Description
1. Purpose and Objectives
SUNY Old Westbury seeks proposals for a secure, cloud-based, integrated institutional effectiveness software platform that supports:
· Strategic and operational planning
· Budget development and resource allocation workflows
· Outcome’s assessment and program review
· Accreditation and compliance evidence management
· KPI tracking and performance dashboards
· Cross-unit reporting and analytics
· Institutional data alignment and continuous improvement
The platform must support institution-wide use across academic and administrative units and enable coordinated planning, assessment, budgeting, and accreditation activities within a unified environment.
The University requires a configurable/customizable platform — not a fixed’ template system — capable of adapting to Old Westbury governance structures, planning frameworks, MSCHE accreditation standards, and regulatory reporting needs.
2. Functional Scope — Required Capability Domains
Vendors must propose a platform that includes integrated or tightly unified modules supporting the following functional domains that reflect the multi-module capability pattern for planning, budgeting, assessment, accreditation, and data import services.
2.1 Strategic & Operational Planning
The platform must support institution-wide and unit-level planning processes.
Required capabilities:
· Strategic plan configuration (goals, objectives, strategies, actions)
· Multi-level planning hierarchy (University → Academic Division or Administrative Office → Academic Programs or Administrative Units → programs/initiatives)
· Goal and objective mapping across units
· Action steps and task tracking
· Timeline and milestone assignment
· KPI and metric attachment to goals and objectives
· Initiative/project tracking
· Progress status reporting
· Document and artifact attachment at plan element level
· Configurable planning templates
· Crosswalk mapping (e.g., goals ↔ outcomes ↔ standards ↔ KPIs)
· Versioning and annual cycle rollover
2.2 Budget Planning & Resource Allocation
The platform must support structured budget request and review workflows integrated with planning.
Required capabilities:
· Unit-level budget request submission
· Budget request templates and drivers
· Multi-level review and approval workflows
· Budget-to-goal alignment tagging
· Capital and operational budget categories
· Scenario planning support (e.g., low/expected/high projections)
· Budget narrative and justification capture
· Budget request status tracking
· Exportable budget reports
· Finance office review dashboards
· Ability to attach supporting documentation
This requirement reflects the integrated planning + budgeting functionality
2.3 Outcomes Assessment & Program Review
The platform must support academic and administrative assessment processes.
Required capabilities:
· Outcome definition (program, unit, institutional)
· Measure and indicator configuration
· Assessment cycle management
· Data collection forms and surveys
· Rubric-based scoring support
· Findings and analysis entry
· Improvement action tracking
· Program review workflows
· Multi-year assessment history
· Evidence attachment
· Outcome-to-goal mapping
· Outcome-to-accreditation-standard mapping
· Hierarchical assessment structures
2.4 Accreditation & Compliance Management
The platform must support accreditation and compliance documentation workflows.
Required capabilities:
· Accreditation standards framework configuration
· Standards → criteria → evidence mapping
· Evidence repository with tagging
· Evidence crosswalk mapping to:
· standards
· institutional goals
· outcomes
· KPIs
· Working group collaboration spaces
· Narrative draft tracking
· Evidence linking to reports
· Compliance checklist tracking
· Self-study or review workflow management
· Exportable accreditation evidence packages
2.5 Dashboards, Reporting & Analytics
The platform must provide robust reporting and visualization tools.
Required capabilities:
· Role-based dashboards
· Goal progress dashboards
· KPI dashboards
· Budget dashboards
· Assessment dashboards
· Accreditation status dashboards
· Configurable filters
· Cross-unit roll-up views
· Drill-down capability
· Export to Excel / CSV / PDF
· Scheduled report delivery
· Custom report builder tools
3. Platform Architecture & Technical Requirements
3.1 Deployment Model
· Cloud-based SaaS platform
· No local server requirement
· Browser-based access
· High availability architecture
· Documented uptime SLA
3.2 User & Access Model
· Institution-wide licensing model preferred
· Unlimited or high-cap user model preferred
· Role-based access control
· Fine-grained permissions
· Delegated administration
· Multi-role user support
3.3 Authentication & Security
· Single Sign-On (SSO) support required
· SAML / OAuth compatibility
· MFA support
· FERPA-aligned controls
· Role-based data visibility
· Full audit logging
· Data encryption at rest and in transit
· SOC 2 or equivalent certification preferred
3.4 Integration Requirements
Platform must support integration or data exchange with:
Banner SIS
Brightspace (D2L) LMS
Jaeger (Procurement system)
Interview Exchange (HR)
Identity management systems
MS PowerBI
Integration methods must include:
· APIs
· Secure data feeds
· CSV import/export
· Scheduled data sync
· Webhooks or event triggers (preferred)
4. Data Migration & Import Services
Vendor must provide structured data migration support as part of the contract terms.
Required capabilities:
· Historical data import services
· Data mapping support
· Data transformation
· Validation and reconciliation
· Import testing cycles
· Up to multiple years of historical records
· Migration documentation
· Secure transfer protocols
5. Configuration & Customization
Platform must support configuration without vendor code changes:
· Custom fields
· Custom workflows
· Custom templates
· Custom terminology
· Custom reporting dimensions
· Configurable taxonomies
· Standards framework configuration
· Planning model configuration
6. Implementation & Training Requirements
Vendor must provide:
· Structured implementation plan
· Dedicated implementation manager
· Configuration workshops with Old Westbury leadership
· Administrator training for all Designated Leaders
· End-user training for users at different levels
· Recorded training resources
· Documentation library
· Ongoing training availability
· Virtual training options
7. Support & Service Requirements
Vendor must provide:
Ongoing technical support
· Helpdesk ticketing system
· Defined response SLAs
· Knowledge base
· User guides
· Release notes
· Regular platform updates
· Customer success check-ins
8. Notifications & Workflow Communications
Platform must support:
· Automated reminders
· Deadline alerts
· Task notifications
· Workflow status alerts
· Email and calendar integration
· Escalation notifications
9. Vendor Response Requirements
Vendors must include:
· Functional capability matrix
· Implementation timeline
· Data migration methodology
· Security documentation
· Integration architecture
· Training plan
· Support model
· Licensing model
· Pricing structure by module or capability area
· Client references (higher education preferred)
10. Evaluation Criteria (for RFP Scoring) Please see attached Excel Spreadsheet for Scoring Rubrics
· Functional fit — planning/budget/assessment/accreditation
· Configurability
· Integration capability
· Reporting & dashboards
· Data migration support
· Security & compliance
· Implementation approach
· Training & support model
· Total cost of ownership
· Higher education experience
Category
Weight
Functional Fit
25%
Configurability
15%
Integration Capability
10%
Security & Compliance
10%
Implementation Approach
10%
Training & Support
10%
Reporting & Dashboards
10%
Data Migration
5%
Vendor Experience
3%
Total Cost of Ownership
2%
** Bidders’ Questions Due By: Tuesday 08/11/2026, 3pm** College Responses Due By: Tuesday 08/18/2026, 5pm** Bids Due By: Wednesday 08/26/2026 2PM EST
***All bids are to be emailed to [email protected]***
***Please attest to acceptance of Exhibit A, Exhibit A-1 and Exhibit-B in bid submission***
Business enterprises awarded an identical or substantially similar procurement contract within the past five years:
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Attached files
The solicitation documents live at the source — open the bid source above to download them.