.

Initial Cost "One Time" Implementation - Provide any initial 'one-time' costs associated with the solution for implementation costs.

Initial Cost "One Time" Other - Provide any initial 'one-time' costs associated with the solution other than year 1 licensing and support, training and implementation costs.

Prorated Licensing: Provide the initial prorated licensing for the period noted in the column header. This is required to allow the University to pay future licensing and maintenance at the start of the fiscal year July 1st.

Cost (Year 1 - 5) - All licensing and maintenance agreement pricing should include rates during the Agreement period, and anticipated future rates. Rates will be calculated based on Current Active User FTE provided.

Optional Renewal (Year 6 - 10) - All licensing and maintenance agreement pricing should include rates during the Agreement period, and anticipated future rates.

Extended Cost - Total of Initial Term Years 1 - 5 which includes the prorated licensing and one-time costs.

Subtotal - Subtotal of the cost figures for each year.

Less Discount - Discount offered off the Subtotal figure.

Total - Subtotal less Discount.

SECTION 3

Appendix D1 - Evaluation Question(s) - Master Agreement

This portion of the RFP contains special terms and conditions which will govern the resulting agreement, many of which are stated in RFP Section 1.2, with more detail in RFP Appendix D. Please indicate your acceptance for each special term by "X' in the Agree or Disagree column.

Should you take exception to any of these special terms and conditions you are required to note your exception directly below each of the respective terms in question. It should be noted that any exceptions may result in the disqualification of your proposal, lack of providing the required response or indicating terms will be negotiated post award will result in a zero (0) score for the Master Agreement evaluation criteria in RFP Section 2.1.1.

SECTION 4

Appendix E - Minimum Eligibility Requirements

Respondent's Organization Name: ________________________________________________

INSTRUCTIONS: Respondents shall ensure that all information required herein is submitted with the response. All information provided should be verified by documentation requested by the University. Failure to provide all information, inaccuracy or misstatement may be sufficient cause for rejection of the response or rescission of an award. Respondents are encouraged to provide any additional information describing operational abilities.

Minimum Eligibility Requirement Question(s)

Please provide supporting documentation to demonstrate you meet the minimum qualifications. Failing to provide evidence will result in disqualification.

The Respondent must demonstrate that the proposed solution is fully developed, currently available, and ready for deployment at the time of proposal submission. Solutions that require substantial new development or rely on incomplete, beta stage, or future roadmap functionality will not be considered.

To meet this requirement, the Respondent must affirmatively demonstrate the following within their proposal:

Currently Built Solution

The proposed solution must exist as a production-ready offering and must be a commercially available, fully developed product.

Core functionality required by this RFP must already exist in the Respondent's production solution at the time of submission.

Required Demonstration:

A statement confirming the solution is production ready and generally available.

All core features required to meet the RFP scope provided in RFP Section 1.1.4 and Appendices H and I must be fully developed and operational today.

Live demo access or screenshots of the currently deployed system

Product documentation reflecting current features

Deployability

The solution must be deployable with standard implementation and configuration only. Custom development, beta modules, or incomplete features may not be required to deliver baseline functionality.

Non-Responsive Examples:

Solutions requiring substantial new development

Beta or prototype features

Functionality listed only on a future roadmap

Conceptual or not-yet-built functionality

No Dependence on Future Releases

Respondents may not propose functionality that depends on:

Future product releases

Features currently in design or development

Enhancements planned for future roadmaps

Beta, pilot, or "early access" features

Any reliance on such features automatically renders the proposal non-responsive.

Product Information Must Be Publicly Available

The Respondent's proposed solution must be an established product with publicly accessible product information on the Respondent's official website, including:

Product name and description

Key features and capabilities

Overview of use cases or industries served

Evidence that the product is marketed as a fully available offering

Solutions that do not appear as recognized, available products on the Respondent's public website may be deemed non-responsive.

Required Demonstration:

URL(s) linking directly to the product page(s)

Publicly viewable product brochures, datasheets, or feature descriptions

Demonstrated Deployments in Higher Education and/or Government

To ensure maturity and applicability of the solution, the Respondent must demonstrate successful deployments of the proposed solution within:

Higher education institutions, and/or

Government agencies (local, state, or federal)

Required Demonstration:

A list of higher education or government clients currently using the proposed solution

Brief descriptions of project scope for at least two (2) such deployments

Contact information for client references (where permissible)

Solutions with no documented higher education or government deployments may be deemed non-responsive.

Required Documentation Summary

To meet this eligibility requirement, Respondents must include as a response to Appendix E:

Affirmation of production ready status

Evidence of deploy ability without new development

URLs to the product information website

Descriptions of higher education/government deployments

Access to a demo or screenshots of the current solution

Confirmation that no required functionality is dependent on future releases

Failure to provide any of the above will result in disqualification.

Appendix F - Evaluation Question(s) - Organization, Qualifications and Experience

INSTRUCTIONS: Respondents shall ensure that all information required herein is submitted with the response. All information provided should be verifiable by documentation requested by the University. Failure to provide all information, inaccuracy or misstatement may be sufficient cause for rejection of the response or rescission of an award. Respondents are encouraged to provide any additional information describing operational abilities.

Evaluation Question(s)

Provide a statement describing your company to include name, number of employees, locations, number of years in business, number of years offering/supporting the proposed solution, and any and all acquisitions or mergers in the last five years. Is the company publicly or privately held?

If subcontractors are to be used, provide a list that specifies the name, address, phone number, contact person, and a brief description of the subcontractors' organizational capacity and qualifications.

Please provide information about contract cancellations or non-renewals your company has experienced over the last three years.

Describe your experience offering a solution for the business requirements identified in this document within higher education. Provide a client list that includes any and all higher education clients.

Provide a statement that explains why your company would be most qualified to provide products and services to the University of Maine System and Maine Community College System. What differentiates you from your competitors? In the response the Respondent must demonstrate that they are a recognized leader in the services and/or products covered in this document.

Financial Stability

No financial statements are required to be submitted with your responses, however, prior to an award the University may request audited financial statements from your company, credit reports and letters from your bank and suppliers.

REFERENCE INSTRUCTIONS: Provide a minimum of three (3) current professional references who may be contacted for verification of the Respondent's professional qualifications to meet the requirements set forth herein. We strongly prefer references from higher education institutions similar in size and requirements to the University of Maine System, including those with multi-campus integrated solutions.

We request that the references include one long-standing customer (minimum of 3 year engagement) and one new customer (one who has been engaged with Respondent for less than one year).

Appendix G - Evaluation Question(s) -Implementation, Training, Support and Reporting

Evaluation Question(s) - Implementation Questions

Implementation Strategy & Services

Describe your recommended implementation strategy, consulting services, and professional support.

Timeline & Planning

Provide a standard implementation timeline from kickoff to "go live."

Include a sample project plan with key tasks and milestones.

Team Composition & Staffing

Describe the skill set needed for staff managing configuration and post-launch support.

Fast-Track Options

Indicate whether fast-track implementation is available and describe the options.

Evaluation Question(s) - Training Questions

Training During Implementation

Describe standard training provided during implementation.

Ongoing Training

Outline ongoing training options for functional and technical users.

Training Methods

List available training formats (e.g., on-site, online instructor-led, self-help, documentation).

Evaluation Question(s) - Support Questions

Documentation & Help Systems

Describe available documentation and help resources, especially for IT staff.

Customer Portal & Knowledge Base

Explain portal access for issue reporting and knowledge base availability.

Issue Management

Describe your incident/request/problem management process, including submission, response, and resolution timelines.

Emergency Response

Outline your process for handling emergencies (e.g., system outages).

Account Management

Explain ongoing client engagement, including account manager assignment and their expertise.

Describe the relationship between account management, support, and product development.

Post-Implementation Issue Resolution

Describe your process for addressing functionality gaps after implementation.

System Performance Monitoring

Explain how you monitor system performance and whether dashboards are provided.

Service Level Agreements (SLAs)

Provide a sample SLA and describe actions taken if SLA terms are missed.

Indicate whether subscription fee credits apply for SLA lapses.

Client Support Expectations

Outline the level of support expected from the University, including installation, troubleshooting, and administration responsibilities.

Notifications & Alerts

Explain how clients are notified of bugs, issues, security updates, and patches.

Evaluation Question(s) - Reporting Questions

Delivered Reports

Describe standard reports included and their most common uses.

Provide examples/screenshots.

Indicate whether reports are customizable and by whom (end users vs. IT).

List skills needed to modify reports.

Ad-Hoc & Custom Reporting

Describe how users can generate custom reports.

List required skill sets.

Explain how external data can be incorporated.

Describe querying capabilities for SaaS/hosted solutions.

Data Export & Integration

Describe methods for exporting data.

List supported export formats (e.g., CSV, Excel, XML).

Identify compatible systems/tools and level of integration.

Reporting Security

Confirm whether report visibility aligns with system security permissions

Appendix H - Solution Requirements Matrix

All responses to the questions will reflect what is offered as part of the Respondent's proposed solution. Respondents MUST indicate if the solution offered meets the requirement stated by entering "Yes", "No" or "Partial".

YES - This response indicates the Respondents' solution includes the requirement.

PARTIAL - This response indicates the Respondents' solution meets the requirement partially.

NO - This response indicates the Respondents' solution does NOT include the business functionality noted in the requirement.

If you answer "Partial" or "No" please provide the clarification in the Explanation column for what can be done to meet the requirement. You must indicate whether the enhancement is included in the cost for the solution provided in the Appendix C - Cost Exhibits or if it is an additional cost. If there is an additional cost please include it in Cost Exhibit 1 - Table 3 with a reference back to this requirement. Also we are asking that you provide an approximate timeline for completing the work.

Your submission of this form must include an MS Excel Version of this document for ease of evaluation. For a copy of the excel version of Appendix H contact the Proposal Contact identified on the cover page of this document.

Appendix I - Evaluation - Compliance Requirements (Accessibility & Information Security) Requirements (Updated 03/17/2022)

Respondent's Organization Name: ______________________________________________

The University is required by policy and law to procure Information Technology products, services and materials, such as software, hardware, web services, media assets, etc., that provide substantially equivalent opportunity, access and ease of use to persons with disabilities and that protect University data.

All responses to the questions will reflect what is offered as part of the Respondent's proposed solution. Respondents MUST indicate if the product or service requires modification, additional costs, products or services, or if any other accommodation would be necessary to meet a requirement.

Evaluation Question(s) - Information Security and Accessibility Standards Compliance

The University requires all respondents to complete the Educause-created Higher Education Community Vendor Assessment Tool (HECVAT) if any of the following are true:

Your solution is cloud-based, Software as a Service (SaaS) or hosted on any system that is not operated by the University of Maine System

Your solution involves any sensitive data transmitted, stored, processed, or accessed by the bidder or a contractor of the bidder (including consultants)

The solution includes any human interface(s), such as an end-user device software component, web site or page, video or audio playback, file upload, mobile device apps, etc., or produces, includes or relies on electronic materials such as documents, PDFs, email, etc.

The.

When completing the HECVAT, the HECVAT Full must be completed (and not the HECVAT Lite) when any of the following conditions apply:

The solution includes providing consulting services.

The data transmitted, stored, processed or accessed includes protected health information (PHI) or any data covered by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA),

The solution involves processing credit or debit card payment transactions.

The HECVAT submitted must be a HECVAT version 3.0 or higher even if you have previously completed an earlier version.

The completed HECVAT must be submitted electronically in the original Excel file format.

Provide a SOC 2 report for the solutions proposed.

Please describe the solution's breach notification process, data retention/destruction policy, and SSO/MFA capabilities.

To ensure equal opportunity for persons with disabilities, if the solution includes an end-user device software component, web site or page, video or audio playback, file upload, mobile device apps, etc., or produces, includes or relies on electronic materials such as documents, PDFs, email, etc., then provide a full completed Accessibility Conformance Report based on the , version 2.4 or newer (either "VPAT 2.4 REV WCAG" or "VPAT 2.4 REV 508"). All VPAT sections, except "Instructions" must be present and completed, such as date of assessment, contact name, methods used, etc. The completed VPAT must be machine readable, e.g., scanned copies, or a link to an online VPAT, are not acceptable.

If the solution involves processing credit or debit card payment transactions, provide your latest attestation of compliance (AoC) or Report on Compliance (RoC), and answer these questions:

Do you intend to use your merchant account, or a University merchant account?

Does your proposed solution provide for e-commerce and if so, is a shopping cart functionality hosted on a University website, your website, or a third party website?

Does your proposed solution provide for card-present or card-not-present transactions and if so describe the methods and include a statement as to whether you include options that support P2PE-HW?

Include a statement that notes your acceptance to the conditions stated in University of Maine System, Master Agreement, Rider C. Standards for Safeguarding Information, as part of the agreement.

The University relies on the digital accessibility standards contained in and of the US Federal Rehabilitation Act.

Appendix J - Evaluation Question(s) - Information Technology (Updated 8/14/2018)

Respondent's Organization Name: ______________________________________________

All responses to the questions will reflect what is offered as part of the Respondent's proposed solution. Respondents MUST indicate if the product or service requires modification, additional costs, products or services, or if any other accommodation would be necessary to meet a requirement.

Evaluation Question(s) - General Technical

Please describe your offering as a Service (SaaS)/hosted, and/or University onsite deployment environments.

If onsite, detail the hardware, core product software, storage, and database requirements of each environment.

Define server requirements and provide specifications (including recommended operating systems, web server software, etc.)

Define the minimum desktop workstation hardware and software requirements mandated by the proposed solution.

Describe details of network communications required between the web server, app server, database server, and any other required servers.

If SaaS/hosted, list normal scheduled downtime frequency, standard day/time slots, etc.

Describe deployment instances of the environment, such as test, development and production. Are all of the instances available to the UMS? If yes, detail the types of instances and how access to these instances would be provided.

Identify which components of your products or services are provided by third-party technology partners. This includes OEM software, hosting, internal application network, etc.

Describe the underlying technologies for the component(s).

Provide the third-party technology partner(s) name(s), address(es) and contact(s).

Explain additional costs or fees associated with the components.

Describe practices and policies related to data stored by this solution.

Clarify the data ownership rights and responsibilities of the parties and provisions for the University obtaining the data as needed even if the contract is terminated.

Indicate types of data stored especially if any data is protected (HIPAA, FERPA, etc.).

Indicate how long data is stored or archived.

Describe the technology, practices and policies you have in place that would protect the UMS data from unauthorized access and use.

Describe your practice of ensuring that University data remain in U.S.-based environments unless written approval is granted.

If your solution is SaaS/hosted, provide a description of your business continuity management practice.

If the software is deployed in multiple sites (data centers), how often is data synchronized between the data centers?

Describe your strategies for minimizing downtime in the event of a catastrophic failure of the hosting environment(s) or components.

Would the UMS experience any loss of data as a result of downtime, system problems or catastrophic failure? If so, describe the situations that could result in loss of UMS data.

How much downtime should we expect for a catastrophic failure?

Provide a description of your change management practice for all hardware and software components.

How often is the software updated and releases made available?

How are we notified?

Are updates and upgrades opt-in or mandatory?

What provisions do you have for managing customization requested by the UMS?

How are the updates accomplished?

How do you ensure that the system functionality is sufficiently tested before changes go into production?

What are the UMS options, roles and responsibilities for reviewing and approving changes?

Provide detailed information regarding browser requirements for the software proposed to meet the functionality and system requirements of this RFP, including any specific required versions and/or add-ins.

Describe the mobile capabilities available with the proposed solution.

Indicate supported mobile platforms.

Describe implementation of mobile capabilities (i.e. mobile-enabled, apps, etc.)

Explain how and when mobile updates are provided.

While importing data from the UMS sources, does your company provide full data hygiene, including comparing several data sources, and removal of duplicate records.

Does your solution provide data exports for upload to the UMS systems? If so, please describe the types of information exported and the process employed.

Does your solution have the ability to automate data importing and exporting?

Does this solution come with a comprehensive data dictionary of the database?

Describe the ability to add fields and tables to the database for University needs.

Do you plan to offer a solution to integrate with an Identity Management System?

If so, describe how you deliver this solution.

Does your solution offer capabilities to use CAS or Shibboleth for Single Sign-On (SSO)? If not, then what do you offer?

Describe your SSO implementation requirements.

Do you deliver an API that would allow for the remote management of user authorization data? If so, describe how you deliver this solution.

Describe the ongoing functions to be performed by the University systems administrator and applications administrator?

What is the maximum number of concurrent users logged in simultaneously your system can support? Describe how your system defines concurrent users.

Evaluation Question(s) - Technology Implementation Questions

What release/version are you proposing for the University of Maine System and when is the next release/version due out?

Explain how patches or updates released during implementation would be handled. Describe the change management process.

Please provide a roadmap of your hardware/software solutions that reflects their present states as well as future states for at least the next 18 months.

Technical Interface Data Exchange Requirements

The following provides the interface data exchange requirements for the Respondent's solution.

Transfer of data will ONLY be accomplished using secure methods such as, but not limited to HTTPS, SCP, SFTP. Proposers must provide secure file transfer solutions and may recommend alternative processes if they would be beneficial to the UMS. Any alternatives must be described in detail and are subject to the UMS's approval. For all proposed methods of transmission, the Proposers must provide the technical requirements for establishing each method and processing transactions, a detailed description of security and authorization processes and requirements, including forms, delegation options, encryption or authentication requirements, and devices or digital certificates, alternatives available if a standard transmission method should fail, and disclose any software limitations on file sizes or numbers of records in a batch.

UMS prefers that whenever possible data is encrypted via PGP/GPG at rest and only decrypted when needed during processing.

All responses to the requirements should reflect delivered, or out-of-the-box, functionality. Respondents MUST indicate if system modification, additional products or Respondent's, costs or if any other accommodation would be necessary to meet a requirement.

Evaluation Question(s) - Technical Interface Data Exchange

Please indicate your acceptance and compliance with the high-level Interface Data Exchange Requirements outlined above, including your understanding that the Interface Data Exchange may require additional requirements definition and that your proposed solution considers this task and the resulting work in-scope. Indicate any areas of noncompliance or other concerns with these requirements.

Detail what security protections for the Interface Data Exchange are afforded by the solution proposed?

Does your solution support needs for sharing and linking data with other applications and databases?

Although not a requirement of this proposed solution, is there an existing interface with PeopleSoft, or would a custom interface need to be developed?

Does your solution allow easy integration with other applications including desktop tools, for example, Microsoft Office Professional Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access Dataset)?

Does your system provide for auto/mass load of new records (including ID records), matching on IDs where necessary (non-ID records) to obtain data from external sources? Users MUST be able to perform the load, preview it online, and set additional rules before committing it to the database. It is preferable that a wizard or other user aid be available for this purpose. Some "uploads" may be updating existing records.