Project Information

Bid Title

Information Technology Oversight

Issuing Agency

Early Learning Coalition of Osceola County

Location

Florida

Published Date

Apr 22, 2026

Closing Date

May 5, 2026

Government Level

State & Local

Status

Closed

Ref. #

ITN #2026ITO

Original Source

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Bid Documents

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Project Description

ITN #2026ITOInformation Technology Oversight

Opening Date:

April 22, 2026

Closing Date:

May 5, 2026

Date Posted:

The Early Learning Coalition (ELC) is issuing this Invitation to Negotiate (ITN) to solicit proposals from qualified firms (“Proposers”) to provide Information Technology oversight, cybersecurity services, and systems support. The selected Proposer will work collaboratively with an ELC-assigned IT staff member to enhance system performance, cybersecurity posture, operational efficiency, and compliance with applicable State and Federal requirements.

Invitation to Negotiate

Attachment Preview

Early Learning Coalition of Osceola County

ITN#2026ITO Information Technology Oversight

INVITATION TO NEGOTIATE

Information Technology Oversight

ITN#2026ITO

SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1 STATEMENT OF NEED

The purpose of the Early Learning Coalition of Osceola County is to develop, implement, and

monitor the School Readiness (SR) and Voluntary Prekindergarten Programs (VPK) to ensure

Osceola County’s youngest citizens will receive quality, comprehensive early learning services

appropriate to their needs, thereby assuring their readiness to enter kindergarten.

The Early Learning Coalition (ELC) is issuing this Invitation to Negotiate (ITN) to solicit proposals

from qualified firms (“Proposers”) to provide Information Technology oversight, cybersecurity

services, and systems support. The selected Proposer will work collaboratively with an ELC-assigned

IT staff member to enhance system performance, cybersecurity posture, operational efficiency, and

compliance with applicable State and Federal requirements.

Negotiations can happen with various companies/vendors to ensure that these are selected based

on their areas of expertise.

The Coalition issues this Invitation to Negotiate (ITN) with the explicit understanding that minor and

major changes may be made, up to and including the option to rescind this ITN in its entirety, if

such is in the best interest of the Coalition.

1.2 DEFINITIONS

In this ITN, capitalized terms used herein shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in Chapter

287.057, Florida Statutes, Chapter 255.25, Florida Statute, and Section 1002, Florida Statutes. In

addition, Attachment K – Definitions, list terms and their specified meanings, unless expressly

provided or unless the context otherwise requires.

1.3 ELIGIBLE PROPOSERS

All public and private corporations properly organized in accordance with State and Federal law

and in business for at least one year may submit a Proposal for the provision of services as defined

within this ITN. Minority operated businesses are encouraged to submit a Proposal.

No Proposer will be considered if:

1) The Proposer has been convicted of a public entity crime, or has been placed on the

convicted vendor list or has been placed on the discriminatory vendor list pursuant to

Section 287.134, F.S.

2) The Proposer has been debarred or suspended or otherwise determined to be ineligible to

receive federal and/or state funds by an action of any governmental agency.

3) The Proposer’s previous agreement(s) with the Coalition or any other State of Florida or state

affiliated agency including other Early Learning Coalitions have been terminated for cause.

4) The Proposer has not complied with an official order to repay disallowed costs incurred

during its conduct of programs or services.

5) For any cause for which the Proposer is determined non-responsive or non-responsible.

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Early Learning Coalition of Osceola County

ITN#2026ITO Information Technology Oversight

1.4 AUTHORITIES

This ITN is issued in compliance with the following programmatic authority:

1) Authority for the Florida Office of Early Learning and for the local School Readiness

Coalitions is provided in Part VI of Chapter 1002, F.S.

2) Authority for the Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten Education Program is provided in Part V of

Chapter 1002, F.S.

3) Authority for Procurement of Personal Property and Services is provided in the Coalition’s

Grant Agreement with OEL and Chapters 255 and 287, F.S.

1.5 FURTHER CONDITIONS

It is essential to the administration, coordination, availability, and delivery of School Readiness and

VPK services that the Proposer be impartial in all matters. Therefore, the Coalition reserves the

right to reject a Proposal where there will be a continuing or frequently recurring conflict between

the Proposer’s private interests and the performance of the Proposer’s duties in the public’s

interest. The Coalition reserves the right to evaluate any disclosed conflict of interest and to

determine, in its reasonable discretion, whether such conflict is material. The Coalition may permit

participation where a conflict is determined to be non-material or where adequate mitigation

measures are implemented to ensure the Proposer’s independence and objectivity. Any such

determination shall be documented in writing. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Coalition shall

disqualify any Proposer where a conflict of interest is determined to be material and not capable

of adequate mitigation.

This ITN does not commit or obligate the Coalition to award an agreement, to commit any funds

identified in this ITN document, to pay any costs incurred in the preparation or presentation of a

Proposal to this ITN, to pay for any costs incurred in advance of the execution of an agreement.

Payment for the provision of services from any agreement award resulting from this ITN is

contingent upon an annual appropriation by the State of Florida Legislature and availability of any

and all applicable federal funds.

The Coalition furthermore reserves the right to:

1) Reject any and/or all Proposals in whole or in part as the Coalition deems is in its best

interest.

2) Change or waive any provisions set forth in this ITN.

3) Return non-responsive Proposals without review.

4) Waive informalities and minor irregularities in Proposals received, as the Coalition deems

appropriate.

5) Request additional data, technical or price revisions, or oral presentations in support of the

written Proposal.

6) Independently determine that an arms-length agreement exists between the Proposer and

any sub-Proposers or vendors they might choose to use.

7) Verify any factual information as it is presented within the Proposal.

8) Require the establishment of escrow accounts for a Proposer that currently has outstanding

debts to the Coalition as a result of audits or monitoring reviews.

9) Conduct an analysis that may include, but is not limited to, a review of the Proposer’s, record

keeping procedures, management systems, accounting and administrative systems,

personnel qualifications, program materials, customer satisfaction levels, previous

agreement performance records and adherence to current budget/agreement requirements.

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Early Learning Coalition of Osceola County

ITN#2026ITO Information Technology Oversight

10) Change specifications and modify agreements as necessary to facilitate compliance with

legislation, regulations and policy directives, to manage funding and/or to meet the needs

of children, families, and caregivers.

11) Conduct analysis of the budget and projected costs submitted by the Proposer in response

to this ITN.

12) To make any and all determinations exclusively which it deems necessary to protect the best

interests of the Coalition, early learning programs and/or the families and children who are

served by the Coalition either directly or indirectly through any of its Proposers. The

absence of the Coalition setting forth a specific reservation of rights does not subject other

areas of any agreement resulting from this ITN to mutual agreement.

13) Must be authorized to do business in the State of Florida and in Osceola County, Florida and

if necessary, must possess any registrations or licenses required by law to provide the scope

of services set forth in this ITN.

14) If the contract terms are not accepted, we reserve the right to proceed with the next highest-

scoring vendor who best meets the ITN criteria and aligns with the needs of our agency. In

the event that any subsequent vendor also declines the terms, we reserve the right to cancel

this ITN and reissue it to solicit additional proposals.

- Remainder of Page Intentionally Left Blank –

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Early Learning Coalition of Osceola County

ITN#2026ITO Information Technology Oversight

SECTION 2: INVITATION TO NEGOTIATE (ITN) PROCESS

2.1 PROCUREMENT SCHEDULE

The Coalition’s ITN process will generally adhere to the following procurement schedule. The dates

and locations listed below are subject to change. Proposers will be notified of any changes made

to the procurement schedule. All times are Eastern Standard Time (EST).

ACTIVITY

1 Announcement and Release

of Invitation to Negotiate

2 Last day for submission

of written inquiries

3 Coalition response to

written inquiries

4 Deadline for Receipt of

Proposals

DATE

April 22, 2026, 4:00

p.m. EST

May 5, 2026, 4:00 p.m.

EST

May 8, 2026, 4:00 p.m.

EST

May 19, 2026, 4:00 p.m.

EST

LOCATION*

Announcement will be posted on Coalition’s

website

Written inquiries may be submitted via e-mail,

certified mail.

Responses will be posted on Coalition’s

website

Submitted by mail or email:

EARLY LEARNING COALITION OF OSCEOLA COUNTY

ATTN. Carmen Garcia RE: ITN#2026ITO

1950 E Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy, 2nd Floor

Kissimmee, FL 34744

Or by email: cgarcia@elcosceola.org

Please add the ITN number and name in the subject line

5 Anticipated Negotiations &

Presentations

6 Anticipated Time period for

evaluation of negotiated

proposals and

recommendation

7 Anticipated Posting of

Notice of Intent to Award

May 20, 2026 - June 5,

2026, 4:00 p.m. EST

June 8, 2026 – June 12,

2026, 4:00 p.m. EST

June 15, 2026, 4:00

p.m. EST

Notification will be provided with the option to

attend in-person and/or virtually, as

determined by the evaluation committee.

Evaluation Committee Only

Notice of Award will be posted on Coalition’s

website.

*Timeline is subject to change. Notification of any changes will be posted on our Coalition website at https://elcosceola.org/vendors/

2.2 OFFICIAL CONTACT PERSON

The Early Learning Coalition of Osceola County, Inc issues this ITN. The contact person listed below

is the sole point of contact for this ITN.

Carmen Garcia, Grant Manager

E-mail: cgarcia@elcosceola.org

2.3 LIMITATIONS ON CONTACTING COALITION PERSONNEL

A “Cone of Silence” is hereby established for this solicitation. The Cone of Silence shall commence

upon issuance of this ITN and shall terminate upon posting of the Notice of Intent to Award or

cancellation of the solicitation.

During the Cone of Silence, Proposers are prohibited from contacting Coalition personnel or Board

members regarding this solicitation other than the contact person identified in Section 2.2 of this

document. Any violation may result in the disqualification of the Proposer. Please refer to Section

2.4 for instructions regarding inquiries.

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Early Learning Coalition of Osceola County

ITN#2026ITO Information Technology Oversight

2.4 INQUIRIES

All inquiries requesting clarification regarding this ITN must be made in writing to the identified

contact person and received no later than May 1, 2026, at 4:00 PM EST. WRITTEN INQUIRIES MAY BE

SUBMITTED VIA E-MAIL OR CERTIFIED MAIL. It is the responsibility of the Proposer to ensure that

electronic information has been received by the Official Contact listed above on or before the date

stated above.

Coalition responses to written inquiries will be posted on the Coalition’s website at

https://elcosceola.org/vendors/ no later than May 8, 2026, at 4:00 PM EST.

2.5 ACCEPTANCE OF PROPOSALS

A complete ITN proposal must be received in the Coalition office no later than May 22, 2026, at 4:00

PM EST to the following:

Certified Mail:

Early Learning Coalition of Osceola County

ATTN. Carmen Garcia RE: ITN#2026ITO

1950 E Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy, 2nd Floor

Kissimmee, FL 34744

Or by E-mail: cgarcia@elcosceola.org

Please add the ITN number and name in the subject line (Refer to Section 6 for instructions on Submission of ITN documents)

Any Proposal submitted shall remain firm and valid for one-hundred eighty (180) days after the

response submission due date, or until an Agreement is fully executed, whichever occurs first. No

changes, modifications or additions to the submitted Proposal will be accepted by or be binding on

the Coalition after the deadline for submitting Proposals has passed.

SUBMISSION RESPONSIBILITY AND RECEIPT

RESPONDENTS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ENSURING THAT ALL PROPOSALS SUBMITTED TO THE

COALITION, INCLUDING INQUIRIES, ARE RECEIVED AT THE DESIGNATED LOCATION AND PRIOR TO THE

SPECIFIED DATE AND TIME.

ANY PROPOSAL NOT RECEIVED BY THE COALITION AT THE SPECIFIED LOCATION AND BY THE STATED

DEADLINE, REGARDLESS OF ANY REASON, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO TRANSMISSION ERRORS,

DELIVERY ISSUES, OR TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES WILL BE CONSIDERED LATE AND WILL NOT BE

EVALUATED AND WILL BE UNOPENED. PLEASE NOTE THAT ANY SUBMITTALS WILL BECOME SUBJECT TO

APPLICABLE FLORIDA LAW PUBLIC RECORDS LAWS AFTER AWARD.

THE COALITION WILL PROVIDE AN ACKNOWLEDGMENT EMAIL FOR PROPOSALS RECEIVED.

RESPONDENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO FOLLOW UP WITH THE COALITION IF AN ACKNOWLEDGMENT IS

NOT RECEIVED WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME AFTER SUBMISSION, IN ORDER TO CONFIRM THAT YOUR

PROPOSAL HAS BEEN SUCCESSFULLY RECEIVED. SUCH FOLLOW-UP IS FOR ADMINISTRATIVE PURPOSES

ONLY AND WILL NOT IMPACT THE EVALUATION OR RESPONSIVENESS OF THE REPLY.

DISCLAIMER

THIS ITN IS ISSUED TO SOLICIT COMPETITIVE PROPOSALS AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A CONTRACT

OR AN OFFER TO CONTRACT. NO BINDING AGREEMENT SHALL EXIST UNTIL APPROVED BY THE

COALITION’S BOARD AND EXECUTED BY ALL PARTIES. NOTHING HEREIN SHALL BE CONSTRUED TO LIMIT

ANY RIGHTS OR REMEDIES AVAILABLE UNDER APPLICABLE FLORIDA LAW, INCLUDING PROCUREMENT

PROTEST RIGHTS. NO PARTY SHALL RELY ON ANY INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN UNLESS AND

UNTIL A DEFINITIVE WRITTEN AGREEMENT IS APPROVED AND EXECUTED BY ALL PARTIES.

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Commodity Codes

• NAICS 541511Custom Computer Programming Services
• NAICS 541512Computer Systems Design Services
• NAICS 541513Computer Facilities Management Services
• NAICS 541519Other Computer Related Services
• NAICS 541611Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services

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