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SOLANO COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT Request for Proposal for Learning Management System RFP #12-003 Proposals Due: Thursday, December 8, 2011, Close of Business, 5:00 pm Solano College Purchasing Department: (707) 864-7167 Fax: (707) 646-2097

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REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, SOLANO COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................... 3 INSTRUCTIONS TO BIDDERS .................................................................... 4 FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS……………………………………………7 TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS…………………………………………….15 ARCHITECTURE REQUIREMENTS……………………………………….19 CONTRACT SPECIFICATIONS…………………………………………….25

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Introduction The Solano Community College District (hereinafter “District”) is seeking proposals from highly-qualified companies interested in providing all management, systems, labor, and materials complete and necessary to successfully operate the Solano Community College Distance Learning Program in accordance with a contract created as a result of this Request for Proposal (RFP) process. The District will require a contract to be substantially the same as the requirements presented herein. The Scope of Work for any contract resulting from this RFP shall contain, at minimum, all current best practices of the industry and commitment by the contractor to deploy the latest hardware and software technology. Solano Community College Solano Community College was founded in 1945. Solano Community College is a learning-centered institution with a culture of thoughtfulness and academic excellence committed to creating a vibrant community of life-long learners. Solano Community College is a comprehensive public community college that prepares students to succeed in their education, progress in the workplace, and engage in the civic and cultural life of the global community. The college furthers student learning and responds to the educational needs of our local population and economy. The college serves as an educational leader, contributing its resources to the intellectual, cultural, physical, and economic vitality of the region. Recognizing that learning is a life-long journey, the college provides opportunities for the intellectual enrichment and physical well-being of all community members who can benefit. Solano Community College has approximately 9,700 full-time equivalent students. Solano Community College Distance Education(DE) Program Our DE program started with eCollege in 1999, when we had only 4-5 instructors, less than 100 students, and online teaching and learning was still a new concept. We now have close to 300 faculty teaching online or using a companion website and more FTES taking fully online courses than attend classes at the Vallejo Center, making it one of the more well-used “buildings” at Solano College. For the year 2011 we have had 4,458 students (unduplicated headcount) and 13,185 enrollments in online courses at Solano College. We have 19,593 enrollments when you add in the population of our ecompanion (web companions for traditional face to face courses) students.

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Instructions to Bidders Proposal Deadline and Requirements for Submission of Proposal One (1) electronic PDF file sent via electronic mail to designees as described below, one (1) printed original, and seven (7) printed copies of the entire proposal, including any supporting documentation, must be provided and received by the close of business Thursday, December 8th, 2011. PDF of the proposal must be sent to the following: Laura Scott, Purchasing Manager, [Laura.Scott@solano.edu], Dr. Jeff Lamb, Dean of the School of Liberal Arts [Jeffrey.Lamb@solano.edu], and Sandra Rotenberg, Distance Education Coordinator, [Sandra.Rotenberg@solano.edu]. Failure to meet the deadline will result in disqualification of the proposal without review. All print proposals shall be submitted in sealed envelopes or boxes clearly marked on the outside: “Proposal for Learning Management Services at Solano Community College. Bid #12-003” Send print copies of the proposals to: Purchasing Department, Solano Community College District 4000 Suisun Valley Road Fairfield, CA 94534-3197 All Proposers will be notified, via email, of the results of the evaluation process. Questions Regarding Proposals Submit all questions regarding the technical aspects and requirements of the RFP via email to: Sandra Rotenberg, Distance Education Coordinator, [Sandra.Rotenberg@solano.edu]. Questions or clarifications requested by Respondents will be considered by the District only if submitted by electronic mail to: Sandra.Rotenberg@solano.edu. The last day for submission of questions is Tuesday, November 29th, 2011 at 5 PM. All questions will be responded to via email on or before Thursday, December 1st, 2011 at 5 PM and sent to all Proposers. To ensure each Proposer receives equal information in preparing their proposal, Proposers are prohibited from directly contacting other District employees during the pre-submission process. No oral interpretations, clarifications or modification to the RFP documents are authorized on behalf of the District and Proposers shall not rely on such interpretations, clarifications, or modifications in preparing their proposals.

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Pre-Proposal Conference An optional Pre-Proposal Conference will be held on Tuesday, November 29th, 2011, at 1:00 PM. Location: Solano Community College District Building 100 – Room 103, inside the library – 4000 Suisun Valley Road Fairfield, CA 94534 A map is available at HUhttp://www.solano.edu/solanonline/MAPtoBLDG100.jpg UH. Sign-in will begin at 12:45 PM PDT; the meeting will begin PROMPTLY at 1:00 PM. The purpose of this conference is to discuss with prospective Proposers the scope of work, and to answer questions arising from initial review of this RFP. Proposers should have reviewed the RFP thoroughly before the Pre-Proposal Conference and be familiar with its contents. If you cannot attend, please make sure to send your name, company name and email to sandra.rotenberg@solano.edu by the close of business on November 29th, 2011. College Conditions

• Receipt of proposals in response to this RFP does not obligate the District in any way. The right to accept or reject any proposal shall be exercised solely by the District. The District shall retain the right to abandon the RFP process at any time prior to the actual execution of a contract with a vendor, and the District shall bear no financial or other responsibility in the event of such abandonment.

• SCC reserves the right to modify the requirements of this RFP after its release. All Vendors will receive email notification of any modifications to the requirements of this RFP. If any modifications make compliance with the original Procurement Timetable impractical, SCC may, at its discretion, adjust the timetable accordingly.

• Vendors who submit a proposal in response to this RFP may be required to give an on-site presentation and demonstration. SCC shall solely determine who will be invited to conduct the on-site presentation and demonstration.

• The successful vendor will be notified by the Purchasing Manager. A contract will then be negotiated with the successful vendor.

• SCC reserves the right to reject any and all proposals, waive formalities which do not affect the fairness of the process, to reject nonconforming, irregular, non responsive or conditional proposals, and to accept the proposal deemed in the best interest of the College.

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Process Timetable RFP Release Date November 17th, 2011 Offeror’s Questions Submitted by November 29th, 2011 Optional Pre-Proposal Conference November 29th, 2011 Offeror’s Questions Answered by December 1st, 2011 RFP Due Date December 8th, 2011 SCC Evaluation of RFP’s December 9-Jan 6, 2012 Presentations and Demonstrations (if requested) Jan 6-Jan 18, 2012 Award of Contract February 28th, 2012 Federal Regulations Solano Community College District purchasing and contracting is conducted in accordance with all applicable Federal Regulations. Proposer’s Financial Condition – Responsible Proposal Prior to any contract being issued a Proposer must demonstrate to the District’s satisfaction that its company is financially sound. Proposers should submit proof of financial profitability and stability such as their most recent audited financial statements accompanying the proposal. If a Proposer is not a public corporation, it too should submit proof of financial profitability and stability with verifiable financial information of a nature comparable to audited financial statements.

Client References: All proposers shall include references from at least two (2) similarly sized Community College Distance Education Programs where it currently operates. Extra points will be awarded if the colleges are in California. References from University, commercial or other public agency accounts may be submitted in addition to the two (2) required. Reference information shall include written letters of recommendation from the administrators and/or managers responsible for the program on the College side, the names and telephone numbers of contact individuals, and the location addresses must also be included in your submittal. Other Information In this section, include any additional relevant information that may be helpful in evaluating your proposal. Oral Presentations Upon receipt of proposals in response to this RFP and the District’s subsequent review of such, the District, at its sole discretion, may invite one or more Proposers to make an oral presentation to the Selection Committee. The committee may seek to clarify its understanding of the submitted proposal.

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Evaluation of Proposals A selection committee will evaluate the proposals. The following categories will provide the basis for the evaluations:

• Compliance with RFP guidelines and overall acceptance of District Requirements. • Comprehensiveness of the written proposal and the oral presentation, if required, in addressing

this RFP and the other reference materials presented by Proposer. • Proposer’s demonstrated experience in and reputation for, operating Learning Management

Systems. • Proposer’s resources in terms of qualified personnel, knowledge, skill and experiences in

addressing the College’s needs as detailed in this RFP. • Proposer’s best fit as demonstrated in the presentation/interview session. • A complete financial proposal in response to this RFP.

The District Not Responsible for Preparation Costs All costs incurred in the preparation, submission and/or presentation of the proposal response to this RFP, including, but not limited to, the Proposer’s travel expenses to attend any pre-proposal conferences, oral presentations, long distance charges, and negotiation sessions, shall be the sole responsibility of the Proposer and will not be reimbursed by the District. The District shall not pay for any costs incurred for proposal or contract preparation because of termination of the contract resulting from this RFP. Authorized Signature Proposal must be signed by an individual with legal authorization to contract on behalf of the proposing entity. Proposal Validity Period The proposal must remain valid for at least four (4) months after submission. Proposal Format IT IS MANDATORY that the proposal format be followed exactly and completely as instructed here. Proposers are REQUIRED to organize responses into the following sections: Section 1: Executive Summary: Summarize overall service performance and how the Proposer’s organization and its proposed solution(s) can best meet the current and future LMS needs at Solano Community College. Include a brief overview of the cost proposal. Also, discuss the advantages and advances you would bring to the college. Section 2: Company Information: Provide (1) the complete legal business name, address, telephone number, and name(s) of officer(s) authorized to legally bind the company. The proposal must be executed by a fully authorized official; (2) A detailed listing of the company resources, including financial status and personnel; (3) A detailed description of the company’s corporate or other

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organizational structure; (4) A chronological history of the operation of the company during the past three (3) years, including major institutional customers, community college customers, and other descriptive information. Proposal/Solution(s): Detailed cost proposal. Please describe in detail (including costs) how your firm will address the needs of Solano Community College’s Learning Management as outlined in this RFP.

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Functional Requirements Offeror shall provide detailed information on how its proposed LMS meets or performs each requirement below. Each point should be discussed in detail and examples provided in the Offeror response. Offeror is required to address the following operational scenarios, both from an institution hosted and an Offeror-hosted perspective: Scenario 1 assumes the Offeror will host services and provide an e-learning LMS. Scenario 2 assumes the Offeror will provide an e-learning LMS and the institution will host services. SCC is interested in receiving creative and realistic proposals to provide the most cost effective and operationally efficient services for the proposed LMS. Access and Accessibility

• Describe how the system offers support for the following ACCJC guideline: “Institutions are required to have processes through which the institution establishes that the student who registers in the distance education or mediated course or program is the same student who participates each time in the course and completes and receives the academic credit.”

• Explain how your system deals with student authentication. Do you have any plans for altering or improving student authentication?

• Describe in detail how the Learning Management System addresses web accessibility issues including a statement of the current level of compliance with the W3C Accessibility Initiative and/or Section 508.

• Describe in detail how your system integrates with software programs like JAWS or DRAGON to allow students and faculty to maneuver and use the platform.

• Describe any provision the content authoring tools have to generate and prompt users to develop web accessible content.

Student Interface Features Describe in detail student-centered features such as:

• Areas for displaying student and group project work • Areas for student personal web pages • Peer evaluation functionality • Student e-portfolios • Student portal features

Please address the following: • Describe how a student view differs from the instructor view. • How do students access course information? Do they see all of their online course(s)

announcements, information and notifications on a single homepage?

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• How do students view summary and graphical displays of student grade book status and course grading statistics?

• Describe how students can review their own course progress, including which course content they have accessed, what homework has been submitted and when it has been graded, what tests are pending or completed, etc.

• Can the student access one gradebook for multiple courses? • Describe how a student would integrate private text, audio, or video notes into their copy of the

course material. • Describe how a student would input music, math, science symbols and diacritical marks into

tests, assessments, chatrooms, discussions, etc. • How can a student create working groups of other students within a course and across courses? • What is the method for students to create home pages and/or collaborative projects? • Does the system enable students to click on a link to return to the last place they visited in the

course? • List any third party student portal or student-centered feature systems with which the proposed

LMS has been proven to integrate and describe any relevant information about those products.

Support Describe the steps taken in the design of the Learning Management System to ensure that it is easy for instructors and students to use. Also address the following specific questions: • Describe how your system will import content from eCollege. • Identify the types of materials, such as help manuals, contextual help for user screens, tutorials,

and online resources that are available to assist both students and instructors/developers (electronic manual format should be specified as html, pdf, etc.).

• Describe the on-going support available on a 24-hour/7-day basis to both technical staff and end-users including toll free numbers, day and time availability, and any restrictions. Minimum technical support response time should be indicated, with any differences clearly noted in support response time for different users or the time of day In the Cost Proposal, specify options and complete descriptions for levels of support (e.g., gold, etc.)

• Describe support staff – location, accessibility, number of staff per customer, etc. Describe the extent and nature of any vendor-sponsored or sanctioned user communities or user-generated resources and how they are accessed, maintained, and disseminated.

• Describe how technical updates or informational releases for users are distributed or made available to clients.

• Describe how the system provides contextual tips, tricks, hints to users. • Describe methods for ensuring that LMS works with all current major browsers and tools, how

long after a release will system be compatible, please include documentation about your compatibility for the past 3 releases of Firefox, IE, Safari and Chrome.

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• Describe maximum amount of space and accessibility of file storage for individual users, include any relevant fees.

• Describe the QA process for the Offeror’s LMS, including how incidents, bugs, and other issues are escalated and resolved.

• Offeror must provide from the last 12 months a history of significant incidents, bug reports, and QA issues, describing the severity of the issue, resolution or fix times, impacts, and any outstanding issues or incidents that have not yet been resolved. Indicate the total number of updates and patches released for the LMS over the past 12 months.

• Describe the consulting services offered for typical types of work. • List and describe support modes and venues (i.e., phone, web, email, etc.) for administrators,

faculty, staff and students, and describe order in which customers are routed to them. • Note that support resources that are in the US and staffed with fluent English speakers will be

scored higher than alternatives. Explain the location, language and technical proficiency of your support staff that would be responsible for responding to incidents generated at SCC.

• Describe how the LMS provides for printing of content pages. • Describe how and what the LMS provides for text translation into foreign languages. • Describe any provision for accessing content offline (such as replication capabilities). • Describe how instructors are able to view and test course materials in the role of students. • Describe how the LMS enables instructors and students to search and navigate easily across

relevant content, student records, assignments, etc., across different courses and sections. Course Content Development, Design, Management and Organization Instructors and others (student services staff, counselors, lab assistants) with a wide spectrum of technical skills and expectations will create content in this environment. It is important that the LMS can provide or smoothly integrate with tools that allow for flexibility and meet the different needs of users. Describe in detail how the content can be created, assessed, and modified.

• Describe how faculty can integrate different LMS functions (e.g., content, assignments, quizzes, discussion forums, and links) into a single course lesson or module.

• What live conferencing tools are available, how are the conferences archived and stored? Who has access to the archives?

• Describe the features of the course calendar including integration with multiple courses, assignments and communication tools.

• Describe how instructors can copy, move, display, and re-order a variety of files, course modules, and other content into and out of a unit, course, or multiple courses simultaneously. Describe in detail the file and content management features of the LMS including but not limited to smart recognition of common file types, import/export tools, movement of student work into and out of the LMS.

• Describe how instructors can use drag and drop features and where they are available and integrated into the calendar, the gradebook, the units, etc.

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• Describe how instructors can create and manage small groups using discussion threads, chats, including peer evaluation of student projects, in a larger class so that small group members can interact with each other

• Can instructors release content selectively by date/time, student status, groups, test scores, and other criteria? Describe the ability to control the progression of a class or specify the date and duration of the release of course content, resources, tests, discussions, etc. based on user, performance, or other prerequisite criteria.

• Describe how instructors can import and cross link course materials and use all of the available LMS tools without knowledge of HTML.

• How can instructors customize the look and feel of course pages? • How do instructors input music, math, science symbols and diacritical marks into lectures,

chatrooms, discussions, etc. • Describe how instructors can use interactive elements such as forms and flash animation, what

options are built in to the courseware? • How does the system provide and support plagiarism detection and validation tools for both

students and instructor? • How does the system utilize and integrate e-packs or course cartridges from publishers and third

party content providers? List the publishers that have pre-configured course content available for this LMS. Provide the number and publisher of e-packs or cartridges available for this LMS.

• List any third party content development products with which the proposed LMS has been proven to integrate and describe any relevant information about those products.

• Describe what automatic notification occurs. (e.g. add or drop confirmation, changes in assignments, what’s new, change of class meeting time and place, and uncompleted work.)

• Describe how adding and deleting students from a course is handled. What management of student, TA, and guest student roles, access, and permissions are available to the instructors?

• How can instructors track student progress (e.g., login frequency, duration, course activity, content accessed, tests completed, discussion participation)?

• What access do instructors have to student-student and student-instructor communications, is everything archived and easily available and searchable?

• Can instructors make modifications easily across multiple sections of a course that shares common content such as course content, announcements, discussion topics, and quizzes?

• Is an instructor able to backup/restore/reset entire courses? Describe the LMS‘s end user backup strategies, including the ability for individual instructors to:

o Backup courses on their desktop o Backup selective areas of a course o Restore content from their backup o Restore and repurpose content with another application

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Communication Tools Describe in detail the communication tools found in the software or supported by it.

• Is course e-mail internal or does it use/allow external addresses? • What other methods of communication between instructor and student are supported by LMS? • What archive is kept of communications between instructor and student? • How do synchronous threaded public or private discussions occur? What archive exists of such

discussions? • What support exists for authoring in foreign languages and using international keyboards? • What visual editor tools are readily available where text is input into the course? Is there spell-

checking, auto correct and individual dictionary building capability? • Is there a method to handle anonymous discussion topics, threads, subject postings and replies? • What parts of a threaded discussion are archived? Does the instructor or student have the ability

to import and export, monitor, modify or delete all or part of discussions? Can students go back in and edit their own entries? What is archived for the instructor if the student can edit their entries?

• What search capabilities are available for threaded discussions? • What synchronous chat / audio-visual conferencing is available and how are they archived? • Does the system allow private chats accessible to student-level role participants only? • Does the system offer instant messaging? What is archived and who has access to the archive? • What whiteboard capabilities are present? • Is there printing, image capture, and keyboard navigation support? • What tools are available to support collaborative working groups of students or instructors? • What file exchange capabilities and file types are supported?

Describe any significant features or limitations of these tools, in particular any synchronous tools, with respect to properly operating among or across different PC platforms, such as WindowsXP, Vista, Windows 07, Mac OS, Linux, etc., or across different browsers. List any third party communication tools with which the proposed LMS has been proven to integrate and describe any relevant information about those tools. Calendar Describe in detail how the course calendar functions as an effective course organizational tool for faculty and students, including information on:

• How it links to course areas and student portals. • Is there drag and drop functionality? How does it work? • Can students' add personal entries? • List any third party calendar products with which the system has been proven to synchronize and

describe any limitations or known issues with those products.

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Testing and Assessment Describe how your system tracks learning outcomes in the individual class and across the institution. Describe in detail the test/quiz/survey and assessment features of the software, including information on:

• Types of questions supported including multiple choice, true/false, matching, short essay, long essay, fill-in-the-blank questions,

• What type of feedback can be integrated into the assessment? Question specific? Exam specific? Variable depending on response?

• Test security, including restricting access, test release time and duration, browser lockdown, retake options.

• Graded and ungraded testing and self tests, can assessments be removed from the gradebook? • Does the system offer the opportunity to deploy secure and anonymous surveys and evaluations

from within a course? • Is there the ability to enhance tests with HTML and hyperlinks, and with multi-media elements

such as imported still or video images, audio, scientific notation, embedded equations, and other effects.

• How does the system randomize quiz questions, to select test questions randomly from a test bank, and to randomize possible answers (A,B,C) in multiple choice questions

• Can the instructors assign weights to individual questions? • Can the instructor assign weight to each assignment? • What are the test development features such as batch importing questions from publisher‘s test

banks or other popular file formats? • Describe the ability to share, reuse, modify and organize existing tests and individual questions

both within and across courses. • Does the system provide easy and/or automatic exportation of results to grade book, and can the

instructor control when the test results become available to students? • Describe how the system associates tests and specific test questions with a specific learning

outcome or objective. • What are the capabilities for detailed item analysis of test items, including student performance

tracking and results notification/breakdown? • Is there the ability to provide audio and video comments on an assignment (both instructor and

student)? • Are all instructor and student comments and communications on an assignment visible in a

single window? • Are there clickable rubrics which integrate into the gradebook with options for commenting and

scoring? Describe how they are accessed.

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Online Grade Book Describe in detail the online grade book and its ability to:

• Gradebook set up: how does it link with the content, rubric, feedback, etc., and what options are available for creating audio and video feedback for students?

• Is there a way to integrate assessments with institutional and program level Student Learning Outcomes?

• Describe how gradebook information for dropped students is handled, - is it available to the instructor after the student drops the course?

• Describe what steps are necessary, if any, to restore student work and grades for reinstated students.

• Describe the LMS‘s ability or method for students to submit projects and for the instructor to pick up the projects and grade them and return them.

• Can the gradebook be exported to common forms of spreadsheets? • How does the system allow for easy modification of auto-graded items? Does a notification go

out when a graded item is modified? • How does the gradebook integrate with the Banner/Luminus gradebook? Does it allow for the

submission of final grades via the LMS? • Are activities/exams automatically added to grade book upon completion? • Can the instructor set it up so that notices are sent out automatically to student when an item has

been graded? • Describe the security controls used to ensure the privacy of student grades. List any third party

grade book software products with which the proposed LMS has been proven to integrate and describe any relevant information about those products.

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Technical Requirements Integration with SCC’s Banner/Luminus SIS

• Can your tools/system integrate with the Banner/Luminus enterprise student information system? • Describe the integration, providing examples, typical costs. Is integration real time? • Does the Offeror have a strategic business or product relationship with Banner/Luminus?

Offeror-Hosted Services SCC would like to evaluate the option of having the Offeror host the LMS solution. Please describe:

• What options for Offeror-hosted services are available? • What are the levels and features of your hosted service and associated costs? • How do users (registered students and faculty) move from Banner/Luminus into the LMS? • How do faculty add observers/graders/ etc., to their courses? • How are courses created? How can faculty copy content from one semester to another? • What level of integration with SCC‘s Banner/Luminus system is possible, and what associated

services are needed to achieve and maintain integration? Would there be additional associated costs? What would be the impact on SCC IT staff to support the integration?

• What roles does your LMS support to differentiate between types of administrators, faculty, and department chairs?

• Please describe the system functions the campus must perform versus the system functions that you the Offeror will perform; i.e. course management, course migration and maintenance, assessment system management, and faculty/student evaluation process tasks.

• Please describe the process to migrate course information at the end of the contract to campus resources.

• Describe the tech support, help desk, and other support feature options for end-users. Include any differences in cost.

• Describe the tech support, help desk, and other support feature options for administrators. • What is the anticipated scheduled annual downtime for system maintenance, etc.? • In addition, provide information of the actual hosting facility(s), including:

o Describe the facility disaster recovery plan as well as details of all associated environmental controls and physical security for the facility.

o Provide a detailed description of how customer data and content is segregated from their other customers.

o Address the individual security requirements for your hosted service environment.

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Installation Plan Provide an Installation Plan for either institution hosted or Offeror hosted solutions. In the event that an institution-hosted solution is selected, SCC will be responsible for installation of all hardware and software systems unless Offeror installation of some components is specified and an associated cost is specified. Describe the recommended or required procedures and steps that are to be taken to ensure a successful installation of the proposed LMS.

• Is the proposed system in current production and installed at customer sites? Provide a list of sites where this proposed product has been implemented.

• Provide current release/version number(s) and date(s) for the system. • Provide an estimated implementation/delivery schedule. • Summarize the roles of the Offeror and SCC during the conversion and implementation process

and the expected human resources to ensure a good transition. • Describe how the Offeror will quickly and competently identify and solve problems that arise

during the implementation process. • Describe how the Offeror proposes to manage the project implementation in concert with SCC.

Training Plan Provide a detailed Training Plan that includes at a minimum class description, the timing as associated within the Implementation and Acceptance Plan and ongoing recommendations for classes for successful testing, commissioning, and operation of the proposed LMS. Describe availability and cost of:

• Training provided with the purchase of this LMS including class descriptions and training objectives for end-users, technical staff, and others, including methods used (instructor led, distance learning, train-the-trainer, etc.), locations, and frequency of offerings. Identify the standard training and any customized training that is available to reflect individual institution needs, and include any limitations such as class sizes, locations, and time limits. Consider training requirements for system/software upgrades in the answer. Any additional costs associated with add-on or customized training should be listed separately in the Cost Proposal, not in the response to this question.

• Training materials (for all roles – System administrator, LMS Administrator, Help Desk, Course Designer, Student, etc.), and the training formats available (print, web, Offeror delivered, etc.).

• LMS Product certification options, train-the-trainer materials. • Describe available contextual help within the platform. • Describe recommended amount of training for end users, administrators, Help Desk, and support

staff, and the life of each training unit.

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Administration • Describe the tasks that will need to be performed by SCC staff on a daily, weekly, monthly,

academic term, and yearly basis to provide ongoing operational and administrative support of the LMS once the conversion is complete. How many staff will be required to complete these tasks?

• Describe how security is administered. Include a description of the system‘s ability to delegate administration to host or domain institutions, departments, courses, sections, and users; how users and roles are added and deleted; how passwords are maintained; and whether or not or which elements any of the administration can be automated. Also, identify any security administration that does not take effect immediately when the security rules are entered and stored.

• Can the institution customize the look and feel of course pages? • Does the system offer the opportunity to deploy secure and anonymous surveys and evaluations

from the administrative interface? • Describe the tools and processes required for backup and recovery of the entire LMS and related

components. Is recovery automatic in the case of a system failure? How long does backup and recovery take for a system of the size proposed? How long is the LMS unavailable during a recovery or backup? How often does a typical customer experience a need to recover? What is the likelihood of data loss? What are the recommended tools and associated costs to minimize downtime and data loss?

• Describe the processes and limitations of offline data archiving. Consider the following: o What tools are supplied for moving data to the archive(s)? o What methods are in place to supply security for the archive(s)? o Describe how data is selected for movement to the archive(s). o Explain the process for accessing and/or restoring archived data.

Reporting Describe the reporting the LMS provides to analyze system usage from a student, instructor, and/or institutional or system-wide perspective.

• Provide a complete list of all of the standard reports. • Describe the custom report development features. • Describe any reports/features that support student retention and success. • Describe the electronic formats of reports. • Describe the LMS‘s ability to preview reports on line, including customized reports from live

data. • Describe how security and authorization applies to reporting. • Describe how user information is tracked (e.g., login frequency, duration, course activity, content

accessed, tests graded, discussion participation).

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Query Tools SCC may require ad-hoc access to information by multiple levels of users (many of whom are not technical experts). Please describe how the LMS:

• Provides ease of use in obtaining discrete data elements. • Provides built in security features for the query tools. • Uses the security rules defined in the LMS to govern application and data use • Provides the ability to query information phonetically (e.g., "sounds like") or in English. • Describe how security and authorization applies to query tools.

Maintenance

• What is the frequency of new releases? Provide the schedule of new releases for the past 3 years. For each release, include the date the Offeror first indicated the release would be available; the date the release was actually made available to customers, and the percent of the customers currently running on each release.

• Describe the technology used by the patches. If a third party product is used, include the name and supported versions of this product. Describe the method of testing and validating patches prior to release.

• Describe the process for installing patches. How long does it take an institution of our size to prepare for and install a patch, to test the new patch, and to put it into production? How is the patch affected by any of our modifications? How are our modifications affected by installing a new release?

• How long has the Offeror supported old versions of the LMS? How many versions back (major and minor)?

• How long does the Offeror continue to provide bug fixes on prior releases? When does the Offeror discontinue support of a prior release?

• How are bugs reported and tracked? Are bugs that have been reported by some customers shared with all customers via the web or some other mechanism? Is a mechanism in place to allow urgent reporting of problems to customers?

Performance/Scalability For each major function of the LMS, define what acceptable performance is, how it is measured, and how the system software and hardware can be scaled to maintain acceptable performance. Be sure to provide a detailed description of how each tier (or server - database, application, web) can be scaled and how load is balanced. Recommend hardware configurations, including a specific list of equipment that will provide acceptable performance for the needs of SCC. Are there limitations on the maximum number of users supported? What are the limits to scalability?

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Architecture Requirements

This section must contain the Offeror‘s supported, as well as recommended hardware platforms, operating system (OS), database management systems (DBMS), and related information. In addition to the production environment, the Offeror must include required or recommended configuration(s) necessary to support development, testing, and training environments. If the Offeror requires additional equipment and/or software to establish separate environments for development, testing, production, or training, this must be included in the Offeror‘s discussion of recommended hardware and OS configurations. The Offeror will specify the basic equipment configuration as required by the proposed operational models. Any features that are not immediately available upon installation must be clearly identified. Additional costs must be clearly specified in the Cost Proposal. Architecture

• Describe the overall technical architecture that the LMS requires, including other relevant products that the LMS relies upon. Clearly note what part the software provides. Descriptions should include a high level diagram.

• Along with the overview, give a more detailed description of the portions of this architecture that directly pertain to the LMS and a discussion of what processing is done on each tier, the component-to-component communication protocols, and a description of the contents and sizes of the network packets exchanged by each tier.

• Describe the ability to support mirrored/redundant servers. • For instructors, administrators, and students provide technical specifications for the client

workstation. Include browser and workstation requirements, and a discussion of the underlying requirements of the client.

• Identify all supported protocols for communication between the various tiers. Where appropriate, identify supported standards, version numbers, and any network communication software that is required, but is not supplied, with the LMS.

• Provide the technical details on how the LMS allows individuals to work offline and synchronize their work with the LMS when they are online.

Operating Environment The proposed solution must be as platform independent as possible; e.g. it must be capable of running across a variety of hardware and software platforms on the market today. Identify all operating systems, including versions, for which the application server components of the LMS are available.

• Identify all operating systems, including versions, for which the database server components of the LMS are available.

• Identify all browsers, including versions, for which the web clients of the LMS are available. • For new releases of the application server components of the LMS, identify the order, including

elapsed time and versions, in which operating systems are supported.

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• For new releases of the database server components of the LMS, identify the order, including elapsed time and versions, in which operating systems are supported

• For new releases of the web clients of the LMS, identify the order, including elapsed time and versions, in which browsers are supported.

• Describe method of testing and validating patches prior to releasing them to customers. • Describe how the LMS components can operate in an environment of heterogeneous computers

and operating systems. • Discuss the impact on the overall application architecture of independently changing the

operating system of the database server. • Provide a statement of commitment to supporting open architectures.

Server Systems Server systems refer to software systems that reside on a server and are fully operational as separable products. Web

• Identify all web servers (including versions) that work with the LMS. • What version of HTTP does the web server use? • Identify how SSL support and other security measures are provided. • Describe other software required for optimal operation, particularly in an encrypted environment. • Application • Identify any dependent products needed by the application servers. • List and describe the caching technologies used by the application servers. • Does the application server support both command line and web access for administrative

functions? • How long does it take to restart the servers for the LMS? Identify typical scenarios and restart

time ranges • Does application require a dedicated server?

Content Management

• Identify any systems used for content management. If a third party product is proposed, list the name and versions that are supported.

• Identify and discuss how content is transferred into and out of the content management system(s). Note any Internet protocols used, such as FTP, http, or WebDAV.

• Identify and discuss the security for the content management system(s). Clearly describe how this works with the general approach to security.

• Describe the ability of the CMS(s) to store artifacts at the course level. • Describe the ability of the CMS(s) to have a drop box.

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• Describe any links between the content management system(s), the student portfolio, and assessment tools.

Media If the LMS includes a media server, answer the questions in this section. These servers are also known as streaming media servers. Do not include pseudo-streaming, those that work strictly from within a web server, in the answers to this section. Identify which, if any, media servers (including version) that are supported by the LMS. Other Servers If there are other server systems used by the LMS that have not been covered in this section, please answer the following questions for each. Identify the server product (including version). Describe the function of this product. Server Side Component Technologies Server side component technologies are similar to the server systems, but bundled within other systems and would not be run in a standalone mode. Email

• Which email protocols (e.g., POP3/SMTP/IMAP) are used and supported by web-based e-mail services? Include any information regarding known limitations or inconveniences to users if e-mail is exchanged between the LMS and 3rd party POP3/SMTP servers.

• Is software capable of sending students automatically generated messages based on various conditional criteria? Describe any features of this kind or whether they could be added.

• Are instructors and students able to send e-mail with attachments to users registered for a course and to users outside the course environment? Include any limitations in this area, and indicate whether it is possible for an instructor to limit students' ability to e-mail outside the class environment.

Search Engine

• Does the LMS provide a full-text search engine? If so, give the name of the product and list its major features.

• Can a different search engine be used with the LMS? Is there an API that provides for an alternate search engine?

• List the features that use this search engine.

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XML • Identify the XML parser(s) used by the project. • Identify any XML transformation services used by the LMS. • List the features that use XML in the LMS.

Message Oriented Middleware (MOM)

• Does the LMS support message-oriented middleware? If so, identify the product (including versions).

• List the features that use MOM in the LMS. • Web Services • Identify and discuss any web services provided by the LMS. • Describe the technology used by the web services. • What web services standards are supported? • Identify and discuss any external web services that the LMS uses or plans to use. (i.e., web

services that are not contained within the LMS offerings.) Third Party Development Tools –API/SDK

• Describe the technologies used to extend the functionality of the LMS. This includes using scripting, APIs, SDKs, and similar techniques. Provide examples documenting these extensions.

• Describe how the Offeror ensures that applications written to integrate with the LMS using the approved integration approaches remain compatible with new releases of the LMS.

• If the LMS has an associated Application Programming Interface (API): • Describe the technical aspects of the API in terms of programming language, system

requirements, etc. • Describe the cost of the API and any required or associated software or hardware. • Describe any licensing requirements or constraints upon distribution of products created with the

API. • Describe how clients are provided access to tools created by other campuses. For example, is

there a repository of user community-developed tools? • Describe if and how the API may be used for interfacing with other campus enterprise systems,

if available. Security

• Describe the LMS‘s authorization system. Include a description of how the LMS determines authorization for initial access, module access, database access, record access, program access, and field access.

• Describe in detail how the LMS integrates with external authentication (e.g., LDAP, NTLM, WebISO, Kerberos, NT, Novell, UNIX, or other), and authorization services. Describe any web single sign-on techniques the LMS supports.

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• Describe the LMS‘s support of federated authentication and authorization systems such as Shibboleth (shibboleth.internet2.edu).

• Describe how instructor and student accounts will be created and managed when using an external authentication system.

• Describe the LMS‘s encryption methods and/or its ability to interface with encryption software during communication between client stations, application servers, and database servers.

• Does the LMS run using a firewall on the server-side? If so, list the firewall products that are used and how they fit into the overall architecture.

• Describe how the LMS ensures that private/secure data is not left on the client station after the session ends (be sure to address the caching of data, passwords, etc.).

• Describe what logs the LMS maintains on the system usage (posting of assignments, taking a test, changing a grade, entering a chat room, etc.) and on unauthorized attempts to access the system, system functionality, and/or specific data.

• Describe how the LMS provides for automatic/electronic notification of our security/administration personnel when security breaches occur. Include a description of how solution can define which security breaches require immediate notification and which do not.

• Does the security notification feature in the question above provide for sending notifications to another security monitoring system, one that might be found in a contemporary data center? If so, identify these other security monitoring systems and give a description of how this might typically be implemented.

• Does the Offeror issue security alerts for the LMS? If so, list the number of alerts given in the past year and show an example of such an alert.

• Does the LMS undergo a third party security audit? If so, give the date of the last audit, the company that performed the audit, and a summary of the audit.

• Describe how the LMS ensures that user sessions that are left logged in are not used inappropriately. Does the product support a configurable idle session timeout and can it be customized by user type?

• For internally maintained passwords, describe how the LMS provides for best-practice password management (strength, expiration, history, failed attempt lockout, etc.).

• How does the LMS provide public courses to unauthenticated users? • How does the LMS provide authentication within a course. Can a guest access some parts and

not others? • How does security apply in different functions within the LMS? • Can access to different portions of the course / class be controlled by different roles? • Development Environment • List the development tools and languages used by the developers to create the LMS. Are these

tools available to the customers for use in modifying the LMS or its components? • Can the LMS be customized and still receive support? Describe options. • Does the organization have a development strategy road map and time frame available?

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• Describe any plans the Offeror has for making changes to the development environment. What new tools and languages will be adopted for the development environment?

• List the tools available to our developers for adding additional functionality to the proposed LMS.

• Which tools were used to write the reports that come with the LMS? Standards Please give as much detail as possible about the level of conformance of the LMS to learning interoperability and content standards (SCORM 1.2 and 1.3, LMS Enterprise, LMS Content Packaging, LMS QTI, LMS Meta-data, LMS Simple Sequencing, LMS LIP, etc. - list at http://www.imsglobal.org/specifications.cfm). Please include any conformance test results that specify the type and level of conformance at which the LMS is certified. It is important to report this separately for each different product area that is conforming to the standards. Providing test logs would be a positive. Describe the support for

• RSS • Web Services (e.g., UDDI, WS*L, SOAP) • WebDAV • MARC

Emerging repository standards (e.g., ODRL, XrML) Is the Offeror a participant in any specifications and/or standards organizations? If so, describe its participation. Conversion Services Describe the steps, tools, effort, and costs required to convert courses from our existing vendor, eCollege. Describe any limitations to this conversion that exist. This should include:

• What consulting services are included for LMS course conversion and implementation? Demonstrate through documented experiences and/or client references successful use of these services. (Provide at least 2 references for institutions that have made this move.)

• Describe how the Offeror will assist in the development and planning of strategies for the conversion to the new LMS.

• Describe how the Offeror will quickly and competently identify and solve problems that arise during the conversion process

Documentation Describe the user and technical documentation that is available for the LMS. Include information on documentation that provides:

• An overview of the LMS • Installation/configuration information • System and database administration

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• Technical information on jobs or modules executed • Data element documentation • Description of tables and views and the relationship of database entities • Context sensitive help • Provide a list of the printed and electronic formats (e.g., PDF, HTML, Word, online in the

application) in which each documentation set is available. If available online, indicate where and how to access.

• Provide limitations on the distribution of documentation. • Describe how the Offeror ensures that the documentation provides clear, accurate, and detailed

error messages. • What documentation is provided with new releases? • Does the Offeror provide full documentation in an accessible format for sight disabled? • Describe number of copies of technical administrator documentation included with LMS. • Describe number of copies of technical user documentation included with LMS.

End of Functional, Technical, and Architectural Requirements.

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CONTRACT SPECIFICATIONS Contract Negotiations Upon preliminary selection, contract negotiations shall commence. Concurrent negotiations with two (2) or more proposals may be used. If any Proposer fails to provide the necessary information for negotiations in a timely manner, does not negotiate in good faith, cannot provide sound financial performance, or otherwise cannot perform the services, the District may elect to terminate negotiations, negotiate with other Proposers, or extend or terminate the entire request for proposal process. The District reserves the right to award any contract resulting from this RFP to any responsive and qualified proposer providing a proposal in response of this RFP with such determination to be made by the District at its sole discretion. The District also reserves the right to waive any minor irregularities in the request for proposal process. Contract Term The original term of this contract shall be for a period of two (2) years from the date of execution of contract documents. Contract Approval This RFP does not obligate the District until the execution of a written contract in a form approved by the District at its sole discretion. Upon approval of a contract, the Contract is effective from the date approved by the District’s governing board. The District shall not be responsible for work done, even in good faith, before approval of the Contract by the District. RFP Inclusion in Contract The District’s Request for Proposal, any district-generated RFP addenda, and the Proposer’s response will be incorporated into the finalized Contract as Exhibits. Wherever there is variance between the language in Proposer’s standard contract terms and conditions and the requirements and commitments stated in the District’s RFP and Proposer’s response, those requirements and commitments set forth in the District’s RFP and Proposer’s response will take precedence over the Proposer’s standard contract terms and conditions. ****Thanks to Flathead Valley College for much of the verbiage used in this RFP.