Transcription
RFP CSCU-2004CONNECTICUT STATE COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIESRequest for Proposal (RFP) CSCU-2004ONLINE STUDENT TESTING SOLUTION and/or VIRTUAL CLINICAL LEARNING SOLUTIONDue Date: June 22, 2020 – By 2:00 PM ETTable of Contents:1.2.3.4.5.Statement of ObjectivesBackgroundScope of ProjectProposed PricingFormat of Proposals6.7.8.9.10.Evaluation of ProposalsTime FramesConditionsInsuranceFreedom of InformationAttachmentsAttachment A - Contract ProposalAttachment B - Gift and Campaign Contribution CertificationAttachment C - Consulting Agreement AffidavitAttachment D - Affirmation of Receipt of State Ethics Laws SummaryAttachment E - Iran Certification FormAttachment F - Nondiscrimination Certification Affidavit Form CAttachment G - Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities FormAttachment H - State Elections Enforcement Commission (SEEC) NoticeAttachment I – Contract Provisions1. STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVESThe Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (“CSCU”), on behalf of the Regional Community-Technical Colleges(“CTCs” or “Colleges”), seeks proposals from experienced and qualified organizations to provide cost effectivesolutions for ONLINE STUDENT TESTING and/or for VIRTUAL CLINICAL LEARNING for students throughout thenursing curriculum currently offered at six of the twelve regional community-technical colleges, collectively knownas the Connecticut Community College Nursing Program (CT-CCNP). Each solution proposed may also haveprospective deployability to students in our Allied Health Programs of the twelve community-technical colleges,under separate statements of work.Proposing parties may submit proposals for either (a) an Online Student Testing Solution, or (b) a Virtual ClinicalLearning Solution, or (c) both of these sets of needs defined by and for the Nursing programs. CSCU reserves theright to make either one single award for both sets of needs or separate awards for each need-set. At the optionof CSCU, any award resulting from this RFP may be made available to any of Connecticut’s Constituent Units ofhigher education. Solution selected shall be site-licensed to CSCU.The term of the contract(s) awarded from this solicitation is expected and intended to comprise the period from8/1/2020 through 7/31/2023, with an initial option to extend the agreement for two (2) additional years, payableon an annual basis. Future extensions will be dependent upon mutual agreement.Page 1 of 33
RFP CSCU-20042.BACKGROUNDIn 2011, Public Acts 11-48 and 11-61 instituted consolidated governance of Connecticut higher education, creatingthe Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system (CSCU). The Board of Regents for Higher Education (BOR)serves as the governing body for the Connecticut State University System, the Regional Community-TechnicalColleges, and Charter Oak State College. Collectively known as “CSCU”, and individually referred to variously as“Agency” or “Institution” or “University” or “College”, the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities maintaindistinct mission statements to serve their constituents while collectively working to achieve system-wide visionand mission.The specific powers and duties of the Board are prescribed in Title 10a of the Connecticut General Statutes andare further delineated in policies adopted by the BOR from time to time. The CSCU System Office supports theseventeen colleges and universities under the direction of the BOR.2.1The Regional Community-Technical Colleges.The Connecticut Community College Nursing Program is an innovative associate degree program of study offeredat six Community Colleges. The common nursing programming offers a four-semester curriculum designed toprepare registered nurses to function in the professional role utilizing current standards of nursing practice. Inaddition, students within the program have the same admission and policy standards, which allows for greaterstudent flexibility.A graduate of the nursing program is awarded an Associate in Science Degree in Nursing and is eligible to take theNational Council Licensing Exam for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). The following six Community Colleges offerthe Nursing Program:Nursing Program Colleges and their Estimated Academic Year 2020-2021 EnrollmentCapital Community CollegeCCCHartford300 studentsGateway Community CollegeGCCNew Haven200 studentsNaugatuck Valley Community CollegeNVCC Waterbury250 studentsNorthwestern Connecticut Community College NCCC Winsted64 studentsNorwalk Community CollegeNCCNorwalk200 studentsThree Rivers Community CollegeTRCC Norwich200 studentsIn addition to the above colleges with Nursing programs, all 12 of our colleges also have Allied Health programswhich may opt to implement this solution. The six (6) community colleges which do not have Nursing programsand, therefore, are not part of the initial deployment; but do have Allied Health programs for which option todeploy the solution may be exercised at a later date, are:Asnuntuck Community CollegeHousatonic Community CollegeManchester Community CollegeMiddlesex Community CollegeQuinebaug Valley Community CollegeTunxis Community CollegeACCHCCMCCQVCCQVCCTCCPage 2 of rmington
RFP CSCU-2004The CT-CCNP is approved by the Connecticut Board of Examiners for Nursing with the consent of the Commissionerof the Connecticut Department of Public Health, as one body with six program sites. Each program within the CTCCNP approaches national accreditation through the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN),and currently all are in good standing.The faculty and directors of the Connecticut Community College Nursing Program (CT-CCNP) have made acommitment to implement a web-based testing solution for students throughout the nursing curriculum. Thetesting solution should support statistical analysis and outcomes assessment. In an educational program thatmust meet approval and accreditation benchmark measurements of graduate success, it is important to be ableto use statistical testing data as an outcome indicator of students meeting course and end-of-program StudentLearning Outcomes (SLOs).CT-CCNP is also interested in virtual learning solutions that can assist with the delivery of instruction for asimulated clinical environment. The solution can be part of a comprehensive package, which includes a webbased testing solution, or can be a stand-alone product. Contracts may be awarded to one vendor or multiplevendors.CSCU is committed to keeping costs for community college students as low as possible while providing high qualityservices that are essential to student success.For more information, visit the CSCU website http://www.ct.edu/ and the Community College Nursing websitehttp://www.ct.edu/academics/nursingCurrent student (FTE) count for the twelve Community-Technical Colleges is approximately 26,000 in total.2.2The Connecticut State University System (CSUS). The four (4) CSUS institutions eligible to opt in underthe scope of the contract(s) awarded are as follows:Central Connecticut State UniversityEastern Connecticut State UniversitySouthern Connecticut State UniversityWestern Connecticut State UniversityCCSUECSUSCSUWCSUNew BritainWillimanticNew HavenDanburyCurrent student (FTE) count for the four universities is approximately 27,000.2.3Charter Oak State College is the State’s fully online (i.e., “virtual”) institution of public higher education.Located in New Britain and adjacent to the CCSU main campus, COSC has no traditional on-ground enrollment. Itsstudent population comprises an approximate FTE count of 800. COSC is eligible to opt in under the scope of thecontract(s) awarded.2.4CSCU System Office in Hartford has zero (0) students and approximately 100 employees in support of themissions of the Colleges and Universities. For additional information, please visit our website: www.ct.eduPage 3 of 33
RFP CSCU-20043.SCOPE OF SERVICESOnline Student Testing and/or Virtual Clinical Learning SolutionFor each of these two sets of Nursing Program needs, a general description of the requirements is presented,followed by a list of the functional and technical specifications there for. Proposing parties are expected toaddress each enumerated point within this Scope of Services section of the RFP.3.1Online Student Testing Solution. The CT-CCNP is seeking a web-based testing solution for students thatcan be used throughout the nursing curriculum that meets the technical and faculty/student functionalspecifications. Solution should have a secure platform with lockdown browser, is compatible with multiple devicesand browsers, and able to interface with our Learning Management System, currently Blackboard Learn9. Theproduct should have the ability for remote proctoring or built-in proctor.The testing solution should provide comprehensive statistical analysis and outcomes assessment, so that eachnursing program in the CT-CCNP can use statistical data to measure achievement of course and end-of-programStudent Learning Outcomes (SLOs). The product should offer multiple format questions that can be categorizedaccording to level of difficulty using Bloom’s Taxonomy and mapped to course and end-of-program SLOs andNCLEX-RN categories. The product should have a secure test bank that is categorized using several modalities,such as concepts and may be capable to be shared amongst the colleges. The product should provide detailedstatistical reports that are easy to obtain and interpret.A comprehensive orientation to the testing and virtual clinical learning solutions for students and faculty shouldbe available in on-ground and online formats. Qualified consultants should be readily available to faculty andstudents for assistance with the testing solution. On-going technical support should be available for students andfaculty.3.1.1Technical Specifications – Online Student Testing Solution3.1.1.1 Secure platform with lockdown browser3.1.1.2 Web/cloud based3.1.1.3 Compatible with many devices (PC, MAC)3.1.1.4 Compatible with common browsers: Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari, Edge3.1.1.5 Describe interface with LMS (Blackboard and other LMS)3.1.1.6 Capacity for remote testing and proctoring or built-in proctor3.1.1.7 Ability to have full view of student when proctoring to include cues for eye movement3.1.1.8 Ability to perform scan of environment3.1.1.9 Generate reports in variety of formats (word, pdf, excel, et al)3.1.1.10 Provides ongoing technical support3.1.2Functional Specifications - Online Student Testing Solution3.1.2.1 Student Functionalities3.1.2.1.1 Platform is easy for students to access and navigate3.1.2.1.2 Ability for students to receive feedback of incorrect answers without showing actual question(option for faculty to allow ability)3.1.2.1.3 Ability for students to highlight words within a question and cross out selections to narrow choice3.1.2.1.4 Drop-down calculatorPage 4 of 33
RFP CSCU-20043.1.2.2 Faculty Functionalities3.1.2.2.1 Easy to construct exams, ability to use existing exams3.1.2.2.2 Ability to have choices when constructing exam related to scrambling of questions, scrambledistractors, ability to allow students to backtrack or not3.1.2.2.3 Ability for alternate item format questions (Multiple choice, multiple response, fill in blank, hot spot,drag and drop/ ordered response, exhibit, audio, graphic, matrix, etc.)3.1.2.2.4 Ability to change allotted exam time for specific students (those with accommodations)3.1.2.2.5 Easy to create a test bank, ability to categorize questions (NCLEX) and create own categories(Concepts, SLO’s)3.1.2.2.6 Ability to have a secure test item bank3.1.2.2.7 Performs item analysis that includes number of students that selected each item, upper and lowerpercentages, overall percentage correct, PBI and KRO (statistical data)3.1.2.2.8 Ability to generate a simple and detailed exam item analysis reports3.1.2.2.9 Ease of changing correct answer(s) in the event of mis-keying3.1.2.2.10 Ability to accept more than one answer and give credit to all3.1.2.2.11 Ability to map student learning outcomes (statistical testing data) to course and end-of-programoutcomes3.1.2.2.12 Ability to generate outcome assessment data and reports per institution and system wide3.1.2.2.13 Includes training for faculty that is web-based and accessible beyond initial training dates3.1.2.3 Services of Consultants3.1.2.3.1 Consultants should be readily available to faculty and students for assistance with the testing package,particularly at the outset. At a minimum, students should be provided with an orientation to all aspects of thepackage, ensuring they are fully aware of all options available to them. Students and faculty should have a vehiclefor immediate assistance (i.e. help desk, online, 24/7 etc.) if they are experiencing difficulty with their independentuse of package components. Faculty should be provided with an orientation to the package to include constructionof tests, reports, test bank categorization, and mapping of data to SLOs. Orientation material should be availablein webinar format to allow for orientation of new faculty and continued availability of the product solutionspecifications for all faculty.3.1.2.3.2 Employees of the chosen proposer must possess applicable qualifications and professional credentialswith respect to their role.3.2Virtual Clinical Learning Solution. CT-CCNP is also interested in virtual learning solutions that can assistwith the delivery of instruction for a simulated clinical environment. Solution should be compatible with multipledevices and browsers, and able to interface with our Learning Management System, currently Blackboard Learn9.The solution should be highly interactive with realistic patient scenarios that are multi-dimensional and promotedevelopment of clinical judgement in an interprofessional healthcare environment. The faculty should be able tobuild and modify scenarios.Methods of assessing student knowledge and performance of psychomotor skills, such as medicationadministration, along with a documentation platform (Electronic Health Record) should be components of thelearning solution. The solution can be part of a comprehensive package, which includes a web-based testingsolution, or can be a stand-alone product.3.2.1 Technical Specifications: Virtual Clinical Learning Solution3.2.1.1 Web/cloud based3.2.1.2 Compatible with many devices (PC, MAC)Page 5 of 33
RFP CSCU-20043.2.1.3 Compatible with common browsers: Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari, Edge3.2.1.4 Describe interface with LMS (Blackboard and other LMS)3.2.1.5 Provides ongoing technical support3.2.23.2.2.13.2.2.33.2.2.4Functional Specifications: Virtual Clinical Learning SolutionRealisticHighly interactive with studentClinical scenarios in variety of areas – Medical/Surgical, Obstetrics, Pediatric, Behavioral Health,Emergency Department, Critical Care, Home Care.3.2.2.5 Medication administration, various routes, times, multiple pts, dosage calculations3.2.2.6 Prioritization scenarios with multiple patients3.2.2.7 Delegation: Interruptions of care: performing task, have interruption, decision making, delegateIntegration of serum labs, diagnostics (Radiology)3.2.2.8 Interprofessional scenarios (Respiratory Therapy, Radiology, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy,Speech Therapy, Case Management, Social Work, etc.)3.2.2.9 Physical Assessment scenarios: with hot spot and sounds3.2.2.10 Documentation platform (electronic health record)3.2.2.11 Single episode and unfolding episode case scenarios3.2.3Students FunctionalitiesAbility for student to direct movement of using equipment/ performing skill3.2.43.2.4.13.2.4.23.2.4.33.2.4.4Faculty FunctionalitiesAbility to modify/build the assessmentAbility for student to direct movement of using equipment/ performing skillPre-programmed scenariosAbility to create/modify scenario.For each of the above items, please note whether you are or are not able to supply; and, if not, what alternativesolution you offer.4.COSTS AND PROPOSED PRICING4.1Term of Award / AgreementAs noted in Section 1, costs submitted in each proposal shall cover the initial term of three (3) years from 8/1/2020through 7/31/2023, and for two additional renewal years. Contractor must be willing to enter into a contract withCSCU for a term of multiple years, actual duration of which to be negotiated. Future extensions beyond five yearsmay be agreed to between the parties by amendment.4.2Cost PrinciplesCSCU is committed to keeping costs for community college students as low as possible while providing high qualityservices that are essential to student success, and the cost of testing will be an important factor in any awardresulting from this RFP.a. The preferred costing structure is for a site license for CSCU system or, alternatively, a site license for eachcollege in the CT-CCNP.b. If the cost structure is per student, the cost should be per student/per semester.c. Pricing should consider the adoption of the package for the six Community colleges offering the nursingprogram, currently numbering an enrollment of more than 1100 students in total.Page 6 of 33
RFP CSCU-2004d. Pricing represented shall be the maximum which may be charged by Contractor to Customer. Contractorshall, during the life of the contract, offer lower pricing if and when opportunity and circumstance sopermitProposers are encouraged to offer package pricing as well as a menu of options with associated cost, allowingCSCU to select the package or items deemed most beneficial to students at the lowest possible cost. Options maybe selected by CSCU for CT-CCNP as a whole and / or by individual colleges as add-ons for their students.4.3Pricing scheduleThe pricing schedule to be included in your proposal responses must be itemized so that separate pricing will bereviewed with respect to Online Student Testing Solution and Virtual Clinical Learning Solution. If you arepresenting a proposal for each of the two solutions requested, then each proposal should be separately itemized.All pricing and payments must be itemized on an annual basis. Present your price schedule in a Cost Table formatwhich displays all Costs in a year-by-year breakdown over a possible span of no less than five (5) years. No lumpsum pricing will be accepted. This itemized Cost Table is to be submitted as an Excel (.xls or .xlsx) file.4.4If the Pricing is to be based on FTE, then it is the combined FTE count of the institutions that is used ineach respective scenario. If each Institution is to be separately licensed, that itemization must be part of theproposal and the summary of all institutional pricing must also be aggregated in the total count. If, however, apricing method other than FTE-based is used, such must be explained in the proposal.5.FORMAT OF PROPOSALS5.1Provide responses addressing each enumerated item in Section 3 and Section 4.5.2Proposal Certification. The proposal must be signed by an authorized official of the bidding company.An unsigned proposal will not be considered. Proposal must provide the following information:5.2.15.2.25.2.35.2.45.2.55.2.6Name and physical address/location of the bidding company;The name, title, telephone number, and e-mail address of the appropriate person to contact concerningthe proposal;The location of the office that will be serving CSCU;Number of years the proposing company has been in business under this name;If the company is a subsidiary of another corporation, the name of parent company;Financial rating of the company, or other indicator of financial strength and stability.5.3References. Provide a list of references comprising no less than three clients with whom you have workedfor more than one year each. Government customers and Higher Education customers, using equivalent services,should be emphasized. The references must be relevant to sales and service in the last 36 months, and shallinclude their level of acceptance of your services.For each reference listed, prov
Southern Connecticut State University SCSU New Haven Western Connecticut State University WCSU Danbury Current student (FTE) count for the four universities is approximately 27,000. 2.3 Charter Oak State College is the State’s fully online
