Secondary School Counseling Support

1.10 ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION OF PROPOSALS: Knox County's Procurement Division will not accept
electronically transmitted proposals. Facsimile and email submission is strictly prohibited. Due to the nature of the
information requested, all submissions shall be in written format.
1.11 HOW TO DO BUSINESS: Knox County utilizes a web-based Procurement software system, "KnoxBuys." The
system provides our clients (vendors, county departments and the citizens of Knox County) with a more enhanced
and end-user friendly means of accessing our services. The system allows for on-line vendor registration and
maintenance, electronic receipt of purchase orders, on-line retrieval and submittal of quotes, bids and proposals
for our vendor-clients and on-line requisitioning and receiving for our county departments. In order for the County
to maximize its investment and minimize the cost associated with office operations, we need your help. When
doing business with Knox County, we are urging you to please go to our website at
www.knoxcounty.org/procurement, register as a vendor in our on-line Procurement system, "KnoxBuys," if you
have not done so and whenever possible to conduct your business with the County through this site. If you have
any questions, please contact the Procurement Division Representative listed in Section 1.1 of this document.
1.12 INCURRED COSTS: Knox County will not be responsible for any costs incurred by the proposer in the
preparation of their proposal.
1.13 MULTIPLE PROPOSALS: Knox County will consider multiple proposals that meet specifications.
1.14 NON-COLLUSION: Proposers, by submitting a signed proposal, certify that the accompanying proposal is not the
result of, or affected by, any unlawful act of collusion with any other person or company engaged in the same line
of business or commerce, or any other fraudulent act punishable under Tennessee or United States law.
1.15 PAYMENT METHOD: Knox County will utilize a Purchase Order for placing an order for products and/or services.
Purchase Orders will be issued from the Knox County Procurement Division via the method selected by the
vendor during registration. The Purchase Order will detail the quantity, specific item(s) and the contracted price
for each item. Work on this project must not commence until a signed Purchase Order is issued by Knox County
Procurement.
1.16 POSSESSION OF WEAPONS: All vendors, their employees and their agents are prohibited from possessing any
weapons on Knox County property without prior written consent from the County. In the case of a vendor whose
Contract requires possession of firearms or other weapons to successfully complete their Contract, vendor must
provide personnel who are bonded to bear said weaponry.
1.17 PROCESSING TIME FOR PAYMENT: Vendors are advised that a minimum of thirty (30) days is required to
process invoices for payment.
1.18 PROOF OF FINANCIAL AND BUSINESS CAPABILITY: Vendors must, upon request, furnish satisfactory
evidence of their ability to fulfill all obligations of this Contract in accordance with the terms and conditions of
these specifications. Knox County will make the final determination as to the vendor's ability.
1.19 PROPOSAL DELIVERY: Knox County requires proposers, when hand delivering proposals, to time and date
stamp the envelope before depositing it in the bid box. Knox County will not be responsible for any lost or
misdirected mail sent by common carrier, nor will Knox County be responsible for proposals delivered to
addresses or Suites other than the delivery address and Suite specified at the top of this solicitation. The time
clock in the Procurement Division shall serve as the official record of time.
Solicitations must be in a sealed envelope/box prior to entering the Procurement Division office.
Procurement Division personnel are not allowed to see the submittal nor assist in placing documents in
an envelope/box. Additionally, the Procurement Division is not responsible for providing materials (e.g.
envelopes, boxes, tape) for submittals.
1.20 RECYCLING: Knox County, in its continuing efforts to lessen the amount of landfill waste and to further recycling
efforts, requests that proposals being submitted on paper shall:
1.20.1 Be submitted on recycled paper;
1.20.2 Not include pages of unnecessary advertising.
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1.21 RESTRICTIVE OR AMBIGUOUS SPECIFICATIONS: It is the responsibility of the prospective proposer to review
the entire Request for Proposal packet and to notify the Procurement Division if the specifications are formulated
in a manner that would unnecessarily restrict competition. Any such protest or question regarding the
specifications or proposing procedures must be received in the Procurement Division by 4:30 p.m. local time on
April 30, 2026. These requirements also apply to specifications that are ambiguous.
1.22 SIGNING OF PROPOSALS: In order to be considered, all proposals must be signed. Please sign the original in
blue ink. By submitting a signed letter authorizing the submission of the proposal, the vendor acknowledges and
accepts the terms and conditions stated in the proposal document.
1.23 TAXES: Knox County purchases are not subject to taxation. Tax exemption certificates will be provided upon
request.
1.24 TITLE VI OF THE 1964 CIVIL RIGHTS ACT AND TITLE IX OF THE EDUCATIONAL AMENDMENT OF 1972:
"Nondiscrimination in Federally Assisted Programs"-"No person in the United States shall, on the ground of race,
color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to
discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance." 42 U.S.C. Section 2000 et
seq. It is the policy of Knox County Government that all its services and activities be administered in conformance
with the requirements of Title VI and Title IX.
1.25 UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCES: During periods of closure due to unforeseen circumstances in Knox County
or closures at the direction of the Knox County Mayor, the Procurement Division will enact the following
procedures in regard to solicitations and closures:
* If the Mayor closes the Administrative offices prior to the time set for solicitation opening of any business day,
all solicitations due that same day will be moved to the next operational business day.
* Other unforeseen circumstances shall be at the sole discretion of the Procurement Director.
* Knox County shall not be liable for any commercial carrier's decision regarding deliveries during any unforeseen
circumstances.
1.26 USE OF PROPOSAL FORMS: Vendors must complete the proposal forms contained in the proposal package.
Failure to complete the proposal forms may result in proposal rejection.
1.27 VENDOR DEFAULT: Knox County reserves the right, in case of vendor default, to procure the goods or services
from other sources and hold the defaulting vendor responsible for any excess costs occasioned thereby. Should
vendor default be due to a failure to perform or because of a request for a price increase, Knox County reserves
the right to remove the vendor from the County's bidders' list for twenty-four (24) months.
1.28 VENDOR REGISTRATION: Prior to the submission deadline for this solicitation, ALL PROPOSERS MUST be
registered with the Procurement Division. If you are not already a registered vendor with Knox County, register
on-line at our website at www.knoxcounty.org/procurement and click on "Knox Buys" and then select "Online
Vendor Registration." Vendors must be registered with the Procurement Division prior to submitting their
proposal. Knox County shall not be responsible for technical difficulties experienced by vendors trying to register
electronically less than twenty-four (24) hours prior to the proposal closing time.
1.29 WAIVING OF INFORMALITIES: Knox County reserves the right to waive minor informalities or technicalities
when it is in the best interest of Knox County.
SECTION II OBLIGATIONS, RIGHTS AND REMEDIES
These terms and conditions shall be part of the Contract. Knox County reserves the right to negotiate other
terms and conditions it deems appropriate and necessary under the circumstances to protect the public's trust.
2.1 ALTERATIONS OR AMENDMENTS: No alterations, amendments, changes, modifications or additions to this
Contract shall be binding on Knox County without the prior written approval of the County.
2.2 APPROPRIATION: In the event no funds are appropriated by Knox County for the goods or services in any fiscal
year, or insufficient funds exist to purchase the goods or services, then the Contract shall expire upon the
expenditure of previously appropriated funds or the end of the current fiscal year, whichever occurs first, with no
further obligations owed to or by either party.
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2.3 ASSIGNMENT: Contractor shall not assign or subcontract this agreement, its obligations or rights hereunder to
any party, company, partnership, incorporation or person without the prior written specific consent of Knox
County.
2.4 BOOKS AND RECORDS: Contractor shall maintain all books, documents, accounting records and other
evidence pertaining to the goods and services provided under this Contract and make such materials available at
its offices at all reasonable times during the Contract period and for five (5) years from the date of the final
payment under this agreement for inspection by County or by any other governmental entity or agency
participating in the funding of this agreement, or any authorized agents thereof; copies of said records to be
furnished, if requested. Such records shall not include those books, documents and accounting records that
represent the contractor's costs of manufacturing, acquiring or delivering the products and services governed by
this agreement.
2.5 CHILD LABOR: Contractor agrees that no products or services will be provided or performed under this Contract
that have been manufactured or assembled by child labor.
2.6 COMPLIANCE WITH ALL LAWS: Contractor is assumed to be familiar with and agrees to observe and comply
with all federal, state, and local laws, statutes, ordinances, and regulations in any manner affecting the provision
of goods and/or services, and all instructions and prohibitive orders issued regarding this work and shall obtain all
necessary permits.
2.7 DEFAULT: If Contractor fails to perform or comply with any provision of this Contract or the terms or conditions of
any documents referenced and made a part hereof, Knox County may terminate this Contract, in whole or in part,
and may consider such failure or noncompliance a breach of Contract. Knox County expressly retains all its rights
and remedies provided by law in case of such breach, and no action by Knox County shall constitute a waiver of
any such rights or remedies. In the event of termination for default, Knox County reserves the right to purchase
its requirements elsewhere, with or without competitive solicitation.
2.8 GOVERNING LAW; VENUE: This agreement shall be exclusively construed, governed, and controlled by the
Laws of the State of Tennessee without regard to principles of law, including conflicts of law, of any other
jurisdiction, territory, country, and/or province. Any dispute arising out of or relating to this agreement shall
exclusively be brought in the Chancery Court or the Circuit Court of Knox County, Tennessee. Each party
consents to personal jurisdiction thereto and waives any defenses based on personal jurisdiction, venue and
inconvenient forum.
2.9 INCORPORATION: All specifications, drawings, technical information, Request for Proposal, Proposal, Award
and similar items referred to or attached or which are the basis for this Contract are deemed incorporated by
reference as if set out fully herein.
2.10 INDEMNIFICATION-HOLD HARMLESS: Contractor shall indemnify, defend, save and hold harmless Knox
County, its officers, agents and employees from all suits, claims, actions or damages of any nature brought
because of, arising out of, or due to breach of the agreement by Contractor, its subcontractors, suppliers, agents,
or employees or due to any negligent act or occurrence or any omission or commission of Contractor, its
subcontractors, suppliers, agents or employees.
2.11 INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR: Contractor shall acknowledge that it and its employees serve as independent
contractors and that Knox County shall not be responsible for any payment, insurance or incurred liability.
2.12 INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE: Warranty periods shall not commence until Knox County inspects and
formally accepts the goods and/or services. The terms, conditions and timing of acceptance shall be determined
by Knox County. Knox County reserves the right to reject any or all items or services not in conformance with
applicable specifications, and Contractor assumes the costs associated with such nonconformance. Acceptance
of goods or services does not constitute a waiver of latent or hidden defects or defects not readily detectable by a
reasonable person under the circumstances.
2.13 IRAN DIVESTMENT ACT: By submission of this Request for Proposal response, each proposer and each person
signing on behalf of any proposer certifies, and in the case of a joint proposal, each party thereto certifies as to its
own organization, under penalty of perjury, that to the best of its knowledge and belief that each proposer is not
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on the list created pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated 12-12-106. Proposers must submit with their
proposals the completed Attachment D Iran Divestment Act/No Boycott of Israel Affidavit.
2.14 LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY: In no event shall Knox County be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential,
special or exemplary damages or lost profits, even if Knox County has been advised of the possibility of such
damages.
2.15 NO BOYCOTT OF ISRAEL: Pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated Title 12, Chapter 4, Part 1, by submission
of a response to this solicitation, each proposer and each person signing on behalf of any proposer certifies, and
in the case of a joint response each party thereto certifies as to its own organization, under penalty of perjury, that
to the best of its knowledge and belief that each proposer is not currently engaged in, and will not for the duration
of the Contract engage in, a boycott of Israel. Proposers must submit with their proposals the completed
Attachment D Iran Divestment Act/No Boycott of Israel Affidavit.
2.16 NON-DISCRIMINATION AND NON-CONFLICT STATEMENT: Contractor agrees that no person on the grounds
of handicap, age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or any individual trait or characteristic found to be an
illegal consideration, shall be excluded from participation in, or be denied benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to
discrimination in the performance of this agreement or in the employment practices of Vendor. Contractor shall
upon request show proof of such non-discrimination and shall post in conspicuous places available to all
employees and applicants notices of non-discrimination. Contractor covenants that it complies with the Fair Wage
and Hour Laws, the National Labor Relations Act, and other federal and state employment laws as applicable.
Contractor covenants that it does not engage in any illegal employment practices. Contractor covenants that it
has no public or private interest and shall not acquire directly or indirectly any interest, which would conflict in any
manner with the provision of its goods or performance of its services. Contractor warrants that no part of the total
Contract amount provided herein shall be paid directly or indirectly to any officer or employee of Knox County as
wages, compensation, or gifts in exchange for acting as officer, agent, employee, subcontractor or consultant to
Contractor in connection with any goods provided or work contemplated or performed relative to the agreement.
2.17 ORDER OF PRECEDENCE: In the event of inconsistent or conflicting provision of this Contract and referenced
documents, the following descending order of precedence shall prevail: (1) Written Contract, (2) Request for
Proposal, (3) Contractor's Response, (4) Award, (5) Special Terms and Conditions, (6) General Terms and
Conditions, (7) Specifications, (8) Drawings.
2.18 REMEDIES: Knox County shall have all rights and remedies afforded under the U.C.C. and Tennessee law in
Contract and in tort, including but not limited to, rejection of goods, rescission, and right of set-off, refund,
incidental, consequential and compensatory damages and reasonable attorney's fees.
2.19 RIGHT TO INSPECT: Knox County reserves the right to make periodic inspections of the manner and means the
service is performed or the goods are supplied and warehoused.
2.20 SEVERABILITY: If any provision of this Contract is declared illegal, void or unenforceable, the remaining
provisions shall not be affected but shall remain in force and in effect.
2.21 TAX COMPLIANCE: Pursuant to Resolution R-07-1-903 passed by the Commission of Knox County, Tennessee,
Contractor hereby acknowledges, by submission of its proposal and signature, it is current in its respective
federal, state, county, and city taxes of whatever kind or nature, and is not delinquent in any way. Delinquent
status must be disclosed or risk debarment by the Knox County Procurement Division.
2.22 TERMINATION: County may terminate this agreement with or without cause at any time upon thirty (30) calendar
days' written email notice. In the event of termination by either party, fees due for services satisfactorily
performed or goods accepted prior to the termination date shall be paid. Contractor shall not perform additional
work without the expressed permission of County. In the event Contractor intends to interrupt or discontinue
service under this Contract, Contractor agrees to give Knox County at least one hundred twenty (120) business
days' advance written email notice of said interruption or discontinuance of service prior to interrupting or
discontinuing same. Any interruption or discontinuance of service without said advance notice shall constitute a
material breach of this Contract.
2.23 WARRANTY: Contractor warrants to Knox County that all items delivered and all services rendered shall conform
to the specifications, drawings, proposal and/or other descriptions furnished and/or incorporated by reference,
and will be fit for the particular purpose purchased, of merchantable quality, good workmanship, and free from
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defects. Contractor extends to Knox County all warranties allowed under the U.C.C. Contractor shall provide
copies of warranties to the County upon request. Return of merchandise not meeting warranties shall be at
contractor's expense.
SECTION III SPECIAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS
3.1 INTENT: The purpose of this Request for Proposal (RFP) is to solicit proposals from one or more qualified and
established vendors to provide secondary school counseling support services for Knox County Schools. Knox
County intends to make a Best Value Award. Best Value means more than low cost. It includes the initial cost,
service quality and other factors detailed herein.
3.2 ACCEPTANCE: Vendors are advised that the payment of an invoice does not necessarily constitute as an
acceptance of services that are provided. Acceptance requires a specific written action by Knox County so
stating.
3.3 ADDITION OR DELETION OF SERVICES: Knox County reserves the right to add or delete services as the need
arises. If services are to be added, Knox County and the Contractor will arrive at a mutually agreed price. Any
additions or deletions must be approved in writing by Knox County Procurement prior to any changes in service.
3.4 AGENCY CONTACTS: The Contractor will be given a list of key personnel directly associated with the services to
be performed for contact information. Only the Knox County Procurement Division will have the authority to make
changes during the term of this agreement and in compliance with any resulting Contract.
3.5 AWARD LENGTH: Knox County intends to issue an initial one (1) year award. Upon the mutual agreement of the
Vendor and Knox County, the award may be extended four (4) additional one (1) year options. This may result in
a total of five (5) years. The renewal option is at the discretion of Knox County. Should Knox County desire not
to renew, no reason needs to be given. Knox County reserves the right to purchase these services from other
sources if the need arises. Knox County reserves the right to revoke the award if a pattern of unavailability arises
with the Vendor.
3.6 CHANGES AFTER AWARD: It is possible that after award, Knox County might change its needs or
requirements. Knox County reserves the right to make such changes after consultation with the vendor. Should
additional costs arise, Knox County reserves the right to consider accepting these charges provided the vendor
can document the increased costs. Knox County also reserves the right to accept proposed service changes from
the vendor if they will lower the cost to Knox County and/or provide improved service.
3.7 COMMUNICATIONS: The successful execution of this Contract will require extensive communication between all
involved parties. While information may be transmitted via telephone, it should always be followed up with an
email. It is essential that the Contractor have efficient email capabilities. The Contractor will be required to submit
a list of individuals, along with direct phone numbers, cell phone numbers, and email addresses for the agency's
contacts. These individuals must be familiar with the Knox County Contract and have authority to make
adjustments as requested by Knox County.
3.8 COMPLIANCE WITH ALL APPLICABLE REGULATIONS: Vendor agrees and covenants that the company, its
agents and employees will comply with all city, county, state and federal codes, laws, rules and regulations
applicable to the business to be conducted under this Contract. If the vendor performs any work knowing it to be
contrary to such laws, ordinances, rules and regulations, the vendor shall bear all costs arising from such work.
3.9 CONTACT PERSONNEL: Essential to the success of this Contract is the development of a good working
relationship between the vendor and Knox County. It is imperative that the Knox County account be handled
efficiently and professionally. Knox County should be assigned no more than two (2) vendor contacts to handle
billing inquiries and service-related issues. In the event one or both contacts leave the Knox County account, the
vendor shall formally introduce the new contacts to Knox County personnel. These contacts must be
knowledgeable of the Knox County account to avoid any interruption of service.
3.10 CONTRACT EXECUTION: The award of this proposal may result in a Contract between Knox County and the
successful vendor(s). The Contract may require Board of Education and/or Knox County Commission approval.
The successful vendor(s) may be required to be present at the meeting(s) to answer questions relating to the
service to be performed. Adequate notification will be given by Knox County Procurement Division if the awarded
vendor(s) will need to attend meetings. There shall be no cost to Knox County for attendance of the vendor(s).
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Knox County will draft the Contract. A sample contract is under Exhibit B for review. If a Contractor's Master
Agreements, Service Agreements, Terms and Conditions or other contract agreements are submitted, they may
not be accepted.
3.11 CONTRACTOR DUTIES: At the Contractor's own expense, the Contractor shall:
3.11.1 Provide competent supervision;
3.11.2 Provide competent personnel;
3.11.3 Take precautions necessary to protect persons or property against injury or damage and be responsible
for any such damage or injury that occurs as a result of their fault or negligence.
3.12 CRIMINAL HISTORY RECORDS CHECK: Any and all successful proposers, Contractor's employees,
Contractor's subcontractors and the employees of any subcontractors must submit criminal history records check
at the Contractor's expense, conducted by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Bureau of
Investigation prior to permitting the employee to have contact with students or enter school grounds when
students are present. Reference Tennessee Code Annotated Section 49-5-413. Proposers must submit with their
proposals the completed Attachment E Criminal History Affidavit of Compliance.
3.13 DESTINATION AND DELIVERY: All shipments that are to be delivered must be Free on Board Destination to the
department ordering the items. All shipping charges are to be included in the unit price of each item. All deliveries
must be unloaded and delivered inside to the department location that is ordering the items.
3.14 EVALUATION CRITERIA: This proposal will be evaluated using the following criteria:
As per Section 1.5, Knox County will determine the award structure that is in its best interest.
Program Content and Methodology 30 Points
Program Implementation Plan 30 Points
Experience and Effectiveness 20 Points
Proposed Costs 20 Points
Knox County may select an Evaluation Committee for this solicitation to thoroughly review and score all submitted
responsive and responsible proposals. Each evaluator will have the ability to award up to one hundred (100)
points, based on the Evaluation Criteria, per submission.
3.15 EVALUATION REVIEW: Knox County reserves the right to use all pertinent information (including information
learned from sources other than disclosed in the Request for Proposal process) that might affect the County's
judgment as to the appropriateness of an award to the best evaluated vendor(s). This information may be
appended to the proposal evaluation process results. Information on a service provider from reliable sources, and
not within the service provider's proposal, may also be noted and made part of the evaluation file. Knox County
shall have sole responsibility for determining a reliable source. Knox County reserves the right to conduct written
and/or oral discussions/interviews after the proposal closing. The purpose of such discussions/interviews is to
provide clarification and/or additional information to make an award that is in the best interest of Knox County.
3.16 EXCEPTIONS TO SPECIFICATIONS: Vendors taking exception to any part or section of these specifications
shall indicate such exceptions within their submittal. A failure to indicate any exception(s) shall be interpreted as
the vendor's intent to fully comply with the specifications as written. Conditional or qualified offers are subject to
rejection in whole or in part. Any exceptions shall be included in Section V, Tab VII of the submittal. Do not strike
through or in any other way alter the Request for Proposal. Exceptions listed within other sections of the
submittal shall not be reviewed or considered.
3.17 GRANT FUNDING: The products or services being procured under this solicitation are being funded by Federal
Grant money. All awarded vendors will be required to adhere to Exhibit A of this solicitation in the performance of
the Contract.
3.18 GRATUITIES AND KICKBACKS: It shall be a breach of ethical standards for any person or company to offer,
give, or agree to give any employee or former employee, or for any employee or former employee to solicit,
demand, accept, or agree to accept from another person, a gratuity or an offer of employment in connection with
any decision, approval, disapproval, recommendation, preparation of any part of a program requirement or a
purchase request, influencing the content of any specification or procurement standard, rendering of advice,
investigation, auditing or in any other advisory capacity in any proceeding or application, request for ruling,
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determination, claim, or controversy or other particular matter, pertaining to any program requirement of a
contract or subcontract or to any solicitation or proposal therefore. It shall be a breach of ethical standards for any
payment, gratuity or offer of employment to be made by or on behalf of a subcontractor under a contract to the
prime contractor or higher tier subcontractor or a person associated therewith, as an inducement for the award of
a subcontract or order. Breach of the provisions of this paragraph is, in addition to a breach of this Contract, a
breach of ethical standards which may result in civil or criminal sanction and/or debarment or suspension from
being a contractor or subcontractor under Knox County contracts.
3.19 IDENTIFICATION: Employees of the Contractor must have proper photo identification displayed at all times while
on property belonging to Knox County.
3.20 INSURANCE: The successful vendor(s) must carry the insurance as indicated on the Insurance Checklist
Attached hereto, along with any State required insurance. As proof of the vendor's willingness to obtain and
maintain the insurance, the vendor must complete, sign and have its insurance agent sign Attachment C and
submit it with the proposal. Upon the Notification of Intent to Award, the successful vendor will be required to
submit a Certificate of Insurance (COI) including any corresponding endorsement page(s) with the specified
coverage and listing Knox County as an additional insured. It shall be the successful vendor's responsibility to
keep a current COI and endorsement page(s) on file with Knox County Procurement for as long as the Contract is
in effect.
3.21 INTERPRETATION: No oral interpretation will be made to any vendor regarding the meaning of specifications or
the Scope of Work. All questions are to be submitted in writing via email and will be answered in the form of an
addendum to the solicitation by the Knox County Procurement Division, if applicable.
3.22 INVOICE DETAIL: Knox County is requesting invoices to show the following detail to help expedite review and
payment. The Contractor(s) may be required to modify invoicing procedures to show the detail. All potential
Contractors are hereby cautioned that Knox County will only pay from original invoices and not facsimiles or
copies. Invoices which do not adhere to these details may be returned to the Contractor for correction.
* The invoice must show the amount due to the Contractor by Knox County;
* The invoice must show a summary of completed work;
* Invoices are to be original and uniquely pre-numbered;
* Invoices which do not show this information are subject to rejection.
3.23 INVOICE REVIEW: Knox County shall review all invoices for adherence to the terms and conditions of the
Contract. Variations from the Contract and Contract pricing are strictly prohibited. Any variance found on the
invoice will result in rejection of that invoice. Rejected invoices will be returned to the Contractor(s) for correction.
Repeated variations may result in termination.
3.24 INVOICING PROCEDURES & PAYMENT SCHEDULE: Knox County requests that invoices be easy to read and
understand. Invoices are to be original and uniquely pre-numbered. There shall be no additional charge for this
information and these procedures to be included. Each invoice shall include a summary of service(s) provided
and shall list the associated unit price. Supporting documentation shall be included with invoices as applicable.
Invoices without this information will be returned to the Contractor for correction.
Invoices shall be sent to the billing address indicated on the Purchase Order. Invoices must match the
corresponding Purchase Order number. Vendors are hereby notified that invoices may take up to thirty (30) days
to process payment. There shall be no component billing. Mail invoices for Knox County Schools to:
Knox County Schools Finance Department
Post Office Box 2188
Knoxville, TN 37902-1805
invoices@knoxschools.org
3.25 MINIMUM QUALIFICATION EXPECTATIONS:
3.25.1 Respondent must address all submittal requirements as defined in Section V.
3.25.2 Respondent shall have a minimum of five (5) years of experience and sufficient capabilities to carry out
the work contemplated, as well as the personnel available for the work.
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3.25.3 A Knox County business license is not required of any Respondent or proposed subcontractor or
subconsultant who does not have a permanent office in Knox County. For more information, contact the
Knox County Clerk's office at 865.215.2392.
3.26 NEGOTIATION: Knox County may select a successful proposer on the basis of initial offers received without
discussions. Therefore, each proposal shall contain the proposer's best terms from a cost or price and service
standpoint. Knox County reserves the right to enter Contract negotiations with the highest-rated proposer.
If Knox County and the selected proposer cannot negotiate a successful agreement, Knox County may terminate
said negotiations and begin negotiations with the next highest-rated proposer. This process will continue until an
agreement has been reached or all proposers have been rejected. No proposer shall have any rights against
Knox County arising from such negotiations.
3.27 NEWS RELEASES BY VENDORS: As a matter of policy, Knox County does not endorse the services of a
Contractor. A Contractor will not make news releases concerning any resultant contract from this solicitation
without the prior written approval of Knox County.
3.28 NO CONTACT POLICY: After the date and time the proposer receives this solicitation, any contact initiated by
any proposer with any Knox County representative, other than the Procurement Division representative listed
herein, concerning this Request for Proposal is strictly prohibited. Any such unauthorized contact may cause the
disqualification of the proposer from this procurement transaction.
3.29 OFFER WITHDRAWAL: No proposal can be withdrawn after it is filed unless the proposer makes a request in
writing to the Knox County Procurement Division prior to the submission deadline or unless the County fails to
accept within one hundred twenty (120) business days after the date fixed for the closing the Request for
Proposal.
3.30 ORAL PRESENTATION/INTERVIEW: Knox County may require proposers to give oral presentations/interviews
in support of their proposal or to exhibit or otherwise demonstrate the information contained therein. These
presentations/interviews may be conducted virtually through video conferencing or in person.
Knox County reserves the right to request oral presentations and/or interviews during the initial evaluation phase.
The County also reserves the right to complete the initial evaluation phase and then request oral presentations
and/or interviews from all proposers or the highest rated proposers. In this case, the evaluations may be revised
based on additional information received during presentations.
3.31 PRICE: The proposer(s) warrants that the price shall remain firm for a period of twelve (12) months from the first
day of the original Contract period. If the contractor's price is increased after the initial twelve (12) months, Knox
County must be given a written notice to consider. Such a request shall include as a minimum, (1) the cause for
the adjustment; (2) the amount of the change requested with documentation to support the requested adjustment.
Price increases will only be considered at the renewal period(s) following the original twelve (12) months. If the
price increase is rejected the contractor may:
* Continue with the existing prices.
* Request a lower price increase
* Not accept the renewal offer.
If a price increase is approved by Knox County, the approval notification will be done in writing and the Contractor
will be notified of the new price schedule and effective date of increase. This documentation will become part of
the proposal file. No approvals will be authorized verbally.
3.32 PROPOSAL EVALUATION: In evaluating the submitted proposals, Knox County reserves the right to use any or
all of the ideas from the proposals submitted without limitation and to accept any part or the entire successful
proposal in selecting an operation which is judged to be in the best interest of Knox County. All material submitted
becomes property of Knox County.
3.33 PROPOSAL FORMAT: This solicitation is in the Request for Proposal format. At the specified date and time,
each proposer's name will be publicly read aloud. No further information will be given at that time. Evaluation of
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the proposals will proceed as expeditiously as possible and successful, as well as unsuccessful, notification will
be given.
3.34 PROPOSER OBLIGATION: Proposers shall become fully acquainted with conditions relating to the scope of the
work detailed in this Request for Proposal. Failure to become acquainted with the existing conditions shall in no
way absolve the proposer of any obligations with respect to this Request for Proposal or the Contract.
3.35 PUBLIC RECORDS ACT: Knox County is subject to the Tennessee Open Records Act 10-7-503 et seq.
Proposers are cautioned that all documents submitted on behalf of this Request for Proposal shall be open to the
public for viewing and inspection.
3.36 QUANTITIES: Knox County does not guarantee any quantity of services will be utilized under this solicitation.
Services will be utilized on an as needed basis.
3.37 REJECTION OF PROPOSALS: Knox County reserves the right to reject any and all proposals received as a
result of this request and to waive any informality, technical defect or clerical error in any proposal, as the
interests of Knox County may require. Non-acceptance of any proposal will be devoid of any criticism of the
proposal and of any implication that the proposal is deficient in any manner. Non-acceptance of any proposal
shall be construed as meaning simply that the County does not deem the proposal acceptable or that another
proposal was deemed more advantageous to Knox County for the particular services proposed.
3.38 REMOVAL OF CONTRACTOR'S EMPLOYEES: Contractor agrees to utilize only experienced, responsible and
capable people in the performance of the work. Knox County may require that the Contractor remove from the
job covered by this Contract, including employees who endanger persons or property or whose continued
employment under this Contract is inconsistent with the interest of Knox County.
3.39 SUBMIT QUESTIONS: Prospective proposers may submit questions concerning this solicitation until April 30,
2026 at 4:30 p.m. local time. Submit questions as noted in Section 1.1.
3.40 SUSPENSION AND DEBARMENT: Vendor will notify Knox County Government if they become suspended,
debarred, or otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participation in Federal assistance programs or activities
during the term of this proposal and during the term of any subsequent Contract for service.
3.41 TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS FOR SOFTWARE REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL:
Application should only utilize native browser-based technologies such as HTML and HTML5. No application
utilizing third-party plugins will be considered (Examples of plugins include, but not limited to, Flash, Java,
Silverlight, etc.)
No local caching server or software required or recommended. The vendor's application should scale as needed
to support client demand.
Will support any modern OS, defined as the current publicly available version minus three versions. The most
common Operating Systems used by KCS are: MacOS, ChromeOS, and Windows. As system updates become
available, vendor to give KCS adequate notice of any foreseeable disruptions due to updates. **Vendor is to also
list any and/or all required plugins for full product functionality.
Will support current browser versions, defined as the current publicly available version minus three versions, for
the following web browsers: Google Chrome, Safari, Microsoft Edge, Mobile Safari, Mobile Chrome. As browser
updates become available, vendor to give KCS adequate notice of any foreseeable disruptions due to updates.
System must have user authentication using SAML, preferably Microsoft 365 SAML.
Data exchange from our SIS to vendor should be automated. Vendor will be responsible for processing any
differencing (changes, updates) to vendor data based on the automated exchange.
KCS options for data exchange include Classlink OneRoster (preferred) or secure exchange of .csv files directly
with vendor via SFTP transfer. KCS will not use Clever for data exchange.
Vendor must be in full compliance with FERPA, COPPA, and all applicable federal/state laws pertaining to
student data privacy and governance.
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