UM Website Chatbot Solution

Request for Bid
Information
BillTo: ShipTo:
TheUniversityofMississippi TheUniversityofMississippi THIS IS NOT AN ORDER
OfficeofProcurementServices OfficeofProcurementServices
P.O.Box 1848 DistributionCenter
University,MS 38677-1848 164JeanettePhillipsDrive
Phone: (662)915-7448 UniversityMS 38677 RFBNumber 4100028960
Email: payables@olemiss.edu Coll.Number 809
Date 03/08/2026
Vendor Address
RequisitionNo. 10204433
NAME: Buyer/Phone PurchasingDept./662-915-7448
STREET ADDRESS: Biddueon 04/16/2026
CITY, STATE ZIP:
PHONE: FAX: PleasereturnthebidrequesttoProcurementServices.
EMAIL: attheaboveaddress. Bidsmustbereturnedinthe
envelopeprovided,oraddressedwith thecollective
VendorBidInformationsubmittedby: numberandopeningdatedisplayedontheoutsideof
PrintedName _________________________ envelope.
Signature _________________________
Page 1of 3
DeliveryDateARO _________________________
Item Material/Description Quantity UM UnitPrice Amount
*IMPORTANT!!! ALL SUBMISSIONS ARE DUE NO LATER THAN
1:00 PM, THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2026.
ALL SUBMISSIONS ARE DUE AT:
RFP 809
OFFICE OF PROCUREMENT SERVICES
164 JEANETTE PHILLIPS DR
UNIVERSITY, MS 38677
OUR PREFERRED METHOD OF SUBMISSION IS
ELECTRONICALLY BY FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS AT THIS
LINK:
https://secure24.olemiss.edu/prelecbids/CurrentBids
IF SUBMITTING VIA PAPER HARDCOPY, YOUR SEALED AND
PROPERLY IDENTIFIED (ATTACHED LABEL AFFIXED TO
OUTSIDE OF PARCEL PACKAGE) BID MUST ARRIVE AT THE
PROCUREMENT SERVICES BUILDING NO LATER THAN THE
STATED DATE AND TIME. PLEASE SEND YOUR PROPOSAL IN
A TIMELY FASHION THAT ALLOWS FOR UNFORESEEN DELAYS
BY YOUR CHOSEN DELIVERY METHOD.
THE UNIVERSITY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO REJECT ALL
PROPOSALS RECEIVED.
YOUR COMPANY IS NOT REQUIRED TO BE A REGISTERED
VENDOR TO SUBMIT A PROPOSAL, HOWEVER, YOUR
INSTRUCTIONSTOVENDOR
GENERALSPECIFICATIONS
(1)Bids-AllbidswillbequotedF.O.B.UniversityorOxford,Mississippi. NobidwillbeconsideredunlessF.O.Btermsareasstatedabove. Allpricesare
tobefirmquotations.See 'GeneralInformationtoBidder'includedwithbidpacket.
(2)Terms-Bidderwillstatetermsofsale. Ourtermsare2%10days,net45days. Thesetermswillapplyunlessotherwisespecified.
(3)Delivery-Bidderwillstateinbiddeliverythatpurchasercanexpectoneachitem.
DETAILEDSPECIFICATIONS
Itistheintentofthesespecificationsparticularlywheremanufacturer'snameand/orcatalognumberisusedtoselectanitemofcomparablematerials
and/ordesign. Itisnottheintenttolimitthebidding,however,allbiddersarecautionedthatthelistedmanufacturer'sstandardsshallbeaminimum. Itisa
requirementthatallbidderswhofurnishquotationsonproductsofmanufacturerotherthanthoselistedshallfurnishwiththeirbidcompleteinformation
togetherwithfullspecificationsofitemstheyproposetofurnish.

Request for Bid
Information
BillTo: ShipTo:
TheUniversityofMississippi TheUniversityofMississippi THIS IS NOT AN ORDER
OfficeofProcurementServices OfficeofProcurementServices
P.O.Box 1848 DistributionCenter
University,MS 38677-1848 164JeanettePhillipsDrive
Phone: (662)915-7448 UniversityMS 38677 RFBNumber 4100028960
Email: payables@olemiss.edu Coll.Number 809
Date 03/08/2026
Vendor Address
RequisitionNo. 10204433
NAME: Buyer/Phone PurchasingDept./662-915-7448
STREET ADDRESS: Biddueon 04/16/2026
CITY, STATE ZIP:
PHONE: FAX: PleasereturnthebidrequesttoProcurementServices.
EMAIL: attheaboveaddress. Bidsmustbereturnedinthe
envelopeprovided,oraddressedwith thecollective
VendorBidInformationsubmittedby:
numberandopeningdatedisplayedontheoutsideof
PrintedName _________________________
envelope.
Signature _________________________
DeliveryDateARO _________________________ Page 2of 3
Item Material/Description Quantity UM UnitPrice Amount
COMPANY MUST BE REGISTERED WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF
MISSISSIPPI (UM) IF AWARDED. TO REGISTER AS A VENDOR
WITH UM, PLEASE VISIT https://olemiss.edu/procurement/vendors/
AND FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS ON THE WEBSITE.
PLEASE INCLUDE ORIGINAL REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
DOCUMENTS. PLEASE MAKE SURE ALL DOCUMENTS INCLUDE
YOUR CORRECT NAME, COMPANY NAME, AND CONTACT
INFORMATION (ADDRESS, PHONE NUMBER, FAX NUMBER,
ETC.).
THIS PURCHASE WILL BE GOVERNED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF
MISSISSIPPI TERMS AND CONDITIONS AS LISTED ON OUR
WEBSITE: http://procurement.olemiss.edu.
0001 UM Website Chatbot Solution 1 each
The University of Mississippi (UM) seeks a chatbot solution that
provides the ability to deliver and have personalized, engaging, and
measurable conversations with web-based users on university-
hosted websites.
PLEASE SEE THE ATTACHED SEVEN(7) PAGE DOCUMENT OF
SPECIFICATIONS AND SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
INSTRUCTIONSTOVENDOR
GENERALSPECIFICATIONS
(1)Bids-AllbidswillbequotedF.O.B.UniversityorOxford,Mississippi. NobidwillbeconsideredunlessF.O.Btermsareasstatedabove. Allpricesare
tobefirmquotations.See 'GeneralInformationtoBidder'includedwithbidpacket.
(2)Terms-Bidderwillstatetermsofsale. Ourtermsare2%10days,net45days. Thesetermswillapplyunlessotherwisespecified.
(3)Delivery-Bidderwillstateinbiddeliverythatpurchasercanexpectoneachitem.
DETAILEDSPECIFICATIONS
Itistheintentofthesespecificationsparticularlywheremanufacturer'snameand/orcatalognumberisusedtoselectanitemofcomparablematerials
and/ordesign. Itisnottheintenttolimitthebidding,however,allbiddersarecautionedthatthelistedmanufacturer'sstandardsshallbeaminimum. Itisa
requirementthatallbidderswhofurnishquotationsonproductsofmanufacturerotherthanthoselistedshallfurnishwiththeirbidcompleteinformation
togetherwithfullspecificationsofitemstheyproposetofurnish.

Request for Bid
Information
BillTo: ShipTo:
TheUniversityofMississippi TheUniversityofMississippi THIS IS NOT AN ORDER
OfficeofProcurementServices OfficeofProcurementServices
P.O.Box 1848 DistributionCenter
University,MS 38677-1848 164JeanettePhillipsDrive
Phone: (662)915-7448 UniversityMS 38677 RFBNumber 4100028960
Email: payables@olemiss.edu Coll.Number 809
Date 03/08/2026
Vendor Address
RequisitionNo. 10204433
NAME: Buyer/Phone PurchasingDept./662-915-7448
STREET ADDRESS: Biddueon 04/16/2026
CITY, STATE ZIP:
PHONE: FAX: PleasereturnthebidrequesttoProcurementServices.
EMAIL: attheaboveaddress. Bidsmustbereturnedinthe
envelopeprovided,oraddressedwith thecollective
VendorBidInformationsubmittedby:
numberandopeningdatedisplayedontheoutsideof
PrintedName _________________________
envelope.
Signature _________________________
DeliveryDateARO _________________________ Page 3of 3
Item Material/Description Quantity UM UnitPrice Amount
Any questions regarding this RFP should be directed to
Director of Procurement Services by email: bids@olemiss.edu
and be received no later than 10:00 am CT,
March 23, 2026.
All emails must reference RFP 809 UM Website Chatbot
Solution in the subject line of the email. Any responses
deemed necessary by UM will be issued as an addendum to this
RFP.
Total $
INSTRUCTIONSTOVENDOR
GENERALSPECIFICATIONS
(1)Bids-AllbidswillbequotedF.O.B.UniversityorOxford,Mississippi. NobidwillbeconsideredunlessF.O.Btermsareasstatedabove. Allpricesare
tobefirmquotations.See 'GeneralInformationtoBidder'includedwithbidpacket.
(2)Terms-Bidderwillstatetermsofsale. Ourtermsare2%10days,net45days. Thesetermswillapplyunlessotherwisespecified.
(3)Delivery-Bidderwillstateinbiddeliverythatpurchasercanexpectoneachitem.
DETAILEDSPECIFICATIONS
Itistheintentofthesespecificationsparticularlywheremanufacturer'snameand/orcatalognumberisusedtoselectanitemofcomparablematerials
and/ordesign. Itisnottheintenttolimitthebidding,however,allbiddersarecautionedthatthelistedmanufacturer'sstandardsshallbeaminimum. Itisa
requirementthatallbidderswhofurnishquotationsonproductsofmanufacturerotherthanthoselistedshallfurnishwiththeirbidcompleteinformation
togetherwithfullspecificationsofitemstheyproposetofurnish.

The University of Mississippi
Request for Proposals
UM Website Chatbot Solution
RFP # 809
OVERVIEW
The University of Mississippi (UM) seeks a chatbot solution that provides the ability to deliver and have
personalized, engaging, and measurable conversations with web-based users on university-hosted
websites.
Contingent upon periodic review by UM, the contract duration will initially be one year, and may
subsequently be extended by single or multiyear contracts as may be needed in the sole determination
of UM. Initially, there will be no specific planned end date for the platform's application; it will be
considered until UM decides to terminate its use with notice and/or transfer oversight and funding of it
to a particular UM agency (college, department, or center).
Notice is hereby given that UM Office of Procurement Servi ces is releasing a Request for Proposal (RFP)
for responses from vendors for a chatbot solution.
RFP SCHEDULE:
A.
EVENT DATE
Issue RFP March 8, 2026
Deadline to Submit Questions March 23, 2026 10:00 AM CT
Response to Written Questions March 27, 2026
Submission of Proposal Deadline April 16, 2026 1:00 PM CT
Proposal Evaluation April 17 -24, 2026
Finalize Contract May 26, 2026
Contract Award June 5, 2026
B. UM Will make every effort to adhere to the following schedule but Offeror
understands and agrees that these dates can be subject to change.
C. The potential Contract Award is a projected date and may be subject to change
and to IHL approvals.
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PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS
1. Sealed proposals will be received in the UM Office of Procurement Services on or before 1:00
pm CT, April 16, 2026. No proposal will be accepted after this time.
2. Sealed proposals shall be delivered in 1 of 2 options:
a. One (1) sealed hard copy and two (2) USB flash drives, each containing 1 PDF copy
b. One (1) PDF copy submitted electronically following instructions found at
https://procurement.olemiss.edu/bid-file/
c. All sealed copies should be delivered to:
The University of Mississippi
Office of Procurement Services
Attn: RFP 809
164 Jeanette Phillips Drive
University, MS 38677
3. Proposals should be plainly marked on the outside of the container: RFP 809 - UM Website
Chatbot Solution. A label has been provided in the RFP documents.
4. Proposals must be completed and signed in ink. The individual signing the proposal must be an
authorized agent of the vendor.
5. All proposals shall remain firm for a period of ninety (90) days from the indicated submission
date for proposals.
6. The contact term start date will be mutually agreed upon by the vendor and UM.
7. Any questions regarding this RFP should be directed to Director of Procurement Services by
email: bids@olemiss.edu and be received no later than 10:00 am CT, March 23, 2026. All emails
must reference RFP 809 - UM Website Chatbot Solution in the subject line of the email. Any
responses deemed necessary by UM will be issued as an addendum to this RFP. Any
unauthorized contact shall not be used as a basis for responding to this RFP and may result in
the disqualification of the proposer's submittal.
8. From the date of issuance of this RFP until a Contractor is selected and a contract award is
made, Offerors are not allowed to communicate about the subject of the RFP with any
University administrator, faculty, or staff except:
a. The Procurement Department representative or others authorized in writing by the
Procurement Department and
b. University representatives during Offeror presentations.
If violation of this provision occurs, the University reserves the right to reject the Offeror's
proposal.
9. Proposal must include the name of a primary contact person, email address, and telephone
number.
10. Proposal must include a detailed statement explaining how each item in the Solution and
Vendor Requirements section included elsewhere in this RFP will be satisfied.
11. Proposal must include a project timeline showing typical implementation phases.
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12. Proposal must specify any and all licensing, training, and other costs. Proposal should indicate
these as one time and ongoing and present full life cycle costs for a term of three years. If not
the incumbent vendor, your proposal should include transition costs.
13. Proposal must include hardware specifications and system requirements as well as any other
required software such as database licenses.
14. Proposal must describe the type of training methods available.
15. Proposal must include at least two university references with similar size and mission as UM. At
least one of these references must involve the use of the platform for curriculum management,
course scheduling, and Catalog management purposes. For each reference, proposal must
include institution name, contact name, title, email address, telephone number, and brief
project description.
16. Proposal should include a statement describing coverage of general and professional liability
insurance with limits of at least $1,000,000. A copy of the insurance certificate should also be
included.
17. If an onsite visit is necessary, all onsite visit / demonstration costs are to be absorbed by the
vendor. If awarded, the contract will be awarded to the vendor whose proposal, based upon
the evaluation criteria, is deemed to be the best fit for UM. Finalist Offerors may be asked to
submit revisions to their proposals for the purpose of obtaining best and final offers.
SOLUTION AND VENDOR REQUIREMENTS
-Vendor must verify that its application works on UM's Oxford campus.
-Vendor must demonstrate overall quality and long-term viability as a company by responding to the
following questions:
1. What is the legal name of your company?
2. How many years has your company has been in business? Is your company authorized to do
business in Mississippi?
3. Are you a subsidiary, affiliate, or franchise? If yes, what is the name of your parent company?
4. Please provide the headquarters location address, phone number and website.
5. How many employees do you have worldwide? In North America? Locally?
6. Please attach a copy of your most recent annual report and audited financial statements.
IMPORTANT! The offeror/proposer should mark any and all pages of the proposal considered to be
proprietary information which may remain confidential in accordance with Mississippi Code
Annotated 25-61-9 and 79-23-1 (1972, as amended). Each page of the proposal that the proposer
considers trade secrets or confidential commercial or financial information should be on a different
color paper than non-confidential pages and be marked in the upper right-hand corner with the
word "CONFIDENTIAL." Failure to clearly identify trade secrets or confidential commercial or
financial information will result in that information being released subject to a public records
request.
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7. Please provide a proposed contract for services you are providing. Any proposed contract in
response to this RFP should include or comply with the provisions in the Mandatory Addendum to
All University of Mississippi Contracts. (See Attachment A)
8. Is your company currently for sale or involved in any transaction to expand or to become acquired
by another business entity? If yes, please explain the impact both in organizational and directional
terms.
9. Please list all litigation, mediation, and/or settlements from the last five (5) years that your company
has been a party to, either as a plaintiff or defendant. Your response should include the parties'
names as stated in the case caption, the court and jurisdiction, a summary of the claims and
defenses, and the current status of the litigation, mediation, and/or settlement. Except where the
settlement is subject to a confidentiality agreement, please state the final disposition of the
litigation, mediation and/or settlement, if any.
10. Is your company currently in default on any loan agreement or financing agreement with any bank,
financial institution, or other entity? If yes, specify date(s), details, circumstances, and prospects for
resolution.
11. Does any relationship, whether by relative, business associate, capital funding agreement or any
other such kinship, exist between your company and a UM employee? If yes, please explain.
12. What policies and procedures do you have in place to maintain compliance with HIPAA (Health
Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), FERPA and other Federal or State programs?
13. Describe your company's quality assurance program. What software development standards,
programming guidelines, test plans, etc. are used?
14. Please describe any relevant privacy and security policies and procedures for use with the solution.
15. Describe how your company protects user data?
16. What challenges do you anticipate in serving UM and how do you plan to manage these? What
assistance will you require from UM?
17. Please provide any additional information that demonstrates the long-term viability of your
company and superiority of your products and/or services.
18. How does the solution ensure brand-aligned, consistent messaging across decentralized campus
units without creating fragmentation?
19. The solution will be subject to the terms of the UM Technology Accessibility Policy, which requires
review and approval from the UM CIO. To aid in this review, please provide a completed Voluntary
Product Accessibility Template (VPAT). The VPAT and instructions for completing it can be found
here: https://www.section508.gov/sell/vpat .) (We can also allow this information to be provided on
a flash drive.)
20. The solution will be subject to the terms of the UM Information Confidentiality/Security Policy,
which requires review and approval from the UM CIO. To aid in this review, please provide a
completed Higher Education Cloud Vendor Assessment Tool (HECVAT). The "Light" version of the
HECVAT will be sufficient for this purpose. The HECVAT template and instructions can be found
here: (https://www.educause.edu/higher-education-community-vendor-assessment-toolkit)
FEATURE CRITERIA
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The proposed solution will be evaluated on the following feature criteria:
Integration with UM's Single Sign On (SSO) solution, Shibboleth, is required. Solutions that cannot use
Shibboleth for UM users will not be considered. However, since some users (e.g., external reviewers)
will not have UM identities, the solution must have a parallel login track using local-to-the-solution
accounts for non-UM users. Any costs to set up or maintain this parallel-track login system (SSO and
local accounts) for the solution should be included in the proposal.
Solution must:
1. Automated response: Solution must be capable of automatic response to queries by web chat
users.
2. AI Integration: Proposal should specify how artificial intelligence is deployed within the solution.
Proposal should demonstrate how specific AI-infused engine can provide value for UM and web
users.
3. Human capability: Allow for real-time, human, two-way conversation with web-based users. For
example: Should a web user ask a question, a University of Mississippi user, if needed, should be
able to respond to the user in real-time within the hosted environment.
4. 24/7/365 support: Tech support must be available at all times
5. Scalable library/archive of responses: Solution must provide a repository of responses to general
university questions that, when prompted, deliver accurate and prompt answers to chatbot
users. Library/archive must be able to be edited by UM representatives.
6. Collaboration: Solution must be configured to allow multiple UM representatives to collaborate
within the environment at the same time.
7. SIS/CRM Integration: Proposal should outline and demonstrate possible integrations with each
of the following tools - Banner, Slate, Salesforce, Cascade CMS, and any other tools that
vendor may feel would be of use for UM.
8. Key Differentiators: Proposal should outline key differentiators for solution and how it stands
out among competitors in the space.
9. Customization: Solution must allow customization of chatbot personality, naming, and
conversational tone.
10. Site Performance: Solution must support embedding across multiple university web properties
without degrading site performance.
11. Context: Solution must allow contextual responses based on page location (e.g., admissions
page vs. financial aid page).
12. Analytics: Solution must provide reporting dashboards that incorporate engagement metrics
and appropriate segmentation by user.
13. Implementation and Onboarding: Proposal should outline onboarding, training, and
implementation timeline along with staffing requirements and recommended resources.
14. Product Roadmap: Proposal should provide roadmap for future development as well as
frequency of feature updates and enhancements.
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REJECTION OF RESPONSES
UM reserves the right to reject responses for the following reasons, but shall not be limited to:
-Failure to follow specifications and instructions contained in this RFP
-A response that alters terms or limits contained in this RFP
-Any response determined by the University as being unreasonable
The information provided within this proposal is intended to assist vendors in the preparation of a
proper response to this RFP. This RFP is designed to provide interested vendors with sufficient basic
information to submit proposals meeting minimum requirements. It is not intended to limit a proposal's
content, or to exclude any relevant or essential information or data thereof. Vendors are permitted to
(and encouraged to) expand upon specifications to evidence service capability under any agreement.
PROPOSAL REJECTION
This RFP does not commit UM to contract for any requirements detailed in this document. UM reserves
the right to reject any or all offers and to waive informalities and minor irregularities in the proposal
received.
CRITERIA FOR THE AWARD OF THE CONTRACT
UM will choose the response that provides the overall value, which will be determined by feature
criteria met (50%), cost (30%), demonstration of vendor financial stability and long-term viability (10%),
and references checks (10%).
DISCLOSURE OF PROPOSAL CONTENTS
Proposals will be kept confidential until evaluations and award are completed by UM. The evaluation
process is deemed to be in effect until the contract is awarded pursuant to this Request for Proposals.
Awarded in this context means the final required UM signature on the contract resulting from the
procurement has been obtained. At that time, all proposals and documents pertaining to the proposals
will be open to the public, except for material that is clearly marked proprietary or confidential.
IMPORTANT! The offeror/proposer should mark any and all pages of the proposal considered to be
proprietary information which may remain confidential in accordance with Mississippi Code Annotated
25-61-9 and 79-23-1 (1972, as amended). Each page of the proposal that the proposer considers trade
secrets or confidential commercial or financial information should be on a different color paper than
non-confidential pages and be marked in the upper right-hand corner with the word "CONFIDENTIAL."
Failure to clearly identify trade secrets or confidential commercial or financial information will result in
that information being released subject to a public records request.
SUFFICIENT APPROPRIATION
Any contract awarded as a result of this RFP process may be terminated if sufficient appropriations or
authorizations do not exist. Such terminations will be affected by sending written notice to the
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contractor. UM's decision as to whether sufficient appropriations and authorizations are available will
be accepted by the vendor as final.
CONTRACT TERMS AND CONDITIONS
The contract shall be awarded to the Offeror whose proposal is most advantageous to the University of
Mississippi taking into consideration the evaluation factors set forth in this RFP. The award is subject to
appropriate Institutions of Higher Learning and State Office approvals.
Any proposed contract in response to this RFP should include or comply with the provisions in the
Mandatory Addendum to All University of Mississippi Contracts. (See Attachment A)
The contents of this RFP, as revised and/or supplemented, and the successful Offeror's proposal will be
incorporated into and become part of any resultant contract.
A certificate of insurance acceptable to UM (naming the University, its trustees, officers, employees and
agents as Additional Insured) shall be issued as evidence that policies providing the required coverage,
conditions, and limits are in full effect. These certificates shall also encompass any renewals or changes
in policies, insurance companies, or indemnifications. Copies shall be kept on file in the UM
Procurement Services Office and should be available for review at any time both onsite and within the
general offices of the Submitter.
CONFIDENTIALITY
Any confidential information provided to, or developed by, the contractor in the proposal process or the
performance of the contract resulting from this RFP shall be kept confidential and shall not be made
available to any individual or organization by the contractor without the prior written approval of UM.
The Contractor agrees to protect the confidentiality of all confidential information and not to publish or
disclose such information to any third party without UM's written permission.
Submission of a proposal indicates Respondent's acceptance of the evaluation technique and
Respondent's recognition that some subjective judgments must be made by UM during the assigning of
points.
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