RFP #8-STREAM-1126 STREAM Maintenance, Support, and? Infrastructure Services

T E X A S
Request for Proposal
RFP #8-STREAM-1126
STREAM Support, Maintenance,
and Infrastructure Services
Purchasing Department
2115 West Pike Blvd
Weslaco, TX 78596
solicitations@ideapublicschools.org
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Contents
PART I - CURRENT CONDITIONS/BACKGROUND .......................................................................................................... 4
PART II - SCOPE AND SPECIFICATIONS OF THE PROPOSAL ........................................................................................... 5
Performance Requirements: ....................................................................................................................................... 13
Contract Term: ............................................................................................................................................................ 13
Insurance Requirements: ............................................................................................................................................ 14
PART III - PROPOSAL SUBMISSION & REQUIREMENTS ............................................................................................... 15
PART IV - EVALUATION CRITERIA ............................................................................................................................... 16
PART V - GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT........................................................................ 18
PART VI - SUPPLEMENTAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS ................................................................................................. 22
PART VII - REQUIRED ATTACHMENTS ........................................................................................................................ 24
Attachment A - Title Page .......................................................................................................................................... 24
Attachment B - Vendor Acknowledgement ............................................................................................................... 25
Attachment C - Evidence of Insurance ....................................................................................................................... 26
Attachment D - IDEA Conflict of Interest Form .......................................................................................................... 27
Attachment E - Texas Ethics Commission Form CIQ .................................................................................................. 28
Attachment F - Felony Conviction Disclosure Statement ........................................................................................... 30
Attachment G - Certification Regarding Lobbying ..................................................................................................... 31
Attachment H - Contract Provisions for Contracts Involving Federal Funds .............................................................. 32
Attachment H - Contract Provisions for Contracts Involving Federal Funds (cont'd) ................................................ 33
Attachment H - Contract Provisions for Contracts Involving Federal Funds (cont'd) ................................................ 34
Attachment I - Reference Sheet ................................................................................................................................. 35
Attachment J - Litigation, Terminations, Claims......................................................................................................... 36
Attachment K - Proposed Pricing ............................................................................................................................... 37
Attachment L - IRS Form W-9 ..................................................................................................................................... 38
Attachment M - Deviations and Exceptions ............................................................................................................... 39
Attachment N - Certification Regarding Drug-Free Workplace .................................................................................. 40
Attachment O - Child Support Certification ............................................................................................................... 41
Part VIII: APPENDICES ................................................................................................................................................. 42
Appendix A: Software Information ............................................................................................................................. 43
Appendix B: RFP Completion Checklist ....................................................................................................................... 44
Part IX: ADDENDA ....................................................................................................................................................... 45
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Procurement Specialist: Felicia Black Email: solicitations@ideapublicschools.org
Purpose of Request for Proposal (RFP): This Request for Proposal ("RFP") is seeking qualified vendors to
provide comprehensive application support, maintenance, development, and infrastructure services for IDEA
Public Schools' STREAM platform. STREAM is a mission-critical system that supports student enrollment,
registration, re-registration, lottery processes, and related enrollment documentation for new and returning
IDEA students in Texas.
The selected vendor will be responsible for maintaining the availability, reliability, security, performance, and
operational continuity of the STREAM platform. Services will include, but are not limited to, ongoing application
maintenance and updates; incident response, troubleshooting, and root cause analysis; lottery support; new
school year launch support; re-registration preparation and support; application development and developer
support; and specialized technical support.
The scope also includes ongoing support and maintenance of the underlying STREAM infrastructure, including,
but not limited to, web servers, database servers, object storage, monitoring and logging tools, version control,
deployment tools and services, backup services and tools, DevOps dependency management, DevOps security
management, and related infrastructure components.
Because STREAM supports IDEA's enrollment and registration processes, system availability, data integrity, timely
issue resolution, and business continuity are critical to IDEA's operations and its ability to maintain required
student enrollment records and documentation.
STREAM is an existing application currently supported within IDEA's operational environment. The current
application technology stack includes Elixir, Phoenix, React, and PostgreSQL.
Timeline:
All dates and times are tentative and subject to change.
First Advertisement Date/Issue Date: Wednesday, September 9, 2026
Second Advertisement Date: Wednesday, September 16, 2026
Pre-Proposal Meeting: Friday, September 18, 2026, 10:30 AM CST
Respondent Question Cut-Off Date: Tuesday, September 22, 2026, NO Later than 3:00 PM CST
Questions Response from IDEA: Tuesday, September 29, 2026
Proposals Due by Date & Time: Tuesday, October 13, 2026, NO Later than 2:00 PM CST
Anticipated Evaluation Period: Monday, October 19, 2026 - Friday, October 23, 2026
Anticipated Board Meeting & Approval: November 2026
Initial Proposed Contract Term: January 1, 2027-June 30, 2027
Renewal option #1: July 1, 2027-June 30, 2028
Renewal option #2: July 1, 2028-June 30, 2029
Renewal option #3: July 1, 2029-June 30, 2030
Renewal option #4: July 1, 2030-June 30, 2031
A virtual pre-proposal meeting will be held at 10:30 AM CST via TEAMS video conference on Friday,
Pre-Proposal September 18, 2026. Questions regarding this RFP must be submitted in writing to
solicitations@ideapublicschools.org no later than 3:00 PM CST on Tuesday, September 22, 2026.
Conference
Respondents are responsible for reviewing questions and answers prior to submitting a proposal. Oral
communications regarding this RFP shall not be binding and shall in no way excuse a Respondent of the
obligations set forth in this proposal. While the pre-proposal meeting is non-mandatory, it is highly
encouraged that all potential respondents participate and attend.
Join TEAMS Meeting: Microsoft Teams Meeting
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Meeting ID: _286 226 756 434 673
Passcode: gR7Y752h
Proposal Submission: Proposals may be submitted using the Public Purchase or Self-Service website, or by
sending One (1) clearly identified hard copy ORIGINAL of the Proposal to:
IDEA Public Schools
RFP #8-STREAM-1126
Attn: Purchasing Department- STREAM Support, Maintenance, and Infrastructure Services
2115 West Pike Blvd
Weslaco, TX 78596
Proposals MUST be received by IDEA by the specified due date and time outlined in the timeline. Each
proposal MUST be sealed and marked with the relevant information; failure to do so may result in the
proposal not being considered. Please ensure that all submissions are received by IDEA by the designated
due date and time.
Note: Faxed or emailed Proposals will not be accepted. Acceptance Period is 120 days from the date of the
proposal submission deadline unless otherwise stated in writing.
Funding Type: IDEA will utilize state funds to finance any purchases of goods and/or services through the
contract(s) awarded to the successful Vendor(s) through this RFP, including any purchase orders issued under
said contract(s).
Eligible Respondents: Respondents must not be debarred or suspended by federal or state-funded agencies
and must have the legal authority to transact business in Texas. Additionally, respondents must affirmatively
demonstrate responsibility and good standing, which may be considered as part of the performance evaluation
criteria.
Respondents may withdraw their proposals in writing at any time prior to the submission deadline, without
penalty or prejudice.
PART I - CURRENT CONDITIONS/BACKGROUND
Introduction: IDEA Public Schools ("IDEA") is a Texas non-profit corporation and a tax-exempt
organization pursuant to Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Pursuant to Chapter 12,
Subchapter D of the Texas Education Code and its Contract for Charter with the Texas State Board of
Education, as renewed by the Commissioner of Education, IDEA is an open-enrollment charter holder,
governmental entity, and public school system. IDEA transforms education by preparing graduates to
succeed in college and life. IDEA is a growing network of high-performing charter schools serving
students located throughout Texas in the Austin, El Paso, Houston, Permian Basin, Rio Grande Valley,
San Antonio, and Tarrant County regions.
IDEA serves primarily low-income students in underserved areas of both rural and urban communities.
Over 80% of IDEA students are considered low-income and one of every three students is the first in
their family to go to college. Since the first graduating class in 2007, nearly 100% of seniors have been
accepted and matriculated to a college or university every year. Thanks to a rigorous path to college,
IDEA students attend selective universities throughout the country, win national awards and
scholarships, and complete college at a rate six times the national average for low-income students.
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Note: While IDEA's program, curriculum, and mission has been replicated to serve students in other
states, this Request for Proposals and any subsequent contract is only for goods and services provided
to IDEA's Texas based charter school and campuses.
Project Background:
STREAM is IDEA Public Schools' mission-critical enrollment management platform supporting student
applications, lottery administration, enrollment processing, registration, and annual re-registration activities for
the Texas region. Continuous and reliable operation of STREAM is essential to IDEA's student enrollment
functions and its ability to maintain required Texas Education Agency (TEA) reporting, records, and
documentation.
Project Vision:
IDEA Public Schools seeks a qualified contractor to provide comprehensive application support, maintenance,
infrastructure management, development, and specialized technical services necessary to ensure availability,
reliability, security, performance, and continued enhancement of STREAM.
Services will support the ongoing operation of STREAM throughout the year, including critical enrollment
periods such as lottery administration, re-registration, and new school year launch activities.
Respondents should ensure their proposals address all technical, service, and pricing requirements outlined in
this RFP and clearly demonstrate their ability to provide the required services effectively, reliably, and within
the proposed budget.
Current Technical Environment:
STREAM is an existing application currently supported within IDEA's operational environment. The current
application technology stack includes Elixir, Phoenix, React, and PostgreSQL.
PART II - SCOPE AND SPECIFICATIONS OF THE PROPOSAL
IDEA Public Schools ("IDEA") is seeking qualified contractor(s) to provide comprehensive application support,
maintenance, development, and infrastructure services for IDEA's STREAM platform. STREAM is a mission-
critical system that supports student applications, enrollment, registration, re-registration, lottery
administration, and related enrollment documentation for new and returning IDEA students in Texas.
The selected Contractor shall provide ongoing operational, technical, application, development, and
infrastructure support necessary to maintain the availability, reliability, security, and performance of STREAM;
support IDEA's annual enrollment cycles and other critical operational periods; and facilitate the continued
maintenance and enhancement of the platform.
STREAM is an existing application and technology environment. Respondents shall demonstrate experience
supporting comparable application environments, including applications originally developed or maintained by
third parties. Respondents shall describe their proposed approach for assuming responsibility for the existing
STREAM environment, including processes for obtaining, reviewing, validating, documenting, and supporting
existing source code, system architecture, databases, integrations, infrastructure, and related technical
components.
Respondents shall consider STREAM's existing technology environment when developing their proposed
approach to application support, maintenance, development, troubleshooting, enhancements, infrastructure
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management, and transition. Proposals should clearly identify the resources, processes, tools, and
methodologies the Respondent proposes to use to successfully perform the required services.
Services shall include all labor, supervision, project management, technical resources, support personnel, tools,
and other services necessary to successfully perform the requirements of this RFP and shall be limited to
services supporting IDEA Public Schools' Texas operations.
Although STREAM may support enrollment-related activities in multiple IDEA operating regions, this solicitation
and any resulting contract are limited to services supporting IDEA Public Schools' Texas operations.
Incumbent Provider: No preference shall be given to the incumbent provider. Respondents will be evaluated
based on their demonstrated qualifications, relevant experience, proposed approach, and capability to
successfully transition, support, maintain, and enhance the existing STREAM environment in accordance with
the requirements of this RFP.
Minimum Qualifications (Mandatory Requirements):
Respondents must meet the following minimum qualifications to be considered for evaluation:
* Minimum three (3) years of experience providing enterprise application support and maintenance
services.
* Demonstrated experience supporting mission-critical business systems, student information systems,
enrollment systems, customer relationship management (CRM) platforms, or similar applications.
* Demonstrated experience providing infrastructure management and support services.
* Experience providing application development, troubleshooting, or enhancement services.
* Ability to provide support services for Texas-based operations.
* Must be legally authorized to conduct business in the State of Texas.
* Must not be debarred or suspended from participation in government-funded programs.
* Must provide a minimum of three (3) references for comparable engagements.
Respondents shall provide:
* Organization history
* Number of employees
* Years in business
* Most recent audited financial statement or alternative evidence of financial stability
Failure to meet these requirements may result in disqualification.
Section 1: Application Support and Maintenance Services
The Contractor shall provide comprehensive support and maintenance services for STREAM.
Services shall include, at a minimum:
1.1 Incident Management and Help Desk Support
The Contractor shall:
* Receive and track support requests.
* Classify incidents according to severity and business impact.
* Provide issue resolution and escalation management.
* Maintain a documented ticketing process.
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* Communicate issue status through final resolution.

1.2 Corrective Maintenance
The Contractor shall:
* Diagnose and resolve software defects.
* Correct system errors.
* Implement software patches and updates.
* Address performance and functionality issues.
* Restore services following system interruptions.
1.3 Preventative Maintenance
The Contractor shall:
* Perform routine system reviews.
* Monitor system health and performance.
* Identify and mitigate potential issues before they affect operations.
* Apply maintenance updates necessary to maintain platform stability.
1.4 Root Cause Analysis
For major incidents or outages, the Contractor shall:
* Investigate the underlying cause.
* Identify contributing factors.
* Document corrective actions.
* Recommend preventive measures to avoid recurrence.
Required Deliverables
* Incident logs
* Service request tracking reports
* Root cause analysis reports
* Maintenance and patch documentation
* Monthly support reports
Section 2: Enrollment Cycle Support
Because STREAM supports IDEA's enrollment operations, the Contractor shall provide dedicated support during
critical enrollment events.
2.1 Lottery Support
Services shall include:
* Technical readiness reviews.
* Support during lottery processing events.
* Real-time monitoring during lottery activities.
* Technical troubleshooting and incident response.
2.2 Application Cycle Support
The Contractor shall:
* Support annual student application cycles.
* Validate application workflows and functionality.
* Monitor system performance during peak usage periods.
2.3 Re-Registration Support
The Contractor shall:
* Support annual re-registration activities.
* Verify system readiness.
* Provide enhanced monitoring during registPraatgieo 7n opf e47riods.

* Respond rapidly to issues impacting registration operations.
2.4 Registration Support
The Contractor shall:
* Support annual registration activities.
* Verify system readiness.
* Provide enhanced monitoring during registration periods.
* Respond rapidly to issues impacting registration operations.
Section 3: Application Development and Enhancement Services
The Contractor shall provide development support necessary to maintain and improve the STREAM platform.
3.1 Application Troubleshooting
The Contractor shall perform:
* Code-level troubleshooting.
* Diagnostic investigations.
* Functional issue resolution.
* Performance optimization activities.
3.2 System Enhancements
The Contractor shall:
* Develop approved enhancements.
* Implement approved modifications.
* Support workflow improvements.
* Perform configuration updates.
3.3 Change Management
The Contractor shall maintain formal procedures for:
* Version control.
* Testing.
* Deployment management.
* Release management.
* Documentation of changes.
3.4 Source Code and Documentation Management
Contractor shall:
* Maintain source code in IDEA-approved repository.
* Grant IDEA administrative access to repositories.
* Provide current technical documentation.
* Maintain deployment documentation.
* Transfer all artifacts upon request or termination.
3.5 Module Management
The contractor shall:
* Service and maintain at minimum the following current modules:
1. Leads module
2. Applications module
3. Offer management module (lotteryP)a ge 8 of 47

4. Form Builder
5. Events module
6. Communications module
* As needed, design and create any additional modules.
* As needed, update or phase out any current or future modules
Section 4: Infrastructure Support Services
The Contractor shall provide support and maintenance for all infrastructure components supporting STREAM.
Infrastructure services shall include, but are not limited to:
4.1 Server Administration
* Application servers
* Web servers
* Performance monitoring
* Capacity planning
* Server maintenance
4.2 Database Administration
* Database monitoring
* Backup management
* Performance tuning
* Database maintenance
* Recovery support
4.3 Storage Management
* Object storage support
* Data management
* Retention management
* Backup administration
4.4 Monitoring and Logging
The Contractor shall maintain monitoring of:
* Application availability
* Infrastructure performance
* System health
* Logs and events
* Critical alerts
Required Deliverables
* Monthly infrastructure reports
* Capacity reports
* Backup verification reports
* Monitoring summaries
* Availability reports
Hosting and infrastructure services shall include management of existing environments. Respondents shall clearly
identify any assumptions regarding cloud hosting, infrastructure costs, software licensing, third-party
subscriptions, or services not included in their proposed pricing.
Section 5: Security and Compliance Requirements Page 9 of 47

The Contractor shall implement and maintain security measures designed to protect IDEA systems and data.
5.1 Security Monitoring
The Contractor shall:
* Monitor security-related events.
* Identify vulnerabilities.
* Support remediation activities.
* Investigate security incidents.
5.2 User Access Administration
The Contractor shall:
* Support user account management.
* Maintain role-based access controls.
* Support account provisioning and deprovisioning.
5.3 Data Protection
The Contractor shall:
* Protect confidential student information.
* Protect enrollment-related data.
* Utilize industry-standard security practices.
* Prevent unauthorized access to system data.
5.4 Compliance Support
The Contractor shall support compliance with:
* FERPA
* Applicable Texas Education Agency requirements
* Applicable state regulations
* Applicable federal regulations
* IDEA information security requirements
Required Deliverables
* Security incident reports
* Security monitoring reports
* Vulnerability remediation reports
* Access management records
* Compliance-related documentation
Section 6: Risk Management and Business Continuity
The Contractor shall maintain processes designed to reduce operational risk and support service continuity.
6.1 Risk Management
The Contractor shall:
* Identify operational risks.
* Identify infrastructure risks.
* Identify application risks.
* Recommend mitigation strategies.
6.2 Business Continuity Support
The Contractor shall:
* Support disaster recovery efforts. Page 10 of 47