Statewide Individualized Education Program (IEP) Platform

Request for Proposals No. 2026-20
Statewide Individualized Education Program
(IEP) Platform
STATE OF WASHINGTON
OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
OLYMPIA, WASHINGTON
PRE-BID CONFERENCE: 2:00 p.m., Pacific Time (PT) on May 14, 2026
LETTER OF INTENT DUE DATE: 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time (PT) on May 22, 2026
PROPOSAL DUE DATE: 12:00 p.m., Pacific Time (PT) on June 30, 2026
ESTIMATED CONTRACT PERIOD: December 1, 2026, through November 30, 2029.
Amendments extending the period of performance, if any, shall be at the sole discretion of OSPI.
CONSULTANT ELIGIBILITY: This solicitation is open to those Consultants who satisfy the
minimum qualifications stated herein and that are available for work in Washington State.
SUBMIT PROPOSAL TO: contracts@k12.wa.us
All communications concerning this RFP must be directed only to the RFP Coordinator via email.
Any other communication will be considered unofficial and non-binding on OSPI. Consultants
are to rely on written statements issued by the RFP Coordinator. Communication directed to
parties other than the RFP Coordinator may result in disqualification of the Consultant.
This RFP is available at the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) website and at
the Department of Enterprise Services, Washington Electronic Business Solution (WEBS)
Procurement website. All RFP amendments and/or Consultant questions and OSPI answers will
be posted to these sites. All interested Consultants must be registered with WEBS under the
following commodity codes to receive automatic notifications: All codes under 208; All codes
under 209; 958-23; 961-56; 918-29; 920-03; 920-04; 920-05; 920-40; 920-46; 920-64
OSPI, and its contractors and subcontractors, must not discriminate in any programs or services based on
sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, marital status, honorably discharged veteran or military
status, sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity, disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or
service animal by a person with a disability, and must comply with state and federal nondiscrimination laws,
including Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the
Americans with Disabilities Act, and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Questions and complaints of
alleged discrimination should be directed to the Equity and Civil Rights Director at 360-725-6162/TTY: 360-
664-3631; or P.O. Box 47200, Olympia, WA 98504-7200; or equity@k12.wa.us.

Table of Contents
Section A. SCOPE & REQUIREMENTS ...................................................................................................... 5
A.1. DEFINITIONS ............................................................................................................................................. 5
A.2. PURPOSE OF REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS ................................................................................... 8
A.3. BACKGROUND ......................................................................................................................................... 8
A.4. VISION, GOALS, AND OBJECTIVES ............................................................................................. 13
OSPI Superintendent's Vision & Priorities ............................................................................................. 13
Statewide IEP Platform Key Objectives ................................................................................................... 14
WaTech Strategic Plan ................................................................................................................................... 15
A.5. SCOPE OF WORK .................................................................................................................................. 15
Future State Architecture and Experience Diagrams ......................................................................... 15
Core IEP Platform Capabilities .................................................................................................................... 18
User Experience and Business Solution .................................................................................................. 19
Family Portal Access and Collaboration Tools ..................................................................................... 20
Standardization and Configuration .......................................................................................................... 20
Systems Integrations ...................................................................................................................................... 20
Compliance, Accessibility, Privacy & Security ....................................................................................... 21
Early Intervention and Transition Planning ........................................................................................... 22
Consultant Governance and Reporting .................................................................................................. 22
Data Handling and Migration Strategy ................................................................................................... 23
Training and Adoption Strategy ................................................................................................................ 24
Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery........................................................................................... 25
Work Management and Delivery Collaboration .................................................................................. 26
Acceptance Criteria and Policy Compliance .......................................................................................... 26
A.6. ACCESSIBILITY & BRANDING REQUIREMENTS .................................................................... 27
A.7. BIDDER QUALIFICATIONS ............................................................................................................... 27
A.8. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE ............................................................................................................ 28
A.9. PLACE OF WORK PERFORMANCE ............................................................................................... 28
RFP No. 2026-20 Page 2 of 107
Rev. 05/24

A.10. FUNDING ................................................................................................................................................. 29
A.11. AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT ....................................................................................... 29
Section B. GENERAL INFORMATION FOR BIDDERS ...................................................................... 30
B.1. RFP COORDINATOR ........................................................................................................................... 30
B.2. QUESTIONS & ANSWERS ................................................................................................................ 30
B.3. ESTIMATED SCHEDULE OF PROCUREMENT ACTIVITIES.................................................. 31
B.4. LETTER OF INTENT .............................................................................................................................. 31
B.5. PRE-BID CONFERENCE ...................................................................................................................... 31
B.6. COMPLAINT PROCEDURE ................................................................................................................ 32
B.7. PROPRIETARY INFORMATION/PUBLIC DISCLOSURE ....................................................... 33
B.8. ADDENDUMS AND AMENDMENTS TO THE RFP ................................................................ 33
B.9. SMALL BUSINESS, MINORITY & WOMEN'S BUSINESS ENTERPRISES (MWBE),
AND VETERAN-OWNED BUSINESS PARTICIPATION ...................................................................... 34
B.10. ETHICS, POLICIES, & LAW ............................................................................................................... 34
B.11. ACCEPTANCE PERIOD ........................................................................................................................ 34
B.12. RESPONSIVENESS ................................................................................................................................ 35
B.13. MOST FAVORABLE TERMS .............................................................................................................. 35
B.14. CONTRACT AND GENERAL TERMS & CONDITIONS .......................................................... 36
B.15. COSTS TO PROPOSE ........................................................................................................................... 36
B.16. NO OBLIGATION TO CONTRACT ................................................................................................. 36
B.17. REJECTION OF PROPOSALS ............................................................................................................ 36
B.18. COMMITMENT OF FUNDS .............................................................................................................. 36
B.19. STATEWIDE VENDOR PAYMENT REGISTRATION ............................................................... 37
B.20. WASHINGTON STATE BUSINESS REGISTRATION ............................................................... 37
B.21. INSURANCE COVERAGE ................................................................................................................... 37
Section C. PROPOSAL CONTENTS .......................................................................................................... 38
C.1. SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS ....................................................................................................... 38
C.2. PROPOSAL OVERVIEW ...................................................................................................................... 38
C.3. LETTER OF SUBMITTAL ..................................................................................................................... 39
C.4. TECHNICAL PROPOSAL .................................................................................................................... 39
C.5. USER EXPERIENCE AND BUSINESS SOLUTION ..................................................................... 42
RFP No. 2026-20 Page 3 of 107
Rev. 05/24

C.6. MANAGEMENT PROPOSAL ............................................................................................................ 45
C.7. FINANCIAL PROPOSAL ..................................................................................................................... 50
Section D. EVALUATION AND AWARD ................................................................................................ 54
D.1. EVALUATION PROCEDURE .............................................................................................................. 54
D.2. EVALUATION AND SCORING ......................................................................................................... 57
D.3. SCORING PREFERENCES ................................................................................................................... 60
D.4. REFERENCE CHECKS ........................................................................................................................... 61
D.5. SELECTION OF APPARENT SUCCESSFUL BIDDER ................................................................ 62
D.6. NOTIFICATION TO BIDDERS .......................................................................................................... 62
D.7. DEBRIEFING OF UNSUCCESSFUL BIDDERS ............................................................................. 62
D.8. PROTEST PROCEDURE ....................................................................................................................... 63
D.9. ADDITIONAL AWARDS ..................................................................................................................... 64
Section E. RFP EXHIBITS ............................................................................................................................. 65
EXHIBIT A .............................................................................................................................................................. 66
EXHIBIT B............................................................................................................................................................... 68
EXHIBIT C ............................................................................................................................................................... 69
EXHIBIT D .............................................................................................................................................................. 75
EXHIBIT E ............................................................................................................................................................... 94
EXHIBIT G .............................................................................................................................................................. 96
EXHIBIT H ............................................................................................................................................................ 101
EXHIBIT I .............................................................................................................................................................. 103
EXHIBIT J ............................................................................................................................................................. 105
EXHIBIT K ............................................................................................................................................................ 106
EXHIBIT L-O ........................................................................................................................................................ 107
RFP No. 2026-20 Page 4 of 107
Rev. 05/24

Section A. SCOPE & REQUIREMENTS
This section describes the purpose of the RFP and provides information about this procurement,
including the potential scope of the opportunity and requirements.
A.1. DEFINITIONS
Definitions for the purposes of this RFP include:
Agency or OSPI - The Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction; the
entity issuing this RFP.
Amendment - A unilateral change to the Solicitation that is issued by OSPI at its sole discretion
and posted on WEBS and OSPI's website.
Apparent Successful Bidder (ASB) - A Bidder submitting a response to this Solicitation that is
evaluated and is identified and announced by OSPI as providing the best value to the Agency.
Upon execution of a Contract, the ASB is referred to as the successful Bidder or the Contractor.
Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP) - A behavioral intervention plan is a plan incorporated into
a student's IEP if determined necessary by the IEP team for the student to receive Free
Appropriate Public Education.
Bid - An offer, proposal, or quote for goods or services submitted in response to this RFP.
Bidder - Individual organization, public or private agency submitting a proposal to attain a
contract with OSPI. For purposes of this Solicitation, the terms Bidder, Consultant, and Vendor
are interchangeable.
Competitive Solicitation - A documented formal process providing an equal and open
opportunity to Bidders or Consultants culminating in a selection based on predetermined
criteria.
Complaint - A process that may be followed by a Consultant prior to the deadline for bid
submission to alert OSPI of certain types of asserted deficiencies in the Solicitation.
Consultant - Individual organization, public or private agency submitting a proposal to attain
a contract with OSPI. For purposes of this Solicitation, the terms Bidder, Consultant, and Vendor
are interchangeable.
RFP No. 2026-20 Page 5 of 107
Rev. 05/24

Contractor - Individual or company whose proposal has been accepted by OSPI and is awarded
a fully executed, written contract.
Debriefing - A short meeting an unsuccessful Bidder may request following the announcement
of the Apparent Successful Bidder for the purpose of receiving information regarding the review
and evaluation of that Bidder's Response.
Educational Service District (ESD) - A regional public multiservice agency authorized to
develop, manage, and provide services or programs to students eligible for special education
services within school districts; Recognized as an administrative agency by the OSPI for purposes
of the provision of special education and related services provided within public elementary
schools and secondary schools
Fiscal Year - In Washington State, a 12-month period extending from July 1 of one calendar
year to June 30 of the next calendar year.
Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) - A process for identifying the reasons behind or
factors contributing to a student's behavior. An FBA may be required as part of a student's
special education documentation as identified in WAC 392-172A-05149, 392-172A-05147 and
WAC 392-172A-05148.
Individualized Education Program (IEP) - A written statement of an educational program for
a student eligible for special education services that is developed, reviewed, and revised
Individualized family service plan (IFSP) - A plan for providing early intervention services to
a child birth through age two, with a disability or developmental delay and the child's family.
Local Education Agency (LEA) - Or the term "school district" or "district" is a public board of
education or other public authority legally constituted for either administrative control or
direction of, or to perform a service function for, any combination of public elementary and
secondary schools, or for a combination of school districts.
Proposal - A formal offer submitted in response to this RFP.
Proprietary Information - Information such as patents, technological information or other
related information that the Bidder or Consultant does not want released or shared with the
public.
Protest - A process that may be followed by a Bidder after the announcement of the Apparent
Successful Bidder to alert OSPI to certain types of alleged errors in the evaluation of the
Solicitation.
RFP No. 2026-20 Page 6 of 107
Rev. 05/24

Request for Proposals (RFP) - Formal procurement document in which a service or need is
identified but no specific method to achieve it has been chosen. The purpose of an RFP is to
permit the consultant community to suggest various approaches to meet the need at a given
price.
Responsible Bidder - An individual, organization, public or private agency, or other entity that
has demonstrated the capability to meet all the requirements of the Solicitation and meets the
elements of responsibility. (See RCW 39.26.160 (2))
Responsive Bidder - An individual, organization, public or private agency, or other entity who
has submitted a Bid that fully conforms in all material respects to the Solicitation and all its
requirements, in both form and substance.
RFP Coordinator - An individual or designee who is employed by OSPI and who is responsible
for conducting this Solicitation.
Revised Code of Washington (RCW) - The compilation of all permanent laws now in force in
Washington state.
Solicitation - A formal process providing an equal and open opportunity for Bidders
culminating in a selection based upon predetermined criteria.
Subcontractor - An individual or other entity contracted by a Consultant to perform part of the
services or to provide goods under the Contract resulting from this Solicitation. Subcontractors,
if allowed, are subject to the advance approval of OSPI.
Vendor - Individual organization, public or private agency submitting a proposal to attain a
contract with OSPI. For purposes of this Solicitation, the terms Bidder, Consultant, and Vendor
are interchangeable.
WEBS - Washington's Electronic Business Solution, the Consultant notification system found at
Washington Electronic Business Solution (WEBS) Procurement website and maintained by the
Washington State Department of Enterprise Services. Consultants are encouraged to register
with WEBS to receive automatic notifications about this and other procurements.
Any terms not otherwise defined in this RFP shall be interpreted in accordance with applicable
definitions set forth in the Revised Code of Washington and the Washington Administrative
Code, and, where applicable, the special education provisions outlined in Chapter 392-172A.
RFP No. 2026-20 Page 7 of 107
Rev. 05/24

A.2. PURPOSE OF REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
The purpose of this Competitive Procurement is to receive competitive bids to evaluate and, as
appropriate, award a Contract for the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to
procure goods and/or services as set forth herein. Pursuant to Washington's Procurement Code
for Goods and Services, RCW chap. 39.26, state agency purchases of goods and services must
be based on a competitive solicitation.
Therefore, OSPI is initiating this Request for Proposals (RFP) to solicit proposals from
Consultants interested in participating on a project to provide a statewide an Individualized
Education Program (IEP) platform and associated implementation services for Washington's
PreK-22 special education system. The resulting solution must support standardized statewide
IEP development and management, secure family and educator access, interoperability with
Washington education systems, phased implementation across local education agencies, and
the long-term governance, support, and evolution of the statewide platform.
The awarded Contractor will be responsible for delivery of the statewide IEP platform and
execution of implementation, including configuration, integration, data migration, phased
rollout, and district onboarding.
A.3. BACKGROUND
Led by Superintendent Chris Reykdal, OSPI is the primary agency charged with overseeing public
K-12 education in Washington state. Working with the state's two hundred ninety-five (295)
public school districts, eight (8) state-tribal education compact schools, and public charter
schools, OSPI allocates funding and provides tools, resources, and technical assistance so every
student in Washington is provided a high-quality public education. In addition, Washington
state provides preschool special education services and, for students who are determined
eligible, special education services up to the age of 22.
In Washington, districts currently operate largely independent systems for IEP development
and documentation, resulting in:
* Inconsistent experiences for students and families across districts.
* Limited real-time access to actionable data for educators and policymakers.
* Compliance challenges related to federal and state requirements.
* Time-intensive administrative processes are undertaken at significant local cost.
* Barriers to family engagement, especially for multilingual and marginalized families.
These inconsistencies disproportionately impact historically underserved students, including
students of color, multilingual learners, and students with intellectual and developmental
disabilities.
RFP No. 2026-20 Page 8 of 107
Rev. 05/24

A 2025 Feasibility Study concluded that developing a unified statewide IEP system is
both feasible and essential for advancing Washington's strategic priorities:
* A clear vision and central focus on ensuring educational benefits for students receiving
special education services, driving meaningful progress and positive outcomes.
* Increasing inclusionary practices to support all students in meaningful access to general
education curriculum and inclusion in general education settings.
* Improving instructional quality by embedding evidence-based practices into IEP design
and implementation.
* Strengthening and making more efficient compliance with state and federal
requirements, easing some of the administrative burden on educators and keeping the
focus on educational benefit.
Passed in 2025, E2SSB 5263 directs OSPI to develop and maintain a statewide IEP online system.
The purpose of the online IEP system is to:
a. Provide a uniform, centralized platform for creating and managing individualized
education programs;
b. Ensure compliance with federal and state special education requirements;
c. Improve the efficiency and effectiveness of individualized education program
development and oversight; and
d. Improve educator collaboration and serve as an instructional tool designed to improve
educational outcomes by aligning individualized supports and services with evidence-
based instructional practices that align with grade level curriculum standards.
Additional information can be found on the Washington's Statewide IEP Project webpage.
Current Technology Landscape
To inform the design, procurement, and implementation of the statewide IEP platform, OSPI
conducted a LEA IEP Technology Inventory Survey in February 2026. The survey gathered data
on district technology environments, including IT capacity, system landscapes, hosting models,
integration dependencies, and migration readiness. A total of thirty-four (34) districts
responded, representing a cross-section of Washington's landscape, from small rural districts to
large urban systems. While not yet comprehensive, the results establish baseline patterns that
will be refined as additional responses are collected.
Across respondents, IEP hosting spans vendor SaaS, Educational Service District- (ESD-) hosted,
and district-hosted environments, contributing to a varied migration landscape that will require
tailored data extraction and transition strategies.
These findings reflect a shared service environment in which the Washington School Information
Processing Cooperative (WSIPC), a public non-profit cooperative, provides shared technology
RFP No. 2026-20 Page 9 of 107
Rev. 05/24

and infrastructure services to two hundred and sixty (260) of Washington's two hundred and
ninety-five (295) LEAs (~88%), supporting core district operations.
Survey Response Profile
Responding districts span all IT capacity levels, with nearly half (47%) operating with small in-
house teams of just one to two staff members, and an additional 18% relying on minimal, part-
time, or heavily outsourced support. While 35% of respondents reported they had a full in-house
IT team. This distribution signals that the statewide platform must be designed for low-burden
adoption and that OSPI's implementation strategy should include robust support for districts
with limited technical capacity, particularly those in rural and small-district settings where IT
responsibilities often fall to administrators wearing multiple hats.
IT Staffing Model
Staffing Model % of Respondents
Full in-house IT team 35.3%
Small in-house team (1-2 staff) 47.1%
Heavily outsourced IT support 5.9%
Minimal / part-time support 11.8%
Student Information System (SIS) Landscape
The SIS landscape reflects an ongoing transition across multiple platforms, including a shift by
some districts from Skyward to Qmlativ. Qmlativ represents 44% of respondents, followed by
Skyward at 35% with several districts indicating planned transitions in the coming years.
Platforms associated with WSIPC represent a significant portion of the current SIS landscape;
however, other systems including PowerSchool (9%) and Synergy SIS (12%), demonstrate that
the state operates within a multi-vendor, multi-hosting environment. These platforms span
cooperative-hosted, district-hosted, and vendor SaaS delivery models.
This diversity, across multiple SIS platforms and hosting approaches, reinforces the 2025
Feasibility Study findings which indicate SIS integration is the most critical technical dependency
for a statewide IEP platform. This requires a vendor-agnostic, standards-based interoperability
strategy rather than alignment to any single system or provider.
RFP No. 2026-20 Page 10 of 107
Rev. 05/24