student management system transition request...

1102 Douglas on the Mall

Omaha, Nebraska 68102

Student Management System Transition Request for Proposal

Westside Community Schools

February 26, 2018

IPDG No. 2017 6412


February 26, 2018

IPDG No. 2017 6412 Table of Contents i

Table of Contents

Section I – Project Description and Requirements ........................................................................................ 1

Section II – Selection Criteria ....................................................................................................................... 5

Section III – Proposal Requirements ............................................................................................................ 6

Section IV – Deliverables and Deadlines ...................................................................................................... 8

Section V – Process and Schedule ................................................................................................................ 9

Appendix A – Intent to Respond

Appendix B – Proposer Questions

Appendix C – Proposal Response Form

Appendix D – General Terms and Conditions


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IPDG No. 2017 6412 1

Section I – Project Description and Requirements

1. Project Description:

A. Overview:

1) Westside Community Schools (WCS) is seeking proposals for a qualified firm to transition the technical maintenance, ongoing support, and complete master scheduling development of its existing Student Management System (SMS) developed by a capstone team at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln (UNL).

2) Interested firms are asked to submit their qualifications and proposal to transition and finish the development of the master scheduling algorithms.

3) Cost information should be included in the proposal. 4) The WCS reserves the right to reject any and all proposals. 5) WCS will retain intellectual property rights to the system.

B. Project Background:

1) Westside High School (WHS) uses a modular schedule in Grades 9 – 12. The modular schedule is not a traditional student scheduling system. The current software was created in the early 1980s and no longer operates efficiently. Three years ago, the Raikes School at UNL started the development of a replacement system that resulted in the release of a web-based, minimum-viable product that is designed to: a) Generate master schedule based on course requests and enrollment

information for approximately 2,000 students and 140 teachers. b) Allow real-time viewing and editing registration.

2) A fourth and final UNL student project team started in fall of 2017 to prepare the transition of the system to WCS. The project team will conclude their efforts in spring of 2018.

3) The documentation from past student project teams can be found at the following location: https://unl.box.com/s/yymcf76njtgm87lo7br8q9ixsy2jghvs

4) Because WCS does not have technical resources within the district to support the system, WCS is seeking a partner to support the system following completion of the student project team efforts.

C. District Background:

1) WCS was founded in 1947 on what was then the far west side of Omaha, Nebraska. Today, it is in the center of a city that expanded to the west. WHS adopted the modular schedule in 1967. The traditional six-period day restricted the number of courses a student could enroll in during the semester. It also placed students in large study halls and did not provide opportunities for students to develop independence and self-reliance. It presented conflicts when students went into the community for

https://unl.box.com/s/yymcf76njtgm87lo7br8q9ixsy2jghvs


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IPDG No. 2017 6412 2

learning experiences. The decision to move to a non-traditional modular schedule was made after defining what the staff believed about student learning. The WHS staff believes that: a) Students and teachers should have more time during the day to meet on a

one-to-one basis. b) Students should have an opportunity to be exposed to all areas, such as the

fine arts, business, family and consumer education and other important content areas.

c) Students should learn how to manage their time and be involved in their learning decisions.

d) Subject area resource centers and open labs should be used in place of study halls.

e) More opportunities should be provided for students to utilize community resources.

f) Teachers should be able to try new approaches to improve the instructional process, resulting in higher student achievement and performance.

g) Students should be able to take more classes during the school year.

2) The staff, at that time and still today, believes these objectives could best be accomplished through a modular schedule with four modes of instruction. They are large group instruction, small group instruction and application, laboratory learning, and independent learning time.

D. Request for Proposal (RFP) Goals:

1) Select a highly qualified and skilled development firm to transition, support, and finish the development of the SMS.

2) Transition the current production student management from a UNL hosting environment to a WCS-owned hosting environment.

3) Complete the development of the master scheduling algorithms. 4) Transition technical support of the SMS to the selected Proposer.

E. Project Consultants:

1) IP Design Group has been retained by WCS as technology consultants to assist in creating the RFP document and evaluation of the proffered qualifications. IP Design Group shall provide project consulting services for the project. IP Design Group shall also be responsible for assisting WCS in the final selection of the firm.

2) WCS will assign a Project Manager for this project, once an award to the successful Proposer has been provided. The successful Proposer will work closely with this Project Manager and will take directions from the Project Manager. No work will be performed on WCS systems and equipment without prior approval of the WCS Project Manager.

3) On behalf of WCS, IP Design Group invites Proposers to submit qualifications that meet requirements contained within.


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IPDG No. 2017 6412 3

2. Projects Requirements:

A. Hosting Transition Requirements:

1) Meet with UNL student project team in conjunction with WCS representative to enable knowledge transfer of current hosting environment (https://westside-web.azurewebsites.net/).

2) Review the source code provided by UNL student project team, and make modifications required to transition the system from the current hosting environment to a WCS hosting environment.

3) Create a Microsoft Azure account on behalf of WCS and establish a new hosting environment, which allows for transfer of resources from the current hosting environment.

4) Establish WCS as the primary account holder, and delegate permission to the successfully Proposer for transition, development, and support of the system.

5) Participate in weekly conference calls during transition for coordination with WCS. 6) Participate in user acceptance testing and commissioning of the system to ensure

functional elements are operating as intended after the transition.

B. Development Requirements:

1) Master Scheduling Algorithm: a) Complete development of master scheduling algorithm currently based on

the Microsoft Research Z3 theorem prover. b) Modify algorithm to provide user feedback when a master scheduling

attempt fails. c) Feedback should include information regarding which constraints were

unable to be met. 2) Student Scheduling Algorithm:

a) Complete development of student scheduling algorithm written in Python. b) Accommodate “miss a mod” feature will need to allow a student to miss a

mod for a given section during a given week. 3) Attendance:

a) Complete development of attendance module. b) Modify attendance reporting to show student attendance per class per

teacher. c) Add ability to export attendance data into PowerSchool.

4) Participate in weekly conference calls during development for coordination with WCS. 5) Participate in periodic review of system with WCS after go-live date to define

refinements and adjustments along with scope of work and cost proposal any identified desired modifications.

C. Support Requirements:

1) Provide ongoing support for break/fix related to the production system upon migration.

2) Provide ongoing support to patch/fix latest security updates for any platforms and/or libraries within 30 days with WCS prior approval.


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IPDG No. 2017 6412 4

3) Provide enhanced support response time of no more than two hours during the two weeks prior to beginning of the fall and spring semesters. Provide next-business-day response time during remainder of the year.

4) Provide web-based ticketing system for WCS to submit support requests.

D. Potential Future Development

1) In the future, WCS may consider commercialization of the developed software in order to license to other districts using modular scheduling. The commercialization of the software is not included in the scope of this RFP, however, may be explored in a future follow-on effort.


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IPDG No. 2017 6412 5

Section II – Selection Criteria

WCS will evaluate and score proposals via a committee to select a Proposer based on the following:

1. Organization (25%):

A. Business philosophy, organization, financial credibility, communications, and staffing.

B. Professional qualifications of the technical staff to execute the work set forth in the scope of work. Factors to be evaluated include relevant experience, technical experience, technical certifications, and professional registration.

C. Capability of the firm to furnish the resources necessary to perform the work, including ongoing support of the system on a timely basis. Resources include more than one developer on staff to complete requested work.

D. Ability of the proposed firm to support future development and refinements, as well as flexibility to adapt to unforeseen project challenges.

E. Other service offerings in proposals which add value to the Proposers selection.

2. Experience (25%):

A. Past implementation performance on projects similar in scope, including awards or letters of recommendation.

B. Prior development with scheduling related systems.

C. Experience in working with large public entities.

D. Specialized experience in the type of work required, including Microsoft Azure. Project experience within the last five years shall be documented by the Proposers.

3. Development Approach (30%):

A. Approach to development methods, strategies, and implementations.

B. Approaches for incorporating dynamic requirements during the development process.

C. Tools used for developing a successful system.

D. Methods and practices for enabling system and information security of student information.

E. Outline the development process taken for each project.

4. Cost (20%):

A. Value of the proposal for the submitted cost.


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IPDG No. 2017 6412 6

Section III – Proposal Requirements

Each Proposer’s response to this RFP must reflect the following format, including the numbering format (i.e.

1.A.1, etc.). Failure to comply may subject your response to disqualification.

1. Organization:

A. The prospective Proposer must submit a basic organizational chart showing the proposed team that will be assigned to this project. The organizational chart shall be laid out to show the hierarchy and overall structure of the prospective Proposer and shall be limited to 10 pages. The Proposer shall include the following:

1) Company profile information, which shall include number of employees by work classification and the number of technical staff within their organization at both corporate and local levels. Identify this staff according to the following classifications: a) Project Manager b) Developer c) Information Systems Manager d) Support Technician

2) Include information regarding experience and involvement of these individuals with regard to projects of this size and scope.

3) Include information regarding Proposer’s ability to respond to needs in a timely fashion.

4) Provide latest available fiscal year-end statements, which should include a balance sheet (or statement of financial position) and income statement (profit and loss statement). Financial statements will not be subject to open records requests, delivered by the Proposer in a separate signed and sealed envelopment or protected electronic document directly to the WCS Chief Financial Officer for exclusive review by the Chief Financial Officer only. See Section IV for contact information.

2. Experience:

A. It is imperative that the Proposer has experience in the development of complex algorithms. This experience must be clearly stated in the RFP response, limited to one page per project, and shall include the following:

1) The Proposer shall provide a project description for three relevant projects relating to similar systems during the past five years. The intent is to assure that the Proposer has the appropriate experience in the development of these types of system. Please provide the following information for each project: a) Client name. b) A description of the project, including stated goals. c) A reference contact person, including email and phone number.


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3. Development Approach:

A. The Proposer must submit a development approach proposed to ensure a successful project. Description shall include, but not limited to, development processes, steps, strategies, and collaboration approaches. The response should be limited to 10 pages and shall include the following:

1) Organizational structure used to deliver successful projects. 2) Project management strategies that ensure needs and requirements are fulfilled. 3) Charts, diagrams, or documents utilized to illustrate development process. 4) Strategies and philosophies utilized to ensure system and information security. 5) Practices for user acceptance testing. 6) Explain at least one unique quality your firm believes could be a key for success to the

project. 4. Cost:

A. Submit cost information for the project on the included form in Appendix C, including the following:

1) Line item cost related to transitioning hosting of the system. 2) Line item cost related to completing development of the system. 3) Line item cost related to providing support for the system for one year. 4) Total cost which includes the total cost of the above line items.

B. Monthly costs related to the new Microsoft Azure hosting environment service itself shall be

excluded from the proposal as it assumed it will directly paid on a monthly cost by WCS.


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IPDG No. 2017 6412 8

Section IV – Deliverables and Deadlines

1. Deliverables:

A. The format of the submission of the proposal document should be on 8-1/2 x 11 electronic PDF document.

B. A cover letter should be included, identifying the person who is representing the firm, with a telephone number as well as an e-mail address.

C. A hard copy submission or notarized copies are not required for proposal.

D. The proposal must address every item identified in this request. If an item is not applicable, the response should indicate such. The proposal information shall be limited to the requirements listed in Section III.

E. Proposals must be submitted electronically to: [email protected]

F. Financial statements shall be separately submitted from the proposal directly to:

Bob Zagozda, Chief Financial Officer Westside Community Schools 909 S 76 Street Omaha, NE 68114-4599 [email protected]

2. Deadline:

A. Proposals will be received by the WCS in response to this RFP until March 19, 2018, at 2:00 PM, CST, at the email address listed above. Submissions received after that date and time will not be considered.


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Section V – Process and Schedule

1. Process:

A. Intent to Respond:

1) Proposers interested in submitting a proposal for the project must submit the Intent to Respond form in Appendix A.

2) Upon receipt of the Intent to Respond, a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) shall be provided to the Proposer for signature. Once the NDA is executed, the source code for the current system shall be provided to the Proposer for review and consideration related to submission of the proposal.

B. Proposer Questions:

1) Any questions and/or clarifications to the RFP shall be submitted via email using the form included in Appendix B. No questions and/or clarifications shall be answered via phone call. Questions and/or clarifications should be emailed to: [email protected].

C. Interview:

1) WCS reserves the right to interview a short list of identified Proposers for further discussion.

D. Successful Proposer:

1) Following notification of the apparent successful Proposer, terms and conditions shall be negotiated prior to the contract award. Proposers shall include a copy of their proposed terms and conditions during negotiation to reach an agreement on a final contract.

2) The project schedule calls for notification of the successful Proposer as listed in Table 1. At that time, WCS shall also announce a reserve-successful Proposer. If WCS determines, at any time, that WCS and the Consultant will not be able to reach an agreement with the initial successful Proposer on a final services agreement, WCS may then terminate negotiations with the successful Proposer and enter into negotiations with the reserve-successful Proposer and may, at the discretion of WCS, sign the final contract for services with the reserve Proposer.


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2. Schedule:

A. The currently anticipated schedule is summarized in Table 1 below. WCS maintains the exclusive right to modify the schedule.

Table 1 – Anticipated RFP Process

Stage Date Description

RFP Issuance 2/26/18 WCS issues RFP

Questions for RFP 3/5/18 Questions submission due date

Responses to Questions 3/9/18 Responses submitted to Proposers

Intent to Respond 3/12/18 Firms submit intent to respond, which may be submitted at any time prior to this date

Submissions of RFP Response 3/19/18 at

2:00 PM, CST Firms submit qualifications proposal as outlined in this document

Selection of Successful Proposer and Negotiations

3/26/18 Notification of apparent successful Proposer and notification of selected-reserve Proposer

Notice to Proceed 4/3/18 Issue notice to proceed based on completion of negotiations

Transition Hosting 5/4/18 Complete transition of system hosting to WCS hosting environment

Complete System Development 10/26/18 Complete development of scope elements

ABH/mdg

Appendix A

Intent to Respond

WCS Student Management System Transition RFP

INTENT TO RESPOND FORM

Proposer: Date:

The above-listed Proposer does / does not intend to respond to the Westside Community Schools

Student Management System Transition Request for Proposal.

Reason for not responding to the RFP, if applicable:

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

All proposers should return this form by the date listed in the project schedule.

Please e-mail this form to the following address:

[email protected]

Signature:

mailto:[email protected]

Appendix B

Proposer Questions

WCS Student Management System Transition Request for Proposal

PROPOSER QUESTIONS

Proposer:

Question No.

Referenced RFP Section

Question

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

Note: Please include the specific section number in the Request for Proposal related to the question (i.e., V.1.B.1).

Appendix C

Proposal Response Form

Signature: Vendor certifies that this page includes any and all pricing related to the WCS Student Management System Transition Request for Proposal. Corporate Officer:

(Signature) (Date)

PROPOSAL RESPONSE FORM

Date: Proposer:

Pricing:

(Line 1) Total Cost of Services: $

(Line a) Host Migration Cost:

$

(Line b) Development Cost:

$

(Line c) Support Cost for One Year:

$

Notes:

1. Line 1 cost shall include the summation of Lines a, b, and c.

Appendix D

General Terms and Conditions

GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

a. INDEMNIFICATION

Consultant shall hold the District, its Board of Education, and its individual employees harmless, and shall fully indemnify and defend said persons and entity, from all loss, damages, claims for damages and/or judgments for personal injuries, including death, to any person, costs or expenses in law or equity arising out of or in any way resulting from or made possible by the provision of its services, except to the extent that such claim or demand arises from or is caused by the gross negligence or willful misconduct of a District employee.

b. CIVIL RIGHTS

Consultant agrees to comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (P.L. 88-352) and all requirements imposed by or pursuant to the Regulations of the Department of Education (34 C.F.R. Part 100) issued pursuant to that title, to the end that, in accordance with Title VI of that Act and the Regulation, no person in the United States shall, on the grounds of race, color of national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to discrimination under any program or activity for which the applicant receives federal financial assistance from the department; and hereby gives assurance that all measures necessary to immediately effectuate this agreement will be taken. Consultant further agrees to comply with all applicable requirements of state and local laws, ordinances and regulations regarding non-discrimination in employment.

c. INSURANCE Consultant shall purchase from and maintain, and require all subconsultants to purchase and maintain in a company or companies lawfully authorized to do business in the jurisdiction in which the District is located, and carrying a minimum A.M. Best rating of A VII, insurance for protection from claims under statutory workers' compensation acts and employers liability including claims for damages for bodily injury, occupational sickness or disease or death of Consultant’s employees and other employee benefit acts which are applicable, claims for all other damages because of bodily injury, including death of any person other than Consultant’s employees including claims for damages because of bodily injury or death of a person or property damage arising out of the ownership, maintenance or use of a motor vehicle, claims for bodily injury or property damage arising out of a completed operations, claims for personal injury, claims for monetary damages resulting from professional services performed by Consultant including but not limited to Consultant’s errors or omissions, claims involving contractual liability applicable to Consultant’s obligations in any and all sections of this contract and claims for all other damages to persons or property which may arise out of or result from the services provided. This insurance shall be written for not less than limits of liability as specified below in subparagraph d., or required by law, whichever coverage is greater, and shall include contractual liability insurance applicable to the Consultant's obligations.

Services may not begin until Consultant has delivered satisfactory evidence to the District that all required insurance is in place. Consultant shall procure, pay for, and maintain in full force and effect, without interruption from the date of commencement of the contract and at all times during the performance of the contract until final acceptance of the contract or for such duration as reasonably required by the District, policies of insurance issued by a responsible carrier or carriers acceptable to the District, and in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the District, which affords coverages specified below in subparagraph d.

All such insurance with the exception of workers’ compensation shall be primary and non-contributory, name the District as additional insured where applicable, and be written on an occurrence basis. All coverages including workers’ compensation shall include a waiver of subrogation in favor of the District. Consultant understands and agrees that the insurance requirements specified herein represent minimum insurance requirements only and do not in any way reduce the liability, indemnification or contractual responsibilities of the Consultant.

Consultant agrees to deliver and require any subcontractors to deliver to the District, within ten (10) days of the date of the execution of this contract and prior to the commencement of the contract as well as prior to every renewal thereafter for the period coverage is required by this contract. Certificates of Insurance in form and substance satisfactory to the District evidencing the required coverages with limits not less than those specified below in subparagraph d.

d. INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS

At all times during the term of any agreement with the District, Consultant shall purchase and maintain insurance as set forth below. Such insurance shall be written for not less than the following limits, or greater if required by law:

d.1 Workers’ Compensation meeting statutory limits mandated by state and federal laws. Employers Liability Limits shall be as follows:

Workers’ Compensation: Statutory Employers’ Liability: Statutory

The Policy shall be endorsed to include a Waiver of Subrogation in Favor of the District

d.2 Commercial General Liability including coverage for Premises-Operations, Contractual Liability, Personal Injury and Broad Form Property Damage

Commercial General Liability: $1,000,000 General Aggregate $1,000,000 Each Occurrence

1. The District shall be named as an additional insured to the Consultant’s Commercial

General Liability 2. The policy shall be endorsed to include A Waiver of Subrogation in favor of the District 3. The coverage provided by the policy shall be Primary and Non-Contributory

d.3. Automobile Liability (owned, non-owned and hired vehicles) for bodily injury and property damage:

Commercial Auto Liability: $1,000,000 Combined Single Limit

The District shall be named as an additional insured to the Consultant’s Automobile Liability policy

d.4 Umbrella/Excess Liability: $2,000,000 Each Occurrence/Aggregate to be in excess of Coverages

1.1 (Work Comp), 1.2 (General Liability), & 1.3 (Automobile Liability) above

Coverage must provide all coverages as in the underlying and be written on a follow form basis

Coverages shall be written on an occurrence basis. All Coverages shall be maintained without interruption from date of commencement of the contract until date of final payment and/or specified termination period of any coverage required to be maintained after final payment.

e. FORCE MAJEURE

The parties shall be excused from performance hereunder during the time and to the extent that they are prevented from performing in the customary manner if 1) nonperformance is due to extraordinary weather (not including any weather condition which is not severe enough to warrant the closing of District schools), fire, strike, loss of transportation facilities, lockout, unavailability or commandeering of materials, products, plants or facilities by the Government or rationing or limitation of use of materials or products; and 2) nonperformance is not due, in whole or in part, to the fault or neglect of the party not performing.

f. SAVINGS CLAUSE

Consultant and District hereto agree that in the event any provisions specified in the contract are finally held or determined to be illegal or void as being in contravention of any applicable law, the remainder of the contract shall remain in full force and effect.

g. EXCLUSION OF PERSONS WITH CERTAIN CRIMINAL RECORDS AND CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECK In the event services will be performed on any District property, Consultant will be required to agree that it shall not assign any person to perform services to the District who has a criminal record of a serious nature, including but not limited to any of the following, regardless of the length of time since conviction: (a) any felony; (b) rape, including statutory rape, or any other sexual assault; (c) sexual conduct with a minor of any kind; (d) abuse of a minor or any protected person; (e) endangerment of a child or debauching a minor; (f) public indecency; (g) prostitution, pandering, or keeping a place of prostitution; (h) assault or battery; (i) kidnapping, false imprisonment or abduction; (j) child pornography; or (k) any offense in which a minor was a victim or a witness. Consultant shall be required to obtain any authorization or consent necessary from its employees to obtain such background check information to assure compliance with this requirement and shall actively continue to adhere to this requirement throughout the contract period.

Consultant shall also, in addition to the restrictions listed above, be required to agree that any person it assigns to provide services on the premises of District property must submit in advance to a nationwide background check by One Source in Omaha, Nebraska and shall have received One Source Certified Contractors (“OSCC”) certification from One Source. Consultant’s employees shall at all times display evidence of OSCC certification provided by One Source.

Consultant shall be required to agree that all employees providing services on District property shall be required to notify Consultant, within one business day, if an employee is: 1) arrested or charged with any felony; 2) arrested or charged with any offense listed above; or 3) involved in any motor vehicle accident. Consultant will be required in turn to immediately notify and provide such information to the District. If Consultant learns of such information from any other source (i.e. other than the employee) it shall also immediately notify and provide that information to the District.

h. ASSIGNMENT

The services contemplated by the District are deemed to be in the nature of personal services and the contract shall not be assigned in whole or in part by the Consultant without the prior written consent of the District.

i. NEW EMPLOYEE WORK ELIGIBILITY STATUS

Consultant is required to assure that it shall use a federal immigration verification system to determine the work eligibility status of new employees physically performing services within the State of Nebraska. A federal immigration verification system means the electronic verification of the work authorization program authorized by the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, 8 U.S.C. 1324a, known as the E-Verify Program, or an equivalent federal program designated by the United States Department of Homeland Security or other federal agency authorized to verify the work eligibility status of a newly hired employee.

j. DISPUTE RESOLUTION

The parties shall negotiate in good faith in an attempt to resolve any dispute that may arise. In the event of a claimed breach, the party claiming breach shall be required to first given written notice to the other party, with a detailed description of the claimed breach, and the party against whom a breach is claimed shall have no less than ten business days to remedy the breach.

k. TERMINATION

Either party may terminate the contract, without cause, at any time during the term of the contract on not less than thirty (30) days written notice to the other party.

By submitting a Proposal, Consultant agrees that if it is selected to provide services for the District, the contract between the parties shall contain, but not be limited to, the provisions and requirements contained in this RFP.

REVIEW OF PROPOSALS

Neither the issuance of this Request for Proposals, nor the receipt and evaluation of any proposal, commits the District to enter into any contract.

The District reserves the right to reject all proposals received.

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