RFP for Sustainability Data Analytics Services

The Research Foundation for the State University of New York (SUNYRF) is a private, nonprofit educational corporation that operates independently from and supports the mission of the State University of New York (SUNY), the largest comprehensive system of public higher education in the United States, comprising 64 institutions that are seeking to implement climate and sustainability obligations and commitments. [...] The purpose of this procurement is to obtain data-analytics services from a consultant to provide capacity for SUNYRF to derive insight from that data: to identify patterns, benchmark performance, surface opportunities and solutions, and support data-informed decision-making at both the individual-campus and system-wide levels.

This is a Task Order Contract with a Not-to-Exceed (NTE) value of **$149,000 per year**.

Across Task Orders, the Contractor may be called upon to provide any of the following analytics services.

Recommendations for data collection

• Redesign and modernize the data collection process for select areas.
• Provide recommendations for a streamlined, scalable, and user-friendly data collection framework that improves data quality, reduces reporting burden, establishes clear definitions and validation measures, supports year-over-year trend analysis, and generates actionable information for both campus and system-level decision-making.
• The consultant will evaluate the existing process, identify best practices from comparable higher education or public-sector systems, and provide a practical implementation plan, including recommended reporting tools, and strategies to improve accuracy, and accountability.

Data Preparation for Analysis

• Receive and ingest SUNY-provided data in diverse and heterogeneous formats.
• Clean, structure, normalize, and reconcile data across differing units, naming conventions, reporting boundaries, and time intervals to make it analysis-ready.
• Identify and document data-quality issues, gaps, and limitations, and describe their impact on analysis.
• Maintain transparency into data lineage and any transformations applied.

Analysis and Pattern Identification

• Apply appropriate analytical methods to identify trends, correlations, anomalies, drivers, and patterns within and across datasets.
• Enable comparison and benchmarking across campuses, facilities, categories, timeframes, and — where relevant and available — external peer or standard benchmarks.
• Where called for in a Task Order, provide forecasting, scenario modeling, or predictive analysis to support planning.

Visualization, Reporting, and Communication

• Present data and findings through clear visualizations, dashboards, reports, or equivalent, as scoped per Task Order.
• Support multiple audiences and levels of technical expertise, from analysts to executive leadership.

Deliverables

Specific deliverables are defined per Task Order and may include:

• Suggested reporting tools and process for efficient data collection.
• Analysis-ready datasets and documentation of data preparation.
• Analytical findings, pattern and benchmark analyses, and prioritized recommendations.
• Visualizations, dashboards, and/or reports.
• Documentation, and where scoped, training and knowledge-transfer sessions.
• Task Order project plans and periodic status reporting.

Submit five (5) complete proposals, one of which must have original signatures. Proposals should be sealed, clearly marked "sealed proposal," and addressed to Sadie Ross, Director of Sustainability and Climate Action, The State University of New York, State University Plaza - Albany, New York 12246. We will not accept proposals submitted electronically.

Task Orders will be priced on a time-and-materials basis with a NTE value, as determined by SUNY.

The master contract term is anticipated to be **December 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027** with the possibility of renewal as provided in the resulting agreement.

The submission of a proposal constitutes a binding offer to perform and provide said services. Such binding offer shall be firm and not revocable for a period of 180 days after the deadline for proposal submission.

Contractor shall obtain and maintain Workers' Compensation and Employer's Liability, Disability Benefit Insurance, Commercial General Liability with minimum limit of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $3,000,000 aggregate, and Auto Liability (if applicable) of $1,000,000 combined single limit.