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P RO CU RE ME NT D E P A RT ME NT REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL ISSUED THURSDAY JUNE 20, 2013 SEALED RESPONSES DUE NO LATER THAN 3:00 P.M. EASTERN, THURSDAY JULY 25, 2013 SUBJECT: RFP #1039: IT ACCESSIBILITY AUDIT FOR THE STUDENT ACCESSIBILITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT AT KENT STATE UNIVERSITY; KENT, OHIO Sealed proposals must be received at the Procurement Department, located in Suite 330 of Harbourt Hall, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, by the date and time specified above, and opened immediately thereafter for the same Request for Proposal above. Proposals received after that date and time will be returned unopened to the respondent. Proposals are to be submitted in accordance with the enclosed RFP Instructions and Specifications. There will not be a formal proposal opening. Questions pertaining to any specifications contained herein must be directed to Larry McWilliams, Assistant Manager of Procurement, at 330-672-9196, or via email to [email protected]. Kent State University shall at all times reserve the right to reject any or all proposals, waive any proposal informalities or irregularities, and request new proposals if doing so is deemed to be in the best interests of Kent State University. KENT STATE UNIVERSITY PROCUREMENT DEPARTMENT

Lawrence W. McWilliams III, C.P.M. Assistant Manager By signing this document, I am agreeing, on behalf of my firm, to the specifications of this Request for Proposal and accepting, without exception or amendment the Instructions, Agreement Terms, and Specifications as set forth in this document. Any and all Purchase Orders resulting from this Request for Proposal shall be subject to these Instructions, Agreement Terms and Specifications, as incorporated herein.

SUBMITTED BY: _____________________________________________________________________________ (Company Name)

AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE: __________________________________________DATE: ___________________

____________________________________________________________________ (Printed Name, Title)

PROCUREMENT DEPARTMENT

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL #1039 IT ACCESSIBILITY AUDIT FOR THE STUDENT ACCESSIBILITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT AT KENT STATE UNIVERSITY; KENT, OHIO

ISSUED THURSDAY JUNE 20, 2013

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION I:

Overviews of Kent State Univ. and Student Accessibility Services

SECTION II:

Definitions

SECTION III:

Project Timeline

SECTION IV:

RFP Instructions and Agreement Terms

SECTION V:

RFP Specifications

SECTION VI:

RFP Respondent Signature and Identification Form

APPENDIX:

IT Functional Areas

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SECTION I BRIEF OVERVIEW OF KENT STATE UNIVERSITY

Founded in 1910, Kent State University is the largest public multi-campus system in Ohio in terms of the number of campuses (eight) and local communities served across Northeast Ohio. Kent State has a population of over 42,000 students, 3,300 full-time faculty and staff members, and more than 200,000 alumni. The University’s annual budget is $500 million, approximately 25% of which comes from the state of Ohio. Total assets of the KSU Foundation are $113 million. On July 1, 2006, Dr. Lester A. Lefton became the 11th President of the University, succeeding Dr. Carol A. Cartwright. Dr. Lefton has set out an aggressive plan to build and expand on our established strengths and for the University to substantially increase funded research and secure its position as the lead research university in the region. The University’s Kent Campus, which has a student body of 27,000 and a thriving residential population of 6,000, is located on a beautiful 900-acre physical plant in Kent, Ohio, a city of 30,000 in Portage County, within the greater Cleveland-Akron metropolitan area. It provides the intellectual, scientific, social, economic, and artistic resources of a major research university in an extremely safe and serene campus setting. Seven regional campuses draw full- and part-time students, now totaling about 14,000, from their local communities: Ashtabula Campus, Ashtabula; East Liverpool Campus, East Liverpool; Geauga Campus, Burton; Salem Campus, Salem; Stark Campus, Canton; Trumbull Campus, Warren; and Tuscarawas Campus, New Philadelphia. The regional campuses, which are non-residential, have led the institution’s enrollment growth over the past decade. Each campus is thoroughly engaged in the community, in which it is located, making available the rich resources of a comprehensive and diverse university and significantly impacting that area’s economic well-being and quality of life. The chief academic officer is responsible for the academic direction of all eight campuses of Kent State University. The Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine officially became the Kent State University College of Podiatric Medicine, effective July 1, 2012. The college was established in 1916 and is one of the largest and most respected podiatric medical education institutions in the country and the only accredited podiatry school in Ohio. According to the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education, Kent State is one of 77 public research universities that maintain “high research activity.” Other elements in the classification of the Kent campus include its undergraduate instructional program (“professions plus arts & sciences, high graduate coexistence”), its graduate program (“comprehensive doctoral, no medical/veterinary”), its enrollment profile (“high undergraduate”), its undergraduate profile (“full-time four-year, selective, lower transfer-in”), and size and setting (“large four-year, primarily residential”). Kent State is proud of its outstanding faculty, staff and students, collaborative culture, exceptional academic and research orientation, strong commitment to engagement, academic excellence, and diversity. The University offers 32 associate, 272 baccalaureate, 214 masters, and 59 doctoral degree programs. Academic programs are organized into ten degree-granting colleges: Architecture and Environmental Design; Arts and Sciences; Business Administration; College of the Arts; Communication and Information; Education, Health, and Human Services; Nursing; Public Health; Technology; and the Kent State University College of Podiatric Medicine.

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BRIEF OVERVIEW OF STUDENT ACCESSIBILITY SERVICES

The mission of Student Accessibility Services (SAS) is to ensure that Kent State University provides qualified students with disabilities appropriate academic adjustments and auxiliary aids. To reach this mission, SAS has the following goals:  To establish a welcoming and respectful environment in the SAS office and at the campus;  To strive to meet the needs of students with disabilities;  To facilitate improvements in the delivery of academic programs and services to students with disabilities which promote their academic success;  To work toward awareness of accessibility issues by all members of the university community. (Taken from http://www.kent.edu/sas/student/current/sas-student-handbook.cfm.)

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SECTION II DEFINITIONS Relative to this document, and any addenda incorporated herein, the following definitions apply. Addendum(a): Written instruments, issued solely by the Kent State University Procurement Department, that detail amendments, changes, modifications, or clarifications to the specifications, terms and conditions of this Request for Proposal (RFP). Such written instruments shall be the sole method employed by the Procurement Department to amend, change, modify or clarify this RFP, and any claims (from whatever source) that verbal amendments, changes, modifications or clarifications have been made shall be summarily rejected by the Procurement Department. Agreement, Contract: Formal award resulting from the RFP. IT: “Information Technology” KSU: “Kent State University” May, Should: Indicates something that is requested but not mandatory. If the Proposer fails to provide information, the Kent State University Procurement Department may, at its sole option, either request that the Proposer provide the information, or evaluate the Proposal without the information. Proposal Closing Date: The date and time specified in the RFP by which a sealed proposal must be received by the Kent State University Procurement Department. Proposals received after the stated date and time will not be considered. Proposal Issue Date: The date and time the RFP process is opened for submission by prospective vendors. Proposal, Quotation: Response provided by proposer. Proposer, Vendor, Carrier, Provider: Respondent to the RFP. RFP: “Request for Proposal” Shall, Must, Will: Indicates a mandatory requirement. Failure to meet mandatory requirements will invalidate the proposal, or result in the rejection of a proposal as non-responsive.

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SECTION III PROJECT TIMELINE All respondents are expected to adhere to the following timeline in completion of the Request for Proposal process: 

Thursday, June 20, 2013: RFP issued



Tuesday, July 9, 2013, 4:00 PM Eastern: Deadline to register for mandatory preproposal meeting/conference call



Wednesday, July 10, 2013, 2:00 PM Eastern (location TBD): Mandatory pre-proposal meeting/conference call with vendors



Friday, July 12, 2013, 4:00 PM Eastern: Deadline for the submission of additional questions by vendors via email



Tuesday, July 16, 2013, 4:00 PM Eastern: Deadline for return of answers to additional questions by KSU via email



Thursday, July 25, 2013, 3:00 PM Eastern: Proposals due



Period of July 26 through August 16, 2013: Evaluation of proposals; and selection and scheduling for vendor presentations, if necessary



Week of August 19, 2013: Select vendor presentations, if necessary



On or about the week of August 26, 2013: Announcement of contract award; negotiation and vendor integration logistics to follow



September 2013: Meetings with ADA Advisory Committee, and personnel within key KSU functional areas



September and October 2013: Evaluation of various IT accessibility



December 2013: Completion of analysis of results



January 2014: Presentation of results to ADA Advisory Committee, select KSU Vice Presidents, and personnel from key functional areas

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SECTION IV REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS AND AGREEMENT TERMS SCOPE The purpose of this endeavor is to assess the disability-related accessibility of Kent State University’s (KSU) information technology (IT) footprint. In order to comply with federal law, and to align with general best practices, the university is intent on ensuring that its IT interfaces are accessible to all constituents, particularly those with disabilities. Ideally, the IT life-cycle of a student—from the admissions process, to course registration, to applying for financial aid, to paying bills, to applying for on-campus housing, to accessing academic coursework, to applying for graduation, etc.—ought to be seamlessly accessible to students regardless of disability. The proposed IT accessibility audit will, initially, focus on some of the most important functions of student life, namely admissions, financial aid, access to online learning and library offerings, and course management systems, such as Blackboard Learn. The information gained from this audit will provide the university a blueprint for remediation of inaccessible IT content and suggestions for ensuring accessibility in other functional areas within the university. Ultimately, the implementation of the audit results will help ensure that the university is a welcoming and inclusive institution to all prospective and current students, including those with disabilities. Specifications follow in Section V.

PROPOSALS INSTRUCTIONS AND INFORMATION Proposals are to be written to address all information required, must be presented in a wellorganized presentation and should follow the format of the Request for Proposal (RFP). Each response should reference the number and headings as listed in the RFP. The proposal document must include a detailed Table of Contents formulated in the same order as the topics and questions as they appear in this document. The cost proposal and any accompanying materials and additional information deemed necessary by respondents to embellish and complement effectively their response should be included in an Addendum Section. Proposers are cautioned not to include an abundance of promotional and marketing materials as a substitute for objectively compelling and substantive documentation for the proper support of their response. In order to receive consideration, companies responding to this request are required to submit one (1) original (and so marked “ORIGINAL”), three (3) hardcopies, and one (1) electronic copy (on CD, thumb drive, etc.) of their response in a sealed envelope or package clearly indicating the contents, before and no later than the date and time specified on the RFP. The Coversheet and all of Section VI must be completed, dated and signed by the respondent, and must accompany the written proposal and any other required documentation in the manner 6

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described above. Respondents are asked to direct the proposal to Larry McWilliams, Assistant Manager of Procurement, at the following address: Kent State University Procurement Department Suite 330 Harbourt Hall 615 Loop Road PO Box 5190 Kent, OH 44242-0001 Directions to Harbourt Hall may be accessed at the following link: http://www.kent.edu/campuses/maps/map.cfm Responses must be received in the Kent State University Procurement Department, Suite 330 Harbourt Hall, 615 Loop Road, Kent, Ohio, by 3:00 PM Eastern on Thursday, July 25, 2013. Responses will not be accepted via facsimile or via email. It is the responsibility of the proposer to ensure that the requested number of response copies arrive on time and at the designated location. Any submissions received after the stated date and time, or those that do not contain the correct number of copies, will be disqualified. This RFP is intended to provide its respondents with a formal and unrestrictive opportunity for their services to be considered for PCI DSS compliance solutions for Kent State University. Respondents submitting information which meet the specified criteria and which are deemed to be the most advantageous to the university may be required to make a presentation to a University evaluation team at a later date. It is requested that those vendors who do not desire to submit a response indicate the same by submitting a “No Response” to the Procurement Department. OHIO REVISED CODE 9.24 REQUIREMENT: FINDING FOR RECOVERY Ohio Revised Code 9.24 Requirement: Finding for Recovery Ohio Revised Code (ORC) Section 9.24 prohibits the State from awarding a contract to any offeror(s) against whom the Auditor of the State has issued a finding for recovery if the finding for recovery is deemed “unresolved” at the time of award. By submitting a response, the offeror warrants that it is not now, and will not become subject to an “unresolved” finding for recovery under ORC 9.24, prior to the award of any contract arising out of this RFP, without notifying the university of such finding. Furthermore, if the warranty is false on the date the offeror would sign an Agreement resulting from this RFP, such and any future Agreement is void ab initio, and the Contractor must immediately repay to the State any funds paid under any such Agreement. “Contractor warrants that it is not subject to an “unresolved” finding for recovery under O.R.C. Section 9.24. If this warranty is found to be false, this Agreement is void ab initio and Contractor shall immediately repay to Agency any funds paid under this Agreement.”

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SUPPLIER DIVERSITY Kent State University encourages women and minority groups to respond to university Requests for Proposals. Kent State University is committed to a proactive and a comprehensive supplier diversity program that ensures an active and full participation of historically disadvantaged, economically and socially underutilized businesses located within the university's geographic region and beyond with specific attention to include Minority Business Enterprises (MBE) and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (WOBE). Information about Kent State University’s Supplier Diversity Program including the Vendor Registration Process can be found on the Procurement Department Web site at http://www.kent.edu/procurement/welcome-supplierdiversity.cfm. Kent State University encourages the participation of women and minority groups in all university contracts. Kent State University therefore requires that all prospective suppliers demonstrate good faith efforts to obtain the participation of minority-owned and womenowned business enterprises in the work to be performed under university contracts. The supplier shall furnish appropriate quarterly information about its effort to include womenowned and minority groups in the contract, including the identities of such enterprises and the dollar amount supplied under the contract. A listing of Ohio certified minority businesses, as well as the services and commodities they provide, is available from the State of Ohio Minority Business Enterprise Unit and can be reviewed at http://www.das.ohio.gov/Eod/EODMBEOff.htm. CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS Contractor hereby certifies that all applicable parties listed in Division (l)(3) or (J)(3) of O.R.C. Section 3517.13 are in full compliance with Divisions (l)(1) and (J)(1) of O.R.C. Section 3517.13. CONFLICTS OF INTEREST AND ETHICS COMPLIANCE No personnel of Contractor or member of the governing body of any locality or other public official or employee of any such locality in which, or relating to which, the work under this Agreement is being carried out, and who exercise any functions or responsibilities in connection with the review or approval of this Agreement or carrying out of any such work, shall, prior to the completion of said work, voluntarily acquire any personal interest, direct or indirect, which is incompatible or in conflict with the discharge and fulfillment of his or her functions and responsibilities with respect to the carrying out of said work. Any such person who acquires an incompatible or conflicting personal interest, on or after the effective date of this Agreement, or who involuntarily acquires any such incompatible or conflicting personal interest, shall immediately disclose his or her interest to Agency in writing. Thereafter, he or she shall not participate in any action affecting the work under this Agreement, unless Agency shall determine in its sole discretion that, in the light of the personal interest disclosed, his or her participation in any action would not be contrary to the public interest.

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Contractor represents, warrants, and certifies that it and its employees engaged in the administration or performance of the Agreement are knowledgeable of and understand the Ohio Ethics and Conflicts of Interest laws and Executive Order No. 2007-O1S. Contractor further represents, warrants, and certifies that neither Contractor nor any of its employees will do any act that is inconsistent with such laws and Executive Order. PROPRIETARY INFORMATION DISCLOSURE All responses and accompanying documentation will become the property of the University at the time responses are opened, with the exception of any material marked as proprietary information as defined by Ohio Revised Code Section 149.43. All response materials are subject to disclosure under the Ohio Public Records Law (ORC 149.43) except proprietary information, which will be returned to the unsuccessful respondent at the respondent’s request and expense, or be destroyed, at the conclusion of the selection process. SPECIFICATIONS Specifications have been based on services desired by the University and are used for the purpose of description and establishing quality desired. Acceptable alternates may also be considered. VERBAL INFORMATION Companies submitting responses shall NOT base the response on verbal information from any employee of the University from the date and time the RFP is received by the proposer, unless otherwise noted elsewhere in the RFP. Any such incident will invalidate the response, and bar that particular vendor from receiving a purchase or contract award. In case errors or omissions are found in the response document, companies submitting responses shall at once inform the signee in the Procurement Department who will publish the correction to all companies. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION In the event that information submitted by the respondent is unclear to the University, the University may request additional explanation from the respondent for the purpose of evaluation and decisions. The respondent shall answer requests for additional information or clarification in writing, and these responses will become part of the company’s overall submission. Respondents failing to provide adequate information on any issue in a timely manner to allow a comprehensive evaluation by the University shall be considered unresponsive, and their submission subject to rejection.

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MANDATORY PRE-PROPOSAL MEETING/CONFERENCE CALL A mandatory pre-proposal meeting/conference call will be conducted on Wednesday, July 10, 2013 at 2:00 PM Eastern at a location to be announced to answer any questions and address any issues that may arise in the development of your proposals. Vendors are invited to participate in the meeting in-person, but a conference call option may be exercised for those respondents whose representation can only be facilitated remotely. The location for the meeting has yet to be determined as of this writing, but those vendors registering for the meeting will be informed in sufficient time to attend. The meeting/conference call is mandatory, and participation is a condition for contract award. Proposers are asked to register for it by contacting Larry McWilliams in the Procurement Department via email at [email protected]. The deadline for registration is 4:00 PM Eastern, Tuesday, July 9, 2013. All emails will be acknowledged as received, along with a confirmation of your registration and directions and instructions for participating in the meeting/conference call on Wednesday, July 10, 2013. ADDITIONAL QUESTION AND ANSWER PROVISION Proposers who have attended the mandatory pre-proposal meeting/conference call on Wednesday, May 22, 2013 will be afforded one last opportunity to pose additional questions not raised at the meeting by forwarding such questions to Larry McWilliams in the Procurement Department via email at [email protected] no later than 4:00 PM Eastern Friday, July 12, 2013. The selection committee will review and attempt to answer any and all questions received. All questions and their corresponding answers will be returned to all eligible proposers via email no later than 4:00 PM Eastern Tuesday, July 16, 2013. EVALUATION AND CONTRACT AWARD Selection and award of contract will be made to the company or companies whose proposal, in the opinion of Kent State University, represents the best overall value to the University. Factors which determine the award are more fully detailed in Section V, and will include, but will not be limited to, the following: The proposer’s responsiveness to all specifications in the RFP, quality of the proposer’s services, ability to fulfill the contract, and general responsibility as evidenced by past performance. The University reserves the right to judgment concerning the quality of the service offered. The University will select a vendor which it believes offers the proposal that is in the University’s best overall interest. The University also reserves the right to accept none of the proposals received. In determining the successful vendor, the University will consider, but will not be limited to, the following selection criteria:  Overall quality of the services being offered;  Costs (commissions, fees, expenses, etc. to be charged and where/if applicable);  Reputation of the vendor;

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         

Ability of the vendor to provide the service requested; Information received on reference checks; Quality and satisfaction of any previous services performed; Overall financial position of the vendor; Number and scope of any conditions included in the vendor’s proposal; Accessibility of the vendor’s staff to the University’s staff; Dedicated representatives from the vendor’s staff Ability to execute the contract in a timely manner; Ability to collaborate with or supplement existing University resources, services or programs. Any other relevant information submitted.

PROPOSER PRESENTATIONS Proposers submitting responses which meet the requirements and which are deemed to be the most advantageous to the University may be required to give an oral presentation to the University evaluation team, to discuss the more salient aspects of their proposals and answer questions posed by the evaluation team. These presentations will tentatively be scheduled during the week of August 19, 2013, time(s) and location(s) to be determined. Scheduling of these presentations will be done by the Procurement Department, in coordination with the members of the University evaluation team. VALID PROPOSALS Proposals will be considered valid for a period of one hundred-twenty (120) days after the scheduled due date, unless otherwise noted. PROCEDURE FOR CONDUCTING NEGOTIATIONS —Who To Negotiate With First After completion of the initial evaluation process, the University may begin negotiations with one or more vendors whose proposals are most in keeping with the University’s requirements as enumerated in the RFP. Notification of such negotiations will be offered after a reasonable amount of time has elapsed from the proposal deadline. Negotiations shall continue to the satisfaction of the University or, if the University determines a satisfactory agreement cannot be reached, the University may initiate negotiations with one or more of the remaining vendors. —Negotiations With Multiple Vendors The University reserves the right, at all times during the negotiation process, to negotiate with one or more vendors at the same time, but is under no obligation to do so. The vendor(s) with whom the University enters into negotiations must have present a representative with decisionmaking authority.

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—If Negotiations Are Unsuccessful With respect to any of the services that are a part of this RFP, in the event that the University determines that a contract cannot be negotiated with any of the vendors who respond to the RFP, the University shall have the right to issue a new RFP or other process to seek qualified applicants, to provide the services itself, or to use another process (e.g., sole source contracting) in order to have the product(s) and/or service(s) provided. PERIOD OF AGREEMENT The term of the agreement for all proposed services shall be one (1) year, but multiple year proposals will be considered. CONTRACT EXTENSION It is understood and agreed that Kent State University reserves the right to extend the contract period a maximum of thirty (30) days beyond the normal expiration date of this contract. Any further extension as may be required shall be through mutual assent. RENEWAL OF CONTRACT Kent State University reserves the right to renew this contract, with mutual assent, on a year-to year basis, not to exceed three (3) annual renewals. Any renewal agreed upon shall occur ninety (90) days prior to expiration of the agreement then in force. INDEMNIFICATION/HOLD HARMLESS Proposer shall indemnify and hold Kent State University harmless from and against all claims, losses, expenses, damages, causes of actions and liabilities of every kind and nature (including without limitation reasonable attorney’s fees), arising out of any alleged breach of any proposer’s obligations or warranties or from any other acts or omissions of contractor, its officers, agents, employees and subcontractors. MARKETING/ADVERTISING No supplier providing products or services to Kent State University shall willfully obtain the name, identifying marks or property of Kent State University for its own promotional purposes. DUN AND BRADSTREET DATA Kent State University reserves the right to request data from Dun and Bradstreet concerning history of company’s financial and payment statistics. Proposals from companies failing to provide the requested data to Dun and Bradstreet will not be considered.

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TERMINATION Either party may terminate this contract partnership after the expiration of sixty (60) days from the effective date of the contract. Termination may occur by giving the other party one hundred twenty (120) days prior written notice of intent to terminate; except that any breach of this contract shall be just cause to immediately terminate the contract and any obligations existing thereunder without any prior notice to you. Termination resulting from breach of contract will be cause, at the sole discretion of the Procurement Department, to suspend the proposer from submitting a proposal on any project at the university for a period up to three (3) years. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE Time is of the essence in completing this project. Any breach of the terms of any contract resulting from this solicitation, including, but in no way limited to the time period of performance, will be just cause to terminate that contract without prior notice to the contractor. Termination resulting from breach will be cause, at the sole discretion of the University, to suspend the proposer from proposing on any project at the University for a period of up to three (3) years. REJECTION OF SERVICES All services purchased herein are subject to approval by Kent State University. Any rejection of services resulting because of nonconformity to the terms and specifications of the contract, whether held by the buyer or returned, will be at the proposer’s risk and expense. PRICE ADJUSTMENT All fees quoted must remain firm during the term of the contract; however, prior to entering into a renewal of the contract and in the event of a price change (increase or decrease), fees may be changed subject to a negotiated adjustment to reflect such an increase or decrease. In all instances the proposer must document such requests in writing to the Procurement Department and any price changes that may result will apply only to the renewal period of the contract. FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL LAWS The proposer shall, in the performance of work or services on this job, fully comply with all applicable federal, state or local laws, rules, regulations and ordinances, and shall hold Kent State University harmless from any liability from failure of such compliance. EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY Kent State University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and as such makes the following request: The proposer, in submitting a proposal and/or filling a purchase order, agrees not to discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment with respect to hiring and tenure,

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terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, or any matter directly or indirectly related to employment, because or race, color, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or identity as a disabled veteran or veteran of the Vietnam era to the extent required by law. The proposer must further agree that every subcontract or order given for the supplying of this order will contain a provision requiring nondiscrimination in employment, as herein specified. This covenant is required pursuant to Federal executive orders 11246 and 11375 and any breach thereof may be regarded as a material breach of the contract or purchase order. AUDITS Kent State University reserves the right to perform audits as often as is deemed necessary by the University with advance notice. The University will utilize all invoicing and documentation, which relates to Kent State University’s final cost. Kent State University personnel from the Kent State University Tax and Treasury Department, Procurement Department, and Auditing Department may perform these audits. The company to be audited must provide access to files and information necessary to validate cost data and assist in the performance of each audit. Audit discrepancies must be resolved to the satisfaction of Kent State University. Kent State University reserves the right to terminate the partnership at any time if the audit results are not resolved to meet the requirements of Kent State University. COMMUNICATION CONTACT All questions regarding this Request for Proposal must be directed to Larry McWilliams, Assistant Manager of Procurement, at 330-672-9196, or via email to [email protected]. (Please proceed to Section VI, “Request for Proposal Signature and Information Form”.)

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SECTION V REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL SPECIFICATIONS SCOPE As iterated elsewhere, the purpose of this endeavor is to assess the disability-related accessibility of Kent State University’s (KSU) information technology (IT) footprint. In order to comply with federal law, and to align with general best practices, the university is intent on ensuring that its IT interfaces are accessible to all constituents, particularly those with disabilities. Ideally, the IT life-cycle of a student—from the admissions process, to course registration, to applying for financial aid, to paying bills, to applying for on-campus housing, to accessing academic coursework, to applying for graduation, etc.—ought to be seamlessly accessible to students regardless of disability. The proposed IT accessibility audit will, initially, focus on some of the most important functions of student life, namely admissions, financial aid, access to online learning and library offerings, and course management systems. Within the areas identified above, the audit should be sure to encompass certain student populations as well as outside and/or ancillary systems that interface with these areas. For example, within the Admissions area the audit should include student populations such as firsttime freshmen, transfer students, graduate students, post-secondary option students, and international students. Outside vendors for some of these areas should also be evaluated, such as Embanet and Royall. Finally, the audit should also specifically examine certain systems including Flashline homepage and the registration and course tools tab, Blackboard Learn homepage and select courses, and Course Reserves. The information gained from this audit will provide the university a blueprint for remediation of inaccessible IT content and suggestions for ensuring accessibility in other functional areas within the university. Ultimately, the implementation of the audit results will help ensure that the university is a welcoming and inclusive institution to all prospective and current students, including those with disabilities. The specifications of Kent State’s requirements to ascertain properly the qualifications for this engagement include the following. DESCRIPTION AND SCOPE Federal laws as well as best practices obligate colleges and universities to provide equal access to learning opportunities and programmatic initiatives offered by the college/university to all students, including those with disabilities. The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, specifically section 504, recognized persons with disabilities as a protected class of people with rights and protections when receiving services from federally funded entities. In 1990, the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) extended those rights and protections to persons with disabilities and required non-federally funded entities to provide equal access to persons with disabilities in their scope of services. The passage of the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998 strengthened section 508 of that law, and articulated that federally funded entities ensure

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that people with disabilities have equal access to electronic and information technology. Finally, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3) has proposed web content accessibility guidelines in order to make the Web accessible to people with disabilities. Based on these laws and best practices, and the pervasiveness of web-based technologies used within the critical areas of the university, Kent State University is seeking an audit of select IT functions relative to accessibility. We are inviting proposals from groups, firms, and individuals (hereafter referred to as "the consultant") who have experience conducting IT accessibility audits, preferably on behalf of large colleges/universities. DESIGN REQUIREMENTS The university seeks an evaluation of the disability-related accessibility of select IT functional areas (see Appendix for chart). Successful proposals will enumerate specific strategies for assessing accessibility, and these should include both automated and manual inspections, identify areas that are inaccessible and what disabilities may be impacted, what remedies need to be done in those areas, and identify the prioritization and impact (e.g. high, medium, low) of remediation. Ideally, proposals will also address the level of assistance provided by the consultant to the university following the submission of the audit’s findings. TECHNICAL AND INFRASTRUCTURE REQUIREMENTS KSU will make available key personnel, and/or their designees, in order to ensure consultant's access to the key functional areas to be audited. KSU will also provide a primary point of contact to coordinate access between the consultant and KSU personnel from those key functional areas. FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS Proposals should explicitly address the steps the consultant will take to comprehensively complete the audit. In addition the consultant should identify which “key university personnel” need to be involved in the audit and the estimated time commitment for each of the “key university personnel” and for the university’s primary point of contact. Any references to past experiences in designing and implementing IT accessibility audits on college/university campuses, and references to scholarly literature and/or best practices in the field are important considerations. The proposal should also address how the results will be presented to KSU. At a minimum, results should include visual and descriptive reports, and articulate a plan of action for any remediation recommended. COSTS AND PRICING Please provide a detailed cost proposal for all services and requirements as enumerated herein. (Please proceed to Section VI, “RFP Respondent Signature and Information Form”, following page.)

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SECTION VI REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL RESPONDENT SIGNATURE AND INFORMATION FORM In addition to the information requested in the previous sections, please complete the following: By signing below, Contractor warrants that it is not subject to an unresolved finding for recovery under ORC 9.24. If the warranty is false on the date the parties sign an Agreement resulting from this RFP, such and any future Agreement is void ab initio, and the Contractor must immediately repay to the State any funds paid under any such Agreement.

FEDERAL TAX ID No. OR SOCIAL SECURITY No.: FIRM NAME: ADDRESS:

TELEPHONE No.: FAX No.: EMAIL:_______________________________________________________________________

AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE:

NAME OF SIGNEE: TITLE: DATE:

*All bids submitted are taken by the University as offers to sell by the proposer and acceptance shall occur only by the issuance of a University Purchase Order or where appropriate, upon the execution of a written contract. (Please continue on following page.)

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PROCUREMENT DEPARTMENT

TYPE OF BUSINESS (PLEASE CHECK ALL APPLICABLE CLASSIFICATIONS) Large. Small business – An independently owned and operated business which, together with affiliates, has 250 or fewer employees or average annual gross receipts of $10 million or less averaged over the previous three years. Department of Minority Business Enterprise (DMBE) certified women-owned and minority-owned business shall also be considered small business when they have received DMBE small business certification. Women-owned business – A business concern that is at least 51% owned by one or more women who are U. S. citizens or legal resident aliens, or in the case of a corporation, partnership, or limited liability company or other entity, at least 51% of the equity ownership interest is owned by one or more women who are citizens of the United States or non-citizens who are in full compliance with the United States immigration law, and both the management and daily business operations are controlled by one or more women who are U. S. citizens or legal resident aliens. Minority-owned business – A business concern that is at least 51% owned by one or more minority individuals or in the case of a corporation, partnership, or limited liability company or other entity, at least 51% of the equity ownership interest in the corporation, partnership, or limited liability company or other entity is owned by one or more minority individuals and both the management and daily business operations are controlled by one or more minority individuals.

(Please continue on following page.)

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PROCUREMENT DEPARTMENT

ELECTRONIC INVOICING AND PAYMENT CAPABILITY All bidders are required to complete the following information: 1. Does your company offer electronic invoicing? ___Yes ___No If yes, please specify method: ____________________________________________________ 2. Is your company capable of receiving payment via ACH transfer? ___Yes ___No

BUY OHIO BIDDER AND PRODUCT INFORMATION All bidders are requested to complete the following information: 1. Bidder is an Ohio vendor. 2. Bidder qualifies as an Ohio bidder because it: A. Is offering an Ohio product. B. Has a significant Ohio economic presence. C. Is located in a border state (Kentucky, Michigan, New York, or Pennsylvania) that imposes no greater restriction than contained in section 125.09 and 125.11 of the Ohio Revised Code. 3. Bidder does not qualify as an Ohio bidder. 4. All products offered in this bid are Ohio products except those listed below:

BUY AMERICAN CERTIFICATE The Bidder or Offeror hereby certifies that each end product, except the end products listed below, is a domestic source end product as defined in the Buy America Act; and that components of unknown origin have been considered to have been mined, produced, or manufactured outside the United States:

Certified: Name

Signature

(Please Print)

Date

Title

Note: Any questions regarding the above should be directed to: Kent State University, Procurement Department, 330-672-2276.

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APPENDIX IT FUNCTIONAL AREAS PROCUREMENT DEPARTMENT

Proposals will address disability-related IT accessibility of the following areas: KSU HOME PAGE

Admissions

Apply

Begin new application

Flashline logon

Academics

Financal Aid

Apply for Financial Aid

Forms & application

Library

Course Reserves

Online learning

Student tools

Blackboard (Bb) learn

Register for courses

Bb home page

Look up classes

Course homepage

Add/drop

Sections found

Course learning module content

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