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Technology Services RFP for LearningWorks | February 2021

LearningWorks seeks a technology company or consultant as creative, varied, robust, and imaginative as we are to streamline, integrate, and support our varying technology systems. LearningWorks aims to operate both in-person and remotely with a unified, high-quality technology support system that all of our employees, volunteers, and students can safely access and utilize to meet their goals.

About LearningWorks
LearningWorks supports 3,000 students in Southern Maine by bolstering elementary students’ academic and social-emotional wellbeing; transforming the lives of teens and young adults; and building the capacity of New Mainers. We are a 53 year old nonprofit with a staff of 80 and offices in Portland, Biddeford, and Sanford. Our mission is to reimagine learning through innovative programs that help children, families, and adults realize their potential and build a thriving community. We offer five free programs – to learn more about the details of each one, you can read about our services at learningworks.me. The common thread through all we do is a desire to bring equity and access to people’s education journeys. Most of our students are not well served by the traditional education system and do not have the resources required to move to a different school, hire a tutor, or pay for the enrichment camps or language lessons they need to succeed. We strive to be an accessible resource and alternative, as well as to fill in gaps in the traditional education system. Our local school districts are key, valued partners in this work.

Project Goals and Technology Needs
LearningWorks is developing our next strategic plan and is now working towards refining our mission as an agency and better integrating our five free programs under the same LearningWorks umbrella. It is critical that our technology systems reflect this cohesion and are all managed together on an agency level, as opposed to on a programmatic basis.

The largest challenge we have with our current technology systems is that each of our five program teams, in addition to the agency’s administration team, uses a conglomeration of devices and platforms. This setup lacks consistency and cohesion and sometimes leaves employees without all the resources they need to troubleshoot tech issues and manage their systems.

As our programs have grown, we have evolved from an exclusively PC based system tied to a physical, in office server to one that includes Windows based laptops and desktops; MacBooks; Chromebooks; iPads; and more. The core of our file and data management system is hosted on a physical server that not all employees can access. Being an education agency spread out across two counties with multiple partners that use other devices and systems, we’d like to move toward a cloud based system that can accommodate multiple devices with varying permissions.

In addition, since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, LearningWorks has operated many of our programs and administrative tasks remotely. As we’ve worked through initial challenges with VPN and server access in addition to implementing Google Classrooms and Zoom meetings and webinars, we’ve discovered that there are aspects of our organization that thrive in a remote format. We are looking for a technology consultant or company that can support us as we teach and work remotely, maintaining the systems we already have in place as well as expanding our capacity to simulcast live classes and host virtual events, programs, and meetings.

We have organized our goal for this project proposal into three categories: Needs, Wants, and Nice to Have:

Needs: Advanced/Expert knowledge of both Apple and Microsoft products; Advanced / Expert experience with Google platforms (Google Workspace); Advanced knowledge of devices including but not limited to: iPhone, Android, Chromebooks; Reliable tech support, troubleshooting, and basic software repair during business hours, M-F 8am – 4pm; Working with Human Resources (HR) and Program Directors, set up and manage Mobile Device Management (MDM) for both staff and student agency-issued devices; Create and maintain agency-wide inventory system; Collaborate with HR and Office + Facilities Manager (O+FM) with all new staff onboarding and terminations; transparent ticket or queue system; integrate accessibility features throughout all devices and systems to ensure equity and inclusivity; Facilitate a cloud-based migration of agency data;
Wants: Hardware repairs; Loaner program for full time employees; Wifi support; Train LearningWorks staff for rollout with new systems, platforms, and devices;
Nice to Have: Ongoing staff training and professional development; GarageBand, iMovie, and Pro Apps (Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Motion, Compressor, MainStage) for use on agency devices;

Scope of Work and Deliverables
● Audit LearningWorks’s current platforms and systems
● Provide a detailed recommendation for an overhaul of all systems and platforms with timeline and budget
● Annual contract for ongoing technical hardware, software, system maintenance, and support.

Timeline
● Proposals submitted to Executive Director, Heather Davis, by April 30, 2021
● Contracted work to begin in Summer 2021

Budget
LearningWorks is a mid-sized nonprofit, and we will review all proposals that estimate an annual contract amount for services between $20,000 – $30,000 / year.

Proposal Requirements
If you are interested in working with us, please submit a brief proposal in PDF form (1-3 pages) to our Executive Director (Heather Davis, hdavis@learningworks.me) that includes information about your relevant professional experience, your approach to managing larger-scale technology projects, and any other information you would like to include by April 30, 2021.

If you have any questions about this RFP, our organization, or the proposal process, please reach out to our Office + Facilities Manager, Rose Heithoff, at 207-5174-3118 or rheithoff@learningworks.me