RSD Request for Proposals (RFP) — Integrated Financial and Student Information Systems

Richland School District No. 400 (RSD) requests proposals from qualified vendors to provide and implement integrated financial and student information systems delivered through a secure, cloud-based environment and accessible through supported web browsers.

RSD intends to select one prime vendor responsible for the complete solution, including implementation, data conversion, integrations, training, hosting, security, support, and ongoing maintenance.

Serving the communities of Richland and West Richland, Washington, RSD educates approximately 14,000 students across 23 schools and educational programs. The selected solution must support Washington public school requirements and provide reliable access for District staff, students, families, and other authorized users.

Project Goals

• Maintain one accountable vendor for the district’s financial and student systems.
• Replace aging or fragmented processes with secure cloud-based services available through supported web browsers.
• Improve data accuracy, reporting, workflow, internal controls, and user self-service.
• Support Washington school finance, payroll, staffing, enrollment, student records, and state reporting requirements.
• Complete implementation, conversion, testing, training, and full production use by September 01, 2028, preferably earlier.

Scope of Services

The selected vendor will deliver a fully hosted Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution and all associated professional services required for implementation and ongoing operation, including system configuration, data conversion, testing, deployment, training, support, and maintenance. Vendors must clearly disclose any third-party products, subcontractors, or implementation partners included in the proposed solution.

Financial and Administrative Functions

• General ledger, Washington school district fund accounting, cash management, bank reconciliation, accounts payable, accounts receivable, purchasing, receipting, inventory, fixed assets, grants, and project accounting
• Budget development, budget control, amendments, allocations, and support for applicable OSPI financial reporting.
• Human resources, position budgeting, position control, recruiting and onboarding, employee records, payroll, time and attendance, leave, benefits, retirement, employee self-service, and required state and federal reporting.

Student Information Functions

• Student registration, enrollment, demographics, households, records, transfers, attendance, discipline, health, fees and fines, and program participation.
• Course catalog, master scheduling, classroom rosters, gradebook, grading, report cards, transcripts, graduation requirements, academic planning, and family and student portals.
• Washington CEDARS, enrollment and apportionment support, federal reporting, validation, corrections, and retained reporting history.

Shared Technology Functions

• Secure vendor-hosted cloud environments, browser-based access, mobile-responsive workflows, single sign-on, multifactor authentication, role-based security, and audit trails.
• Configurable workflows, forms, approvals, notifications, document attachments, dashboards, ad hoc reports, scheduled reports, exports, and documented application programming interfaces.
• Integration with Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Power BI, and other district systems identified during implementation.
• Separate production, test, training, and implementation environments with appropriate controls and data protection.

Implementation Data Conversion and Integrations

The proposal must describe a practical implementation plan, project governance, staffing, schedule, district responsibilities, testing, issue management, and acceptance process. The vendor will work with RSD to confirm the final implementation sequence and conversion scope during contract negotiations and project planning.

• Discovery and business process review for financial, human resources, payroll, and student operations.
• Configuration, interfaces, reports, forms, workflows, security roles, and environments required for production use.
• Conversion of agreed financial, employee, payroll, vendor, student, transcript, attachment, and historical data from current systems.
• Repeatable trial conversions, data mapping, validation reports, reconciliations, user acceptance testing, cutover planning, and rollback planning.
• Integration design, development, testing, monitoring, documentation, and support for all proposed interfaces.
• Post-go-live stabilization and correction of implementation or conversion defects.

On Site Support Training and Ongoing Service

RSD requests meaningful on-site support during critical migration and conversion activities, testing, cutover, go-live, and stabilization. Vendors must describe which roles can be provided on site, the project phases when on-site support is recommended, the number of on-site days included in the proposal, scheduling lead times, and all related travel or reimbursable costs.

Training must address system administrators, functional leads, school and department users, managers, teachers, and other affected users. The proposal must identify training included in the implementation price, the delivery method, materials, recordings, training environments, and the district staffing needed to sustain training after implementation.

The vendor must also describe the availability and pricing of future on-site training and consulting for major product evolutions, version upgrades, new modules, or significant changes in District operations. Include available roles, minimum engagement, lead time, daily or hourly rates, travel assumptions, and whether these services may be purchased separately from the annual subscription.

Ongoing service must include help desk support, escalation, service-level commitments, release information, customer success support, security and regulatory updates, and access to current documentation and learning resources.

Pricing Requirements

Vendors must identify all one-time and recurring costs needed to implement and operate the proposed solution. Pricing must include required software, environments, implementation, data conversion, integrations, testing, training, project management, support, third-party products, and other mandatory services. Optional items must be clearly separated.

Proposal Submission Requirements

Applicant firms shall submit a proposal consisting of:

• Cover letter
• Firm overview, background, and experience
• Washington state experience, if applicable
• Proposed scope of services
• Pricing proposal
• Proposed timeline
• Evidence of successful conversion from PowerSchools, if applicable
• References from at least three school districts in the state of Washington, preferably districts that serve greater than 10,000 students

Submit proposals to Travis Belisle, Executive Director of Finance, by email at Travis.Belisle@rsd.edu or mail to Richland School District, attn: Travis Belisle, 6972 Keene Road, West Richland, WA 99353. Proposals must be received by Saturday, October 31, 2026.

Evaluation Criteria

RSD will evaluate proposals using the following criteria:

• Alignment with functional requirements and overall solution capabilities
• Technology architecture, security, privacy, accessibility, and system integration
• Implementation methodology, data migration, training, and project management
• Vendor experience, customer support, and client references
• Pricing and total cost of ownership

RFP Conditions

• RSD may reject any or all proposals, waive minor irregularities, request clarification, conduct discussions, negotiate scope and pricing, or cancel and reissue the RFP when the district determines it is in its best interest.
• RSD is not responsible for costs incurred in preparing a proposal, attending a demonstration or interview, negotiating a contract, or otherwise participating in this procurement.
• A proposal is an offer and must remain valid for 180 days after the proposal deadline unless the district agrees to a shorter period in writing.
• The district may verify proposal information, contact references and other customers, and consider a vendor's performance on current or prior contracts.
• The apparent selection does not create a contract. A contract exists only after final terms are approved and signed by authorized representatives of both parties.

Timeline

• RFP Issued – September 30, 2026
• Proposals Due – October 31, 2026
• Demonstration Window (if necessary) – November 2026
• Selection – December 2026
• Contract approval and project start – January 2027
• Target full production go live – Desired September 2027, No Later Than September 2028