24-RQFINMODRFI-NM Finance Modernization RFI

Location:	North Carolina
Posted:	Sep 2, 2026
Due:	Oct 23, 2026
Agency:	State Government of North Carolina
Type of Government:	State & Local
Category:	70 - General Purpose Information Technology Equipment (including software).
Solicitation No:	Doc2379845848
Publication URL:	To access bid details, please log in.

Solicitation Number:	Doc2379845848
Project Title:	24-RQFINMODRFI-NM Finance Modernization RFI
Description:	The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) is issuing this Request for Information (RFI) to obtain information from qualified vendors regarding commercially available software solutions and implementation services that support the modernization of the Department's financial management ecosystem. Information from this RFI will be used to understand the current marketplace, validate modernization strategies, refine requirements, and identify implementation approaches to best support the needs of the agency.NCDPI Finance manages approximately $14 billion in state and federal funds and provides various technical and operations support services to 115 School Districts/Local Education Agencies (LEAs) and to more than 200 Independent Public Schools (IPS), which include – Charter Schools, Lab Schools, and Regional Schools. NCDPI's financial operations are currently supported through a combination of internally developed systems and tools. While these systems support critical business functions, they are not fully integrated and require significant customization to accommodate legislative and policy changes, resulting in increased maintenance effort and reduced operational agility.The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to gather information that will assist DPI in validating business and technical requirements, evaluating available market solutions and understanding implementation approaches to inform the agency on the future procurement strategy for a financial system.Specifically, NCDPI is seeking information and recommendation regarding:· commercially available software solutions and implementation approach that support the financial operation of state education agencies.·
Opening Date:	10/23/2026 10:00 AM
Posted Date:	9/2/2026
Status:	Open
Department:	DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION


Solicitation Number * Doc2379845848	Department DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION	Status Reason Open
Opening Date 2026-10-23T10:00:00.0000000	Posted Date * 2026-09-02T02:17:58.0000000Z	Primary Commodity Code Computer software licensing rental or leasing service
Mandatory Conference/Site Visit — —	Special Instructions —	Solicitation Type * RFI
Owner Nicole Mathis
Description The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) is issuing this Request for Information (RFI) to obtain information from qualified vendors regarding commercially available software solutions and implementation services that support the modernization of the Department's financial management ecosystem. Information from this RFI will be used to understand the current marketplace, validate modernization strategies, refine requirements, and identify implementation approaches to best support the needs of the agency.NCDPI Finance manages approximately $14 billion in state and federal funds and provides various technical and operations support services to 115 School Districts/Local Education Agencies (LEAs) and to more than 200 Independent Public Schools (IPS), which include – Charter Schools, Lab Schools, and Regional Schools. NCDPI's financial operations are currently supported through a combination of internally developed systems and tools. While these systems support critical business functions, they are not fully integrated and require significant customization to accommodate legislative and policy changes, resulting in increased maintenance effort and reduced operational agility.The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to gather information that will assist DPI in validating business and technical requirements, evaluating available market solutions and understanding implementation approaches to inform the agency on the future procurement strategy for a financial system.Specifically, NCDPI is seeking information and recommendation regarding:· commercially available software solutions and implementation approach that support the financial operation of state education agencies.·

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STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA

Department of Public Instruction

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION NO.

24-RQFINMODRFI-NM

Due Date: October 23, 2026, at 10:00 AM ET

Issue Date: September 1, 2026

Commodity Code(s):

Refer ALL Inquiries to: Nicole Mathis, via the

Ariba Sourcing Tool Messages

432316-Finance, Accounting and ERP Software;

811115-Software or Application Development/

Implementation Services;

811122-Software maintenance and support;

811125-Software Licensing or Subscription

Services

E-Mail: procurement@dpi.nc.gov

Using Agency Name: Department of Public Instruction

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS:

Submit one (1) signed, original Request for Information (RFI) via the Ariba Sourcing Tool. If confidential and

proprietary information is contained in your RFI response, submit one (1) signed, redacted copy and label the

attached file 24-RQFINMODRFI-NM-Vendor Name-REDACTED. The RFI response must be submitted prior to

the RFI due date provided in Section 2.0. It is the responsibility of the vendor to have their RFI submitted by the

specified date and time. See Section 2.C for complete response instructions.

NOTICE TO VENDOR

Request for Information (RFI) will be received via the Ariba Sourcing Tool until 10:00 AM ET on October 23,

2026.

QUESTIONS

Submit written questions via the Atiba Sourcing Tool until 10:00 AM ET on September 9, 2026.

EXECUTION

VENDOR NAME:

E-MAIL:

STREET ADDRESS:

P.O. BOX:

ZIP:

CITY & STATE:

TELEPHONE NUMBER: TOLL FREE TEL. NO:

TYPE OR PRINT NAME & TITLE OF PERSON SIGNING:

FAX NUMBER:

AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE:

DATE:

Contents

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA.......................................................................................................................................... 1

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Department of Public Instruction...................................................................................................................................... 1

1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................................................. 3

2.0 RFI PROCEDURES .......................................................................................................................................................... 4

A. Schedule ......................................................................................................................................................................... 4

B. Questions ........................................................................................................................................................................ 4

C. Submit RFI ...................................................................................................................................................................... 4

3.0 MODERNIZATION GOAL AND CURRENT ECOSYSTEM .............................................................................................. 5

4.0 SPECIFICATIONS ............................................................................................................................................................ 6

5.0 ACRONYMS ................................................................................................................................................................... 14

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Rev 2017/02/27

1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) is issuing this Request for Information (RFI) to

obtain information from qualified vendors regarding commercially available software solutions and

implementation services that support the modernization of the Department's financial management ecosystem.

Information from this RFI will be used to understand the current marketplace, validate modernization strategies,

refine requirements, and identify implementation approaches to best support the needs of the agency.

NCDPI Finance manages approximately $14 billion in state and federal funds and provides various technical

and operations support services to 115 School Districts/Local Education Agencies (LEAs) and to more than 200

Independent Public Schools (IPS), which include – Charter Schools, Lab Schools, and Regional Schools.

NCDPI's financial operations are currently supported through a combination of internally developed systems and

tools. While these systems support critical business functions, they are not fully integrated and require significant

customization to accommodate legislative and policy changes, resulting in increased maintenance effort and

reduced operational agility.

The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to gather information that will assist DPI in validating

business and technical requirements, evaluating available market solutions and understanding implementation

approaches to inform the agency on the future procurement strategy for a financial system.

Specifically, NCDPI is seeking information and recommendation regarding:

• commercially available software solutions and implementation approach that support the financial

operation of state education agencies.

• industry best practices, emerging technologies, and innovative capabilities for managing education

finance and grant administration.

• solution architecture, interoperability, integration capabilities, security models, reporting features,

workflow automation, and deployment options.

• implementation methodologies, implementation timelines, staffing models, training, change

management, customer support, and ongoing maintenance.

• licensing models, estimated implementation costs, and total cost of ownership.

This RFI is issued for planning and informational purposes only. It does not constitute a solicitation, does

not obligate the Department to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) or award a contract, and does not commit

the Department to pay any costs incurred in preparing or submitting the responses.

A comprehensive response covering all business capabilities is not a requirement for participation in this RFI.

Vendors may respond to one or more capabilities based on their products, services, and areas of expertise.

Vendors may submit a response independently or in collaboration with partner(s) or solution provider(s) to

address multiple capabilities. The response should clearly identify the vendor, the participating partners, and

the capabilities for which each organization is responsible.

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Rev 2017/02/27

2.0 RFI PROCEDURES

A. Schedule

Respondents will have until October 23, 2026, at 10:00 AM to prepare their submissions to this RFI.

Responses must be received by the date and time specified on the cover sheet of this RFI. Respondents

may also be required to present and discuss their submissions at DPIs discretion. Respondents will be

notified of the specific date and time at least two (2) weeks in advance of their presentation.

Event

Issue RFI

Submit Written Questions

Provide Response to Questions

Submit RFI

Responsibility

State

Vendor

State

Vendor

Date and Time

September 1, 2026

September 9, 2026, at 10:00 AM ET

September 18, 2026

October 23, 2026, at 10:00 AM ET

B. Questions

Questions will be accepted until September 9, 2026, at 10:00 AM ET as specified on the cover sheet of

this RFI. All questions must be submitted in writing. An addendum containing any general questions

and their answers will be issued as an addendum to this RFI. The questions shall be submitted in a

editable Microsoft Excel file in the following format, using as many rows as needed.

# RFI Page # / Section

Vendor Questions

C. Submit RFI

The State recognizes that considerable effort will be required in preparing a response to this RFI.

However, please note this is a request for information only, and not a request for services. The

Vendor shall bear all costs for preparing this RFI.

1. Content and Format

The State expects concise, detailed, point-by-point responses to each of the RFI response items

identified in this RFI. The State is not interested in brochures or “boilerplate” responses. Instead,

responses should clearly define how the vendor’s proposed solution(s) would meet the State’s

business requirements. Any issues or exceptions to the State’s requirements should also be

identified and explained.

The response should also include annotated network drawings showing where each of the pieces of

equipment in the proposed solution would be located and how those devices would be

interconnected.

A comprehensive, detailed equipment list including software required for the proposed solution should

be provided. All equipment identified in the response must be commercially available and in general

distribution. While the State will require a pilot installation of any final solution adopted, the State is

not interested in participating in any field trials of new equipment or software.

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Rev 2017/02/27

The response should define all services that would be required by the proposed solution. The

response should also include:

• The vendor’s understanding of the project and services by addressing the State’s business

requirements;

• An estimated total cost of ownership for the solution, including continued compliance with

emerging industry standards.

• The proposed solution’s ability to expand and evolve to serve other State's sites either inside the

Raleigh area or in other county locations and also meet all of the service and performance

requirements identified in this RFI.

2. Multiple Responses

Multiple responses will be accepted from a single vendor provided that each response is

comprehensive, meets all of the state’s requirements, and is truly unique. Vendor shall submit

separate responses and clearly mark responses as “Response #1, Response #2, etc.

3.0 MODERNIZATION GOAL AND CURRENT ECOSYSTEM

a. Modernization Goal

The goal of the financial modernization program is to transform business operations by

streamlining business processes utilizing supported and scalable technology and facilitating

decision analytics and reporting.

NCDPI seeks a financial system that enables the agency to perform financial operations and to

respond promptly and effectively to evolving legislative, regulatory and business needs.

The goal is to deliver a cohesive system that:

• Establishes a modern, stable, scalable platform that supports business operations while

enabling timely implementation, minimizes ongoing maintenance requirements, and optimizes

total cost of ownership.

• Provides visibility into the financial position through real-time reporting, dashboards, and

analytics.

• Enables nimble adaptations to evolving legislative, policy and business rule changes.

• Is secure and resilient.

• Supports integration with enterprise applications, data platforms, and external partner

systems.

• Prioritizes the user experience through intuitive workflows, automation, and role-based access

to information.

• Is an adaptable future ready platform that supports continuous business process improvement

b. Current Ecosystem

The current finance ecosystem is distributed across multiple platforms that are not fully integrated.

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Rev 2017/02/27

This is the opportunity summary page. It provides an overview of this opportunity and a preview of the attached documentation.

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24-RQFINMODRFI-NM Finance Modernization RFI

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See also