Sole Source Curriculum Based Professional Learning Database

Location:	Mississippi
Posted:	Apr 23, 2026
Due:	May 7, 2026
Agency:	State Government of Mississippi
Type of Government:	State & Local
Category:	U - Education and Training Services
Solicitation No:	1201-26-R-RFIN-00002
Publication URL:	To access bid details, please log in.

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SOLE SOURCE DETERMINATION

THE PROPOSED CONTRACT TERMS ARE ATTACHED TO THIS DETERMINATION

The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE): Curriculum and Instruction

Proposed Sole Source Vendor: Tennessee Book Company

Intended Contract Term: 3 years

Anticipated Contract Amount: $700,000

The product or service offered in the contract is:

The platform and services should provide and/or be able to:

A data tracking platform that compares purchases of state-adopted instructional

materials and professional learning to end-of-year assessments (MAAP).

A customizable web-based platform that includes vendors, titles, and ISBNs for state-

endorsed professional learning services and state-adopted academic interventions.

Customizable reports and interactive heat maps based on purchased state-adopted

instructional materials and curriculum-based professional learning compared to state

assessments and student demographics.

A mechanism that allows the LEA textbook coordinator to dispose of purchased

curriculum-based professional learning services and academic interventions and allows

the MDE to approve/deny disposals of services and materials.

A catalog of state-endorsed curriculum-based professional learning services and state-

adopted interventions with current contracted pricing for Mississippi public, accredited

non-public, and special state schools.

Quotes, bundle options, and respond to special delivery instructions.

Training, ongoing customer service, and site management for the MDE staff.

Distribution of curriculum-based professional learning services and academic

interventions to public, accredited non-public, and special state schools.

management account.

Develop an end-of-year task system that will allow the survey system to assess the

effectiveness of the curriculum-based professional learning services and vendors.

SOLE SOURCE DETERMINATION

The product or service described above is the only one that can meet the needs of

the MDE because:

MDE lacks a unified, school-level view of (1) which HQIM and evidence-based interventions

are acquired and in use, (2) which consultants are credentialed for specific HQIM, (3) what

consultant activities actually occur, and (4) how implementation context appears in publicly

reported school-level performance. The absence of this visibility limits targeted coaching,

timely interventions, and coherent policy. The MDE will implement a unified, TIMS-based data

platform (customizing the Tennessee Book Company system) to provide school-level visibility

and alignment.

The proposed sole source vendor is the only person or entity that can provide the

required product or service because:

The Tennessee Book Company possess proprietary rights to and manages the MDE textbook

system (TIMS). The services of this vendor creates an avenue of frictionless adoption regarding

the integration of the proposed platform by customizing the Tennessee Book Company System

to provide school-level visibility and alignment.

The platform will:

Track school-level HQIM acquisitions from TIMS (source of truth).

Verify consultant credentials issued by MDE against specific HQIM and enforce

alignment for all logged activities.

Record school-level consultant engagements (sessions, coaching, dosage) linked to the

exact materials in use.

Overlay publicly available school-level performance (MSRC) to contextualize

implementation without asserting causality.

Sole Source Determination

The MDE conducted the following market analysis in order to ensure that the

service required was practicably available from only one source (any

documentation relevant to the market analysis conducted should be attached to

this determination):

A limited market review was conducted to assess the availability of vendors capable of

providing the required expansion of services. While several vendors offer instructional

materials tracking or professional learning platforms, none were identified that can integrate

full system replacement. TIMS 2.0 is a proprietary platform developed and maintained by the

current vendor, who retains exclusive rights to its source code, system architecture, and

underlying data structures. The requested enhancements Curriculum-Based Professional

Learning and Evidence-Based Academic Interventions require direct modification and

extension of the existing TIMS 2.0 platform, including integration with current High-Quality

Instructional Materials workflows and state reporting requirements.

Due to these proprietary and technical constraints, no third-party vendor can perform the

vendor would necessitate the development or acquisition of an entirely new system, resulting

in significant duplication of cost, extended implementation timelines, and potential disruption

to statewide instructional materials tracking and compliance functions. Accordingly, the

current vendor is the only responsible source capable of delivering the required services within

the necessary

The amount to be expended for products or services is reasonable because:

The proposed platform provides vital acquisition tracking, credential verification, record, and

documentation that ensures school-level visibility and alignment regarding HQIM. Complex

custom platform development prices vary but can cost upwards of $500,000 while

maintenance and support usually costs 15-25% of the initial development. The Tennessee

Textbook Company shall not exceed a charge of $400,000 in the first year for the development

of the platform. Payments will be rendered upon the completion and approval of each item by

the Mississippi Department of Education. Furthermore, the company shall not charge more

than $150,000 in each subsequent year for the maintenance and support of the platform.

These payments are to be made at the commencement of each year.

The MDE conducted a noncompetitive negotiation with the proposed sole source

vendor to obtain the best possible price on the personal or professional service

by:

Conducting direct negotiations with the Tennessee Book Company (TBC), the current operator

of the Mississippi Textbook Information Management System (TIMS), to establish pricing for

the customization, development, hosting, training, and ongoing support of the integrated data

platform. Pricing was reviewed, the scope of services was itemized, and costs were evaluated to

ensure they were reasonable, necessary, and consistent with the needs of the Mississippi

Department of Education.

Sole Source Determination

The purchaser must be able to show specific business objectives that can be met

only through the unique product or services:

The MDE requires a unified statewide data platform that integrates instructional materials

purchasing, curriculum-based professional learning, consultant credentialing, implementation

activities, and publicly reported student performance data within a single system of record. This

platform must:

Operate directly within the existing TIMS infrastructure;

Serve as the authoritative source for all statewide instructional materials and professional

learning data;

Provide real-time reporting and analytics for monitoring HQIM implementation and

investment effectiveness; and

Support statewide policy, accountability, and technical assistance functions.

These business objectives cannot be met through stand-alone products, third-party platforms,

or external data systems because TBC possesses the system functionality to integrate directly

materials system. No

other product, platform, or data system, has that functional ability.

The product or service must be available only from the manufacturer and not

through resellers who could submit competitive pricing for the product or

services:

The requested product and services are available only from the Tennessee Book Company, as

TBC is the exclusive owner, administrator, and system operator of the TIMS platform for the

Mississippi Department of Education. TIMS is a proprietary system developed and maintained

by TBC, and no resellers or third-party vendors have access to the system architecture, source

code, or contractual authority required to modify, customize, or extend the platform.

As a result, the customization and integration services required for this project cannot be

competitively procured through resellers or alternative vendors without duplicating the entire

TIMS system, which would be impractical, cost-prohibitive, and would compromise data

integrity and statewide coherence.

Schedule

Task

First Advertisement Date

Second Advertisement Date

Response Deadline from Objectors

Notice of Award/No Award Posted

Date

April 23, 2026

April 30, 2026

May 7,2026 by 2:00pm

No later than May 8, 2026

Sole Source Determination

Instructions to File an Objection to this Sole Source Determination:

Any person or entity who objects to the determination that the proposed vendor is the sole

provider of the personal or professional services described herein should file an objection with

the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE).

The objection must provide a detailed explanation of why the personal or professional

service provider is not a sole source;

identify the Agency/company/entity that provide the exact same services;

identify the proposed Sole Source Vendor; state the RFIN Number RFx: 3150006731 for

the sole source determination and the date that determination was first published (if

available);

and identify the objecting party to include valid contact information by which the

objecting party can be immediately reached by the MDE

Timely submission of the objection is the sole responsibility of the objecting party, and the

objecting party bears all risk regarding delivery of the objection. Objections received after the

deadline will not be considered by the MDE.

Any such objection should be clearly labelled

and should be submitted to the following:

TO SOLE SOURCE

Mailing Address:

Monique Corley, Director

Office Of Procurement

The Mississippi Department of Education

Curriculum Based Professional Learning Database

359 North West Street

Jackson, MS 39201

Electronic Mail Only:

SoleSourceObjections@mdek12.org

Once an objection to the sole source determination is filed, the MDE may withdraw the sole

source determination and competitively procure the service. The MDE will have the burden to

prove the proposed vendor is a sole source provider of the personal or professional services

needed by the MDE. If any reasonable doubt as to whether the personal or professional service

can only be provided by one source, then the MDE must competitively procure the service.

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

Smart Number	1201-26-R-RFIN-00002	Advertised Date	04/23/2026 1:00 AM
RFx #	3150006731	Submission Date	05/07/2026 2:00 PM
RFx Status	Open	Major Procurement Category	INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT)
RFx Opening Date	05/07/2026 2:00 PM	Sub Procurement Category	SOLE SOURCE NOTICES
RFx Type	Req. for Information
Agency	MS DEPT OF EDUCATION
RFx Description	Sole Source Curriculum Based Professional Learning Database

Name	Betsy Toles	Email	BTOLES@MDEK12.ORG
Phone	6013593989	Fax

PRODUCT CATEGORY	PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
92003	Serv CompASPServProv